Farewell

"Andy, I truly underestimated you!" Nak glanced at the corpse of his second-in-command on the ground, walked over to Andy's side, and said.

"I..." Andy was immersed in the joy of his advancement, his mind displaying his own status panel. In the position indicating his class, the words "Novice Ranger" were flickering with a golden light. Below that, beneath his attributes, were brief descriptions of his new skills.

"Strangulation, a novice melee skill, unleashes immense constricting force to attack enemies. Evasion, instantly increases one's own agility, granting high mobility for a short duration to dodge enemy attacks. Thrust, a sudden burst of speed over a distance, striking enemies at high velocity for a short time." Andy finished reading the descriptions, a faint smile appearing on his face.

For the longest time, he had relied on long-range archery to face his foes, and being closed in upon by enemies had been quite dangerous. Now, with melee skills, he no longer had to worry about enemies getting too close.

The increase in his overall attributes allowed Andy to instantly feel the changes in his body. His arm, gripping the scimitar, felt stronger; the stamina consumed during the recent battle was replenished almost instantly, and every movement of his body felt incredibly light and nimble.

"Men, seize them both!" Sonata, seeing his second-in-command fall, was struck with terror. This was a warrior he had spent great effort to cultivate, and he had been killed just like that.

The surrounding guards raised their spears, all letting out strange cries as they swarmed toward the two men in the center. Andy looked up and swept his gaze over the guards, a cold glint appearing in his eyes as he subconsciously tightened his grip on his scimitar.

The guards felt a chill in their hearts upon seeing Andy's gaze. That look, combined with the blood dripping from the scimitar in his hand, made no one dare to act rashly. They all believed that if they made a move, the next one lying on the ground would be themselves.

"What are you doing? Are you all trying to rebel?" Sonata roared when he saw the guards hesitating.

"Sonata, don't waste your breath!" Nak walked in front of Andy and said to Sonata, "Your doomsday has arrived. This time, I will not let you act so recklessly again!"

"Haha, you fool! What qualifications do you have to say that to me? Even your old man was no match for me!" Sonata finished speaking and quickly clamped his mouth shut. Damn it, he'd let it slip!

"What did you say?" Nak was shocked, his face filled with even greater rage.

"What do you think I said!" Sonata ignored Nak's question. "Did you hear me? Seize them at once!"

The surrounding guards looked at one another, still hesitating. After all, they were flesh and blood, with families to support; no one dared to risk their lives.

"What are you still hesitating for!" A fierce look appeared on Sonata's face. "Don't forget, you all had a part in what happened to my brother! Without me, who else will protect you? If he finds out the truth, none of you will survive!" As he spoke, he pointed a finger at Nak in the center.

The guards' faces showed a struggle. One of them suddenly threw down his weapon and stomped his foot, saying, "Forget it. Rather than living in fear every day, it's better to just come out with it."

The guard's tone softened as he faced Nak and continued, "Nak, back then, we elder guards were seduced by Sonata's lies to harm your father, and then we silently supported his rise to the position of elder. We deserve this."

He then turned to the other guards and said, "We were wrong once before; we cannot continue to be wrong. Although we have lived in luxury all these years, there hasn't been a single moment where we weren't living in fear! Sonata has committed such shameful acts today; I will not help him anymore!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a clattering sound erupted all around as every guard threw their weapons to the ground.

"You!" Nak was burning with rage, wishing he could strangle these ungrateful wretches. But as he caught sight of Sonata, his tone shifted. "The debt has a creditor and the grievance has a source; Sonata's sins should not be borne by you. You were merely incited by him!"

Andy smiled as he looked at Nak, the corners of his mouth curling up. This Nak didn't seem stupid at all; at the very least, these words not only signaled forgiveness for the guards but also pushed Sonata directly onto the tip of the spear.

Sonata's face turned pale with shock. Seeing those guards who had discarded their weapons now picking them up again and aiming them at him, he looked ashen. "You... you bastards!" Sonata trembled all over, unable to speak clearly.

Nak took a scimitar from one of the guards, walked slowly to Sonata, and said coldly, "When you were doing those things, you should have known that this day would come sooner or later. Now, your final hour has arrived!"

"No! You won't kill me!" Sonata roared. "I am your uncle! I watched you grow up. When you were little and others bullied you, I was the one who helped you!"

"Looking at it today, everything you did back then was with ulterior motives!" Nak pointed his blade at Sonata. "I already ceded the position that was rightfully mine to you, but what about you!"

"No, no!" Sonata began to ramble incoherently. He turned, saw Nak's wife, Ina, and dragged her over, shouting, "It was her! It was all her! She seduced me, and even the idea of sending you out on patrol was hers!"

Sonata shoved Ina toward Nak and fell to his knees with a thud, his teeth chattering as he said, "I've told you everything! Just please, don't kill me!"

Nak didn't even look at Sonata. He turned his gaze to Ina, who was weeping to the side, and said emotionlessly, "This is the protector you chose. You see clearly now, don't you?"

"Augh!" Sonata let out a heart-wrenching howl as the blade in Nak's hand plunged directly into his heart. From beginning to end, his eyes remained fixed on Ina.

As Sonata let out his howl, Ina's body shuddered violently, as if all her strength had been drained, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Nak withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the crowd of Quilboar outside, his eyes filled with cold light. When he had been stripped of his status, they had watched with the same indifference as they did now. Now, only the protagonist had changed!

Andy sheathed his scimitar and watched it all unfold quietly, without any surprise or intention to intervene. In his view, if Nak hadn't killed Sonata at this moment, it would only have shown his inner cowardice. For anyone who had been oppressed for so long, there would always be a moment of eruption; all that was needed was a catalyst.

What surprised Andy was that Nak did not kill Ina, the female Quilboar who had betrayed him. Ever since he killed Sonata, he hadn't looked at Ina once. In Andy's eyes, the Quilboar were an extremely brutal species.

Ina's fate was no better than Sonata's. After Nak left, she was swarmed by those Quilboar eager to prove their loyalty. Nak was not unaware, but he did not stop them, as if it had nothing to do with him at all.

After the incident, Andy decided to have a deep talk with Nak.

Nak was still living in his cave, and Andy pushed the door open and walked in.

"Andy, I really have to thank you this time!" Nak stood up and said with a smile.

Andy waved his hands repeatedly, then sat down and said, "Nak, I want to tell you something."

"Is it about you going home?" Nak asked.

"Nak, listen to me!" Andy closed the door and continued, "I'm actually not a Quilboar. I am an Elf!"

Nak looked at Andy calmly, stared at him blankly for a long while, and then said, "An Elf? What is an Elf? Does that matter?"

Andy was also stunned. What did Nak mean by that? He had gathered so much courage just to come and be honest with Nak. "An Elf is a different race!" Andy said. "Nak, I have been hiding it from you, lying to you!"

"I already said, does what you are matter to me?" Nak smiled and said, "I don't know what an Elf is. I only know that there is a tall, strange Quilboar named Andy who once helped me. That is enough for me!"

Andy heard this and smiled knowingly, and Nak chuckled along with him.

"Actually, I came here this time to say goodbye," Andy said.

"You're leaving?" Nak looked at Andy.

"Yes, I'm leaving!" Andy said. "I need to continue heading south."