Chapter 37: Someone’s Leftover Trace

The stronghold of the Fierce Wolf, Nickles, currently housed fifty-seven members. Though few in number, they were all loyal brothers who had fought alongside him and shared life-and-death experiences. They were also the most faithful subordinates of Nickles.

Their strengths ranged from entry-level to Ink Steel, with none exceeding Earth level. This means that as the successor of the Gale Flow, Nickles actually had a chasm-like gap between him and them.

It could be said that Nickles was currently taking care of this group single-handedly; otherwise, with his Sky level strength, there was no need for him to keep hiding in this Oaken Grand Canyon.

“I’m giving you two choices now: abandon these people and come with me directly. I can guarantee your safety and ensure a worry-free future.”

As she spoke, Miss Vilyric’s eyes flashed with a hint of mischief.

“Or, you can take this bunch of dead weight with you, but I won’t take responsibility for their lives. Even if they get surrounded by the kingdom’s troops, it’s your own problem.”

“This… doesn’t that mean sending them to their death?”

Nickles hesitated. Naturally, he didn’t want to abandon these loyal subordinates, but…

Not to mention the City of Courage in the royal capital, even on the other side of the Oaken Grand Canyon, there were various enemies eyeing the Fierce Wolf and his subordinates.

If this person before him refused to provide protection, Nickles absolutely wouldn’t be able to protect so many subordinates by himself.

“So, it’s up to you to choose ~”

No sooner had her words fallen than the amusement in Vilyric’s voice abruptly vanished, transforming into a merciless declaration.

“Or you could choose the third option—everyone dies here… which saves me some trouble.”

Nickles was taken aback. He looked up to glimpse the girl’s amber-like radiant silver-blue eyes, and the coldness hidden behind that smile raised the hair on the back of the Fierce Wolf’s neck.

It became clear to him that this person wasn’t lying.

This black-haired girl named Vilyric had no burden whatsoever regarding “human lives.” If he were to utter a single “no,” then everyone in the stronghold, himself included, would be slaughtered in an instant.

Limited mercy… and perhaps he still had some value for her.

No, to this being, his prowess was indeed unremarkable and likely just an idle act sparked by interest.

Is it true… Ever since he had listed her among the targets for looting, the fate of the Fierce Wolf had already been sealed.

“I understand. Please give me some time to settle my subordinates.”

“Ha, you’re clever. Off you go ~”

Vilyric casually waved her hand, injecting a stream of golden light into Nickles’ body. In mere breaths, his broken legs, which should have required long-term treatment and care to heal, restored to their original state.

“What!?”

The Fierce Wolf instinctively stood up, trying to move his body, his face filled with disbelief. A glance at the priestess girl revealed seemingly something more.

Those bits of unwillingness and resentment completely vanished at that moment.

“Don’t just stare like that. Your subordinates are merely knocked out; I won’t treat them. You have half an hour.”

With that, the priestess waved to the blonde girl in the distance, and the two went to the side, ignoring Nickles entirely.

“Ha…”

So much had happened in a single day that even Nickles, with his thick skin, felt as though he were living in another era.

However abrupt things might be, some changes indeed needed to occur; he couldn’t just muddle through life like a street rat forever.

Exhaling slowly, Nickles gazed at the retreating figures of the two girls, his resolve gradually strengthening.

With this thought in mind, the Fierce Wolf walked deeper into the stronghold.

…

“Master, you didn’t kill that human. Do you have other plans?”

Miss Vilyric sat down in a secluded shady spot with her pet, and without attempting to hide her thoughts, the Giant Dragon immediately expressed confusion.

“Well… I suppose it was mostly an impulsive decision, in addition to being slightly concerned about something.”

According to Nickles, the “Wishing Spirit Treasure” was something he found at a peculiar location.

The Oaken Grand Canyon was vast—while called a canyon, it was actually more like an interior space sandwiched between two parallel mountain ranges, undulating for dozens of kilometers. The narrowest parts could truly be described as a slit of sky, while the widest stretched several kilometers, not conforming to traditional canyon standards.

The three-way path Vilyric had seen earlier wasn’t the only entrance to the canyon; she just didn’t know this and happened to stumble into the labyrinth of the Fierce Wolf’s lair, getting tricked along the way.

Thus, Oaken Grand Canyon contained a complete ecosystem and diverse environments, and Nickles’ location of the spirit treasure was even a lake.

Surrounded by trees, the clear blue lake had no fish or birds, looking like a water sapphire embedded in the earth, with a protruding stone platform upon which the treasure lay.

It was a crystal-clear pitcher, and between the platform and the ground, it seemed as if an invisible bridge was set up over the water. Therefore, Nickles easily stepped onto the path to touch the “Wishing Spirit Treasure,” conversed with the spirit within, and made his wish.

Curiously, after generating the labyrinth and transporting himself and his subordinates deep inside, the treasure did not leave with Nickles. When he later returned to search the location from his memory, it had completely transformed.

Gone were the lake and pitcher; even the surrounding trees had vanished, replaced by a flat hillside indistinguishable from the surroundings, as if everything that had happened that day was merely an illusion in the man’s mind.

Yet the labyrinth undeniably existed.

After hearing this story, Miss Vilyric’s déjà vu grew more intense.

This thing… how could it not be a hodgepodge of Aladdin’s lamp, the sword in the lake, and the Peach Blossom Spring? There are quite a few elements, you jerk!

Vilyric felt increasingly that the legend of this Wishing Spirit Treasure was the mischief of some unscrupulous predecessor who had crossed over.

Which means the “Wishing Spirit Treasure” was likely an item from the “Phantoms Realm.”

As for wishes being granted, there were indeed similar items in games, but their grade certainly exceeded that of golden spirit artifacts, with significant limitations. Not everything could be accomplished, and using it once would lead to a long cooldown.

If that were the case, it aligned quite well with Nickles’ description.

As for the lake that vanished, it was merely a subspace akin to the reflected Forgotten Land; if it were a game technique, it was not surprising.

Could it be that other players really had come to this world? But where did they go, and why hadn’t they left behind many traces or legends about being “players”?

Also, why Nickles?

This was the most perplexing question for Vilyric.

The Wishing Spirit Treasure lay dormant for so long, yet suddenly reacted to this guy. If he had nothing special about him, that would be truly suspicious.

Moreover, Vilyric couldn’t say she disliked Nickles’ personality; he was rather principled. Taking him to the royal capital to work for Liliya and squeeze out some remaining value could potentially unravel his secrets.

Though it was just an intuition, he might… be related to the players.

“Sir, we can set off now.”

Not even taking half an hour, about ten minutes later, Mr. Fierce Wolf, now equipped with a new sword and carrying only essentials, found Vilyric and her pet.

No one followed him, indicating Nickles had taken care of everything.

“Pretty quick… Lead the way; just don’t ‘mess up’ again ~”

   

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