Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 346: A Test of Trust

Dot snatched the water bottle and hugged it tightly against her chest. Her large eyes kept darting around, as if she feared someone might snatch it away. She leaned in close to Ethan and whispered, "Big bro, aren’t you afraid of dying?"

Ethan blinked, puzzled by her question.

Dot’s mother had been watching. She hurried over and lowered her voice. "Dot, quickly give it back to the uncle!" Then she turned to Ethan with a worried expression. "Here, a single drop of water can make countless people attack you. Hide it well and don’t take it out again."

Only then did Ethan understand why Dot had reacted so anxiously.

He waved his hand dismissively. "It’s for you."

But Dot’s mother shook her head. Her eyes turned sad. "Dot’s father is gone. No one can protect us. You... you’re harming us."

With that, she gently pried the bottle from Dot’s arms and pressed it back into Ethan’s hands. She gave him a pleading look, then tugged Dot’s hand and urged Ethan to keep moving.

Dot glanced back at him, licking her cracked lips. Ethan stood there, bewildered. Aren’t these all Uncle Jed’s tribe members? Do they really have to be so wary of each other?

---

[Ding... System Notification: Main Quest [Blood King’s Trial – Human Malice] triggered.]

The sudden notification startled him. He quickly opened the quest panel, but as usual, there were no hints. Still... activating the main quest was better than nothing. He looked up and watched Dot and her mother disappear into the crowd. A few seconds later, he shook his head and fell back to the end of the group, next to Uncle Jed.

Ethan, not having released his Soul Sense, didn’t realize that a young man in his twenties had witnessed the entire exchange. The man’s gaze burned with greedy intent.

It wasn’t that Ethan hadn’t thought of using his Soul Sense. He simply couldn’t. The system had already warned him: insufficient mental energy. He suspected it was because his Soul Sense had been completely drained. For now, he was just an ordinary man among them.

As they walked, Ethan listened to Uncle Jed explain more about this place. The Sea of Death, as it was called, stretched for thousands of miles. Four cities dotted its expanse: Hurricane City, Beastfall City, Clearspring City, and the Forgotten City.

Beastfall City lay in the southwest and was said to be the strongest power in the Sea of Death. Hurricane City was the most mysterious—rumored to be the only society here, hidden within the Eye of the Hurricane at the very center of the desert.

Clearspring City, to the east, was famous for its abundant water. Everyone dreamed of reaching it, but only those who ruled a region of the desert could enter. As for the Forgotten City in the north, the nights there were so cold they could drop to forty or fifty degrees below zero. Lawless and dangerous, it was no place for ordinary people.

After hearing all this, Ethan nodded thoughtfully. He wanted to ask why people also called this place the Land of Exile, but he held back—revealing ignorance might give away too much about himself.

---

They continued on until the sun dipped low. Uncle Jed kept watching the horizon, his face darkening with every passing minute.

Ethan finally asked, "What’s wrong?"

"We might not make it to the destination," Uncle Jed said grimly.

Without another word, he strode to the front of the five-hundred-strong caravan. Ethan followed at a distance. Uncle Jed stopped beside an elder and spoke quietly, making several gestures. The elder—Ethan recognized him as the tribe leader, Butcher—nodded.

Soon, the entire group began to slow and finally halted.

Almost everyone in the tribe shared the surname Butcher. Uncle Jed was one of the few exceptions. Now, Ethan was another.

Uncle Jed began directing the men to unload the wooden stakes strapped to their backs. Ethan had seen them carrying these all along—each man with at least two, the stronger ones with five or six. With no vehicles, they had transported everything by hand.

They worked quickly, driving the stakes into the sand in a wide circle large enough to hold the whole group. The women followed, weaving thick hemp ropes between the stakes to form a low fence.

Ethan couldn’t help admiring their efficiency. From driving the stakes to weaving the rope, it took less than two hours. The stakes stood about as tall as a person’s shoulders, roughly 1.7 meters. Once the fence was up, they opened several barrels and splashed an unknown substance over the wood and ropes.

A sharp, pungent odor stung Ethan’s nose.

"Haha... The smell is nasty, but it keeps the desert monsters away," Uncle Jed called out with a grin. He clapped Ethan on the back before turning to help the others finish preparations.

Ethan moved to sit alone near the fence. He watched the tribe bustle about and thought over everything that had happened.

He had been sent here to complete the so-called Blood King’s Trial. But what was the trial? So far, he had no clue. He’d triggered a side quest for no clear reason and received nothing for completing it. Now, the main quest had finally begun—at least that was something.

His thoughts drifted to Uncle Jed. A man this powerful, mixed in with a struggling tribe—it didn’t quite add up.

---

Grrr...

Ethan’s stomach growled loudly, startling him out of his thoughts. This hunger felt too real to be just a game mechanic.

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A small voice came from behind. He turned to see Dot squatting in the shadows behind a pile of hemp rope, waving him over.

He walked to her slowly. "What’s wrong, Dot?"

Despite her dirt-smudged face and dark skin, her wide eyes were bright with innocence.

"Big bro, Mom told me to tell you to leave quickly when it gets light." Dot looked around nervously, then lowered her voice. "Brother Junior told the tribe leader about you having water."

She swallowed. "Mom was called in, too... for questioning. Don’t... don’t blame Mom."

At the end, her voice broke into a soft plea. Ethan understood—her mother must have confessed to protect them.

His expression darkened. Dot noticed and quickly tried to explain.

"If Mom didn’t say anything... we’d be driven out of the tribe..." Her voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper.

---

[Ding... System Notification: Main Quest [Blood King’s Trial – Human Malice (1) – Choice] triggered. Please make your choice: Trust / Distrust!]

Ethan realized he was scaring her. He forced himself to soften his expression. Without a word, he pulled out a chocolate bar and a bottle of mineral water and held them out to her.

At the same time, he whispered to the system, Trust.

---

[Ding... System Notification: You chose ’Trust’. Quest progress remains unchanged. Continuing.]

Dot eyed the water, but her gaze quickly shifted to the bright chocolate wrapper. Ethan smiled and unwrapped it, holding it to her mouth.

"Eat. When you’re done, go back quickly."

She hesitated, but the sweet smell was too tempting. She took a small bite, and her eyes widened with wonder. The chocolate melted on her tongue, and she began eating greedily, like she’d never tasted anything so delicious.

Ethan gently ruffled her hair. He unscrewed the water bottle and offered it to her. "Drink some water. Don’t choke."

Dot glanced over her shoulder, then leaned forward to take the bottle. She sipped carefully, then tried to hand it back.

"Drink it all. I have more," Ethan encouraged.

She blinked up at him. "Really?"

"Really." He nodded.

Her eyes brightened. She took several deep gulps but stopped halfway.

"Saving it for your mom?" Ethan guessed.

She nodded faintly.

"You drink it. If I get the chance, I’ll give your mom more. You can’t carry this back without someone noticing," he said gently.

Dot considered his words for a moment. Finally, she lifted the bottle and drank the rest little by little. She even tipped the last drop onto her tongue, savoring every bit before she handed it back.

"Thank you, Big bro. This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life."

Ethan smiled and tousled her hair again. "You’re still so young. Your life is just beginning."

"Go on. If you’re late, your mom will worry."

Dot crawled back into the shadows, clutching her half-eaten chocolate.

Ethan stood and looked across the camp. A cold sneer touched his lips. ’You want to scheme against me? Let’s see if you have the nerve.’

He knew the tribe leader Butcher and that one called Junior wouldn’t wait for dawn. This night would be anything but peaceful.

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