33
Selena, along with a few others, set out at the first light of dawn, heading somewhere unknown. After distributing tasks, most people went to rest, leaving only a few to patrol the battlefield and camp. Since I couldn’t sleep, I decided to join those checking the battlefield for any clues.
Not all monsters possess intelligence; their behavior often follows basic instincts. Without a commander, they wouldn’t gather in large numbers to attack a Free Alliance camp. In the [Blessing Day] battle, the Light God had sealed the Demon Lord and its avatars at the bottom of the gorge. Now, sixty years later, the seal has weakened, and mid-level monsters have been escaping for years, triggering large-scale attacks.
From the scale of last night’s attack, it seems high-level monsters have begun to appear.
This isn’t good news. While I know the “Savior” will inevitably solve the monster problem in the main quest, I can’t simply rely on someone whose intentions are so unclear—especially since he spends more time taking pictures than progressing the main story.
Unfortunately, I spent the whole day searching but found nothing. As dusk approached, I was about to head back when I noticed a pillar of light in the distance. In Free Alliance territory, concentrated light elements could only mean Luke or Cooper. I hurried over, only to find a dead monster slowly dissipating on the ground, but no one around. Following the trail of light elements, I eventually found Luke lying at the bottom of a shallow pit, staring blankly at the sky with his pale blue eyes, completely still.
Curious, I asked, “What are you doing down there?”
Luke replied, “I fell in.”
I was speechless.
I looked down at the pit, which was only about half a person’s height—honestly, even a level 1 NPC could have climbed out, let alone a level 30 player. This made me worry about his condition. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” Luke answered slowly.
He finally moved, first sitting up, then standing, before raising his hands to grab the edge of the pit, trying to climb out.
It seemed Luke wasn’t very good at coordinating his limbs. Either his hands fumbled at the dirt, or his feet made futile little hops. His movements were slow and a bit comical. Just as I was about to offer a hand, I sensed something behind me. Turning around, I caught sight of a bright light flashing past my shoulder, striking the monster behind me with pinpoint accuracy. The monster screeched, then collapsed and dissipated.
When I looked back at Luke, his limbs were still struggling without any success—if it weren’t for the trace of light elements, I would never have guessed that such a precise attack came from the “Savior,” who could barely control his own body.
The attack had been executed with incredible precision, dealing damage exactly equal to the monster’s health, with not a bit wasted. It was astonishing. I hadn’t seen Luke use magic up close before, so I wasn’t sure if this was normal. I could only chalk it up to the special talents of players and reached out to help him out of the pit.
After steadying himself, Luke thanked me earnestly.
I asked, “Did you come here to… uh, take pictures?”
Luke shook his head, pointing to where the monster had dissipated. In a calm voice, he said, “I don’t like them. I came to kill them.”
I was taken aback.
Maybe it was a player’s way of operating, but Luke’s face never showed any emotion—only his eyes conveyed a hint of feeling. When he spoke just now, there was an unconscious, aloof indifference in both his gaze and expression, once again reminding me of the fundamental difference between players and NPCs. To players, killing monsters isn’t about stopping them from attacking humans—it’s simply because they don’t like them. To them, it’s just that simple.
I wasn’t unable to accept this perspective, but it did leave me momentarily lost in thought.
Luke seemed to notice. He turned to me and asked, “What do you think of monsters?”
It was a standard question, so I gave the standard answer, “Monsters feed on souls. Once discovered, they must be eliminated immediately.”
He slowly shook his head and repeated his question, “What do ‘you’ think of monsters?”
“…”
I realized he wasn’t looking for a scripted response. But if I had to answer for myself…
“Like sheep view wolves, I suppose,” I said after some thought. “Everything needs to eat to live. Plants feed on sunlight and rain, elves on fruits and nectar, beastmen on grains and meat, and monsters on souls. It’s all the same. But for humans, the first few can coexist peacefully, while the last can only ever be a deadly enemy.”
Luke stared at me, as if deep in thought. After a long pause, he suddenly asked, “Then what do gods eat?”
His question stunned me. “Do gods need to eat?”
“Uh… probably.” he hesitated before nodding.
I had never considered this question. After some thought, I tried to answer, “…Faith?”
Luke shook his head, then nodded, and stared at me intensely. With those vacant eyes, it felt like he was looking through my model and seeing the hidden data.
Then, he suddenly said something shocking: “You must taste really good.”
“…?”
After saying that, he remained expressionless, but the tuft of hair on his head drooped sadly. “But I can’t eat anymore…”
I was confused, not sure what he was talking about. Maybe it was something only players could understand.
Luke glanced at me again, then abruptly ended the conversation as suddenly as it began, turning and walking away.
Considering the state of the battlefield, where the remaining monsters were either gravely wounded or weak, I felt confident enough in his combat abilities. So, I headed in the opposite direction, planning to return to the camp and ask if anyone had found anything.
But after only a few steps, I heard a loud thump behind me. I turned around to see Luke had taken two stumbling steps backward before righting himself, then turning right to walk around a still-dissipating large vine.
I sighed. “Savior… are you really okay?”
34
Due to his sensitive status, Cooper could move freely within the camp but couldn’t leave. I wasn’t worried about him getting into direct conflict with the Free Alliance, but I did worry that in a bad mood, he might secretly pull some pranks—my limited memories made it clear how good Cooper was at causing trouble in the shadows.
So, when I returned and saw him quietly roasting meat by the campfire, I felt a wave of relief.
Then I noticed that he was roasting a deer leg.
—Elves treat deer the way humans treat horses. No knight would serve horse meat at the table, even if it were wild horses. Similarly, in the Free Alliance’s camp, there was no way non-humans would consider roasted deer legs for dinner.
My heart leapt into my throat, and I hurried over to the campfire.
A tall figure moved even faster than I did. As I approached, I saw Selena, travel-worn, standing face-to-face with Cooper. She had her arms crossed, her front hoof impatiently tapping the ground as she questioned him, “Where did that come from?”
Cooper sneered, “What, scared I roasted one of your elves’ mounts?”
“Answer me. Where did that deer leg come from?!” Selena frowned, her presence growing more intense.
Cooper raised an eyebrow, making no attempt to back down as he reached for his spear.
Seeing them about to fight, I quickly stepped between them. First, I looked up at Selena and explained, “He wouldn’t do something like that.” Then, I pressed down on Cooper’s arm. “Put the spear down.”
“Let him explain himself!”
“Who are you to boss me around?!”
Both of them fired back simultaneously.
I was left speechless.
The tension thickened instead of easing.
Thankfully, Selena was the first to back down. She snorted, turning away. “We’ll discuss this later. Al, come with me!”
I nodded, about to follow her—
But Cooper grabbed my wrist and forcefully shoved the entire roasted deer leg into my hands, insisting, “Eat first!”
Selena halted, glaring at Cooper. He glared back, his expression nothing short of provocative.
“Al,” Selena called in a stern voice. “Come over here!”
Before I could respond, Cooper stepped in front of me, gritting his teeth as he hissed, “Eat. First!”
“…”
I had no idea why these two suddenly started butting heads. I tried to offer a compromise. “How about I… uh, eat while we walk?”
“No!”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“…”
35
Because of their profession, berserkers’ emotions are quicker to flare than most. Dealing with one is fine, but when two berserkers clash, the tension rises faster than an explosion. With just one wrong move, the two of them had already started brawling. I glanced at their damage numbers—neither of them was serious, so I let them be.
Ten minutes later, I heard a noise above me. Lily suddenly appeared, hanging upside down from a tree branch, her long braid swinging like a monkey’s tail. Today, she seemed more friendly, curiously asking, “Hey, why are they fighting?”
“…”
If I knew the reason, I wouldn’t be sitting here watching them fight, unable to stop it. I sidestepped her question and asked, “Did you need something?”
Lily deftly flipped off the tree and handed me a fruit from her other hand. “Here you go—eek!!!”
I yanked her out of the way just in time—a flaming spear embedded itself where she had been standing. Judging by the angle, it wouldn’t have hit her even if I hadn’t moved her, but it was still enough to give her a scare.
Cooper’s voice followed the spear: “Stay away from him!”
Lily’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the fading flames. I thought she was scared, but before I could comfort her, she let out a cold snort, slapped the fruit into my hand, and raised both hands. The ground rumbled as thick vines burst out of the earth, coiling around her like giant green snakes.
And that wasn’t all. She glared at Cooper’s back, her fingers twitching. The vines exploded with countless sharp thorns, each half a meter long!
Just looking at those thorns made my skin crawl—I could only imagine the pain if they grazed you. Considering this, it seemed Lily had held back when she messed with me before. I sucked in a breath and quickly stopped her from throwing those nasty vines at Cooper. Even Selena, in the middle of chasing down Cooper, glanced over with a warning, “Lily!”
Lily pouted in frustration but reluctantly lowered her hands.
Cooper took the opportunity to lunge forward. Selena swiftly sidestepped and grabbed his spear shaft, yanking it hard enough to throw him off balance. She then surged forward, her front hoof striking his chest and sending him flying.
She hadn’t hit him hard—Cooper rolled a few times on the ground and managed to get up, but his weapon was out of reach. He bit his lip in frustration. In contrast, Selena seemed in a good mood, tossing the spear back to him as she praised, “For someone your age to have such skill, it’s impressive!”
Cooper gripped the spear tightly and spat back, “I don’t need your praise!”
“Tsk, ungrateful brat.” Selena rolled her eyes, then suddenly asked, “Kid, do you want to stay with the Free Alliance?”
“Selena!” I quickly tried to stop her.
“Al, he’s your student. Are you sure you want him to follow the same path as you and me?” Selena tapped her spear idly on the ground, but her gaze remained fixed on me.
“…He won’t.”
—With Luke here now, I was willing to give everything to help him bring the light back. The Church of Light would once again be under divine protection, and Cooper wouldn’t have to carry the burden of sacrifices and sin. If he returned, he could become a true Captain of the Holy Knights, representing light and justice.
Selena saw something in my expression, her pupils contracting and her breathing growing rapid. But before she could speak, Cooper let out a cold laugh. He flicked the dirt and wood chips from his spear, lifted his chin arrogantly, and spat out each word, “Remember this! I am the Chief Inquisitor of the Tribunal, not some pathetic Holy Knight!” He turned to me, his jaw tight, and in a voice dripping with venom, added, “And this criminal is not my teacher!”
“…”
I stared in shock as he turned away, smashing the campfire where the deer leg had been roasting with his spear.
The flames exploded, then quickly burned out, leaving only ashes scattered by the wind. He walked away from me, his pace quickening until he was running, disappearing like a flash into the underbrush.
The forest dimmed as the flames died, so quiet that I couldn’t even hear my own breathing.
A few moments later, Lily’s timid voice broke the silence, “Are… are you okay?”
“…” I slowly inhaled, then exhaled, ensuring my voice was steady. “…I’m fine.”
She stammered, “Do… do you want to eat, eat this fruit?”
“Thank you, I’m not hungry.”
She glanced at my expression, then blurted, “W-Want to climb a tree?”
“…”
“Lily,” Selena stepped forward, gently nudging her shoulder. “Why don’t you go eat something first? I need to speak with him.”
“Oh…” Lily nodded and ran off as if escaping.
The forest was empty again. I sat back against the tree root, slowly relaxing. Selena stood in front of me, silent for a long time. Finally, she lifted her front leg, nudging my shoulder with her knee, and with forced casualness, said, “Disobedient students just need a good beating. No big deal!”
“…Thank you.”
“…”
She fell silent again.
We stood there, one sitting and the other standing, for who knows how long. Finally, I rubbed my forehead and looked up at her. “What did you want to talk about?”
Selena glanced at my face, then casually replied, “I’ve invited the Grand Druid over. He’s an expert in curses. Let him take a look and see if there’s any way to lift yours.”
“That’s unnecessary.” I stood up. “He won’t be able to lift this curse. I’ll be going now. Please… say goodbye to Lily for me.”
“Al!” Selena blocked my path. “At least let him try.”
“No—”
“Please, as your teacher, I’m begging you!”
“…” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “…Alright.”
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