Special Strength

The mist drifted past Yu Lingye. Cowering in the corner of the tree roots, Milo stared blankly at her.

After a long while, he suddenly giggled foolishly.

“I saw it...”

He looked down and ripped a hand bone from a decaying corpse, his lips trembling and his eyes filled with panic and dread.

“I... I have to write it down. The face... it was eaten!”

“Hahaha...”

“Her face... it was eaten.”

As he spoke, he clutched the hand bone to his chest as if afraid someone would steal it. “Hide it! I have to hide it!”

Milo mumbled deliriously, shrinking back into the pile of corpses, leaving only his head, covered in dead leaves and filth, poking out.

Kolo felt a bit uneasy watching him.

According to beastkin customs, even if one died in battle, they would never expose such an undignified side of themselves. If it ever came to that, another beastkin would take their life just to preserve their final shred of dignity. But those were beastkin rules. As for humans, she had no right to interfere.

Kolo suppressed her thoughts and looked back at the unfamiliar woman before her, her nose twitching slightly.

“You're still wearing a fake face, aren't you?”

Yu Lingye raised an eyebrow, letting Kolo's gaze sweep over her.

“I don't think someone like you would easily reveal their true appearance.”

“So, who are you really?”

Instead of answering, Yu Lingye first looked down at her hands. Even though Rena's guise had faded, the duty on the wooden plate remained clear. This meant that whether she was Rena or Yu Lingye made no difference on this trade route. The trade route only recognized duties, not identities.

Yu Lingye looked up at the cracked trunk of the ancient tree and said softly, “Who I am doesn't matter.”

Kolo frowned. “It matters to me.”

“Even if you knew, what of it?” Yu Lingye's voice was flat. “Are you going to curse me with dark magic?”

Kolo stared at her for a moment, then rested her double-bladed axe on her shoulder as if to show off her strength. “Beastkin don't use such underhanded tricks. Having a beastkin remember your name is a form of recognition.”

Yu Lingye offered a polite smile. “I suppose I'm not fortunate enough to receive such recognition.”

Kolo turned her head and clicked her tongue. This woman was completely impervious to any approach!

Realizing she couldn't get a rise out of her, Kolo took a deep breath and got straight to the point. “So, what do we do next?”

Yu Lingye stroked her chin, observing the treant for a moment. Her entire aura grew profound.

“Don't you find it strange?”

Kolo stared at it for a while but couldn't see anything unusual. Confused, she asked, “What's strange about it?”

Yu Lingye said, “Since there's an Acting Caravan Master duty, where is the Caravan Master?”

Kolo frowned. “Isn't the Acting Caravan Master appointed precisely because there is no Caravan Master?”

“No.” Yu Lingye looked at the treant. “The position of Acting Caravan Master doesn't just appear out of nowhere.” She lightly tapped the wooden plate at her waist with her finger. “The caravan needs someone to receive the goods, someone to hand them over, and someone to confirm the end of this trade route.

“Under normal circumstances, we deliver the cargo to the destination, complete the handover in front of the Caravan Master, and then we can leave. That's the standard way to clear this path.”

Kolo only half-understood. She tilted her head and asked, “Are you saying this treant is the Caravan Master?”

Yu Lingye pondered for a moment. “At the very least, it's the most suitable entity to occupy the Caravan Master's position.”

Kolo looked at the treant, her brow furrowing even deeper. “If it's the Caravan Master, then it should be ensuring the caravan reaches its destination safely.” She paused, her tone turning colder. “But it's been attacking us the entire way. That should be a violation of its duty. Yet, as you can see, it's standing there perfectly fine like a head of broccoli, completely unaffected.”

A hint of a smile appeared in Yu Lingye's eyes. “Which is why we're the ones who have to run the settlement.”

Kolo's mind went blank for a moment. Just as she was trying to process the meaning of those words, she saw Yu Lingye toss a high-grade healing potion to her and point at the dark red glow inside the tree trunk, commanding, “Kolo, smash that crack open.”

Catching the potion, Kolo's eyelid twitched. “You're really treating me like a servant, aren't you?”

“You are the Pathfinder, after all. Since we are settling the Caravan Master's duties, this trade route isn't fully completed yet. Besides, you still owe me a commission.”

Kolo wanted to argue, but the wooden plate at her waist grew slightly warm, as if reminding her that the commands of the 【Acting Caravan Master】 could not be disobeyed.

Under the dual pressure of these conditions, Kolo's expression turned even sourer. She simply pulled off her mask and hood, downed the potion, grabbed her axe, and marched toward the treant.

She first glanced back at the woman waiting leisurely behind her, her long ears twitching, before raising her double-bladed axe and slamming it down onto the cracked bark.

Wood splinters flew in all directions.

A dull boom echoed from deep within the treant, and the entire ground shook along with it.

This strike allowed Kolo to vent a lot of her pent-up frustration. Taking half a step back, she immediately swung her axe a second time.

The crack widened.

A dark red light leaked from deep within the trunk, looking like burning sand mixed with blood.

With each subsequent strike, Kolo chopped with increasing ferocity.

Milo, huddled in the pile of corpses, slowly let a dark stain spread beneath him as he repeatedly mumbled, “Don't kill me... Don't kill me...”

When the final strike landed, a clear, wide opening was finally forced open in the center of the trunk.

What lay inside was exposed.

Approaching to take a closer look, she found countless blackened roots tangled deep within the trunk, wrapping around a mass of dark red matter.

And at the very center, a few tiny specks of golden light struggled to flicker.

A light screen suddenly popped up in front of Isolde.

【Homologous Fallen Fragment detected: Hourglass of Dusk】

【Current fragment status: Undergoing parasitic contamination】

【Contamination source determined: Decay】

【Warning: Decay contamination has entangled with the outer layer of the fragment. Forcible extraction will trigger a contamination backlash】

【Recommendation: Suppress the contamination first before attempting fragment extraction】

The word “Decay” reminded Isolde of her adoptive father, who had already met his end.

Back then, Valen had been unable to control the Decay contamination, which was why he had stitched himself into that monstrous form.

He had wanted to use the unicorn's holiness to suppress and balance it, but before he could succeed, she had sent him on his way.

Now, she possessed Moon, and her sub-attribute was Holy.

Did this mean she could use holiness to suppress the Decay and then extract the Fallen Fragment inside?

Before she could ponder further, Kolo suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

“Is that...” Kolo frowned, seemingly unsure. “A Fallen Fragment?”

The warmth in Yu Lingye's eyes instantly vanished.

She had almost forgotten that this rabbit was no ignorant, ordinary mercenary.

A Fallen Fragment did not care about one's class, bloodline, or origin.

Whoever obtained it would have a chance to piece together a Legendary-grade skill. It was something no one could easily look away from.

If Kolo wanted to snatch it, things would become very troublesome.

Yu Lingye asked tentatively, “Do you want it?”

Kolo's gaze remained fixed on the depths of the trunk.

She of course wanted it. Everyone knew that a Fallen Fragment meant immense power.

But as Kolo looked at the dark red pollutant on the outer layer, her nose twitched, and she immediately took several steps back.

Aside from a carrion-eating hyena that hadn't washed in three days and had buried itself in a mud pit, she had never smelled such a disgusting odor.

It even carried an exceptionally dangerous aura, as if a single touch would slowly corrode one's flesh, turning them into a pile of putrid, useless meat.

Kolo twitched her ears. “I want it, but I can't handle that thing.”

The tension in Isolde's heart eased slightly.

Fortunately, while this rabbit was a bit greedy, she wasn't stupid.

Yu Lingye looked back at the depths of the trunk and stepped forward.

“Then let me try.”

Watching her back, Kolo actually wanted to say that this kind of thing wasn't something you could get just by trying.

But she swallowed her words.

The woman before her had been mysterious from start to finish. She could complete the entire trade route wearing Rena's face, hide her identity right under everyone's noses, and even understand the chaotic rules of this place. She was definitely no ordinary person.

Now, she even dared to reach for the Decay contamination. Kolo believed she wasn't just showing off.

In that case, she might as well watch closely.

To see what kind of “special strength” she was still hiding.