Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 185 finally marks the return of the main storyline.
The young adventurers were shocked; the “bishop priests” they had never seen before were so “friendly.”

This casual, high-level healing spell bathed the small living room in holy light, transforming it into an earthly temple.

The centaur knight Parna, enveloped in silver light, propped herself up in disbelief as she felt her life force returning!
The wound is itchy (feeling has returned), and it will fully recover with just a period of follow-up treatment.

Although the Shadow pantheon's healing abilities are among the worst of all pantheons, how could the Five-Circle Divine Grace spells cast by the "Chosen Ones" be ineffective?

Even a high-ranking knight who is seriously injured can be brought back by this divine spell, let alone a "little guy".

Sustained recovery abilities are better suited for the battlefield, but in the current situation, they facilitated the female knight's stable recovery, although her spirit was shaken.

"Didn't we say that this landlord is a degenerate and fallen species, someone who needs our protection?" This discounted rent also serves as a form of bodyguard service.

This doesn't simply mean they will ensure its safety, which is impossible in today's world.

Rather, their honor and reputation are tied to the security of the compound; if something happens, they will investigate thoroughly, which serves as a threat.

In the eyes of adventurers, the elusive landlord is likely a former warrior with some retirement savings, now a vulnerable person in need of protection.

But at this moment, seeing the Dark Elf High Priest, who clearly held a high position, behaving so kindly, it's clear that this is an extremely "realistic" race.

Parna recalled the priest she had encountered and the haughty dark elf. Could it be that these two extremely difficult "types" could become friendly when they came together?
"No, it's that this landlord is very special." Feeling her physical condition recover, Parna finally had the energy to carefully observe the homeowner, whom her group had never met before.

"Uh, full armor?" Parna, who was also a fan of heavy armor, was stunned at first glance.

She was then surprised to discover that beneath the gray cloak lay what appeared to be the outline of a full suit of armor.

This is clearly not right. The movements and postures are too gentle, as if it were just ordinary clothes, without any stiffness or restraint that comes with wearing armor.

Ignoring that, this person would actually wear heavy armor in his own home.
"I heard this guy retired from the battlefield. How many battlefields must he have been on, how many ambushes and backstabs must he have endured to develop such habits and instincts? Wait, isn't he degenerating?"

The small scales on Rean's cheeks and the small horn on his forehead clearly indicated that the situation had changed.

Those who checked in as guards would not be in a very awkward position. Just by looking at the other party's movements, which made his armor seem like nothing, they must be quite remarkable warriors.

Parna observed that this seemingly effortless movement was an opponent she could never defeat.

"It's truly delightful to see you successfully complete your second evolution." The dark elf noblewoman offered her friendly congratulations, which definitively confirmed the reality that the situation had changed.

The two leaders paid no attention to the onlookers, chatted politely for a while, and then went upstairs to talk privately.

In the living room, the adventurer and the elven maid who had been prevented from following stared at each other.

Parna noticed that the footsteps, which were pressing down on the floorboards and twisting painfully, confirmed that the landlord was definitely not just a figurehead.

"The scent of a black dragon, an evolved form of a black dragon." And that was also a maidservant of a dark elf noble, who smelled the scent on Rean.

"It's the one from Charlotte's family, isn't it? Tsk tsk tsk, that guy thought he was invincible just because he was a great warrior and a great priest. His own dragon was killed. I heard that the dragon's head had the knife wound from that man."

"I heard that the foolish eldest daughter mocked the other party on the spot, and then she was betrayed. Utterly stupid." The culture of the Dark Elves never mocks the ambition of a traitor, but only ridicules the foolishness of the betrayed.

For dark elves, matters involving family power and backstabbing are popular topics.

Rumors have already spread throughout the various families that the foolish Third Family Dragon Knights had their brains eaten by the Mastermind and their dragons eaten by the Knights.

Their casual conversations also subtly revealed their awe of Rean. For the dark elves, the result was the most important thing; the victorious schemer deserved everything. It was because of their conspiracy theories that they viewed all victors as schemers.

This is one of the dark elf philosophies that Victoria hates the most, but it is also because of this that Rean, as a "strongman," has gained respect, and Victoria and others under his protection have been able to break free from the shackles of dark elf society.

The two "big shots" didn't talk for long, coming down after about ten minutes, but their pleasant conversation confirmed the speculation that they were on equal footing.

This terrified the group of new adventurers even more, as they had just learned from the maid that the dark elf noble was the sister of the elven city lord.

Since the high priest is a true "goddess," and the landlord is her equal in status...
"The princess mentioned earlier, is she really Princess Dania?"

Rean smiled as he saw off the visiting dark elves. He turned around expecting to see young people overjoyed and celebrating their friend's recovery, but instead saw the adventurers putting on a serious and composed act.

Rean thought for a moment and roughly understood what had happened. He smiled, shook his head, and went upstairs again.

It's pointless to say anything now; let time get to know each other. I happen to have a project that might come in handy with these people.

Although she couldn't become Rean's "big brother" as Suliman had planned, she couldn't have too many "henchmen."

Dimon also plans to get involved in the exploration of underground ruins, and he does need some skilled hands to help.

Things were progressing faster than expected. When Rean came downstairs again and saw Lana among a group of young people, listening to them tell stories, his sense of constraint almost disappeared.

The little one is very lovable. At this age, she is not only not naughty, but also a pure, lovely, and lively girl, truly a dream treasure.
"I punched the manticore's head away and yelled at it, 'Find an equal opponent!' It dropped the girl and came after me." The shield dwarf cheerfully recounted his adventure, but if even a third of it was believable, the dwarf would be considered honest.

But the little guy's eyes lit up as he listened, and he kept waving his little fists, seemingly not only believing everything but also wanting to take the stage himself.

Seeing that Rean had come down, they were no longer restrained. They got a lot of information from the little guy, such as "Friend is a good person" and "Friend is a paladin who specializes in fighting bad guys".

The paladin's identity and the children's trust reassured the young people. Paladins could even get the best discounts from most merchants by using their personal connections. While bearing far more constraints than ordinary people, they naturally gained the trust of others more easily.

Rean found a spot in the living room, pulled out a magic book, and began to read it silently.

The living room was clearly designated as a common area in the rental agreement, and the landlord's attitude seemed to suggest that he had no intention of breaking the contract, which relieved the adventurers.

"Are you still a part-time spellcaster?" Rean looked down at the dwarf illusionist, whose small face was full of surprise.

Paladins and mages are probably the two classes furthest removed from the rest of the world.

"Yes, I've only just started learning," Rean replied with a smile, which relieved the others.

Judging from the looks of it, this powerful figure has probably regressed and is now planning to pursue the path of a spellcaster.

Once someone started the conversation, it became much easier, especially when they noticed that Rean was surprisingly young. "Ah, you're fifteen years younger than me," came the surprise from the dwarf mage who looked like a child.

Rean's relaxed and casual attitude was the key to breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Rean was also surprised to hear from them about another world—the adventurer's circle—which had many shortcomings and interesting stories that outsiders couldn't tell.

Some information includes the distribution of underground monsters and the prices of various materials.

Rean was also surprised to find that these young people were far more cautious, even overly conservative, than he had expected.

The scenario in the game where "after I finish this wave, I can almost replenish my supplies and recover my health" will not occur in reality.

On the contrary, most adventure teams operate in a safe and undamaged manner. If a member is injured, especially seriously injured, or if the team's capabilities show obvious weaknesses, they will usually retreat immediately.

"Adventure stories and novels are too unrealistic. What's with all the serious injuries and not retreating? We're not paladins. Uh, that's not what I meant. Anyway, our priority is survival. We've been doing this for so long, and this is probably the worst we've been injured." Rean thought about it and realized it was true. If adventurers fought to the death, then there would be no need for knights and paladins to be praised for their bravery and loyalty.

Nobles and royalty favored knights and warriors because these professionals were the most skilled and willing to fight. They even craved war and glory, seeing it as an opportunity for advancement.

However, for many wild adventurers, their main adversaries throughout their lives may still be various magical beasts, or at most, low-intelligence groups like goblins and ogres.

It was precisely because of these squads' habitual caution (hunting only when it was safe to do so) that most of them managed to escape safely during this disaster. If they had gotten used to "using even the last potion," they probably would have died inside.

Of course, there was also some bad news. For example, Rean heard that there were traces of evil god followers in the underground ruins.

It's not the "Order of Beasts," but a true evil god and his followers; the situation seems to be getting increasingly complicated.

"Next time you go out, can you take me with you to have some fun?" Rean asked with great interest during the casual conversation.

He actually became quite interested in that so-called underground ruin.

Considering the "deer" that is turning over in the underground ruins, there are some things that cannot be ignored, and perhaps it is time to go and see them.

(End of this chapter)