Holy Light Strike

Training was dull, but six days passed quickly.

The setting sun painted the sky over the edge of the woods a rich orange-red.

As they had over the past few days, He Xi, Bruce, and Isla stopped at their usual spot.

"He Xi, tomorrow... I'm leaving." Isla's voice was softer than usual. She kicked at a pebble by her feet, her gaze fixed on the tips of her boots. "I'm sorry, but I still couldn't teach Tuen..."

As an Earth Bear, Tuen's talent was beyond question. Isla had taught with all her heart, and Tuen had trained with incredible diligence.

But professional training across species was clearly not a miracle that could be achieved in just a few days.

Whenever Tuen gathered its strength, it could only summon a faint yellowish glow in its palm. It was always just one step short of that condensed white light.

"It's okay, Isla." He Xi's tone was sincere. "You've already helped me immensely. You've really worked hard these past few days, especially when this was supposed to be your rare vacation."

Isla raised her head and shook it. A strand of windblown golden hair brushed across her cheek.

"No, these past few days... have really been interesting."

The brief six days had felt incredibly fulfilling to her.

"Who would've thought I'd become a knight instructor for an Earth Bear?" A hint of amusement flickered in her eyes. "Besides, Tuen is really adorable."

She paused, and her tone turned serious again. "Although it hasn't learned Holy Light Strike yet, I can feel that the power inside it is being guided by conviction. I think... it's only a matter of time. It will definitely succeed."

A silence fell.

Isla understood that this might be their final farewell.

After tomorrow, the bells of Saint Veronica would replace the birdsong of Plint.

"Then... in that case, in the future, we..."

He Xi's heart lurched. Looking into Isla's eyes, full of unease and expectation, he interrupted her hesitation without even thinking.

"See you at Saint Veronica."

Isla abruptly raised her head, her beautiful eyes widening at once.

It wasn't an empty "take care," nor was it a wistful "have a safe journey."

It was a promise.

A blush quietly crept across her cheeks again, but this time, she did not avoid He Xi's gaze.

A radiant smile blossomed across her face.

"Mm!" She nodded hard, her eyes and brows brimming with joy. "It's a promise. See you at Saint Veronica!"

"It's a deal."

"Then... I'm off." Isla turned around, her steps much lighter now. After taking a few steps, she turned back and waved at Bruce. "I almost forgot. Goodbye, Bruce~ Be good, okay!"

He Xi stood where he was, watching her figure disappear at the end of the path.

"Woof!"

Bruce wagged his tail in response to Isla.

"He Xi, I think Isla's a really nice girl. She even said goodbye to me. Let's go find her soon."

"When are we going to find her?"

"He Xi?"

However, He Xi did not answer Bruce. His gaze had fallen on a pale golden system notification at the edge of his vision, and he stared blankly at it.

[Blush Trait]: You seem to blush more easily than ordinary people. When you feel shy, nervous, or embarrassed, your face heats up faster and is more prone to flushing.

He Xi was speechless.

Over the past few days, he had not actually been much help. To gain Isla and Tuen's favor, and also to give them a relatively quiet training environment,

he and Bruce had worked themselves to the bone driving those damn Blood Mosquitoes out of the woods.

After toiling away for six whole days, this strange trait was all he had drawn from Isla.

Other than that, he had obtained his first ever trait from a kill by killing an especially large Blood Mosquito.

He had even less idea how to evaluate that trait.

[Swarm Leader]: Pay a little "blood tax," and you're the mosquitoes' temporary boss! Make them bite whoever you want, and fly wherever you want!

Looking at the two traits, He Xi felt like all the mosquitoes he had driven away these past few days had been for nothing.

"He Xi? He Xi? What are you spacing out for?"

Seeing He Xi staring into empty air, Bruce was just about to jump up and catch his attention.

Suddenly, it froze. Its nose twitched sharply, a threatening growl rumbled from its throat, and every hair on its back stood on end.

It had caught an unfamiliar scent.

He Xi immediately snapped back to his senses and became alert.

Seeing Bruce's reaction, he instantly understood that danger was approaching.

In the shadows of a thicket not far away, a figure that seemed to blend into the night silently emerged.

As an infiltrator, Jared had plenty of patience. He had been waiting here all along, only slowly approaching his prey after confirming that the powerful female knight had gone far away.

"This brat isn't dead? Did he not drink that bottle of Dreamweaver Spider extract?"

He was going to kill this brat—the culprit who had separated him from the female Mistress he adored!

Just as he adjusted his breathing and prepared to launch a fatal strike,

He Xi's face suddenly flushed bright red.

The blush spread over his cheeks, and even his ears were tinged pink.

Jared's body stiffened, and he hesitated.

"What's going on?" Alarm bells rang in Jared's mind. "An awakened? Some unknown burst skill?"

In that split second, He Xi gave Bruce an order:

"Hellhound, Flame Breath."

Jared: "???"

A Hellhound?

This was obviously just a Mutt!

Jared was stunned by the sudden shouted command.

Bruce caught on at once and said in a low voice, "Yes, Master."

It rose onto its hind legs, making a rumbling "hrrrululu" roar in its throat as though imitating a jet of flame, then dramatically whipped its head toward Jared.

"Woof! Roar—!"

Jared discovered in horror that the dog could actually speak. Only high-level magical beasts could master Mental Resonance.

Fear instantly seized Jared!

He instinctively leaped backward.

When he finally steadied himself and looked again—

Where was the Hellhound?! Where were the flames?!

The man and dog had already seized that precious opening and bolted into the depths of the woods without looking back, leaving behind only two rapidly blurring silhouettes.

Jared instantly realized it—he had been played!

"Damn it!"

He cursed under his breath, his body turning into an afterimage as he rapidly gave chase.

As an experienced infiltrator, Jared was far faster than He Xi, and the distance between them rapidly shrank!

He Xi felt as though his lungs were about to explode. The killing wind at his back was drawing closer and closer.

Suddenly, every hair on He Xi's body stood on end.

The footsteps behind him had vanished!

Shadow Step?

Almost instinctively, he turned his head. A dagger gleaming with cold light stabbed toward his throat.

I'm going to die!

Bang—!

A dull, thunderous crash rang out.

An Earthen Wall appeared out of nowhere, blocking the dagger's strike.

The dagger plunged into the Earthen Wall, producing a piercing scraping sound.

Shattered rocks and dirt lashed across He Xi's cheeks, stinging with pain.

He had not even had time to understand what had happened.

A yellow-brown figure rushed in front of him and firmly shielded him behind its body.

It was Tuen!

It roared furiously, raising its massive bear paw.

This time, what gathered in its palm was no longer a faint yellowish glow.

It was a condensed mass of white light.

[Holy Light Strike]!

"Don't! Hurt! He Xi!!!"