together

It took Jaxon quite a while to recover.

Although the corpse didn't vanish, Jaxon certainly had no intention of disassembling it. As for the items on the bandit, the most valuable thing was probably the axe. However, after using his Appraisal Skill, Jaxon discovered that it was just a plain axe with pitiful attributes.

After composing himself, Jaxon continued on his journey.

The rest of the trip was not very peaceful either. He encountered three waves of bandits, all of whom were quite poor. By the time Jaxon had killed the last ones, his tolerance had grown significantly, and he no longer felt the urge to vomit.

In addition to bandits, Jaxon also encountered many monsters—both ordinary beasts and demons corrupted by miasma. Their levels were all above ten and below fifteen. With Jaxon's current equipment, killing these monsters posed no significant danger.

After all the bandits were killed, their corpses and the items they carried did not disappear. However, the situation was different for the monsters. Some of their corpses remained, while others vanished quickly, just like in Hermit Village.

Jaxon naturally did not let the remaining corpses go to waste. He disassembled them all and kept the results, planning to sell them in the county town for money. He was in desperate need of it.

Perhaps it was the attributes of the jade pendant that took effect. Throughout the day, Jaxon actually obtained two pieces of equipment from the monsters he killed. Although they were both the lowest-tier plain equipment, it was still an improvement over before.

"Legendary-tier equipment really is dominant," Jaxon muttered to himself as he was transported back to the real world.

The sudden increase in drop rates was naturally due to the jade pendant, and Jaxon was quite satisfied with its effects.

Hermit Village was indeed far from the county town. Since Jaxon was traveling on foot, by the time night fell and he was transported back to the real world, he still hadn't reached the county town. However, he was already close, and he should be able to arrive by noon tomorrow. It wouldn't delay his reporting.

"If only I had money. I'm sure that Liu, the grocer, has horses for sale. That would speed things up a lot, and I could have arrived today. No wonder the village elder told me to set off a day earlier. He probably knew I didn't have money to buy a horse and had to walk, so it would take more time," Jaxon thought as he lay in bed.

Jaxon realized that, whether in the real world or the game world, being without money was simply inconvenient. It seemed he needed to make money not only in reality but also in the game world.

In the morning, the number of people running on the Goldenleaf University track had noticeably increased, with many appearing to be freshmen. Among them, quite a few eyes were on the graceful figure running by.

"Good morning," Jaxon greeted as Chloe passed by.

"Good morning," Chloe replied indifferently, then turned her head and said, "Together?"

This was the first time Chloe had invited Jaxon to run together. In the past, although she would respond to Jaxon, she had never invited him to join her. As a result, Jaxon was actually a bit stunned when he heard Chloe's invitation.

"Sure," Jaxon finally reacted after a moment and naturally accepted the invitation.

The two ran side by side on the track. With Chloe beside him, Jaxon felt as if the air around them had become a bit fresher.

"Your barbecue is pretty good," Chloe spoke first.

"It is pretty good," Jaxon didn't feign modesty; there was no need: "If you want to eat some, you can come to my stall anytime. I'll treat you."

Chloe didn't respond and continued to run at a steady pace.

After a few laps, Jaxon noticed that Chloe's breathing was still even, her face looked normal, and she didn't seem exhausted like most people would be.

"Could she really be that strong?" Jaxon wondered to himself.

Previously, he had appraised Chloe but didn't gain much information. At that time, his strength was weak. Now, with his enhanced abilities from his equipment, he should be able to appraise Chloe's identity information. However, Jaxon resisted the urge to do so again. If Chloe discovered it, it would surely cause her to dislike him, which would be counterproductive.

Recalling the information from Kong Hailin, Jaxon speculated that Chloe might also practice some kind of technique. She and Kong Hailin were probably the same kind of people, which was why Kong Hailin had said before that he and they were not from the same world.

"You seem a bit different from before," Chloe's voice sounded again while Jaxon was lost in thought.

Although Chloe didn't have an appraisal skill, she had a certain ability to sense the strength of others. She could feel that Jaxon's aura seemed a bit stronger than before.

Chloe's perception was correct. Compared to before, Jaxon's level had increased slightly. He was now wearing three pieces of equipment—Golden Rat Coat, Flowing Cloud Boots, and Plain Brocade Pants—and also had the White Crane Jade Pendant. His strength had definitely improved.

"Different how?" Jaxon asked in return.

"Aura," Chloe said.

"Aura?" Jaxon was puzzled. His strength came from equipment and level boosts. He had limited power in himself and didn't understand the matters in Chloe's circle.

"Yeah," Chloe nodded but didn't elaborate further.

After another lap, Chloe stopped and said, "I'm off. See you."

"See you."

Although Jaxon was curious, he didn't want to press further. Moreover, Chloe had already finished her exercise, and he didn't want to hold her back.

"Aura? What does that mean? Can she really sense that I'm stronger than before?" Jaxon thought to himself as he continued his light jog.

Clearly, only Chloe could answer this question, but since she had already left, Jaxon had no choice but to let it go.

After finishing his exercise, Jaxon didn't leave Goldenleaf University. Instead, he went to his office. He had classes today, and it was his first lesson as a teacher. He certainly didn't want to be absent.

It was still early. The other teachers in the office hadn't arrived yet. Jaxon's desk was still in the same state as when he had left a few days ago. He tidied it up briefly, cleaned the office a little, and then returned to his seat to use the computer and surf the internet.

"Mr. Jaxon? You're here?" As the class time approached, Teacher Sun Yue was the first to enter the office. Seeing Jaxon in the office seemed to surprise him.