Druid Under the Moonlight

Beneath the full moon, atop the mountain rocks, a figure watched them in silence.

It was a young woman dressed in sharp hunting attire, a leather tricorn hunting hat on her head, and beneath her was a tall white deer with branching giant horns like tree limbs.

Under the moonlight, golden hair fluttered beneath her hunting hat, and her blue eyes were calm as still water.

She looked like a hunter of the deep woods, a seasoned ranger.

Yet in her hand she held a Vine-Wrapped Staff, ancient and wild, filled with the wondrous power of nature.

Druid, Charlotte Fenrir...

There was no need for introductions. Lynn had already confirmed the woman's identity.

Elaine also lifted her face. Seeing a friend she had not met for many days, her green eyes filled with delight. She opened her mouth, just about to greet her, only to receive a faint "gouging" glance from Charlotte.

She was so frightened that she instantly shut her mouth, shrank her neck, and quietly hid behind Lynn like a quail.

"...?" Lynn found it a little funny. Could it be that Charlotte had not allowed Elaine to come looking for him on her own, and Elaine had acted on her own out of worry?

That made sense too. With Elaine's image as a novice adventurer, if she had not run into him, she would probably have had to blunder around in several more circles.

Whoosh!

Another short whistle rang out. The horned white deer shook its head, then actually leaped down from the mountaintop. Its four hooves landed lightly against the stone walls, rising and falling between them, and in the blink of an eye it landed in the valley.

It stood side by side with Lynn and the other five.

Elaine was so excited she wanted to immediately rush over and hug her friend, then press her about where she had been these past days, but before she could move, she heard a heart-rending scream.

"Charlotte!"

It was that Dark Elf. He had just been facing Lynn's group and had not seen the scene on the mountaintop behind him. Now, he suddenly discovered that the person he had been longing for had actually appeared out of nowhere.

In disbelief, he looked at Charlotte on the white deer, her gaze tranquil and her bearing full of heroic spirit, then turned his head in confusion to glance at the blonde girl in a veil, trembling all over, her features twisted.

The madness in his expression grew even worse, his face savage and terrifying, as he shouted at the poor girl he had mistaken for Charlotte, "Well done. You actually dared to trick me?"

As he spoke, he seized the girl by the throat. Amid the vicious curses constantly pouring from his mouth, that hand of his, along with his entire arm, distorted and rapidly melted.

Thick, filthy blood flowed from his flesh, surging toward the girl's mouth, nostrils, and ear holes as if it were alive.

The blonde girl's whimpers were gradually drowned out, and signs of melting also appeared across the surface of her skin.

Lynn's brows knitted tightly. He drew on Frost Ring and sent it cutting straight toward the Dark Elf's neck.

At the same time, Charlotte raised the Vine-Wrapped Staff. After a brief incantation, a ray of moonlight rose from the blonde girl in the distance.

The signs of melting on the surface of her skin instantly vanished. At the same time, the filthy blood constantly invading her body was purified clean in one stroke. The Dark Elf, as though struck by an attack, abruptly released his hand and staggered several steps back.

At this moment, the pack of Magic Wolves that had appeared with Charlotte also charged down from the mountaintop. The enormous Magic Wolf in the lead pounced at the Dark Elf and began tearing at him.

Its terrifying fangs pierced fiercely through the Dark Elf's slender neck. Originally, they should have ripped it open in one bite, but all they did was cause waves of wailing from within the surrounding Flesh Ring.

"Lady Charlotte, my name is Lynn Lowell. We are an adventurer team hired by Elaine. I'd like to remind you that the Dark Elf has already begun the ritual. All damage he suffers can be transferred to the creatures beside him that form that horrifying ring."

Lynn immediately told her the key information.

From Charlotte's performance just now, he could already tell that she was at least a Druid close to Veteran Level.

The magic that had just saved the blonde girl was precisely the third-ring protective spell [Dispel Magic]. As for the purifying power that had cleansed the filthy blood, Lynn guessed it was an additional effect of the staff in her hand.

The addition of such powerful fighting strength would undoubtedly greatly increase their side's power!

Charlotte's expression did not change much. She only gave him a light nod, then looked toward Elaine.

Elaine subconsciously wanted to hide behind Lynn, but Lynn silently shifted aside. Seeing that there was nowhere left to hide, she could only smile guiltily at Charlotte.

"You should not have come here. It is very dangerous here," Charlotte said softly, her blue eyes blinking.

Elaine flusteredly tried to explain, "I—I had the Moonshadow Necklace you gave me, and besides, I found a very reliable group of teammates..."

As she spoke, she pointed out all four of her teammates one by one.

Charlotte only sighed. "If I had not arrived in time just now, that polluted blood would have corroded away your souls..."

Lynn immediately recalled the dangerous scene just now, when black rain had covered the sky.

Even with the Ring-Ascension "Shield Spell" given to him by Old Barton, he could not be sure whether he would have been able to protect his teammates with only his own power just now.

After all, "Shield Spell" was mainly for protecting against real blades and solid blows. Its defense against magic was extremely limited.

If only he had [Absorption Magic] at a time like this.

At this moment, a Magic Wolf rushed to the stone platform seat, tore apart the vines binding the blonde girl with its mouth, then tugged at her clothes and, with clever force, tossed her onto its back before bringing her over to Charlotte and the others.

"Elaine, watch over her," Charlotte said in a clear, calm voice that did not lack gentleness.

She leaped down from the back of the Giant-Horned White Deer, then, with Celine's help, helped both Elaine and the nearly unconscious blonde girl onto the white deer's broad back.

"Charlotte..."

"If you encounter danger, it will take you away from here."

Seeing Elaine hesitate, Lynn reminded her, "Elaine, this is better too. Once your safety is guaranteed, Celine and the others will be able to fight without holding back, right?"

Hearing him say this, Elaine felt it made perfect sense and nodded seriously.

Seeing this, Charlotte looked deeply at Lynn, and a faint trace of surprise flashed through her blue eyes before disappearing.

She and Elaine had known each other since childhood, and they understood each other very well.

Elaine looked obedient and docile, but deep down she had very much her own ideas, and ordinary people couldn't sway her.

From this, it was clear just how much she trusted the young man named Lynn before her.

For some reason, a smile actually curved her lips.

"Mr. Lynn, is it? May I ask you and your team to assist me in eliminating this fellow?"

The staff in her hand lightly pointed toward the Dark Elf surrounded on all sides by the Magic Wolves, and she continued, "That fellow is named Rigel. He is a traitor of our Green Tower. I've been tracking him for several days, but I didn't expect you to find his hiding place ahead of me.

"He was originally only an Initiate Level Druid, but some powerful magical item has amplified him, and with the erosion of an unknown evil added on, even I would find it difficult to kill him easily..."

Naturally, Lynn would not refuse. He had already intended to stop Rigel's evil sacrificial ritual.

Who the hell knew what he would summon?

So he looked toward his three teammates. Seeing them nod in agreement one after another, he spoke as the squad's representative.

"Miss Charlotte, we are very willing to contribute our strength to eliminating evil, but the key is that right now we have no way to break the effect brought about by that bizarre ritual of his."

With the Flesh Ring present, the Dark Elf Rigel was practically immortal.

Charlotte's blue eyes held a smile. "That is exactly what I wanted to say. As for that evil immortality of his, I may have a way to deal with it."

As she spoke, she raised the staff in her hand. The ancient brown branches twining around the shaft unfurled as though alive, revealing the wondrous emerald-green thing within.