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Chapter 457 - Four Hundred and Fifty-Four: "It’s okay, I’m used to it.

Chapter 457: Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty-Four: "It’s okay, I’m used to it.

Under the cover of night, Kael Nashe, cloaked completely, quietly left the gathering place with a soul stone the size of a grain of rice in hand.

She proceeded and knocked on a door.

The door opened—it was Player Erwin.

"So it’s really you, Kael Nashe," Erwin’s guide, the Necromancer Candoya, said, "I knew something was off during the voting today. The first guide shouldn’t be like this."

"The contract I signed with the adventurer named Su Ming’an was only temporary. Once his real guide returns tomorrow, he will definitely replace me." Kael Nashe frowned, "Candoya, I need your power."

"Why should I help you?" Candoya didn’t want to take the risk.

"According to my guess, his real guide shouldn’t be strong," Kael Nashe said. "Years ago, it was I who saved you from dying in a graveyard. Now it’s your turn to repay the favor. Join me in ambush on the road and kill the guide who returns tomorrow morning. As long as Su Ming’an loses his former guide, he will still choose me, and I want to continue being his companion."

"..." Candoya hesitated.

His fingers rubbed against the skull staff, seemingly caught in a struggle between reason and sentiment.

Although Kael Nashe’s request at this moment implied coercion through gratitude, he indeed wasn’t the kind to be ungrateful. Even if he dealt with corpses, things considered filthy, he understood the importance of repaying kindness.

Their abilities had no absolute connection to their characters.

"Erwin, I will go hide with Kael Nashe in a nearby house and return tomorrow morning," Candoya finally agreed to Kael Nashe’s proposal.

Erwin wanted to stop him, but the determined Candoya simply wouldn’t listen to him. That was a guide’s flaw: if their favorability wasn’t up to par, players couldn’t control them at all.

The two guides quickly disappeared into the night.

...

Bathed in the night, the Raven, with its blood-red eyes, stared at Su Ming’an.

[Do you choose to accept the Raven’s company?]

[If you choose yes, you will accept Main Quest 1·"Day of Blossoming." If you choose no, you will accept Main Quest 2·"Path of Utmost Darkness"]

[Note: Both paths are part of the "Jiu Shen Line" and will lead to the same outcome.]

...

At this moment, the key Su Ming’an was fumbling with in his hand seemed somewhat heavy.

In this land of Qiongdi, the only rightful deity believed in by everyone apart from Xiber was himself...

"Accept," he said.

A red light flashed in the Raven’s eyes as it landed on his shoulder.

"Lord Bai Shen," it suddenly spoke in human voice, but that was all it said. No matter how Su Ming’an tried to converse with it afterwards, it remained silent.

[You have obtained "Raven’s Companionship." (In subsequent instances, the Raven will help you fight.)]

[Raven

Level: ?

HP: Undying

MP: 10000

Typography: Spell Type

Talent Skills: Claw Strike, Pounce, Intimidation, Energy, Rebirth]

...

[Accept Main Quest·"Day of Blossoming" (1/3)]

["Day of Blossoming": Go to the First Tribe and reclaim one of the three great authorities, the "Black Python."]

[Quest Description: Becoming a god requires three elements: "Energy, Faith, Authority." The authority of Bai Shen is divided into "Black Lamb, Black Raven, Black Python." Please first acquire the "Black Python," the authority of Bai Shen.]

[Quest Reward: Skill Advancement Stone*1, 100 Points]

...

[Perfect Completion Progress: 15%]

...

The moment the Raven called out to him, the live chat room exploded:

[OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!]

[??]

[It’s reversed! It’s reversed! Everyone rush, the bets are about to flip again!]

[Classic reappearance, but wasn’t Bai Shen supposed to be dead? Is this a rebirth or an heir?]

[Can an adventurer summoned also be Bai Shen? What exactly is the definition of a deity to Qiongdi?]

[Here it comes, my favorite part of domination. Number One Player quickly become a god, kick Fengchang with Xiber, punch the First Guide, and dominate Qiongdi!]

[So, Xiber, the only believer of Jiu Shen, is mixing up with the real Bai Shen? What’s the scheme here?]

[It wasn’t said that Bai Shen and Jiu Shen must be enemies. Maybe Jiu Shen is a Companion God? Or a dual-entity god? Too few clues to know now... The real kicker is the guy who started this war is also a competitor... That’s really intriguing.]

[There’s no point in fighting anymore. 99 humans versus Bai Shen, the outcome is already set, Edward and others might as well start begging for mercy.]

Su Ming’an laid out a blanket from his backpack on the ground and lay down, the Raven stood beside him, its two small claws hopping on the ground, a pair of crimson eyes watching him.

And just then,

"Meow—!"

A shrill cat’s cry echoed, a plump round white bundle suddenly leapt out from the space.

It flew up with a paw, scratching the Raven’s feathers like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

"Swish!"

The Raven suddenly soared into the air, a few black feathers drifted in the sky.

The white cat leapt from the ground, its plump body exhibiting an incredible jumping power, lunging at the black bird that had just taken flight.

A fierce light flashed in the Raven’s eyes, a blood-red hue appearing in front of its head, it seemed ready to attack.

"Meow—"

Su Ming’an reached out, grabbed the white cat’s tail, and forcefully pulled the lump of flesh back. He threw the hefty cat onto the ground, creating a dull thud.

He didn’t know how the cat had come out again, maybe the natural instinct to chase birds had kicked in, seeing the Raven so close, it had popped straight out of the pet bar.

He glanced at the white cat’s信息, suddenly realizing something was amiss.

[Space Hunter·White Cat (Growth: Red) (Unnamed)]

Level: lv.31

HP: 900

MP: 1000

Type: Spell Type, Special Type

Skill 1: Claw of Space (Mana Cost 40, no cooldown): Wield the claw to cast a spatial rift forward, dealing (Basic Damage) 30 + 10* level damage, and causing spatial destruction effect.

Skill 2: Spatial Leap (Mana Cost 200, cooldown five minutes): Can activate a very short distance spatial displacement.

Talent Passive Skill: Develops synchronously with the player’s ’spatial’ ability, does not require sharing experience with the player, level automatically increases, is a growth-type pet.

...

Su Ming’an had not checked the information of this cat for a long time and was surprised to find that what should have been perpetually at lv.1, the white cat had unexpectedly soared to level 31.

Perhaps influenced by that passive skill, as his spatial strength improved, its strength had also surged. It had now reached the standard of a third-rank, on par with other players of the same rank.

Though its offensive means were quite monotonous, at least it was a decent combat support, unlike the Hei Yu Flame Tail Cat that was still sound asleep in the pet column.

Su Ming’an did not want to share his experience with his pets; he needed to maintain his position at the top tier of levels. Since the white cat did not share his experience but rather grew in sync with his spatial ability, that was for the best.

He stuffed the white cat back into the pet column and forbade it from harming the Raven.

After resting for a night, Su Ming’an opened the door to see people from the settlement who were already up early.

The old woman was not among them; she seemed to still be in the house. Through the window, Su Ming’an saw her son standing with his hand resting on the back of her neck, a darkness flowing from his body to hers.

Su Ming’an sensed something wrong was about to ask about the situation when he suddenly heard a voice from behind:

"...That is the transfer of a curse."

He turned around to see a familiar sight of a bloody-red robe.

She was not wearing a hood but had her pale white hair loosely draped. Without the hood’s cover, Su Ming’an saw a scarred burn mark on her neck, likely from many years ago.

Xiber leaned against a tree holding a shotgun, looking at him with a calm expression.

He hadn’t yet explained to her about Kael Nashe, had not had a chance to tell her that he didn’t intend to abandon her, and would continue their contract since she was now back.

But Xiber didn’t ask, just stood there, her expression devoid of any anger from betrayal, devoid of the fury of being deceived, just dead calm, as if she had already accepted everything, as if whatever he did, she would accept.

The shadow of the tree canopy cast over her face, her arms had faint traces of blood, her voice was light and quick, not waiting for him to speak before saying:

"...No need to explain." she said, "It’s okay, I’m used to it."

To be betrayed the first time, one feels sad, distressed.

To be betrayed a second time, one feels angry, resentful, and may seek revenge.

After being betrayed a third time, one starts to doubt oneself, wondering if there’s something wrong with themselves.

Until the fourth, fifth, sixth time...

Xiber has lost count of how many times she had been deceived and betrayed.

Some came from her own brother and other relatives, because of faith and blood ties, and others from strangers, for profit and victory. Initially, she would be saddened, blame herself, and wish to fight back like a wild wolf seeking relentless revenge, but quickly, as occurrences increased, her mindset had grown increasingly calm.

Pain, scars, the unhealed past wounds, whether oozing blood or crusted with scabs, seeing it happen again would only amount to a faint sentence.

"I’m used to it."

Thus, having just returned from the Purification Chamber, she simply held a shotgun and stood there, asking no questions.

"You are back," Su Ming’an extended his hand, "let’s continue the contract."

He did not say anything superfluous.

Because the favorability of Xiber had not actually decreased.

Her expectations had dropped to such a low standard that as long as he continued to accompany her, she would not feel abandoned.

Xiber placed her hand on his, and after a flash of white light, the contract was prolonged.

Su Ming’an had no idea where Kael Nashe had gone, perhaps already seeking new adventurers, since their agreement only lasted until this morning. If she wanted a free refill, she had to act quickly.

"What did you mean by ’curse transmission’?" Su Ming’an asked.

"A method... our locals use to delay the curse," Xiber explained, "Apart from visiting the Purification Chamber periodically, those of kin can, through making contact at the nape of the neck, transfer their own curse onto someone else, thereby reducing their own curse’s concentration. Of course, this means the recipient’s curse concentration will increase, still not solving the problem in reality."

She glanced at the big, foolish man. Even though he placed his hand on his mother, he was still cheerful, clearly unable to understand what was happening.

This old lady must have made him do it under the pretense of "playing a game."

"Such actions... don’t cure the root of the problem at all," Xiber said. "Due to factors like physique and others, the time of curse outbreak varies from person to person. Some may erupt and die in their youth, while others might not face it in their whole lifetime.

This grandmother... though she seems safe now, such actions not only inevitably hasten the son’s outbreak, but also advance her own death.

Her son... is on the brink of an outbreak, beyond salvation. What she is doing is merely exchanging a few years of her life for a few months of his."

While saying this, Xiber’s tone remained very calm.

She did not express any pity or sympathy, nor did she feel outraged or saddened by the fate of these people; she seemed as if she had grown accustomed to all of this, her state of mind unshakable by the vicissitudes of the world.

She was... as indifferent as a deity observing everything from the sidelines.

Su Ming’an had come to understand that her previous fear, timidity, and evasion were all pretense. She... was an utterly ruthless person. Apart from the ultimate victory and her claimed goal of "becoming a god here," she seemed to care about nothing else.

Like a wild wolf roaming in Qiongdi, she had gotten used to licking her own wounds, and her emotions had gradually stagnated like dead water, no longer violently fluctuating.

Just then, Su Ming’an suddenly smelled a hint of blood.

Suspecting a nearby struggle, he immediately headed towards the source of the blood scent.

The smell was faint and fresh, as if just released. He parted the bushes and moved forward, suddenly coming upon a clearing.

On the clearing, lay two bodies.

One had a very distinct gunshot wound on the forehead, with the bullet having pierced through, blood spread all around. The other half of its body was trapped in a pitfall, its head and torso completely severed.

Su Ming’an recognized that the deceased were ’Spacer’ Kael Nashe, who had suddenly disappeared this morning, and a follower of Erwin, ’Necromancer’ Candoya.

Despite being top-ranked Guides, they had mysteriously died not far from the gathering area, their death seeming direct and without any energy fluctuations, not likely caused by any special abilities, but seeming more like traps set by pure human ingenuity.

Behind him, the sound of rustling leaves approached. The girl in the red robe, Jingjing, walked up beside him.

The shotgun was still cradled in her arms, and her arm bore wounds from thorn scrapes.

Clearly, her journey back had been anything but smooth.

"This morning, they ambushed me on the road, trying to kill me," she turned her head, looking at him, her pale eyes tranquil.

"...But unfortunately for them, I am good at some ’hunting tricks,’" she said softly.