This time, with the three of them fully prepared and on high alert, the two Cursed Pattern Cat Demons' ambush not only failed to succeed but instead left them severely injured.

Especially the one that charged at Lin Mo—already blinded in one eye by Cody's dagger earlier—now took two more sword strikes from Lin Mo. In the dark forest, continuous rustling sounds could be heard, and it could no longer conceal its tracks perfectly like before.

"These damned things are really difficult to deal with."

In this situation, his skills had no room to shine, greatly limiting his strength. If not for Bern's help, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the Cursed Pattern Cat Demon's subsequent pursuit.

If they came again, he wasn't even sure if he could block the first strike.

"They probably won't attack again..."

Bern stared in the direction where the Cat Demons retreated. Having fought this type of monster multiple times before, he understood the Cursed Pattern Cat Demons beyond what was recorded in books.

Cursed Pattern Cat Demons possessed extremely fast speed and considerable strength, posing a great threat to adventurers, especially newcomers. But of course, these monsters also had weaknesses—their constitution.

This was recorded in the monster guide.

However, their frail constitution manifested not only in weak defense but also included severely lacking stamina and diminished sustained combat capability.

The most dangerous aspect of these monsters was their initial ambushes. Once the ambushes failed, after at most three attempts, they would give up and choose to retreat.

Especially since the previous clash caused significant damage to those two Cursed Pattern Cat Demons. Based on Bern's experience, they probably wouldn't stubbornly continue.

Of course, despite saying this, he wouldn't let his guard down and remained vigilant, carefully observing their surroundings.

"They're retreating..."

Lin Mo listened to the faint movements in the forest. At least the Cursed Pattern Cat Demon he injured was moving away from them.

The three continued to maintain their defensive positions until the sun finally rose and the world before them gradually brightened...

The crisis was thus resolved.

Cody breathed a sigh of relief and went to sit by a tree to rest.

Bern wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up the firewood from the ground, and rekindled the recently extinguished campfire.

Miriam's condition had stabilized, her wounds beginning to scab over. Because treatment was timely enough, she hadn't lost too much blood and seemed to be in decent condition.

But she clearly wasn't in a hurry to get up, continuing to lean in Evan's embrace, still wearing a slightly disgusted expression on her face as she spoke softly in a hoarse voice.

Lin Mo now understood why health potions were called an adventurer's second life.

This stuff was truly incredible. As long as it wasn't a fatal injury, one or even half a bottle could immediately restore most of your condition. Even with fatal injuries, if used timely enough, most situations could still be salvaged.

Except for not being able to treat hard injuries like severed limbs or fractures, it really was equivalent to an adventurer's second health bar.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but touch his waist. Inside the leather armor's inner waist pouch, there was a slender little bulge.

That's right—such a good item, Lin Mo naturally wouldn't miss out.

Previously when reporting his assets to the young dwarf blacksmith Edgar at the forge, he intentionally understated by 16 gold coins precisely because he had already planned to buy a primary health potion worth 15 gold.

As for the remaining 1 gold coin, it was kept for emergencies.

Having just experienced the crisis, a relatively hearty breakfast could somewhat soothe their unsettled emotions.

Lin Mo took out dried smoked meat from his bag, added cheese chunks, sandwiched them in bread, and placed it over the campfire to roast.

The edges of the bread were slightly charred, with the aroma of grease and cheese soaking into the soft bread center. One bite would significantly improve anyone's mood.

Bern sat beside him, eating a breakfast similar to Lin Mo's. Ever since Lin Mo demonstrated this method that one time, he had grown to love this way of eating.

Not far away, Evan and Miriam snuggled together. Evan boiled a bowl of hot water, tore the bread into small pieces to put inside, and spoon-fed the girl beside him.

"When Evan was very young, he loved taking a carefully selected branch to 'uphold justice.' Back then, Miriam often got bullied by nearby children because her parents had an accident."

Bern looked at the two young people while eating breakfast, narrating slowly like telling a story.

"Every time Evan saw Miriam being bullied, he would strike a deliberately cool pose, playing the hero in front of her, then get beaten up by those brats... Not willing to keep taking beatings, he started constantly training, studying 'sword techniques.' As he grew taller, he gradually beat those guys into submission and became the kid king."

"After Miriam's parents passed away, she could only temporarily live at her uncle's house. During good seasons, there might still be some leftover scraps from home, but if the harvest was poor, she often went hungry for several meals."

"Evan would frequently come to me back then, taking tasks like 'feeding chickens' or 'running errands' to earn one or two copper coins, buying black bread to eat with her."

"Later when Miriam turned ten, she was finally driven out by her uncle and had to support herself, finding odd jobs around town."

"But not many people were willing to hire a ten-year-old child, so most of the time she couldn't find work and could only barely get by relying on Evan's help..."

"I remember it should have been when Evan was thirteen. One day he came to me with a worried expression, asking for an advance of two copper coins, and asked me why I had so much money... I told him it was because I was an adventurer who could take association missions to earn money. From that day on, he always made becoming an adventurer his goal."

"Finally at sixteen, commissioned by his parents, Evan went adventuring with me. Using his saved money, he helped Miriam rent a room, finally ending her homeless life."

So there was such a story behind them.

Lin Mo watched the two chatting about something, with Miriam slightly pouting her lips as she lightly punched Evan's chest. Evan didn't fight back, just chuckled foolishly.

Somehow, he suddenly remembered that receptionist at the Adventurers' Association.

The half-orc cat girl with beautiful silver-gray hair named Lena.

Lately he seemed to be getting more familiar with her. Every time when accepting and submitting missions, they would chat for a few sentences...

He shook his head with a bitter smile. Must be from eating too much dog food, starting to delude himself.

That was just her job. Better not get ahead of himself.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Lin Mo simply changed the subject.

"What a pity about those two Cursed Pattern Cat Demons earlier. If we could have taken down one, the mission would have been completed directly."

When those two Cursed Pattern Cat Demons retreated earlier, he had somewhat wanted to pursue them, but upon careful thought it seemed too dangerous, so he gave up.

"Not a pity."

Bern shook his head instead. "That Cursed Pattern Cat Demon is quite severely injured. It can't run far."

"You mean..."

"We can pursue them!"

Cody had somehow arrived beside them: "During daytime, we're not so afraid of them!"