Chapter 8

Mace sat awkwardly by the fire, his plump face revealing helplessness and frustration. He wanted to vent his anger but didn't know who to direct it at. On the other side of the fire, Rod was quietly leaning against a tree trunk, eyes closed, resting. Lisse silently prepared the food, her expression calm, but her swollen, red eyes told the whole story.

Whether it was luck or misfortune, the fat merchant had become the only other survivor of the disaster besides Rod and Lisse. As a merchant who often traveled, he had some life-saving magical items. When the floating ship crashed, the protective pendant in the fat merchant's hand performed its function well, making him the least injured among the three—Rod's previous injuries hadn't fully healed, and the intense battle and fall had only worsened his condition. Lisse wasn't much better; she had been too tense to notice her injuries until everything was over, when it was discovered that her right arm was dislocated and her foot was injured. The fat merchant, aside from some minor scrapes and a dazed head, was otherwise fine.

If it were an ordinary person, such injuries would have kept them bedridden for months. Fortunately, Lisse was a professional spirit master, and healing was her forte. Under her treatment, the three of them improved, but Rod still needed time to fully recover. This was already good news, considering his original injuries and the intense battle. He was now physically intact, though his movements were less agile, which surprised Lisse, as she had been responsible for his care and knew his condition well. She hadn't expected Rod's body to be so strong.

Not only Lisse, but even Rod himself was secretly amazed. Although he had noticed during the battle that his body didn't follow human standards, he hadn't expected it to be so resilient. After such severe injuries, intense battles, and violent impacts, he could still move... Could his mixed blood be that of a barbarian?

However, there was one thing Rod didn't mention. He knew his body well because he understood its attributes, though he didn't know what they were, but they certainly weren't those of a pure human. The golden-haired girl's performance was very strange. Logically, a frail girl and a non-combat spirit master should have died in such a situation. Since he survived due to his non-human attributes, what allowed her to survive and be so lively? It couldn't just be luck.

This doubt was resolved when Rod noticed a hint of gold in Lisse's beautiful blue eyes—this girl's survival was indeed more than just good luck.

"Mr. Rod?"

Mace rubbed his hands, a clear, ingratiating smile on his plump face.

"What do you think we should do next?"

After rescuing Mace, the three of them searched the entire wreckage of the floating ship but found no other survivors. To avoid their companions' bodies becoming food for the forest's beasts, Lisse suggested cremation. Although Mace was heartbroken over his valuable goods, seeing the golden-haired girl's stern face and Rod's indifferent attitude, he had no choice but to agree, watching with a pained expression as they burned the floating ship to ashes. Despite the expensive protective pendant that saved his life, it had been shattered by the impact, now just a piece of broken metal. Mace's losses were indeed significant.

After that, they rested in the forest for a day. Although no trouble came, the fat merchant, who had been attacked by wind snakes, was now a nervous wreck. He had previously claimed that wind snakes were a rare occurrence, but now he believed those rare stories were 100% accurate.

You see, they said this route might encounter wind snakes, and we did! I've also heard that the Silver Moon Forest has man-eating wolves and terrifying birds. Could we encounter those too?

As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy.

Thinking of this, the fat merchant's forehead was drenched in sweat. Although he was a decent merchant, he had no experience with adventure. Looking at the dense shrubs and trees around him, his legs trembled, and the idle chatter of his guards about venomous snakes and wolves now vividly replayed in his mind, making him see enemies everywhere.

With his only life-saving item now broken, the fat merchant had no choice but to rely on others.

He didn't consider Lisse. She had been polite and likable when they first met, but she lacked decisiveness and was a non-combat spirit master. If something happened, she probably wouldn't be able to help him. Therefore, Mace decided to rely on Rod. Although he himself couldn't fight, Rod's previous performance was impressive, indicating he had outstanding strength. Although he didn't know how Rod's experience compared to that of mercenaries, it shouldn't be too different.

As for Lisse, she seemed lost in the pain of losing her companions and didn't care about such matters.

"Don't worry, Mr. Mace."

Seeing the fat merchant's nervous expression, Rod shook his head. Although the man was crude, Rod didn't dislike him. After all, if not for Mace's order to stop the ship, he wouldn't have been saved, so he had some goodwill towards him.

"I am very familiar with this Silver Moon Forest. In the area we are in, we are unlikely to encounter anything particularly dangerous. You can rest easy."

Rod's words weren't baseless. In the game, the northern plains of Pahfeld were always a gathering place for new players, so he knew the distribution of monsters well. In the plains, the most threatening were the wind snakes, whose large numbers were a nightmare for melee and non-solo classes. In the Silver Moon Forest, the most dangerous were the silver wolves, but unlike the wind snakes, they usually acted alone, making them easier to deal with. After killing the wind snake leader, Rod gained 3000 experience points and leveled up to level 8. The new player area capped at level 10, so as long as he didn't blindly wander into a monster nest, he was confident he could handle this area. For someone known as a "walking library," the possibility of that was virtually zero.

"That's good, that's good."

Hearing Rod's response, Mace let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. He yawned, having been on high alert all day, even the wind through the trees sounded like wolf howls. Now that he had made up his mind, he felt more relaxed. The fat merchant curled up by the fire and closed his eyes comfortably.

With this mindset, the fat merchant soon fell into a deep sleep.

After confirming that the fat merchant was asleep, Rod, who had been quietly sitting by the fire, stood up and walked into the depths of the forest.