Leon thought for a mont before finally speaking. "My na is Leon. We had five people in our group. A beast attacked us while we were crossing a bridge. Most of us could cross the bridge. But we two were unlucky and fell down."
"Did you find the bridge on your own or was soone helping you?" the girl asked calmly.
"Yes. Soone was helping us," Leon replied. "We were being chased by a horde of tyrant ice bears when that person appeared and started leading us to a safe place."
"A safe place?"
The girl chuckled instinctively. But that small gesture blood her beauty. Two dimples appeared in her cheeks that were hard to avoid.
Leon’s heart faltered for a mont. But then...
He composed himself.
"Did I say sothing funny?" Leon asked.
"Do you know that the beast which attacked you while you were fleeing actually did you a favor?"
"Hmm? A favor? What do you an?"
"That person who helped you is..." The boy beside her suddenly tried to speak, but the girl interrupted him before he could finish.
"Sol, the food is ready. Let’s eat before it gets cold."
She said casually. The boy nodded. They turned toward the campfire.
’Where have I seen these two before? They look strangely familiar.’ Leon wondered.
Just then, the girl glanced back over her shoulder. "You can join us for the al too."
Leon imdiately bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you very much."
He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
’I am sure of it. She didn’t forget to offer because she heard my stomach growling from hunger.’
His gaze shifted toward Noah, who was still unconscious with no signs of waking anyti soon.
’Later, I’ll go hunting and find food for him too.’
Leon walked toward the fire and sat beside them. ’It’s shaless to accept without even pretending to refuse... but with an empty stomach, I don’t really have a choice.’
The boy skillfully divided the at into three portions with a sharp knife. He handed one portion to Leon, another to his sister, then imdiately began eating his own without hesitation. The girl did the sa. Leon stared at the at for a brief mont before finally taking a bite. The mont the flavor hit his tongue, he began eating hungrily as well.
He had been fighting nonstop inside the dungeon to complete his mission. Then ca this hidden realm... and all the chaos that followed with it. After enduring continuous battles and struggling for survival, both his body and mind had long reached their limits. He was starving and utterly exhausted.
It didn’t take long for the three of them to finish the al. "Thank you very much," Leon said sincerely. "I truly appreciate your kindness. Saving us was already a huge favor, but you even shared your food in a place like this."
"It’s alright," the girl replied calmly. "I just hope I won’t regret saving the two of you."
Her aning was obvious. She still hadn’t fully trusted Leon and Noah, but she hoped helping them hadn’t been a mistake.
"You won’t," Leon said firmly.
The girl gave a small nod. "You should rest for now. Night will fall soon. Since you’re staying here with us, you’ll also have to share the burden. Each person will take two hours of watch duty. During the day, you’ll help either with hunting monsters or guarding this place."
"Of course. It’s the least I can do."
"I’ll take the first watch. Then my sister. After that, it’ll be your turn," the boy said.
Leon nodded in agreent. Afterward, Leon walked over to Noah and sat beside him. The siblings remained near the fire.
"You still don’t fully trust him, sis?" the boy asked quietly.
"He doesn’t seem dangerous," the girl replied. "But don’t you find sothing strange? He doesn’t recognize us. Who in this world wouldn’t recognize us unless they’ve been completely detached from society?"
"True..." The boy frowned. "Father leads one of the top three guilds. And you’re an S-class at twenty. There’s no way soone wouldn’t recognize us. Yet he acted like he was seeing us for the first ti."
"Either he’s pretending not to know us..." Her voice slowly trailed off.
"Or?" The boy narrowed his eyes.
"Or he may not even be from our world."
"You an... like Harold?" The boy’s eyes widened in shock.
The girl silently nodded.
The color imdiately drained from the boy’s face. Seeing the tension in his expression, the girl gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don’t worry, Sol. As long as I’m here, no one will harm you. Go take your position for watch duty. I’ll keep an eye on him for now."
Sol nodded and walked outside the cave. Pulling a dagger from the sheath strapped to his back, he took his position at the entrance, his sharp eyes sweeping across the darkness ahead, searching for even the slightest movent.
anwhile, Leon didn’t go to sleep. For a long ti, he had been suppressing both his excitent and curiosity, deliberately ignoring the notifications that kept appearing before him. But now that things had finally cald down, he could no longer hold himself back.
His gaze shifted toward the girl sitting near the fire in the distance. ’She’s far enough away. If I keep my voice low, she shouldn’t be able to hear .’
"System."
[Yes, Host?]
"What was that notification earlier about spiritual energy?"
[Spiritual energy exists naturally in the environnt where the Host is currently located. The Host can absorb this spiritual energy, refine it, and convert it into Qi.]
Leon’s eyes widened slightly. "You an... I can increase my cultivation without relying on monster cores?"
[Affirmative, Host.]
"Seriously?" Leon couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips. "Then isn’t this place basically a blessing in disguise?" The hardships of this hidden realm suddenly didn’t seem quite as terrible anymore.
"Alright then," he continued excitedly. "How do I cultivate?"
[To absorb and refine spiritual energy, the Host requires breathing techniques. The grade of the technique determines how much Qi can be refined per second. However, refinent speed also depends on the individual’s body. Different physiques possess different affinities and efficiencies when it cos to absorbing and refining spiritual energy, regardless of how high the technique’s grade may be.]
Leon quickly grasped the aning behind the explanation. "So where do I get these breathing techniques?"
[The Host may purchase them from the System or search for them throughout the vast universe.]
Leon’s expression twitched slightly. "Yeah... like I have ti to wander across the universe searching for a breathing technique." He let out a quiet sigh before asking directly, "Fine. Just tell what grades of techniques you currently have available."
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