This strange creature naturally couldn’t understand human speech, but its hunting instincts allowed it to pick out the most dangerous prey.
So, with Yun Ruoxi actively drawing its aggro, it instead turned and charged recklessly at 498, who was struggling to get up, perfectly embodying the saying “bullying the weak and fearing the strong.”
498 watched as the shadow loomed larger in his eyes. In a panic, he dove forward and snatched up the shield Yun Ruoxi had dropped nearby.
His speed couldn’t match the creature, and his combat techniques were useless against such a massive opponent.
This shield became his only reliance.
He raised the shield to protect himself, parrying several blows in quick succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Amid the harsh screech of claws grinding against metal, a blue blur streaked low along the ground.
Yun Ruoxi lunged like a leopard, her body arched, hurling herself at the monster’s vulnerable flank.
Bang!
A muffled impact rang out.
The wolf-leopard-like monster howled, leaping over 498’s head, followed closely by the blue-haired figure.
498 scrambled up and turned around in a hurry.
The blue-haired girl flipped in midair, landing at the same time as the monster, and engaged it in fierce combat by the tree.
Both sides moved at incredible speeds, transforming into two blurry shapes among the trees.
Their rapid offense and defense left 498 nearly dizzy, unable to follow the exchanges.
Compared to the monster,
Yun Ruoxi was weaker in strength and endurance, but her smaller size and agility gave her a clear advantage.
So the situation was actually quite distinct.
The monster was on the offensive.
Yun Ruoxi, on the other hand, relied on defense and counterattacks, narrowly dodging flurries of blows before suddenly striking back with a couple of punches.
It looked dangerous—truthfully, it was just as risky as dancing on the edge of a blade.
498 knew that if he were in her place, he’d be flattened into pulp within three seconds.
“219 has dodged all of the monster’s attacks, but her strikes can’t break its defense at all. Such high-frequency dodging must also be draining a lot of stamina… If she can’t finish it off before her energy runs out, the situation will get dangerous.”
498 had spotted Yun Ruoxi’s biggest weakness at present: the lack of a powerful offensive technique.
He had offensive moves, but he simply couldn’t join in a battle at such high speeds.
He could only watch helplessly from the side, waiting for a moment when he could step in.
But what he didn’t expect at all was—
The standoff between the girl and the monster lasted barely a minute before the tide suddenly turned.
That wolf-leopard-like creature feinted with a paw, then suddenly leapt back several meters, staring hard at the girl. Then it let out a howl and, unexpectedly, turned and vanished into the dense forest.
Yun Ruoxi gave chase for a few steps, but saw only a black shadow disappearing into the underbrush, soon lost from sight.
Left with no choice, she stopped, panting lightly as she deactivated a series of skills on her body.
“Still lacking a truly strong attack…”
Yun Ruoxi rubbed her reddened knuckles.
B+ level strength was more than enough for dealing with ordinary people, but it was still a struggle against thick-skinned monsters like this.
She had to land fifteen consecutive punches on the creature’s bruised side before finally injuring it enough to make it retreat. If she’d had a dagger, it wouldn’t have been nearly this difficult.
She really needed to find some decent weapons soon… Who knows how many more monsters like that were lurking in the Thin Mist Forest.
Thinking this, Yun Ruoxi slowly turned around.
She saw 498 looking at her as if she were a monster, so she smiled faintly.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
The clear voice snapped 498 out of his daze. He looked up.
The girl stood backlit, the corner of her lips quirking up to reveal a playful little canine tooth.
Fine rays of light traced the contours of her cheeks, and her indigo hair seemed to blend with the sky itself.
The whole scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
“No, no!” 498 waved his hands quickly, scratching his head as his ears turned red. He stammered, “Um… since we’ve been targeted by a monster, should we… maybe act together?”
As he said this, under Yun Ruoxi’s suspicious gaze,
A flush crept up his face, and he awkwardly turned away, mumbling an excuse for himself:
“At least it’ll be safer for keeping watch at night.”
Looking at the odd 498, Yun Ruoxi narrowed her eyes, a ridiculous thought popping up in her mind—even she found it hard to believe.
Could this guy be developing feelings for her?
Absurd as it seemed, it was oddly plausible.
498 was always a bit precocious, and he’d tried to take advantage of her in the past, drawn by her appearance.
Plus, after being saved by her in a life-and-death crisis and seeing her dashing form in battle,
It was only natural that he’d be feeling a little springtime flutter in his heart.
Yun Ruoxi had a clear sense of her own charm.
She just hadn’t expected that despite 498’s burly exterior, he was secretly a lolicon.
Yun Ruoxi grumbled inwardly, but outwardly she maintained her composure and waved him off:
“No thanks, I’m more used to working alone.”
498’s eyes dimmed, but he forced a smile and handed the shield back. “Here, your shield. Also, thanks for saving me twice, 219. If you want, you can have all the sinner’s ears as thanks.”
“The first time was saving you, but the second time doesn’t count,” Yun Ruoxi said, shaking her head as she took the shield.
She had lured the monster over herself and couldn’t take the credit.
She glanced down to inspect the shield. Its surface was a bit dented, but fortunately the collapsible frame was still intact.
After storing the shield away in her bracer, Yun Ruoxi saw 498 volunteering to cut off the sinner’s ears.
He picked up the misshapen metal plate, squatted beside the corpse, and got to work.
The sound of slicing flesh echoed repeatedly.
Killing and handling a corpse were two very different things.
As the stench of blood spread on the breeze, 498’s face visibly paled with each motion.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he ran off to the side and vomited.
Yun Ruoxi watched silently.
Just as she expected, apart from a little physical discomfort, she felt nothing psychologically.
She accepted the three ears wrapped in a leaf from 498, politely bid him farewell, and reminded him to leave as soon as possible before turning and melting into the woods.
498 stared in the direction she had disappeared for a long time, then shook his head self-mockingly, picked up his things, and left.
***
After Yun Ruoxi left, she found the little stream from before and washed away the bloodstains on her body.
Then she continued in the direction of the base, covering almost ten kilometers more.
Only then did the sky slowly darken.
She climbed up a nearby tree, hiding among the branches.
While gnawing on bloody raw meat, she caught up on the anime she’d missed during the day.
Lin Zhen hadn’t made any progress on the second day.
So the anime’s progress bar had barely moved forward before stalling again.
Yun Ruoxi curled her lips.
If that was all, she’d rather have more screen time herself—at least her second day had been interesting.
Over the next ten days,
Yun Ruoxi steadily made progress each day, covering at least a hundred and fifty kilometers toward her destination.
Along the way, she did encounter wild beasts, but always managed to deal with them.
And every night, she would “watch anime.”
Not only to keep an eye on Lin Zhen’s movements, but also to use the occasional glimpses of sky and the outline of the base captured on camera
to confirm both their positions and the distance between them.