Chapter 10

Looking at the girl in front of him, Luo De sighed.

"Lizhe, the one who should be most worried right now is you. You haven't had a good rest since last night, have you?"

At the word "last night," Lizhe's body suddenly tensed, as if she was reminded of that incident again. However, despite this, the girl stubbornly bit her lip and shook her head.

"No... I..."

"Slap!"

Before Lizhe could finish her sentence, Luo De had already raised his hand and slapped her face hard.

What is he doing?!

Holding her red cheek, Lizhe opened her eyes wide in disbelief, staring at Luo De. The young man, however, only quietly looked at her and then spoke.

"I can understand your thoughts right now."

Hearing this calm, almost emotionless statement, a surge of anger immediately erupted from Lizhe's heart. She put down her hand, clenched her fists, and seemed ready to refute Luo De's irresponsible words. However, Luo De's next words completely drained her of the strength to do so.

"Just because you are different, you feel guilty for surviving. For a half-angel, such thoughts are not correct."

"!!"

Hearing this, Lizhe was startled. She instinctively crossed her arms to protect herself and took two or three steps back until she hit the tree behind her. But even so, Lizhe did not pay attention. She only stared at the man in front of her, opened her mouth, but could not say a word. How could he know? No, it was impossible. She had never told him, and even in the mercenary group, only a few people knew about this.

"How did you...?"

"Your eyes."

Luo De pointed with one finger.

"Your eyes reflect a golden light when illuminated, which is the mark of an angel, a 'Light Guardian.' However, unlike pure angels, your eyes do not shine brightly, which is the part hidden by your human blood—am I wrong?"

The girl did not speak.

Although he did not get an answer, Luo De had already confirmed his thoughts were correct. The girl standing in front of him was indeed a half-angel. In fact, he had been observing Lizhe for some time. As a top player, Luo De was already familiar with judging opponents' attributes through their equipment and characteristics during his long gaming career. This not only helped in formulating the best strategy in boss battles in the shortest time but also allowed him to take the initiative in PvP battles. This was a skill that all veteran players would master.

In fact, after Luo De and Lizhe were rescued, he began to observe the girl consciously and soon discovered her true identity. Although she was only a half-angel, the powerful healing ability and resistance to damage of angels had not disappeared, which was why Lizhe could survive after being thrown off the airship.

Lizhe must have been well aware of this, which was why she was so depressed.

"So I said, I can understand your thoughts."

Luo De shrugged.

"You know very well why you survived, but it's not luck. It's the result of your differences from others, and you can't accept this... If possible, you even wish you were just an ordinary human, facing death like your companions, rather than surviving cunningly."

"......"

Lizhe lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress.

"But this is not something you can decide."

Looking at Lizhe's slightly trembling shoulders, Luo De's tone softened.

"You can't choose your origin, nor can you stop this. It's something beyond your control, so never regret what you can't do."

"Then......"

Lizhe finally spoke.

"...What should I do?"

"This is your path, and you should choose it yourself."

Hearing this, Lizhe was silent for a moment, then she looked up.

"I understand, thank you, Mr. Luo De."

"You're welcome."

"......But, that slap really hurt......"

Although the process was somewhat "violent," Lizhe eventually emerged from the shadow of losing her companions and self-blame. When the sun rose the next day, the blonde girl's face was no longer filled with sadness but instead had the usual gentle smile. This surprised Mace, who had just woken up and had no idea what had happened. He curiously looked at one person, then another, and finally gave Luo De a meaningful smile—what exactly it meant, no one knew.

However, before the fat merchant could satisfy his curiosity, Luo De's words immediately plunged him into despair.

"I think it's time to set off."

Set off?

This word made the fat merchant, who had just woken up and finished breakfast, shiver. He suddenly remembered that he was not in his comfortable, warm room but in this vast, dangerous forest... Right, they weren't out for a picnic. That damned wind snake, and that damned captain... Forget it, forget it, it was pointless to think about it now. The most important thing was—how were they going to get out of this damned forest?

Thinking of this, Mace quickly looked up at Luo De. Since this young man said he had a plan, he must have a very detailed one, after all, they were in the deep mountains, and getting lost was not impossible. Moreover, there were many fierce beasts lurking, so how to avoid their pursuit? These were essential survival skills, and he had to pay attention, not miss a single word, or he might die here due to carelessness, which would be a huge loss.

With this thought, Mace slapped his face to drive away the last bit of sleepiness, then he solemnly watched Luo De stand up, casually brush the dust off his legs, stretch his wrists, and finally speak.

"Let's go."

"......"

"Wait, wait, Mr. Luo De!"

The fat merchant almost jumped up as if he had sat on a chair with nails.

"Where are we going?"

"Northeast, there's a town there. Once we get there, the rest of the journey will be much easier."

"Is there anything we need to be careful about?"

"Nothing special."

It was not surprising that Luo De said this. As the gathering place for new players in the Dragon Soul Continent, the Pafeld region had been thoroughly explored by players. Influenced by web novels, many players deliberately ventured into uncharted, dangerous, or hard-to-reach areas at the beginning of the game, hoping to find legendary artifacts that would dominate the game. They imagined wielding divine weapons, invincible, founding powerful factions, and eventually unifying the continent... Of course, reality was always cruel. Despite the players' relentless efforts, they did find some very rare, good equipment and weapons, but none met the players' standard of "with a divine artifact in hand, the world is mine."

After all, that standard was too high.

Although the place was full of danger and every step could be fatal for Mace, for Luo De, this area was as familiar as his own backyard. As the leader of a guild, Luo De had often brought new members here to level up, so he knew where the monsters were dense, where they were sparse, what quests' equipment suited which professions, and where the attributes were best for the most efficient training. Even if he were thrown anywhere, Luo De could find his way out with his eyes closed. Therefore, there was nothing special he needed to remind Mace about. As for Mace? Luo De had done the task of protecting merchants in the game countless times, so he was not particularly concerned.

Hearing Luo De's answer, Mace's fat face immediately drooped like a frost-bitten eggplant. He did not know Luo De's thoughts, but this was too careless. Thinking about it, the fat merchant began to doubt whether he had made the wrong choice. After all, this young man was seriously injured in the mountains. If he were not injured, it would be understandable, but now, being so careless... Wasn't that courting death?

Although he was already somewhat regretful deep down, for Mace, there was no other way. So, with no choice, he gritted his teeth and followed the two into the depths of the forest.

Under the bright sunlight, the Silver Moon Forest appeared very quiet. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting spots of light on the ground. The clear chirping of birds could be heard, and even the traces of rabbits could be seen in the grass. The scene was so peaceful that the fat merchant, who had been tense, gradually relaxed. He no longer suspected and was uneasy.

Luo De walked at the front. Although walking in the forest without a path was not easy, his figure moved nimbly through the forest, and neither vines nor thorny plants could stop him. Just looking at his back, it was hard to imagine that he had been seriously injured.

Lizhe, who followed closely behind, was not slow either. Clearly, she was used to such outdoor activities and life. Although her robe was not convenient, Lizhe still walked steadily beside Luo De, occasionally reminding the merchant behind her to be careful of the path.

The deeper they went, the more amazed Lizhe became.

Although it seemed that Luo De's direction was quite random, he did not choose a straight path but often turned left or right, and sometimes even made a large circle. From the surface, it might seem that he was leading them aimlessly. However, few people noticed that under Luo De's guidance, the forest, which was full of obstacles, revealed a flat path, as if it had always been hidden there, waiting to be discovered.

Lizhe had once heard the guild leader mention this as a very advanced skill. After all, it was too difficult for ordinary people to find their way in the forest. Only those who lived in harmony with nature, like elves and rangers who spent their lives in the mountains, could master this skill. She had seen it once before. At that time, her team was lost in the forest, and the elf who came to help did not follow the existing path but chose a completely opposite direction. Lizhe was very worried at the time, but they eventually left the forest smoothly. It was then that Lizhe learned about this skill from her guild leader, but...

Looking at Luo De's back, Lizhe tilted her head in confusion. According to the guild leader, only experienced elves and rangers could master this skill. Ordinary elves, although they could communicate with nature, could not do this. However, Luo De seemed so at ease, and he had never stopped to communicate with the plants around him, which meant he was not an elf. But... he did not seem like a ranger either. Although Lizhe had not interacted much with rangers, she knew their main weapon was a bow, but Luo De had never used a bow since she met him...

Who is he?

At this moment, Lizhe was becoming increasingly puzzled.

Luo De stopped.

Through the bushes, he could clearly see the clear lake water, which was the center of the Silver Moon Forest, the Moonlight Lake. In the game, this place was one of the outdoor camps for players to rest.

"Great!"

Looking at the clear lake water, Mace instinctively licked his dry lips. Although they had not walked for too long since setting off, for the pampered merchant, it felt like days. Seeing such a good resting place, the fat merchant immediately took large steps forward, intending to rest by the lake. However, just as he moved, Luo De's hand pressed on his shoulder.

The fat merchant looked at the young man in front of him in confusion, but Luo De said nothing. He only raised a finger, made a gesture to be quiet, and pointed forward. The fat merchant followed Luo De's finger and his face suddenly turned pale.

Because in the shadow by the lake, a white giant wolf was lying quietly, resting with its eyes closed.