Chapter 10: Return Journey

The rest of the journey went smoothly. When the last gleam of the setting sun was swallowed by the ink-black night, the damp cold and oppressiveness of the forest were finally left behind. The view ahead suddenly opened up. The evening breeze, carrying the scent of wheat and the smoke from Mottled Town in the distance, brushed against their faces, announcing their arrival at the edge of the civilized world.

Around Raine and Kaelin, other small groups of Adventurers emerged from the woods in twos and threes. One team looked quite battered. Two young Adventurers panted heavily as they struggled to support a companion with an injured leg. Blood soaked through the makeshift cloth bandages, their heavy breaths accompanying every agonizing step.

Another squad consisted of only three people. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, and their equipment was caked in mud. Their hollow eyes made it seem as though they had just brushed past the Death Deity. The Female Adventurer among them kept her head down, her shoulders trembling, but she gritted her teeth and held back her tears.

However, a few squads wore expressions brimming with the joy of a fruitful harvest. They carried bulging bundles or dragged the corpses of some small Magical Beasts, loudly discussing which tavern they would drink at tonight, or where they would go to enjoy themselves.

Although Mottled Town lacked the prosperity of majestic city-states, it had everything one could need despite its small size. As long as one had enough money, the town could completely satisfy any need an Adventurer might have.

Watching the diverse crowd around him, Raine couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Success and failure, survival and death—all of it was clearly imprinted on every weather-beaten face.

He lowered his head and looked at the few wooden Arrows in his Quiver; almost all of them were stained with mottled sap and blood. During the final stretch of their journey, Raine had consecutively dispatched several foolish creatures that dared to block their path.

A giant luminous moth with a wingspan of over half a meter, flapping and scattering phosphorescent powder, was shot down as it tried to ram into Kaelin. There was also a nearly transparent Crystal tree snake quietly coiled next to a dead branch on their only path. Raine hadn't noticed it at first, but its flickering red tongue ultimately triggered his vigilance. Finally, several boot-sized pillbugs consecutively rolled toward Raine's feet, only to be pinned to the ground one by one.

These were just the most common nuisances in the Demon Shadow Forest, not true Demons, and they had no valuable parts on their bodies. Therefore, apart from slightly increasing his proficiency in Basic Archery and Eagle Vision, they brought no other gains.

Following behind Raine, Kaelin finally let out a long sigh of relief. The relaxation of her taut nerves added a touch more exhaustion to her fair face, which had a few stray strands of hair clinging to it. She wiped the sweat from her brow, her gaze once again falling on the back of the young man ahead.

His silent footsteps went without saying, but his nearly unfailing Archery, as well as his steady calmness when drawing his bow and nocking an Arrow, had clearly exceeded her expectations. She even wondered if this young man possessed other Combat Techniques. No, that was absolutely impossible. A lowly kid mastering two Combat Techniques completely defied common sense. Even someone like her, who had received excellent Swordsmanship training since childhood and had even been guided by renowned masters, had only barely mastered two Combat Techniques.

Regardless, the methods displayed by this young man labeled as a "coward" and the sense of security he brought her were completely different from the rumors. She had originally just seen him as a frail guide who needed protection, but along the way, it was actually him who repeatedly resolved potential troubles.

"Thanks for your help this time." Kaelin's voice was a bit hoarse, but very sincere.

"Don't worry about it, we both got what we needed." Raine raised an eyebrow slightly. Although he didn't immediately mention the final payment, the subtext was already very obvious.

Kaelin caught his underlying meaning and nodded without hesitation. "I definitely won't go back on my word. It's just that my money is in the inn—the one from this morning."

As she spoke, she raised her chin slightly. Even though her Old Leather Armor was stained with blood and mud, she wore it as if it were some decent fabric, carrying a confidence that she would inevitably fulfill her promise. This seemingly innate temperament undoubtedly formed a sharp contrast with her battered appearance.

"The Return Inn?" Raine didn't pay much attention to her, simply giving a slight nod. He also happened to need a place to stay. Although he had a bit more money on hand now, it was far from enough to improve his living conditions. The Return Inn had reasonable prices and was very friendly to Adventurers; it was indeed his best choice.

The two walked together once more. The deeper they went into the town, the denser the crowds on the road became. The increasingly bright lights stretched and shrank their shadows. The distance of over a dozen meters that originally separated them had also unknowingly shortened significantly. Under the lights of the Human Race settlement, at least they didn't have to constantly guard against cold Arrows in the back.

Pushing open the familiar wooden door of the Return Inn, a long-lost warmth and the aroma of food rushed against their faces. The lobby was still extremely lively, packed with Adventurers who had been exhausted from a day's work. The clinking of glasses and roars of laughter filled the air. They were celebrating coming back alive today while also dreaming of finding some treasure tomorrow to turn their lives around in one fell swoop.

Although this wasn't a tavern and lacked a wide variety of drinks and the singing of Minstrels, it still provided the tenants with plenty of cheap ale. This sudden bustle surprisingly gave Raine a faint, inexplicable sense of belonging, making him feel much more grounded.

However, this "warmth" only lasted for a moment after he entered the door before abruptly coming to a halt. Several somewhat familiar gazes immediately shot over, accompanied by the sound of whispering. But when Kaelin stepped into the inn right behind Raine, those voices were instantly cut off as if grabbed by the throat. The crowd's gazes wandered uncertainly between Raine and Kaelin.

Especially when looking at Kaelin, many revealed cautious expressions. The reason they feared Kaelin wasn't because of her few words of righteous defense that morning, but because of the fierce reputation she had established on her first day. At that time, she was checking in at the bar counter when two drunks approached her, fueled by liquid courage. One of them immediately tried to grab her waist. Before his large hand could land, she dislocated his arm without hesitation. The other guy had just rushed up when he was met with a punch to the face, swallowing half a bloody front tooth into his stomach.

At this moment, those two unlucky bastards happened to be sitting in a corner of the lobby. Seeing Kaelin walk in, one shifted closer to the edge of the table, hiding his bandaged arm, while the other touched the corner of his still-swollen mouth, subconsciously swallowing his saliva. They wondered how this kid, who had been scared out of his wits by Goblins, could be walking together with that Tough Chick. Recalling Kaelin's behavior that morning, everyone wore odd expressions.

Could it be that the Tough Chick had some kind of special preference and specifically picked this frail type of boy? But that didn't seem right either. Judging from the auras of the two, it was clearly the boy who was more composed; otherwise, he wouldn't be walking in front.

Kaelin ignored these gazes. She first smiled and nodded in greeting to Lady Basha behind the counter, then gave a slight nod to Raine, leading him upstairs.

This action left everyone staring at each other in dismay. Someone couldn't help but nudge the person next to them with an elbow, their eyes screaming "I don't get it." Raine couldn't be bothered to look at those people either. Right now, he just wanted to get his payment, go to the town's public bathhouse to wash off the exhaustion and stench of blood, and then find a bed and sleep like the dead.