People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

The importance of a Chosen One to Bandle City is self-evident, and they cannot simply give up on them. That's why Mu Bai and Kasha took action today.

"We're about to enter the fog zone."

As the sun began to set, the two finally arrived at the Secret Forest, where thick fog obscured their surroundings, filling them with an aura of unknown dread. Kasha took a half-step to the side, ensuring she could intervene and protect Mu Bai at any moment.

"Stay close to me, or you might get lost."

"Oh." Mu Bai nodded, and subconsciously grabbed the icy-cold little hand.

The moment their fingers intertwined, the girl's body trembled, but she didn't let go. Instead, after hesitating for a moment, she responded even more forcefully.

This was the first time she had ever held hands with a man...

That warm feeling...it's so comforting.

“This… will work…” Kasha stammered, “Don’t let go… you’ll get lost…”

"Alright, I will never let go." Mu Bai chuckled, exerting a little force in his palm to squeeze that soft, smooth little hand. Although there was a void shell separating them, he could still clearly feel her original body.

This little gesture made Kai'Sa blush even more.

With their own thoughts, the two walked side by side along the path in the Secret Forest, carefully observing their surroundings, trying to find any clues that might indicate the search party was nearby.

However, before they could find the marks left by the investigation team, those damned void creatures gave them a "greeting gift."

Several arm-length spikes suddenly flew out from the thick fog. Fortunately, Kasha sensed the familiar aura in advance and pulled Mu Bai to dodge in time, successfully avoiding the first sneak attack.

Be careful!

Kasha steadied herself, energy accumulating in her shoulder pods before bursting forth a moment later.

The bright, scorching heat brought a piercing scream through the thick fog, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly awakening the monsters lurking in the shadows.

"Stay close to me!" the girl shouted, her Void Armor fully unfolding to cover her flawless face, her voice becoming hoarse. "Get inside the cave and block the entrance to fight!"

"There's no need for that."

Mu Bai shook his head, holding the girl's hand with his left hand and drawing the long sword from his waist with his right.

If there's fog, just blow it away.

If there are monsters, just kill them.

Chapter 85 Kill. Eat. Absorb.

The moment Stormrazor slid out of its sheath, Kai'Sa sensed an extremely dangerous aura, but it quickly disappeared—because the danger wasn't meant to harm her, but rather to protect her.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" She stared intently at the faint purple light appearing in the mist, her voice hoarse from being enveloped in the void, tinged with unease.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Mu Bai, but she was worried that the monsters in the Secret Forest were stronger, denser, and more difficult to deal with than elsewhere.

Moreover... just a week ago, Mu Bai almost died at the hands of a Void Sawtooth Beast, which made her even more worried.

"Don't worry, Miss Kasha. I'm confident."

Mu Bai casually waved his hand, summoning a wind barrier that could withstand the spikes, and then gently squeezed the small hand in his palm a few times.

"However... there's something I need to ask you."

“Yes, go ahead.” Kasha nodded seriously, a few streaks of light flashing across her arm.

Hold on to me.

"Huh?"

Before the girl could figure out the meaning of "hold on tight," the surrounding air was suddenly manipulated by a magical force, and large swaths of airflow condensed on the tip of the knife, compressed into a terrifying gas explosion point.

The next moment, a hurricane appeared.

The raging storm swept away everything in its path, and the thick fog was also drawn in and assimilated by the hurricane, instantly opening up a much wider field of vision.

The lush, sky-covering branches overhead were swept away by the strong wind, and the incessant rustling sound mingled with the screams of the void creatures. The afterglow of dusk shone on the mangled corpses, creating a horrifying scene.

Soon, the wind stopped.

Most of the monsters that launched the sneak attack were killed or wounded, and the few that survived immediately burrowed into the depths of the forest, no longer daring to harbor any further ambitions.

"This……"

Kasha stared in disbelief at the dispersing mist ahead, finally understanding what "hold on to me" meant.

If we don't hurry, she might get swept away by the hurricane...

"Alright, let's continue on our way." Mu Bai sheathed his sword and glanced at the girl.

It's a shame Kai'Sa isn't wearing a skirt, otherwise, with this strong wind, we'd definitely see something nice...

“Oh…” The girl nodded blankly and continued walking.

The fog had dissipated, but neither of them let go of the other's hand.

In situations like this, it's best to pretend you've forgotten. Opportunities to hold hands are rare; how can you let go so easily?

....................................

"Something's up."

Hesslia raised her hand, signaling the group behind her to stop. Then she quickly climbed a large tree beside her and looked as far as she could into the distance.

Because of the thick fog, she could hardly see the distant scenery, but based on the blurry shadows and unusual noises, she could still roughly guess some information—someone else had entered the Secret Forest.

Such destructive power... Is it a large reinforcement force coming to help?

Hesslia was overjoyed and quickly jumped down from the branch to share the good news with her exhausted teammates.

What the team needs most right now is this kind of uplifting good news to give the players, who are on the verge of collapse, renewed hope to keep going.

"Should we head in that direction now?" asked the oldest veteran in the group, "or stay put and wait?"

“Walk over there.”

Hesslia gave the order almost without hesitation. The team was already severely short of supplies, and those damned void monsters were still lurking in the mist, watching them menacingly. They couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Moving towards each other is the fastest way, everyone hang in there a little longer!"

"Whoa!" The team members raised their arms and shouted, and the team's morale was immediately restored.

"Advance for half an hour, then launch the signal flare." The female captain shouted to the orderly at the back of the column, then took off her helmet and took deep breaths of fresh air.

She tied her dark hair into a ponytail at the back of her head. The long hours of overwork had made her cheeks flushed and covered in sweat. She could feel the sweat trickling down her back, and the armor felt slightly cool against her skin.

The procession continued its advance in a grand manner, its steps much lighter than before, and the faces of the people showed less fatigue and more joy.

"Your perseverance far exceeds my expectations."

Yasuo stepped out from the middle of the group and walked to Hesslia's side. This was his first time working with this female swordsman, whose tenacity surpassed that of any swordsman he knew.

"It's just the basic qualities of a fearless vanguard," Hisslia replied casually, but a hint of pride lingered on her face. "Willpower was also one of the fundamental skills we trained for back then."

“Sounds great,” Yasuo laughed. “But I’ll lead the team from now on. You go to the middle of the group and relax.”

"You're here again... I just said this morning that I don't need it."

"The situation is different now."

What's the difference?

"The winds are different."

Yasuo casually picked up a fallen leaf, held it between two fingers, and the tip of the leaf swayed from side to side in the breeze.

An ordinary person might not see anything wrong at first glance, but as the sole inheritor of the Wind Control Sword Technique, he keenly sensed something unusual.

"There might be an old friend of mine in the reinforcements. That person is deliberately changing the airflow; I can sense it."

"Hmm? You can pinpoint that person's location?" Hearing this, Histalia was delighted again. "Then we don't need to fire the signal flare, so as not to disturb the dormant void monsters nearby."

"No, we'll probably still have to use the signal flares, just later and less often. I can't pinpoint the person's exact location, I only have a general direction," Yasuo corrected.

“That’s pretty good too.” Hesslia gave a hearty smile.

"Yes." Yasuo plucked the fallen leaf he had just picked up, then held the leaf root in his mouth. "So... who should lead the team now?"

"Do I have any other choice?" Hesslia smiled, gave a standard Demacian salute, and then returned to the middle of the team under the astonished gazes of her teammates.

....................................

Deep in the dense forest, a void creature about two meters tall slowly opened its eyes.

It resembled an insect, but not quite. Its body was illogical. Its limbs, flesh, shell, and claws didn't seem to belong to any living creature, and were encased in a glossy exoskeleton, its dark purple color resembling rotten fruit.

The air and sunlight distorted where it was close to its body, making it seem unapproachable.

"Left or right..."

"Two humans playing with the wind..."

"Kill it. Eat it. Absorb it."

The void monster flapped its wings forcefully, shaking off the remaining slime, before its twisted and powerful legs slammed into the ground. Its figure vanished into the dense forest in an instant.

Chapter 86 Teasing Kai'Sa

As night fell, the fog in the Secret Forest grew even thicker, more than twice as thick as during the day. At a glance, the fog seemed almost solidified, like a terrifying beast lurking in the shadows, ready to devour anyone who dared to be careless.

For this level of dense fog, relying solely on wind-controlling sword techniques is no longer sufficient to clear a path directly—even if you try your best to blow it away, the surrounding fog will immediately replenish itself, endlessly and meaninglessly.

Having traveled all day and been quite tired, Mu Bai and Kasha found a cave that looked relatively clean and took a short rest.

"We probably can't continue our journey today."

Kai'Sa sat by the cave entrance, carefully sensing the movements within the mist. Every rustling footstep represented a group of void creatures, and every slight energy fluctuation symbolized immeasurable danger.

"Let's wait here until dawn. I'll keep watch."

"Staying up late often will make your skin worse," Mu Bai said with a smile.

"Really? I haven't slept in a long time." Kasha blinked, touching her face with a puzzled expression. "I don't feel anything, it's like this all the time."

“…Okay, never mind.” Mu Bai suddenly realized that the girl in front of him didn’t need to sleep at all.

She has far more free time than the average person, and she endures several times more loneliness and solitude.

It's hard to imagine how someone could possibly survive for years alone in a godforsaken place like Icathia without being able to sleep... Anyone else would probably go crazy or be mentally twisted by now.