Chapter 174: Roadside Bar
Roadhouse sat off a lonely highway on the outskirts of Lincoln. Business there was never exactly booming—during the day, it was practically deserted. Only at night did things pick up a little…
Even then, it rarely filled up.
Among the sparse crowd of regulars, Iverson was one of the few constants. A retired hunter, he ran a repair shop not far from the bar. His life was steady now—predictable—but the past was something he could never quite let go of. So, almost every evening, he'd come here for a drink.
Right now, he sat on a stool at the counter, nursing a beer while chatting quietly with the owner, Ellen.
"That the… thing that showed up here the other day?" the gaunt old man asked, his eyes flicking toward a young figure sitting off in the distance.
"Yeah. But he's not a monster," Ellen replied without looking up, focused on polishing a glass.
"I heard he's Chinese?" Iverson frowned.
Ellen glanced up at him and smiled faintly. "Doesn't look like it, right?"
"Exactly." Iverson nodded, unable to stop himself from sneaking another look at the young man in the corner. The boy wore a worn leather jacket and faded jeans, head lowered as he scribbled something on the table.
"Maybe he's mixed," Ellen said casually.
"Maybe." Iverson shrugged, then added in a lower voice, "Salt, holy water, silver blade… you check him properly?"
"Appreciate the concern," Ellen chuckled. "Already did."
Iverson opened his mouth to press further, but Ellen cut him off. She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Come on, old man. How old are you now? And you're still scared of a kid who looks like he's in high school?"
"As far as I've heard, that 'kid' caused quite a stir," Iverson replied, rolling his eyes. Years of familiarity made him immune to her teasing—but not dismissive.
"Yeah, there was a disturbance. But it could've just been equipment malfunction because of the weather. You know how strange that storm was out near the farms a few days ago."
"I heard what he was wearing didn't exactly look normal either."
"Costume," Ellen said with a shrug. "Kids these days are really into that. He claims he was roleplaying as a character from some fantasy novel back home… and somehow ended up here."
"And you just believed that?"
"Why not? Blood test, deterrents—nothing reacted. All the checks came back clean." She set the glass down and finally looked at Iverson directly.
"Far as we can tell… he's completely human."
She spoke while casting a glance toward someone in the corner of the bar, clicking her tongue with amusement.
"Honestly, you can tell—he's definitely a fantasy fan."
"And I especially like that ring of his."
…
The ring in question rested quietly on Charles's left ring finger.
It was simple in form—an unadorned band of dark gold. But upon closer inspection, its surface was intricately engraved with wolves, stags, dragons, lions, and a host of other creatures. At a glance, the carvings resembled ancient runes, carrying an archaic, almost mystical air.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Ellen felt a strange sense of familiarity when she looked at the ring—as if it reminded her of a book she loved. And because of that, she couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably toward Charles.
What she would never guess… was that the ring truly was deeply connected to that very story.
---
[Ring of Dominion]
Through it, you may open the gateway to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire at any time.
[Bound to your soul]
No one but you can touch it.
[It has no physical form]
…
Having arrived in another world, Charles found that his Eye of Reality remained unchanged.
But when he looked at himself, the status panel had subtly shifted. At the very bottom, where the "Portal" cooldown once appeared, there was now a different message:
---
[Portal upgrading… Function temporarily unavailable]
---
Why was it upgrading?
Was it because the portal had somehow absorbed the essence of the Lord of Light?
Or did opening a new world automatically trigger an upgrade?
Charles didn't know. What he did know was that the portal now seemed to have an abundance of energy—so much that he had no idea when it would become usable again.
For now, he was effectively stranded.
Without the portal, he couldn't return to his original world… and he couldn't even use the ring to access the world of Ice and Fire.
"So much for 'any time,'" he thought dryly.
…
Just as he was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang out beside him.
"Hey, Charles—@…#￥%!"
The first half was clear enough, but the rest quickly became incomprehensible. The language itself felt familiar, yet his memories were hazy after crossing worlds—and even before that, he hadn't exactly been fluent.
So he looked up at the speaker.
Jo, the bartender's daughter, came into view.
Golden hair gathered loosely over her chest, a slender figure, and a delicate oval face—she stood before him with a bright smile, showing a hint of white teeth, her expression pure and lively.
Seeing the device in her hand, Charles immediately understood her intention. After a moment, he spoke slowly:
"Check… again?"
His awkward phrasing carried a trace of helplessness—partly due to the situation, partly due to his limited ability to communicate.
"Yesterday… not… enough?"
…
Language was a major barrier. Charles could barely manage basic conversation, and if people spoke too quickly, he could only rely on guesswork.
"Just to be sure," she replied, also deliberately slowing her speech.
Without waiting for him to respond, she waved a device—an EMF detector—around him. Red lights flickered as it scanned, until finally it showed normal readings. Only then did she nod in satisfaction.
Smiling, she added something quickly:
"Because &%… you almost got…￥#… killed by my mom."
"Ellen… wouldn't," Charles replied.
From what he pieced together, she meant he had nearly been shot because of the suspicion.
His mind worked quickly now—hearing fragments, reconstructing them, and guessing the meaning.
"You're that sure?"
"Of course."
If she really meant to shoot me, I'd already be blind like that guy… he thought. And that was in broad daylight.
But he had no intention of explaining that—not only was it unnecessary, he simply didn't have the language skills for it.
Jo found his confidence a little strange, but before she could ask more, a customer called out from across the bar. She hurried off—only to suddenly turn back after a few steps.
"Oh, right—please don't &￥# my mom… she thinks you're…#￥ high school kid…"
After a string of half-intelligible words, she rushed away again.
Watching her slender figure disappear, Charles lowered his gaze to the bubbling glass of beer she had left on the table and let out a quiet sigh.
…
Without any warning or preparation, he had been thrown into this place—what appeared to be Earth, somewhere in America.
Just like the first time, he had arrived by falling—landing not far from this very bar.
Dazed, he had staggered to his feet, spotted the roadside establishment, and walked in without much thought—
Only to be greeted by more than a dozen guns pointed straight at him.
At the time, Charles had thought his luck was simply terrible, that he had stumbled into a den of wolves. But as events unfolded, something began to feel… off.
Salt. Water. Silver daggers. Pepper…
Under gunpoint, he had been forced to undergo all kinds of bizarre "tests." It wasn't until late that night that the ordeal finally came to an end.
Only then did he learn the reason.
They had suspected him of being a ghost… or some other supernatural entity—because shortly before he entered, the electrical devices in the bar had suddenly malfunctioned.
Why had that happened?
Was it because of some residual aura from crossing time and space?
Or was it lingering energy from the Lord of Light's essence he had absorbed?
Charles had no answers.
All he knew was that whatever that anomaly had been—it was gone now, and his suspicion had mostly been cleared.
But that wasn't what occupied his mind anymore.
What truly held his attention was something else—
This was a world with televisions, with KFC, with America… even with China.
It was filled with things he recognized—yet also filled with strange, mysterious elements.
So the question remained:
Was this just another world connected to the portal… or was this actually Earth?
…
Lost in thought, Charles absentmindedly sketched on the paper before him.
If this was the Earth he remembered, all the better.
If not… then he would have to uncover the truth of this world himself.
And in a place that clearly wasn't simple—strength would be everything.
For now, his knowledge of church magic remained unclear, and he couldn't leave this place anyway. But necromancy… that was another matter.
Bone Ladder.
Summon Rats.
Feign Death.
Call of the Dead.
Malfunction Curse…
There were more than a dozen necromantic spells he could learn. Back in the world of Ice and Fire, he hadn't had the time or inclination—but now?
Now, he had nothing but time.
"Still, the most pressing issue right now…"
He cast a subtle glance toward a middle-aged Black man sitting not far away, quietly drinking at a table.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
---
[Gordon Walker | Estimated age: 35–45]
[He was blinded by your talent]
[He harbors deep hostility toward you]
---
The man pretended to drink, but his gaze occasionally flicked toward Charles. Careful… but not careful enough.
After a moment of consideration, Charles simply set down his pen and paper, stood up, and walked toward the door.
"Charles, #￥%?" Jo called out when she saw him leaving. "#￥…#@￥!"
He didn't understand a word.
Without turning back, he waved his hand dismissively and stepped outside.