After mastering the resurrection technique, they begged me to extend their lives.

My mentor once said, "When you meet someone you care about, you must first bind yourself to them, no matter what means you use. Like a vine that twines around your heart."

"We witches have a limited youth, and to reach greater heights, we must not let love corrupt our virginity in the first half of our lives. Therefore, when we meet someone important, we must first consider whether they are someone we truly admire, and judge the rationality of our pursuit from all angles. After all—"

"The Witch's Love: Zero Tolerance for Mistakes."

The words of his mentor, Gray Mist, lingered in his ears.

It's too early to say that I admire my boss.

But Hela considers herself a "wicked witch" who greatly admires strength and knowledge.

(This has nothing to do with being a looks-obsessed person).

In her eyes, anyone who can unleash divine magic beyond comprehension is worthy of worship.

Moreover, the other person is close to his age, or even a little younger.

At Egret Academy, there are so many students in the same grade, and geniuses shine like stars, their brilliance constantly fading.

There are masters who can unleash the Five Rings spell, and there are also geniuses who can enhance and perfect existing spells.

But when it comes to bringing the dead back to life, looking across the Magic Academy and the Mage Tower, I'm afraid no one can actually do it.

The mysterious knowledge is fascinating and has nothing to do with the boss's stunning appearance.

[After all, it was my mentor's instruction, so I did as he instructed; it shouldn't be wrong.]

Miss Hela always had a way of convincing herself.

"Alright, I understand your request, but the Raven Messenger is really not very useful to me. I don't currently have anyone I absolutely need to contact through a messenger."

An Xiao was about to refuse when she heard Yubora get anxious and flap her wings, saying in a warm voice:

"Great, divine mage! Please judge me first! I am not a mere messenger!"

"……OK."

Helpless, An Xiao respectfully spent 1 Mana to use the Appraisal Eye Technique on Yubora.

"The Gaze of Creation"

[Yubora Dark Raven, LV13, Beast]

[Intelligence: High]

[Talents: Flattery SSS, Eagle Eye A, Enhanced Smell S, Low-Altitude Flight A, Endurance B, Shadow Affinity A]

[Skills: Black Crow Mark, Shadow Vision, Tracking, Feather Strike, Shadow Arrow (First Ring).]

"Oh?"

Seeing such a peculiar panel, An Xiao couldn't help but feel slightly surprised.

Based on experience, wild beasts that have gained intelligence can be called spiritual beasts.

Once a spirit beast takes human form, it can become a demi-human.

If the raven Yubora has a transformation option in its attributes, it means that it is a spirit beast that can grow, not just a simple messenger.

"How about it, boss? I told you so, didn't I? Yubora is very smart. If it follows you, it will definitely be able to make full use of its abilities."

"..."

Faced with the witch's strong recommendation, An Xiao chose to wait and see.

Of course, the best approach is to first collect all the treasures on the table and then study them.

"One-month trial period. If it doesn't cause me any trouble, I'll consider extending its life. Hela, your offer is enough for me to cast a divine spell."

An agreement was reached quickly.

Yuborah flapped her wings happily, a grin spreading across her thin little face—

"Mute! My Lord, from now on you may call me 'Little Darkness'."

"Can."

A new identity, a new nickname.

Against the backdrop of background noise in the tavern, An Xiao and the witch raised their glasses and lightly clinked them together, as if to say that the transaction was complete.

Before leaving, Hela once again turned her gaze to Airi on the side.

"Your sister has such a lovely voice, she must be a beautiful young woman, right? Why does she dress so warmly like you when you're out? Is it for safety reasons?" she asked, puzzled.

"Mm." An Xiao nodded.

Glancing at the girl dressed in a simple dress, with her hair tied up and wrapped in a burlap headscarf, I couldn't help but feel that such an outfit was indeed a bit of a disservice to her.

Fortunately, once she leaves Stardust Harbor, Airi can shed her disguise and regain her freedom to dress as she pleases.

"Once we leave port and head to our next destination, everything will be back to normal."

"Where would the boss like to go?"

The three of them got up, paid for their drinks, and chatted as they walked out.

"The current plan is the Endedes Wasteland."

An Xiao had no intention of hiding anything from the sincere little witch.

"What! Is it a place that exciting...?"

A multitude of legends about this place came to mind.

Black fog storm, white bones, undead beasts, vengeful spirits, intangible monsters, obelisk forbidden zone, and black rain that never dissipates.

Since the sinking of this ominous place, it has been occupied by inanimate objects.

Because the surface resources were plundered by the Holy Kingdom of Galatia, all that remained was a scene of crisis and devastation.

"Boss, I used to be a member of the Planeswalkers' Guild, so I'd say I'm a travel enthusiast. Although your background and expertise in magic might be a good fit for living in Endeddes, I still have to warn you, it's far too dangerous there..."

Hela was filled with sorrow and hesitated to speak.

How dangerous is it?

An Xiao glanced sideways.

"Personally, I think individuals with a combat rank below 40, or teams with an average level below 35, should not venture there, even to the border."

Hela gave a conservative answer.

"Yeah?"

The group strolled down a path, heading towards the Stardust Harbor branch of the Adventurers' Guild.

An Xiao seemed to be deep in thought.

It matches my expectations.

My original plan was to check the information on the task board, gather some useful intelligence, and see which information would be helpful to me.

I've always been in the habit of breaking tasks down into smaller segments—

For example, if you want to develop in Endedes, you and your team members must first meet the average level of LV35 before making any plans.

To achieve this goal, we need to consider how to enhance our combat strength and improve the overall combat level of the team.

The first goal is to revive the Wind Sword Maiden; the second is to obtain the pterosaur's corpse; the third is to acquire the golem's scythe weapon; and finally, to wipe out Lilia's lair, ideally starting a new journey with a full fortune.

Endedes is geographically remote, and without sufficient preparation, it's easy to die there and not be able to return.

and so.

He stopped in his tracks and suddenly shifted his gaze to the left in the narrow alley.

He looked at the little witch who had been following him and seemed to have no intention of leaving.

A wicked thought began to brew in his mind.

He started to work on the rhetoric of cannibalism.

He pulled down his hood, revealing a pair of deep green eyes, and was about to say something under someone's suddenly stunned and staring gaze—

Without warning, a creaking sound of joints grinding came from both ends of the passageway.

The three of them frowned simultaneously and looked to either side.

In the deserted alley, two figures wielding heavy weapons completely blocked the group.

"The Gaze of Creation - Open".

An Xiao reacted quickly, narrowing her eyes to gather information about the newcomer as fast as possible.

[Corpse Puppet - No. 897, Deep Sea Shield Warrior, LV32 (Attributes reduced by 70%)]

[Positioning: Heavy melee combat/tank]

[Weapons: One-handed vertical shield, silver axe]

[Made from the skeleton of a massive ancient soldier, its outer armor is thick and covered with deep-sea moss. It possesses extremely high HP and physical defense, making it impenetrable to ordinary swords and blades.]

[Skills: Shield Charge, Earthshatter (stuns on hit within 30 yards), Triple Defense (Psionic Armor), Roar of Deterrence (mid-range attack reduction).]

-

[Corpse Puppet - No. 898, Rust Devourer, LV31 (Attribute Reduction 68%)]

[Position: Melee/Mid-range DPS]

[The six-legged lizard that lies submerged on the seabed has an asymmetrical body, pieced together from different skeletons. Although it makes a creaking sound when it moves, its ability to strike at high speed should not be underestimated.]

[Weapons: Long claws, slime (high threat)]

[Skills: Claw Strike, Acid Spray (Poison Tier 2), Tail Sting (Venom Tier 1), Rust Spread (Places a Tear status effect after a Claw Strike hits the target).]

"...Wow."

Seeing the ferocity of the approaching force, one pushed forward head-on while the other flanked from the side, and even after the discount, their level remained so high.

An Xiao dared not be negligent.

He was trying to figure out how his disguise had been exposed.

Behind them, a witch held her staff horizontally in front of her chest, protecting An Xiao and Airi in the most reassuring way.

……

……