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

Chapter 84 Choice

As darkness fell, scattered beams of light were obstructed by the thick gray fog, falling to the ground as sparse spots of light, which drew restless roars from the monsters deep in the swamp.

The campfire was lit, its orange-red light illuminating Aletta's face as he sat in front of the iron cage. The blue-scaled lizard, so close to him, stared at the fresh bloody prey, drool dripping from its mouth and falling onto the dry grass below, where it corroded and emitted wisps of white smoke.

But Aletta didn't look at it.

She turned her head and looked at the young adventurer outside the wooden cabin, a look of worry flashing in her dark blue vertical pupils.

Roland had been thinking for nearly half an hour, sitting cross-legged in front of the campfire, staring motionlessly at the silver-white blade.

He wasn't thinking about the choice itself, but rather how to survive after making the choice.

Battlefield, forest, abyss.

The three locations seem unrelated, but in reality, the organization had investigated them quite thoroughly before making this arrangement.

Roland came to Broken Rock Town because of the war, where he became an adventurer and embarked on a new journey.

Emmett, from Whispering Wood, was driven out of her people and harbored resentment towards the elves, while also hoping to acquire their unique abilities.

Yog, although it is unclear what specific connection he has with the Abyss, chose to confront his two brothers and abandon the path taken by ordinary orcs under the witness of the Embers.

These three symbols all represent things related to important turning points in their lives.

It seems like a choice, but in reality, there is no choice at all.

That organization probably wanted them to confront their past and test their character through different choices.

If Roland had chosen the other two, his evaluation would have been lower from the start, and he would not have been able to turn defeat into victory unless he made an exceptionally outstanding performance.

From a personal perspective, Roland also believed that the battlefield was the most suitable place for him.

"The Blue Crystal Mountains," he said, his gaze fixed on the rising flames, as he retrieved fragmented memories from his mind, "the heart of the kingdom, stretching for hundreds of miles, with complex terrain and scarce resources—a natural pass that is easy to defend and difficult to attack."

The magic there wasn't strong, and there were very few monsters. The main threat came from the armies of both sides, but at least the soldiers could communicate.

If it were Whispering Woods, he would first be confronted with angry elves who would not listen to a human's explanation and would immediately choose to kill, hanging the corpses at the edge of the forest as a warning.

Leaving aside the endless stream of low-level demons roaming the first layer of the abyss, the trouble caused by the existence of the Black Ash is extremely obvious.

He doesn't have the natural night vision of an orc, and he only carries two or three night vision potions with him. He doesn't know how long it will take him to get there this time.

However, upon hearing that black ashes existed in the first layer of the abyss, he made other connections.

Previously in the dungeon, he had already learned that the appearance of the Black Ash was the devil's bait, and that the city lord had also been dragged into the abyss.

Could it be that the mission to enter the first level of the abyss is to find that city lord and obtain a way to return to the material world?

Considering that the crimson magic circle in the dungeon has summoning properties, it's not impossible.

After a long period of thought, Roland finally stood up and stretched his shoulders in front of the campfire.

His bones made a slight clicking sound as he glanced at the monsters lurking around him, finally settling on Aleta.

"Have you thought it through?" Aleta's voice was soft, her eyes filled with barely concealed worry.

"Yes," Roland nodded, his voice calm: "The battlefield."

Aletta fell silent, the only sound in the air the crackling of burning wood. After a long while, she finally replied in a low voice.

"After you come back, my experiment will end, and I will become a true half-dragon. Next time—I will help you decipher dragon language."

Roland smiled but didn't reply. He simply turned and walked towards the cabin, pushing open the heavy gray door.

The room was warm, and Cecilia sat behind a long table, fiddling with a metal fragment in her hand, looking down at a report documenting the progress of an experiment.

Hearing the sound, she didn't even look up: "Have you made up your mind?"

The long wait had extinguished her initial enthusiasm, and she began to focus on the upcoming experiment.

Just now, Roland overheard her conversation with Aletta outside and learned part of the experiment's details.

It was probably through some forbidden magic that they attempted to refine and purify the thin dragon blood within the monsters' bodies before injecting it into Aletta's body.

This dragon vein sorcerer attempted to forcibly increase the purity of dragon blood in individual creatures, exchanging the lives of monsters for the inherent talents of dragons.

Aletta was not the first test subject, nor will she be the last; the ultimate beneficiary of this experiment was Cecilia herself.

To some extent, this is also a drawback of the warlock class. Bloodline is both a blessing and a curse; the lower limit is very high, while the upper limit is affected by bloodline.

Having reached Cecilia's level, if she wants to continue on the path of the extraordinary, she can only find a way in this direction.

However, Roland is not currently focused on the specific details of the experiment; he is more concerned with his next task.

"The Blue Crystal Mountains," he said calmly, gazing at the first golden rune, "How long will I stay there before being teleported back?"

Cecilia paused for a moment on the runes with her finger, then looked up, her tone indifferent: "I don't know. Although I can decipher dragon language, I'm not an expert in this area."

Roland observed her expression, unable to discern whether she was genuinely unskilled or had unintentionally offended this capricious individual, and could only nod.

"bring it on."

Cecilia stood up, slowly moving her long, scale-covered legs beneath her robes, and came to Roland, picking up the parchment with three runes engraved on it.

Without her making any movement, she simply opened her mouth slightly and uttered a strange syllable, at which point Roland saw the rune begin to flicker.

A dazzling golden light exploded, and the surrounding space began to tear, distort, and recombine. An inexplicable force lifted his body, suspending him in mid-air.

"Don't die," Cecilia's voice came from outside the golden light, tinged with indifference. "If the experiment succeeds, I don't want Aletta to avenge you on the battlefield."

Roland didn't speak.

He was no longer able to speak.

A strong sense of teleportation washed over me, and all I could see was the dazzling golden light. My body felt as if it were being pulled by countless invisible hands, my internal organs were shifting, and my brain was filled with dizziness, making it impossible to discern my surroundings.

After an unknown amount of time, accompanied by a loud boom in his ears, Roland felt his feet stepping on solid ground.

He knelt on one knee, his long sword resting on the ground, panting heavily. His stomach was churning, but he forced himself to suppress the urge to vomit and looked up.

What catches the eye is a blindingly cold blade!

With a sharp whooshing sound, a distorted, blood-stained face came into view, its eyes filled with bloodlust, and a spear in its hand was thrusting towards Roland!

Before he could even think, his body reacted first. Roland twisted and rolled on the ground, his longsword flashing out and cutting a silver arc through the air.

when!!!

A sharp, explosive sound erupted as he lightly flicked his sword tip, deflecting the spear two inches. At the same time, he twisted his body forward, and taking advantage of the enemy's loss of balance, the tip of his sword pierced through the enemy's chest.

puff.

Blood splattered, splashing onto his face.

With the body on the ground, Roland finally had time to observe it.

But when he saw the scene around him clearly, he instinctively took a deep breath.

Just as Cecilia predicted, he arrived right near the battlefield where the two armies were fighting!