On the other side, Berg no longer had his usual "old fox" ease and composure.
His expression and actions showed obvious anxiety.
He clutched his longbow tightly to his chest, his legs jittering with anxiety, his gaze occasionally darting to the dark thickets around the camp.
It was as if he was obsessive-compulsive, worried that even after checking many times, some trap hadn’t been set properly, and what if the gnolls slipped through the gap?
He stood up, intending to check once more, but the vague outlines of the bushes in the dark deterred him.
Xia Nan glanced at him and shook his head almost imperceptibly.
The night was long, and though it was a night watch, no one could just stare blankly at the campfire for most of the night.
One had to find something to do.
The thudding footsteps echoed from overhead, faint light seeped through the cracks of the cellar door, illuminating the floating dust in the air.
She shrank into the corner, trembling, not daring to move an inch.
Her heart pounded violently, she could even hear the rush of blood, yet she tried with all her might to suppress her breathing.
The footsteps suddenly stopped.
A massive shadow blocked the only light source overhead, plunging the entire cellar into darkness.
Holding her breath, intense fear swirled in the depths of her heart like shadows.
A man’s roar suddenly erupted.
Yet within her heart, there was no sense of relief, only a deeper despair spreading through it.
She screamed countless times within her heart, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t control her body.
Then came that sharp whistle that sounded like a crying infant.
The dull sound of flesh hitting flesh.
The man’s roar was abruptly cut short.
After who knows how long, when she finally summoned the courage, pushed open the cellar door, and peeked outside.
Was a body on the ground, a bloody mess.
And outside the door, a figure like a standing bear, with brown-red hair on its back, slowly retreating amidst a horde of green-skinned goblins.
Adeline’s eyes snapped open.
She gasped for air, her back soaked with sweat.
Beside her, Xia Nan looked at her with a strange expression, recalling the scene earlier when her breathing had suddenly turned rapid, and she mumbled incomprehensible words.
He felt surprised but didn’t think much of it.
Judging by the time, it was nearly the latter half of the night, waking up now saved him the trouble of having to wake her up.
His attention returned to the present.
Before him, lying on the grass, was an inconspicuous leaf with yellowing edges.
It seemed no different from the fallen leaves scattered throughout the wooded area.
Yet upon closer observation, one could see that at both ends of the leaf, there was some dark soil sprinkled upon it.
So that even when a gentle forest breeze passed by, the leaf remained still.
Xia Nan leaned forward, eyes fixed on the leaf on the ground, fully focused.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Vaguely, he seemed to sense the invisible ripples, like flowing water, surrounding and spreading around the leaf.
Imagining an invisible hand gently, slowly reaching in.
A very faint rustling sounded in the air, the soil and leaf surface gently rubbing against each other.
Even though there was no physical contact or any noticeable air currents.
The leaf seemed to be lifted by some invisible force.
As if when it fell from the treetop.
Then sudden downfall!
Xia Nan let out a sigh, his previously leaning body reclined back against the trunk.
Inside, however, he felt a vague joy.
"Finally made some progress!"
After days of relentless training, the Gravity Compression from the Wild Mage’s notes finally showed signs of progress.
Though he could barely lift the leaf, at least it wasn’t like before, practicing all day without any results.
This also proved that his training method was effective!
From leaves to pebbles, then to twigs...
At this rate, one day, this "class magic" that didn’t require the Magic Net might become battle-ready.
Perhaps even integrating with himself as a "battle skill" or "special skill" visible on his attribute panel.
The breakthrough of "zero" in Gravity Compression made him inevitably expectant.
On the other hand, it was also an unexpected gain.
Focusing attention and exercising his spiritual power over long periods.
Xia Nan felt his spiritual power, or rather, his perception ability of surrounding matters, had improved invisibly.
Although it hadn’t yet reached the level of changing his own attribute panel, compared to before...
His thoughts suddenly paused.
In the curious gazes of Adeline and Berg, he sprang to his feet, eyes fixed on the dense forest north of the camp.
And just two seconds after his abrupt rise.
A piercing sound of a triggered trap echoed.