Lin Xinyan saw it all clearly from the sidelines—and by “clearly,” that pretty much just meant she saw the lizard collapse. As for Shi Ji’s movements, all she caught were a few faint afterimages.

The moment Ge Sila hit the ground, she was stunned. Her eyes widened, her mouth hung half open, and she didn’t dare make a sound. Maybe it wasn’t that she didn’t dare. Maybe she simply couldn’t. What had just happened was too shocking to take in. Her heart trembled, as if a blazing fire were burning inside her.

That question still lingered in Lin Xinyan’s mind. Who was he?

The fact that he could drive off a Spirit Rank Other already gave some hint of his strength. But taking Ge Sila down with just one move—killing it in an instant? What was that about? He could kill a Spirit Rank Other in one hit?

“That guy…”

While the girl stood there stunned, someone had already come up to her. There was no one else here besides her and the person from before.

Of course Shi Ji wasn’t going to leave Lin Xinyan behind after dealing with the Other. He came over to her, his gaze settling on her injuries.

“Are you okay?”

Lin Xinyan came back to herself and gave a small shake of her head.

“I’m fine.”

“Good. Don’t do anything stupid next time. You’re always going on about being a hero. Being a hero doesn’t mean throwing your life away. You were just trying to play the hero, you know that?”

Shi Ji’s words were a little harsh, but he wasn’t wrong about what had happened. Lin Xinyan felt deeply ashamed.

Shi Ji had nothing more to say to Lin Xinyan. He turned to leave.

The girl was taken aback. At first, she’d thought the person in front of her would be a little more gentlemanly. But after saying just a few words—mostly to scold her—he was already leaving. Still, it wasn’t as if he owed her anything.

“W-wait!” Lin Xinyan called after Shi Ji.

Shi Ji stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“What is it?”

“Are you a hero too? What’s your name?”

After seeing how powerful Shi Ji was, Lin Xinyan’s curiosity flared up. She really wanted to know his name.

“No, I’m not a hero. I’m not interested in becoming one, either. I’m just an ordinary person. The most ordinary kind.”

With that, he pushed off hard with his feet. As he leapt forward, the tremendous force drove into the ground, leaving a deep crater.

A blast of air rushed toward her, making Lin Xinyan squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them again, Shi Ji was gone.

He’d left without giving her his name. Doing so would’ve made him feel like a hypocrite.

Silver Frost wasn’t far from here. When Silver Frost City received word that an Other resembling a Spirit Rank had appeared in the area, it immediately contacted the few A-Rank Heroes available, along with several B-Rank Heroes, and sent them to help.

The A-Rank Hero among them was a Warrior-tier General Star, capable of flight. The other B-Rank Heroes were flying with the support of his power.

They weren’t moving slowly, and by now they’d nearly reached their destination. They were searching the area for signs of the Other, but everything around them was calm. There wasn’t the slightest sound of a fight.

“Hey, hey, what’s that up ahead?” the A-Rank Hero said simply.

But the moment he finished speaking, a violent gust ripped through the group.

“What the hell was that?” one of the B-Rank Heroes cried.

Their formation was completely scattered. The sudden disruption caught the A-Rank Hero off guard, and he nearly dropped one of the B-Rank Heroes.

One of them asked, “What was that just now?”

“The wind, I guess…”

“Wind that strong? How’s that possible?”

…

Not long afterward, Lin Xinyan was the first to spot the heroes flying in to help. Then she suddenly understood why the mysterious young man had left her behind.

She wasn’t sure whether she should feel happy or angry.

“What a rude guy. But… he really is strong.”

…