Eighty-First Chapter: Lin Ya
I let out a soft hum. Originally, I planned to keep watching to see how they would handle the situation and learn some Experience, but I didn't expect them to be acquaintances. In that case, I couldn't maintain a spectator's attitude. Although my longing for Lin Ya had faded somewhat, even so, I couldn't just stand by and watch her be in Danger.
It was no longer time for me to hesitate. I quickly dismissed my Summoned Pets, jumped out from the Corner, and activated Werebear Transformation!
The five Class Changers were gradually struggling. Suddenly, a Roar came from the opposite side. In their astonished Gaze, a Giant Bear over three meters tall charged In Front of them with heavy and swift steps, quickly 'inserting' itself into their battle and blocking the Elite Moon Clan.
With a dull "thud," the Elite Moon Clan's Great Cleaver struck its arm, leaving a bloody mark.
'No, why did the Enemy become so tough?' The Elite Monster looked up in astonishment and discovered that, at some point, its Enemy had changed—a ferocious Giant Bear stood In Front of it, gently pushing against its Weapon with the back of its hand. Its massive Body almost completely occupied its entire field of vision, and its proud Great Cleaver had only left a thin line of Blood on it.
In the astonished Gaze of Lin Ya and the other five, this sudden Giant Bear actually blocked In Front of them. The Elite Monster's Attack that had just put them in such a sorry state was easily blocked by this large Bear. Then, something even more terrifying happened. That large Bear, with just one palm strike, sent the tall and sturdy Elite Moon Clan flying. What kind of Strength was this? Even a Barbarian above the Saint Class probably couldn't do it without using Heavy Blow.
Of the four Followers, two had their Health significantly depleted by them. The Giant Bear simply finished them off with one palm each, and the remaining two didn't survive more than three palm strikes. The final battle with the Elite was less of a battle and more of an abuse. The Great Cleaver striking the Giant Bear's Body only left streaks of Blood that immediately disappeared, while the Giant Bear's large palm struck it like a drunkard, swaying left and right, retreating repeatedly, and finally collapsing onto the ground with a pathetic wail.
The five Dumbfounded people had only astonishment left in their eyes, along with respect and admiration for the Expert—this was definitely an Advanced Druid highly skilled in Shape-shifting and equipped with excellent Equipment.
Under everyone's astonished or admiring Gaze, I slowly walked In Front of Lin Ya. After not seeing her for over half a year, she had grown quite a bit. Although her delicate face still carried a hint of shyness upon seeing a stranger, she could already bravely raise her head and meet my Gaze, and she no longer spoke with the same shyness and timidity as before.
"Senior, on behalf of our Squad, I thank you for your assistance."
Under my interested Gaze, she shyly bowed to me. She was quite graceful.
"Lin Ya, do you really not remember me?"
As soon as I spoke, under the astonished Gaze of everyone, especially Lin Ya, I slowly canceled my Shapeshifting and took off the hood of my robe.
"You, it's you..." Lin Ya covered her cherry lips with her hand, taking a long time to recover.
At night, the Campfire crackled, the deep red Flames illuminating the faces of the six people gathered around, making them clearly visible. Lin Ya sat beside me, her small face flushed red by the flames, looking tender and lovely. Although it had only been a single meeting, coupled with the separation of over half a year, it didn't seem to make her feel like a stranger. Life, Trial, we were like old Friends who had known each other for years, with endless topics to talk about. Seeing her occasionally laughing softly and gracefully reminded me of the scene back in the Tavern. However, while she was still as pure as ever, she no longer had the timidity she had back then.
As for the other four, they hadn't expected that Lin Ya and I were actually acquaintances, and that we were talking so happily like old Friends. For a moment, they hadn't reacted.
"Oh, right..."
As she spoke, Lin Ya seemed to remember something. Her small mouth suddenly puffed out, and she stared at me angrily.
"Why did you lie to me back then, saying you were a newly Job Promoted Druid? It made me desperately think about how to comfort you."
"Well, haha..."
Sweat, this little girl is indeed skilled in Magic, her memory is excellent. She still remembers the conversation from over half a year ago perfectly.
"I got Job Promoted in a small Village. For the next two years, I was doing Trials outside. That time I saw you was my first time back at the Rogue Encampment. I said that because I was afraid you wouldn't believe me!" Fortunately, I reacted quickly and immediately thought of a flawless excuse.
"Is that so?" Lin Ya tilted her Head and thought for a moment. She felt that what I said seemed to have some Principle, but there seemed to be something not quite right. Finally, her tone softened.
"Anyway, I think it's wrong for you to lie like that."
"Sorry, I won't do it again." Uh, I hope she forgets that sentence quickly. There are too many things I can't tell others.
However, things didn't go as I wished. Seeing how happy Lin Ya was after hearing that sentence, I knew I had just trapped myself.
"That's right, we are Friends, we shouldn't deceive each other. Even if it's a Secret you don't want the other person to know, just say it out, otherwise, misunderstandings will arise." Lin Ya, being from a large family, was very understanding, which almost moved me to tears.
At this moment, the Druid next to me, whose Name seemed to be abbreviated as Fat Ice—sweat, foreign Names are hard to remember—was over thirty years old, but he kept calling me Senior. Fortunately, people in Sanctuary have long Lifespans, so he still looked like he was in his early twenties, otherwise, I really wouldn't be used to it...
Perhaps because we were the same Class, I felt relatively close to him. I answered every question he asked. After all, they were also Lin Ya's Teammates. It didn't seem good to just talk to Lin Ya and neglect them. However, to be honest, I didn't have any special personal insights about Druids. I just used some of Lord Cain's words and added some of my own Trial experiences, which was enough to get by vaguely.
The other two Paladins, one of whom was actually a woman, had a refined Appearance. What was most striking was her heroic Temperament and calm attitude, like an Older Sister in the Party. She had quite the Presence of a woman who didn't yield to men. The other Paladin was also around thirty years old, with a slight stubble. Even though he was only wearing a tattered Leather Armor, his every Movement and gesture exuded the Aura of a large family's young man.
Their Gaze was also eager, but they were past that age, so most of the time they just quietly listened to the conversation between Lin Ya, Fat Ice, and me, occasionally offering their own opinions. As for the Assassin, adhering to the consistent style of her Class, she always gave the Feeling of hiding in the shadows. Since we met, I hadn't heard her say many words. When she was free, she always liked to wipe the Normal Dagger in her hand back and forth.
Overall, this was a good Party. It seemed Lin Ya was very lucky. Of course, it might also be due to her family's Merit/Contribution. After all, for a princess like Lin Ya who came out of a Castle, it would be very Dangerous if she accidentally joined the wrong Party.
"Oh, right, how did you provoke that Elite Clan?" I suddenly thought of today's battle and asked casually.
Among Class Changers, there was an unwritten rule: during normal Trials, a Party's Captain must only engage if there is at least a 60% probability of complete victory (zero Casualties). For solo Trials, the probability must be over 90%. Of course, special circumstances were another Matter.
Everyone seemed startled by my words. I secretly blamed myself for asking something I shouldn't have. As expected, the Assassin opposite me lowered her Head shamefully: "It's my fault. As a Scout, I failed in my duty."
Lin Ya, who was close to me, nudged my waist secretly with her elbow in a blaming manner. Then, she seemed to realize that this Action was too ambiguous, and her face immediately turned red. Fortunately, under the illumination of the Campfire, the others who were further away didn't notice.
"It's not your fault, Miss, it's my fault. If I hadn't suggested going that way at the time, we wouldn't have encountered it." After Lin Ya raised her Head and gently glared at me with her large eyes, she said softly.
"No, it's me..."
"Alright, now is not the time to dwell on whose fault it is. You should learn from this lesson. Miss, be more careful in the future, and Lin Ya, you can't be so willful anymore. Don't you agree, Senior Wu Fan?" Seeing that the two were about to argue further, the female Paladin suddenly spoke with a Smile. As expected, she played a role similar to the Captain. As soon as she said this, the two stopped. Moreover, she was able to consider my Feelings on the side, showing her extremely delicate thoughts.
When everyone was about to sleep, the Assassin Miss insisted on standing guard alone to make up for her mistake today. She was truly a person with strong Self-esteem. It seemed that if I didn't let her do something, she wouldn't feel at ease. The others seemed to have long understood Miss's character and knew that stopping her was useless, so they let her be.
I walked up and patted her shoulder: "If you feel that your Buff will affect tomorrow's battle, wake me up. This is not the time to act tough."
Miss moved her lips and nodded. Although she didn't say anything, she revealed a grateful expression.
Early the next morning, when I asked them about the location of the six Stone Arrays, they all showed surprised expressions.
"You're not planning to go kill Rakanishu, are you? It's too Dangerous, I won't allow you to go..."
Lin Ya said anxiously.
"Don't worry, it's a Quest given to me by Lord Cain. Do you think Lord Cain is the kind of person who would let others risk their Life?" I avoided answering Lin Ya's words. I had just said yesterday that I wouldn't deceive her, and now I was lying, which wasn't good.
"Really?" Lin Ya still looked at me warily.
I looked at her, feeling both annoyed and amused—when did she become so suspicious? However, knowing that she was doing it for my own good, my heart felt warm.
"Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lord Cain when you go back and you'll know. Silly girl, when did you become so suspicious?" I gently tapped her Brain with my hand.
Lin Ya didn't seem to mind my affectionate Action. She just covered her Brain with a Wronged expression and softly mumbled, "Because you have a record."
Me: "..."