The Hero, reverted back to human form, curled up on the stone that was far less soft than a big bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
Her strong constitution allowed her to sleep peacefully even in such a place, but it did not ease her furrowed brows.
Another battle between life and death, another fight for survival.
The extraordinary had become the ordinary, all past things forgotten, leaving only an unfillable emptiness.
In the deserted camp, only the shallow breathing of the girl remained.
Curled up on the cold, hard stone bed, after [hours] of deep sleep, the Hero finally slowly opened her eyes.
Note: Restoration determined, due to beast suppression, this camp will not encounter monster attacks within 24 hours.
[Military camp condition (abandoned -30, beast suppression +10, 50+ will have intact weapons)]
A silent message left by soldiers from the Arcane War: Miss, we retreated very smoothly, we took everything we needed, thank you for your concern.
Vague memories surfaced in her mind, the Hero's long eyelashes twitched, and her emerald pupils opened.
After a brief sleep, she woke up naturally.
The Hero climbed out of the stone bed, propped her upper body with one hand, her hair that was tied during the attack on the Goblin Knight had come loose, softly brushing against her fair skin.
Her equally pure white feet traced an arc, lightly stepping on the dusty stone floor.
Despite the soft soles of her feet providing an undeniable textured sensation, the daughter of the Wu family was not so delicate.
She stood up, her skin exposed to the dry air without any cover, the emerald pupils reflecting the interior scene.
Though she was only fourteen, the girl had blossomed into beauty, but the normally pitiful temperament was diluted by her calm and indifferent expression.
The room was nearly empty, only the decayed tables and chairs could be discerned from their shapes.
Even an unfinished bare room seemed richer than this place.
The air stirred with the Hero's exhaled breath, as she recalled the past and looked around.
"I seem to remember... I came here after fighting a gargoyle?"
Trying to piece together the fragments of memory, the hero's expression was somewhat incredulous.
Why did she suddenly encounter such dangerous magic creatures? And wasn't that just an ordinary stone statue sometimes seen outside the houses of wealthy families?
Why did it suddenly move?
Unable to find an answer, the Hero helplessly scratched her hair, attributing it to her own luck.
The Ruins of the Arcane War is an uninhabited area, also deemed by the Adventurer Guild as having no exploratory value.
And the reason, apparent from this camp being swept clean, untouched by monsters but cleaner than a licked dish, is evident.
The Battle of the Arcane Surge that happened half a century ago is a distant memory for most, even a history without emotional connection.
But even without knowing the past history, the abandoned scene after many years still shows how leisurely the warriors were when they left, as if returning home in glory.
And as a place with certain dangers but nevertheless historical and experiential value, the site of the Arcane War has been preserved till today, yet not thoroughly cleaned by the City Guard.
But that's about the extent of its value; besides professionals wanting to train themselves, no one would purposely visit such a place.
The Hero thought this uninhabited area must surely breed many goblins, which is why she chose to explore here.
Yet unexpectedly, the stone statues left by soldiers to guard the camp as a monument to their victory, soaked over the years in magic elements, had turned into Magic Creatures, baring fangs against their creators, only to be reverted by her back to their original stone form.
If a rookie Adventurer were to come here and catch the attention of that ferocious Gargoyle, it is hard to say what would happen.
Looking at it this way, she had also done a good deed.
The Hero tidied her somewhat messy hair, the ponytail originally tied had come loose due to transformation, with the hair tie also lost.
Although she tried to fashion a hairstyle, the Hero soon gave up the effort.
After all, no one was watching.
She let her hair down, looking at the black strands hanging in front of her forehead, she sighed softly.
[The Hero's appearance is inherited from—]
Her hair and eye color are undoubtedly inherited from her renowned Viscount father.
Although the Kingdom greatly values the purity of hair and eye color as evidence of lineage and talent, unlike her father and brother who became Mages, she was unable to, despite having the same color.
It's like an emerald crown and a vine-woven wreath; even if the colors are similar, they are utterly different things of different values...
The Hero shook her head, dispelling the gloomy thoughts in her mind.
She couldn't wallow in self-pity in this place, no longer having close friends to comfort and encourage her, she must continue to strive alone.
[Hero's resoluteness as she steps out of the room]
[Hero's exploration (50+ yields findings, empty -30, Perception +15, undisturbed +10)]
The Hero patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and summoned the Courage to step outside the room.
Even though the place was deserted and long abandoned, walking bare in a man-made structure still requires no small amount of Courage for a young girl.
Her porcelain skin touched the open air, showing no change due to temperature difference, but slightly blushed due to her quickened heartbeat.
Afterward, the Hero endured her shyness and searched, but found nothing.
[The Hero's next action—]
1-4. Rest a while longer ♛
5-8. Return the same way
9. Go kill the Big Goblin! (?)
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure