Chapter 44: Farewell

“Crackl.”

Under the scorching heat of the flames, the dark green thorns curled and twitched as if they possessed a life of their own, and pitch-black scorch marks bearing stray sparks rapidly spread across their surface.

Wood forcefully yanked out the dagger that had been driven straight into the enemy’s chest, his expression cold and weary.

Before him were several humanoid thorn monsters gradually being consumed by the fire. They seemed to possess a type of corrosiveness specifically targeting plant life, causing even a large patch of grass in the surrounding area to turn a bizarre, dark green color.

“Rustle…”

The branches of a towering oak tree behind them swayed, and the half-elf holding a longbow landed light as a feather.

At this moment, the two of them had just survived a fierce battle of chance encounter. Their enemies were five “Needle Blights” disguised as bushes. To be completely honest, the combat capabilities of these monsters weren’t considered particularly strong; they were even inferior to the Rust Monsters they had encountered a few days prior. However, in this environment of the Mist Forest where thorns and tall grass patches flooded everywhere, they were exceptionally troublesome due to their slight ability to manipulate plants.

In the end, it was only by utilizing Wood’s few remaining incendiary bombs that they had managed to conclude the battle with great difficulty. And this was merely one of the most common types of monsters found after breaking past the “periphery” of the Mist Forest.

“Young master, we should leave,” Wood spoke while panting, his chest heaving distinctly.

Even for a “Rogue” who had already obtained a professional class level, remaining deep within the Mist Forest for a prolonged period was by no means an easy task, especially under the premise that he needed to split his attention to protect the half-elf.

Regarding this, Haian was likewise very clear in his heart. Searching for a companion who had already vanished like a headless fly without a shred of a clue in such a dangerous region would only drag the two of them into peril as well.

It was time to give up.

A trace of a struggling expression flashed across his face. He nodded toward Wood and opened his mouth to speak:

“Then let us first retreat to the periphery, and then…”

Rustle—

Before his words could be completely finished, a sudden commotion erupted not far to his side, scaring the birds and beasts of the forest into flight. And that location happened to be precisely where Xia Nan’s tracks had last appeared.

The two shared a tacit glance, and subsequently shifting their steps, they ran toward the direction where the sound had originated.

…

As the crystal-clear dewdrop fused into his body, Xia Nan only felt a cool, gentle stream surge from his palm throughout his entire body.

His whole being felt as though he were floating amidst clouds and mist, light as a feather, to the point where even his toes were about to leave the ground.

The muscles that had been on the verge of overloading under intense high-intensity exertion were restored under the nourishment of the stream, silently becoming even more compact, firm, and resilient. It felt as though even his heart was beating more forcefully, his scalding blood pumping and surging under the guidance of the stream—that was a more exuberant vitality of life.

The remaining traces of petrification at his fingertips turned into scattered grey flakes, drifting away with the wind to expose the completely undamaged skin of his fingers beneath. The bone at his right forearm was corrected and restored under the influence of an invisible power inside his body; a stabbing pain no longer radiated from his thoracic ribs, and even the minor wounds on his calf that had already stopped bleeding and begun to scab over seemed to be erased by an eraser, leaving behind nothing but smooth skin.

And at the exact same time, a large string of translucent characters flashed before Xia Nan’s eyes:

Constitution +3

Feat [Iron Bones and Copper Tendons] unlocked

[Iron Bones and Copper Tendons]

Category: Feat

Effects:

10% Physical Damage Reduction

0.5% Probability to immune sustained physical damage

Description: Having absorbed the essence of a plant from another world, your body has become even more resilient, and you have obtained a fraction of the blessing from its laws.

Notes: “Grandpa…”

Xia Nan stood in the forest, gazing at his right arm which had already been restored to its original state, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The current him felt just like someone who had slept heavily for twelve full hours after working overnight and pulling overtime in his past life. He only felt incredibly light and relaxed all over his body; his former fatigue and injuries had been swept clean away, replaced instead by an exceptionally exuberant energy and a thoroughly abundant physical stamina. It could almost be called the absolute peak of his physical state since his transmigration into this world.

“So, what exactly was that thing?” he wondered in his heart, recalling the dewdrop that had just fused into his body.

Even though it carried the exact same otherworldly style, the dewdrop gave him an indescribable sense of reality that differentiated it from other things. It was as if it itself was the very root that had caused the countless surrounding buildings to come to this world.

And seemingly validating his conjecture, after he absorbed the golden dewdrop, the cave he had originally occupied vanished like an illusion. Before his eyes, only the familiar trees and grass bushes of the Mist Forest remained.

Instinctively reaching out his hand to touch the wooden sword behind him, he felt the solid texture traveling from his fingertips. Xia Nan let out a slight sigh of relief.

Although confusion still lingered in his heart, the conclusion was, after all, a successful one. That dewdrop had not only helped him heal his injuries and provided a downright exaggerated 3 attribute points to his Constitution, but it had also granted him a defensive feat named “Iron Bones and Copper Tendons”—judging by the effects on the attribute panel, it was quite powerful. He had even scavenged a piece of blue rare-quality equipment out of the cave.

The harvest could not be said to be anything short of massive.

Right now, the only thing he needed to consider was how to smoothly extricate himself from the deep parts of the Mist Forest and return to Riverbend Town.

“I wonder how things are going on Haian’s end. With Wood around, there shouldn’t be any major issues,” Xia Nan calculated in his heart, his gaze scanning the surroundings as he attempted to discern his direction.

Suddenly, a “rustling” swaying sound traveled from the dense bushes to his side.

Instantly drawing his Beheading Longsword, he grew vigilant. But immediately following that, when he discovered the newcomers were the half-elf and Wood, he relaxed once more.

“How are you two, are you alright?” Xia Nan asked, sheathing his sword as he gazed at the pair whose bodies were covered in grass clippings and faintly showed signs of battle.

“We are fine. That basilisk didn’t pursue us for some reason,” Haian’s silver-grey eyes stared at Xia Nan before him, a trace of confusion mixed into his concerned expression. “But you…”

To be completely precise, compared to the two who had just concluded a battle and possessed disheveled appearances, Xia Nan didn’t look great right now either. The leather armor on his back was shattered, several gashes were sliced across his trousers, he was covered in mud spots, and even his hair carried dust. Furthermore, several bandages and splints stained with blood were scattered on the ground beside his feet.

If someone were to say he was a heavily wounded soldier who had just come off the battlefield, no one would disbelieve it. Yet the current Xia Nan showed absolutely no sign of being weak or injured. A pair of black eyes gleamed with vitality, clearly bursting with energy.

Therefore, with just a single glance, the half-elf discovered the point of contrast. After all, he had personally witnessed Xia Nan being struck straight in the center of his back by the basilisk, only gathering the strength to flee by relying on a healing potion to preserve his life. His speech couldn’t help but appear somewhat hesitant.

“Oh…”

Detecting the other party’s gaze, Xia Nan’s expression stalled for a moment as well, already realizing the half-elf’s discovery.

The incident had occurred abruptly; having just extricated himself from the cave, he hadn’t had time to mask the changes that had transpired upon his body, nor had he thought of a reasonable explanation. Wood beside Haian did not speak, but judging from the way his gaze swept over the wooden sword behind Xia Nan’s back and the completely unscathed skin beneath his damaged clothing, it was clear he had discovered a few clues as well.

Pondering for a moment to slightly organize his words in his heart, Xia Nan omitted a portion of the details that might bring trouble to them—such as the “dewdrop” and the “giant snake”—and revealed his encounter to the two before him with a mix of truth and fiction.

To his surprise, after listening to his explanation, neither the half-elf nor Wood displayed the kind of astonished expression he had imagined. They even displayed a strong sense of adventurer code by refraining from asking excessive questions regarding that wooden sword he had carried out on his back.

“What you entered might have been some kind of ‘Secret Realm,'” Wood opened his mouth slowly while stroking his chin.

“Secret Realm?” Regarding this unfamiliar term, Xia Nan expressed his confusion.

“Yes,” Wood nodded, explaining. “You should be a local of the Kingdom of Servia, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should have heard the story of the ‘Twin Feathered Lute.'”

“Twin Feathered Lute…” Xia Nan’s brow furrowed slightly as he flipped through the memories left to him by his predecessor in his mind. Subsequently, he finally recalled this story, which he had heard many times from an old man at the head of the village during his childhood. “That legendary bard who traveled the entire world and had even been to other realms?”

“Exactly,” the Rogue nodded lightly.

“But what does that have to do with a so-called ‘Secret Realm’?”

“The connection… What if I told you that the abyssal hells, astral planes, and celestial realms mentioned in the stories of the Twin Feathered Lute are all real?” Wood suddenly lifted his head, staring at Xia Nan before him. “The material plane we inhabit is merely a space akin to an interlayer. Around it, a large number of realms—large or small, and of different volumes—exist.”

“Multiple spaces overlap and blend with one another, and the barriers between realms are by no means stable. Under this premise, as long as certain specific conditions are met, space will undergo a phenomenon resembling folding and contracting.”

The Rogue’s line of sight swept over the mist drifting leisurely around them.

“For example, a region with an exceptionally dense concentration of magical energy.”

Digesting the information within the other party’s words, Xia Nan followed Wood’s train of thought and spoke: “You mean to say, the ‘Secret Realm’ I entered was generated because of the high concentration of magical energy inside the Mist Forest?”

“Correct,” Wood’s gaze cast another glance at the wooden sword behind Xia Nan’s back. “These naturally formed Secret Realms, due to their own special nature, usually serve as habitats for powerful magical beasts, and might also harbor some kind of precious treasure.”

“On this continent, the number of such spaces isn’t considered small. Therefore, even though they aren’t easy to discover and basically all get born in the monster-dense wilderness, rumors can be heard every year about yet another fortunate adventurer who discovered some Secret Realm by pure chance.”

“Furthermore, certain powerful spellcasters can utilize their capabilities, which are sufficient to warp time and space, to carve out Secret Realm spaces belonging to themselves. Small ones might merely be the scale of a warehouse, while on a grander scale…” Speaking up to this point, Wood suddenly cast a glance upward at the sky covered beneath the tree canopy, lowering his volume: “You must know, to a certain extent, ‘Divine Realms’ are also considered a type of Secret Realm.”

Having said this much, the trio fell into a mutual silence.

Xia Nan carefully compared the characteristics of a “Secret Realm space” described by Wood with the cave he had just entered. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

“It feels… somewhat different,” he remarked secretly in his heart.

To his surprise, Wood—who had just been educating Xia Nan on the world’s lore—likewise displayed a conflicted and perplexed expression at this moment.

“That’s not right.” Wood suddenly took two steps forward, arriving at the spot where Xia Nan stood. He bent down to carefully inspect his footprints, then stomped the ground forcefully. “If it truly was a Secret Realm, why weren’t the two of us able to enter just now? If it had already closed before we arrived, there’s absolutely no way you could have come out either.”

“Moreover, a Secret Realm is ultimately just a folded space. In the vast majority of cases, it does not possess the capability to influence the surrounding terrain. The various buildings we saw along the way don’t seem like things a Secret Realm could bring about.”

Standing in place, the more Wood spoke, the more muddled he became. Xia Nan could almost see a faint trace of white smoke rising from the top of the Rogue’s head.

And just as the Rogue had said, Xia Nan likewise faintly perceived that the now-vanished cave might share similarities with this world’s “Secret Realms” on certain levels, but in essence, it was completely a different kind of thing altogether.

And right at this moment, the half-elf who had remained completely silent since earlier suddenly spoke up to ask:

“Xia Nan, I hope this won’t offend you, since this should belong to a certain kind of taboo among adventurers, but…” His speech revealed hesitation, yet a few shades of hope surfaced upon his face which was stained with grass clippings. “Inside the cave, were there no items of elven style?”

Hearing this, Xia Nan couldn’t help but startle. Subsequently, he began to meticulously and comprehensively recall everything he had seen from the moment he entered the cave until he was teleported out. Then, he slowly shook his head, replying solemnly and seriously:

“No.”

Not overly disappointed, the half-elf had already prepared himself mentally. He merely clapped his hands toward his guard beside him:

“Now we truly ought to leave, Wood. It is indeed not quite safe here.”

…

Compared to the twists, turns, and perils they faced when coming, the path of the trio’s return trip appeared exceptionally peaceful. Not only did they not encounter any dangerous magical beasts, but even those annoying snakes and scorpions were far fewer in number, no longer concentrating densely within a single region.

Xia Nan suspected this was an impact generated by his absorption of the dewdrop, which caused the cave space to vanish.

In contrast to the journey here—which required them to stop from time to time to rest and reorganize, search for targets, or handle combat, spanning a full two days—their return trip only took a single daytime’s worth of travel before they had already arrived at the peripheral edge of the Mist Forest.

Gazing at the scattered starlight fires of Riverbend Town on the distant horizon, as well as several single-story houses with lit fires nearby, the half-elf clearly let out a sigh of relief. He stopped his steps, turning around to bid farewell to Xia Nan beside him:

“This time was all thanks to you, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have been able to walk that far. We won’t be returning to Riverbend Town for now; Wood and I have a carriage stored at the courier station. If there is an opportunity in the future, you are welcome to visit Nium.”

“Regarding Larry and Doris…” Haian’s expression suddenly stalled, his exact features obscured under the shadow of the night. “Once I return to Nium, I will personally explain things to their parents.”

Initially thinking the two would return to Riverbend Town with him to rest for a few days before heading back, the abrupt farewell at this moment caught Xia Nan by surprise. But since the other party had put it this way, he did not urge them to stay further. He merely spoke with a trace of testing:

“If you have a need, just write a letter. I might be able to offer some help.”

The two had saved his life once when he faced the basilisk, and along this journey, he could faintly deduce that some difficult matter seemed to have occurred within the half-elf’s family. Within the scope of his capabilities, Xia Nan didn’t mind extending a helping hand to the other party.

Regarding this, Haian lightly chuckled and politely declined, while simultaneously drawing a card with a pitch-black surface from his bosom.

“This crystal card holds 70 gold pieces. Combined with the previous 30 gold pieces, it is your reward for this mission. Additionally, once I return to the city, I will begin looking for a suitable combat technique instructor for you. However, it might require a brief period of waiting; I will contact you via letter regarding the specifics.”

The night grew dense. The half-elf blinked his signature silver-grey eyes, waving with a smile toward Xia Nan, while the guard beside him—resembling a shadow—followed with a gentle nod.

“May the stars illuminate your path, and the forest shall bless you.”

“Goodbye, my friend.”

(End of Chapter)