The Sunny Forest was the domain of the carrion rats, home to their nests.
For a long time, they rarely encroached upon human settlements, divided by rivers, and humans seldom dared to enter their territory.
However, in recent years, some rat tribes had mysteriously vanished, yet this was not a matter of great concern for the vast rat population.
On this night, a Crimson Serpent King brazenly intruded upon their land, an unforgivable act of aggression. To the rats’ fury, it not only invaded their territory but also trampled the nests where their offspring were bred.
Moreover, it audaciously slaughtered the rat pups in the presence of the Poison Blade Rat King.
This enmity was beyond reconciliation.
.
Facing the incessant waves of rats assaulting from all directions, Splurt had no escape and was forced to fight.
He wanted to transform back into human form and use his “Demons Control” skill to incite infighting among the rats, but they gave him no opportunity.
Transforming back required time, as did using the skill, and during that time, Splurt would be bitten to death by the rats.
Therefore, all Splurt could do was maintain the form of the Crimson Serpent King and fight the rats to the bitter end.
This, alas, became the last thing he did in his life.
.
At about the same time, Tyler, who had escaped the danger, sat quietly on the opposite bank of the river.
Moto-chan, his companion, grazed leisurely nearby, showing no signs of having been through several life-and-death battles. It truly had a strong heart.
Tyler patiently waited, sitting still even after the commotion in the Sunny Forest had subsided. It wasn’t until half an hour after complete silence had descended upon the forest that he mounted Moto-chan again and reentered the woods.
.
Tyler easily found the place where he had previously set up Splurt for a fall, as the stench of blood along the way was so strong.
Surveying the countless corpses of carrion rats, he sighed, knowing that he would have had no chance of victory if he had confronted the Crimson Serpent King head-on.
Seeing so many demon corpses strewn throughout the woods, Tyler considered it a waste to leave them untouched.
He dismounted and collected the magical cores he could find quickly, “feeding” them to the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed.
The sword’s ingestion method was quite straightforward: the embedded crimson gemstone on its hilt served as a “mouth,” and when a magic core was pressed against it, the stone absorbed the energy.
By the time Tyler finally found the body of the Crimson Serpent King, the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed had absorbed 37 experience points. Each first-tier magic core was worth one point, second-tier cores two points, and so on.
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Secret Saber: Blaze Steed
Experience Points: 0+37↑ / 50
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In the forest, beneath the green trees, the Crimson Serpent King’s body was immersed in highly corrosive acidic venom. The potent venom caused the rat demons to temporarily abandon the corpse, refraining from consuming it.
Gazing at the Crimson Serpent King’s mutilated body, Tyler could hardly imagine the intensity of the battle that had taken place. However, it no longer mattered to him; he had only come to confirm Splurt’s death.
With Splurt dead, Tyler had no more worries and could retreat victoriously.
Before leaving, he chanced upon a segment of the “Poison Blade Rat King’s Venomous Claw,” likely severed during the battle with the Crimson Serpent King. He wrapped it up, stowed it away, and hastily withdrew.
Many corpses remained in the area, and it would not be long before a swarm of rats arrived to devour them completely.
The cycle of life in the forest had its natural order.
.
Gradually, the eastern sky brightened with the first light of dawn, heralding the end of a seemingly interminable night.
Tyler, astride his trusty steed, Moto-chan, encountered a band of weary bounty hunters still making their way back to town, approximately ten kilometers away.
Hindered by numerous injuries and a lack of horses, their progress was slow and labored.
Before rejoining the group, Tyler heard Emilia’s hoarse voice, as she tirelessly shouted words of encouragement to maintain morale.
The looming threat of another enemy attack kept everyone in the group on high alert.
While such intense focus would be advantageous in battle, prolonged tension only served to accelerate the onset of fatigue.
To the weary bounty hunters, the final ten kilometers to Sunny Town stretched out before them like an endless, thousand-kilometer journey.
“Emilia! Everyone! I’ve returned! The enemy has been slain! There’s no need to worry any longer!”
Tyler called out, waving a luminous magicl stone as he approached the group. His arrival rekindled a spark of life within the disheartened ranks.
“Good heavens! It’s Banning!”
“What?! Banning is actually alive?”
“Did he kill the giant snake?”
“Impossible! How could Banning…?”
“How could a newcomer accomplish what even Mr Oleg couldn’t?”
“But he really did come back!”
“Maybe he just ran away?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Who could escape from that snake?”
“Exactly! And if he had just escaped, wouldn’t the demon be chasing him?”
“…”
While a majority of the bounty hunters remained skeptical of Tyler’s claims, a small faction staunchly defended his actions.
Regardless, Tyler paid no mind to their doubts; he simply wished to avoid drawing attention to himself.
His earlier words were solely intended to inject a much-needed boost of energy into the precarious group.
His primary concern now was Emilia’s well-being.
Finding her quickly, Tyler saw that she was utterly exhausted from her efforts to lead the group and care for the injured.
Her tattered shoes failed to protect her battered feet, leaving a trail of bloody footprints with each agonizing step.
She had not even had a moment to tend to her own injuries.
“Emilia!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Tyler lifted Emilia onto the back of his horse. Too weak to resist, she could barely muster the strength to stand.
Only once she was safely settled did she realize that it was Banning who had come to her aid.
But hadn’t he gone to lure the enemy away?
Was Banning truly alive and returned to them?
Was this all just a dream?
…
An overwhelming sense of relief swept through Emilia. Merely gazing upon the young man’s face brought her immense comfort.
Finally, her tightly coiled nerves snapped, and she slumped onto the horse’s back, losing consciousness.
·
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〖Prison Star Calendar〗
〖Year 187, June 19〗 𝐎𝑽ℯ𝒍xt.𝔠𝑂𝗆
〖7:13 AM〗
〖Countdown to Confession Death: 1 day〗
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When Emilia awoke, she felt groggy and suffered a splitting headache.
She believed she had just endured a terrible nightmare.
In this dreadful dream, Oleg, the branch chief, had been severely burned and lay unconscious;
Countless young bounty hunters from the guild had been killed or injured;
The young man named Banning had single-handedly lured the enemy away to save the others, his own fate uncertain;
And in the end, Emilia was left to guide the others through the endless darkness, dancing on the edge of despair as Sunny Town remained an unreachable destination, its welcoming lights forever out of sight…