Chapter 13

The black shadows darted through the forest, occasionally splitting apart before reuniting.

"Did you find anything?"

"There are traces to the east. It's very likely our target. Judging by the time, they shouldn't have been here for more than a day."

"They're moving fast. Continue the search, but be cautious. The ones we're after are capable of taking down a Wind Serpent Lord. Don't underestimate them."

"Understood!"

After the three black shadows finished their conversation, they once again vanished into the depths of the forest, their movements silent, not even disturbing the birds perched on the trees.

After the black shadows left, the green bird that had been quietly perched on a branch finally spread its wings and flew into the sky.

"Someone is following us?"

Upon hearing the report from the Soul Bird, Rod's expression darkened. On his shoulder, the translucent green Soul Bird stood quietly, occasionally shaking its head and flapping its wings, looking no different from an ordinary bird. Only its translucent body and the elemental glow surrounding it revealed that this bird was not a physical being.

Summoning the Soul Bird for surveillance was a method Rod came up with on the spur of the moment. Typically, players on a team would have a Rogue or Ranger to scout ahead and ensure the path was safe. However, Rod didn't have such luxury, so he had to rely on his summoned creature. Fortunately, the Soul Bird not only had a significant advantage in terms of vision but also possessed the innate ability to sense souls, which gave Rod some peace of mind. Initially, Rod had the Soul Bird patrol behind them to check if they had attracted any trouble after killing the Level 10 giant wolf, but it inadvertently led to a bigger issue.

Although the Soul Bird's ability to sense souls couldn't reveal the exact form of the targets, it could judge their strength by the luminosity of their souls. Rod felt uneasy from their speed alone. In the forest, only Rangers, Spies, and similar professions could move so swiftly and freely—professions that generally operated in the shadows. Moreover, their movements were orderly, making it hard to imagine they were ordinary adventurers.

Was it a coincidence? Or were they specifically targeting them?

Rod didn't want to take any risks. If they were coming openly, it would be one thing. But these shadowy professions were the hardest to deal with. Adding to that, Liss's previous warning made him feel that something was amiss. If these people were hostile, the situation could become unpredictable.

However, when Rod saw Liss beside him, his eyes lit up.

He had a plan.

"Mr. Rod, where should we go next?"

Handing the water flask to the fat merchant, who was sitting on the ground with a red face and sweat streaming down, Liss asked. Although Rod hadn't said much, the task of taking care of the fat merchant had fallen to Liss. According to the young woman, her mercenary group had taken on the job of protecting this gentleman, so even if she was the only one left, she would continue the mission until it was completed.

Mace, of course, was extremely grateful, but judging by his heavy breathing, he wouldn't last much longer.

"Mr. Rod... I'm... I'm exhausted... Let's... take a break!"

The fat merchant, who had already collapsed on the ground when Rod stopped, clutched his bag like a treasure, wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief, and polished his fat face until it shone like a light bulb in the sunlight.

"Saints, I... I haven't walked... for years... cough... cough..."

After a few moments, he regained his composure. "I... I feel like I'm dying!"

"Five minutes of rest."

Rod glanced at the sky, calculated the remaining distance and time, and gave the order. Upon hearing this, the fat merchant on the ground let out a wail and lay down. Liss also sighed and sat on a nearby rock.

After that, they didn't encounter any significant dangers. With the Soul Bird leading the way, Rod successfully avoided many dangerous areas, though they also missed some opportunities to find valuable equipment. However, Rod wasn't bothered by this. In this world, there weren't many players, and ordinary adventurers didn't often venture into the mountains, so they could always return later after getting the two out of the mountains and resting.

Rod looked up at the nearby mountains and stood up.

"Liss."

"Yes, Mr. Rod, what do you need?"

"I'm going ahead to check. After you rest for five minutes, take Mr. Mace up the mountain. See that white stone? Go there, then find the shadow. You'll discover an abandoned mountain path. Wait for me there, I'll be there soon."

Liss looked up, following the direction Rod pointed, and quickly spotted the white stone on the mountain slope. She turned back to Rod, puzzled about how he knew about it. However, she didn't ask, having learned over the past few days that the man before her was someone to rely on. Though she didn't know what he was planning, she nodded and watched as Rod turned and left.

Rod, of course, had his own plans. The white stone marked the entrance to the Zennar Mountain Path, a once-glorious trade route. The ancestors of the northern people had spent their entire lives carving this path through the mountains, connecting the plains to other regions. It had once brought great prosperity. However, with the development of air travel, the sky, free of obstacles, was clearly safer than the perilous forest, so the trade route was gradually abandoned, and those who depended on it left to find better lives, abandoning their homes until the area returned to desolation.

The progress of civilization always rendered past miracles meaningless, in any world.

But Rod wasn't here for a leisurely trip or philosophical reflection.

He stopped, and before him lay a desolate scene.

And corpses.

Bleached bones were almost buried in the dust, with tattered leather armor and corroded weapons scattered around. This was a mercenary group called "Tiger Fang," who had been ambushed by bandits during their journey and died here in a mutual defeat. In the game, Rod would have had to receive the mission from the Mercenary Guild, investigate their last commission based on clues, and follow the map to find this place, then return with the token and treasure. But that was just a game, and following the steps was necessary. However, even experienced players wouldn't go through such a complicated process; they would simply take the token and return to the Mercenary Guild later, saving time and effort.

But Rod wasn't here to save those few steps.

Walking deeper into the battlefield, Rod immediately saw a skeleton lying against the mountain wall, clad in corroded steel armor, with a black, rusted iron sword beside it. This was Rod's target, the leader of the "Tiger Fang" mercenary group.

Kneeling beside the skeleton, Rod first glanced at it, then reached out and quickly found a mercenary badge within the bones—this was the token of the "Tiger Fang" mercenary group and a required item to complete the mission. Rod carefully placed it in his pocket, then his gaze shifted downward, and he soon found his target.

It was a ring, dirty and worn, still on the finger bone.

Rod carefully removed the ring. On the surface, it seemed useless, no different from scrap metal in a garbage pile. However, the system prompt that appeared told Rod otherwise.

[Black Iron Ring, Unidentified, Detects Magic Fluctuations]

"Resonance."

Rod closed his eyes, held the ring in his right hand, and whispered, then infused it with his soul power.

The ring trembled slightly, and the faint magic fluctuations became clearer. When he opened his eyes again, the ring in his hand was no longer the scrap metal. Instead, a black ring with ancient patterns lay quietly in his palm.

[Ring of Will, Identified, Activates Will Shield for 5 minutes, Immune to Mental Attacks, Recharge Time—3 days]

Done.

Rod put the ring on his right finger, sighed in relief, and looked around to ensure there was nothing else of value before turning and heading back to the mountain slope.

There, he could clearly see Liss and Mace struggling towards the white stone. The fat merchant clearly had no experience with climbing, following Liss nervously. Judging by his appearance, if it weren't for the difference in gender and pride, he would have cried and begged Liss to carry him.

What a wimp.

Rod shook his head in exasperation, about to go down to meet them, when a warning from the Soul Bird suddenly sounded in his mind.

"———!"

Rod's heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked towards the forest and soon saw three black shadows darting out.

Trouble!