Chapter 63

The sun sets in the west, with the orange-red dusk emitting the last glimmers of today's twilight.

At the intersection between the Thousand Winds Temple and the Starsnatch Cliff, the rolling mountains are covered with dense forests stretching across the land. Numerous monsters are scattered across this region.

The Ruxi Tribe is a small tribe that recently relocated from Starsnatch Cliff. It consists of five Hilichurl Berserkers, three Hilichurl Shamans, and fifty Hilichurls. Originally, they didn't dare to come near this place, as the area was ruled by the larger Wugu Tribe, a medium-sized group far stronger than them.

However, recently, many unexpected events have occurred in this region. A sudden appearance of a dragon, the collapse of part of Starsnatch Cliff, and various other incidents have driven them away from their long-standing home. They moved to this unfamiliar area, hoping to find refuge under the wise and rational Wugu.

Under the thick forest canopy, in houses built from logs and scraps of cloth hastily assembled, three Shamans are discussing the tribe's future. Outside, five Hilichurl Berserkers lead their patrols nervously around the area. Having just moved here, they need to be extremely cautious. In this forest teeming with monsters, the weak are prey to the strong, and other monsters wouldn't hesitate to slaughter them and take their bodies back for food—perhaps even eating them raw.

"Is this the place?"

A voice echoed above the tribe.

Standing on a white cloud, Hiroshi took the map from Lumine's hand, tried to match it for a while, then gave up in frustration.

Looking down at the Hilichurl buildings hidden among the dense forest, Riku spoke thoughtfully, "Judging by the materials of their buildings, these monsters must have just recently moved here. It seems the Knights of Favonius have excellent scouts."

"Are you confident?" Hiroshi asked Riku while using his spiritual sense to scan below.

Closing his eyes, Riku focused on the messages brought by the wind.

"It should be fine," Riku said, as he let the wind envelop his body and leaped down from the cloud, slowly floating down.

Landing on the treetops, Riku signaled to the two above and then turned to observe the monster tribe below, pondering a battle plan.

On the cloud, navigator Lumine and transport Hiroshi quietly entered standby learning mode.

Concealing his presence to avoid detection by the archer Hilichurls on guard below, Riku carefully observed the scene.

A newly built round house stood out; even the stumps around it still had green branches. Four Hilichurls stood guard around it, and the wind told Riku that there were three small monsters full of elemental energy inside.

One Hilichurl Berserker with a giant axe and one with a wooden shield led their teams on patrol within the tribe, while two other shield-bearing Berserkers and an axe-wielding Berserker led three squads patrolling the outskirts.

Concentrating quietly, the wind revealed the positions of all the hidden archer Hilichurls in the trees. Riku began to move.

With spiritual energy flowing subtly within him, enhancing his body strength and control, Riku avoided using elemental powers. Instead, he moved like an assassin hidden in the shadows, using the skills he'd honed from years of surviving in an apocalyptic world. Silently, he traversed the darkening forest.

On a thick branch, an archer Hilichurl scanned the ground below for every rustle of movement. Suddenly, its vision went dark, and it vanished from this world without a sound—its brain pierced by Riku, who then threw it into his spiritual storage space.

Silently, Riku moved through the forest like the Grim Reaper, swiftly clearing out all the archer Hilichurls in the treetops.

After throwing the last archer Hilichurl into the now-packed spiritual space, Riku looked at the Hilichurls below, who had begun to realize something was wrong and had gathered together. He smiled and vanished again.

In the center of the Ruxi Tribe, a bonfire illuminated the surroundings that were now darkening. The sunset had disappeared from the horizon, and night began to envelop the land.

One green and two blue Hilichurl Shamans stood in the middle, protected by ten monsters led by a Hilichurl Berserker with a giant axe and one with a wooden shield.

Another axe-wielding Berserker and two shield-bearing Berserkers led the remaining thirty-five Hilichurls, prepared to meet any imminent threat.

Under the increasing darkness, lit by the bonfire, only the chirping of insects and the occasional cries of birds could be heard from the surrounding forest, mingling with the crackling sound of dry wood burning in the flames.

Occasionally, young Hilichurls, unable to bear the tension, roared into the pitch-black woods, as if some demon was lurking, devouring the tribe's archers one by one.

Two water-element Shamans exchanged glances, then shouted at the increasingly panicked ordinary Hilichurls, raising their staves high to begin chanting incantations.

Above the forest, the once clear sky with a white cloud began to gather dark clouds, and drizzles of rain began to fall over the woods.

Hidden in the darkness, Riku watched the raindrops fall on him, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. He quietly retreated to a prearranged position.

Sensing a figure wrapped in wind-element power retreating, the two exhausted water Shamans pointed out the enemy's direction to an axe-wielding Berserker and a shield-bearing Berserker, commanding them to pursue.

The two Berserkers, holding axes and shields, led twenty Hilichurls with disorganized formations to engage the enemy. With elemental power nearly depleted, the two water Shamans were enveloped by green light as leaves danced midair, allowing them to recover some energy.

The three Shamans exchanged glances and directed three Hilichurls to enter the newly built house with them, taking out three elaborately crafted wooden boxes before leaving.

Two shield-bearing Berserkers led the way, followed by the two water Shamans. Behind them, the ordinary Hilichurls carried the boxes, while the last axe-wielding Berserker and a grass Shaman brought up the rear.

Having scouted the area earlier, the Ruxi Tribe began their retreat. Green light occasionally flashed as the vegetation concealed their tracks. Originally intending to camp overnight and continue to seek refuge with the Wugu Tribe the next morning, they now began their journey under the cover of night.

For a Shaman leading a small tribe, survival skills—including escaping, scouting, and assessing situations—were crucial.

Responsible for the survival of the entire tribe, impulse was the last thing they needed.

Of course, if the enemy wasn't strong enough, they would certainly let them know what cruelty truly meant.

Amidst the hurried retreat, the two water Shamans looked terrified at the white cloud still floating above the camp. In contrast to the dark clouds, the white cloud looked conspicuously out of place. Waving their staves, the Shamans urged the tribe to move even faster.

"Hiroshi, the Hilichurls are running," Lumine, sitting cross-legged on the soft cloud, munching on sunflower seeds, asked Hiroshi, "What should we do? Should we intercept them?"

Glancing at the retreating Hilichurl group, Hiroshi looked down at the one-sided slaughter below and said helplessly, "I was too engrossed in reading earlier and didn't notice them. Couldn't be bothered to hide from the dark clouds, which led to the two water Shamans spotting us."

"But it doesn't matter. It's actually better this way—saves us the trouble of defending Riku. We'll let them run for now; we'll catch up in no time anyway."

Below, the shield-wielding Berserker and the axe-wielding Berserker chasing Riku suddenly missed a step and fell into a previously hidden pit. The most enthusiastic of them now roared at the bottom of a deep pit, struggling to pull out their pierced feet and clawing at the dirt to climb back up.

A series of screams echoed from the top, accompanied by the stench of blood flowing down into the pit through the soil's crevices.

Riku's face appeared above the pit. In the firelight, he held up a green wind orb, smiling as he looked at the furious monsters below. "Goodnight," he said.

He tossed the torch into the pit, and the wind orb followed.

A fiery whirlwind erupted from the pit, and amid the agonized howls, Riku looked around in the firelight. He raised his head to gaze at the dazzling starry sky.

The beautiful Milky Way hung in the sky, and a gentle smile appeared on Riku's face.

"I wish you could see this view with me, Shubi."

As the firelight dimmed, leaving no movement behind, Riku, wrapped in wind, leaped away, leaving only broken limbs in an empty clearing.

On the ground, scarred by dense wind blades, countless trenches appeared, and the scattered pieces of Hilichurls lay among them, blood seeping into the soil.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A series of falling sounds rang out, and five Hilichurl corpses dropped from the sky.