Chapter 6

Overall, Allegri is a kind young man. After kidnapping the poor half-elf, he felt a bit guilty. But an hour later, all the guilt had vanished.

This is his second virtue, being very forgiving to both others and himself, especially to himself.

Eating the meat skewers that the half-elf had hunted and roasted, Allegri fell into an extremely delightful mood. The meat, perfectly grilled, had a special smoky flavor while retaining the freshness of the meat itself, making it impossible for him not to praise it loudly.

"Irlor, your cooking skills are far better than your archery."

"Such a statement is a great insult to elves; be careful, he might fight you to the death." Dios, standing nearby, laughed with a sense of schadenfreude.

Irlor carefully tended to his wounds, too lazy to deal with these two villains.

"Don't be angry, Irlor, I'm genuinely praising you." In Allegri's heart, as he gnawed on the meat, Irlor's status had risen sharply. Given his significant remaining value, he couldn't help but try to soothe him.

"It's fine, I don't have those annoying elf habits," Irlor waved his hand, "In fact, I spent very little time living in the elf tribe; most of the time, I traveled outside."

"Oh?" Dios's expression was exaggerated—opening his mouth wide was already his most intense facial change—as he asked in confusion, "Then how did we scare you?"

Irlor, whose mood had barely calmed down, felt an urge to cry. Who wouldn't be terrified when they wake up from an injury and see a skeleton about to dismember them and a black-robed figure suspected to be a necromancer...

It's not that he lacked experience; it's just that the enemy was too cunning!

"Never mind, don't be like that," Allegri said with a gentle smile, "Irlor, are your injuries serious? You seemed very bad earlier, unconscious."

"The elf arrows were coated with a tree sap that can paralyze; after I shook them off, the poison took effect, and I passed out. Otherwise, how could I have been caught by you two..." He felt the urge to bash his head against a wall again.

"Ha, little elf," Dios patted his shoulder, "Don't be sad, quickly lead us out of the forest. You don't want to be caught, do you?"

Irlor mustered his strength and led the way, and the three of them immediately sped up.

A ranger is a hybrid of an archer and a scout. With this half-elf ranger familiar with the forest, their movement through the forest was smooth and unobstructed.

Unless, the guide got lost.

******

"You got lost?" Allegri and Dios stared blankly at the embarrassed half-elf.

"I always enter the Whispering Forest from the southern highlands of the Kingdom of Highground, and the path to the Snoton Empire is just something I've heard about." Irlor shrugged, a bit embarrassed.

"Aren't you known for 'the forest is my home, and everyone contributes to its greenery'?" Allegri's eyes were full of disbelief, "Can you get lost in your own home?"

"Legend has it that the 'Sun King' Oklant, who held both political and religious power in the Middle Ages, once got lost in his vast capital, 'Eternal Brilliance'..." The skeleton immediately answered fluently.

"How did he get back?" Allegri asked casually.

"He was also a legendary great mage, so he 'whoosh' teleported himself back." The skeleton looked serious, as if nothing could stump him.

Allegri was speechless, holding his forehead, while the half-elf, who had been exploring, jumped down from the treetops a few steps away, "This part of the forest is different from the rest of the Whispering Forest; it feels completely lifeless."

"Trees without life?" Dios pondered, then shook his head, "You're in trouble. A dense forest without life is likely the territory of a mirage dragon, which is its illusion."

A mirage dragon is a high-level magical creature, belonging to the sub-dragon family, still a step away from true dragons. However, its talent for illusions and transformations often leads prey into its mouth unknowingly.

"Why us and not you?" Irlor asked Dios curiously.

"Because the mirage dragon spits out bones when it eats meat." Dios laughed, full of pride.

"Did you forget our contract?" Allegri interjected calmly.

Dios's face immediately turned anxious, and Irlor sympathetically patted his bony shoulder, his eyes filled with the expression of a fellow sufferer, feeling relieved that he wasn't alone.

******

Another day passed, and the signs of entering an illusion became more evident. The black-hoofed sheep that Irlor had shot with an arrow suddenly dissipated into a gray mist, then reformed into a lively lamb.

The hearts of the two men and the skeleton's chest bone sank simultaneously.

"We are approaching the mirage dragon's location," Dios said solemnly, "The mist is flowing faster."

Irlor had been staring at the sky, silent, his pointed ears trembling. Suddenly, he whispered, "Get down!"

The three of them had barely crouched down when they heard a piercing wind from the sky. A human-shaped black shadow plummeted from the sky, and as it landed a few hundred steps in front of them, a jet of pure black sword energy burst forth. Even at such a distance, they could feel the overwhelming aura.

The three dared not show themselves, carefully lying in the grass. They saw the trees and grass where the sword light reached suddenly split, like ripples in water. Then, they transformed into thick mist, which spread out, and the three watched helplessly as the scenery before them collapsed, contracting towards the center, gradually revealing the original appearance of the forest.

The black figure stood still, then swung his sword again. A furious roar came from the center of the mist, and black-red blood droplets spurted out. The originally swirling mist seemed to boil, transforming into various fierce beasts that pounced on the black-clothed figure.

The black-clothed figure remained silent, merely flicking his black greatsword lightly. No sword energy was even released.

All the mist suddenly disappeared, and a fat, gray-white, one-eyed lizard with two deformed small wings was cut in half, its body still convulsing, but only in its death throes.

One sword broke the illusion, and another cut the mirage dragon. This black-clothed figure was terrifyingly strong. In front of him, the three of them were not even worth considering, not even a small dessert for afternoon tea.

Fortunately, the black-clothed figure seemed to have not noticed them. He reached out and took the mirage dragon's single eye, weighed it with satisfaction, and whistled lightly.

The wind rose again, and a dark cloud in the sky rapidly dove down, a terrifying beast with wings nearly ten meters wide tearing through the forest from the sky. The black-clothed figure directly mounted it, and the beast flapped its wings, gradually rising.

As the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, the black-clothed figure suddenly turned his head. Under the hood, where his face should have been, was a swirling black mist, like a vortex of dreams, curiously examining the giant beast. Allegri, who was curiously observing the beast, met his gaze for an instant and felt a splitting headache, a bone-chilling cold surging in waves, and fainted with a scream. The black-clothed figure shook his head disdainfully, turned away, and in a moment, was already riding the beast, flying westward.

"What the hell was that..." Allegri, gradually regaining consciousness, asked in fear and shock.

"Legendary profession, Nightmare Knight." Irlor slowly exhaled the cold air from his mouth.

Allegri, trembling, recalled all his experiences since crossing over, feeling like a game. The real, tangible danger, like a massive dark cloud, had brushed past him, reminding all children who underestimated the cruel fate that everything was just beginning.

It turns out, this was no longer the beginner's village.

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