Chapter 44: Farewell (Two-in-One)

"Crack."

Under the scorching flames, the dark green thorns curled and twitched as if possessed by a life of their own, while black, charred marks streaked with sparks spread rapidly across their surfaces.

Wood forcefully wrenched the dagger from the enemy's chest, his expression cold and weary.

Before him were several humanoid thorn monsters, gradually being consumed by the fire.

As if possessing some form of corrosive affinity for plant life, even the surrounding patches of grass had turned a strange, dark green.

"Rustle."

The branches of a towering oak tree behind him swayed, and a half-elf holding a longbow descended lightly.

The two of them had just emerged from a fierce skirmish.

Their enemies were five "Wither-Needle" monsters disguised as shrubs.

To be honest, these monsters weren't particularly strong in combat; they weren't even as formidable as the Rust Monsters they had encountered a few days ago.

However, in the environment of the Mist Forest, which was filled with thorns and tall grass, their slight ability to manipulate plants made them exceptionally troublesome.

In the end, it took Wood using his last few fire bombs to finally bring the battle to a difficult end.

And this was merely one of the most common types of monsters encountered after leaving the "outer rim" of the Mist Forest.

"Young Master, we should leave."

With his chest heaving visibly, Wood said breathlessly.

Even for a "Rogue" who had already attained a professional level, staying deep within the Mist Forest for an extended period was no easy feat, especially with the added distraction of protecting the half-elf.

Haian was well aware of this.

In such a dangerous area, searching aimlessly like a headless fly for his missing companion would only drag them both into peril.

It was time to give up.

A flicker of struggle crossed his face. He nodded to Wood and spoke

"Then we'll retreat to the outer rim first, and then..."

*Swish—*

Before he could finish, a sudden movement erupted nearby, startling the birds and beasts in the woods.

And that location seemed to be exactly where Xia Nan's tracks had last appeared.

The two exchanged a knowing look, then set off running toward the source of the sound.

...

As the crystal-clear dew droplets merged into his body, Xia Nan felt a cool, gentle stream flowing from his palms throughout his entire being.

He felt as if he were floating amidst clouds and mist, weightless, as if even his toes were lifting off the ground.

His muscles, which had been pushed to the brink of overload by high-intensity exertion, were nourished by the stream, becoming firmer and more resilient in silence.

It felt as though even his heart beat with greater strength; his scalding blood surged and circulated, driven by the stream—a surge of even more vigorous life force.

The remnants of petrification at his fingertips dissolved into scattered gray ash that blew away with the wind, revealing his perfectly intact fingertips beneath.

The bones in his right forearm were corrected and restored by the invisible force within, the stabbing pain in his ribs ceased, and even the small wounds on his calves that had stopped bleeding and begun to scab were wiped away as if by an eraser, leaving only smooth skin.

Simultaneously, a long string of translucent characters flashed before Xia Nan's eyes

"Constitution +3"

"Feat [Copper Sinews and Iron Bones] unlocked"

...

[Copper Sinews and Iron Bones]

Category: Feat

Effect 10% Physical Damage Reduction 0.5% Chance to be immune to incoming physical damage

Description Having absorbed the essence of an otherworldly plant, your body has become more resilient and has gained a touch of the Laws' blessing.

Note "Grandpa..."

...

Standing in the woods, Xia Nan looked at his fully restored right arm with a contemplative expression.

At this moment, he felt like someone who had pulled an all-nighter working overtime in his previous life and then slept for twelve solid hours the next day.

He felt incredibly light all over; his former fatigue and pain had been swept away, replaced by boundless energy and immense physical stamina.

It was arguably the peak of his physical condition since he had transmigrated to this world.

"So, what exactly was that thing?"

He wondered in his heart, recalling the dewdrop that had merged into his body.

Though it shared the same otherworldly style, unlike other things, the dewdrop had given him an indescribable sense of reality.

It felt as if it were the very source that had brought the countless surrounding structures into this world.

As if confirming his suspicion, once he absorbed the golden dewdrop, the cave he had been in vanished like a hallucination.

All that remained before him were the familiar trees and grasses of the Mist Forest.

Subconsciously, he reached back to touch the wooden sword, feeling its hard texture against his fingertips.

Xia Nan breathed a small sigh of relief.

Though still puzzled, the outcome was successful.

The dewdrop had not only healed his injuries and provided an exaggerated 3 points of Constitution, but it had also granted him a defensive feat called "Copper Sinews and Iron Bones," which looked quite powerful based on the attribute panel.

He had even scavenged a blue-quality rare piece of equipment from the cave.

The harvest was significant.

Now, his only concern was how to safely escape from the depths of the Mist Forest and return to Valley Town.

"I wonder how Haian is doing. With Wood there, nothing should go wrong."

Xia Nan mused to himself, scanning his surroundings in an attempt to discern his direction.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the dense bushes beside him.

He instantly drew his decapitation sword, becoming alert.

But immediately after, when he realized the newcomers were the half-elf and Wood, he relaxed.

"How are you two? Are you alright?"

Looking at the two, who were covered in grass debris and showed faint signs of combat, Xia Nan sheathed his sword and asked.

"We're fine. For some reason, that petrified lizard didn't pursue us." Haian's silver-gray eyes gazed at Xia Nan, his expression filled with concern mixed with a hint of confusion. "But you..."

To be fair, compared to the two who had just finished fighting and looked disheveled, Xia Nan didn't look much better.

His leather armor was torn, his trousers had several slashes, he was covered in mud, and even his hair was dusty. Several bloodstained bandages and splints lay scattered on the ground beside him.

One could easily believe he was a heavily wounded soldier fresh from a battlefield.

Yet, the current Xia Nan showed no signs of weakness or injury.

His dark eyes were bright and spirited, clearly brimming with energy.

Thus, with just one glance, the half-elf noticed the discrepancy.

After all, he had personally witnessed Xia Nan being slammed into the back by the petrified lizard and having to rely on healing potions just to stay alive long enough to escape.

His voice carried a hint of hesitation.

"Ah..."

Noticing the gaze, Xia Nan's expression paused as he realized the half-elf had caught on.

The incident had been sudden; he had just escaped the cave and hadn't had time to hide the changes in his body, nor had he thought of a reasonable explanation.

Although Wood, standing beside Haian, said nothing, the way his gaze swept over the wooden sword behind Xia Nan and the unblemied skin beneath the torn clothing suggested he had also noticed something amiss.

After a moment of thought, Xia Nan organized his words.

After omitting certain details like the "dewdrop" or the "giant serpent" that might bring trouble to the others, he told them a half-truth about his encounter.

To his surprise, after hearing his explanation, neither the half-elf nor Wood showed the shocked expression he had expected.

They even maintained excellent adventurer etiquette by not asking too much about the wooden sword he had carried out on his back.

"You might have entered a 'Secret Realm'."

Wood rubbed his chin and spoke slowly.

"A Secret Realm?" Xia Nan expressed his confusion at the unfamiliar term.

"Yes." Wood nodded and explained.

"You are likely a local of the Kingdom of Servia, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you should have heard the stories of the 'Twin-Winged Lute'."

"The Twin-Winged Lute..." Xia Nan frowned slightly, searching through the memories left by his predecessor.

Finally, he recalled the story he had heard many times from the old man at the village entrance as a child.

"The legendary bard who traveled the whole world and even visited other realms?"

"Exactly." The Rogue nodded slightly.

"But what does that have to do with a so-called 'Secret Realm'?"

"The connection... what if I told you that the abyssal hells and astral heavens mentioned in the stories of the Twin-Winged Lute actually exist?"

Wood suddenly looked up, staring at Xia Nan.

"The Material Plane we inhabit is merely a space like a layer in a sandwich. Surrounding it are numerous realms of varying sizes and magnitudes."

"Many spaces overlap and merge; the barriers between realms are not stable. Given this, if certain specific conditions are met, space can undergo a phenomenon similar to folding or contraction."

The Rogue's gaze drifted toward the drifting mist around them.

"For example, an area with extremely high concentrations of mana."

Processing the information, Xia Nan followed Wood's logic

"You mean the 'Secret Realm' I entered was created because of the high mana density within the Mist Forest."

"Correct." Wood glanced again at the wooden sword on Xia Nan's back.

"Because of their unique nature, these naturally occurring Secret Realms usually house powerful monsters or may hide precious treasures."

"On this continent, such spaces are not rare. Therefore, even though they are difficult to discover and almost always manifest in monster-dense wilderness, every year one hears rumors of some lucky adventurer accidentally discovering a Secret Realm."

"Furthermore, some powerful casters can use their ability to distort time and space to carve out their own Secret Realm spaces."

"Small ones might be the size of a warehouse, but larger ones..."

At this point, Wood suddenly glanced up at the sky obscured by the canopy and lowered his voice

"You must understand that, to some extent, a 'Divine Kingdom' is also a type of Secret Realm."

With that, the group fell into a collective silence.

Xia Nan carefully compared the characteristics of a "Secret Realm" described by Wood with the cave he had just entered.

He couldn't help but frown.

*It feels... a bit different,* he thought to himself.

Unexpectedly, Wood, who had just been educating Xia Nan on the world's lore, now also showed a look of conflicted confusion.

"That's not right." Wood suddenly took two steps forward, approaching where Xia Nan stood.

He leaned down to carefully examine the footprints and then stomped hard on the ground.

"If it truly were a Secret Realm, why couldn't the two of us enter just now? And if it had closed before we arrived, there's no way you could have gotten out!"

"Moreover, a Secret Realm is, at its core, just a folded space. In most cases, it doesn't have the ability to affect the surrounding terrain."

"The various structures we've seen along the way don't look like something a Secret Realm could produce."

Wood stood there, becoming more confused the more he spoke.

Xia Nan could almost see steam rising from the man's head.

And just as the Rogue had said, Xia Nan himself sensed it intuitively—that vanished cave might have shared similarities with the "Secret Realms" of this world on some level, but fundamentally, it was something entirely different.

At that moment, the half-elf, who had remained silent until now, suddenly asked

"Xia Nan, I hope this isn't offensive—after all, this is a bit of a taboo among adventurers—but..."

His voice held hesitation, yet his face, covered in grass debris, showed a glimmer of hope.

"Were there any items of Elven style inside that cave?"

Xia Nan was momentarily stunned.

He then 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 and answered solemnly

"No."

He wasn't particularly disappointed; the half-elf had already prepared himself mentally.

He simply patted the guard beside him

"We really should leave now, Wood."

"It's indeed not safe here."

...

...

Compared to the twists and turns and dangers of their journey in, the three of them had a remarkably peaceful return trip.

Not only did they encounter no dangerous monsters, but even the annoying snakes and scorpions were much fewer, no longer concentrated in dense clusters—

Xia Nan suspected this was an effect caused by his absorption of the dewdrop and the subsequent disappearance of the cave space.

While the journey there had taken two full days, requiring frequent stops to rest, search for targets, or deal with combat, they reached the outer edges of the Mist Forest in just one day on the way back.

Gazing at the distant pinpricks of light from Valley Town on the horizon and the nearby cottages with lit windows, the half-elf visibly relaxed. He stopped walking, turned to Xia Nan, and bid him farewell.

"We owe you this time. Otherwise, we might not have made it this far."

"We won't be returning to Valley Town just yet. Wood and I have a carriage stored at the station. If you have the chance in the future, you are welcome to visit Neum."

"Regarding Larry and Doris..." Haian's expression suddenly faltered, his face obscured by the shadows of the night, making his exact emotion unreadable. "Once I return to Neum, I will personally explain things to their parents."

Xia Nan had expected the two to return to Valley Town with him to rest for a few days before heading back, so the sudden farewell took him by surprise.

But since they had said so, he did not try to persuade them to stay.

He simply spoke with a hint of testing

"If you ever need anything, just write a letter. I might be able to help."

The two had saved him once when he faced the petrified lizard, and along the way, he had vaguely sensed that something difficult had happened in the half-elf's family.

Within his capabilities, Xia Nan did not mind lending a hand.

To this, Haian declined with a light smile, while simultaneously pulling a pitch-black card from his tunic.

"This crystal card contains 70 gold. Combined with the previous 30 gold, this is your payment for this mission."

"Also, once I return to the city, I will begin looking for a suitable combat skill instructor for you. However, it might take some time. I will contact you by letter regarding the details."

As the night deepened, the half-elf blinked his signature silver-gray eyes and waved to Xia Nan with a smile, while his shadow-like guard gave a slight nod.

"May the stars light your path, and may the forest bless you."

"Farewell, my friend."

(End of Chapter)