Into The Forest
Into The Forest
Riley Reynolds wasn't a boy who would ever let emotions rule over his mind. After all, as someone who was exceptional in neither talent nor identity, he did not have that luxury.
Even if that hadn't been the case, however, he was a pragmatist at heart.
When Ryan had told him to take care of any affairs Tristan required of him, regardless of how disdainful he had been, Riley followed the future clan leader's orders due to his constraints.
However, that didn't mean he would stop using his own brain.
When it came to Tristan's obsession with Evelyn, anyone could tell where that unhealthy 'love' of his was going to lead. The girl wasn't just a genius, but also had one of the pillars guiding her personally.
That alone meant that whoever decided to put themselves against her, unless they also had a similar backing, would be just slamming a stone on their own toes. It was foolish to the extreme, especially when done without a decent reason.
As one of Tristan's subordinates, Riley knew this better than anyone else.
But unfortunately, he couldn't escape, and couldn't change Tristan's mind either.
That only left him with one option… get rid of this little girl before they were all doomed.
He had thought that he would have to come up with a decent plan himself, but it seemed like there was some 'mastermind' helping Tristan out to plot against this girl.
Riley scoffed. 'It's her own fault for pissing so many people off.'
In fact, can this girl really be considered a 'genius' if she had managed to invite death at such a young age? With this attitude, it's impossible for someone to be able to get far before being murdered, so at that point, wasn't their potential 'limited' instead?
Thinking about it this way, his own talent was superior to hers. After all, his rise might be slower, but he would go much farther. Compared to a sparkler that burned brightly for a moment before going out, a lamp that could last long was much better.
Both his drink and his musings came to an end as a young girl in her early teens approached them with an overly friendly smile. "Riley, you're here early?! Is this the little girl you were talking about?"
Of course, though her attitude seemed friendly, Evelyn didn't need to look at her stats to know she was hostile to her. But she did so anyway, and as expected, not only was her affection negative, it was even worse than that of the Reynolds boy!
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[Checking status…]
- Mirah Curr [14]: Level 21 [ Exp: 458 / 600 ]
- Human
—Physique: 27
—Spirit Power: 65
—Soul Value: 71
—Vitality: 134
[ Enhancements Not Available ]
[ Affection: -26% ]
—Cultivation Technique: Enchanter's Sight
-Skills: Lure, ???
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Aside from her high negative affection, none of her stats were impressive or notable. In fact, Evelyn could probably kill someone like her by accident. This girl was nowhere near ready to be venturing into the 'Wonderland of Doom', protected by an expedition or not.
Of course, Evelyn could care less if someone who hated her before they even met landed in trouble.
Riley introduced her 'politely', but Evelyn only gave them a perfunctory nod as she kept track of the other rangers and students who soon filled up the 'tavern'.
The brown-haired girl snorted. "Does this girl not have any manners, Riley?"
Riley chuckled awkwardly. "Forgive her, Mirah, she's still quite young, and has a lot to learn."
Before long, when almost thirty people had gathered, a tall, burly man almost seven feet in height stood up from his table, his booming voice echoing through the hall. "Now that everyone's here, let me welcome you all to Noah's Expedition Party! Our leader, Noah, is a rank C ranger, and will be leading us all safely around the outskirts. In exchange for protection against stronger beasts, half of any spoils you obtain have to be shared with us, and anything we kill or grab ourselves remains our own! If anyone has a problem with that, they can leave."
Of course, it seemed like everyone already knew these terms except Evelyn, so no one moved a muscle.
Gazing at the dashing black-haired man beside the buff 'announcer', Evelyn could tell that he was quite strong. 'A rank C ranger… um, if I remember right, that means he's at least level sixty, right?'
She thought about it for a while, not sure if the man would be able to tell if she had used her probe skill on him or not. After all, he had crossed two more milestones than her.
'Well, even if he feels something, there are so many people here other than me, would he even know who the probe came from?'
In the end, she decided to take the risk, and although their level difference made many details obscured, Evelyn still managed to glean quite a bit.
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[Checking status…]
- Noah Strauss [Age 84]: Level 61 [ Exp: 5,422 / 20,500 ]
-Spirit Physique
—Physique: 443
—Spirit Power: 317
—Soul Value: 212
—Vitality: 629
[ Enhancement (available): Tortoise Shell ]
[ Affection: 0% ]
—Cultivation Technique: Giant Tortoise Cultivation Manual
-Skills: Defend, Golden Shield, Fragmented Shield, ???, ???
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Evelyn sighed. 'This guy… He's probably not part of their plans, right? If he was in on a plan to get me killed, it's unlikely he wouldn't have any negative affection for me at all.'
Aside from the fact that the strongest person in the expedition wasn't out for her blood, another good news was that he didn't seem to have been able to detect her probe, leading Evelyn to affirm her previous theory.
'I guess as long as they're roughly two or three milestones within my own level, they're less likely to detect my probe unless they have some strange skills to do so.'
After a short briefing, the group moved out of the tavern as one, and left the Southern Forbidden City to head for the outskirts of the 'Wonderland of Doom'.
Evelyn and Mirah, who were considered the 'weakest' of the group, were moved to the center of the formation as they moved out, with Noah leading the way, and the lower level rangers forming a ring around them.
Noah, who had been silent so far, finally opened his mouth as they entered the forest. "Once we're in there, always try to remain in this position. Even if you have to move or dodge, make sure to move back to the previous position thereafter. If you're too far out, it's possible that I can't protect you."
Although most of the academy students in their group nodded, the rangers remained mum.
"So, how much did you pay this time?"
From the other student's conversation, Evelyn soon discovered that except for herself, most students had paid a substantial amount of spirit stones to be escorted into the 'Wonderland of Doom' by the rangers.
That being said, Noah's group was still considered as one of the cheapest and most generous, and had a shining reputation among the students.
In the past ten years of their operation, there had only been four deaths, not including the rangers.
Add on to that the fact that they didn't lord the students around to just stay in place and do nothing, and actually let them gain experience unlike the other rangers, Evelyn understood why Noah's group was so famous.
For newbie students who were looking to gain experience, this really was a 'golden opportunity'. Even if she had been willing to pay, it was unlikely that she could get into this group without any connections.
Evelyn knew now that if she hadn't known about there being a plot against her, she would definitely be moved by Riley's sincerity.
Not only had he not taken such a 'hefty' fee from her, but he also didn't lie when he said this would be a great opportunity!
Perhaps she would already 'trust' him a little.
Evelyn pretended to give the boy a complex look, just to keep up her act, and while Riley waved his hand with a smile when he saw it, a certain brown-haired girl didn't like it at all.
"Hey, you! Pinkie, don't get any ideas on others' men just because they treat you a little well, alright?"
Evelyn blinked as she gave the girl a weird look. "You're talking to me?"
Mirah almost popped a vein. "Who else?!"
Not only was this girl annoying and ungrateful, but she was also good at pretending to be ignorant!
She gave the pink-haired girl a sharp glare, poking the girl's chest with her index finger. "Little brat, so young, yet already a thieving cat! Listen to me, stay away from my Riley if you know what's good for you, alright?"
Evelyn frowned as she swatted the girl's hand away. Male or female, she never liked it when people she wasn't familiar with touched her.
Still, it was quite ironic that this love-struck fool's advice was actually quite good.
Seeing the pink-haired little brat nod and then pretend to ignore her, Mirah grinned victoriously. 'Heh, not only despicable, but also cowardly. Not worthy of my Riley at all!'
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~ To be continued ~
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Thank you for all your support! :>