A miracle... happened.

After hearing Lin Yi's words, the black-robed man fell silent for a moment, then merely nodded slightly without saying anything more.

He turned around, making to leave.

Rain slid down his black robe, as though even the sky were silently seeing off the mysterious being who was about to depart.

*???*

And then?

I answered three questions. Aren't you supposed to give me three treasures?

Three-star equipment?

A three-star special class?

Or a powerful three-star skill??

A few dozen ZZ-rank EXP worms would work too!

And as a proper NPC, shouldn't you know to bring it up yourself!?

But now, what the fuck do you mean by turning around?

The rain pattered against Lin Yi's face.

Cold raindrops mingled with the sweat on his forehead, blurring his vision.

Seeing this, Lin Yi felt an inexplicable surge of panic and hurriedly spoke:

"Senior, are you leaving?"

The black-robed man nodded again, his voice calm:

"I only came to have a look at this generation's youngsters."

"From what I've seen, they're quite good indeed."

A gleam flashed through Lin Yi's eyes as he pressed again:

"Senior, my name is [Return to Zero]. Don't you have anything to say?"

"..."

"What would I want to say?"

A momentary look of confusion crossed the black-robed man's face, followed by sudden realization:

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Lin Yi smiled and nodded. You finally remembered!

Forgetting the great opportunity you're supposed to give me really won't do!

The black-robed man stood in the rain, silent for a while, then suddenly smiled:

"I almost forgot to introduce myself, but..."

He paused, pointed a finger toward the sky, and continued:

"I can't say my name. A certain being would detect it."

"As the description you saw says, I'm merely the guardian of a top-secret treasury."

"As for my master..."

His voice paused, as though he were recalling something.

"What was my master's name again? It's been so long that I've somewhat forgotten."

"Young man named [Return to Zero], goodbye!"

The black-robed man waved at Lin Yi, making to leave.

*???*

Lin Yi was dumbfounded.

Can you stop giving yourself extra scenes, hey!

Who the fuck asked about your master?

Goddammit!

You're just going to take away the great opportunity I earned by matching wits and courage without saying a word?

Standing where he was, Lin Yi reached out in panic again and finally asked the crucial question:

"The opportunity!"

"Where's the great opportunity?"

The black-robed man slowly grinned, casting an almost imperceptible glance at Lin Yi, a subtle note in his voice:

"The great opportunity?"

"The great opportunity... isn't it already on you?"

At those words, Lin Yi's pupils suddenly trembled.

As he watched the black-robed man's flickering figure, a powerful intuition jolted him, driving him to lunge forward and grab at the man:

"Wait!"

But it was already too late. The black-robed man's figure dispersed into the curtain of rain like a phantom!

Lin Yi grabbed at empty air!

Or rather, not entirely empty air!

His hand caught the Mountain Greatsword that had been planted point-first in the ground!

In that very instant, the scene abruptly ran backward as though in reverse playback!

The rain no longer fell. Instead, it retraced its path like rewinding footage, drawn back into the sky.

All sound seemed to have been temporarily erased, leaving only Lin Yi's breathing, unusually clear in the stillness.

The surrounding flowers and grasses, which had been swaying from the impact of the battle just moments before, slowly returned to their original tranquil states as time flowed backward.

The black-robed man's figure reappeared during this process. His movements swift and mysterious, he leaped up and landed on the Nightmare Giant Dragon's toe, as though examining the miracle about to unfold.

Yet his existence seemed out of sync with this world's timeline. He vanished instantly from the dragon's toe again, leaving only a trace of an elusive presence.

The enormous fallen body of the [Nightmare Giant Dragon] rose to its feet again as time flowed backward.

The flames of life reignited in its eyes, and its body became indestructible once more, as though it had never suffered any blows.

Lin Yi stood at the dragon's ankle, still in the posture of swinging his sword, his face still carrying determination and madness.

The Mountain Greatsword, the weapon knocked flying during the fierce battle, flew backward into his hand again with the reverse flow of time!

The blade gleamed coldly, as though waiting for Lin Yi to swing it again.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Lin Yi's heartbeat echoed in his chest, in stark contrast to the reverse flow of his surroundings.

The scene changed in an instant!

Lin Yi's thoughts were still turning, yet he did not know he had already returned to...

The moment he raised the greatsword and slashed at the [Nightmare Giant Dragon]!

At the same time!

Lin Yi's eyes shone brilliantly. He grinned, unable to stop himself from laughing:

"Next..."

"It's time to witness a miracle!"

Swish!

Lin Yi's sword sliced through space, carrying an unstoppable determination and power.

Wherever the blade passed, even the air seemed to tear apart, letting out a piercing whistle.

The blade descended, and the dragon's immense body was severed in an instant, like a mountain cleaved open, a soul-shaking sight.

Lin Yi could almost hear the crisp sound of tearing silk as the blade cut into the dragon's body.

The Nightmare Giant Dragon's body lost its vitality at that moment and crashed to the ground like a kite with its string cut.

-82570302!

One strike, eighty million damage!

The number echoed in Lin Yi's mind like morning bells and evening drums, shaking his soul.

It was a sight he had never imagined. Having just come back to his senses, he looked somewhat dazed.

With a single strike, he had cleaved the Nightmare Giant Dragon's body in two... at the ankle!

In an instant, dust flew everywhere.

The impact of the dragon's fall threw up dust, forming a gray haze that obscured his vision.

Lin Yi held the greatsword, panting heavily, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He stood where he was, feeling the vibrations coming through the sword's hilt, feeling his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

He could scarcely believe his eyes and doubted even more whether something had gone wrong with his brain.

Before him, only a short section of the dragon's ankle remained standing, blood streaming down from it.

The darkness of the Nightmare Deadlands dispersed, and the world seemed to come alive again.

With the Nightmare Giant Dragon's fall, the surrounding scenery began to change.

The once-gloomy forest brightened, the sky cleared, and sunlight spilled down, bringing warmth and hope.

Birds sang amid fragrant flowers, blossoms bloomed in the warmth of spring, and everything seemed so beautiful, so real.

Lin Yi looked at the dragon's ankle standing before him, then at the greatsword in his hand, covered in dragon blood, and murmured to himself in a trembling voice:

"A miracle... happened."