Ruger sensed his connection with Zhizhi deep in his heart. Nothing unusual was happening on her end, so he followed his own inclinations and strolled slowly back.
The Nightmare World was like a vast, chaotic pool. Many things did not arise from their surroundings, but seemed to be irrational existences. And despite its extreme complexity, this ever-expanding pool somehow managed to hold very little life. It was practically a world of dead silence. Everywhere he looked, there were plenty of things to see, yet they always lacked that faint spark of vitality. Most twisted of all, what little vitality it did possess always appeared in things that should not have had it.
As Ruger walked, he tilted his head and sliced through a branch with his left horn. Lesser Sharpness shimmered on its slightly curved tip.
This time, he did not rush to dispel the spells on his body. Instead, he ambled along, letting them fade one by one with time.
At some point, his towering frame had shrunk back to its normal size. He lifted a leg over a protruding rock, his strength having already diminished in two successive stages. He continued his leisurely walk until, at last, the lightness in his body disappeared as well. Only then did he take out the robe he had put away earlier and drape it over himself.
As he walked, he seemed to change from a bloodthirsty demon into a savage Kobold, then, in the blink of an eye, into a mild, civilized Wizard Apprentice wearing an old robe. This Wizard Apprentice even twitched his ears.
Ruger sensed the distance between himself and Zhizhi through their connection. She did not seem far away now.
Suddenly, his palm grew warm. Without meaning to, he had reached another spot where he could drop one