Chapter 62: Trap

[Jake is in my hands.

Before 5 PM today, you will come to Ashfall Forest, near the central region east of the city.

If you fail to appear, I will not wait. When the time comes, all that will remain is a cold corpse.

—Owen Sterling]

The moment Ryan read the blood-red notice, all his previous doubts vanished.

His fists clenched tightly, his expression darkening with fury.

"Damn it! This Owen Sterling... He actually went after an ordinary person like Jake just to get to me?"

Ryan’s voice was cold. "If you have a grudge against me, then come for me! Why drag an innocent person into this?"

He was genuinely enraged.

Whatever schemes the Sterling Family had prepared, they could simply use them against him. He would face them head-on.

Yet the dignified Five Great Houses had resorted to such a despicable tactic—using their overwhelming power to bully the weak and threaten an innocent person just to force him into the open.

Instead of confronting Ryan directly, the Sterling Family had chosen to abduct his friend and use Jake’s life as bait.

Sinister.

Shameless.

But Ryan had to admit one thing.

The Sterling Family’s move was also extremely effective.

By posting such a massive, blood-red notice in the most prominent location on the city’s public bulletin board, they had essentially issued him an open invitation to walk straight into their trap.

There was no ambiguity.

They wanted everyone to know.

And they wanted Ryan to know that they were waiting for him.

Worse, the notice revealed enough information about Ryan and Jake that anyone with ulterior motives could potentially follow the clues and uncover more about him.

That made the situation even more dangerous.

Based on the historical records of the Five Great Houses stored in Ryan’s memory, Owen Sterling wasn’t much older than him.

Yet Owen had already reached the Origin Spirit Realm Initial Stage.

As for Wesley Sterling’s father, Gareth Sterling, he had reportedly reached the peak of the Origin Spirit Realm long ago.

The Sterling Family’s members were naturally incomparable to ordinary Bloodline Fighters.

Even a neglected member of a collateral branch would likely have access to far more cultivation resources than an average warrior.

Neither of these men would be easy to deal with.

Ryan had only awakened his Bloodline recently.

The difference in strength between them was enormous.

But even if he was being asked to walk into a dragon’s den, he still had to go.

Jake had helped him immensely.

The man had spent considerable time searching through the garbage disposal site and gathering large quantities of waste pills and damaged treasures for him.

Ryan had never expected that after he concealed himself with the Gray Light Shield, the Sterling Family—unable to locate him—would turn their attention toward Jake instead.

In a sense, he had dragged Jake into this mess.

And that wasn’t the only problem.

If the Sterling Family was willing to abduct Jake today, what would stop them from targeting his family tomorrow?

Ryan absolutely refused to allow something like that to happen again.

Since a confrontation with the Sterling Family was inevitable sooner or later, he might as well deal with this threat now.

So, no matter how dangerous it was, Ryan had to go.

Not only to rescue Jake, but because he felt responsible for putting his friend in this situation.

The place mentioned in Owen’s notice—Ashfall Forest—was located roughly three kilometers east of Ashfall City’s eastern gate.

It was the most popular wilderness training ground for the city’s adventurers.

The forest stretched across an enormous area, surrounded by towering mountains and filled with ancient trees that seemed to go on forever. Their dense canopies blocked out much of the sky, leaving the forest floor shrouded in perpetual shadow.

In places sunlight could barely reach, an eerie atmosphere lingered year-round, accompanied by thick fog that rarely dispersed.

The forest’s proximity to Ashfall City was what had earned it the name Ashfall Forest.

It was rich in natural treasures and home to countless strange beasts.

But powerful beasts occasionally appeared as well, including terrifying third- and even fourth-tier creatures.

Risk and opportunity existed side by side, making the forest a popular training ground for stronger Bloodline Fighters.

Originally, Ryan had planned to continue developing himself through the Boundless Creation Furnace.

Although the Furnace’s inability to recreate the same treasure limited him, he still had plenty of ways to make use of his existing resources.

Find waste treasures.

Create.

Sell.

Find more waste treasures.

Create.

Sell.

...

By repeating the cycle patiently, Ryan could gradually accumulate Origin Stones and cultivation resources without exposing himself to unnecessary danger.

As long as he was willing to put in the time, his wealth and strength would steadily snowball.

If he had a choice, he genuinely didn’t want to venture into the wilderness this early.

He knew better than anyone that entering the wilderness without sufficient strength could be extremely dangerous.

Because low-level strange beasts were so common, Ashfall Forest had become the primary training ground for many Origin Sea Convergence Realm and Origin Spirit Realm Bloodline Fighters.

It was also a major source of income for countless small and medium-sized mercenary groups.

Among adventurers, it was even jokingly called the "Novice Forest."

But the nickname could be misleading.

Although the forest had a relatively low barrier to entry, it contained countless dangers that couldn’t be detected from the surface.

And at night, when the Yin energy reached its peak, the danger increased dramatically.

Large numbers of strange beasts became active after dark, emerging from their hiding places to hunt while absorbing the essence of the stars and moon.

There were even reports of terrifying fourth-tier strange beasts appearing deep within the forest.

Those creatures were powerful enough to overwhelm even Origin Ascendant Realm experts.

Therefore, no one should underestimate Ashfall Forest.

It might be called the Novice Forest...

But it was also the largest graveyard for novices.

Every year, countless adventurers entered the forest and never came back.

Now, Owen’s notice had completely destroyed Ryan’s original plan to patiently build his strength.

He had no choice but to enter the wilderness much sooner than expected.

Ryan took a deep breath, suppressing the anger boiling inside him.

He quickly hailed a Wind Wolf Express and headed toward Winters Tower.

He couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Jake’s life was in someone else’s hands.

At any moment, that life could be extinguished.

Fortunately, there was still some time before 5 PM.

This trip would likely mean confronting two Origin Spirit Realm experts.

Ryan needed to carefully consider every possibility and prepare as much as he could before entering Ashfall Forest.

At least the Sterling Family had given him some time.

Perhaps they were worried that he might not see the notice in time, so Owen had deliberately set the deadline hours later instead of demanding that Ryan appear immediately.

That small window gave Ryan an opportunity to prepare.

Otherwise, if they had forced him to enter the forest immediately, it would have been nothing more than a guaranteed death trap.

Winters Tower wasn’t far from Winters Manor.

Before long, Ryan was already approaching his destination.

But as the Wind Wolf Express sped through the city, the anger inside him continued to build.

He soon noticed something strange.

Every public bulletin board along the route had the exact same blood-red notice plastered across it.

Whenever Ryan lifted the carriage curtain, he saw crowds gathered around the boards, discussing the notice.

And almost every time, he heard the same name.

"Ryan."

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. He finally understood.

’Owen probably hasn’t found my exact location. He’s afraid I won’t see the notice.’

That was why he had spent such a massive amount of money renting bulletin boards throughout the city.

He wasn’t simply making a public announcement. He was making sure Ryan couldn’t possibly miss it.

The crowds gathered around each board were merely an unintended consequence of the spectacle—or perhaps exactly what Owen wanted.

Either way, the entire city was now talking about him.

This was a blatant provocation.

The Sterling Family was using its wealth and influence to force him into the open, treating him like an insignificant insect that could be crushed whenever they pleased.

The feeling left Ryan deeply frustrated.

His fists tightened beneath his sleeves.

"This Sterling Family really is something else..."

A cold glint flashed through his eyes.

"They’re always relying on their power and wealth to bully people."

Ryan’s jaw tightened.

"If I ever get the chance..."

His eyes turned icy.

"I’ll make sure every last one of these bastards regrets ever provoking me."