The Monster Tide

The Chocobo immediately ran out from behind the tree, docilely lowering its head to nuzzle his coat.

It seemed that this brief rest had allowed it to recover quite a bit of its strength.

Bai Xuan mounted the bird and gently patted its neck.

Understanding his intent, the Chocobo set off, twisting and turning through the forest. It quickly plunged into the depths of the woods, its figure gradually vanishing into the dense shadows of the trees.

Not long after, a rapid clatter of hooves approached from the distance, shattering the silence of the forest.

A group of riders galloped into the clearing, led by a burly, heavily built man.

He yanked hard on his reins, his face instantly turning livid as he stared at the corpses scattered all over the ground.

Bodies lay sprawled in every direction. Some were still groaning weakly, while others had long since fallen silent.

The Heavy Armored Knight slumped against a tree trunk, his chest deeply caved in and his eyes wide open, clearly long dead.

The burly man's gaze slowly swept over the corpses on the ground, finally landing on a familiar figure.

Harvey.

He lay prone in a pool of blood, completely motionless, his clothes thoroughly soaked through.

Dismounting in a hurry, the burly man rushed over and flipped Harvey over with trembling hands.

That once arrogant and overbearing face was now deathly pale, his eyes half-open, devoid of any breath of life.

“M-My lord...” Seeing this, a retainer behind him cautiously stepped forward and stammered.

“What... what on earth happened here?”

...

Late night quietly descended, and the lights of the Wazhuang Post House flickered into view amidst the darkness.

The post house boss sat behind the counter, repeatedly twirling a silver coin between his fingers.

The silver coin caught the light, glinting softly, but his gaze drifted past the counter, landing on the empty hall.

A handful of guests sat scattered around the hall. Some whispered in small huddles, while others quietly ate their meals alone; none of them paid any attention to the counter.

The boss quietly pocketed the silver coin, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

Travelers and adventurers passing through had grown increasingly scarce lately, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

Normally at this hour, the hall would be at least half full and bustling with noise. But now, this sparse crowd felt exceptionally desolate.

As he was lost in thought, the heavy doors of the post house were pushed open, letting in a gust of cold wind wrapped in the night.

A young man in a white robe walked in, holding a peculiarly shaped staff. He stood tall and straight, exuding a cool, sharp aura.

The guests in the hall instinctively looked up, their gazes lingering on him for an extra moment.

An outfit consisting of a white robe and a staff was a rare sight in this remote border post house.

The boss looked up. At first glance, the young man seemed somewhat familiar, but after a closer look, he suddenly remembered.

This was the very young man who had bought that broken staff from him half a month ago.

He had changed a lot. His entire presence was completely different from half a month ago, yet the sharp contour of his features remained unmistakable.

The boss remembered that during their transaction, the young man had also asked him for information about Blackcreek Town.

The young man walked straight to the counter and said in a calm voice, “Could you please look after the Chocobo outside and give it some feed?”

The boss nodded hastily and called for a stablehand to go out and tend to the Chocobo.

Once the stablehand's figure disappeared out the door, he looked at the young man with a warm, familiar smile. “Long time no see.”

“Long time no see,” Bai Xuan replied with a soft smile.

The boss's eyes naturally drifted to the staff in his hand. The staff was dark all over, with a solid, rounded head and a sharp tip at the base. Its simple design exuded a heavy, substantial weight.

“This staff is quite interesting,” the boss couldn't help but remark. “What about the one you bought from me before? Did you replace it?”

“It wasn't very comfortable to use. I happened to make a little money, so I upgraded to something more suitable,” Bai Xuan replied casually, glancing down at his staff.

The boss nodded and didn't press further. After all, in these borderlands, it was perfectly normal for adventurers to swap out their gear.

Bai Xuan pulled a few silver coins from his coat, placed them on the counter, and said, “A room for the night, some food, and include the Chocobo's feed as well.”

The boss picked up the silver coins and counted them, then looked up at Bai Xuan with a trace of helplessness. “That will be eight silver coins in total.”

“So expensive? I'm a returning customer,” Bai Xuan said, slightly startled.

The boss gave a bitter laugh and spread his hands. “Business has been incredibly tough lately. There are barely any travelers, and I can hardly keep food on the table. This is already the original price without any markup.”

“Just look at this hall. It would never be this deserted at this hour in the past.”

Bai Xuan glanced at the empty hall, shook his head slightly, and didn't argue further. “Fine, eight silver coins it is.”

He wasn't short on cash right now anyway.

He turned and found a seat by the window. Before long, the stablehand brought over a steaming plate of stew and a slice of brown bread.

Bai Xuan picked up the bread, eating as he quietly calculated in his mind.

The Chocobo's endurance far exceeded his expectations. As long as he didn't trigger its brief Sprint Burst trait, it could maintain a steady pace indefinitely.

It only needed to stop occasionally for a bit of water and food, and after a brief rest, it would be ready to set off again.

A journey he had expected to take a full day to reach the post house had been completed in just half a day, saving him a significant amount of time.

Along the way, he had also tried using Pain Empowerment on the Chocobo, and the results were incredibly pronounced.

The Chocobo's speed had surged, and it was able to sustain high-speed running for long stretches, making it far more practical than the Sprint Burst trait, which only offered a brief burst of speed.

However, the side effects of this ability were not small either. The Chocobo had squawked incessantly the entire way, shrieking as it ran. The noise was loud and grating, which actually ended up attracting several packs of monsters.

Fortunately, he had dealt with them easily enough; otherwise, it would have delayed his journey.

In any case, they had finally made it to the post house, and he could let the Chocobo get a good night's rest.

Bai Xuan took a bite of his brown bread, his gaze drifting out the window. The night was thick and heavy; aside from the faint, distant outlines of trees, nothing else could be seen.

Just then, a sudden, rapid ringing echoed from outside the post house doors. The sharp, urgent chiming instantly shattered the silence of the hall.

Bai Xuan turned his head to look toward the entrance.

The few guests in the hall stopped talking, their gazes turning in unison toward the door shrouded in darkness.

As the piercing alarm bell rent the night sky, the boss's face turned pale. He slammed down what he was holding and bolted outside.

As he ran, he roared at the backyard.

“Guards! All of you, get out here!”

Before his voice even faded, six or seven men clad in leather armor and wielding blades and spears rushed out of the backyard, surging out of the post house gates right behind the boss.

Bai Xuan set down his bread, stood up calmly, and silently followed them out.

The sound of that alarm bell instantly triggered his memories.

Half a month ago, at this very post house and during a night just like this, a similar monster tide had launched a surprise attack.

At that time, the Hammerfall team had happened to be present, but even with their assistance, people were still injured and some had even lost their lives.

He still remembered the poisoned guard. Back then, he had hesitated repeatedly before finally using an antidote to barely save the man's life.

Following the boss to the doorway, Bai Xuan looked out into the distance.

In the depths of the forest, faint, shifting shadows were constantly emerging. Starting from a scattered few, they quickly gathered into a dense, black mass.

His gaze swept over the dark figures, and his brow furrowed slightly.

This monster tide was completely different from the last one.

The last time was merely ordinary monsters mixed with wolf packs, but this time, it was...

Bai Xuan's eyes suddenly narrowed, a chill rising in his heart.

Among those monsters, quite a few were the same creatures that had invaded Klara Village.

Undead, goblins, rotting treants, agile Shadow Cats, and a few basilisk hatchlings dragging thick tails.

Their levels ranged from Level 1 to Level 4, all mixed together, charging frantically toward the post house as if driven by some external force.

Beside him, the boss's face was already dark. He quickly scanned the guards around him.

There was only a single Level 4 leader; the rest were all ordinary Level 2 or Level 3 guards.

Turning back to look at the approaching tide of monsters that stretched on without end, his heart instantly sank.

“Quick! Secure the barricades! Get all the traps ready!” he shrieked at the guards, panic leaking through his voice.

The guards didn't dare delay, scrambling into action in a flurry.

Spikes, tripwires, and pit traps were hastily set up outside the post house's perimeter fence. Though their movements were rushed, they didn't dare slacken for a second.

The boss turned and bolted back into the hall. Sweeping his gaze over the few guests, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Emergency recruitment for defense! Rewards based on combat performance, starting at ten silver coins for joining the fight!”

“Count me in!”

At the response, two or three guests dressed as adventurers immediately set down their utensils, stood up, and quickly followed the boss outside.

The boss's gaze swept over Bai Xuan standing by the door. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up.

“You... you should help too. You're a Healer. No matter how the battle goes, just make sure to save people afterward.”

Bai Xuan stood in place, his tone indifferent.

“My healing doesn't come cheap. Can you afford it?”

The boss froze, clearly not expecting such a response. He asked hesitantly, “Then... name your price?”

“Five gold coins.”

Bai Xuan spoke calmly.

“I will resolve tonight's monster tide for you, and I guarantee not a single person on your side will die.”

The boss nearly jumped out of his skin, his voice suddenly spiking. “Five gold coins?! Why don't you just rob me instead!”

Seeing his exasperated look, Bai Xuan's lips twitched slightly, and his tone softened a bit.

“Robbery isn't nearly as lucrative as this. For the sake of our acquaintance half a month ago, let's call it two gold coins. I guarantee everyone on your side will survive and safely weather this monster tide.”

When he left the post house half a month ago, the boss had sold him that broken staff for less than a single gold coin.

And the Emeraldshade Gold from that staff had now become a part of his current staff. He could consider this a way to make it up to the boss.

The boss stared at Bai Xuan, his expression incredibly complex.

After a brief silence, he gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely.

“Fine! Two gold coins it is! But remember what you promised—not a single person can die!”

Without saying another word, Bai Xuan turned and walked back into the hall.

He dragged a chair out from a corner, placed it squarely right in the center of the post house's main entrance, and slowly sat down.

Resting his staff upright by his side, he faced the forest swarming with dark shadows and waited quietly, his expression perfectly serene.

It was as if what lay ahead was not a perilous monster tide, but an insignificant farce.

The guards who were busy setting up defenses were utterly dumbfounded by the sight.

The young man in the white robe sat at the entrance with an indifferent expression, looking as though he were merely watching a play.

He formed a bizarre contrast with those who were tense and treating the situation as a matter of life and death.

“Is that guy out of his mind?” an adventurer whispered, muttering in complete bewilderment.

“Ignore him,” another adventurer quickly pulled him back, also lowering his voice.

“He's probably been scared out of his wits by the monster tide. Let's just focus on our own tasks.”

Just as their whispers faded, the dark figures in the forest drew closer, a heavy, rancid stench drifting over with the wind.

The first to charge out were the skeleton soldiers.

Taking stiff strides, their bones clattering with dry clicks, they rushed straight toward the post house's barricades.

A few skeletons accidentally tumbled into the pit traps, but they seemed completely oblivious to it.

Even when they fell onto the spikes and had their bodies impaled, they still struggled to crawl forward.

The skeletons behind them simply stepped on their companions' bodies to continue their charge, filling up several pit traps in just a short moment.

The boss's face grew increasingly grim.

“These bones aren't afraid of traps!” the guard captain roared at the top of his lungs.

“They are paving the way for the monsters behind them!”

Just as he spoke, a dense swarm of goblins surged out of the forest.

Hideous in appearance, some brandished rusted blades, others raised wooden clubs, and some even held scythes and hoes plundered from villages.

Judging by their gear, they had already raided quite a few settlements.

Treading on the skeletal remains, the goblins easily bypassed the pit traps. Some were injured by the spikes, letting out shrill screams as they rolled into the pits and thrashed about.

Others successfully reached the barricades, clawing, biting, and slamming against them in a frenzy.

Behind the goblins, several rotting treants slowly moved their lumbering bodies forward.

Their trunks were covered in hideous burls, and their thick branches whipped about wildly like the tentacles of venomous serpents.

Approaching the barricades, they slammed their massive trunks heavily against the wooden barriers.

Groaning creaks echoed continuously; the barricades looked as if they could snap at any moment.

At the same time, several Shadow Cats used the cover of night to quietly slip around to the side of the post house.

Incredibly agile, they leaped over the barricades with a gentle bound, lunging toward the unsuspecting guards.

Caught off guard, the guards instantly fell into chaos, frantically raising their blades to parry the attacks.

Most terrifying of all were the few basilisk hatchlings bringing up the rear. They slowly raised their heads and spat highly corrosive acid toward the barricades.

The moment the acid hit the wooden barricades, plumes of white smoke billowed. The wood was rapidly eaten away, quickly leaving gaping holes, throwing their defensive line into critical danger.

“Hold the line! Everyone, hold the line!”

The guard captain's roars were completely drowned out by the screeches and impacts of the monsters.

Swinging his long blade, he cut down a goblin that lunged at him, but even more monsters poured in without pause.

The guards were quickly locked in a chaotic melee with the invading monsters. One guard was accidentally tackled to the ground by a Shadow Cat, a deep gash ripped across his neck.

Another guard had his arm slashed by a scythe thrown by a goblin, blood instantly staining his sleeve crimson.

Although the few adventurers were slightly stronger and barely managed to hold their ground, they, too, began to show signs of exhaustion in the face of the endless tide of monsters.