Chapter 81: Lin Ya

I let out a light hum. I had originally intended to continue watching, to see how they would deal with the situation and learn from their experience. But I didn't expect to see someone I knew. I couldn't just watch from the sidelines anymore. Although my longing for Lin Ya had faded somewhat, I still couldn't stand by and watch her in danger.

It wasn't the time to hesitate. I quickly dismissed the summoned pets around me, jumped out from the corner, and transformed into a bear.

The five transmigrants were already struggling. Suddenly, a roar came from the opposite side. In their surprised gazes, a giant bear over three meters tall, with heavy and swift steps, charged forward, quickly joining the battle and blocking the elite Moon Clan in front of them.

With a dull thud, the elite Moon Clan's greatsword slashed across the bear's arm, leaving a bloody mark.

Wait, how did the enemy become so tough? The elite monster looked up in shock and found that, at some point, its opponent had changed. A fierce giant bear stood before it, using its arm to lightly push the weapon away. The massive body almost blocked the entire field of view, and the greatsword only left a thin line of blood.

In the surprised eyes of Lin Ya and the others, the sudden giant bear easily blocked the elite monster's attack that had just made them struggle. Then, something even more shocking happened. The giant bear, with just one paw, sent the tall and sturdy elite Moon Clan flying. What kind of strength was this? Even a 20th-level barbarian might not be able to do this without a heavy strike.

Two of the four followers had their lives almost drained. The giant bear simply swatted them away with one paw each. The remaining two didn't last more than three paws. The final battle with the elite was more like a torture session. The greatsword only left shallow cuts on the bear, which quickly disappeared, while the bear's massive paws sent the elite reeling, staggering, and finally falling to the ground with a mournful cry.

The five people, stunned, were left with only surprise and admiration for the strong—this was definitely a high-level druid proficient in transformation and well-equipped.

In the eyes of everyone, whether surprised or admiring, I slowly walked to Lin Ya. After more than half a year, she had grown a lot. Although her delicate face still showed some shyness at seeing a stranger, she could now bravely look me in the eye and speak without the former timidity.

"This senior, I represent our team to thank you for your support."

In my interested gaze, she shyly bowed to me, quite gracefully.

"Lin Ya, don't you remember me?"

As I spoke, in the surprised eyes of everyone, especially Lin Ya, I slowly canceled the transformation and took off the hood on my head.

"You, it's you..." Lin Ya covered her mouth with her hand, unable to recover for a long time.

At night, the bonfire crackled, and the deep red flames clearly illuminated the faces of the six people around it. Lin Ya sat next to me, her face flushed and delicate—although we had only met once and had been separated for more than half a year, it didn't seem to make her feel strange. Life and experience had made us seem like old friends, with endless topics to talk about. Seeing her occasional light laughter, I felt as if I had returned to the bar that time. However, although she was still innocent, she was no longer as timid as before.

The other four people, however, didn't expect that Lin Ya and I were acquaintances and were chatting like old friends. They were still in shock.

"Right..."

As she spoke, Lin Ya seemed to remember something, her mouth pouting, and she glared at me angrily.

"Why did you lie to me back then, saying you were a newly promoted druid? I even tried hard to comfort you."

"Ah, ha ha..."

Sweat, this little girl, who specialized in magic, had a good memory, remembering the conversation from more than half a year ago clearly.

"I was promoted in a small village and spent the next two years training outside. The time I met you was my first return to the Rogue Camp. I was afraid you wouldn't believe me, so I said that!" Fortunately, I reacted quickly and came up with a flawless excuse.

"Is that so?" Lin Ya tilted her head, thinking. She felt that what I said made sense, but something still seemed off. In the end, her tone softened.

"Anyway, I think lying is wrong."

"Sorry, I won't do it again." Uh, I hope she can forget this promise soon. I have too many things I can't tell others.

However, things didn't go as I wished. Seeing Lin Ya's happy reaction to my words, I knew I had just trapped myself.

"That's right. We are friends and shouldn't lie to each other. Even if there are secrets you don't want the other to know, you should still tell them. Otherwise, misunderstandings will arise." Lin Ya, from a noble family, was very understanding, making me almost tear up with emotion.

At this moment, the druid next to me, whose name seemed to be abbreviated as Fates, sighed. Foreign names were hard to remember. He was already in his thirties but still called me "senior" repeatedly. Fortunately, people in the Dark Continent had long lifespans, so he still looked in his early twenties, or I would have found it hard to get used to...

Perhaps because we were of the same profession, I felt a sense of familiarity with him. I answered all his questions, after all, they were Lin Ya's teammates. Focusing only on talking to Lin Ya and neglecting them wouldn't be good. However, to be honest, I didn't have any special personal insights about druids, so I mostly used Cain's words and added some of my own experiences, managing to muddle through.

The other two paladins, one of whom was a woman, had a refined appearance and a commanding presence, like a big sister in the team, with a bit of a "women can do anything men can do" vibe. The other paladin was also in his thirties, with a slight beard, and even though he wore only a tattered leather armor, he exuded a noble aura.

Although their eyes were eager, they were past the age of enthusiasm, so they mostly listened quietly to my conversation with Lin Ya and Fates, occasionally offering their own opinions. As for the assassin, true to his profession, he always gave the impression of hiding in the shadows. He hadn't said much since we met and often liked to polish his plain dagger when idle.

Overall, it was a good team. Lin Ya seemed lucky, and it was possible that her family's influence played a role. After all, for a princess from a castle like Lin Ya, joining the wrong team could be very dangerous.

"By the way, how did you provoke that elite clan?" I suddenly thought of today's battle and asked casually.

Among transmigrants, there was an unwritten rule: in general training, a team leader must ensure at least a 60% chance of a complete victory (zero casualties) before taking action. For solo training, the probability must be at least 90%, of course, with exceptions for special circumstances.

Everyone seemed taken aback by my question. I regretted asking, and indeed, the assassin looked ashamed and lowered his head. "It's my fault. As a scout, I failed in my duty."

Lin Ya, who was close to me, nudged my waist with her elbow in reproach, then realized the gesture was too intimate and blushed, but fortunately, the others didn't notice in the firelight.

"It's not your fault, Miss. It's my fault. If I hadn't suggested we go that way, we wouldn't have encountered them." Lin Ya looked up, gave me a light glare, and said softly.

"No, it's my fault..."

"Enough, now is not the time to blame each other. You should learn from this experience. Miss, be more careful in the future, and Lin Ya, don't be so impulsive. Right, Senior Wu Fan?" The female paladin suddenly smiled and spoke, clearly taking on a leadership role. Her words stopped the two from arguing and also considered my feelings, showing her细腻的心思.

When everyone was about to sleep, the assassin, Miss, insisted on standing guard alone to make up for his mistake. He was a person with a strong sense of self-respect. It seemed he wouldn't be at ease unless he did something. The others, who knew Miss's character, didn't try to stop him and let him go.

I walked up and patted his shoulder. "If you feel your condition will affect tomorrow's battle, wake me up. This isn't the time to be stubborn."

Miss moved his lips and nodded, though he didn't say anything, his expression showed gratitude.

The next morning, when I asked about the location of the six stone pillars, they all looked surprised.

"You're not thinking of going to kill Rakanius, are you? It's too dangerous. I won't let you go..."

Lin Ya said anxiously.

"Don't worry. It's a task given to me by Lord Cain. Do you think Lord Cain would put someone's life at risk?" I avoided answering Lin Ya's question directly. I had just promised not to lie to her yesterday, so lying now wouldn't be good.

"Really?" Lin Ya still looked wary.

I looked at her, both amused and exasperated. When did she become so suspicious? But knowing she was just concerned for me, I felt a warm glow in my heart.

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lord Cain when you return. Silly girl, when did you become so suspicious?" I lightly tapped her forehead.

Lin Ya didn't seem to mind my affectionate gesture. She just pouted and muttered, "Because you have a history of lying."

I was speechless.

Lord Cain's name carried more weight than mine. With him as a shield, the other five didn't say anything more. Unlike me, they had studied direction-finding from Akara and knew the terrain of the stone field and the locations where monsters were most likely to appear. Under their lead, we passed through the stone array that would have confused me and got lost many times. In less than a day, the six towering stones came into my sight.

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(End of Chapter 81)