Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Strange Sound in the Dark Moon Forest
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Han Dong was meticulously observing this female student of his same term.
Her black hair was dirty and tangled up in a bun, a golden nose ring, ivory earrings, colorful stone bracelets, and a woolen wrap dress she wore.
She looked like a young witch doctor from the Middle East, both in her style and carriage, contrasting Han Dong who looked more like a Mysterious Apprentice.
She should be around the same age as Nicholas, about nineteen.
The girl stared at the iron box in Han Dong’s hands with a terrified look on her face.
“Ah! You’ve already chosen? What now…l have a feeling that what you chose is dangerous. It emits a strange aura around the iron box, can I take a look?”
“Hm.”
The girl shivered in fear as she took a look inside the iron box.
Inside the iron box was not a single item, but an uncomfortable collection of things… a large amount of dry skin, peculiar skin, and the layer of skin that covers the eye.
It was for this reason that Han Dong chose to take the entire iron box.
The Middle Eastern girl kept biting her nails, speaking nervously and fearfully:
“This…this is deadly.
Why would you choose such a thing? A creature with a bizarre collection habit, harder to deal with than a common evil thing, and more obsessive.
Because of you, we were able to live a good life at Knight Academy through Fate Space. What are we going to do now?”
Han Dong didn’t mind the girl’s attitude and comments.
His choice of the iron box was a decision he made after careful contemplation. He spoke impatiently:
“Hm? This was my choice, what does it have to do with you… you could just go to the wooden house yourself and choose another item, then pass the test by yourself, no?”
Scolded by Han Dong, the girl in front of him seemed to realize her mistake. She lowered her head and looked like she was about to cry:
“Um… The school test allows teams, and it doesn’t increase difficulty.
I have been bad with directions since I was young, I often get lost in the Holy City and can’t find home… I’ve spent days just trying to find this place. I definitely can’t make it on my own.
So… I was thinking…”
What Han Dong was concerned about was not the girl’s problem with directions, but the team issue he had not heard of before.
“You said it allows for teams and doesn’t increase difficulty?”
“Yes! That’s what I learned from an administrator when I first entered school.
My initial plan was to reach the wooden house first, then wait for other Apprentice Knights to arrive, then choose the test and pass as a team… I did not expect to get lost again, only to find you here.”
Teamwork doesn’t increase difficulty.
In the face of the unknown dangers to come, the addition of one more person will reduce the risk.
Of course… Han Dong also had to consider the danger the girl herself might pose.
“The test must be under the supervision of teachers from the Mysterious Department, I better not get Miss Chen Li to help… to avoid revealing prison information. But, the Ghoul Arm can be used.
The thing in the iron box is indeed a strange item. If I can pass with such a bizarre item, my evaluation will be much higher, and this will affect my future development and resource allocation.
This girl who suddenly appeared has many doubts, but there is also a ‘necessity’ to take her with me.
If she really is an Apprentice Knight of the same grade, it’s not a bad idea to build a relationship in advance.”
Recalling his campus life when he was alive, Han Dong, while being an associate professor, didn’t have a single friend… Every time he met other teachers in the academy, it was just a polite greeting.
The life was uninteresting.
Upon learning of the spread of his cancer cells, the only thing Han Dong felt a pity for was his unfinished project, there was nothing else in the world of human relationships that he regretted leaving behind.
“Alright, temporary team formation.”
Since he had been given the opportunity to be reborn, Han Dong was gradually trying to change himself.
“Great!”
Han Dong proposed, “Let’s start with introducing ourselves, especially your current strengths, explain in detail.”
Han Dong had the experience of forming a team with Apprentice Knights and solving dangerous incidents together, so he used it right away.
The Middle Eastern girl stuck out her tongue: “Right… I haven’t introduced myself yet.
My name is Pasha Buhart, I just passed through two-star difficulty Fate Space a few days ago. I learned some witchcraft in my tribe for a while, so I chose [Mysticism].
I haven’t undergone systematic learning… so I only know some ‘Fortune
Telling Abilities’. ”
“Fortune Telling Abilities?”
Han Dong understood what fortune-telling means.
It is essentially predicting future events through external objects (usually specific objects such as shells, cards, sticks, etc). “You only know fortune-telling and you still got lost?”
Pasha explained:
“Because I’m not quite familiar with it yet, which makes me confused…
especially after allocating destiny points, my fortune-telling abilities have strengthened, and sometimes I preemptively see some future images, which makes my sense of direction extremely poor.
But don’t worry, I’m ‘very useful’!
I can sense danger in advance.”
Han Dong nodded, and began to introduce himself, “Hm… My name is Valen
Nicholas. I have a certain fighting ability, but it’s not very strong.”
“Knights who major in [Mysticism] can’t compare with those [Cross
Crusaders], it’s already very good that you have some fighting abilities… What I was most worried about is that we both only know fortune-telling.
What are your abilities? Can I see?”
Upon Pasha’s query,
Han Dong’s right arm had some sort of green substance flowing through his veins… Whoosh! His normal fingernails suddenly elongated, reaching about 30 centimeters in length, sharp and curved.
Just as his arm was about to inflate and enlarge, Han Dong immediately stopped the further change.
“Wow! You’re a mutation type Plague Scholar!?”
“Hmm?” Han Dong was not very familiar with this professional term.
“Hehe, I read this from a book… I heard that those who can manipulate ‘Plague’ belong to the most dangerous category in the Mysterious profession, while those who can perform ‘Shape Shifting Abilities’ are the most powerful attackers in the Mysterious profession.
I didn’t expect you to have both abilities, that’s amazing!”
“Hehe.”
What Han Dong wanted to say was, this was just a Ghoul Arm, there were not so many explanations to it.
But being mistaken for a Mysticism ability also saved Han Dong the trouble of explaining.
And so, the two formed a team, with Han Dong carrying the iron box in his backpack, walking through the Dark Moon Forest. The crunching sound of tree branches being squeezed,
The cawing of crows,
Or the sound of a giant insect moving its body through the forest,
Han Dong and Pasha have grown accustomed to these sounds.
But… there was also some unsettling strange sound mixed in among these sounds.
As time passed, the sound became clearer.
Click-clack- Click-clack!
The sound of some metal scissors was coming near, getting clearer and clearer, as if it was hiding just behind the twisted, dead trees next to them..