Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Phil appeared in the sky above a quiet, ordinary forest.

The cool moonlight shone down again, illuminating the lush canopy and swaying shadows below. The devastating battlefield just moments before seemed like nothing more than a nightmare.

Phil's eyes slowly turned to a certain direction deep in the forest, his gaze piercing through layers of branches and leaves, as if he could look directly into the folds of time and space.

"Time Witch, Vivian." Phil's voice rang out in the silent night sky, not loud, but with a peculiar penetrating power, clearly echoing in the forest, full of warning: "Don't get in my way."

A night breeze rustled through the treetops. There was no response. The forest remained asleep, as if the warning, imbued with the will of war, had been nothing but a hollow illusion.

He didn't say anything more, and even showed indifference towards the mysterious disappearance of the hero Xiling.

Phil turned and disappeared into the night.

......

My name is Xiling, and my profession is a hero—the kind of hero who truly saves the world from suffering! Sounds cool, right?

In my long journey as a hero, I once thought that a bronze skeleton soldier who had been guarding the exit of the newbie village for two whole years was my destined nemesis.

Two whole years! More than seven hundred days and nights! I even dreamed about how to dismantle that creaking skeleton and use its skull as a chamber pot!

However, when I became stronger, that skeleton soldier actually retreated without a fight.

I thought that this farcical prelude had finally come to an end, and the magnificent, epic life of a hero should finally begin.

I never expected this! My heroic journey almost ended abruptly with a blood-red punctuation mark right from the very first page!

Skeleton Soldier Brother! I was too loud before! I was ignorant! I misunderstood you! Looking back now, you're not a nemesis at all, you're clearly a human get-out-of-jail-free card for newbies! Thank you so much! Because of you, the four seasons are warm!

The Faded One looked at Xiling, who had just left and was now striking a strange pose on the ground. He was puzzled at first, then poked the person with the tip of his staff, and was immediately met with a fierce glare.

The person whose skin had faded wasn't frightened by what they saw; instead, they asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiling used her arms to prop herself up and flipped herself over so that her face was facing up.

"I've been sniped."

"Sniping?" The Faded One raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm, an unexpected encounter with the Lord of War, a monster of unparalleled strength."

Xiling subconsciously raised her hand and touched the area of ​​her heart on her chest.

The clothes there were intact, the skin was smooth, the muscles were firm, and the heartbeat was steady and strong.

The terrifying penetrating wound caused by that blood-red gunshot, which seemed capable of obliterating the very concept of existence, along with the body that was instantly destroyed, was silently repaired during the teleportation process by the hero's cheat-like characteristic—"unyielding will, never dying"—as he was sent back to safety.

Xiling didn't think much about the injuries he had just sustained. He was currently thinking, thinking very seriously, about what to do next.

Should we immediately go back and fight them to the death?

Xiling thought it best to forget about it.

He always felt that something was off about the hero's storyline on his side.

The biggest doubts hit him hard: the two locals he met—the one with the mysterious voice and the one who was the Lord of War—both knew he was a hero!

Kind of outrageous.

In theory, every hero is sent to this world in response to a distress signal from a specific endangered world.

These worlds are like isolated islands scattered in the endless void, cut off from each other and unable to communicate.

This means that the natives of this world should not have any conceptual understanding of the outsider identity of the hero and the mechanism behind it, let alone accurately identify it like a roll call.

But what was the result? The voice called out affectionately, and Phil even delivered a direct verdict! They seemed to have a deep understanding of the hero.

There are too few clues! Apart from the strange revelation of his identity, there is only the last, enigmatic warning from the voice before it faded away: "Don't be fooled by appearances."

An illusion? Is it just a facade of a world that seems relatively peaceful for the time being?

Or... something else?

Xiling stood up, ignoring the Faded One beside her, and walked to the table to sit down.

The world is on the verge of collapse... The invisible string is stretched to its limit... Only by finding the true way to save it can the Demon King be defeated...

Xiling repeated the sentence in her mind.

I'm reminded of Phil's words, "You shouldn't have set foot here, brave man."

"Should I not have set foot here?"

Xiling muttered to herself, her fingers unconsciously tapping rapidly on the table, making a soft, rhythmic sound. "The Lord of War... Phil... the embodiment of war... What kind of world is this?!"

Seeing Xiling's brows furrowed into a knot, her fingers almost pounding a hole in the table, the Faded One shrugged helplessly. He silently picked up the kettle, poured a glass of water, and gently pushed it next to the spot where Xiling was tapping. The water in the glass rippled with the vibration.

Then the Faded Ones began to study the magic of the stars.

He hasn't really studied the Star Magic much yet, and hasn't really learned it seriously.

However......

The man who had faded rubbed his temples, rolled his eyes helplessly over the heavy tome, sighed as he listened to the rambling beside him, and put the book down.

“Hey,” the Faded One tapped the table, making a crisp sound, trying to get Xiling’s attention, “I’m telling you, there’s no point in you getting stuck on this point by yourself. Why don’t you explain it to me in detail? Let’s analyze it together?”

Xiling finally stopped moving, raised her head blankly, looked at the faded one and then looked out the window. Hmm, judging from the height, it was one or two in the morning, the time when night owls are most energetic.

So Xiling decisively typed out what had happened that day in the chat group.

Sure enough, a group of night owls didn't sleep at all.

[I Don't Want to Be the Hero Anymore]: "That's roughly how things are."

[I am the Savior]: "I smell a storm brewing."

[Warrior Chasing Fire]: "This is clearly a huge crater."

[I'm not a foodie]: "Hey Xiling, are you alright now?"

[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore]: "Don't worry, it's a small matter, a minor injury. It was just when I was exposed... um... it hurt a little."

【Wheelchair Sniper God】: "The core problem lies in the information asymmetry. The other side clearly has information about you, and even knows the hero mechanics themselves. On the other hand, you know almost nothing about them. The information gap is too large, and any speculation at present lacks a basis."

[The Great Magician Faded One]: "Agreed"

[The Great Magician Faded One]: "You don't even know what these two represent, so there's no point in guessing."

The Faded One looked at Xiling, who was lying face down in the room, and said, "No information, stop speculating."

Xiling let out a long sigh, like a deflated balloon.

That makes sense, but the feeling of being kept in the dark and then getting a beating is really discouraging.

"Speaking of which, you can't go back to your hometown now. If you go back, you'll be back in the same place. Is that alright?" the faded one asked with some concern.

Xiling listlessly lifted her eyelids and glanced at him: "How would I know..." Her voice trailed off, full of a sense of resignation and giving up.

Seeing Xiling's unyielding attitude, the Faded One almost choked. "You! Aren't you worried at all?!"

Xiling turned to look at the faded one with a puzzled expression. "What are you worried about?"

The faded one said seriously, "What if you get surrounded? What if those guys surround you there?"

“Then let’s fight it out,” Xiling said matter-of-factly.

Despite having just been shot through the body, Xiling spoke as casually as if she were saying, "There's a rock at the door? Just move it."

Those who have faded are like deflated balloons: "You were just defeated, how can you be so confident you can make it back?"

Xiling held up a finger and shook it. "First, I wasn't defeated; I was just hit by a move. Second, how can I save the world if I lack confidence? How can I be a good hero?"

Seeing Xiling's serious expression, the Faded One shrugged. "I'm not a hero, how would I know about you guys?"

The Faded One picked up his magic book again.

Xiling glanced at the Faded Ones studying diligently, while she herself lay there like a salted fish.

"Tsk..." Xiling pouted, then sat up with a jerk. "Fine, fine, being a lazy bum won't solve anything."

Xiling waved casually, her tone as relaxed as if she were going out for a stroll:

"Ah Tui, I'm leaving!"

The next second, it disappeared from the spot.

The Faded One sighed heavily when he saw Xiling leave so directly.

He wanted to go and help, but from Xiling's description, it was not a battlefield he could set foot on. If he went there rashly, he would not only be unable to help, but would also become a burden that needed to be protected.

"I hope nothing happens."

The faded one prayed this in his heart.

......

It's not the Green Green Grassland.

It was not a battlefield of iron and blood.

Beneath my feet was soft earth, and the air was filled with the unique scent of the forest, a blend of earth, decaying wood, and fresh plants.

The tall trees cast swaying shadows in the moonlight.

Everything seemed...too normal, too quiet, too ordinary.

Xiling looked around, but apart from the rustling of leaves in the night wind and the faint chirping of unknown insects in the forest, there was no other sound. He looked up, puzzled—

Above, three moons of different sizes, radiating a soft, clear light, hung quietly in the deep sky.

"They just...left like that? Without even leaving anyone to keep watch?"

Xiling was even more confused now. He had only been gone for less than half an hour, and the other party had shot him and then disappeared.

Xiling closed her eyes.

Buzz—! A massive amount of magical power instantly surged and spread out from him as a silent tide! Invisible tentacles spread rapidly, penetrating dense forests, skimming over streams, meticulously sensing every energy fluctuation and every life force within a radius of tens of kilometers.

The feedback is back. There was no ambush, no lurking killing intent, but a few faint human life signals were detected on the outskirts of the forest—they seemed to be ordinary night travelers or wanderers?

One of the more perceptive individuals seemed to sense the sweeping magical energy. His aura noticeably fluctuated, and then... his footsteps suddenly quickened, carrying a clear sense of vigilance and distance, as he rapidly moved away from the center of his perception.

"So... she's really gone?" Xiling opened her eyes, her confusion deepening rather than diminishing.

This feeling of starting strong but ending weak was even more unpleasant for him than being ganged up on.

Xiling pondered for two seconds before stopping, and then decisively strode toward the people he sensed.

"Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. I hate information gaps... Let's go find some information where there are lots of people first."

-

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Please give me two more tickets!

Watashi can do anything!!

Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Hero Enters the City and Encounters Strange People (8k)

A small team of four people is traveling through the forest.

The leader was a young man, whose face was tense and whose eyes were scanning the dense forest behind him warily.

Not long ago, an indescribable, massive magical shockwave, like an invisible tsunami, spread violently from the very heart of the forest without warning.

That seemed to herald the arrival of some being, and its instantaneous confirmation of everything within this realm.

Such blatant probing is unsettling; it's best to stay away from the school as soon as possible.

"Let's quicken our pace!" the young leader shouted in a low voice, his tone carrying an undeniable urgency.

Before he finished speaking, a blue magical aura rose from beneath his feet, and his body seemed to be propelled by an invisible wind, his speed more than doubling in an instant.

The young man offered no explanation, nor did he need one—the other three, without the slightest hesitation, activated their magic and followed closely behind him, silently traversing the forest at high speed.

Their only goal was the city of Calso ahead.

The speed of the group was like that of ghosts to ordinary people, but Xiling behind them was even faster.

With one step, his figure appeared more than ten meters away.