"This footprint again. Seriously, what the hell is this thing?"

Lately, Xiao has been encountering mysterious footprints around the area where he usually gathers materials.

"At this rate, whatever this thing is, it's gonna chase away all the animals around this area," says Xiao with a troubled face.

Usually, deers, rabbits and sometimes boar can be easily found, making it easier for Xiao to hunt for their meat.

Ever since the appearance of the mysterious creature, animals were getting lesser as days went by.

Xiao did use his Gamer Eyes to try to analyze the owner of the footprint. What he got was a bunch of question marks in its status.

This will only happen if Xiao has never seen the analyzed target before and when it has a higher level than him.

"Could it be stronger than the Chimera? And it's so strange that I still didn't encounter it up until now," says Xiao as he checked the area.

Xiao has been moving to many different areas in the jungle. Almost all the sites he went to have the trail of the mysterious creature. Yet, not once did they encounter each other. Xiao presumes that maybe their activity time was different from each other.

Xiao’s eyes linger on the massive footprint. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

"What if it’s stronger than the Chimera?" he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. "And if I haven't encountered it yet, who knows what it’s capable of?"

He gripped the hilt of his knife tighter, a wave of doubt washing over him. It wasn't just about the disappearing animals or the tracks that seemed to multiply daily. It was the thought of Iva—small, fragile, and recovering—that gnawed at him.

"If that thing shows up here... crashing into my cave and just destroying everything, could I really protect her?"

Xiao's heart thudded against his chest. He had fought monsters, sure, but something about this creature was different. He didn’t know its strength, its nature, or even when it would appear. A battle with something unknown could end disastrously, and the last thing he wanted was for Iva to be caught in the crossfire.

The scene of Kang and his parents resurface in his mind. The shrieks. The metallic screech of claws against wood. He could still hear Kang’s desperate voice calling out to him—telling him to run—as he lay there, blood pooling from the deep claw marks across his back. His parents... their lifeless bodies entwined in a pool of red.

A sense of urgency settled in. "I have to send her back. To where she belongs, where she’ll be safer... surrounded by her own people. No one is dying in front of me, anymore…”

He swallowed hard, a mix of regret and determination swirling in his mind. It wasn't just about the promise he made to himself; it was about ensuring she was safe. As much as he had grown used to her presence, he knew deep down that he didn’t have the strength to protect her from everything.

"In any case, I might as well hunt it down before it causes a serious problem to me in the future. That is after sending Iva back home."

He shook his head, pushing the painful memories aside. There was no point dwelling on the past now; he had to focus on the present.

Xiao shifted his thoughts to Iva and the event he had planned for today. There will be a big surprise coming for her, one that Xiao has been working on non-stop for the past few days.

"Guess these are all we got for today," says Xiao as he checks the fishes he had caught at the river.

After checking everything, Xiao happily jogs back home, as there was a feast waiting for him to be prepared.

"I'm home," Xiao greets out of habit as soon as he enters his cave.

"Welcome back," and Iva returns the greeting, out of habit as well. She was cleaning the place as usual.

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Xiao changed to his house wear and sorted out everything that he collected. He then sits at his favorite rocking chair to take a breather, just like any other day.

"Now that I look at it, this place has certainly gotten a lot cleaner ever since you started to help out," Xiao says as he looks around the place.

Upon hearing Xiao's compliment, Iva turns around and looks at him in surprise at first, but slowly, her face changes to a smug look.

("Never thought I would see Iva with this expression before. Is she that proud at cleaning better than me?")

As Xiao observes Iva cleaning the place while humming in joy, he is reminded that she never goes out to the cave. This means she's been staying here, doing nothing but house chores.

There was a lot more to be seen beside the rooms inside the cave. There was a vegetable garden, training ground, experiment field, a waterfall and a river, which was the source of his water supply.

Xiao was thinking of bringing Iva for a tour. Still, he stops himself from doing so because she will be returning to her home, so it might not be a good idea to let her feel attached to his place.

(“Why do I feel so lonely? I’ve already made up my mind! I'm only some stranger who happens to save her. She has people waiting for her back home. I shouldn't harbor the feeling of keeping her here.")

Xiao moves to the workshop to distract his mind from thinking something unnecessary.

Besides doing a final check-up at his "surprise" inside his workshop, Xiao also checks on camping tools and equipment he will be using for the following days. He also restocks daggers and bombs, for he had used up quite a lot during the raid on the Goblin.

All of the checking and restocking has to do with his second surprise for Iva.

While the first surprise was none other than Iva's present, Xiao's second surprise was that he would bring her back tomorrow.

That means after today, they will depart tomorrow to Iva's homeland, which was a place called the "Shadow Forest".

"Three days from here. That's quite a distance, even though it's still in the same domain," says Xiao as he was looking at the map.

Besides the map lies two open books, showing a drawing of a map on the pages. The first book was the "History of Dark Elf", and the other was "The Wonderous of Silent Jungle".

According to the map, Xiao's cave was located right between Yellow Leaf Forest and Silent Jungle. The Goblin hideout was in the middle of Silent Jungle.

Shadow Forest, which was Iva's homeland, was even further than that. Though it was only beside the Silent Jungle, they still have to pass through it, which could take them at least two days to do so, considering everything goes well.

Xiao compared all the information he gathered so far to pinpoint the exact location of the Shadow Forest.

Apparently, the place was hard to locate because its entrance will be covered by an unnatural fog, which will appear at the edge of the Silent Jungle.

Based on what was written in the book, there were few ways to get into the Shadow Forest. The first and far most simple method was to find a local and travel together. They'll automatically sense the way back when they get near to the fog.

The second method requires some experience in traveling. Upon entering the fog, the travelers need to go in the direction with the most minor noise. They need to move away from all the animals or monsters in the area.

The dangerous part of this method was that one misjudge will lead them into a monster's lair. No animals or monsters were stupid enough to linger around the lair of a dangerous monster.

Lucky for Xiao, he has Iva to serve as his guide and his Gamer Eyes to trace the path.

"Still, by looking at the distance, I'm surprised at how she manages to end up here. Did the Goblin carry her all the way from the Shadow Forest?" says Xiao as he studies the size of Silent Jungle.

Xiao spent a few more hours preparing the journey for tomorrow. Until he notices the sun starts setting down.

"Alright. That's about it," says Xiao after finishing all the preparation for tomorrow.

"Better get started on that farewell dinner," he muttered.

Xiao went out of his workshop. He saw Iva had already taken out plates for Xiao to prepare for dinner.

Xiao never tells Iva about the farewell dinner, as it was meant to surprise her.

"Hey, Iva, could you help me to clean my room? I can't seem to make it sparkle like how you clean the living room and other rooms," says Xiao.

"I see. Okay."

Iva replied to him with a smug look again. She looks at Xiao one more time, slightly shaking her head and lets out a sigh before entering his room.

Although Iva did not speak out, her smug attitude has clearly indicated that she was feeling superior over Xiao. The fact that Xiao can't even clean his room and must depend on her makes her feel conceited.

("Her attitude sure change a lot compared to how she acts before.")

Feeling both ridiculed and amused by her childish but cute attitude, Xiao couldn't help but sigh.

While half of the reason for Xiao's request was really to get her help in cleaning his room, the other half reason was to distract her to somewhere else from the kitchen.

Xiao took out the chopped ingredients he has been secretly prepping since yesterday.

While still feeling complicated that this will be their last dinner and last night together, Xiao quietly prepares the feast.