It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Thus, the two were stained with the invisible scent of blood. This was a curse passed down by word of mouth among the villagers. If you kill too many monsters in a short period of time, you will be targeted by the witch. If you do not leave her territory, you will be tormented forever.

Bai Lin had only recently arrived in the village and had barely interacted with other villagers, so of course he couldn't possibly know this. Katie, perhaps because she was ostracized by the village, had never heard of the curse either.

So, the two of them experienced firsthand what the curse was.

At first, it was just a normal swarm of monsters. While their numbers were considerable, Katie's firepower was like a turret. She decisively expended her magic. Bai Lin scooped her up in his arms and ran at full speed, easily dispelling wave after wave of encircling monsters.

But later, things weren't so simple. The number of monsters began to increase, and Bai Lin had to carry Katie on his back and pick up his own weapon. With the two of them working together, they finally ran through the heart of the forest, panting.

As the two were lying in the snow to rest, the excessive tranquility made Bai Lin feel something was wrong. She picked up Katie and ran away, but she stepped on the ice covered with snow and fell off the cliff.

Chapter 39 The Thorny Road

Finally, it was a classic tactic. Bai Lin hung on a crooked tree with one hand, holding Katie with the other. Thanks to the tree and Bai Lin's incredible strength, the two of them easily returned to the ground.

But even the path they had already traversed began to change. Icicles fell from nowhere, trees suddenly exploded. All sorts of bizarre traps appeared, and the two of them fled in disarray.

Just like the unguided exploration part, Bai Lin felt that this was much more terrifying than being surrounded by monsters. Fortunately, she didn't suffer any serious injuries, and she still had enough physical strength to run out of the forest with Katie on her back.

Although there were many traps, she was able to handle them based on her reaction.

As she kept running, Bai Lin could already see the entrance to the village. As if she had seen hope, she quickened her pace.

Katie glanced back, feeling a bit strange. She saw a female ice sculpture with a wide, unnatural grin. This strange smile gave Katie a chill. Just as she was about to unleash her spell, a gust of wind and snow blew past, forcing her to close her eyes. When she opened them again, the ice sculpture had vanished.

Although the two escaped from the forest safely, this incident still made Katie a little wary.

But no matter how troubled I was, it was more important to treat the so-called Holy Son who was lying on the bed in his underwear with no image at all.

Just as Katie had imagined, Bai Lin's face was now flushed with the intense exercise. Her perfect face was covered with scratches from the trap. Katie carefully picked up an ointment with her hand and spread it on Bai Lin.

At the moment of contact, Bai Lin's half-closed eyes suddenly widened. As if some alarm had been triggered, she screamed in pain. Katie quickly withdrew her hand and touched the other half of Bai Lin's face with her other hand as if to comfort a child, whispering:

"Be good, bear with it, it won't hurt after a while."

It turned out that this approach was quite successful... Bai Lin actually calmed down. So, Katie put her hand on him again.

As if she had come to her senses, Bai Lin stopped making a fuss this time. She even calmly complained about why Katie didn't use healing magic. Katie smiled and told her that her magic power was running low.

After a long sigh, Bai Lin fell into a state of contemplation about life. Staying alert, fighting, exploring—all of that was fine, just a little tiring. But since her previous training in the snowy plains, she had discovered that she couldn't handle hardship.

Bai Lin was somewhat confident in her own will, but when she was truly experiencing pain, she thought of giving up.

A person who lies at home all day, stays at home 24 hours a day, and even gives up the brilliant life she should have. Can you expect her to grit her teeth, bear the pain, and fight with all her might?

Moreover, the so-called messenger of God came to tell her that she had died in her original world. Bai Lin felt that her future was shrouded in a fog, and she seemed to have lost her direction.

"Katie, I..." Bai Lin turned to look at the blonde girl who was bandaging her injured arm. She was about to open her mouth to express her cowardice, but stopped herself.

That serious and careful attitude at work reminded Bai Lin of the first human he had met since coming to this world. The same gentleness made Bai Lin speechless.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked, stopping what she was doing and looking at Bai Lin.

At this moment, Bai Lin, who had originally thought that "it didn't matter if she spent her life casually in this world", finally woke up. Even in this strange world, she still had someone worth caring about.

She thought of Klein, how she had faced dozens of enemies two or three times her size and yet roared without hesitation, and how she had the determination to succeed no matter how many times she died.

If the dead minotaurs heard Bai Lin's suspicion that she was a fw without fighting spirit, they would definitely kneel down and kowtow to her, begging her to think that way for the rest of her life. They had seen how ruthless Bai Lin could be when he got angry.

Yes, if I could be cruel just this once, why couldn't I be cruel for the rest of my life? Bai Lin looked at Katie's cute face and felt relieved.

She had promised to take good care of the girl before her. To make her happy, she had to lead her out of this village of discrimination and prejudice. Strengthening her own strength was merely a necessary step toward achieving this goal.

Perhaps only after leaving my own footprints on this small snow mountain, I will be qualified to take her on the journey to the world.

After all, finishing the first copy is the real beginning.

"No, nothing." Bai Lin replied after thinking it through.

After treating her injuries, Bai Lin lay down in the wooden tub at the back of the house. Katie had already prepared the bath water for her. While Bai Lin was bathing, she went to prepare dinner.

Just like usual, as if there was no danger today, I continued with this daily routine.

Katie is still young, but she is already mature, sensible, and virtuous. She will definitely be a model wife and mother in the future. Bai Lin couldn't help but start to wonder who had deprived the girl of her innocence and loveliness so early.

But on second thought, isn’t Katie cute?

Cute, gentle, and virtuous...she is perfect.

When Bai Lin thought about the possibility that a girl like this might be kidnapped by some boy one day, he could understand a little bit how a brother with a younger sister feels.

After dinner, the two chatted for a while before going to bed. Everything they had experienced today had already made them exhausted.

After being swept by the frost, Bai Lin subconsciously wrapped the quilt tighter, as if there was still a cold current surrounding her. Katie saw that the other party seemed to be trying to grab the quilt, but she was not angry, but smiled happily.

Then, she hugged Bai Lin directly. At this moment, Bai Lin's sleepiness disappeared instantly.

"What are you doing? Do you have to carry me on such a big bed?!"

This statement was a bit forced, after all, the bed was not very big, and they usually slept squeezed together. But Bai Lin was very sensitive to this kind of thing, after all, she was still a man psychologically.

"It's a bit cold without the quilt." Katie buried her head in Bai Lin's chest and rubbed her aggrievedly.

But no matter how cute her tone was, her behavior made Bai Lin feel like this guy seemed to be itching for trouble again.

Chapter 40: Second Expedition

"Okay, okay, I'll give you the quilt. Just be a good boy in sleep." Bai Lin was already very tired and had no strength to resist. After she said that, she was about to turn over, but Katie had no intention of letting go.

"The quilt is not as warm as you." Like a spoiled kitten, Katie's tone was soft and squirmy. If Bai Lin hadn't been so experienced, he would have been defeated.

But she couldn't bear to push Katie away. In desperation, she could only pull out her left hand that was being pressed down and hug Katie. Katie was satisfied now, and she pressed her body tightly against Bai Lin's.

The night, which had returned to peace, was spent in this posture.

In the morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone into the studio, Bai Lin woke up. She could feel that most of her injuries had healed and her muscles had regained their mobility.

He tilted his head and saw that the person next to him was still in bed. This was a rare sight. Perhaps he was too tired yesterday. Bai Lin thought so, quietly left the bed, and covered Katie with the quilt.

The familiar clear spring water refreshes him, and the morning sun always makes Bai Lin feel at ease, as if he is still alive in this world.

Despite the frigidity of the ice forest, this village seemed isolated from the world, shielded from the cold. It was filled with people, a breath of life. There were family members accompanying them, and a desire to stay.

Yet, this seemingly peaceful little world is often plagued by danger and unrest. This contrast is truly tragic. Bai Lin couldn't help but wonder what had caused humanity to fall to this point.

Rumor has it that he's a saint who came to save the world. It's a cliché I've used so many times. Saving the other world on my own would probably take me a lifetime.

After all, the ability of immortality means that one should use one's life to win. Thinking of this, Bai Lin smiled bitterly and glanced at her not-so-strong arms.

This hand really doesn't have that sense of security of surging muscles. Judging from the appearance, even if it says it is here to save the world, not many people will believe it.

Although I'd never considered receiving preferential treatment, I'd at least have to find a way to have a say. It was truly difficult for a self-absorbed otaku like me. However, that was a matter for the future. Right now, the most important thing was to set out again.

Thinking of this, Bai Lin went to the warehouse to get some dry food, ate some for breakfast, and then put the rest away.

Because they couldn't communicate, and Bai Lin was worried that Katie would be anxious because of her disappearance, she left her hairpin behind to indicate that she was leaving. Then, she changed into a suit.

What Bai Lin wanted to explore was the trap he encountered yesterday.

Traps are an essential element in the Souls series, and sometimes the combination of running around to defeat mobs and traps can be more frustrating than fighting bosses. Fortunately, Bai Lin's soul doesn't get lost on death, but instead suffers a direct attribute penalty.

Although she felt a little bad about these attributes, it also meant that as a novice, she could spend her life. The stats that had just been deducted might be restored by killing some monsters at the edge of the forest.

Before she knew it, Bai Lin had already entered the forest. She faced several icy vines. She slashed at them with her sword, breaking them easily.

But unexpectedly, today, along with the traps, a monster also appeared. A thorn feather whistled towards Bai Lin. She raised her shield and barely blocked it, but a few dents appeared on it.

"I'm so unlucky that I meet a guy like you right at the start." Bai Lin looked up at the monster she was familiar with, the Beast of Aridaus, which was the eagle she met before.

Yesterday, they were dealt with almost entirely by Katie's magic. These monsters were quite clever, having seen the power of magic and started hiding. They would occasionally pop up to harass them when the two of them were locked in a fight, which was quite annoying.

Unfortunately, Bai Lin came alone today, so she couldn't do anything with this kind of thing. Bai Lin picked up a stone on the ground and tried to throw it, but the opponent flapped its wings and dodged, making two strange noises, as if mocking her.

Bai Lin couldn't bear this, considering her temper. Unfortunately, even if she was furious, she couldn't fly up to the sky and strike the fluttering creature with a knife. In the end, she chose to remove her round shield from her right hand, slightly heaving her heart, and looked at the eagle.

This was the only long-range attack method she learned in the Guard, the flying shield.

With her arm strength and this seemingly weak but actually ridiculously heavy shield, if they were combined and hit the target, what would the effect be?

The answer soon emerged. The shield flew swiftly from Bai Lin's hand, striking the eagle's wing as it was unable to dodge. The wing flipped over, blood gushing out as it plummeted to the ground. Bai Lin unceremoniously ran towards the direction of the eagle's fall, intending to finish it off, but instead stepped into a snow-covered chasm.

The sudden fall prevented her from grabbing the rock face immediately. By the time she reacted, she could only cling to the slippery ice. She tried to climb up using both hands, but she kept sliding down, feeling completely powerless.

Helplessly, she pushed hard, using the weight of her armor to create a dent in the rock behind her. With her powerful leaping ability, she leaped onto the shore.

Every time she moved, Bai Lin felt the inconvenience of this iron armor. Although it covered the same area as heavy armor, the material was very rough, and its protection was probably not much better than light armor. It also restricted her movements to a certain extent.

Just now, when she was jumping, she bumped her joints a little. Perhaps it was because she wasn't used to moving around in armor.

After brushing off the snow and adjusting her breathing, Bai Lin ran to the target location again. She picked up her shield and hit the fallen bird twice more. Only then did she nod in satisfaction and continue forward.

In the original world, there's a saying: light armor is like a piece of paper, while heavy armor is like paper folded in half. Bai Lin found this saying quite useful. Her outfit wasn't perfect to begin with, and yesterday's bumps and bruises had added a few more scars. This gave her the illusion of limiting herself.

But in reality, this armor did provide some protection. At least Bai Lin didn't have to worry about every attack. Although she complained about it, she had no intention of taking it off. She hummed a little song from her hometown and continued walking into the deep forest.

Chapter 41 Katie goes out

After Bai Lin had been away for a while, Katie, sleepy-eyed, climbed out of bed. She immediately noticed Bai Lin was no longer in bed, which was much more awakening than the crowing of a rooster. But when she saw the sunlight, which was different from usual, she understood.

It turns out that I overslept.

The eye-catching hairpin on the bedside table reminded her that Bai Lin had already left. Katie cursed inwardly that he was such an idiot, and then went out to prepare her own breakfast.

When he first entered the forest, Bai Lin relied on his passion to rush through, and the final result was that he just looked a little pale when he came back.

Given the other person's speed, even if she chased him now, she probably wouldn't be able to catch up. Katie could only trust that Bai Lin wouldn't do anything to kill him.

After dinner, Katie returned to the tent. She changed into a white short coat and linen skirt, and put on a linen crown, so that her clothes were more like those of the villagers.

After all, she is going to a place where there are more people.

It was undoubtedly a painful decision for her. Even so, Katie had long been accustomed to the villagers' attitude towards her. They were indifferent and disgusted with her, and she was no different.

However, Klein was such a kind person that he created an equally kind sister. For decades, she had never slacked off in her duties as a witch doctor, nor had she ever used her magic to resist so-called bullying.

No matter what, this village had raised her. Doing her part was her duty. That was Katie's mindset.

Despite her attire, Katie's striking features and striking blonde hair were all too easy to spot. As soon as she stepped onto the more populated street, the bustling atmosphere, once somewhat vibrant, suddenly cooled. A piercing gaze shone upon Katie, as if it threatened to kill her.

Katie ignored the gazes and continued on her way calmly. I heard Bai Lin didn't have a very good reputation among the villagers. It was hard to imagine how that rough-handed guy could stand this situation.

In fact, Bai Lin really couldn't stand it. A few days ago, an old lady had muttered a few words to her, but Bai Lin didn't care about her style or quality, and directly choked her back as if she had eaten gunpowder.

After all, as luck would have it, that very day, she had been irritated by Leightonhal. The specific content was extremely vulgar, something like, "Why do you keep criticizing your father? You're so obsessed with him. Did you find out about our affair? You're not secretly calling me Daddy Bai, are you? I don't want a disgraceful offspring like you..." (This incomplete sentence probably won't pass muster.)

Finally, she added, "You can't beat me, and you can't scold me enough, so you'd better reopen the car quickly." The old lady was so angry that she shouted to her husband. Bai Lin waved her fists ostentatiously and smashed them on the ground. The floor of half of the street was cracked directly, which scared her husband so much that his legs were shaking and he ran away with his tail between his legs.

From then on, those who originally disliked Bai Lin avoided her like mice seeing a cat. On the other hand, those who originally did not like this Saint Child very much, on the contrary, praised her highly.

Why did her reputation improve despite her bad breath? The reason was simple: she had demonstrated her strength. Before, the villagers had no idea how powerful Bai Lin was. Even if the village chief claimed to have killed the enemy leader, only the able-bodied men would have had a rough idea.

In fact, apart from the guards, no one may know how powerful the Blue Flame Minotaur is.

However, the punch that Bai Lin threw in anger made them feel that they were saved.

A big part of Bai Lin's initial disbelief was her seemingly frail appearance. She wasn't very tall, and her exposed arms, while likely from fighting, were only comparable in size to those of a farmer. And even if they were from farming, they were incredibly clean. Not only were they callous-free, but they were also incredibly white.

He's the Son of God who saves the world, and that's true. Sitting in a constructed church, reading someone else's manuscript, inspiring people, that's also what a saint is. But the problem is, this small village can't afford such a large Buddha.

Therefore, the villagers, who had no hope for the future, could only be indifferent to Bai Lin. Even the village chief was only half-believing and half-doubting at first.

But this punch was like a bolt of lightning in the night sky, which woke people up instantly and illuminated them in an instant.

Will those who have seen the light still remain in darkness?

Regardless, some people became motivated after this. However, Katie didn't know this. She didn't want to have too much interaction with the villagers.

Soon after, Katie arrived at her destination - the Guard.

She stepped over the threshold and spoke naturally to the guards who looked surprised:

"I'm here to see Uncle Leightonhal."

"Oh, okay, I'll let you know—" One of the guards said without hesitation, heading into the inner room. For their guards, Katie was a lifesaver. Perhaps there was still some prejudice based on bloodline, but at least they didn't dare to show it.

However, the little girl, who almost never goes out, was somewhat surprised to find herself here today. Not long after, Uncle Leightonhal came out and coughed twice.

"Miss Katie, do you have something to ask me?"

Katie nodded. "Bai Lin has already successfully crossed the Ice Forest once. I'd like to ask you some details."

"Oh?" Leidenhal raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. Firstly, Bai Lin's speed was too fast, and secondly, why would this logistics witch doctor, whom she considered "incompetent," ask such questions? Could she really understand?

-

At Katie's insistence, the two found a stone bench in the back room and sat down. Leightonhal enthusiastically poured Katie a cup of hot tea, and she nodded in thanks.

"So, what do you want to ask?"