Still, fortune favors fools—he’d bumped into Qin Jun. Concealing himself, Qin Jun rested less than fifty meters from Nora. He pulled out the food Fulun had prepared and nibbled on it slowly, all while monitoring Nora’s every move. He’d come this close just to protect the girl swiftly if needed.
Nora, of course, had no idea she was under the silly bear Qin Jun’s watch. Exhausted from her fight with Qin Jun, she prepared to rest. She placed the Colossal Sword beside her and hugged it tightly, unafraid of its sharp edge. Clearly, she treasured this blade deeply.
Ferrero didn’t sleep. As the strongest in the group, he took the second watch—not the first, which had already passed. The late night had just begun. Seeing no major disturbances, he glanced at his teammates. When his eyes landed on Nora, warmth flickered in his heart: *Thank goodness nothing happened. I’d have been heartbroken otherwise.* Though their bond wasn’t deep, watching a girl his daughter’s age die before him would’ve pained him.
A while later, Ferrero stretched with a soft yawn. To his surprise, everyone was awake except Nora, still fast asleep. He whispered, careful not to wake her, “Why aren’t you sleeping? Dawn’s still far off.”
Angelo replied just as softly, “Uncle Ferrero, we need to discuss something with you.” The others nodded.
Lucy added in a hushed voice, “Uncle Ferrero, want to make a deal with us? If it works, we won’t need to risk our lives in Monster Forest for money for a whole year.”
Ferrero’s eyebrows shot up. That was tempting—who’d choose this dangerous life over peace? But what scheme could earn that much? He noticed their eyes drifting toward Nora. Suddenly, he understood. How could they target a teammate? They hadn’t worked together long, but he’d never assumed the worst of them. He’d thought them decent folk—selfish, yes, but who wasn’t in this era? Yet everyone had limits. Where you drew the line defined how rotten you were. After all, no one was truly good; only relatively so.
Angry, he snapped, “You’d scheme against a teammate? Have you no humanity?”
Angjuro, his face sly, scratched his nose and grinned. “Uncle Ferrero, as they say: men die for wealth, birds perish for food. We know your family needs money. You’ve a daughter to raise, a dowry to save for. Don’t you want them comfortable? Selling that sword—even split four ways—would be a fortune. And if you’re unsatisfied, we’ll chip in extra for you. How about it?”
Ferrero’s thoughts flew to his wife and daughter. His life wasn’t easy; that’s why he risked these missions. Young and naive, he’d focused solely on magic, ignoring other skills. He’d learned too late this world favored the strong—countless mages like him existed. Only at level eighty did true power—and wealth—arrive. Now, grinding tasks barely paid better than honest work. And Ferrero had no hope left. He couldn’t switch careers or levels. No matter how hard he fought Monstrous Beasts for XP, his innate limits held him back. That’s why Fili was so valued—sent to the academy. By the way, Falcon City’s lord lived lavishly despite similar strength to Ferrero. He had connections. Fili’s grandfather would appear later, and unlike Ferrero, the lord still had potential to level up.
Lucy saw Ferrero’s silence and knew his resolve wavered. They’d sought his approval because he was the strongest; they couldn’t overpower him, especially with Nora’s help. Smiling sweetly, she pressed on, “Uncle Ferrero, you’d gain more than money. Fun things too.” Her flirtatious pose made Ferrero snap back to reality. The girl he’d thought pure now seemed vulgar. Fury surged—he nearly shouted but choked it down. *Can’t wake Nora. This would be awkward.*
“Hmph. Drop that idea. The Colossal Sword is Nora’s. It stays hers. Don’t test my patience. At dawn, we part ways. I’ll pretend I never knew you. I never imagined you’d sink this low.”
Lucy’s smile vanished. She blinked at the others; Angjuro signaled calm. She forced a grin. “Fine. If you refuse, Uncle Ferrero, we’ll obey. We’ll drop it. I’ll sleep now.”
Angelo chuckled. “Boring. I’ll nap too.” Angjuro just smiled at Ferrero and lay down.
Ferrero nodded outwardly but thought: *They’ll strike later. But how to warn Nora? They agreed not to act… yet she’s clueless. I’ll caution her before we split. I can’t stay—I’ve been gone over a year. My savings cover expenses. Time to go home.*
Nearby, Qin Jun watched with interest. *This uncle’s decent. At least he didn’t add to her troubles. Nora won’t need my protection until she leaves him.* As he mused, he sensed something amusing—the Barrier here had weakened. Qin Jun had long known about Monster Forest’s Barrier; he could dismantle it easily. Just a level-200 barrier. *This world hides formidable talents.* With the Barrier loose, powerful Monstrous Beasts would soon emerge.
Simultaneously, the Unfallen Empire’s strongest felt the magical ripple. In a gilded palace, a majestic emperor summoned his top subordinates—warriors, mages, all elites. His face veiled by curtains, his aura remained crushing. Only immense power could command an empire.
He demanded, “Who oversees that Monster Forest sector? Why report such a massive fluctuation so late?”
The regional head sweated, trembling. “Your Majesty, the Barrier weakened suddenly. I monitored it day and night—it was intact at dawn. This has never happened before.”
The emperor snorted. The sound alone hurled the man back—despite his level-96 strength. Other heads shuddered inwardly, vowing stricter vigilance.
The emperor asked coldly, “What’s the highest-level Monstrous Beast in that forest?”
The head scrambled back. “Level 101, Your Majesty. But it never left the Barrier during past weakenings. It shouldn’t harm humans.”
“And the next strongest?”
Sweat poured down the man’s face. “A century ago, at level 90, it slaughtered countless. Our ancestors chased it but failed. Now it’s level 98. If it emerges… rivers of blood will flow.”
“Your incompetence caused this,” the emperor snapped. “I command you: fail to fix this, and every responsible person in your region will be replaced. Understood?”
The head shivered. *Replaced* meant erasure—useless lives extinguished. “I’ll complete the task!”
“Go.”
As the head rushed off, the emperor glared at the rest. “I won’t tolerate repeats. Clear?”
Silence answered. He turned and left.
