Silver Moon and the Mute Girl

Putting everything aside, just the fact that the Mute Girl can hover in the air during her rampage is far beyond what Ryan can achieve at the moment.

Over the past year of grueling training in the Demon Realm Forest, Ryan had no idea how many low-tier demon beasts he had slain. He had thought he was progressing quickly, but to his surprise, without realizing it, he had already been overtaken by a little girl who followed him around every day.

Ryan was sure that if he were to face the Mute Girl in her berserk state, he would not be her match in a single blow. What kind of monstrous talent does she possess?

With this thought, Ryan sent a mental message to Silver Moon: "What have you been hiding from me?"

Upon hearing Ryan's question, Silver Moon chuckled lightly. "Heh, I thought you'd forgotten about me. It's the first time you've taken the initiative to contact me since stepping into the Demon Realm Forest. What, missing me?"

Ryan didn't care about Silver Moon's mocking tone and pressed on, "Don't tell me the Mute Girl's rampage has nothing to do with you."

He didn't believe that the Mute Girl had grown so rapidly without some kind of guidance. It was easy to guess that Silver Moon was likely involved.

Silver Moon, seeing that Ryan didn't want to indulge in small talk, answered without hesitation, "Yes! You're right. This is indeed related to me. Who else could have such abilities?"

"Just as I expected! When did you teach her how to cultivate?" Ryan asked curiously.

"When you first arrived in the Demon Realm Forest, I passed on a set of techniques to her," Silver Moon answered without concealing anything.

"What? You did it back then… So, the Mute Girl knew about your existence at that time?" Ryan realized that he was becoming more and more perplexed by the two women around him. If the Mute Girl had already learned Silver Moon's techniques back then, she had been hiding this too well.

To him, Silver Moon's actions were nothing too strange, but he had never imagined that the Mute Girl, whom he had always regarded as a younger sister, could keep such a secret. He felt inexplicably disappointed.

Silver Moon, sensing the hint of suspicion in Ryan's tone, slowly explained, "She didn't know about me. I passed on the techniques to her while she was sleeping. The special thing about these techniques is that they don't need to be practiced through combat. Instead, they are cultivated while dreaming. This unique method of cultivation means that in order to manifest the techniques, an appropriate trigger is needed—something like what happened today. She used the technique in a desperate situation to protect you. It seems she has already gained a basic grasp of the technique, so you don't need to suspect her."

Silver Moon's explanation eased Ryan's mind a lot. It turned out that the Mute Girl hadn't intentionally kept secrets from him, but had simply never been able to manifest the results of her dream cultivation until now.

For her, it might have just been a dream at night. Moreover, the quiet Mute Girl could only nod or shake her head, unable to express many things. It seemed that he had overthought the situation.

With this in mind, Ryan abruptly changed the subject, "Such a powerful technique—why didn't you teach me?"

Ryan wasn't jealous of the Mute Girl having such a powerful technique; he was more upset that Silver Moon had favored her over him. It looked like the Mute Girl's techniques were far stronger than his Phantom Step.

Silver Moon couldn't help but laugh at Ryan's words. This kid is really an ungrateful little brat!

Not wanting to waste more time on these trivial matters, Silver Moon said with an air of mischief, "If you want to learn, I can teach you right now. But, I'll have to erase your memory of Phantom Step first. You'd have to start from scratch. And after you learn this technique, you won't be able to cultivate elemental powers anymore. As for when you'll be able to perform this technique like the Mute Girl, that depends on your luck. The same method doesn't work for everyone. Although this technique is powerful, not everyone can cultivate it. If you're willing, I won't hold back."

Ryan was almost enraged to the point of fainting. "What? Forget about Phantom Step? And I can't cultivate elemental powers anymore? Hmph! I knew it wouldn't be so easy to get something from you!"

Although he said this, Ryan knew that with Silver Moon's personality, if the technique were truly suitable for him, she would have taught him long ago. Since she passed it on to the Mute Girl, there must be a reason behind it. His request for the technique was simply driven by greed and curiosity.

Now that he knew he wasn't meant to learn it, he stopped thinking about it. Ryan then asked again, "By the way, what technique is the Mute Girl cultivating?"

Silver Moon thought for a moment but didn't directly answer. Instead, she mysteriously smiled and said, "You can ask her tomorrow!"

Just then, a leaf floated out from the pendant around Ryan's neck, gently drifting toward the Mute Girl's forehead before disappearing.

As the leaf vanished, the Mute Girl's frail body gave a slight tremor, and she soon returned to calm.

Ryan focused all his attention on Mute Girl, and as he gazed at her youthful face, he found himself lost in thought.

There was an inexplicable feeling that the little girl in front of him had unknowingly become a part of his life. Just looking at her gave him a sense of security.

Though she appeared gentle, Mute Girl had an inner strength and determination. In moments of life and death, she had chosen not to abandon him, even stepping forward to protect him with her small frame.

Thinking about this, Ryan felt a pang in his heart. He stood up, carefully wrapped a large piece of meat that had been roasted on the campfire, and placed it beside Mute Girl's pillow. Gently, he patted her head and murmured, "Mute Girl, no matter how many secrets you have, you will always be my sister. If anyone tries to harm you, they'll have to step over my dead body first."

Ryan then silently returned to his spot, took a piece of meat, and chewed it while staring at the stone wall illuminated by the fire. For the first time since leaving Sweet Spring Town, he felt a sense of home. He even thought of his sister, Leah, who used to argue with him often. "I wonder how she's doing now?"

As the campfire slowly dimmed, Ryan fell into a half-conscious sleep, consumed by thoughts of longing.

It wasn't until the next morning that he was awakened by a sudden sharp pain that spread through his body.

He opened his eyes to see Mute Girl carefully tending to his wound, which had already scabbed over.

Seeing Ryan awake, Mute Girl's lips curled into a happy smile. Ryan, still focused on her head, asked, "How come you're up so early? You looked tired yesterday. Are you feeling better now?"

As Ryan watched Mute Girl, waiting for her response, he suddenly heard a sweet voice come to his ears, "Brother, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"What... what's going on? Are you talking to me?" Ryan rubbed his eyes in disbelief and stared at Mute Girl.

"Of course, it's me, brother! I'm Mute Girl! I didn't think you'd actually be able to hear me," she replied, pulling a playful face at him, looking very pleased.

Ryan's expression was a bit odd compared to her happiness because he didn't see Mute Girl moving her lips like a normal person speaking.

However, the voice was definitely communicating with him, and it felt strangely similar to Silver Moon's telepathy, though there was a slight difference he couldn't quite place.

Sensing Ryan's confusion, Mute Girl explained, "Brother, it's really me. I don't know exactly how this happened, but I'll tell you what I know."

She then shared her strange experience over the past year with Ryan. She revealed that the night they arrived in the Demon Domain Forest, she had a strange dream. In the dream, a man in black gave her a set of techniques that were easy to learn, and she mastered them quickly. However, the next morning, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't perform the techniques.

This part of the story aligned with what Silver Moon had told Ryan. He was already aware of it. "And then what happened?" Ryan asked eagerly.

"I thought it was just a dream, not worth taking seriously, so I didn't pay it much attention, though I was a bit disappointed. I had hoped that if I could learn the technique from the dream, at least I wouldn't be a burden to you," Mute Girl said, looking at Ryan with a bit of regret.

Ryan smiled and ruffled her head. "Ha, in the end, didn't you still manage to learn it? Not only did you not hold me back, but you also saved me."

"How... how did you know?" Mute Girl looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ryan awkwardly rubbed his nose and replied, "I guessed. If you hadn't learned the technique, how could you have killed the Golden Claw Giant Bear? If it wasn't important, you wouldn't have told me, right?"

Mute Girl nodded. "Yes! After that, I practiced every day in my dreams, but even so, for over a year, I couldn't perform the technique. Then, when I saw you in danger yesterday, I panicked. You're my only family now, and I can't lose you. I had to save you. That's when, almost by instinct, I returned to the dream, and I somehow managed to perform the technique. That's how I killed the giant bear."

Upon hearing this, Ryan finally believed that Silver Moon had not lied to him. "So how did you learn this method of communication?"

Ryan had some guesses. He suspected it might have something to do with the leaf from yesterday, but he was still curious about what exactly happened.

Mute Girl explained, "It's not exactly speaking. My voice is directional. For example, when I talk to you, no one else can hear it, and you don't have to speak aloud to communicate with me. It's related to the technique I'm cultivating. Last night, I dreamed of the man in black again. He said I had made progress and taught me the second part of the technique. That's how you can hear me now. I've learned the second part of the technique."

She looked at Ryan, eagerly awaiting his response.

Ryan now understood. "No wonder Mute Girl's way of speaking felt similar to Silver Moon's."

After a long silence, he finally spoke. "This is a good thing. Maybe it's a rare opportunity for you. Don't give up, keep practicing. I believe you'll grow stronger and stronger."