6. Arrival at Ulann

Date: July 19, 2025 - Jul 20, 2025

At night, the cold wind blew through the forest.

The campfire in the camp made a slight crackling sound.

In front of the fire, I kept holding the bow in my hand, my eyes never tired.

I had been practicing for three hours straight

—shooting at leaves, pebbles, and tracking branches swaying in the wind.

Every shot, I demanded precision. Every arrow, I had to release naturally.

[Congrats, Master!, your accuracy has increased +5]

[Current Status Panel]

Name: JessicLevel: 12 (0/2,000)

HP: 711/711

MP: 310/310

Attack: 50 (+20)

Defense: 10

Agility: 62 (+30)

Accuracy: 15 (+10)

Crit Rate: 8

Luck: 13

Party Members: Little System, Yin, Little Bun (temporary left)

Newbie Protection Remaining: 9 (Damage Immunity + Auto Counter)

I wiped the sweat off my brow and stood up.

"I can't lose again."

"I can't let anyone else be taken away from me again."

Yin sat to the side, silently watching me practice.

No words were spoken

—just quietly kept me accompany.

Neither of us slept that night.

—In The Next Morning

The mist hadn't lifted yet.

The forest was shrouded in damp gray.

We had just walked out the forest, barely 300 meters from Ulann City, when suddenly—

"Help!!!"

A girl's scream rang out in the distance.

I turned my head alertly,

and a group of green eyes flashed in the bushes in front of me,

revealing a low roar.

[Master!Master!]

[Enemy unit Detected: Venom fang Wolves × 8]

[Level-D]

[Skills: Tearing Claws, Corrosive Fangs, Collective Assault]

[Weaknesses: Weak area of the back, low resistance to light-based attacks]

The wolves approached silently,

with residual blood dripping from the corners of their mouths,

crouching on the ground,

and their muscles tensed.

I stared at the wolves. " let's go, Yin,."

"Yes."

He drew out his longsword,

stepping forward just in time to block the claws of the first wolf that rushed over.

Meanwhile, I raised my bow, quickly locking onto one of the backline wolves.

"Wind Blade!"

The arrow hit the wolf's belly, interrupting its charge.

Enraged, the remaining seven wolves turned and charged toward the two sisters.

''Calm down, Jessic.'' I kept my mind.

Eyes scanning the battlefield:

Three wolves surrounding the girls on the left.

One was entangled by Yin.

Four were flanking from the side.

"Pull the monster here! Pull them to me now!" I shouted.

I fired a series of Wind Blades in quick succession—targeting the center line.

Successfully attracting the hatred of two of the wolves.

[Venom fang Wolves' hatred on you increased.]

[Current targets: 4]

While retreating, I stepped on the tree roots,

accurately positioned myself,

and lured the wolf pack into the dislocation slowly.

"Wind Blade!"

When I took the opportunity to raise my hand, the system suddenly made a pinged.

[Congratulations, Master! you've acquired a new skill: Wind Aegis Peacock]

I shouted immediately!

"Wind Shield Peacock—Open!!"

A translucent green peacock shimmered behind me.

Its feathers gently unfurled,

and whenever a wolf leapt in,

the wings flared

—forming a wind shield that deflected their strikes.

[New Skill Acquired: Wind Shield Peacock]

[Effect: Generates a wind shield every 10 seconds.]

[Blocks the physical attack.]

[Duration: 60 seconds]

I kept shooting, redirecting, dodging lunges

—while supporting the sisters and coordinating with Yin's hatred pulls.

In just a few minutes, the wolves were killed one by one.

The last one was slashed by Yin's sword, blood splattered, and fell quietly to the ground.

Victory!!!.

[System Notification: Battle Cleared]

[Jessic levelled up: Lv12 → Lv17]

[Yin levelled up: Lv15 → Lv20]

[New Skill Unlocked: Yin – One Speed]

[Skill Fusion Available]

[Skill 1: One Style]

[Skill 2: One Speed]

[Combo: One speed + One Style Form – High-Speed Lunge Cleave]

The two girls were running up to us, bowing deeply. "Thank you... Thank you so much!."

I shook my head. "you two are safe now."

The elder sister hugged the younger tightly.

"We're from Ulann City."

"We came out here looking for Silver-bane Grass."

She pulled a carefully wrapped herb from her bag.

"This is it."

Three narrow, silver-edged leaves. Veins crisp and glowing faintly.

She whispered.

"The city's Real Stone was stolen a week ago.....The monsters controlling the water turned feral.''

''Now the water is contaminated with 'Mercury Poison'.''

''The strong men can endure it... but the elderly and children can't hold on for a few days."

"Our grandfather's was poisoned. The doctor said....if we don't find Silver-bane Grass soon, he won't make it."

"We had no choice. And we gambled our lives, hoping to get a luck."

I was silent for half a second and said softly, "you guys so dare!"

The sister gave a wry smile. "More like....scared of losing him faster."

I looked toward Ulann. "We're going there too. Let's go together. Jom!."

Then—

The four of us walked side by side, finally reaching the city gates.

As the mist cleared, Ulann City came into view

—The city wall was towering,

the broken real stone tower was broken in the middle,

and the flag of a mercenary group was planted on the corner tower.

[System Scanning....]

[Target Location: Ulann City]

[Status: Reorganised after Collapse]

[City Zones:]

[– Lowtown: Poor security, overrun by thieves]

[– Uptown: Noble estates, tightly guarded]

[– Guild Market: Information and item trading hub (Market)]

[– Arena: Underground fights and mercenary gathering spot]

"…A lost city should never be able to return to its former glory."

I sighed.

"Back when I played this game, I barely or never paid attention to the cities that had already fallen.'' ''Now, seeing this with my own eyes.....it feels really different."

Then it struck me. 

''Wait! You just said thieves?''

''In Low Town?''

''Bun could be there?!" 

A hope suddenly ignited my heart.

"Little System, can you scan for me. Bun? Is she here?!"

[Yes, Master. System scanning now.][Scanning Lowtown...][Little Bun is here][Confirmed: Bun is in this area, but I cannot get the exact location.]

My heart jumped faster.

"Yes.....she's here... Bun's really here!"

The elder sister turned to us.

"Let's stop here first. We really appreciated for saving us. We have to go to the Lowtown to find doctor for our Grandpa."

''Grandpa's illness can't be delayed any longer."

"Thank you, Sister!" the younger girl said, bowed deeply to me.

I nodded.

"Actually, we're going into Lowtown too... to find someone."

I clenched my fists.

"My.....my little sister was captured yesterday.''

''Those bastards said that if we want to find her, we have to come to Ulann City."

The elder sister suddenly tensed. "Wait....are there four people?"

I rushed forward and grabbed her collar:

"How do you know?! Are you in the same team with them?!"

She didn't struggle. Just looked me straight in the eye and said firmly,

"I can take you to find them."

I was stunned for a moment and slowly let go of my hand.

My chest seemed to be hit hard by something.

"So... Bun really is here."

I took a deep breath.

"Bun... just wait me."

"Sister is coming and bring you back."