Daily Life

Walking along the little dirt path they had patrolled during the day, they needed to be even more cautious at night.

The four members of Dago's group did not speak to one another along the way.

Their attention was fixed on the dim forest, alert for any unusual sounds or movements.

The grueling night patrol soon passed, and only after returning to the Treehouse Outpost did everyone finally relax their taut nerves.

A large iron pot stood over a fire in the open space of the outpost, water boiling inside for everyone to bathe with.

Forest patrols were no easy task. Without washing up, their bodies would become unbearably itchy and uncomfortable.

Dago had built two bathhouses, one for men and one for women. To avoid embarrassment, they stood at opposite corners of the square outpost.

After midnight, everyone took turns standing watch, one hour per person, decided by drawing lots.

Standing watch meant keeping guard from the watchtower to prevent a nighttime ambush by the Black-Robed Wizards of the Duskblood Council.

After drawing their watch shifts, everyone dispersed. Some chatted, some slept, and some trained.

Dago naturally chose to train. Not a single minute could be wasted.

To avoid disturbing everyone's rest, Dago did not practice the spells that involved blasting trees and making a great deal of noise.

Instead, he practiced auxiliary spells such as Meditation Technique, Detection Technique, and Resonance Art.

Then morning came at seven. Everyone got up, washed, and waited for the delicious breakfast made by Evan and his wife.

After eating Evan and his wife's cooking last time, everyone unanimously decided that the outpost's meals would be left to them from then on.

Vissel generally arrived at the outpost around nine, and everyone once again divided into their original three groups to begin a new forest patrol.

Although it was far more exhausting than before, Dago rather enjoyed it. There was a sense of happiness that came with being part of a big family.

The days passed one by one, accompanied by the soft clatter of pots, bowls, and ladles, unhurried and calm...

Yet without anyone noticing, subtle changes were etched into the ordinary days.

Ten days later, the forest patrol team had not suffered any casualties yet, but they occasionally discovered wizards who had originally lived in the forest fleeing with large bags and bundles during patrols.

This phenomenon gave everyone the feeling that a storm was about to break.

That afternoon, at Moonlight Lake, Dago parted his lips slightly. Deep blue rings turned in his eyes as cold air spread outward.

His hands continuously rubbed together before him, and an Ice Crystal Cannon shell the size of a football, dark blue nearly black, gradually condensed into shape.

The instant it formed, it shot out with a howl, its powerful wake skimming over the mirrorlike lake.

A long white trail of water was dragged across the surface, shattering the jade-blue mirror of the lake.

The Ice Crystal Cannon shell struck the Bronze Crocodile pack in the lake head-on. With a boom, it exploded and blasted up a spray more than ten meters high.

The Bronze Crocodile pack was instantly blown apart. They floated belly-up, then were frozen onto the lake's surface.

Over these ten days, Dago had never stopped improving his spell training. He summoned his system panel.

[Universal Wizard Meditation Method (Metamorphosis 121/10000); Ice Crystal Cannon (Metamorphosis 197/10000); Resonance Art (Beginner 887/1000); Detection Technique (Beginner 535/1000); Potion Brewing (Beginner 18/1000)]

Once a skill reached Metamorphosis, he discovered another way to speed up its improvement: actual combat.

However, compared to the requirement of ten thousand progress points, it was still a drop in the bucket. Still, every little bit counted.

"I can only keep improving slowly. At least the Ice Crystal Cannon is much more powerful than before."

Dago comforted himself with that thought, then turned toward the outpost, intending to call his companions over to move the magical beast meat.

There were seven or eight Bronze Crocodiles. He could not handle them alone.

He walked up the dirt slope leading back to the outpost and gazed into the distance...

Beneath the orange sunset, endless trees rose and fell, fading into withered yellow. Emerald Forest had now fully entered autumn.

Sadly, beneath that beautiful scene lay the upheaval and chaos brought by war.

Half an hour later, stepping over dry yellow leaves, Dago stood before the outpost's wooden gate and called for his companions.

"Come out and get to work!" Dago shouted.

The wooden gate slowly lifted, and everyone walked out, looking at him with puzzled expressions.

Dago told them that he had hunted a group of magical beasts at Moonlight Lake.

He could not move them alone and needed everyone's help carrying them back.

Mariko remained behind to guard the outpost, while Vissel had already returned earlier. The remaining five eagerly set out to transport the magical beast meat.

When they arrived at Moonlight Lake, the little iceberg on the surface had melted considerably, and seven or eight Bronze Crocodiles nearly five meters long were frozen inside.

Everyone looked at Dago in admiration, then each cast spells to haul the little iceberg from the lake onto the shore.

During this time, Dago found Selena. She was now a Second-Level Apprentice Wizard and had learned her first spell.

It was her family's inherited Vine Art, which made vines grow from the ground to entangle enemies, then control or strangle them to death.

"Did you know? There used to be a whole patch of Moonlight Flowers here. I brewed them into Mental Potion—the bottle you drank."

Dago pointed to the patch of Moonlight Flowers he had once harvested and spoke to Selena.

After ten days of living together, Selena had become much more cheerful, especially around Dago.

"Lord Dago's Mental Potion was truly miraculous. I really hope I can drink another bottle."

Selena spoke with a lingering, wistful expression as she recalled it.

Then she ran to the Moonlight Flower patch first, crouched down, dug through the soil, and collected it into a bag.

Dago was very pleased by her enthusiasm. Once she cultivated Moonlight Flowers in the future, his Potion Brewing skill could improve.

Soon, everyone carried dozens of pounds of meat on their shoulders as they returned to the outpost.

After night fell, they lit a bonfire and began a barbecue feast.

No one drank alcohol. They simply immersed themselves in the joyful frenzy of eating magical beast meat. After all, they still had to patrol the forest that night, and no one dared let their guard down.

At around eight, everyone put on their equipment and set out on their night patrol mission.

When they reached an area they had never patrolled before, Dago, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped.

Through the vision of his Detection Technique, he could sense faint fluctuations of energy particles behind the bushes ahead.

The three youngsters behind him did not understand why, but they stopped as well, their expressions turning tense. They barely dared breathe.

By the bright moonlight, Dago slowly approached the bushes and used his machete to part them.

Pale, twisted mummified corpses lay scattered across the ground. The intact surroundings showed that there had not been much of a fight.

Judging by the slightly swollen stomachs of the corpses, their gut bacteria had fermented and caused bloating. They had probably been dead for two days.

He walked over, and the three youngsters followed, not daring to fall behind.

A naked female corpse lay there, stripped of everything. There were no signs of fatal wounds, so she had likely been drained of blood directly.

Her face was twisted in pain and despair. Her ash-white eyes were wide as saucers, as if cursing everything before them.

When Selena, Ian, and Gavin saw the sight, their faces instantly turned pale. Covering their mouths, they ran aside and vomited up all the barbecue they had eaten that night.

Dago remained silent as he looked at the faint negative energy particles lingering around the corpse.

She had likely been struck by an evil spell before death and had her blood drained directly from her body.

When Mariko and Evan and his wife arrived and saw the mummified corpse, Evan and his wife's expressions changed as they turned their heads away.

Mariko stepped forward and stared directly at the corpse, spiritual power pouring from his eyes...

He began chanting the Restful Soul Spell, his voice gentle yet powerful, like a spring breeze that seemed able to pierce the soul.

As he chanted, Mariko's tattered robe emitted a soft silver glow. He pushed both hands forward, and the silver light surged toward the corpse like a raging tide.

At that moment, an illusory soul slowly rose from the mummified corpse, its face twisted and filled with pain and unwillingness.

Mariko quickened his chanting, his eyes full of compassion as he looked at the soul.

The power of the spell wrapped around the soul like a warm embrace. Its expression gradually softened before it finally transformed into pure light and vanished into the night sky.

A gentle breeze brushed past, as though telling of the freed soul's release.

With sorrowful expressions, everyone dug a pit and buried the corpse. Then, after silently returning to the outpost...

They dispersed and returned to their respective temporary lodgings.