Reincarnated NPC, But Arknights Chapter 41

Chapter 20: The Helper Turns Out to Be Her

"What's the outside world like?"

Ifrit's words were muffled as she ate chocolate.

"Wild, dangerous, enemies," Bai Ye said, taking out his spare weapon, "Origami." Unlike "Arc Light," Origami was merely a blue-tier equipment, and its rating was at the bottom among blue-tier gear.

It had no special features; the reason it was rated blue was simply its sturdiness and sharpness.

However, for a weapon, that was enough.

Bai Ye began to maintain his weapon. Although he hadn't used it much, maintaining his weapon was also a form of training for a warrior.

His fingers traced from the tip of the sword down the blade, and Bai Ye felt its cold sharpness, a sensation that brought him immense peace.

Ifrit watched Bai Ye with great interest. To her, this quiet, older brother figure was full of fascinating qualities.

Ifrit had very limited places she could move around on Rhodes Island. Her condition was still under control, and she could only travel between her dormitory and the infirmary each day. Bai Ye's arrival had added a lot of enjoyment to her life.

Bai Ye polished his weapon while Ifrit licked her chocolate, sitting obediently to the side. If Hermo had entered the room and seen this scene, she would have been greatly surprised.

After all, this was Ifrit, a girl who had suffered greatly from experiments, possessed an incredibly short temper, and was full of rebellious spirit. How could she be so well-behaved?

Perhaps it was because she was beside Bai Ye that the "Flame Demon" within her also became unusually quiet? Or perhaps it was because Ifrit saw a shadow of Saria in Bai Ye.

It was a silent, reserved gentleness.

"Want to hear a story?" Bai Ye was actually quite good at interacting with children.

In his past life, in the orphanage, the older children took care of the younger ones. The old director grew older and was gradually becoming unable to cope. Those of them who were older took on some of the old director's responsibilities.

"You can tell stories?" Ifrit tilted her head, not entirely convinced.

Saria had never told her stories.

Bai Ye naturally didn't know what Ifrit was thinking. He just continued maintaining his equipment while recounting stories from his past life from memory. The mountain fortress built by dwarves, the fire dragon guarding the dwarven treasure, the short hobbits, the wise grey wizard...

He couldn't remember everything, so he just spoke about whatever came to mind.

However, these fragmented stories captivated Ifrit.

"Does Hermo not tell you stories usually?" Bai Ye asked, a little confused.

Ifrit shook her head. "Hermo is too busy and doesn't have time to accompany me."

"So what do you usually do?"

"Be bored, space out, get angry, break things, and sleep when I'm tired..." Ifrit said with a nonchalant air.

Bai Ye nodded, then stared at Ifrit for a while. He could see the shadows of the children from his orphanage in this girl.

After a moment of silence, Bai Ye slowly spoke, "When I get back, I'll teach you to read. That way, once your condition stabilizes, you can go out and play, and even attend school on Rhodes Island."

"Really?!" Ifrit's small face lit up with surprise. "Will Hermo agree?"

"Hermo will agree," Bai Ye nodded. "She's just a researcher; she doesn't know how to take care of a child."

"But there's nothing that can be done..."

This pair was too strange. Hermo wasn't good at being a mother, nor was she suited for it. Ifrit was even taller than Hermo, yet mentally, she hadn't matured and was still like a child.

A typical lab-grown, artificially matured individual with great danger and destructive potential.

Bai Ye still wanted to guide the girl in a positive direction, lest she burn down his room later...

***

The next morning, Bai Ye woke up very early.

Everything was ready. Bai Ye turned off the various devices in the room and then went to the Operations Department, wandering through the offices.

Finally, he bought breakfast at the cafeteria and headed towards the docking area.

The Engineering Department had prepared a modified vehicle for him. The fuel was full, and it was in pristine condition, just waiting for departure.

"Speaking of which, Doctor Kal'tsit also arranged a helper for me..."

Bai Ye was curious about who his companion would be.

As he walked, Bai Ye removed his Rhodes Island ID and replaced it with his Northern Cross company identification.

However, when he reached the vehicle docking area, he froze.

Even the movements of his hands stopped.

It was so sudden...

The helper Doctor Kal'tsit had arranged for him turned out to be her!

Bai Ye couldn't help but softly speak the person's name: "Abyssal Hunter, Skadi..."

The girl was tall, with silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, its end tied up. Her long hair and cloak fluttered gently in the morning breeze.

What drew the most attention wasn't the girl's slender legs or her crimson eyes, but the nearly human-sized greatsword on her back.

Bai Ye squinted, estimating the sword's weight and length, and then subconsciously simulated combat scenarios in his mind.

However, he soon shook his head.

You can't simulate it like this, because more terrifying than the weapon is the person wielding it.

In his past life, he had heard rumors about Skadi, the "Abyssal Hunter." It was said that she had a rather long quest chain, even involving subsequent main world quests.

This was a being whose physique and physical strength were terrifying.

It was said that Abyssal Hunters could even break the sound barrier in combat, and their strength was astonishingly immense.

He hadn't expected Doctor Kal'tsit to arrange for her to travel with them!

Bai Ye placed his luggage on the car and extended his hand to Skadi: "Bai Ye, Field Operations Department. It's a pleasure to travel with you."

"..."

Skadi looked at Bai Ye's outstretched hand. She paused, then remembered that this was a form of land-dweller etiquette.

She gently reached out and shook Bai Ye's hand softly, saying indifferently, "Skadi, Bounty Hunter."

She was gentle because she was worried that if she exerted too much force, she would crush Bai Ye's hand.

Afterward, the girl released Bai Ye's hand. After the touch, the girl was also somewhat surprised. Bai Ye's physical strength seemed acceptable; he wasn't as fragile as she had imagined.

At least, he was better than most ordinary land-dwellers.

Bai Ye nodded, then gestured for the girl to get into the car.

After setting up the map on the terminal, he started the Originium Engine and prepared to depart.

Skadi sat in the passenger seat, holding her sword, in a very awkward posture, seemingly resting with her eyes closed.

At least, she was quite satisfied with this travel companion; he wasn't an annoying presence.

Chapter 21: Traveling with the Orca

A long time ago, a male witch named Gidro Lockhart wrote a novel called "Traveling with a Vampire," which later became required reading at a certain school.

Now, Bai Ye was essentially traveling with Miss Orca.

After several days of travel, the two of them had left the city far behind and were completely deep in the wilderness. Before entering the next moving city in Laterano, they likely wouldn't even see another human figure.

Miss Skadi was a taciturn travel companion; she might not say more than one complete sentence in a day. However, Bai Ye and she were coordinating with increasing tacit understanding, understanding each other's intentions without needing words.

After draining the heated chocolate drink, Bai Ye added some fuel to the bonfire and prepared to return to the car to sleep. Usually, he and Skadi would take turns keeping watch, with Skadi taking the first half of the night and him taking over the second half.

Since the first night they had established this order, they hadn't changed it.

However, Bai Ye's movements froze the next moment. He put away his cup and, under Skadi's somewhat puzzled gaze, climbed onto the car roof, closed his eyes to listen for a moment, then jumped off the car and retrieved his weapon.

"What's wrong?"

Skadi looked at Bai Ye's series of actions, not quite understanding, but she also drew the greatsword stuck in the ground beside her.

"Don't be too nervous, it's just a group of Originium Slugs passing by."

Bai Ye only made a defensive gesture, but there was no tense feeling of facing a formidable enemy.

"Originium Slugs?" Skadi relaxed slightly, unconcerned. As a bounty hunter, she had dealt with many of these infected creatures. Although there were many of them, they weren't exactly difficult to handle.

A gentle sweep of her sword could take out a large group.

However, five minutes later, Skadi's body involuntarily tensed up again. Her expression was serious, and she prepared to raise the greatsword in her hand.

"Shh, don't be nervous, it's okay." Bai Ye reached out and placed his hand on the girl's subtly gathering sword, secretly marveling at the power coalescing on the greatsword.

As expected of an Abyssal Hunter, this was truly terrifying and pure power.

Abyssal Hunters had a defect in their Originium Arts adaptability, meaning they couldn't use magic. However, in return, their formidable bodies were their best weapons.

This thing was much more useful than a staff.

"Um, is it really okay?" Skadi, afraid of accidentally harming Bai Ye, quickly retracted her power.

"Just watch, as long as we don't disturb them, it'll be fine."

What was it that made Skadi so wary?

It was an incomparably massive Originium Slug. Its body was like a small mountain. When it migrated across the land with its pack, it would cause deafening roars, and the earth would begin to tremble.

Skadi stared at the behemoth before her.

Her body was trembling slightly, not from fear, but from suppressing her impulse.

She always felt a deep hostility towards such behemoths.

Bai Ye, on the other hand, was admiring this miraculous creation. Great size was a burden because its body had to be sufficiently tough and strong to bear its own weight.

The giant Originium Slug ignored Bai Ye and Skadi standing to the side. It led its pack of Originium Slugs, passing calmly in front of the two, and finally disappeared at the edge of their vision.

"Hoo—" Skadi let out a sigh of relief.

She lowered the greatsword in her hand and gently shook her head, "So there are giant creatures on land too."

"Good thing there were no tentacles..."

"It should have been easy to cut down too."

Bai Ye had already sheathed his sword. In his past life, he had encountered these giant Originium Slugs. Although they were dangerous creatures, as long as you didn't provoke them, they were generally harmless.

"This is the migration of Originium Slugs..." Bai Ye said after a while, feeling the breeze blowing past his ears. "We need to speed up. This is a sign of an impending Catastrophe."

"You know a lot," Skadi praised.

Bai Ye, however, dismissed it. "It's just the most basic wilderness survival knowledge..."

"That can't be right. As a bounty hunter, you should know these things too."

Skadi tilted her head, indicating she didn't understand what Bai Ye was talking about.

"..." Bai Ye was speechless. He finally understood. This person relied purely on overwhelming personal strength, and many common sense things weren't really important to her.

As expected, Doctor Kal'tsit had really found him a heavy hitter...

Sighing, Bai Ye said helplessly, "They should have taught you some things. Avoiding meaningless combat and attrition is the act of a wise person."

Skadi didn't speak. Although she agreed with Bai Ye's statement, no one had ever taught her these things.

She was very well-known among bounty hunters. Everyone was afraid of her and would deliberately avoid her when they encountered her; no one would approach her.

On Rhodes Island, she usually only undertook solo missions. She was accustomed to being alone.

"It's okay, it's not too late to learn now." Bai Ye rekindled the campfire he had just extinguished.

Skadi looked at the young man sitting beside her and blinked. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Of course, I'm not afraid. You're not a monster," Bai Ye said, looking at her with a hint of amusement. "You're too vigilant, even deliberately choosing self-exile."

"You didn't talk to me before either," Skadi's crimson eyes flickered.

"Cough cough..." Bai Ye choked. Was this her being a little moody? "That wasn't fear, it was just to avoid disturbing you—after all, you don't say much either."

Skadi seemed to realize something. "I just didn't know what to say."

Bai Ye smiled. This girl, she was actually quite simple... At first, he thought she was aloof and difficult to communicate with due to her quiet nature, but he hadn't expected her to be merely a bit airheaded.

Skadi looked at Bai Ye, then spoke. "Now, talk to me more."

Here, far from the deep sea, the evil tentacles and monsters could not approach, and she didn't have to worry about Bai Ye being caught in the calamity that always followed her.