What is your name?

"Ah, okay."

Ariana smiled and nodded, removing the Purification effect.

Fortunately, they'd been fooled.

The monsters didn't suspect her identity.

Necromancers and "light" creatures were inherently incompatible; fire and light monsters were more compatible, using blue flames and red light.

Golden light was fine too.

They'd rather believe this small creature was a light monster than that she was cooperating with a Necromancer.

However…

Where had that Necromancer gone?

Their senses were blocked again; they relied on mana perception to locate the enemy.

Monsters were different from humans.

Humans without cultivation would never produce mana.

Monsters, even the weakest, like Goblins or slimes (zero Prana), were born with it.

Mana resided in their cores, enabling actions defying physics.

[Holy Hero: Careful, these Class 5 and 6 monsters are searching for those with high mana.

They seem to think those with high mana are the enemy.]

Meanwhile, Hilo, wielding her longsword, suddenly attacked, slaying several disoriented Class 3 and 4 monsters, causing her level to surge.

However, due to the black smoke, Sisrine's skills were ineffective.

Essentially, "skill target not found."

Thus, Sisrine gained no experience.

Hilo slaughtered the monsters within a twenty-meter radius, attracting scavengers who joined the fight.

She was about to kill more when she saw Ariana's message, freezing.

Searching for… high mana?

Sisrine was in danger!

She had to find her!

But… which direction?

[Mountain Hero: Sisrine and I are hiding; I have a skill that blocks external senses, but I'll lose consciousness.

Sisrine, wake me once you're safe.

Try hard; I won't wake up without a strong impact.

Heal Hero: But you have 30 Durability…]

A strong impact in your concept… I could break your arm, and you still wouldn't wake up!

[Mountain Hero: It's fine; at least you'll be safe until the fog clears.

Heal Hero: Alright, I understand.]

Seeing this, Hilo calmed down.

She suddenly remembered Sephie's "useless" skill.

Surrounding herself with rocks to lose consciousness, blocking external perception.

Physical concealment—sight and smell—meant no one could smell or see anyone inside the rock.

Then, mana concealment—preventing external mana detection.

In battle, this meant…

Transforming into a rock protruding from the ground.

Once Sephie closed her eyes, she became a rock, blending in perfectly.

A rock indistinguishable from the others; her presence or absence made no difference.

The most incredible aspect was that this skill consumed no mana; Heroes wouldn't starve as long as they didn't use mana or stamina.

With her eyes closed, she wasn't consuming stamina.

If she found a place to use this skill without anyone knowing, she could potentially live for years without anyone knowing a person was inside.

Furthermore, once she became a rock, she was a living target; combat would instantly awaken her—hence its perceived uselessness.

But…

It was now a god-tier skill!

「I won't call it a useless skill again!」

Hilo thought silently.

…

「Activating skill: Golden Mountain Fortress.」 Sephie silently chanted.

The ground trembled, but there was no sound; the experience was novel.

Rocks rose from the ground, stacking layer upon layer, encasing Sephie and Sisrine within a space large enough for movement.

It wasn't a tight enclosure; they could stand, sit, or lie down.

The rock's strength was directly linked to Sephie's Durability; unless a monster with over 30 Strength foolishly attacked, it wouldn't break.

For now, they were safe.

...

"Who are you?"

Voice transmission magic conveyed the voice to Anyi's ears.

The fog blocked sound, but not mana-based communication.

Unless the fog itself contained more mana than the voice transmission.

That was unlikely.

"Speak, I can hear you," she continued.

"…"

Hearing the familiar yet distant voice, Anyi remained silent.

Ah… how many years.

He thought he'd remember his Master's voice, that he'd never forget.

But he hadn't completely forgotten, but it was hazy.

It was a sad reality.

But this voice wouldn't only exist in his memories; that was something to be happy about!

"I don't know where those bones came from, but I can tell you're not a Necromancer," she said.

Only then did Anyi remember he was still holding her hand.

Had he held her hand before?

He couldn't recall.

Master and disciple weren't close enough to hold hands constantly.

"I'm here to rescue you," Anyi said softly, "I know you are Audrey Celeste, one of the twelve Royal Elves.

I'm not the only one trying to rescue you.

We're humans fighting the monsters.

We gathered intelligence and learned you were being brought to this city.

For monster extermination, your strength would be invaluable, so we chose to rescue you."

"Hu…mans?" Audrey was stunned.

Humans? Possible?

Others might not have seen Anyi's movements, but Audrey did.

That wasn't human speed!

"I know I owe you a huge debt, but lying isn't good.

But since you're hiding your race, I won't pry," Audrey sighed softly.

"No, there are many like me in the human world; you'll understand once we leave here and return to human territory," Anyi explained.

She was still the same.

Audrey chuckled: "Alright, I'll trust you for now.

So humans can evolve like monsters.

Though you know me, I'll introduce myself politely.

I'm Audrey Celeste, an Elf. And you?"

"Sword Hero, Anyi Carl."

"Sword Hero? What's that?"

"Someone who uses a sword, very brave."

"Ha ha ha… very brave, I haven't heard that expression before," Audrey laughed.

"You don't seem worried I'm an enemy," Anyi observed without emotion.

Audrey shook her head: "Not worried.

Would an enemy hold me, hold my hand, and talk to me for so long?

Besides, your hand's been getting warmer.

You haven't even seen my face, yet your heart's racing; it's not love at first sight, but…

Excitement?

Are you going to tell me it's because of the reward?"

Anyi: "Yes, I'm excited because of the reward."

"Ha ha, don't steal my words!

I suddenly want to ask, do we know each other?" Audrey laughed.

"We do; I'm the human child you saved thirty years ago," Anyi said.

Audrey: "Thirty years ago? I was far from here thirty years ago! Where would a human child be in that deep abyss?!"

"Yes, I lied," Anyi said.

"You're interesting!" Audrey chuckled.

She had a good impression of this self-proclaimed "human"; though he spoke without emotion, his words amused her.

Perhaps she hadn't interacted with the outside world in too long?

This willingness to talk to her gave her an inexplicable sense of closeness.

Audrey smiled: "So, brave Anyi Carl, my mana is meager, but I can recover somewhat now.

Next, I'll dispel this 'fog'.

"Thank you for saving me, but you should escape as soon as possible.

This is my repayment; I'll hold off the monsters while you flee.

What technique did you use to increase your speed?

With your mana, you're no match for those monsters.

No, far from it.

You'd die here if you didn't escape.

I was about to be executed; you saved my life.

Now, I'll save yours.

We're even!

So, flee as fast as you can!"

"Is there no way I can carry you away at top speed?" Anyi asked.

"…Useless," Audrey's voice dropped. "There's nowhere left for me in this world.

Even if I escape, what good is living under the monsters' noses?"

"Have you forgotten what I said at the beginning?" Anyi asked again.

"What I said at the beginning…?" Audrey pondered.

Anyi waited patiently.

His Master was like that; selectively ignoring impractical statements.

Like an old-fashioned record, she used her own logic to understand everything.

It wasn't a problem; it suited her age.

The good thing was that she wouldn't stubbornly insist after knowing the truth; she was willing to accept new information.

Audrey thought: "You said you rescued me to fight back against the monsters, right?

Honestly, I don't want to discourage you; you seem strong, but you're far from capable of exterminating monsters.

This is only a border city; you don't know how strong the monsters within are, so you should abandon that idea."

"Then let me give you some crucial information," Anyi said.

"Go ahead," Audrey chuckled.

These were words she'd often said; she didn't expect to hear them from someone else.

"I'm stronger than you think," Anyi said.

...

[Fog] is a large-scale dark magic that can widely block creatures' senses.

Unless mana is overwhelmingly superior, even creatures with significant mana reserves are affected.

Eira, Sisrine, and even Ariana, with her 5000 mana, were affected.

The enemy had to prevent both escape and detection; a monster with extremely high mana was required.

Audrey was also affected.

Even in her previous life.

However, wind can dispel the fog.

Disrupting elements was the strength of wind.

But…

"Keep this fog; we need it more than the monsters," Anyi said.

"With the 'fog' here, I can't see anything.

My mana isn't strong enough to ignore the 'fog'," Audrey said.

"Yes, I know," Anyi nodded.

"And we can't move around carelessly; there are enemies everywhere," Audrey stated.

"Yes, I know," Anyi nodded again.

"If I act within the 'fog', the monsters will immediately know it's me and gather here.

They can sense mana; they'll know my location even without sight," Audrey continued.

"Yes, I know," Anyi nodded again.

Audrey sighed: "Fine… without monsters nearby, I can rest.

But they'll eventually find me and surround me.

The caster will know my location.

If they surround us, remember to escape; you said you want to fight back, so survive and do it.

Even if you die, I can't fight back."

She'd lost her fighting spirit.

Hundreds of years of escape had extinguished her hope.

Her people were gone; what good was fighting back?

Suddenly, Audrey sensed mana; a Class 5 or 6 monster was approaching!

"An enemy," Audrey moved from Anyi's embrace, extending her hand towards the approaching presence.

"Not an enemy.

Our reinforcements have arrived," Anyi said.

"Reinforcements? A monster?" Audrey frowned.

"No, a human," Anyi said.

From a distance, Ariana, radiating faint golden light, approached.

She held a small ball of slime, with a long, thin thread extending from it.

Surrounding monsters attacked each other, constantly risking breaking the thread.

But the severed threads quickly reconnected to the slime ball.

Ten minutes prior.

Ariana had been unsure how to find Anyi, then received his message.

[Sword Hero: Holy Maiden, look at your right hand.]

Anyi didn't tell her to use Purification, implicitly trusting she'd use it to dispel the negative status effect.

Ariana looked at her right hand.

A patch of slime was on her palm, with some dripping onto the ground.

[Sword Hero: Come find me.

Holy Hero: Dispelling!]

On her way, she inquired about the others.

Sisrine and Sephie were fine; the rocks had air holes for breathing.

Layton and Eira had jumped into the crowd and found refuge in another building.

Due to low mana and maneuvering through the monsters, the enemy hadn't locked onto their position.

The monster buildings weren't flimsy; if a monster was crushed against a wall, it was the monster, not the wall; the sturdy structures prevented injury.

Hilo's latest update:

Level 28.

She was apparently slaughtering Class 3 and 4 monsters.

Everyone was impressed; despite being blind, deaf, and anosmic, she charged into the monsters.

She just hacked and slashed until there were no more enemies.

Eira reminded her to conserve stamina for the escape.

Hilo replied: [No problem, I'm recovering stamina by eating monster meat!]

She seemed to have become a scavenger.

Ariana moved forward, the slime ball in her hand growing from a drop to the size of a fist.

Finally, she reached a building, seeing Anyi and Audrey at the entrance.

"She's here," Anyi said.

"I know," Audrey nodded.

Ariana had planned to use [Purification] on them but noticed something upon approaching…

Audrey's clothes were soaked!

The thin prison garb clung to her body, accentuating her perfect figure; the white cloth was so wet it was almost transparent, revealing her skin!

"So… so… so big!"

She whispered, unheard.

Then, Ariana used [Purification] on Anyi first.

Anyi's eyes regained focus; he'd been facing the entrance to guide Ariana.

Looking at Ariana, he saw her astonished expression.

"What?" Anyi asked.

Ariana, as if discovering treasure, pointed at Audrey: "Anyi, look!"

Anyi glanced.

"…" He looked away.

What are you trying to show me?!

Isn't this a little indecent?!

"Don't you think it's amazing?!" Ariana exclaimed excitedly.

Anyi: "..."

Audrey could hear him, so…

She didn't dare speak.

Audrey didn't know what was happening but soon felt Anyi put a cloak around her.

Then, she felt mana enveloping her; her senses quickly returned to normal.

Seeing Ariana for the first time, she was also captivated.

This child… more beautiful than an Elf!

"She's our human Holy Maiden," Anyi introduced Audrey.

Even though her recent actions weren't very holy.

Ariana bowed politely: "Greetings, I am… gah, the Holy Hero, Ariana Aldrich."

Since the other party was an Elf who'd been in hiding for hundreds of years, she probably didn't know about the Aldrich family.

"Holy Hero?

Using holy power, very brave?" Audrey was confused, turning to Anyi.

She'd seen Ariana first, now Anyi.

That one glance sent a chill down her spine.

She couldn't describe the feeling; looking into his eyes was like a sword piercing her soul.

She'd doubted the "human's" boast, but now she knew this young man…

Was terrifyingly powerful!

This was the intuition of a former top-tier world powerhouse.

Ignoring the underlying implication of "Who's left to use?!", Audrey remained stunned.

This gentle person was also terrifying?!

"What is it?" Anyi noticed her gaze.

"Nothing, I… believe what you said," Audrey smiled beautifully.

"That's good," Anyi nodded.

"Um… you haven't introduced yourself…" Ariana said pitifully to Audrey.

Audrey nodded: "I apologize; I was rude.

I am Audrey Celeste, an Elf.

I don't know your plans, but you rescued me, and you possess unique abilities.

Tell me, how can I help?"

By "unique abilities," she meant Anyi's speed and Ariana's [Purification].

Helping others deal with [fog] was new to her.

It could only be dispelled with overwhelming mana.

Ariana's mana clearly wasn't stronger than the caster's.

Anyi nodded: "I want… you to help us kill monsters.

Now."

"Okay!" Audrey didn't hesitate.

Instinctively, she raised her hand, preparing to draw her sword.

Her sword was bound to her soul; as long as it wasn't destroyed, she wouldn't die; it would appear wherever she willed.

But with this gesture, Anyi's cloak slipped to the ground.

Audrey: "Huh?"

Ariana: "Wow!"

Amazing, no matter how many times she saw it!

"Hmph…" Audrey glanced at Anyi.

Anyi ignored her, turning to examine the soot on the wall.

"Noticing?" Audrey narrowed her eyes.

Ariana covered her eyes but peeked through her fingers: "I didn't see anything!"

Audrey: "Nobody asked.

Never mind, it's fine."

Even if he hadn't seen anything.

Audrey picked up the cloak, put it back on, and headed towards the building's exit.

"Don't go too far! The skill's effect will disappear!" Ariana called.

Audrey didn't reply, just waved her hand.

Ariana approached Anyi, whispering: "Anyi, that was amazing!"

Anyi remained silent: "Why do you insist on telling me?"

Ariana retorted confidently: "Good things should be shared!"

Anyi: "..."

Go, let me see your good things.

No, have some decency!

"Men and women are different; it's indecent to look at another's body," Anyi lectured.

"Oh…" Ariana nodded, not quite understanding.

Appreciating beauty together wasn't wrong, right?

The temple had nude female murals, and everyone appreciated them!

She'd just seen a figure as exquisite as those murals!!

Not looking was a waste!

Audrey, with her superior hearing, heard their "loud secret plotting," a smile on her face.

It was unclear what she was thinking.

"Whoooosh Whoooosh Whoooosh Whoooosh—"

Something fell from the sky, creating a whistling sound.

"Swish Swish Swish—Clang!"

An old longsword landed on the ground; Audrey picked it up, turning to call into the building.

"Let's go, let's hunt those monsters hiding in the shadows."