The climate in the Battersea District grew increasingly frigid, portending the advent of winter.


    When Glen ventured out, he observed that people were donning ever - thicker garb. To avoid drawing attention to his singularity, he augmented the thickness of his illusory garments.


    As a considerate employer, he also exhorted the workers on his farm to attire themselves warmly and take heed of their well - being.


    The high priestess of the forest elves had, by now, largely recuperated. She and her fellow elves ought to have departed, yet they contrived reasons to remain.


    Glen was indifferent to this. After all, they offered free labor. Noticing that these elves worked even more diligently than humans, he regarded them as his employees and paid them accordingly.


    Initially, the elves were resistant, but as Glen was not a truly unscrupulous employer, he was resolute in his intention to pay them.


    The elves, perhaps fearing to incur Glen''s displeasure, eventually acquiesced.


    Previously, Glen had seized an opportunity to inquire of Gotaya as to why these elves held him in such high regard. She merely stated that she had disclosed some of Glen''s capabilities to her kin.


    Glen immediately grasped the situation, and thus, his current demeanor towards these elves was quite understandable.


    Furthermore, Gotaya informed Glen that she had imparted to the other tribe members the martial arts techniques he had taught her.


    Glen was unperturbed by this. What he had taught Gotaya were merely superficial skills. For one to truly embark on the path, one must formally become his disciple.


    Apart from these affairs, the new neighbor seemed to be an extremely reclusive individual. Whether it was due to being intimidated by Glen or some other reason, it was rare to see the person leave their abode.


    However, at night, the villa was invariably illuminated, and silhouettes could be seen moving by the windows.


    It was unclear what was transpiring within, as not even a sound could be discerned.


    ...


    On the first day when snowflakes began to drift from the sky, Glen opened the window and cast a glance outside, a faint sense of surprise registering within him.


    He had presumed that the town of Bayek would remain isolated from the outside world, with snow falling beyond its bounds while leaving it untouched.


    After a moment of appreciation, he picked up the notes he had penned the previous night and made his way towards the basement.


    In recent days, his inspiration for magic had surged, enabling him to master a wealth of arcane knowledge that defied easy description. As a result, he had even learned two low - level spells.


    Consequently, his motivation for learning was at an all - time high.


    Upon arriving at the underground magic laboratory, Glen first kindled the lamps, intending to resume his research from where he had left off the previous night.


    However, scarcely had he commenced when a faint sound disrupted his train of thought.


    Setting aside the half - written magic brush in his hand, Glen''s eyes darted about as he turned his gaze in the direction whence the sound had originated.


    It did not seem to be the sort of noise made by rodents or the like.


    Glen had long since eradicated all the rats and cockroaches from the basement; there should be none remaining.


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    It appeared to be coming from that door...


    He took measured steps towards the wondrous magic door that could traverse between two regions.


    Upon closer inspection, it did not seem markedly different.


    Yet, Glen detected a subtle alteration.


    The disc - shaped object on the door, reminiscent of a clock, had its pointer shifted to a different sector, having moved one notch clockwise.


    Glen drew nearer, perplexed as to the cause of this change.


    Previously, he had studied this door. If it were indeed similar to a certain animation from his past life, then the various sectors on the dial ought to represent the destinations the door would lead to upon being opened.


    However, when Glen had attempted to move the pointer with his finger, it was to no avail. The pointer would spring back to its original position.


    Only after learning magic did he discover that this door required a specific incantation for operation.


    Now, the fact that the dial had shifted of its own accord left Glen bewildered.


    He paced the floor for a moment, his eyes alternating between his experimental bench and the door before him.


    I''ll just take a cursory look and then return... In the end, he decided to open the door to see if there were any changes on the other side.


    Placing his hand on the doorknob, he gave it a gentle turn. With a crisp click, the door swung open.


    Before Glen could even make out what lay beyond, a powerful gust of wind, laced with dust, assailed him, making it impossible to open his eyes. Through the narrow slit between his half - closed lids, he could only glimpse a hazy, gray expanse.


    Glen had no choice but to turn his back to the door and close it behind him to prevent the tempestuous wind from wreaking havoc in the laboratory.


    Once he had acclimated to the howling wind around him, he beheld a world that resembled a desolate ruin.


    There was a glimmer of light in the sky, veiled by mist, which was presumably the position of the sun.


    The ground was carpeted with withered weeds, and several animal carcasses could be discerned hidden amidst them.


    Not far off stood a wooden hut, which seemed to have been abandoned for an extended period. The dilapidated door, buffeted by the gale, teetered on the verge of detaching, emitting a rhythmic slapping sound.


    What on earth is this place? … Glen stood still for a moment, then turned to look at the door. It was the same small - house - like stone carving as in Kailadria.


    However, this stone carving presented a far more forlorn sight. It bore not only the marks of sword slashes and axe blows but was even piled with human corpses at its base.


    Has there been a war here? … Rubbing his chin, Glen surmised.


    He then directed his gaze towards the wooden hut in the distance. Driven by curiosity, he made his way towards it.


    He simply wrenched the door off, freeing it from its precarious state.


    Then he stepped inside the hut.


    The interior of the house appeared as if it had been ransacked by thieves. Tables, chairs, and benches were overturned and broken, strewn haphazardly across the floor.


    There was also a corpse lying in the center. Glen approached and made a cursory examination.


    "Female, around forty to fifty years of age, an ordinary individual, slain by a sword thrust through the chest..."


    Rising to his feet, Glen found a tattered cloth to wipe his hands and then noticed a few tattered objects resembling books in the corner.


    He walked over, retrieved them, and upon opening, discovered that they were hand - written notes.


    Due to their severe damage, little useful information could be gleaned. However, from the handwriting, Glen knew that these were penned by the owner of the magic notes in his basement that had been gnawed by rats.


    Could that mage have met his end here? It couldn''t be the corpse on the floor; that was merely an ordinary person... He casually discarded the tattered notes and exited the hut.


    Through the hazy mist, he could discern what appeared to be a town or a castle in the distance.


    At this moment, Glen was, in fact, on the summit of a mountain.


    I might as well descend and take a look. It shouldn''t consume too much time... Persuading himself thus, Glen took a running start and then leaped off the mountaintop, hurtling straight down towards the foot of the mountain.


    Once he plunged into the forest, he moved with the dexterity of a gibbon, navigating through the trees with remarkable agility.


    However, Glen had not savored this exhilarating experience for long when, before he knew it, a horde of rotting monsters gave chase from behind.


    They came in diverse forms, and seemed quite familiar with this forest, their speed being on par with Glen''s.


    With a quick glance back, Glen had no inclination to come into physical contact with these revolting - looking creatures. He casually unleashed several dragon - breath blades, decimating large numbers of them.


    Yet, these monsters seemed to be inexhaustible. After slaying a large group, even more came charging after him, and every now and then, a few would emerge from the front, lunging at Glen.


    Glen was growing increasingly vexed. These monsters not only offended his eyes but also assailed his olfactory senses.


    Suddenly, his hands burst into searing flames, and he seemed to detonate like a fireball.


    The forest was set ablaze in quick succession, and the monsters could only wail in the inferno.


    "Although burning the forest is not advisable, given the state of this place, there probably aren''t any people or animals left," Glen murmured to himself as he emerged from the epicenter of the explosion.