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

Chapter 99 Mutual Assistance

The soles of my boots sank into the soft snow, first making a teeth-grinding scraping sound, then sinking deep into the snow, which reached above my calves and almost swallowed the entire boot.

The overwhelming snowflakes transformed into gray-white arrows, shooting straight at him and landing on his fluttering black robe, as if draped in a white cloth.

Roland continued his arduous journey.

Two hours had passed since he fled the battlefield, and in order to reach the mine entrance as quickly as possible, he chose to cross the ridge directly.

This is the shortest and fastest route. There are no rock walls to block it, no blue crystal trees to shield it, only endless wind and snow, enough to kill an ordinary person in half an hour.

However, once you get through this short stretch, the rest will be much easier.

call----

Another gust of cold wind blew in, and Roland stuck his javelin into the snow, barely managing to keep his body standing. Snowflakes, however, managed to sneak into his collar, bringing a chill to his chest.

He lowered his head and covered his collar to keep out the cold wind.

Just then.

Buzz—

With a slight sound, Roland felt the black lines on his wrist getting hot. Before he could take a closer look, he heard a familiar voice beside him.

"Walking so slowly, are you trying to freeze to death?"

He suddenly looked up.

Amidst the wind and snow, a pale black shadow floated in front of him, its height only reaching his waist, its dark brown curly hair swaying slightly.

Emma.

The female dwarf who had greeted him in the village after he emerged from the dwarven realm was now standing with her arms crossed, looking up at the swirling snow.

"you----"

Roland opened his mouth to say something, but the cold wind swallowed his words, and he only managed to utter one word.

"————That's truly tragic."

Emma gave him a sympathetic look, tinged with a hint of mischief.

She drifted closer, golden light flowing from her fingertips, spreading into a light shield about half a meter in size, enveloping the surroundings and instantly blocking out the wind and snow.

As the chill subsided, Roland breathed a sigh of relief, immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, took out a torch, lit it, and stuck it in the snow in front of him.

The orange-red flames flickered, bringing a touch of warmth, and my body began to slowly recover from its stiffness.

He then looked up at Emma, ​​his voice slightly hoarse: "If I remember correctly, there's still one day left before the deadline."

"Do you think I'm here to remind you of the time?"

Emma chuckled and sat cross-legged opposite Roland, her voice flat: "As is customary, the organization sent me to give you some assistance."

help?

Roland raised an eyebrow; he didn't think this organization was so kind.

As expected, Emma then explained her purpose: "The organization's third trial is extremely difficult; even the most outstanding talents may perish in it."

She paused, then reached out and swept her hand through the air, creating three golden points of light that floated between the two of them.

"Therefore, the organization will give you a chance, or rather, a choice."

"The three of you, the three trial locations, are thousands of miles apart, and one of you is not even in the material world," Emma said, flicking her fingers as golden light slowly began to rotate, "but the organization allows you to make one contact."

She raised her head, her gaze falling on Roland, a meaningful smile curving her lips.

"After making contact, each of you may send one item to the other person, which cannot be a living creature and must not weigh more than five pounds."

"How's it going? Ready?"

Roland didn't reply, but narrowed his eyes slightly: "You call this helping?"

Emma blinked: "Anyway, that's what the organization says. How you do it is your business."

Roland fell silent.

On the surface, this seems like a good thing. However, with his current strength, the chances of him obtaining the Blue Crystal Heart are less than 10%. Having other people help him would be ideal.

The question is, is it really that simple?

Although the three of them had interacted before and were on relatively good terms, that was only because their interests aligned.

Now, the final trial can only have one winner, and they are rivals.

Under these circumstances, sending someone something that seems useful but is actually a trap might be more beneficial than receiving help in return.

He wasn't worried about Yogurt, but about that silver fly—

Roland sighed softly, raised his head, and calmly asked, "When will the contact begin?"

Emma blinked, a sly glint in her pale gold eyes: "Anytime is fine, but you only have a hundred breaths. You'd better think carefully about what you need."

97

Roland nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"Let's begin."

Emma snapped her fingers, and three golden lights connected, creating a hazy connection between the three of them.

The second spot of light lit up first.

After a brief silence, a suppressed gasp escaped: "I need something that can quickly kill a large number of unofficial professionals, and it has to be quiet."

It's Emmett.

Roland listened intently, and in the background, he could vaguely hear some kind of fragmented, chaotic friction sound, as well as strangely pronounced conversations, which should be Elvish.

He didn't rush to respond, but instead asked, "How's it going on your end?"

"How about it?" Emmett scoffed, his voice slightly weary. "If I'm already stuck here, and I'm planning to have one last big splurge before I die, what do you think?"

Roland remained silent.

He didn't really doubt it; Emmett had gone to the heart of the Whispering Forest and his situation wouldn't be any better than his, but whether or not to help him was the question.

At this moment, a strange sound came from the third spot of light, like the breathing of a huge creature, with the writhing sound of sticky flesh.

Yogurt's deep voice came: "I need help more than you do—a supernatural item that can quickly restore life force, enough for ten uses."

Roland raised an eyebrow; those were no small demands.

Just as he was about to speak, the light emitted another sickening squeaking sound, accompanied by a sharp howl that grew louder as it approached.

Emmett: "What's that noise?"

Yogurt said calmly, "—I am inside the belly of a living demon, and something is lingering outside."

The two of them were both taken aback for a moment.

Bang—roar!!!

It sounded like metal being overturned, followed by the crackling of a burning campfire, and then a violent wail, the sound deafening and echoing repeatedly within the light barrier.

A few seconds later, the air became quiet.

Yogurt gasped for breath, "Sorry, I just tried to start a fire, but it doesn't seem to be happy about it."

Emmett remained silent for a full three seconds before uttering a rare whisper, a mixture of admiration and shock: "You want to eat inside a demon's belly?"

"Yeah," Yogurt replied, "I haven't had time to replenish my energy since I got here, sorry."

Emmett: "—No, I'm the one who should apologize."

It seems that Yogurt is the one who needs help the most.

Roland finally spoke, interrupting their conversation: "This is too inefficient—I think we need to cooperate, survive first, and then talk about the trial."

Emmett sneered, "Easy for you to say. I only have a bow and a dozen arrows. How am I supposed to kill seventeen elves?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of chaotic footsteps and rustling sounds came from the other side, and Emmett immediately lowered his voice.

"Fine, I think you're right—I agree to cooperate."

Yogurt chimed in, "Me too."

Roland nodded: "I have what Emmett wants, I can give it to him."

"My other requirement is a method to immediately improve combat effectiveness, or a means for me to disguise myself and infiltrate a mine."

"I can take care of Yogurt's needs," Emmett said coldly, the sound of rustling leaves coming from the background. "The Fountain of Life, that thing is only a few hundred meters away from me, I can have as much as I want."

"I'll take care of Roland's needs," Yogurt said in a low voice. "I have a piece of jerky I found inside a demon's belly—it doesn't taste very good, but it should satisfy your requirements."

Dried meat found inside a demon's belly?

Roland frowned. This thing is really edible?

But judging from his tone, he didn't seem to be joking. Could it be that he had already eaten?

The golden light began to flicker, and the radiance gradually dimmed. Roland didn't have time to ask further questions; he could only confirm the current plan.

"It's settled then. I'll give the things to Emmett, Emmett will go find the Fountain of Life for Yogurt, and Yogurt will take that piece of jerky first."

With a snap, the light spot went out, and all sounds disappeared, except for the howling wind swirling outside the light barrier.

Time is up.

Roland remained silent for a moment, then extended his palm. Black lines had spread to his palm, transforming into a swirling vortex, awaiting the transfer of the item.

He took out the bottle of poison that Austin had developed himself from his bag, and with a flash of light, the item disappeared.

Roland looked up at Emma, ​​but she simply shrugged: "The help is over. Now, it's up to them to see if they can survive."

She didn't say "you," but "they."

Roland understood the underlying meaning.

Ultimately, I have to walk the road ahead myself.

He stood up and brushed the melted snow off his clothes. "Is there anything else?"

Emma shook her head, and the illusory image began to fade.

"That's settled then."

""

Roland drew his javelin, gripped the hilt of his sword, and strode into the snowstorm.

Behind her, the golden light barrier slowly dissipated, and Emma's voice came from the void, falling into the wind and snow, and was quickly erased without a trace.

"Adventurer, good luck."