That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Visibility returned to normal.

Roland saw the scene before him clearly, but suddenly gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

"Where did I get this for!?"

It's not a dead forest.

It wasn't the wilderness I remembered either.

Instead, it was a village where the houses were already dilapidated, with messy cobwebs covering the earthen walls. Several large rats scurried by, their eyes flashing with a terrifying red light.

The monitor lizard meat hung from his waist, patting the bulging pack. The texture against his legs brought him back to his senses, and he turned around to look for his teammates.

Yogurt and Emmett have disappeared.

The portal didn't seem to have teleported him back to where he came in, but rather it was projected into the material world in some specific way.

This is not unusual. The weak points where the secret realm comes into contact with the material world are often not just one. If those dwarves anchor themselves using some kind of spatial rune, they can indeed be teleported to other places.

"No wonder Emmett called him stingy; he's certainly petty enough. Not only did he take the hammer away, but he also pulled this stunt."

Cursing inwardly, Roland slowly walked forward, continuing to survey his surroundings.

The village was quite large, comparable to some small towns in his memory, but it was now abandoned and inhabited by countless wild creatures.

Flocks of birds, insects, mice... He even saw a sleek fox dart across the edge of his field of vision, but it ran away in fright when he looked at it.

Perhaps sensing the aura of the lava giant lizard on Roland, it felt a sense of awe, akin to being at the bottom of the food chain.

The ground was full of puddles, reflecting the gray sky. The stagnant air was filled with a chill, which made his brain start working again.

"There are signs of rain, which means we're still near Duanyan Town."

"From the outside, this place has been abandoned for at least ten years. It may not even be marked on a map, and we don't know its exact location."

"But something's strange. Why are there so many wild animals here, and their fur is so glossy? Could they have some unique food source?"

While pondering, Roland suddenly noticed a very obvious footprint not far ahead and subconsciously walked over to check it.

Because it was after the rain, the ground was extremely wet, and the footprints were exceptionally clear, stretching deep into the village.

Roland had a bad feeling.

He also remembered one thing: Ms. Barlow clearly knew a lot about the secret realm.

If that's the case, then she couldn't possibly be unaware that there's nothing worth exploring there. So why would she go there?

Is it just a one-day trip specifically to the hidden gem?

That's impossible. She hired the Silverfly Squad as bodyguards and used the method of escape as leverage...

Wait, get out?

Roland's eyes suddenly narrowed as he realized he had overlooked a fact.

Ms. Barlow did indeed enter the secret realm specifically, but it's highly likely she wasn't there to do anything, but rather, like him, she used it as a transit point to reach another area.

She probably knew that using the ruptured scroll would trigger the dwarven traps, so she planned to use the Silverfly Squad to deal with the Lava Giant Lizard and thus open the portal.

The key question is, where does she want to teleport to?

Having already lost contact with Yogurt, how could she be sure where she would end up?

Unless, of course, every teleportation point can reach the target.

call--

A breeze rose from the horizon, gently rustling through the overgrown weeds, carrying away the scent of the monitor lizard meat from Roland's waist, without attracting any wild beasts.

The surroundings were too quiet, which made Roland, who had just been on an adventure, feel uneasy.

He examined the footprint again and made a new discovery.

The footprints were shallow and smaller than those of a normal adult male; if it wasn't a child, it was most likely a dwarf.

Following the trail, Roland soon confirmed his guess.

She is indeed a dwarf, and a female dwarf at that.

She was facing away from me, only about three feet tall, but her skeletal structure was the same as that of an adult human. Her dark brown curly hair was tied into several braids and hung down her back.

He was wearing a thin, faded linen robe, revealing his wheat-colored arms with clearly defined muscles, and he seemed to be playing with a piece of metal.

Click—

The metal fragments made a faint sound. Without turning her head, she said in the high-pitched tone characteristic of dwarfs, "Come out. Peeping isn't a good habit."

Roland remained motionless.

The dwarf sighed and finally turned around, his pale golden eyes staring directly at the low wall where Roland was hiding: "I can smell the scent of the giant lizard meat on you from three blocks away."

"Who are you?"

Roland finally stepped out from behind the low wall, his gaze landing on her petite, slightly freckled face: "Who are you waiting for?"

"Hmm... not Ballow, looks like she failed."

The dwarf stood up, flipped a switch, and the metal fragment transformed into a ring that she slipped onto her slender wrist.

With a hint of regret in her eyes, she glanced at the giant lizard meat around Roland's waist and said to herself, "Oh well, failure is normal. It doesn't make any difference to us anyway."

Roland grew increasingly puzzled.

"You can call me Emma," she said, her eyes sparkling as she slowly leaned toward Roland. "I'm here specifically to welcome those who pass the first test, and you've taken Barlow's place."

test?

Seeing his stunned expression, Emma continued to explain, "Barlow learned of our existence by chance and therefore wants to join us."

She then pointed to the flesh around Roland's waist: "We told her that only by killing the lava giant lizard and completing the forging of that hammer would she be qualified to come here."

"Unfortunately, Barlow is good at business, but not at other methods. We have already revealed a lot of information very clearly, but she still failed."

Roland seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that this must be some kind of group recruiting new members through the secret realm.

More questions followed.

What exactly is the background of this group?

Does the Elf Ranger even know of its existence?

Why didn't Barlow enter the secret realm at the beginning, but instead sent people to the canyon?

Why did the raven squad disappear after that?

Despite a multitude of clues, and the gradual emergence of a thread connecting them, Roland still hadn't found the answer.

He wanted to continue asking Emma questions, but the dwarf woman had already changed the subject.

"The second test," she pointed to a dry well covered with weeds to the left, "is to jump in and come out alive from the other side. It's that simple."

Roland frowned. "What if I say no?"

"Do as you please. Recruiting new members is standard practice, but it's not mandatory... If you want to leave, I can tell you the way back."

Despite saying that, Emma still tiptoed and patted Roland's arm, adding in a low voice, "There's something good down there; that's what Barlow came for."

Roland quickly weighed the options in his mind and asked one last question: "Will the two people with me also go through this kind of test?"

Emma blinked. "Of course, but the test is quite difficult, and I don't think you'll all pass it."

It turned out to be the case.

Roland took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the deep well.

He suddenly understood why the Elf Ranger had let Yogurt take on that quest.

That trial wasn't issued to Yogurt by him, but rather it was an opportunity given to a select few by the group, and the Ranger wanted Yogurt to get involved.

This is a form of training.

And he, unfortunately, also got this opportunity.

It is worth cherishing.