The deeper they went into the Mist Forest, the dimmer the surrounding light became.
The towering ancient trees blocked the sunlight completely, and faint white mist, like gauze, wrapped around moss-covered trunks and waist-high shrubs, greatly limiting their field of vision.
The air was filled with a mix of rotting leaves and damp soil.
Ailiya walked at the back of the group, seemingly following the rhythm casually, but her mind was racing as she reviewed her current panel.
Main class Assassin Lv.8, sub-class Maid Lv.16, Warlock Lv.7…
She silently recited these three core sets of data in her heart.
To be honest, this was the first time she had trained a life sub-class to a level exactly double that of her main combat class.
The reason was simple—she didn’t want to take risks, and she only had one life.
What’s more, leveling up as a Maid only required safely sweeping floors, washing dishes, and polishing silverware in the estate, with absolutely no need to risk her life fighting magical beasts.
This zero-risk, stable income lifestyle perfectly matched her current mindset of seeking stability and surviving.
However, there were also hidden dangers.
Ailiya glanced at the long list of low-level sub-classes on her panel.
Blacksmith Lv.2, Gunslinger Lv.1, Chef Lv.1…
Although she wanted to learn as many class skills as possible in this world and experience the thrill of being an all-rounder to enrich her tactical reserve and coping methods.
But the current leveling mechanism of the panel was very harsh.
Low-level classes couldn’t provide high base attribute growth. If she continued to dabble like this, her total level would be artificially inflated.
Once she faced experts who specialized in a single class at extremely high levels, a head-on confrontation would magnify her attribute disadvantage infinitely.
Especially the Blacksmith, which was only level 2 and couldn’t bring any substantial benefits.
As combat intensity increased, using dining knives to stab people was obviously no longer practical. She needed to spend some effort on raising her Blacksmith level to forge some suitable weapons.
She silently made her next plans in her heart.
At the same time, her gaze fell on the line at the top of the panel: [Silver Frost Bloodline · First Stage] .
To break through the bloodline level and obtain epic enhancements, she had to find high-grade resources with extreme cold attributes, or go to the ancestral land of the Silver Frost Wolf Clan for a bloodline awakening ritual.
But according to the brief history of the continent she had read, those extreme cold places were basically located deep in the core territory of the Northern Beastman Tribal Alliance.
She was also well aware that stagnation was equivalent to slow death.
Although she didn’t dislike the easy grinding life at the Kastian Manor, if she wanted to truly control her own destiny in this world, she had to keep getting stronger.
Ailiya raised her head, her gaze passing through the thin mist ahead, landing on Leo, who was excitedly discussing with Balke how to deal with magical beasts.
“Maybe, after this brat’s coming-of-age ceremony in the royal capital, I should find a suitable reason to leave.”
Ailiya made the decision silently in her heart.
Just as she was deep in thought, Balke, who was walking at the front, suddenly raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
“Everyone, stop.”
The group instantly fell silent.
Leo, who had been chattering, immediately shut his mouth and nervously gripped his wand.
A rushing sound of water came from ahead.
Through the increasingly thick mist, a river about ten meters wide with an eerie grayish-white color lay across their path, blocking the way.
Steam rose from the river’s surface, the current was extremely swift, and faintly, nine huge whirlpools could be seen churning on the water, emitting a terrifying roar.
“This is the White Water River. Once we cross it, we’ll truly enter the middle layer of the Mist Forest.”
The Ranger Misi, like a nimble monkey, scrambled up a tall tree and looked into the distance, scanning the empty riverbank.
“Big Boss, it’s not good.”
Misi jumped down from the tree, frowning as he reported.
“The simple wooden bridge that adventurers usually use to cross the river has been broken by some magical beast, not even the bridge piers are left.”
“What a pain. Those damned magical beasts just can’t leave things alone.”
Balke spat in annoyance, without any hesitation, he gave the order directly and pulled out the broad blade greatsword from his back.
“Brenda, come with me to find a sturdy tree nearby and chop it down. We’ll just build a log bridge to cross!”
“Wait!”
Just as Balke was about to act as a temporary lumberjack, Leo suddenly stepped out from behind the broad back of the bald shield-wielder Brenda.
He held his short wand tightly, his eyes not showing fear but instead sparkling with eagerness.
“Chopping down trees is too troublesome and a waste of time.”
Leo puffed out his chest, strode to the riverbank, and waved his short wand with extreme confidence.
“Leave it to me! Let me show you all what I can do, I guarantee you’ll cross comfortably.”
“Earth Wall!”
With the wave of his wand and the output of magic power, the mud under the riverbed immediately responded to the call.
Kacha kacha—
Several solid earth walls, half a meter in size, rose steadily from the riverbed against the rushing current, evenly spaced across the ten-meter-wide river, forming a convenient set of stepping stones.
“Whoa! Little Young Master, you’re pretty slick with that magic!”
Sailin whistled from the side.
“To solidify the earth wall so firmly in such a fast current, your magic output is quite stable. Looks like you’ve been putting in the effort.”
“Of course!”
Leo proudly raised his chin, turned around, and looked expectantly at Ailiya, who was standing far away, as if asking for praise.
However, Ailiya mercilessly poured cold water on him.
“Young Master, using earth magic to forcibly change the terrain above an unknown river not only alerts unknown creatures underwater with strong magic fluctuations, but also wastes your magic reserve on unnecessary chores.”
Leo’s pride instantly froze on his face, as if someone had grabbed his throat.
“Why do you always have to spoil the fun… I controlled it well just now, using less than 20 percent of my magic power!”
“Miss Ailiya is right.”
Balke, surprisingly, didn’t side with Leo this time.
He stared solemnly at the grayish-white river surface.
“This White Water River isn’t peaceful underneath. But since the earth walls are already built, let’s quickly cut some thick logs and place them on top as a bridge deck. That way, it’ll be more stable and save a lot of time crossing.”
Soon, several thick tree trunks were cut down, and a simple wooden bridge was assembled.
The team maintained a vigilant formation, echoing each other from front to back, and began crossing the river one by one.
Just as the team reached the middle of the river and the wooden bridge swayed slightly with the current—Ailiya, who was at the back, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
In the turbulent grayish-white water, nine massive shapes were rapidly surfacing toward the simple wooden bridge!
“There’s something in the water! Spread out!”
Ailiya’s clear voice suddenly rang out over the tranquil river.
It wasn’t loud, without any panic, but it carried an unquestionable penetrative force, instantly reaching everyone’s ears.
Almost at the same moment Ailiya spoke, Balke also sensed the abnormal churning of the water beneath his feet.
“Enemy attack! Brenda, take the front!”
Boom!
The water exploded, and Ailiya lightly tapped the bridge with the tip of her foot, her figure turning into an afterimage as she was the first to reach the opposite bank.
Four massive water beasts, over four meters long, covered in dark green hard scales and bearing a row of sharp bone spines on their backs, opened their blood-filled jaws lined with barbed teeth and burst out from underwater!
“Why are there armored crocodiles here?! Aren’t these things supposed to be in the swamps downstream?!”
Misi shouted, performing a nimble backflip in midair, narrowly avoiding a giant mouth snapping at him, and landed steadily on a rock on the opposite bank.
He just raised the crossbow in his hand to provide support when he caught a glimpse of Ailiya out of the corner of his eye—she was even faster than him.
At some point, she had already stood leisurely and completely dry in the safest area on the opposite bank.
“So fast… when did she get over there…”
Misi’s pupils contracted, and a cold sweat ran down his back.
Clang—!
The armored crocodile charging at the front crashed heavily into Brenda’s ebony tower shield.
The tremendous impact force forced even this bald strong man, known for his strength, to slide back half a step involuntarily, and the wooden bridge emitted an unbearable creaking sound.
“What strength!”
Brenda grunted, using his broad shoulders to brace against the shield, his feet planted like nails into the wood, stubbornly withstanding the beast’s frenzied death roll and bites.
“Leave it to me!”
Balke roared, leaping high into the air.
His broad blade greatsword carved a sharp streak of cyan Combat Qi light through the air, directly slashing a wound deep enough to show bone on the armored crocodile that was charging at Brenda.
The immense force slammed it back into the water heavily, leaving a large patch of glaring blood on the river surface.
However, the third and fourth armored crocodiles were extremely cunning.
They bypassed the main battle zone of Balke and Brenda, using the splashing water as cover, and locked onto Leo, who was standing in the middle of the bridge looking a bit flustered.
“Young Master, be careful!”
Sailin was greatly alarmed and immediately raised his hand to cast a blinding light spell, trying to disrupt the crocodiles’ vision.
Then he raised his wooden staff wrapped in thick iron skin, wielded it like an iron club, and charged forward, delivering a vicious blow to the head of one crocodile.
But he didn’t expect that the fourth crocodile, lurking deeper, kicked its powerful hind legs underwater, launching its massive body with immense force out of the water, directly aiming for Leo’s waist!
That mouth, strong enough to crush rocks, came with a strong stench.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
Leo gritted his teeth, not retreating half a step, not even calling for help.
He swung his short wand, and with extreme calm, instead of using a single-target spell to attack the crocodile’s back scales, which were harder than steel, he skillfully blasted several water bullets precisely in front of the armored crocodile’s open mouth.
Bang!
The water bullets exploded, and with the help of wind elements, instantly turned into a thick white mist, perfectly obscuring the crocodile’s vision, causing its lunge to lose accuracy.
The blinded armored crocodile twisted its massive body angrily in midair.
Its tail, covered in sharp bone spines and as thick as a steel whip, swung with a whistling sound through the air, instinctively sweeping forward!
If that hit, even if Leo survived, he would definitely break a few ribs and be swept directly into the turbulent river.
“Earth Wall! Water Shield!”
Standing on the narrow, swaying wooden bridge, Leo had nowhere to dodge.
He had to quickly use the scroll at his waist for an emergency.
Then, a thick earth wall rose hastily in front of him, and he cast a water shield on himself, gritting his teeth and praying to block this fatal blow.
Just at this critical moment—
Ailiya, standing in the safe area on the opposite bank, looked at the huge tail about to shatter the earth wall and sighed softly.
“What a troublesome rookie.”
While everyone’s attention was highly focused on the battle, Ailiya’s right hand, wearing a white glove, casually dropped downward.
[Mana Infusion]
An ordinary dining knife silently fell into her palm.
[Precise Throw]
Ailiya flicked her fingertip.
Swish—
The dining knife turned into a deadly, faint blue dark flash, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, threading through the chaotic splashes and the mist Leo had created, hitting the weakest nerve joint at the base of the armored crocodile’s tail with perfect accuracy!
“Roar—!”
The armored crocodile let out an extremely miserable, painful roar.
The dining knife severed its nerve node for exerting force, and its tail, which had been unstoppable and about to shatter the earth wall, suddenly stiffened.
The violent force dissipated in midair instantly, and the deadly tail drooped limply, leaving only a shallow scratch on the earth wall.
At the same time, the slower Misi fired several shots from his crossbow, and a few armor-piercing arrows precisely embedded themselves in the soft flank of the armored crocodile.
But he was shocked to find that the beast’s most threatening tail had suddenly lost its power for some unknown reason, completely defying logic.
He subconsciously glanced at Ailiya on the opposite bank, who still maintained her posture with hands clasped together, and was horrified.
“Just now… was it her move?! I was watching her, and I didn’t even see where she pulled the throwing knife from, such a quick and concealed action!”
“Good opportunity!”
Although Leo didn’t know why the armored crocodile had suddenly paused like a dead fish in midair and its tail had gone limp, he didn’t miss this perfect opening.
“Water Blade Chain Slash!”
He roared, waving his short wand wildly.
Several sharp high-pressure water blades slashed precisely across the soft lower belly exposed by the crocodile’s pain, instantly cutting a long, deep gash that showed bone.
Blood mixed with internal organs spilled everywhere, and the massive body crashed heavily into the river, splashing a few times before turning belly-up, dyeing the grayish-white water a vivid red.
On the other side, Balke, Brenda, and Sailin coordinated seamlessly and quickly dealt with the remaining three.
“Phew… got them!”
Leo leaped onto a floating piece of broken wood and made a dangerous jump to the opposite bank.
He was panting heavily, his face pale, but his amber eyes were full of the excitement of surviving a calamity and the pride of defeating a strong enemy.
“Good job, Little Young Master. Quick reflexes!”
Balke shook the blood off his greatsword, jumped ashore, and patted Leo on the back appreciatively.
“But we need to leave this area quickly. With so much blood in the water, it’ll attract more trouble from underwater soon.”
The group exchanged a few brief words, ignoring the magical beast materials sinking into the water.
Finally, Balke quickly reorganized the formation and led the team away from the White Water River bank.