CHAPTER 411: CHAPTER 214: BACKSTAB AND AMBUSH

Xia Nan’s original plan was to make a large loop after escaping, bypassing the areas where he had previously encountered the beast herd and the bear.

Then he would return along the original route and leave the forest, waiting for his teammates in Qingmai Village.

But unexpectedly, before he had walked far, he keenly perceived some unusual noises coming from nearby.

A brief reconnaissance revealed human footprints on the ground, broken branches and grass stems, and traces of blood entering his field of vision.

Following the trail, amidst the increasingly strong scent of blood and the gradually clearer sounds of human conversation,

his two teammates came into view.

Xia Nan observed very carefully, and just before Cash and Vireis noticed him, he felt a sense of vigilance and caution.

This was very understandable.

In the Mist Forest, filled with various dangerous demons, sudden footsteps approaching from the side of the dense forest warranted a guarded stance.

But what followed was quite interesting—their reaction upon realizing it was him was remarkable.

They first froze, the hostility in their eyes seemingly receding slightly, but their hands did not lower their weapons, keeping their bodies in a pre-combat stance instinctively.

Then, their facial expressions changed from initial astonishment to stiffness, and they forced a smile, as if aware of the abruptness, then concealed all expressions, showing a seemingly normal, stern tension with a hint of relief at seeing a teammate.

Xia Nan doesn’t have the ability to read minds, so he naturally didn’t know the internal thoughts behind their vivid expressions.

However, a strange sense of déjà vu inexplicably emerged in his heart.

Their changes in expression felt to him like someone secretly speaking ill of others behind their backs, caught and trying hard to remain calm, pretending as if nothing had happened.

The embarrassment and stiffness of that moment, the natural display of emotions, were something an ordinary person could never act out.

"Xia Nan?" Vireis seemed especially surprised, "Thank heavens, you’re okay."

The half elf or, wrapped in thick bandages around her abdomen, subtly showed bleeding that was gradually seeping through underneath.

Seeing Xia Nan appear, she used one hand to support herself on a nearby tree trunk and the other to cover her wound’s bandages, grinning in feigned pain as she stood up from the ground.

Even with such an act of being "severely injured" and yet showing concern for a teammate, if not for the earlier change in her expression and the crude, energetic female voice full of profanity heard in the forest before he appeared,

Xia Nan might just have been deceived by her.

"This damned Mist Forest, damned beast herd, and that damned bear!"

Vireis approached voluntarily, complaining in a manner fitting her character.

"Did you get hurt at all? It’s a pity that your sister’s Healing Potion has already been consumed, so I can’t heal you."

"Oh, and our poor little Mint." Her face showed a seamless expression of sorrow, as if genuinely moved. "Just a few days ago, she was telling me that she wanted to save some money and get herself a set of enchanted magic robes."

"Who would’ve thought..."

Fortunately, Vireis seemed to know what kind of personality she usually displayed in front of Xia Nan.

Although her tone carried deep regret and sadness, she did not go overboard to the point of choking on her words.

At least she had some self-awareness.

Aware that speaking more would lead to more mistakes, Xia Nan didn’t show much reaction. He simply nodded in silence.

Meanwhile, Cash also stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

—Xia Nan noticed out of the corner of his eye the stone spear in Cash’s hand, remaining discreetly cautious and suppressing his instinct to dodge, keeping himself tense.

"It’s good you’re back. Things were urgent at the time, so I couldn’t pay attention to anything else. You should understand," Cash seemingly expressed sincerity, a look of apology in his eyes as he gazed at Xia Nan.

"With a demon of the bear’s level, hesitating for just one more second might’ve meant losing more than just Mint from the team."

Xia Nan wasn’t sure how much of what Cash said was genuine.

But from his own perspective, what he saw was Cash and Vireis faced with a strong enemy that had already engaged with the team, even causing casualties among them.

They didn’t give any warning, nor did they say a word.

After throwing the kerosene bomb, they each fled, leaving him behind on the battlefield.

It was only because of his extraordinarily high perception attribute and the observational abilities provided by the Heart-drawing Vision that he was able to rendezvous with them.

Yet, the two of them seemed to have been together for quite a while.

It’s hard not to suspect that his two teammates had this planned all along.

From a certain viewpoint, with the common values in this world’s adventurer sphere, if his character was even slightly more extreme, all of this would be enough to make him act and deal with his two companions.

And indeed, Xia Nan was preparing for this in his heart.

One against two, he was at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.

But with Cash right beside him, within his attack range, taking him by surprise with the Vortex Slash might result in serious injury or even death.

Well...he had to consider the possibility that they possessed magic equipment with protective effects and needed to be ready with the Charge. This way, whether retreating or advancing, he would be able to deal with it.

Nevertheless, compared to Cash, he was more inclined to resolve Vireis in the moment just before the battle started.

In the dimly lit, gradually darkening Mist Forest, the danger of the wanderer wielding a poisoned short dagger and manipulating shadow power was undeniably higher than that of Cash, who preferred close combat.