DMS Chapter 186

Flinx laughed at himself for being such a scaredy-cat when he knew the stories in horror movies weren't real. More than likely, his fear stemmed from childhood trauma.

His family once had neighbors with a daughter who was three years older than him.

Lisa treated him like a younger brother, but she also loved scaring him half to death and did it whenever she had the chance. By the time Flinx turned ten, Lisa and her family had moved away, and his family gradually lost contact with them.

For a brief moment, Flinx silently wished Lisa and her family well. She had been the closest thing he had ever had to an older sister.

He knew his fear of horror films was irrational, but he simply shrugged and stopped dwelling on it. Instead, he returned to reading the fantasy novel he had been enjoying.

The next morning, Flinx was pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining.

Although the breeze remained cold, the rain had finally stopped. After breakfast, he stepped outside to inspect the weather. The sky was still covered by clouds, but they were no longer dark, making the day much brighter than the previous one.

The fresh scent of rain-soaked earth filled the air, and Flinx took a deep breath, savoring it.

He returned to his cabin, took a shower, finished breakfast, and then stepped outside once more. After dispelling his magical cabin, he resumed his aimless journey.

Flinx knew the road would eventually lead him to the village of Harpsidol.

As he walked, he suddenly realized that it might be time to learn how to ride an animal. Previously, he had assumed such a skill was unnecessary since he already possessed spells like Fly and even had the off-road vehicle he had purchased from his System Shopping Site.

He reviewed his spell list and found the Phantom Steed spell.

The spell could summon a mount in the form of a warhorse, an ordinary horse, or even a donkey. Better yet, when cast using a fourth-level spell slot, the mount became sturdier and could survive taking damage without disappearing immediately. Its duration also increased to eight hours.

Flinx cast the third-level Wizard spell Phantom Steed using a fourth-level spell slot and chose the form of a small donkey.

When the donkey appeared, he found it incredibly adorable.

It came fully equipped with a saddle, bit, and bridle.

Flinx climbed onto its back and stared at the reins.

He had absolutely no idea how to use them.

Fortunately, the donkey wasn't a real animal but a magical summon. That meant he could simply issue verbal commands.

He decided to name the donkey Pip Two and instructed it to start walking.

The donkey obediently moved forward at about the pace of an ordinary person, which suited Flinx perfectly. Since it followed his commands, he didn't even need to hold the reins and could simply enjoy the surrounding scenery.

After a couple of hours, however, his backside began to ache.

He concluded that walking was still far more comfortable.

Climbing down from the donkey, Flinx dispelled the spell and continued his journey on foot.

Even when noon arrived, he didn't stop to eat since he wasn't hungry. Instead, he planned to enjoy a large, lavish dinner later that evening. In his opinion, genuine hunger was the finest seasoning any meal could have.

As he walked, he occasionally checked the chat logs and forums for any new developments and was quietly pleased whenever he found nothing noteworthy.

Flinx frequently paused whenever something caught his attention—a strangely shaped bug, a beautiful flower, an unusual insect, trees bearing unfamiliar fruit, or anything else that piqued his curiosity.

Because of that, he knew his journey was progressing at a remarkably slow pace.

Eventually, Pip informed him of a beautiful spring hidden inside the nearby forest. Since it wasn't far from the road, Flinx decided to investigate.

Guided by his familiar, he soon reached the spring.

The gentle sound of water flowing over the rocks reminded him of soft bells, instantly calming his mind.

The spring fed into a small lake.

Although Flinx didn't particularly enjoy eating fish, he decided to try fishing for the experience.

He had never fished before, though he had seen countless people online who absolutely loved the hobby.

He spent a little time researching the basics on the internet, but his interest quickly faded.

In the end, he simply purchased a fishing rod from his System Shopping Site and started fishing.

The rod came with an artificial lure, sparing him the trouble of digging for worms.

After a couple of peaceful hours, during which he mostly sat in silence and let his thoughts wander, Flinx managed to catch only two small fish.

Even so, catching them thrilled him a little.

He carefully removed the lure from each fish's mouth before releasing them back into the lake.

Satisfied, he stored the fishing rod in his fourth-tab space and concluded that he would probably never use it again.

As he sat quietly beside the water, listening to nature's soothing melody, a gigantic brown bear emerged from deep within the forest.

Trailing behind her were two tiny cubs.

The cubs looked adorable, but with their mother present, Flinx had no intention of approaching them.

The bear stared at him for nearly a minute before deciding he wasn't worth worrying about.

She calmly walked to the water's edge to drink, with her cubs eagerly following.

Once they had quenched their thirst, the three bears quietly disappeared back into the forest.

Flinx wondered why the mother bear hadn't attacked or even tried to intimidate him.

Was it because he had remained perfectly still?

Was it because she and her cubs were already well fed?

He didn't know.

Whatever the reason, he was simply grateful the encounter had ended peacefully.

Because of what had happened, Flinx abandoned his original plan of setting up Galder's Log Cabin beside the lake.

Many wild animals probably used the area as a watering hole, and he didn't want to disturb them.

Instead, he left the spring and resumed walking along the road.

Flinx continued his leisurely pace until sunset.

He had expected to reach Harpsidol before nightfall, but the village was evidently much farther away than he had anticipated.

He cast Galder's Log Cabin beside the road and enjoyed a long, hot shower.

Just as he was about to begin dinner, Pip suddenly informed him that four people were approaching the cabin.

Curious, Flinx viewed the surroundings through his familiar's eyes.

He hadn't expected anyone to be traveling at night, especially along such a dangerous road.

Through Pip's vision, he saw what appeared to be a family—a man and a woman accompanied by two children.

He wondered what circumstances had forced them to travel after dark.

Flinx instructed Pip to fly farther back along the road to see where they had come from.

A short while later, his familiar reported that several men on horseback were pursuing the family.

Flinx smiled slightly.

An interesting bit of drama was about to arrive at his doorstep.

He wasn't actively looking for trouble, but if trouble came to him, he certainly wouldn't mind dealing with it for a little entertainment.

Watching through Pip's eyes, Flinx saw the man finally notice his cabin.

Since he had already decided to involve himself, he stored the dinner he had just purchased inside his fourth-tab space and calmly waited by the door for the travelers to arrive.