In the damp and dark hollow of the shrubs, Lin Gui crouched on the ground.
His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the dark shapes of the demons wandering outside.
He then glanced back at the white-haired, red-eyed elf inside the hollow, his vigilance not relaxing in the slightest.
“I am Theia Windrunner, a Transcendent elven ranger.”
She cradled a longbow flowing with silver patterns, tilting her head to stare intently back at Lin Gui.
To her surprise, she only saw wariness and... disgust?
Blinking, Theia was somewhat surprised; this was the first time she had ever encountered such a flat look.
Staring intently at him once more, Theia tried to detect some other emotion.
But the man's dark eyes held nothing but vigilance, nothing else...
She trusted her own eyes.
Her long ears perked up, and the corners of Theia's mouth curved into a sly arc.
“How should I address you, handsome human brother?”
The outline of her pointed ears was faintly visible through her silver-white hair.
Her crimson eyes gleamed with a strange, alluring light, making her look somewhat like the legendary white-haired succubus.
Lin Gui frowned.
Elves were historically cold, xenophobic, and particularly disliked humans.
Yet this one was actively making small talk. Was she some kind of mutant?
“The demons outside are still active. Don't make any noise. If we attract even one, this hiding spot is finished.”
“Don't worry.”
Theia tapped the corner of her eye, brimming with confidence.
“Thirty-seven degrees northeast, three kilometers away, there's only a single Behemoth Demon wandering around.”
“At this distance, with its stupid head and terrible ears, it can't hear us at all~”
“How can you be so sure?” Lin Gui remained wary.
“Don't underestimate the power of a Transcendent elf, little mage.” She smiled like a smug cat.
“I didn't just see it; I also clearly saw that it has half of a human skull dangling from its mouth.”
“Sigh, what a poor girl, feeding the demons at such a young age.”
Her tone was light, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.
“The staff she dropped looks like a good item, though... How about we find a chance to sneak over and grab it to sell for gold?”
“Just as I thought.” Lin Gui stood up. “I'm leaving.”
“Ah, wait!” Theia quickly called out to stop him.
“Being alone with a breathtakingly beautiful elven maiden is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know? If you leave just like that, my maiden heart will shatter into pieces~”
Lin Gui turned back, his dead-fish eyes completely devoid of emotion.
Should someone have this kind of attitude when facing a human—especially one who had just barged into their hiding spot?
“Just spit it out. What is your goal?”
“My, cutting straight to the point, are we?” She tilted her head, her silver hair cascading down like a waterfall.
“Beautiful maidens prefer to be a bit more subtle...”
“Then I'm leaving.”
“Wait!” The corner of Theia's eye twitched imperceptibly.
“Cough... You're not an adventurer from Caran City, are you?”
“I'm from New Covenant City.”
“Oh~ that small place nearby.” She dragged out her words, a sharp glint flashing across her eyes.
“Then where are your teammates?”
“I'm a wandering mage. I work alone.”
“No temporary teammates?”
“Just me.”
Theia's gaze suddenly sharpened, sizing him up anew like a predator evaluating its prey.
In her perception, his mana fluctuations definitely did not exceed the Transcendent Rank.
With only this level of strength, he dared to venture into the Black Demon Forest alone?
“It seems... you are not as simple as you look.”
“That's personal.” Lin Gui's tone was flat. “Your turn. What is your goal?”
Instead of answering, Theia countered with another question: “Do you know why as many as ten Gold Rank adventure groups have gathered nearby?”
“How much money?”
“Cough!” Theia nearly choked.
Although adventurers did indeed work for money, wasn't this guy a bit too realistic?
She held up a slender, white finger, her smile blooming like a flower. “This much.”
“Ten million gold coins?”
“Uh.” Her straight finger stiffened slightly, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
Ten million? Even if you plundered the city lord's entire treasury, you wouldn't be able to scrape together that much.
“...One less zero.”
Lin Gui raised an eyebrow.
One million gold coins was indeed a massive sum that an ordinary Transcendent Rank adventurer could never earn in a lifetime.
“So, you want to form a temporary party with me?”
“Exactly~”
“And what about your teammates? Did they all feed the demons?”
Theia fell silent for a moment, her smile remaining as she quietly watched him.
Only after a long pause did she speak softly, her tone a bit more subdued.
“I don't have teammates. Just like you... I'm a rogue ranger.”
Lin Gui believed her.
The reason was simple.
He detected an extremely faint demonic aura from her.
In this world, the Demon Race was an absolute symbol of evil.
Even though the 《City-State Alliance Treaty》 twenty-five years ago had excluded mixed-bloods from the "pure-blood Demon Race" category...
...it was still difficult to overturn the deeply rooted discrimination of the world.
“How about it? Forming a party with an exceptionally beautiful maiden is a rare opportunity you won't find anywhere else~”
“Don't you humans have a saying? Romances always start from being teammates.”
“As long as you party up with me, the chances of me falling in love with you will skyrocket!”
“Having an elven wife will bring you so much prestige when you go out~”
Seeing her ramble further and further off-topic, Lin Gui quickly interrupted: “Tell me the details of the quest first.”
“To raid a Legendary Demon...”
“Farewell!” The moment he heard the word “Legendary,” Lin Gui's face turned completely dark.
The Akara Continent was a high-fantasy world with immense martial power.
The top powerhouses were truly existences capable of taking on tens of thousands of foes alone, splitting mountains, and parting seas.
The Legendary Rank was a terrifying title no matter where it was mentioned.
Low Rank, Mid Rank, High Rank, Transcendent, Legendary, Epic, Demigod.
In the strength ratings of ordinary demons, the “Transcendent” rank was often referred to as “Hero.”
This was because demons that stepped into the Hero Rank often possessed a degree of intelligence.
Subdue a Legendary Demon?
Gather ten High-tier Transcendent adventurers first, then come back and talk to him about subduing it.
Without another word, he crawled out of the hollow, but he hadn't expected Theia to follow him out.
“I've already refused. Why are you still following me?”
“But that's a million gold coins! Won't you think about it again?”
“With that money, you can live a life of luxury, hire beautiful women from all races to drink with you, marry a bunch of wives, and live in a dream...”
“Provided I'm alive to spend it.”
Lin Gui pushed aside the thorns blocking his path, not looking back.
“Besides, you're an elf. Constantly talking about money and beautiful women is highly un-elf-like, you know?”
The two of them plunged into a patch of tall grass one after the other, and Lin Gui suddenly held his breath.
Theia also instantly fell silent, lowering her body in tacit coordination.
They watched as an imp with a hunched back and a hideous, wobbling head crawled past just a few paces away.
Only when the imp vanished at the edge of their vision did Theia stand up first, arguing indignantly:
“That's racial discrimination! What's wrong with elves? Can't elves love money? Can't we eat large chunks of meat? Can't we make jokes?”
“I've been hanging around various city-states for so many years, and I've long realized that money is far more reliable than some vague belief in a Goddess!”
“That's true.” Lin Gui nodded subconsciously, then quickly caught himself.
“Wait, why am I even talking to you about this? Go away, I've already refused you! No matter how sweet you make it sound, there is absolutely no way I will...”
Before he could finish, Theia's gaze suddenly turned sharp.
She grabbed Lin Gui by the collar and leaped up onto the branch of a tall tree beside them!
“Silence of Lucienne, let the wind cease here...”
Almost simultaneously, Lin Gui lightly tapped his staff.
An extremely faint emerald veil flowed silently, completely enveloping their presences and figures.
Theia glanced at him with some surprise.
She hadn't expected him to react so quickly; his speed in casting this High Rank Silence spell was not inferior even to a Transcendent mage.
To bypass a five-second chant time, he seemed to be a mage specializing in wind magic.
“Can you see what's coming?” Lin Gui asked in a low voice.
Theia stood up, her crimson eyes shimmering with a flowing light as if reflecting a blood moon.
She raised her hand and pointed toward the southeast, speaking quickly and clearly:
“In that direction, three kilometers away, two Transcendent Warriors, one High Rank Mage, two High Rank Assassins, and a Priest are fleeing toward us.”
“You can judge their strength from this far away?”
“Of course not,” Theia twitched the corner of her mouth.
“They... are all people I know.”
“The one chasing them is...” Her voice paused, and she raised an eyebrow slightly.
An inexplicable tension gripped Lin Gui's heart.
Theia slowly uttered a name:
“It is the Forest Abyss Devourer—Moragus.”
She turned her head to look at Lin Gui, her crimson eyes reflecting his suddenly frozen expression.
“A Legendary Demon.”
Rate on N.U.
