Solo Work Arc: Chapter 36.
The shade of the night sky fell across the forest. It was already nighttime, but still far from midnight. A manifest troll gasped from the ground as it tried to crawl away, its legs were missing, and the lower half of its jaw was hanging and bleeding heavily.
The dying troll's form shimmered, flickering slowly as if it were going to vanish any moment.
Winter sighed, massaging his right wrist. "That's the last one. Why don't you kill it? My wrists are kinda aching..." He said with casual nonchalance, surprising the shocked Felt Mae Puppy.
(Seriously, what the hell is this guy? Massacring goblins is one thing, but orcs and trolls, too? These things, manifested or not, are huge threats that require a gold team.) Felt said, approaching the crawling troll, who then increased its effort to crawl away.
However, it was useless.
A spear's tip drove straight to its heart, ending the troll's life, then disappearing from existence. The glimmering particles flew, then faded.
A surge of energy shot through Winter's body, and he levelled up again.
◆ [ You've reached level 24. ] ◆
◆ [ You've reached level 25. ] ◆
Winter raised a brow at the floating notification bar. (Just two levels? I should look for more things to kill tomorrow...)
Winter squinted, cupping his eyes with both his hands. "Right, where's the way back again? It's hard to see ahead."
Felt raised a brow, slightly surprised. "You can't see well in the dark?"
"I can see, but these thick trees are making it harder. You?"
"I expected you were able to see clearly." She commented, then flicked her hair. "Yeah, I can see through, just keep close to me."
"Roger, roger."
◆ [ She's bad at reading maps. I have made a detailed map. Please use it for guidance and a swift exit. ] ◆
"That's rude. We can't make her feel useless. Let's let her do something too." Winter whispered to Bricks.
The two then left the manifested troll's camp. It was already wrecked beyond recognition, another ruined camp deep in the forest. The trolls' makeshift tents and fortifications were destroyed, mainly by Winter's head-on assault.
"What's the name of this forest again?" Winter said.
"Bloodmark Forest," Felt answered, whacking away a dangling vine with her spear.
...
...
...
An hour and a half later, the two finally emerged from the forest. In front of them was a proper path; Oakerhaven was visible in the distance, and the glowing lights from the small city welcomed them.
"We got lost halfway inside there, didn't we?" Winter muttered.
◆ [ You should've used my map. ] ◆
Felt gulped, slightly flushing, but didn't quite reveal an answer. "It was dark, and we didn't bring any torches. It's an inevitability."
Winter shrugged, then the two followed the path. His eyes fell on Felt's behind; her figure was slimmer than it showed. He could tell that she was not at full strength yet, but she still volunteered to group up with him.
"Why did you exactly join me?" Winter directly asked.
Felt then stopped walking, looking at the starry night sky.
Winter looked up, eyes opening in surprise. (Damn. It's so beautiful without all the light pollution. I could stare at this and talk about random things with someone.)
(My mother loved constellations...) Winter pondered, his expression slowly becoming sorrowful. (I wonder if she's looking at the sky right now too...)
"I joined because I have no other choice, and you seemed strong," Felt said, tightly gripping the spear's shaft while resting it against her shoulder.
"Maybe through you, I can have my revenge against those goblins." She added, then continued walking.
"We've already killed the goblins that took you, though." Winter countered.
Felt's voice cracked. "I am not satisfied."
(I can already see her future, gobby cleanser. I don't blame her. She's gone through a lot.) Winter said, walking while staring at the starry sky. A shooting star appeared for a second, making him smile for a second.
"Do you see me as a burden...?" Felt questioned, eyes glancing from behind.
Winter chuckled. "Not really. If you want to travel with me, I don't mind. I could use an ally. I hate going on my own; that's a sad path."
◆ [ Possible enemies up ahead, hiding behind the big boulder. ] ◆
A crack from a twig alerted the two. It was coming from the right side of the path, behind a big boulder that looked out of place. The result of heavy rain and a slanted elevation.
"Come out of that big rock. I can sense you and your friends from behind, you know?" Winter shouted, not quite putting up his guard. He was more annoyed than suspicious.
"Winter Icecream." A soft and polite male voice announced as he slowly stepped out of the big boulder while raising both of his hands, signaling that he wanted a dialogue. "You've made some very powerful enemies."
A man as tall as Winter appeared, their face was covered with a hood and a mask. The man wore a long, dark cloak. The three men behind him also wore the same outfits.
Winter unsheathed his scorch dagger; it gleamed against the moonlight while also flickering in fiery embers. "You know my name. This is not a hold-up, isn't it?"
The man laughed. "No, we're here for your life."
"Thought so," Winter said, already closing the distance while winding up a punch within a second. He then punched the man straight in the head, knocking him out and sending him straight to the ground in the next second.
"So, who sent you guys?" Winter asked the three surprised, cloaked men. They then unsheathed their weapons: all swords.
"Blinding Light."
The spell was a support spell designed to blind enemies and make them miss their attacks in the game. A basic spell for mob monsters, although most bosses and max-level players are immune to it.
Winter swiftly dealt with the three men, delivering a punch straight to their ribs. They gasped for air after the punch, struggling to breathe. They all fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
"I didn't level up." Winter noticed. "Oh well."
Winter then walked away from the four writhing men.
"Are you not going to ask why they were coming for you?" Felt questioned.
"You heard them; they were after my life. It doesn't matter why specifically." Winter shrugged, not caring a bit.
Felt's brows furrowed. "You're just going to leave them?"
"I like to believe in second chances." Winter excused, he's not used to taking a human life, even if they were after him.
◆ [ That's not a wise decision, but I'll respect it. However, you should consider fracturing their bodies to ensure a longer pause in their activities. ] ◆
"You really are careless. I don't know how you lived this long. Felt said as she approached the four writhing men. She towered over them, looking at their faces before rapidly stabbing all their necks.