Unstoppable Disappearance

(Ah? What is this... Oh?)

Viviana's sword came to a halt in the nick of time, as she noticed a small-eyed, long-eared hopping mouse behind her.

This little creature was no larger than a human fist, with long ears and a tail, exuding a unique and fluffy cuteness.

Viviana sheathed her crimson-silver sword and stared at the innocent hopping mouse for a while.

The poor hopping mouse had no idea what fate awaited it, trembling in place, afraid to move.

For a moment, they locked eyes, big and small.

Viviana pondered for a moment, looked around to ensure no one was present, then suddenly crouched down and lifted the hopping mouse, petting and caressing it with satisfaction!

"I never expected to find such an adorable little creature in this desolate place!"

Normally, in order to maintain her icy demeanor, Viviana had to suppress her fondness for all things cute. The opportunity to be herself was rare.

"What's your name? Would you like to come home with me? My bed is quite spacious, you know!"

Faced with this silver-haired girl who was infinitely cuter than itself, the hopping mouse suddenly got bashful and ran away.o(*////▽////*)q·

·

(Ah, I scared it away...)

Viviana was not aware of her own beauty. She always thought it was her menacing aura that frightened these cute creatures away.

However, Viviana had no regrets. In order to inherit the power from her past life, she had to put in a hundred or even a thousand times more effort than others.

All achievements were accumulated through gradual and continuous efforts. What Viviana had to do now was to handle this "minor task" of hunting the rock shadow demon properly.

(Without Pigeon Blood Ruby by my side, with only one bottle of magic potion, I have to be frugal with my magic energy...)

This challenge to Viviana had two aspects:

First, she had to figure out how to find the monsters on her own.

Second, she had to change her previous reckless approach of using magic energy.

Viviana sheathed her "Floating Crimson Sword" and began searching suspicious areas along the gorge.

In this barren stone world, searching quickly turned into a tedious task that tested one's patience. However, Viviana showed no sign of slackening. Her willpower was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

(Oh, there's one more thing to keep in mind...)

(I made a promise with Albert to return to Gudetown on May 28th... That means I have to leave no later than the evening of the 27th...)

(Hmm... I still have a day and a half.)

·

The perspective shifted to the side of the Gudetown Cavalry.

Early in the morning, the captain of the cavalry, Laidell, hadn't fully awakened from his slumber when he heard the distressing news of another mysterious disappearance within the ranks.

Two soldiers had vanished overnight, just like last time, without a trace, along with their tents.

"This is f*cking eerie!!!"

Laidell kicked his own tent in frustration. Within the 15-member cavalry unit, they had already lost three people in just two nights! And he still had no idea who the enemy was!

"Everyone, gather around! I will question each and every one of you!"

Laidell's fury intensified the somber atmosphere of the early morning. Avril stood at a distance, pondering the information her elder sister, Elle, had shared with her.

According to Elle, the appearance of the "enemy" was always accompanied by a hissing sound, and their presence in the camp lasted only about five minutes.

To take away two soldiers along with their tents within five minutes, without making a sound and without being noticed by the night guards, even someone of high combat rank would find it impossible, wouldn't they?

(Perhaps it's the work of demons...?)

If it were demons, it would seem reasonable, but upon further reflection, Avril wondered if wild demons possessed such high intelligence. Only the evilkinds would be capable of such reasoning.

Avril knew her speculations could only go so far; anything beyond that exceeded her knowledge.

However, she had a vague feeling that she had overlooked some clue.

Could there be a traitor within the cavalry unit? Avril couldn't help but entertain the thought.

Suppose... if there were individuals who, for some purpose, conspired to attack their comrades during the night. In that case, the events of the past two nights could be explained.

If there truly was a traitor, the person Avril currently suspected the most was Laidell.

As a test, when it was her turn to be questioned, Avril informed Laidell about the incident of a demon sneaking into the camp at night.

Laidell, furious upon hearing this, openly berated the night guards and declared that he would stay awake all night, keeping a vigilant watch over the camp.

However, despite the rebuke, Laidell showed no suspicion toward his subordinates. He even whispered to Avril, "My lads may be a bit foolish, but they would never harm their own."

This statement left Avril in contemplation.

"Eirael and the others were taken by a demon! Today, we must find that Rock Shadow Demon!"

Laidell's definitive conclusion about the night attacks somewhat boosted the morale. Driven by the desire for revenge and self-preservation, the soldiers of the cavalry displayed a significantly more determined demeanor than usual, embarking on a day-long search with the intent to turn Sandrift Gorge upside down.

And so, the day quickly passed.

As the evening sun dyed Sandrift Gorge in its crimson glow, the Gudetown Cavalry had yet to make any discoveries.

There were neither demons nor corpses.

The three soldiers had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Meanwhile, Avril and Rhod still hadn't found any trace of the sandrift flowers.

·

In another part of Sandrift Gorge, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Tyler was engaged in a conversation with a stone.

He wasn't going mad; he was simply honing his proficiency in the "Deceiver" skill.

With his precise calculations, it didn't take long for him to receive a notification about the skill's upgrade.

-"Upgrade conditions satisfied. 'Deceiver - Lv1' automatically upgraded to 'Deceiver - Lv2'."

Tyler promptly checked his attributes and status. His Intelligence attribute had increased from 9 points to 19 points, and his maximum Magic Energy had risen from 90 to 190. He had made significant progress.

(Who would have thought that skills are the source of attributes.)

Comparing it to the previous upgrade of the "Heart of Focus" skill, Tyler noticed that the attributes gained from the two skill upgrades were different.

"Heart of Focus" provided Dexterity, while "Deceiver" provided Intelligence. In the future, when faced with a variety of skills to choose from, it would be crucial for Tyler to train his skills according to his desired attributes.

For now, the previously limited duration for skill usage had made a qualitative leap, and his tactical strategies would become more diverse.

·

Before darkness fell, Tyler continued his exploration further ahead.

After turning around a rocky wall, he unexpectedly spotted distant flames and smoke rising!

(A person...?)

(Could it be the Gudetown Cavalry?)

This discovery quickened Tyler's pace. As he drew closer, he made another observation, but it wasn't a pleasant one.

Tyler saw a colossal dark shadow lurking in the crevice of a distant cliff, gazing menacingly at the campsite...!