The night in every region has a different undertone.
In the Elf Royal City of Ivlius, the night is an elegant poem played by harps and leaf flutes; while in the Steel Barrier's Melted Steel City, the night is filled with blood, iron, and smoke.
The deep night of the Mist Forest is very quiet.
The chirping of insects and cries of beasts are present, but unlike other desolate wildernesses.
The sound is very faint, indistinct, even though it's right by your ears, it seems as if it's separated by a veil, difficult to hear clearly.
It's as if even the sounds dissolve into the thin mist pervading the air.
Magi sat alone by the campfire.
Gently cleaning the longbow.
It was his "old friend" of nearly twenty years.
Even though countless memories of the past have turned gray like his life, he still remembers, twenty years ago, on the morning of his eighteenth birthday.
His father, who was always as silent as a mountain, chopped down the white oak tree that accompanied him growing up in the yard, and used the essence of it to make this longbow for him.
To be honest, it doesn't have anything special.
The bow limb is supple but lacks hardness, the grip feels rough, and the string groove isn't polished carefully enough.
From any angle, it can't compare to the "fine goods" on store shelves.
But just like the countless afternoons of napping under the white oak tree as a child.
The gentle, refreshing breeze and the rustling sound of swaying branches and leaves.
The longbow seems to merge with his body, handy and intimate.
If it weren't for that luxurious carriage slowly driving into the village, perhaps today he would still be roaming the endless mountains with his "old friend"...
The orange-red flames reflected on Magi's weathered face, shrouded in shadows, obscuring his specific expression.
His right leg tightly bound with bandages still ached faintly, and his arm was numb from overusing battle skills.
He raised his head, glancing at the pitch-black night sky.
Taking a deep breath.
His gaze swept past the pine tree standing by the camp—
The nail head hammer brought from the goblin cave lay quietly among the fallen leaves; and the dual handed axe from another deceased teammate leaned steadily against the trunk.
Speaking of which, the Half orc named "Gag" was somewhat ill-tempered, but after getting familiar with him, he was actually...
"Forget it."
Magi shook his head.
Late night always tended to stir emotions.
Now, it's time to get down to business.
Looking towards the other side of the camp.
Across the blazing campfire, a figure lay there motionless, the sound of calm, long breaths faintly coming through the air.
There was no hesitation in Magi's eyes; he had long since made up his mind.
"Don't blame me, boy."
Without standing up, he maintained his cross-legged position on the ground.
The wooden longbow quietly stood upright, the bowstring drawn back, and the arrow's feathers trembled slightly in the air.
At such a close distance, Magi naturally couldn't possibly make a mistake.
With just a gentle release, the sharp arrowhead could take away the young life in front of him.
"This is how adventurers are; you must know that."
He murmured in his heart.
And it was at that moment, Magi suddenly saw Xia Nan's eyelids tremble slightly.
Opened eyes.
Clear and bright eyes, definitely not the drowsy state of someone just waking up.
"Realized?"
He was surprised, but his fingertips were already releasing the arrow shaft.
Whoosh—
Time seemed to stagnate at this moment.
The slender and sharp arrow stirred the thin mist, causing faint air currents under the moonlight;
Passing over the campfire, the rising and entangled flames were influenced by the air current, climbing upward like the tentacles of a demon from purgatory, yet firmly bound by the invisible gravitational pull in the heart of the flames.
Air, blanket, fine grass, soil.
The arrow pierced through the blanket, straight into the ground, without any sound of penetrating flesh.
Did it miss?
No, that should have been where Xia Nan's head was when he slept.
But the "newbie adventurer" who was on guard had dodged and counterattacked after confirming the other's movement.
The appearance of side-sleeping was actually the position easiest for exerting force.
The blanket covering him was suddenly flipped, blocking the other's view, but when it fell, Xia Nan's figure was already gone.
The sound of an object moving came from the air.
"Boom!"
The campfire was suddenly kicked over, and in his vision were flying sparks and heavy wooden blocks wrapped in flames.
Then, there were two fleeting arcs of silver light.
[Vortex Slash]
The firewood was sliced apart, sparks splashed everywhere.
The sharp blade entered the body and cut out from the other side.
The broken longbow fell to the ground.
"Gasp... gasp..."
Xia Nan stood on the grass, in front of him was Magi clutching his throat with both hands.
With his windpipe severed, he couldn't speak, only the blood kept flowing through his fingers.
The night was deep, and Xia Nan couldn't capture Magi's expression at that moment.
He only saw the other opening his eyes wider and wider until they lost their luster; and the twitching body that finally fell backward.
Kneeling down, confirming the other was completely dead.
Xia Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief, putting the two daggers from the Dwarf "Elki" back at his waist.
It wasn't just a matter of luck.
Back in the cave two days ago, the moment he noticed the change in Magi's demeanor, he had heightened his vigilance in secret.
Even though it was his first mission, the behavior of the Stinky Fish and Shrimp Group, which fit the stereotype of "low level adventurers," had been deeply imprinted on his mind.
One cannot be too wary, even if it was a teammate who had just gone through a fierce battle together.
But Xia Nan didn't take the initiative to strike, after all, until just now, the other had shown no hostility, even seriously inviting him into their team.
Thankfully, his timely realization of caution helped him avoid this sudden crisis.
Compared to the mental energy consumed previously, the battle process between the two was very simple.
Injured Magi only had one chance to shoot, and it had to be when both of them had reached the edge of the Mist Forest, where with his current physical state, he could return to town smoothly to make a move;
And Xia Nan, who retained most of his combat strength, only needed one slash to deal with the other.
The sky was faintly bright.
Without further concern for the other's body, Xia Nan, referring to the battlefield cleaning skills he had learned from the others along the way, quickly packed the supplies and luggage in the camp.
There was little useful equipment on Magi, and the only weapon, the wooden bow, had been cut in the battle, unlikely to sell for much.
Therefore, Xia Nan just took the arrow quiver, extinguished the fire, and hurried away.
A cool breeze blew, the sound of swaying branches, the "sasha" sound echoed through the forest.
Magi leaned against the tree with his eyes closed, clutching the broken wooden bow made from white oak.
At that moment, it seemed as if he had returned to that long ago sunny afternoon, the dappled shade of the trees.