60: Chapter 44 Farewell (Two in One) 60: Chapter 44 Farewell (Two in One) “Crackling.”

The dark green thorns curled and twitched under the searing flames, as if possessing a life of their own, with singed black scars rapidly spreading across their surface.

Wood yanked the dagger, lodged deeply in the enemy’s chest, free with a cold, weary expression.

Before him were several humanoid thorn demons gradually consumed by the flames.

It seemed to possess some sort of corrosive nature specifically against plants, turning the nearby area of grass into a peculiar dark green.

“Rustle.”

The towering oak branches behind swayed as the half elf, holding a longbow, lightly descended.

Both had just gone through a fierce, unexpected battle.

The enemies were five “Dead Needle Monsters” disguised as shrubs.

Honestly, these demons weren’t that strong in combat ability, even weaker than the Rusted Monsters they had encountered a few days earlier.

However, in the Mist Forest, filled with thorns and tall grass everywhere, they were particularly troublesome with their slight ability to manipulate plants.

In the end, it was Wood who used up the last few flame bombs to barely conclude the fight.

And this was just one of the most common types of demons after leaving the “outskirts” of Mist Forest.

“Young master, we should leave.”

Wood spoke, chest heaving noticeably, breathing heavily.

Even for a “Wanderer” who had already reached a professional level, staying long in the depths of Mist Forest was no easy feat, especially when he also had to protect the half elf.

Hai’an was very aware of this.

Searching blindly like headless chickens in such a dangerous area for a companion that had vanished would only drag both of them into danger.

They had to give up.

A struggle flashed across his face, then he nodded towards Wood and said:

“Then let’s retreat to the outskirts first, then…”

Squeak-bang—

Before he could finish, a noise suddenly erupted nearby, sending birds and beasts in the forest flying in alarm.

And there, seemingly, was the last known location of Xia Nan’s trail.

The two exchanged a knowing glance, then immediately set off, running towards the direction of the sound.

…

As the crystalline dewdrop merged into Xia Nan’s body, he felt a cool, gentle stream spread throughout from his palms.

It was as if he was floating amidst clouds and mist, feeling light enough to lift off his toes.

The muscles that were near over-exerted from high-intensity movement recovered under the stream’s nourishment, silently becoming firmer and more resilient;

It was as though even his heart was beating more vigorously, with the hot blood pumping through his veins driven by the stream—a more exuberant vitality.

The petrification remnant on his fingertips crumbled into a few gray specks that drifted off in the wind, revealing intact fingertips beneath;

The bone in his right forearm was corrected and restored by an unseen force within, there was no longer a stabbing pain near his ribs, and even the small wound on his calf that had stopped bleeding and started scabbing, seemed to be erased by a rubber, leaving only smooth skin.

Meanwhile, a string of translucent characters flashed in front of Xia Nan’s eyes:

“Constitution +3”

“Specialty [Copper Bones] unlocked”

…

[Copper Bones]

Category: Specialty

Effect:

10% reduction in physical damage

0.5% probability to be immune to received physical damage

Description:

You, who have absorbed the essence of otherworldly plants, have become more resilient and have gained some benefits of the rules.

Notes:

“Grandfather…”

…

Xia Nan stood amidst the forest, looking at his right arm that had fully recovered, with a contemplative expression on his face.

In his current state, it was like he had worked late into the night and then slept for twelve hours straight.

His entire body felt incredibly relaxed, with past fatigue and pain completely swept away, replaced by abundant vigor and immense energy.

It was almost the peak physical condition since he had crossed over to this world.

“So, what on earth was that?”

He pondered, recalling the dewdrop that had just merged into his body with curiosity in his heart.

Although it was the same otherworldly style, unlike other things, the dewdrop gave him an inexplicable sense of reality.

As if it was the very origin that brought numerous buildings around into this world.

And seemingly to confirm his suspicion, after he absorbed the golden dewdrop, the cave where he was initially located disappeared like an illusion.

In front of him was only the familiar trees and grass of Mist Forest.

Instinctively, he reached back to touch his wooden sword, feeling the hard texture upon his fingertips.