DMS Chapter 202

The morning after breakfast, Flinx checked the web-based chat program he and his friends used to communicate.

He saw that Mark had already distributed the gold and gemstones to everyone.

Paul had also sent him a message explaining that, after receiving the money, Pedro had decided to return to his home country with his family. The amount Paul had paid them was so enormous that they could live comfortably there for the rest of their lives.

"You don't need to worry," Paul wrote. "Everyone contributed."

Paul jokingly added that Pedro's decision wasn't motivated solely by the money. Pedro also wanted to put as much distance as possible between his family and Paul because they were terrified of him.

Apparently, being acquainted with a brujo was frightening.

To them, Flinx was essentially a witch.

One fortunate circumstance was that Tomas had only developed leukemia after the family moved to the United States. None of their relatives back home knew he had ever been ill.

Although Pedro had informed a few close relatives, he assured Paul that a simple explanation, along with a few generous gifts, would convince everyone that Tomas had merely been misdiagnosed.

Satisfied with the update, Flinx closed the chat window on the first tab of his system panel.

He stepped outside his Galder's Tower Log Cabin and dismissed it.

Since he had already dispelled all of his previous elementals, he summoned a new wind elemental to serve as his invisible aerial guard while Pip continued scouting the surrounding area.

It was time to resume his journey.

To his surprise, he realized how much he had missed it.

His peaceful, solitary travels—occasionally interrupted by small adventures and unexpected side quests—were the perfect way to unwind after the grueling effort required to reach the level necessary to cast Plane Shift and return to Earth.

Flinx had also decided that, now that he was far from Ilioven, he would spend time in the villages he encountered, offering his services as a healer.

Healing Tomas had left a deep impression on him.

For the first time, he truly felt that everything he had endured was worthwhile if it allowed him to cast spells capable of curing terrible diseases like cancer.

He also decided never to charge ordinary villagers for his healing.

He simply didn't need the few coins that hardworking people struggled to save.

At one point, he even considered performing other charitable acts, such as feeding orphans or providing supplies to the poor.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

Using items purchased from the System Shopping Site could easily attract unwanted attention. Instead of helping people, he might unintentionally bring trouble upon them.

Healing was different.

Anyone interested in his abilities could simply seek him out, and truthfully, after both of his classes had reached the Legendary rank, Flinx believed he was powerful enough to defend himself against almost anyone.

His experience inside the wild dungeon had proven just how devastating his spells truly were.

The road remained slightly damp from the intermittent autumn rain, but Flinx didn't mind.

He loved the cool air of the season.

The rows of trees lining the road, dressed in brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and crimson, gave the landscape an almost ethereal beauty that made the world feel enchanted.

Flinx also discovered that he still preferred traveling on foot.

He wasn't even tempted to use one of his vehicles.

The loud rumble of an engine would only shatter the peaceful silence surrounding him, and he had grown deeply attached to that tranquility.

The cheerful songs of birds and the constant chatter of small woodland creatures were as enjoyable to him as listening to his favorite musicians.

Whenever he grew tired of the forest's natural chorus, he listened to the soundtrack of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or The Lord of the Rings using the music player he had purchased through the System Shopping Site.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and twilight painted the landscape in shades of gold and violet, Flinx decided not to continue traveling after dark.

Instead, he conjured his magical log cabin beside the road.

As usual, he left the windows open.

He enjoyed the crisp autumn air drifting through the cabin, while the magically fueled fireplace provided more than enough warmth to keep the interior comfortable.

He also wasn't concerned about insects.

The magical aura surrounding the cabin naturally kept mosquitoes and other small pests away.

Outside, Pip and the wind elemental remained on guard, ensuring that no hostile creature could approach unnoticed.

After dinner, Flinx settled comfortably into his favorite chair beside the fireplace and picked up his book.

Before beginning to read, he briefly contacted Olivia using his seventh-level Wizard spell, Telepathy, to make sure everything was alright back home.

The conversations rarely lasted more than a few seconds.

He simply wanted immediate notice if anything serious happened to the family or if the four children—or anyone from the Magic Guild—had contacted her regarding them.

Afterward, he checked the web-based messenger.

There were no important updates.

Satisfied, he returned to The Magic of Recluce, the first novel in L. E. Modesitt Jr.'s Saga of Recluce.

About an hour later, he finished the novel and immediately began reading the second book.

He continued until he finally grew sleepy.

Only then did he climb into bed for the night.

The following morning, Flinx resumed his journey.

Around noon, Pip informed him that a village lay ahead.

Looking through Pip's eyes, Flinx noticed a wooden sign beside the entrance that read:

Rembord Village

The settlement was enormous.

In fact, Flinx thought it was large enough to be considered a town.

Perhaps the surrounding walls simply made it appear larger than it actually was.

He understood why such fortifications were necessary.

The surrounding forests were filled with monsters, and sturdy walls were essential for protecting the people living within them.

Beldor Town, the very first settlement Flinx had visited in this world, had survived only because powerful magical arrays reinforced its walls against monster attacks.

Rembord Village, however, appeared different.

From what he could tell, its walls lacked any magical reinforcement.

Flinx concluded that the monsters in this region were probably much weaker than those near Beldor.

Since he had decided to travel as a wandering healer, he had already altered the appearance of his clothing.

His outfit now resembled that of a poor traveling cleric.

Although the clothes looked worn and frayed around the edges, they remained perfectly clean.

The appearance was merely an illusion.

Thanks to his Chameleon Suit, all of the clothing's magical properties remained intact while allowing him to disguise it however he pleased.

He carried nothing except a simple shoulder bag.

Flinx deliberately chose not to carry a staff or any visible weapon.

He had long since realized that physical equipment only got in the way and was too easy to lose.

If anyone questioned how an unarmed healer had managed to travel safely through monster-infested forests, he had already prepared an answer.

He would simply claim that his master was a powerful cleric who had assigned a guardian spirit to watch over him.

Technically, such a spell did exist among his Cleric abilities.

Still, rather than cast it, Flinx intended to let everyone assume that his invisible wind elemental was that guardian spirit.