Kind-hearted Grim Reaper

Early the next morning, Goris quickly packed his belongings. With mixed feelings, he quietly left before Ah Dai woke up. He needed to find a place to calm his heart and mentally prepare for the final experiment.

With Goris gone, Ah Dai felt immense loneliness. His longing for Goris was even greater than when he first arrived. Often, he would sit alone in front of the wooden cabin, staring blankly in the direction from which Goris was supposed to return. The Meteor Fire magic was still quite profound for Ah Dai. Despite endless practice, the effect was minimal, and it could hardly be said to have any power.

Two months quickly went by. One day, Ah Dai picked some fruits out of the fog, ate his breakfast, and began his usual spellbound state, practicing magic. Sitting in front of the cabin, he carefully took out a silver-shimmering steamed bun, praying for Goris's speedy return. Originally, he had not wanted to eat all the buns that Goris brought back, so he left one. While Goris was taking a bath, he sneaked into the laboratory and wrapped the steamed bun with Silver Tin using the refining method. The Silver Tin that Goris refined is known for its preservative properties, and that was the first experiment Ah Dai completed independently. Goris, of course, knew what he had done, but he pretended not to and did not expose him. This unusual action of Ah Dai made a deep impression on Goris.

Caressing the Silver Tin on the steamed bun, Ah Dai muttered, "Master, it's been two months. You should be back soon. Please, come back. Ah Dai misses you so much."

"Ding, ding, ding. Ding, ding, ding," the bell hanging from the eaves suddenly rang. Ah Dai was startled and rose from the ground. This bell was originally set up by Goris. It had a special Magic Device. As long as anyone encroached within three miles around the cabin, the bell would ring. The most ingenious part of this device is the Magic Array it contains, which can distinguish between humans and beasts. In other words, if a wild beast enters its range, the bell will not ring. Within one mile of the cabin, Goris had other arrangements, a ditch that a wild beast can't cross. So, this place has never been attacked by wild beasts.

Ah Dai knew that this outsider would not be Goris. Goris would have taken a specific route back home that would not trigger the alarm. Could it be an outsider? Who would come here? Despite the many traps set by Goris around, Ah Dai was still nervous. He identified the sound of the bell as Goris had taught him, and he discovered that the intrusion trigger was from the north, the direction where Goris should be returning.

The saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind." Ah Dai wondered, could it be that Master Goris had come back but accidentally triggered the mechanism? Could it be him? The three miles away was already beyond the range of the dense fog. Although there was still fog there, it was much thinner. In the ten months he spent here, Ah Dai was now familiar with the surroundings. Although he still didn't know how to get out of Illusive Forest, he was clear on the directions within the nearby ten miles.

No. What if Master Goris is injured? It must be him. I need to greet him. Ah Dai, driven by strong feelings of longing, ran out into the fog.

Ah Dai was running desperately, having already forgotten Goris's admonition not to run too far. Along the way, he identified the direction and continued to advance. For Ah Dai, who was in good health, a three-mile run is nothing. Shortly after, he ran out of the dense fog.

"Cling, cling, ah!" The sound of weapons clashing and screams kept coming. Ah Dai rushed to the direction of the sound. From a distance, he saw a dozen figures jumping around fighting ferociously, there was even a corpse on the ground. He carefully hid behind a big tree, trying to recognize whether Goris was among them.

After observing for a while, he did not find Goris's familiar figure among them, leaving him rather disappointed. These people divided into two groups, twelve in total. Eleven of them in black were a faction, they were attacking a tall man wielding a Wide Sword. Because of the distance, Ah Dai had trouble seeing their features and could only assess their clothing color. The most noticeable one was the man under attack; he was dressed in grey and white. Various colors flashed on these people's bodies, and violent Qi Force had shattered a large number of trees around. Ah Dai could feel their terror even from a hundred meters away. In his eyes, each of them was far more powerful than the Pirate Leader or the Dark Witcher that Goris talks about. Especially the tall man in white, he was above one meter ninety, with wide shoulders and retaliation. He was waving the Heavy Sword with one hand as if it was as light as a feather.

Even though he was outnumbered, the man in white didn't seem to have lost the battle. His Wide Sword was flashing a white light, continuously dissolving the attacks of the eleven people. His swordsmanship was aggressive and fearless. The other eleven people were wielding Narrow Swords that were black like their outfits. If it were night, it would be hard to see the non-reflective blade of the swords, which were like poisonous snakes finding openings in the man in white's defenses.

Suddenly, the man in white seemed dizzy. A poisonous snake took this opportunity to strike at his shoulder. An intense white light suddenly emitted from the man in white. He held the Wide Sword in both hands and swung it forcefully, creating three arcs of light, which cut through his clothing even without the poisonous snake actually striking his shoulder.

The eleven men in black seemed helpless amidst the sudden burst of immense energy, and they all retreated to ten meters away. Their Narrow Swords pointed to the ground as they stared at the man in white intensely.

One of the men in black spoke up with a deep and hoarse voice, "Hades, please stop struggling. If you were in top condition, we definitely wouldn't be seeking our own deaths. But now, you've been poisoned by the unparalleled sacred water, it's already impressive that you made it this far. Just come back with us. Your position in the organization means that as long as you admit your mistakes to the leader, he will definitely forgive you."