"Drink," he whispered.

The girl opened her mouth and finally took the first sip, instantly twisting her face into a grimace. These potions were terribly bitter and cold, even to the elven tongue, it seemed. The elf tried to struggle, but Klein just shoved all the contents into her mouth, holding her head just right to ease them through her throat.

The girl finally passed out with her head resting on his arms. Klein brought out another recovery potion and drank it himself. He wasn't injured on the outside, but this could solve any hidden injuries he might have received.

"Now, what am I going to do about her?" Klein thought aloud as he looked around.

The forest was the same, with thick trees enveloping their canopies together to create an eerie atmosphere. Wild beasts like these wolves should be pretty common. He couldn't just leave a vulnerable girl like her in here, not to mention she could be his only chance of getting back to civilization in this world.

That reminds me, why is a lone girl in the middle of a forest? His contemplation would lead to nowhere, so he helped himself by collecting the cores from the wolves.

Once finished collecting, his gaze returned to the elf girl again. The wounds on her thigh had closed up, along with all the other claw marks. In an hour or so, she would be fine, considering he had seen her using superior physical capabilities. Let's just hope the elf is as tenacious as the legends say.

Klein carried her in his arms and crept out of there, choosing a direction. He couldn't help but wonder how odd it looked for a hairless man to carry a beautiful elf maiden in his arms in the middle of nowhere.

Pretty sure I look no better than a creep.

***

Elowen awoke to a splitting pain in her head. Her body felt weak from drawing more essence than a sixth-stage copper should be capable of. Still, she felt a lot better than the last time she was awake, though that didn't resolve her incapability. It hadn't even been a whole day into the trial, and she had almost gotten herself killed.

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Perhaps they are right. The Elven ways really aren't for me.

Groaning, she sat upright, her chest and leg aflame with intense pain from the movement. It was nighttime already, and Elowen found herself in a dark cave. Well, it wasn't all dark, per se. A small fire blazed in the middle, and on the other side, she found a foreign man sitting, intensely attending to his studies.

Elowen's mind reeled, recalling that it was he who saved her from the wolves and also seemed to have carried her here. There was no one else present in the cave: just the man, her, and the flickering flame.

Without saying anything, she examined the man. He was human with dark brown skin, a tall stature, and a slightly prominent nose. A metallic monocle stuck to his right eye as he studied the splinters of a beast core, instead of channeling the core's energy into his body like most humans. The man was fully draped in a black cloak, hooded with only his face and palms uncovered.

All that was fine, but Elowen wasn't so sure what to think about his missing eyebrows.

Well, they weren't completely missing, as there were thin strands of black hair on his two brows, though still far from calling them eyebrows. She was pretty sure he was missing his hair as well.

Perhaps they were burned in some fire? Elowen thought. She couldn't discern his cultivation. Since he killed those wolves alone, he was at least at the peak of Copper rank, or may even be an Iron ranker. Elowen wouldn't be surprised to learn that.

But the question was, what was a lone man doing in the wilderness closer to the Elven boundaries? Perhaps he came hunting or to solidify his cultivation.

Her intense gaze seemed to prompt him to notice her, though he didn't look at her. Not directly.

He said something in an unfamiliar language that went completely over her head. Of course, Elowen wasn't waiting for him to speak High Elvish, but merely the common tongue. However, the language he spoke wasn't the common tongue.

Elowen could only feel their languages setting a barrier between them as the man turned to her with an enigmatic look. He was probably unsure how to communicate with her as well.

The man, or rather youth, didn't say anything in vain; he just stared at her with that look. He stared at her long enough to cause her to become flustered.

Elowen looked away. Feeling the cold that descended during the night, she inched closer to the fire, clutching the blanket the youth had left her. The pain was uncomfortable, but not intense like before. With a few hours circulating her essence, she would regain all her capabilities.

The youth didn't return to his studies but crept closer to sit across from her, only the fire dividing them.

He said something incoherent again and then pointed towards himself with a finger. "Ki Len."

"Ki Len?" Elowen tilted her head, confused. Then it dawned on her as the fellow repeated those words again and again. "Oh, Ki Len, your name." She nodded, understanding.

The guy, however, shook his head. "Kilen! Kelein!"

"Ke Lein?!" Elowen gave him a measured smile, unsure if she was pronouncing it right or even understanding.