The woman wore a warrior's outfit, though it appeared worn-out. Judging by its style, it didn't resemble the attire of warriors from Silverboa or Obscura. Adrian surmised that her clothing style dated back at least two hundred years. This place was indeed a hidden paradise.Adrian's expression turned solemn. What surprised him even more was that this woman's strength surpassed that of an ordinary Grandmaster. She seemed almost like a phenomenon, potentially even beyond his capability. Otherwise, his earlier sword strike would have pierced her throat.As Adrian observed her, the woman also scrutinized him. Her gaze held a hint of curiosity, especially toward the black windbreaker he wore, something unfamiliar to her. "Are you an outsider?" she asked. Fortunately, she spoke a language Adrian understood; otherwise, their encounter might have turned deadly.Adrian felt relieved. Despite her strength, the woman didn't seem murderous, let alone monstrous. In hindsight, his earlier actions

Though small in amount, what Vital Energy Adrian had was sufficient to mend the girl’s injury. Since her internal organs were intact, there was no need for meticulous repair, hence not requiring an excessive amount. The energy from the two fish he consumed was already enough. The wound healed completely, leaving no scar behind.When the girl opened her eyes, she realized her life force was no longer draining away. Hastily, she sat up and hurriedly put on her clothes, despite them being blood-soaked. Having clothes, even stained, was better than none.Seated on the ground, the girl stared blankly ahead, her gaze filled with horror as she looked at Adrian. "What did you do to me?"Adrian responded, "I healed you."The girl didn't believe him. "This is sorcery! You're a mage!"‘A mage?’ Adrian frowned, scarcely believing what he was hearing. "I don't understand what you’re going on about, but I mended you to show that we're not enemies for now. So, I hope you'll answer my earlier que

With a resounding boom, the shape of an infant dropped off from the left side of the monster’s body and instantly turned to ashes."No!" The creature let out a desperate scream.Adrian's eyes lit up with hope. "Let's target the right side now!" he shouted. Having succeeded in his attack, Ash's morale soared. "Alright!" he exclaimed.With a shout, Ash directed the flames in his hand toward the monster’s right side.Boom!A muffled sound resounded as the barrier on the monster’s right side was also destroyed. With both sides of the barrier destroyed, the monster let out a piercing scream. Although Ash's attack hadn’t caused it any harm, breaking its barrier was still a significant blow."Your tricks have been exposed. What else can you do now?" Adrian taunted the monster."How dare you interrupt my training! Today, you'll all perish here! Take this!" the monster roared angrily.The monster had not taken Adrian and Ash seriously before, but the pair had managed to push it into a

For the following days, Adrian ran the small shop Ash helped him set up, accumulating money and gathering information about the monsters. A few uneventful days passed. Just when Adrian thought he would have to wait for a long time, something unexpected happened.One day, while Adrian was moving his stuff in the shop, he overheard some pedestrians chatting."A group of monsters attacked Meadowshire two nights ago. A monster hunter appeared and fought them off, but he himself was seriously injured..."This information immediately caught Adrian’s attention. He quickly stopped what he was doing and went to the street to listen to what others were saying. From the conversations of people passing by, he learned that the situation in Meadowshire Village was dire. Monsters had ravaged the entire place, leaving it in ruins. Many houses were destroyed, and the villagers looked disheartened as they sat in makeshift tents with dirty faces. Additionally, many of them spotted injuries of varying

Adrian instantly recognized them as level seven ghouls. The one disguised as a demon hunter was slightly stronger than the other.Both of the monsters underestimated Adrian and charged at him at full speed, unaware that it would ultimately lead to their demise."Hmph! Puny monsters. Do you really think you can defeat me?" Adrian snorted as he unleashed a powerful move, turning the tide of the battle in his favor. "What?!" The ghouls were taken aback. Before they knew it, Adrian's attack had already severed one of the ghouls’ arms."Argh!" The injured ghoul roared in pain. He realized that there was no way he could defeat Adrian, and now that he had lost an arm, he had to flee."Just wait! I'll come back to get my revenge!" The injured monster roared, but just as he turned around, the other ghoul rushed forward and flung him in Adrian's direction as he himself turned into a black mist and vanished."Damn it! How dare you do this to me!" the injured ghoul shouted in despair as he