Having a powerful lord as a father figure, what's wrong with just wanting to draw cards?

Even in the dark, once you enter this forest, the visibility, while not quite comparable to daytime, is at least not completely dark, and you can still see things clearly at medium range.

"Brandon, look! These leaves are glowing!"

Honeyfruit seemed like a kindergarten child on a picnic, interested in everything.

Therefore, Brandon knew that his moment to establish his image had finally arrived, and he explained in a serious tone:

"The reason why the Twilight Forest glows so brightly at night is all thanks to some special plants that grow in the forest, like this yellow-green shrub."

"Their leaves can absorb only the light of dusk, but are very sensitive to moonlight. Once exposed to moonlight, they will produce a stress response and release the stored twilight."

"This allows the twilight and moonlight to intertwine, creating this unique spectacle."

This guy definitely did his homework beforehand! He came prepared!

Domi was very disdainful, believing that true knowledge should be accumulated over time, not acquired through last-minute cramming. But Honey was very susceptible to this approach.

She thought to herself, "No wonder he's the man she likes; he seems to know everything!"

"Wow! Brandon, you're amazing! Who told you all this?"

"Heh heh~" He gave a mysterious smile: "Don't let my rough and tough appearance fool you, I actually spend half a day every weekend studying at the Magic Tower Library to supplement my knowledge of the magical world!"

Then, he started talking to Miguo fluently and eloquently, and you have to admit, this guy seems to have some real skills.

"Did Brandon already know all this? Or was he just cramming at the last minute?" Domi's thoughts began to waver.

If that's really the case, oh my god...

What's wrong with people in this world? Why are they all so obsessed? Even a simple-minded warrior has to spend all his time in the library to pick up girls?

Awesome.

Domi had nothing to say.

Soon, they officially entered the outer ring of Twilight Forest, where, according to intelligence, the emerging gang of thieves was operating.

Brandon found Domi behind him:

"Brother Death Omen, the task of scouting ahead is entrusted to you!"

Domi thought about it and realized that this was indeed something an archer, or rather a wandering knight, should do.

"Okay, then you guys wait here."

"Be careful, we're waiting for your good news!"

Chapter 58, Section 57: Strange Things in the Woods

In the dreamlike forest, a figure is silently moving through it.

Domi concentrated his 'qi' on the soles of his feet, and combined it with the Shadow Flow Body Technique, completely controlling the power of his feet so that he made no sound.

The only thing that might make a sound is the slightly swaying branches.

But if someone sees the branches swaying but doesn't see anyone and hears the sound, then a frightening atmosphere is created.

I've already downed tons of night vision potion, and now everything is as bright as day!

He kept his eyes forward, continued to move forward at a steady pace, and paid attention to everything around him.

Altaïr had taught him that when acting as a vanguard, one must be observant and attentive to every detail and anomaly. This is a required course for scouts and also an area that assassins need to be involved in.

Domi also did this very diligently.

After probing forward for a while, he suddenly stopped and used branches and leaves to conceal himself.

It was only because a bright light of flame appeared ahead.

In the dead of night, still in the Twilight Forest, you're either a passing merchant, an unfortunate lost fool, or that new gang of thieves!

He cautiously peeked out halfway to check the situation:

It was a fairly large semi-permanent campsite, which had probably been there for a while; clothes were still hanging on the poles.

Most of the tents were black, with only two or three still lit up.

Beside the largest campfire, five men, dressed in different clothes and carrying daggers and swords, were clearly not regular soldiers or mercenaries. However, they had sharp eyes and stared intently at the fire, as if they were about to draw their swords at each other at any moment.

Not only around the campfire, but also around the campsite, about a dozen people were scattered, patrolling in a circle twice the size of the campsite.

Great, that eliminates the first two possibilities at once.

This is definitely the camp of those thieves!

But two things puzzled Domi.

First, patrolling over an excessively large area is completely unnecessary.

Second, why do they not seem to have any desire to sleep at all, but instead appear to be in a state of mental preparation and readiness?

That's the professionalism only elite troops possess. What makes a gang of thieves think they can have that?

Based on training?

They were all thieves; old habits die hard. No amount of rigorous training could change their appearance, but it couldn't hide their inner desires.

The only possibility...

Thinking of this, Domi shuddered, and a chilling thought surfaced in his mind.

"Something's fishy! Let's go back and talk about it!"

Before knowing their strength, Domi dared not linger and turned to retreat.

Because the evacuation route was slightly off from the one they came by, he hadn't run far when he spotted the flames of the campfire burning again, right to his side.

Upon closer inspection, although the camp was temporary, the spirit of the group was completely identical!

None of them had any intention of sleeping; they all held weapons in their hands, as if they would all take action at the command of someone!

That chilling thought seems to be gradually becoming a reality.

He no longer slowed down to cover his voice; in fact, he sped up, weaving through the dense woods like a flying needle, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Who is it...?"

Let's go back twenty minutes.

Brandon, Honey, and Mei remained where they were. Ten minutes had passed since Domi started counting. It wasn't that he was slow, but just doing this was always boring.

The Twilight Forest is beautiful, but you can get tired of looking at it after a while, especially since it looks better from a distance.

“Since we’re just killing time anyway, why don’t we let Mei get familiar with the shieldbearer class? There are quite a few wild beasts and monsters around here, perfect practice targets,” Brandon suggested.

Having something to do is better than having nothing! Honey Fruit is the first to wholeheartedly agree:

"Go on, go on! Who knows when Uncle Dwarf will be back."

"Mei, what did you say?"

Seeing their eager anticipation, and knowing she wasn't good at refusing, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"Let's go then. Let's go a little further in. There are no monsters on the outermost layer."

The three got up and set off again, this time with Mei, the shield bearer, leading the charge.

She held the large round shield in front of her, constantly scanning her surroundings as if something might jump out of the bushes at any moment.

Just then, a wild boar darted out, took a liking to Mei at first glance, and charged at her with a huff and puff!

Mei had never seen such a ferocious beast before, and she was so frightened that she curled up inside her shield.

Clearly, by blocking in this way, the wild boar could easily knock out Mei's Famous Blade of Fate and Guardian Angel with a single charge.

“Don’t be afraid, May!” Brandon shouted.

"Be brave, face it bravely! Focus on resisting, we will protect you when it matters most!"

“That’s right, that’s right,” Honey shouted, “Even if you’re injured, I can heal you immediately, don’t panic.”

Encouraged by her teammates and with a self-reminder from Mei, she rallied, raised her round shield, and looked at the charging brown boar.

"It's okay, it's okay... If I can't win, Captain Brandon will save me, and if I get injured, Miss Honey will heal me. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Come on, big wild boar!"

"Hang Chih Chih..."

The man and the pig collided like two trains, drawing the attention of both Honey and Brandon.

"Bang!!"

There was a loud bang.

The powerful impact seemed capable of sending the shield and Mei flying, but miraculously, Mei only shifted a tiny distance under the impact, completely withstanding the attack without sustaining any injury.

Instead, the wild boar crashed into the steel shield and passed out, foaming at the mouth and appearing unconscious.

"I...succeeded?"

She looked at the pigs on the ground, then at her own shield, incredulous!

The first thing Mei wanted to do after her success was to share her joy with her teammates.

"Captain Brandon, Honey, did you guys see that?!"

But after waiting for a while without receiving a reply, Mei turned her head and saw a scene even more shocking than the wild boar fainting on its own.

"Honey Fruit?! What's wrong with you?"

Honey was lying on the ground, unconscious, and Captain Brandon was nowhere to be seen.

She immediately ran to Miguo's side, checked her over, and found that she had just fainted and was not in any danger, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the next moment, a familiar handkerchief, carrying an unpleasant smell, was suddenly covered over her mouth and nose.

After struggling for a while, she also fainted, just like Miguo.

puff-

The two girls lay side by side, while Brandon stood beside them, looking at them with a wicked smile. The sunshine and integrity that had been there before were nowhere to be seen in his eyes.

"You're eager to become adventurers without even understanding this world? Well then, I'll teach you both a lesson in the wickedness of the human heart!"