Chong Yue continued his journey towards Titan’s Peak, the dappled sunlight filtering through the dense forest and scattering across the lush green grass.
A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying an unusual fragrance, a blend of faint nectar and the moist scent of earth.
He looked around, his gaze inevitably captivated by the surrounding scenery.
Everything here appeared unfamiliar and mysterious. The trees were towering and peculiar, their branches and leaves sparkling as if made of crystal, refracting rays of colorful light.
Not far away, a vine adorned with blue blossoms coiled around an ancient tree. The petals swayed gently in the breeze, emitting a faint glow.
Even more astonishingly, tiny luminescent butterflies fluttered out from the blossoms. They were delicate and dreamlike, their wings shimmering with tiny specks of light as they danced gracefully through the air.
“These plants… I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
Chong Yue couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the blue petal. It felt soft and cool to the touch.
As he gently squeezed it, a few drops of crystal-clear liquid oozed out, releasing a faint, refreshing fragrance.
Just as he was marveling at this discovery, a strange little creature leaped out from the bushes.
It was shaped like a rabbit; but was like nothing I had ever seen before. Strange, yet elegant. Crystal clear eyes, three sets of ears, and a tail as fluffy as a pom-pom
The little beast curiously stared at Chong Yue, blinking its bright, watery eyes before swiftly bouncing back into the bushes, vanishing without a trace.
“What is this place…? Could it be that I’ve really been transported to another world?”
Chong Yue frowned, his heart swirling with confusion and unease.
After walking for most of the day, Chong Yue arrived at a clear, flowing stream.
The water babbled along, the sunlight dancing on its surface like scattered gold.
He squatted down, scooping up a handful of the cool stream water and took a few sips. It was fresh and sweet, infused with the pure essence of nature.
“This water is so refreshing… At least there’s no pollution here.”
Feeling slightly more at ease, he leaned against a large tree, intending to rest for a while.
Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes behind him.
Chong Yue immediately turned around, his sharp eyes fixed on the thicket.
“What was that?”
Before he could finish his sentence, a stone spear whistled through the air, hurtling straight at him!
His instincts kicked in, and he rolled to the side just in time. The spear grazed his shoulder, embedding itself deeply into the ground. Its tail quivered violently from the impact.
“That was close! Almost game over!”
Without hesitation, he grabbed a sturdy tree branch nearby, gripping it tightly as he assumed a defensive stance.
The rustling in the bushes grew louder, and then three goblins leaped out from the thicket. They brandished crude stone weapons, their eyes gleaming with malice and their fangs bared.
“Ugly little creatures...”
Chong Yue frowned, but there was no time to think. The goblins let out guttural roars as they charged at him.
“Yaaargh—!”
All three goblins swung their wooden clubs down viciously.
Chong Yue took a deep breath and swiftly sidestepped, using the momentum to sweep his branch low, striking one goblin’s ankle.
“Graaah—!”
The goblin howled in pain, losing its balance and crashing to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Chong Yue swung his branch again, smashing it into another goblin’s head, sending it sprawling to the dirt.
But before he could catch his breath, more goblins emerged from the bushes, quickly surrounding him.
“Damn it, I’m surrounded!”
With his back against a tree, Chong Yue tightened his grip on the branch, sweat trickling down his forehead.
Just as death seemed imminent, a swift figure burst out from behind the goblins.
It was a young girl, her movements lightning-fast as she wielded a gleaming dagger.
In a flash of silver, blood sprayed from the necks of the two leading goblins. They collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The girl moved with incredible agility, weaving through the goblins like a phantom.
In the blink of an eye, three more goblins fell, their blood staining the grass red.
Chong Yue stood in shock, his mouth agape at the scene before him.
“That speed... Who is she?”
Snapping back to his senses, he swung his branch, knocking back a goblin that lunged at him.
With a swift, precise thrust, the girl drove her dagger through the throat of the last goblin. The fight was over.
She stood amidst the goblins'' corpses, her cold eyes locked onto Chong Yue.
Her gaze was filled with caution and hostility, as cold and merciless as a predator sizing up its next prey.
“Hey, thanks for just now—”
Before he could finish, the girl dashed towards him without warning, her dagger slicing through the air aimed straight at his throat!
“What the—?!”
Chong Yue’s eyes widened in shock. He instinctively raised his branch to block, but the dagger cut through it effortlessly.
Before he could react, the girl spun and delivered a powerful kick, sending him flying backward.
He crashed hard onto the ground, pain jolting through his body.
"W-wait! I’m not your enemy!"
Chong Yue shouted hastily, struggling to his feet as he raised both hands to show he meant no harm.
The girl halted her attack but maintained her guarded stance.
Her violet eyes narrowed, sharp as blades, fixed unwaveringly on his every move.
A breeze rustled through the forest, lifting her jet-black hair, which brushed softly against her face.
She was dressed in a fitted black suit, its tailored lines highlighting her lean, agile figure, giving her an aura of fierce elegance and decisiveness.
Her violet eyes gleamed coldly in the sunlight, exuding a sense of danger and alertness, like a predator lurking in the shadows.
Chong Yue unconsciously held his breath.
Despite the tension in the air, he couldn’t help but notice her delicate features and porcelain-white skin, a cold yet mesmerizing beauty.
But then his eyes caught sight of something else—her body was covered in cuts and bandages, especially on her right leg where the bandages were soaked in blood, the crimson trail trickling down her calf.
These injuries didn’t seem to be from her fight with the goblins. They looked more like wounds inflicted by a much sharper blade.
“What... exactly has she been through?”
A wave of curiosity and concern surged through Chong Yue’s mind.
He stared at her, momentarily forgetting to continue his explanation.
The girl’s brow furrowed slightly, a flash of killing intent glimmering in her violet eyes as she raised her dagger once more, the blade reflecting a cold, lethal light.
“Crap!”
Chong Yue snapped back to his senses, shouting urgently,
“W-wait! I really am not your enemy!”
He quickly took a step back, raising both hands to show he meant no harm, his words tumbling out rapidly,
“I don’t even know why I’m here! The last thing I remember… I touched a glowing pillar in the forest, and then I was transported here! I don’t know anything about this place!”
The girl maintained her combat stance, her gaze cold and sharp as she scrutinized him for several tense seconds.
After a long pause, she finally lowered her dagger, though her eyes were still filled with caution. The hostility in her gaze seemed to soften, just a little.
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Without saying a word, she shot him one last icy glance before turning around and walking away.
Her jet-black hair swayed gently, and her fitted black suit glistened faintly under the sunlight. Her figure soon vanished into the shadows of the forest.
“W-wait!”
Chong Yue stood stunned for a second before hurriedly chasing after her, but she was already gone, her presence disappearing among the shadows of the trees.
He stood there, bewildered, staring in the direction she had left, his mind swirling with questions.
“Who was she? Why was she here?”
He recalled her unusual black suit, a stark contrast to the strange forest teeming with bizarre plants and monsters.
Her body was covered in cuts and bandages, suggesting she had been injured for a long time, yet her movements were swift as the wind, and her combat prowess was terrifyingly strong.
“Could it be… that she was transported here just like me?”
A spark of curiosity flashed in Chong Yue’s eyes. “And she was heading towards Titan’s Peak…”
He considered following her to get some answers, but just as he took a step forward, a sudden thud echoed from ahead.
“Damn it!”
He rushed forward, pushing aside the bushes blocking his way. The sight before him made his pupils contract.
The girl was lying on the ground, her hair disheveled and scattered across the grass. The wound on her right leg had reopened, blood soaking through the fabric of her black pants.
Her face was pale as paper, and her eyes were tightly shut.
“Hey! Are you alright? Hey!”
Chong Yue dropped to his knees and checked her breathing, relieved to find she was only unconscious from blood loss and exhaustion.
“Damn, she’s hurt this badly…”
He looked at her battered body, recalling how she had fought so fiercely despite her injuries. A wave of respect rose within him.
“It looks like her wounds were serious long before this. She was just pushing herself through sheer willpower.”
His brow furrowed, eyes flickering with determination.
“A gentleman wouldn’t leave a damsel in distress.”
“Ah, no. Saving a life comes first.”
He bent down, carefully lifting her onto his back. Supporting her legs with his hands, he was mindful to avoid her wounds as much as possible.
The girl''s body was unexpectedly light, soft, and cold to the touch. Her head rested gently on Chong Yue''s shoulder, her jet-black hair brushing against his cheek with a faint, delicate fragrance.
Chong Yue took a deep breath, suppressing the complicated emotions stirring within him as he moved forward.
“This place is too dangerous. I need to find a safe spot to tend to her wounds.”
As the golden hues of dusk filled the forest, the campfire crackled under an ancient tree, its flickering flames casting warm light around.
The fire danced softly, roasting mushrooms skewered on a stick, their enticing aroma wafting through the air.
Chong Yue leaned against the tree trunk, rotating the stick to evenly cook the mushrooms while his gaze remained fixed on the unconscious girl.
She lay quietly on the ground, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, her face pale but delicately beautiful.
“What a strange person… That outfit, those combat skills, and those wounds…”
Chong Yue muttered under his breath, his eyes drifting to her thigh, which was tightly wrapped in bandages.
He recalled the horrific gashes he had seen while tending to her wounds—deep cuts that looked as if they had been slashed by a razor-sharp blade.
“Those injuries… Who did this to her?”
He shook his head, his heart weighed down by curiosity and unease.
At that moment, the girl''s eyelids fluttered, then suddenly shot open.
Her violet eyes gleamed with coldness and caution, and like a startled beast, she sprang to her feet with remarkable agility, leaping backward to create distance.
“Hey, calm down! Be careful, your wounds might reopen!”
Chong Yue was startled, quickly getting up in an attempt to reassure her.
The girl swiftly widened the gap between them, her eyes filled with vigilance as her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her dagger.
She scanned her surroundings before her gaze settled on her bandaged wounds. A flash of surprise flickered in her eyes.
“My name is Chong Yue. I’m from China. What about you?”
He deliberately softened his tone, hoping to ease her wariness.
However, the girl remained in a defensive stance, her expression unchanged.
Her eyes were cold and piercing, a flicker of confusion flashing in her violet pupils before being quickly masked by caution.
Chong Yue frowned slightly, feeling the tension thickening between them.
“What’s your name?”
He tried again, keeping his voice gentle.
But the girl stayed silent, her lips tightly pressed together, maintaining a safe distance with her wary gaze fixed on him.
The flickering campfire cast shadows across her icy eyes, reflecting no warmth at all.
“Hey, I’m not going to eat you. No need to be so guarded, right?”
Chong Yue forced a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders.
The girl still didn’t respond, but the confusion in her eyes seemed to deepen.
Suddenly, Chong Yue realized something—perhaps she didn’t understand his language at all.
“Wait a minute… Could it be… she doesn’t understand Chinese?”
The realization hit Chong Yue like a bolt of lightning, leaving him both amused and exasperated.
“No way… I’ve been speaking Chinese this whole time. Did she seriously not understand a single word?”
He hesitated for a moment before testing his theory, “Do you speak English?”
For the first time, the girl’s expression changed. Her violet eyes widened slightly, and a faint crease appeared on her brow.
“English?”
She echoed the word softly, a hint of confusion in her voice.
It suddenly dawned on Chong Yue, and he facepalmed in disbelief.
“No wonder you were so quiet… You didn’t understand a word I was saying!”
He shook his head with a wry smile, then switched to English and introduced himself again,
“My name is Chong Yue. What’s your name?”
The girl’s expression finally softened a bit, though she still kept her guard up.
After a few moments of silence, she spoke in a low voice,
“Tsukimi Eika.”
“You can just call me Eika.”
Her stance finally relaxed, though she still kept her distance from me
Her gaze was still cautious, but the hostility had noticeably lessened.
“Tsukimi Eika… Japanese?”
Chong Yue let out a long breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
“Looks like communication just got a little easier.”
The firelight danced softly between them, the gentle breeze carrying the faint scent of grass and wood.
Over the campfire, the mushrooms were roasting to a golden brown, releasing a mouth-watering aroma as the juices dripped onto the flames with a satisfying sizzle.
Chong Yue used a stick to flip the mushrooms, his gaze occasionally drifting towards Eika across the fire.
The girl remained in guard, keeping at least two meters between them. Her violet eyes gleamed with a cold, wary light.
The atmosphere was heavy with silence and awkward tension.
Chong Yue sighed inwardly, realizing that if they kept this up, neither of them would get any sleep tonight.
Suddenly, an idea came to him. He raised the roasted mushrooms with a friendly smile, breaking the silence,
“The mushrooms are ready. You can eat them without worry—I survived yesterday thanks to these.”
Eika’s eyebrow arched slightly, a flicker of hesitation passing through her violet eyes.
She slowly approached the campfire, her gaze fixed on the golden, fragrant mushrooms, but she didn’t reach out to take any.
Standing by the fire, she stared at the food for over ten seconds, her fingers twitching slightly, yet she made no move.
Watching her guarded demeanor, Chong Yue couldn’t help but shake his head in quiet exasperation.
“This woman is way too cautious.”
Chong Yue grumbled inwardly but then remembered the wounds on Eika’s body. Judging by her injuries, she must have gone through something traumatic before being transported here. Her wariness was understandable.
“See? No poison.”
To prove his point, he picked up a skewer of mushrooms and took a big bite, chewing with obvious enjoyment.
“Hmm, not bad! Would be even better with some salt and oil.”
A subtle flicker crossed Eika’s eyes, but she still didn’t move. She continued to watch him in silence.
Chong Yue felt a bit uncomfortable under her intense gaze but pretended not to notice, calmly finishing his food.
Minutes ticked by slowly. Finally, after a full five minutes, Eika hesitantly picked up a skewer of mushrooms.
She paused for a moment before taking a small, cautious bite. Her expression remained indifferent, but a faint look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
“Tastes pretty good, huh?”
Chong Yue asked with a smile, but Eika didn’t respond. She simply continued eating in silence.
“This woman… Her guard is seriously up.”
Chong Yue sighed inwardly, shaking his head.
The two of them ate the roasted mushrooms in silence, maintaining a delicate distance between them.
Chong Yue glanced at Eika, noticing how slowly and carefully she ate, taking small, measured bites.
Deciding to break the awkward silence, he let out a soft sigh and spoke up,
“I’m from China. I was just camping with my sister and a friend when I accidentally touched some ancient ruins… and then I ended up here.”
Eika listened quietly, a subtle flicker passing through her violet eyes before her expression returned to its usual coldness.
She was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice,
“I’m from Japan. I was also transported here by some unknown force.”
“Well, what are the odds!”
Chong Yue nodded thoughtfully, then asked curiously,
“Did you also hear that voice?”
Eika gave a slight nod, her face remaining emotionless.
“Yes. It guided me to go to Titan’s Peak.”
“Looks like we’re headed to the same place.”
Chong Yue’s gaze drifted to the distant mountain piercing the clouds.
“Maybe there’s a clue there about how to get back home.”
Eika didn’t respond. She lowered her head and continued eating the roasted mushrooms.
Her movements were still cautious, her eyes never fully letting go of their vigilance. It was clear she hadn’t completely dropped her guard.
After dinner, the flames of the campfire softened, casting a warm glow on the clearing beneath the ancient tree.
Chong Yue dusted off his hands and looked up, his gaze softening as he looked at Eika.
“Thanks for saving me earlier. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be goblin dinner by now.”
His voice was sincere and grateful, his eyes reflecting genuine warmth.
Eika’s eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise flickering in her violet gaze.
She hesitated before softly replying,
“I should be the one thanking you… If you hadn’t helped bandage my wounds, I’d be dead by now.”
Her gaze slowly drifted over her neatly bandaged wounds.
Chong Yue smiled and waved his hand dismissively,
“It was just mutual help. This place is dangerous, after all. Having someone to watch your back isn’t a bad thing.”
His smile was warm and sincere, his eyes radiating genuine kindness.
Eika remained silent for a moment, her eyes softening.
She gave a small nod, a flicker of gratitude flashing in her violet eyes before her expression returned to its usual coldness.
Their eyes met, and they both exchanged faint smiles.
The tension and hostility between them seemed to dissolve in that fleeting moment.
Night fell, and moonlight bathed the ancient tree, the campfire gradually burning out.
They rested against the tree trunk, a gentle breeze carrying the warmth and tranquility of the earth.
After a night of recovery, Chong Yue and Eika finally decided to move forward together.
They shared the same destination—Titan’s Peak—and were both brought to this world by a mysterious force.
“Well, since we’re headed to the same place, let’s travel together. There are too many unknowns here, and two people are better than one.”
Chong Yue suggested with a smile, his gaze firm and reassuring.
Eika looked at him, her eyes reflecting a mix of thought and hesitation. After a moment of silence, she finally gave a slight nod.
“In that case…I have your back.”