Chapter 26: Such Massive Slimes (Please Follow for Updates)

After finishing his words, Dr. Anton turned back around and went straight back to his desk to busy himself.

Wang Xi held the pitch-black card, lost in thought.

‘Is this a subtle reminder that with my current strength, I am unable to fully unleash its power?’ he wondered.

After tucking the card away securely, Wang Xi lay down to sleep.

The night passed in silence.

The next day, after the nurse had finished examining his wounds and changing his dressings, Wang Xi found an opportunity to sneakily use "Photosynthesis," hiding by the hospital room window to soak up the sun.

Since he was injured, it was inconvenient to practice body-refining techniques, so he had to use this boring, idle time to improve his physical fitness slightly.

However, a small interlude occurred.

An old man in a wheelchair downstairs inadvertently looked up at the window of Wang Xi’s room. At that moment, he looked as if he had seen a ghost; his eyes bulged, his mouth hung open, and he stammered incoherently for a long while. He pointed a trembling finger upward, nearly passing away from a sudden fit of coughing.

Even the nurse nearby was scared half to death, thinking the old man was about to ascend to heaven on the spot.

Delirium and grasping at the air—wasn't this exactly what that looked like?

Fortunately, Wang Xi retracted his head in time and hid.

It was understandable, really. An old man with one foot in the grave suddenly seeing a "green-faced, fanged" ghoul-like visage appear behind a hospital window would likely assume it had come to escort him to the afterlife.

Wang Xi immediately whipped out his phone.

He opened an electronic wooden fish app and tapped it frantically.

*Tap, tap, tap...*

The words "Merit +1" flashed incessantly on the screen.

Only then did his strained green face relax slightly.

That was close—he almost went into merit debt.

In the afternoon, he didn't dare to change his skin to sunbathe again. Instead, he focused on studying, preparing for the Professional Brave exam next month.

Around 3:30 PM, Chaos gave a notification in his mind: the cooldown for the projection descent had finished.

「Projection hosted」
「Location: Fairytale」
「Exploration: 0.34%」
「Cooldown complete, ready for descent」

Wang Xi set down his phone, found a comfortable position to lie in, closed his eyes, and chose to descend.

His consciousness sank, and the environment shifted.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting alone on a patch of grass. A campfire burned nearby, and four or five armored caravan guards sat around chatting.

The horses and carriages were parked on the other side, and Steward White was holding a dog-eared piece of parchment, checking and counting the cargo. The guard captain, Bennett, stood beside him, occasionally whispering something.

‘Are they camping for rest?’

Wang Xi glanced at the sky. It was dusk in this other world as well; the setting sun hung low, casting a yellow hue over the horizon.

Just then, footsteps came from behind him.

“Gai, I brought you something to eat...”

Godalier walked over, holding dried fish, bread, and an apple, her face full of concern.

When she saw the young man turn his head, she froze. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Godalier’s face lit up with surprise, and she immediately threw her arms around Wang Xi.

She didn't even notice the food falling to the ground.

“Gai! You’re finally awake!”

Godalier wept with joy, her eyes turning red.

“What happened during this time? I don’t quite remember...” Wang Xi asked softly, gently patting the girl’s back.

Godalier released her embrace and wiped the corners of her eyes.

“Gai, your ‘Ice Heart Curse’ flared up again. Ever since we left Buchanan, you haven’t said a word for fourteen full days. Even to me, you only responded occasionally, and your attitude was incredibly cold...” Her tone was quite sorrowful.

Through Godalier’s explanation, Wang Xi finally understood what had happened while his projection was being hosted.

After his consciousness returned to the main world, the hosted projection appeared very dull. When others spoke to him, he would only respond coldly with simple words.

The caravan members soon noticed this. At first, they didn't know why, thinking they might have offended this companion who had joined them midway.

After Godalier’s explanation, everyone learned that the young man was an "Ice-Hearted One"!

Having traveled far and wide, they were experienced and had naturally encountered "Ice-Hearted Ones" before; that state was indeed similar. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the others felt no resentment, treating him instead with pity.

In popular belief, "Ice-Hearted Ones" rarely lived long and were generally cold and heartless.

There was no point in taking things seriously with a dying man.

“During this time, the caravan encountered two highway robberies, but we got through them without any danger...” Godalier wiped away her tears and continued.

She said the first robbery was carried out by a group of refugees. Two half-grown children first lay in the middle of the road, and once the caravan stopped, over a dozen gaunt, barely-clad men rushed out with sickles, axes, and pitchforks.

But the caravan was experienced and well-prepared. Facing seven or eight fully armed guards, the refugees couldn't do a thing. The fight ended in a few minutes.

It was a total rout, with zero losses for the caravan and over a dozen for the refugees.

The guards were unscathed, save for being covered in blood, while the refugees were wiped out. The two children who were faking death saw the situation was dire and ran away. Steward White didn't bother sending anyone to chase them; he simply had the bodies moved aside and continued the journey.

‘Armor against no armor—it’s nothing but a massacre,’ Wang Xi thought, shaking his head secretly.

Moreover, the guards were all strong, trained men whose diet and combat experience far outclassed the refugees. Anyone familiar with killing knew that even if the number of refugees had been several times higher, they wouldn't have posed a threat to the caravan.

Godalier continued her story.

The second time the caravan was attacked, it was by a group of armored bandits equal in number to the guards.

It should have been a tough fight, but Guard Captain Bennett went all out, cutting two men down in the first clash.

At the same time, the expressionless Gai also displayed great power. First, he used a hand crossbow to headshot one bandit, the bolt striking the face where the pot-helm offered no protection, and then he drew his longsword to slay two more, his performance completely matching Bennett's.

Led by the two of them, the caravan achieved another flawless victory without injury.

Hearing this, Wang Xi had a clear picture of the situation.

‘It seems that the hosted projection retains my card abilities, but the power it can exert is severely limited... After all, it’s not intelligent enough; it’s too rigid.’

Wang Xi picked up the dried fish, bread, and apple from the ground, brushed off the grass and dirt, and started eating without a care.

He also noticed that the bandages on his left hand had been removed, and the wound had mostly healed without any signs of infection or deterioration.

This was clearly Godalier’s doing.

“Thank you for taking care of me during this time, Godalier.”

Wang Xi wiped the apple in his hand once more and handed it to the girl, smiling in gratitude.

Godalier felt a sweetness in her heart. She took the apple, took a bite, and murmured that it was very sweet.

After eating, Wang Xi felt a sour, foul odor on his body. He hadn't noticed while busy trying to understand the situation, but now the smell was becoming overwhelming.

Even Godalier beside him had the same foul odor.

Wang Xi asked about it quietly.

Godalier looked embarrassed, her cheeks flushing.

Could one not stink after not bathing for over ten days?

It wasn't just a stink.

It was a pungent stench!

Wang Xi had been stained with blood, and no matter how many times Godalier had wiped him, she couldn't get it all clean...

Unable to take it anymore, Wang Xi stood up abruptly and walked toward the campfire.

“Everyone, may I ask if there is a water source nearby?”

As he approached and asked, the guards stopped chatting and turned to look at him.

Everyone looked surprised.

It seemed they hadn't expected Gai, who had been catatonic for over ten days, to take the initiative to strike up a conversation. Noticing the smile on the young man’s face and the liveliness in his eyes, they realized something.

The curse had temporarily receded.

“Brother Gai, there’s a small stream behind that forest.”

Polk, who had once been defeated by Wang Xi, put down his roasted potato and pointed in a direction with his knife, smiling.

“If you’re going, be quick. It’ll be dark soon, and the forest isn't very safe. Besides wild beasts, there might be monsters lurking...”

Monsters...

Probably fantasy creatures similar to goblins, he guessed.

Wang Xi nodded his thanks and turned back.

“Godalier, I’m planning to take a bath.”

“Can I come with you?” The girl’s eyes lit up at the mention, though she added hesitantly, “Actually, I’ve wanted to wash for a long time, but I never had the chance, and it wasn't very convenient...”

“Sure,” Wang Xi smiled. “Follow me.”

Godalier’s face brightened. She stood up nimbly, clutching her skirt, and followed closely behind him.

The two left the caravan’s campsite by a hundred meters, passing through a sparse forest. Before long, they arrived at the edge of a small stream.

The stream was only three or four meters wide and half a meter deep. The water was clear, and one could see the various-sized pebbles at the bottom.

“You wash first; I’ll keep watch,” Wang Xi whispered to the girl.

Godalier smiled sweetly and nodded.

She felt that since leaving Rendell, Gai had become much gentler and more considerate, far from the arrogant and rude person he once was.

Though she didn't know the reason for his change, Godalier asked herself and realized she truly preferred the current Gai.

As Godalier went to the streamside, she slowly shed her foul, dirty clothes in the evening twilight.

She looked back cautiously, but saw only the bushes, with no sign of the young man.

While she breathed a sigh of relief, she also felt a tinge of disappointment.

If Gai had peeked, she probably would have been angry... well, a little bit angry.

Just a little.

At this moment, Wang Xi was leaning against a large tree, a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth. He felt the hunting crossbow on his shoulder, rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, and closed his eyes to listen.

In the darkness, everything was quiet.

There was only the rustling of the breeze through the vegetation.

Soon, he heard Godalier’s heartbeat.

It was not far behind him.

‘There are no wild beasts or humans nearby...’

Wang Xi opened his eyes and deactivated "Heartbeat Listening."

He was actually very aware that Godalier had feelings for him... but wasn't this also a burden?

‘Once we reach the royal capital and get settled, I’ll find a chance to be clear with her,’ Wang Xi thought to himself.

“Ah—!”

Just then, Godalier’s scream rang out.

Wang Xi frowned.

The sense of déjà vu from this cliché plot was so strong; why did an accident always happen whenever a woman was taking a bath!

He didn't have time to complain, grabbing his sword hilt and charging out of the woods.

As he reached the streamside, Wang Xi’s face filled with shock.

‘Damn! Two big, white slimes!’