Above the forest, the suns shone brightly, creating a warm and arid atmosphere when Charles’s eyes slowly opened with a groan. He was dazed for a few seconds.
Realizing that the agonizing pain in his shoulder had diminished from excruciating to light, he took a shuddering breath. A faint whisper escaped as he licked his dry lips.
"...Am I dead?"
A scoff sounded beside him.
"Yeah, welcome to hell."
Charles let out a relieved chuckle as he stared at the three suns in the blue sky. It seemed he was still alive and breathing.
His dark eyes flashed with emotions. He remembered that he had fainted last night and that his condition was critical. After all, even though they had stopped the bleeding by wrapping clothes around it, his shoulder had an open wound that he was sure had become infected because it was exposed.
Despite everything, instead of giving up on him after the Light elemental stones didn’t work, Skyler had taken care of him all night to ensure he didn’t die, and by the looks of it, had also found something to treat him.
"Thanks..."
He muttered with a genuine smile. For the first time in his messy and challenging life, someone wanted him to live and had done so much to save him, even after knowing they would receive nothing in return.
It seems he finally has a true friend—someone who wouldn’t leave him to die.
He felt grateful to Skyler.
So much so that he vowed inwardly to stand by his side, even if no one else did, if they escaped this dimension alive, and at that moment, Charles’s fate changed.
His tragic fate that he had endured in his first life—the one that was observed and recorded by the Keeper of Time. Now, he can forge a new journey for himself, one that no one has yet calculated or seen.
Hearing him, Skyler walked over and stood before him, his figure blocking the sunlight.
"No, don’t thank me. Thank Riruru. She was the one who found the healing herb."
Charles gazed at him, his dark eyes filled with confusion as he noticed him grinning.
Had Skyler found more people in this dimension while he was unconscious?
Thinking that perhaps someone had been present in the crystal before it was sealed, his confusion faded, and he muttered.
"Riruru?"
However, what Charles witnessed next nearly gave him a tiny heart attack.
With wide eyes, he pointed his trembling finger at the eerily familiar yet small snake that had peeked out from behind Skyler’s shoulder upon hearing her name.
Charles had missed her earlier since her body was wrapped around Skyler’s arm, but no way he could forget those familiar red eyes he had seen in the boss’s chamber!
"You... You...!"
He stuttered, horrified. Did this crazy jerk go back when he was unconscious and tamed that massive snake??
Skyler could see from his panicked eyes what was going through his mind.
"It’s not what you’re thinking."
He pointed at Riruru.
"She’s a different snake. Look, she’s so harmless and small! She’s only 2-star!"
Charles wanted to shout, ’bullshit’. However, Riruru suddenly leaned down, startling him enough that he quickly moved back.
"Get that snake away from me!!"
Skyler laughed but moved back.
"Why are you getting so scared? Riruru should be the one getting scared."
He caressed the snake’s head, and she blinked innocently, though inwardly she felt annoyed since she didn’t understand what they were discussing. She needed to learn their language as soon as possible, or it would lead to long-term issues.
Charles calmed down. He knew that the Beast Taming class existed in Eldoria, and many academies even had special classes that taught students how to communicate and befriend monsters. But the process was very dangerous, as monsters were inherently violent and rarely listened.
"Did you tame that snake? How?"
"No, I didn’t. I found her nearby, but instead of attacking, she helped me find a herb that significantly healed your injury."
Skyler replied, skipping the part where he had tried to coax her with various things.
Charles remained silent. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that a snake, so similar to the one they saw in the boss chamber, would suddenly show up and help them.
This was real life, not some movie! He glanced at his shoulder and noticed that it was nearly healed, with just a small patch of damaged skin still visible.
"This..."
He whispered in surprise. Did the snake really find such a powerful herb that had healed such a big injury so quickly?
Just what tier of herb had she found that worked so effectively even without being properly processed into a healing potion?
It was definitely at least Epic tier!
Skyler bent down before him.
"Can you walk? I think we should start moving. I’m hungry and thirsty, and I’m sure you are as well. And... I’m sure if Riruru can find a powerful healing herb for you, she can guide us to more similar herbs."
His blue eyes sparkled.
"Hehe, can’t you hear the sound of money we both are going to make if she really did? So, why overthink so much and waste time? We should go treasure hunting."
When Skyler’s words clicked in his head, Charles let out a loud ’Ohhhh.’ His attitude took a complete 180-degree turn, and the way he looked at the snake changed.
"Now that I think about it, this snake does look very, very harmless. It’s definitely not the one we saw in the boss chamber."
He didn’t voice his remaining words.
’One that can make us rich!’
Skyler sprang to his feet. It’s rare to find friends who understand one in this regard. He extended his hand to help him up.
"Then come on, let’s find a water source and something edible first because I am never going to eat spider meat."
Charles took his hand and stood up. He stretched his stiff body and shoulders. They both glanced at Riruru with sparkling eyes, and she didn’t need to understand them to know that something was wrong.
She slithered toward Skyler’s neck to feel better by touching his warm skin. As for the rest, what’s the worst that can happen?
She was stronger than them and could easily handle these two weak creatures. It was surprising how she was pretending to be weak just to not scare Skyler off.
Charles sighed as he checked his body.
"That was hella painful. I would like it if we could avoid fighting for a while. By the way, you’re wearing clean clothes, although they seem too big. Do you have another shirt?"
Skyler checked his storage ring.
"I have one more. It’s clean but worn out since I’ve used it. Do you still want it?"
"Of course! It’s better than wearing torn clothes stained with dried blood."
With that, they both set off to explore the forest. The duo was dumbfounded when the spiders didn’t approach them, even as they passed right in front of them.
This was the second time it happened.
Charles glanced at Riruru and remembered that he had read somewhere that powerful monsters can intimidate the weak.
Noticing Skyler’s calm eyes, he shook his head. It seemed they both knew the reason why the spiders were avoiding them.
However, they didn’t voice it.
Why would they when remaining silent was providing them with many benefits? As for Riruru, he had no idea why she had reduced her size and chosen to cling to Skyler.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind, and he reached out to touch her. But she moved back faster than wind and glared at him.
Charles’s eyes flickered with amusement.
It seemed the snake had taken a liking to only Skyler. Well, he couldn’t blame Riruru; this jerk was really quite handsome. What he overlooked was that the ’liking’ he had in mind could be very different from Riruru.