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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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One of the things that changed quite a bit with the arrival of spring was the weather, which had become very warm.
It wasn’t just warm, it was actually hot. Summer was slowly approaching.
Thinking about summer, I couldn’t help but frown.
Summer here was very long, perhaps because winter was so short.
Thankfully, it wasn’t as scorching as the deadly heatwaves on Earth caused by global warming, but unfortunately, my cave didn’t have air conditioning.
That alone should tell you how bad it was.
So during summer, I usually stayed in the cave shirtless, or even in my underwear.
People usually dressed comfortably at home, right? My cave was my home, so I did the same.
But this time, it seemed a bit difficult. I never knew when uninvited guests might show up at my doorstep.
I had camouflaged the cave, but anyone paying attention could spot the difference.
I couldn’t help but worry.
‘Well, I’ll think about it when the time comes.’
I had things to do now, so I pushed those worries aside.
One of the downsides of spring was that it wasn’t just plants that were energized.
With food becoming plentiful and the weather pleasant, monsters also became more active.
Sometimes, creatures from the deep layer would even expand their territory and come down to the middle layer. It was a rare occurrence, happening maybe once a year…
But I still had to be wary.
I could encounter a monster like the Mountain Lord if I was unlucky. Well, they probably wouldn’t be that dangerous, but there was no reason to go out of my way to deal with them.
So, today’s task was reconnaissance.
To patrol the forest and check for any changes. If there were none, good. If there were, I would at least check whether they were dangerous or not.
I spent a while exploring the forest. The forest was vast, so I focused on the area where I usually spent my time in the middle layer.
After a while, I found traces of human activity.
Footprints, and the carcass of a monster that seemed to have been cut by a sharp blade.
In other words, signs of human presence.
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Slash-!
“Screech!”
A red line was drawn across the Goblin’s body, following the trajectory of the sword. The Goblin’s frail body couldn’t withstand a single blow.
But the assailant’s face remained tense.
Thud-!
She cursed as she looked at the Goblin collapsing to the ground.
“Damn it, how many more of these monsters are there…?”
This forest was indeed different.
As if to prove it was an untamed land, enemies were everywhere.
But if she retreated to the outer layer, the pursuers might be searching there.
“Haa…”
It was a difficult situation. She was hungry and exhausted. She wanted to eat something, but it was hard to tell which plants were edible.
And… perhaps due to the stress, her libido was also acting up.
“Damn it…”
She pushed through her fatigue and pressed on. She needed to find a place to hide. She needed a base to survive.
She was planning to stay there for a while and contact her order.
As she was moving forward…
“Hmm?”
She spotted a man.
She couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘Wow…’
He was incredibly handsome.
Well-defined features, a toned physique visible even through his clothes, and good proportions. His aura was a bit sharp, but it only added to his charm.
A man who would stand out even in a bustling city had appeared out of nowhere in the forest.
Questions popped up in her mind.
Who is he? Why is he here?
Is he living here? He didn’t look like he came from the city, judging by his clothes.
As she pondered those questions… she thought,
‘This is a good opportunity.’
She might be able to ambush him and get some food. And if he really lived here, she could take over his base.
So she hid her presence and prepared to attack.
She wasn’t careless. The fact that he was here meant he had some skills. She would be patient, wait for the right moment, and ambush him.
But the opportunity never came.
He noticed her first.
“Do you think you can hide your presence with all that blood on you?”
The man said, looking directly at her with a relaxed smile.
She couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘What?’
He could sense her from this distance?
She was confident in her assassination and disguise skills.
She was the one who slit the throats of the knights guarding the carriage.
She was so good at concealing her presence… and yet he noticed her already.
‘Damn it.’
Dash-!
She gritted her teeth and charged at him.
She wasn’t going to back down just because she was discovered. If a surprise attack didn’t work, she would overpower him with her skills.
Her sword slashed towards the man, Yor.
But it was blocked by a dagger he drew.
Clang-!
Sparks flew as her sword bounced off his dagger.
She was startled and assessed her opponent.
‘He’s strong.’
The sword she was currently wielding was a cheap iron sword she stole from a nearby blacksmith. Even considering that, it was still made of steel. To think he could block it so easily…
She quickly made a judgment.
He was out of her league. Especially in her current fatigued state.
But she wasn’t going to back down.
She was a veteran who had faced countless strong opponents.
She had encountered many who were stronger than her and she always emerged victorious.
‘I’ll wait for an opportunity.’
All she needed was one good shot.
Even he wouldn’t be able to move easily with a missing limb.
Clang-! Clang-!
Their swords clashed. The sharp sound of metal striking metal echoed through the silent forest.
She was the one being pushed back. It was just a dagger, but it felt like she was facing a greatsword.
She tried to find an opening to thrust, but he blocked every attempt.
He was a formidable opponent. At least when she was only using half her strength.
On the other hand, she was intentionally losing.
She exaggerated her frowns and pretended to struggle. She needed to make him lower his guard. She specialized in assassination; she wasn’t that good at direct combat. Her strengths were creating chaos and surprise attacks.
And then, the opportunity came.
Yor’s strength sent her stumbling backward.
“Ugh…!”
She winced but inwardly cheered.
This created an opening.
She pulled back her sword and took a thrusting stance.
Even if she thrust her sword, the distance was too far to reach him.
But she wasn’t worried. As she had shown when she stole the guard’s key, she had a trick up her sleeve—literally.
Shhhk!
Her sword shot forward towards Yor.
At first, Yor didn’t react. The distance was too far.
But he had forgotten one thing.
Yor was more than just a skilled fighter; he was a survivor who had lived in this place for years. He, like her, had encountered and survived countless strong opponents.
If he was aware of the attack, he could react.
And then, something strange happened. Her sword’s trajectory, which seemed to have reached its limit, accelerated once more.
Yor’s eyes widened.
He immediately reacted, raising his dagger to block her sword.
Clang-!
Sparks flew as their blades clashed in a brief struggle for dominance. It was a well-prepared attack, much heavier than her previous strikes.
Yor’s dagger was pushed back momentarily.
But that was all. It might have worked if it was a clean hit…
But it was blocked, she couldn’t break through his defense.
Slice-
Yor’s arm was slightly cut, and her sword bounced off.
Her sword, flung upwards, plunged into the ground.
“Wow, that last one was good. Most people would have fallen for it.”
She was dumbfounded. It was an attack she poured all her remaining mana into.
She couldn’t create sword qi yet, but she could generate a similar level of power.
To think he could block it so easily…
As she stared at him in disbelief…
She saw the cut on his arm rapidly regenerating. It was an abnormally fast healing speed.
And then she sensed a faint, murky aura.
She couldn’t help but be surprised and muttered unconsciously,
“…Carrier?”
“Huh?”
Yor’s eyes snapped towards her.
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