"So… so many monsters!"
Nilou covered her lips in astonishment.
Even Dehya was surprised. She had roamed the desert for years, but this was the first time she'd seen so many Wind-Eroded Worms gathered together. If she'd run into this pack alone in the wild, the only choice would've been to flee far away.
The worms hissed, letting out sharp "sii—sii—" noises.
They opened their gaping maws and spat whirling cyclones, slamming against Nolan's watery barrier and sending ripples across its surface.
Some even sprayed sticky mucus, attempting to glue them in place.
Nolan narrowed the water shield inward—then suddenly forced it outward like a bursting bubble. The worms' attacks rebounded, and countless droplets separated from the shield, shooting outward like a storm of arrows.
The worms had no time to dodge. In an instant they were riddled full of holes, green blood spurting across the sand.
A moment later, Nolan's system panel lit up with messages:
- Adventure EXP +2447
- Adventure EXP +2316
- Adventure EXP +2562
- …
All of the monsters had been wiped out. He had earned around one hundred and thirty thousand EXP.
[EXP: 8,335,647]
Not a bad windfall. Glancing at the two companions still frozen in shock, Nolan smiled and said:
"Let's go. The wind and sand will bury them soon enough."
"Hah, you really are something else." Dehya chuckled.
"Whew… The desert truly is dangerous…" Nilou let out a relieved sigh.
After the unexpected battle, the group continued climbing until they reached the hilltop.
From here, looking back, Caravan Ribat seemed tiny in the distance. Looking ahead, the vast expanse of the desert stretched endlessly, filling one's chest with heroic passion.
They lingered with Nilou for a while, letting her feel the grandeur, then continued on toward Aaru Village—leaping straight from the summit and unfurling their gliders.
The hot wind whipped against their faces, like standing before a giant furnace fan.
Gliding back to the sands, they continued their trek. Gradually, the sky turned dusky yellow, and the heat gave way to a sudden chill.
"In the desert, the difference between day and night is sharp. Once the sun begins to set and it feels cool, you need to put on extra clothing, or you'll catch cold."
Dehya, with her experience, reminded them.
"Mhm! I prepared a thick winter coat for this." Nilou pulled a heavy coat from her Vision's storage and slipped it on.
Nolan didn't need one. To him, this level of cold was negligible.
And Dehya, attuned to Pyro, was naturally resistant to both heat and cold.
By the time night fully fell, they found a sheltered spot out of the wind and began to make camp.
The desert nights often brought strong sandstorms, and monsters lurked in the dark—continuing forward was unnecessary risk.
As adventurer and mercenary, Nolan and Dehya were both adept at camping. Even Nilou had studied survival tips from the "Akasha Terminal."
With their combined efforts, three tents stood side by side against the cliff face, sheltered by boulders.
There was no danger of being blown away in their sleep.
With the camp set, dinner came next. With Dehya present, fire was no issue. Everyone had brought cookware and provisions.
Out in the wilds, there was no need for luxury—they cooked a simple pot of meat soup and ate with dry rations.
But then something unexpected happened.
The scent of meat drifting on the wind had attracted a pack of desert wolves.
These wolves were also classified as monsters, ranging from level 20 to 30.
Though weak individually, their pack nature made them dangerous—even monsters of level 50 or 60 would often avoid them.
Under the wolf king's command, a pack swarming together could bring down prey far stronger than themselves.
And now, the wolf king at the rear had ordered its pack to encircle Nolan's camp.
Nolan was just about to rise and teach them a painful lesson when Dehya laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Let me handle this. I've dealt with this plenty of times. Perfect way to stretch my muscles after a meal."
"…Fair enough." Nolan nodded.
There were twenty or thirty wolves, but their levels were far too low. Even if he killed them, the EXP would hardly be worth mentioning. Whether he fought or not didn't matter.
"Too messy to spill blood near camp. Best to take out their commander."
Dehya didn't even bother drawing her sword. Flames burst around her as she charged like a lioness of fire straight for the wolf king.
The wolves hurled themselves at her desperately, only to be engulfed in fire. Their mournful howls filled the night, the fearsome desert wolves reduced to whimpering like beaten dogs.
The wolf king at the back quaked as the fiery warrior bore down on it. Its instincts screamed—they had provoked the wrong prey.
With a sharp howl, it ordered a retreat, turning to flee at the head of the pack.
But compared to Dehya's overwhelming speed and power, its desert sprinting was laughably slow.
In mere seconds, she seized it by the throat, hoisting it into the air.
Flames spread along her arm, igniting its fur until the beast became a blazing "fire wolf."
It thrashed violently, screaming in agony.
"Go!"
Dehya knew it wouldn't survive. She hurled it over the ridge like a flaming meteor.
"Awwooo—"
The rest of the wolves tucked their tails and chased after.
When they reached their burning leader, it suddenly exploded, releasing a torrent of Pyro. The pack had no time to escape and was engulfed in a sea of fire.
"All done. Nice and quiet again."
Dehya strode back to camp with a satisfied smile.
Such a method of dealing with things not only eliminated the monsters that threatened travelers, but also avoided leaving their corpses nearby to rot and reek of blood. Perfect.
"Phew, thank you for your hard work, Dehya!" Nilou pressed a hand against her chest and sighed with relief.
"Haha, it was nothing." Dehya laughed heartily. "Come on, let's finish eating and get some rest. If we wake early tomorrow, we should reach Aaru Village by noon."
"Mhm."
Nilou nodded.
"The desert sky is so clear… not a single cloud, and so many stars!" Warming herself with meat soup, Nilou looked up at the night sky in awe.
"If there were clouds, it'd be even better. Daytime wouldn't be so hot, and nights wouldn't be this cold," Nolan remarked.
He remembered that clouds helped block solar radiation during the day, keeping the sun from beating down so harshly. At night, they acted like insulation, keeping heat from escaping and making the air warmer.
He thought for a moment, then said:
"By the way, I'll keep watch tonight. You two can rest easy in the tents."
"Eh? How can that be? We should take turns. One person keeping watch alone is too tiring," Nilou looked at him in surprise.
"She's right. But Nilou, this is your first time in the desert, and you lack the experience. You don't need to keep watch this time—leave it to me and Nolan," Dehya said firmly.
"But…"
Nilou's fair cheeks flushed faintly. She didn't want to feel like a burden, letting the others shoulder all the work while she did nothing.
Being treated like someone who only needed protection made her feel a faint sense of distance.
Sensing her thoughts, Nolan smiled and said:
"How about this: Dehya takes the first half of the night, and I'll keep watch with Nilou for the second half. With me there, there's no danger, and Nilou can also gain some survival experience in the desert."
"Oh? In that case, I have no objections." Dehya crossed her arms and nodded.
With Nolan at her side, she had no worries about Nilou's safety.
[Dehya Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (200/500)]
"Mhm, I agree too."
Nilou knew that she couldn't shoulder such responsibility on her own. Her heart already leaned toward helping alongside Nolan or Dehya.
Nolan's suggestion fit her perfectly—this way, she could contribute, without the guilt of feeling useless.
[Nilou Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (260/800)]
Seeing the notifications flash across his panel, Nolan smiled.
"Good, then it's settled."
Since coming to the desert, Nilou's affection had been rising rapidly. Beyond the effects of titles and specialties, it was clearly his overwhelming strength as an adventurer that gave her such a deep sense of security.
Even when facing dangerous monsters, she didn't need to fear being thrown into crisis.
After agreeing on the night watch schedule, everyone finished their dinner. Nilou used Hydro to wash their pots and bowls.
Afterward, she asked Nolan to accompany her to a nearby height, so she could gaze at the beautiful starry desert sky.
Some time later, Nolan and Nilou returned to their tents to rest, while Dehya kept watch outside.
With the Akasha Terminal, she could log into the public "Akasha Forum," scroll through videos posted by others, and even leave comments—it kept her from feeling bored.
The clear desert sky inspired her. Using the Terminal's recording function, she captured a short video of the stars and uploaded it. Within moments, it had already gathered thousands of likes!
Dehya felt a little swell of accomplishment. After all, it was satisfying to have something she shared appreciated by so many.
Before long, the first half of the night passed.
After scrolling through posts and chatting with netizens, Dehya began to feel sleepy. She yawned, drowsiness tugging at her eyes.
"Dehya, you've worked hard. Go rest."
Right on time, Nolan stepped out of his tent. In truth, he hadn't been sleeping at all.
He had made a quick trip back into his Wonderland Realm.
Lisa and Sucrose had completed some initial research on the blood of that cosmic behemoth. Their findings matched what Nolan had learned earlier using Yae Miko's Affection ability.
The blood contained vast amounts of energy, and it was unusually mild. With simple refinement, it could be turned into a kind of super-nutrition potion.
For ordinary, untrained people, long-term consumption would, in just two or three months, gently and steadily improve their bodies to the level of soldiers who had trained for years.
And there were no side effects—the results were outstanding!
It wasn't just for humans. Applied to plants, it worked better than any fertilizer, making them grow stronger and healthier.
No wonder smaller cosmic beasts could live inside that giant's bloodstream.
It was practically like a living nutrient tank!
The uses of such energy-rich blood were obvious. Refined into super-nutrition potions, demand would skyrocket.
If supplied to armies, soldiers' physical strength would rise, and they'd better protect civilians from monsters.
Nolan suddenly felt reluctant to kill the behemoth. Better to keep it alive and draw blood periodically—an endless source of Mora, with no real cost!
Of course, the best method would be to knock it out and bind it with a Command Seal. That would guarantee a permanent supply of blood.
He would have to return next time and gauge its true strength. If he could win, he'd bind it; if not, he'd just keep stealing blood until he could.
After all, blood this valuable shouldn't be wasted.
From their calculations, the blood's effect did have limits.
For example, the two liters he had brought back yesterday could be brewed into about twenty vials of super-nutrition potion.
A normal person needed two vials, sipping a little each day for two months to achieve the soldier-level results.
Already-trained soldiers would need more to continue improving, and the stronger they were, the more potions required.
At the peak, around level 60–70 physical strength, the effect diminished greatly. Beyond that, it could only serve as an energy supplement.
For someone like Nolan, whose physique was already godlike, the blood had no effect at all.
Otherwise, it could have rapidly accelerated his cultivation progress.
He suspected the small sample simply lacked density. If he brought back large quantities, extracted and concentrated the energy, perhaps it would benefit even him.
The cosmic behemoth's stomach alone spanned hundreds of kilometers—it clearly had no shortage of blood. The thought of siphoning it filled Nolan with eager anticipation.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you then."
Dehya had no idea what he was plotting. Tired as she was, she simply returned to her tent.
Not long after, Nilou emerged, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Though drowsy, she hadn't forgotten their agreement—she was here to keep watch with Nolan.
The stars slowly dimmed, the sky lightened with misty white. Time flowed on, night faded, and dawn approached.
(End of Chapter)
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