Why can't humans do it too?

"This is your first time experiencing something like this, isn't it?"

Without turning around, but asking softly, Su'er's eyes remained fixed on the monster's skeleton. Among the tightly packed bones, buried in the flesh that had been corroded and melted away by the black ash, was his dagger.

"Heh~"

There was no definite answer; the only response Suer received was a cold snort from Xin Ke, but he had already gotten his answer.

This was indeed a first for Xinke.

This self-proclaimed genius, and indeed truly a genius, who has been high and mighty since birth, experienced such suffering and pain for the first time... From this perspective, isn't she still just a little girl whose mind hasn't grown much?

Suddenly understanding this, Su Er chuckled to himself, without any malice. However, if Xin Ke knew his opinion of her, he would definitely be subjected to a barrage of sarcastic remarks and racial attacks.

Suer could already see the hilt of his dagger, a hint of steel showing through the charred remains of flesh and blood. The cloth strips that had been wrapped around the hilt had been corroded away by the monster's blood.

The wise man did not press the matter further and provoke the great Lord Nirbalian's wrath. Sull tried to move closer and pull out the dagger, but just as he lifted his leg to take a step, his body suddenly went limp. Even Xinke, who had grabbed him in a moment of panic, was almost pulled into the monster's corpse.

It was only then that Suer realized that after seeing the monster that had been threatening their lives die, his entire body had unconsciously relaxed because of this good news, becoming limp and powerless.

"...This is the second time. Is Mr. Monkey so eager to lie in the black ash and have a good sleep?" Xin Ke said sarcastically, annoyed, as the series of accidents that had happened to Su Er had wasted her little remaining strength.

"Sorry, I relaxed a little," Suer said briefly, gritting his teeth as he straightened up and forced his legs and arms to move, drawing the dagger.

The pitted and uneven surface of the dagger, having been inside the monster's body filled with corrosive fluids for so long, had taken a heavy toll on it. In particular, its edges were worn down and no longer sharp after such a long journey.

Not knowing how many more times it could be used, Suer roughly wiped the dagger clean and hung it back on his side.

There was no longer any danger of them heading straight for them; all they needed to do now was reach the city.

Chapter 117 Cold

But Suer was wrong.

You're so wrong.

There seemed to be something calling in his ear... Was it calling his name?

Why is it so faint?

Was there really a sound? Or was it just his hallucination?

A faint, ethereal shadow drifted across the face hardened by the cold, as if someone were knocking on the window, trying to wake the person inside.

Suer returned to this cold world from his daze. He suddenly realized that in his world, he and Xinke had supported each other to reach the high platform in front of them. However, in reality, they were still below. In fact, his legs had been stuck in place for who knows how long. What he had climbed up was just an illusion.

A phantom that exists only in his imagination.

The light veil brushed against his face once more, and only then did Suer belatedly realize what had awakened him.

It was just Xin Ke's palm.

However, when such a palm slapped his cheek, he felt no pain; it was soft and yielding. This time, it was not a hallucination. His condition was not much better than that of Suer. Xin Ke's body was also extremely stiff, like an old, rusty machine.

Even if you strike with all your might, by the time it reaches the target, it has lost its power.

There's no need to worry about whether the wound will bleed anymore, because the blood that has flowed out has frozen into ice, and it breaks apart with every step taken, but this is by no means a good thing.

Unable to speak, he could only purse his lips tightly to prevent even a trace of heat from escaping. Suer glanced once more at the high platform above him—the distance that was not far now seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

The command from the brain traveled a long way before finally reaching the limbs. After a few seconds of delay, Sul looked down and saw his legs slowly lifting again; they were still functional.

With effort, and more effort, Xin Ke, who was a step behind him, gradually started to move and also took steps forward. Compared to her relatively flexible arms, Xin Ke's injured thigh had become a dragging motion, as if she were dragging a withered branch.

But what was even more serious was the damage to her body. From the moment Xin Ke first met Su Er in the desert where the forest elves and goblins were fighting, her abdomen and internal organs were injured. At that time, due to her personal mindset, she only received a cursory treatment and was not completely healed.

Then came the journey to the goblin kingdom, which even Xinke herself had to admit was a fantastic experience—not all forest elves could wreak havoc in the mole's lair and escape unscathed.

In contrast to the adventures reminiscent of picture books circulating among the forest elves, Xin Ke's injuries not only failed to improve but continued to recur. Each time, she was hastily healed with magic, without time for a fundamental cure... until her spirit was completely locked away.

Until, in order to kill the pursuing enemies, he exhausted the spell he had hastily drawn on his body at the last moment.

She has no more cards to play.

The biting cold was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, or perhaps all the damage she had suffered was finally coming to an end. Whatever the reason...

She could still hear the creaking sound of her stiff body sliding through the black and gray fabric. Even though Xin Ke tried her best to lift her legs, she inevitably leaned against the figure in front of her to avoid falling down... that monkey.

Only with his support could they avoid falling on this land covered in black ash.

A monkey.

Her body was like a puppet on strings, being dragged along stiffly and mechanically. With just a slight lift of her head, Xin Ke could see the back of the person struggling to support her body. The face was hidden by the hood. This fragile monkey seemed to never know fatigue, moving forward step by step, with no difference in the distance it took.

It fell down.

Xin Ke also fell to the ground.

'Finally…' A thought flashed through my mind, not of regret or resentment, but of relief. 'Is this the end…?'

However, he could not feel the pain of being eroded by the black ash and his flesh melting—had he completely lost all sensation?

After waiting for a long time, Xin Ke belatedly realized that the two of them had not fallen in the place covered with black ash, but below the high platform.

With the rock wall overhead and several huge rocks nearby providing cover, there was no black dust to settle here, and even the wind seemed to have subsided.

As if they were dead, the two of them lay there quietly, motionless... until Suer's hand slowly moved, slowly moved... gently pulling Xinke over and holding her in his arms.

Hugging each other can keep each other warm... These words kept repeating in Su'er's hazy mind, and he didn't even know if he had said them out loud or if they had reached Xinke's ears.

Icy.

Is there still heat that can be transferred?

He tried to pull his arms in, and the breath he could hear had become very faint.

Opening her eyes without blinking, Xin Ke stared blankly at the dark gray rock so close to her. Her pupils, which housed Liu Ling, gradually dimmed, as if losing their luster. No one could know what she was thinking at that moment.

"...Just leave me here..."

"...Mr. Monkey..."

It was as if they were whispering secrets, murmuring in Suer's ear.

Silence.

There was no further movement for a long time, and the wind blowing through the area remained unchanged.

Xin Ke lowered her eyelids, as if she were about to fall asleep, until she felt something touching her cheek.

The skin, which was originally soft and elastic, was now so weak that it could hardly even dent slightly, but the force did not give up. It continued to exert its strength and push forward.

It was Suer's right hand that slowly rose, sluggishly, with the difficulty of a centenarian, yet with an unyielding determination. It seemed as if he wanted to clench his fist but could not manage it after several attempts, and could only futilely clench it.

It pressed against Xin Ke's cheek.

It struck gently, causing no harm, only slightly receding outwards, but the next second it hit Xin Ke's face again.

“…Great…”

“...Nirbalan…”

"……Miss……"

The hoarse sounds squeezed out of his dry throat were faint and weak. Every word Suer uttered was incredibly difficult, faint and slow, as if they were taking away his last breath.

It tapped on Xin Ke's cheek.

Chapter 118 Intertwined Two Combinations

It's mockery, yet it's not mockery.

Without any extreme reaction, Xin Ke remained motionless as if she hadn't heard anything.

She knew what the monkey beneath her meant. If he still had the strength to finish his sentence, this was probably what he would ask: "Would the great Miss Nirvalen... also give up?"

Giving up... Have I failed?

When Xinke actually asked herself this question, she found herself to be unexpectedly calm. Even the temperature was not much different from the surrounding environment; it was deathly still, far from the anger or resentment she had felt when she first thought about this question.

Failure...?

Chewing on this peculiar word.

Unable to get a response from Xin Ke, Su Er's body swayed slightly, trembling, like a resurrected stone statue. He slowly and laboriously tilted his body, moving upwards inch by inch, rubbing his back against the rock behind him, like a dying insect.

He exhaled pale breaths from his nostrils. This difficult movement, however, made Su Er seem more alive. Even his pale cheeks seemed to have regained some color. He was gazing at Xin Ke.

Xin Ke, who was lying on her back on the ground because of his movement, could also see him.

The four soul stones on his forehead, which should have been sparkling, had become dull.

She remained silent, perhaps because she had lost the strength to speak. Xin Ke hated her own intelligence.

In those golden eyes, Xin Ke clearly received that question—why.

Even though Suer didn't say anything.

Why was she able to so easily grasp a monkey's thoughts?

Why would she get upset over a mere monkey's question?

Why would she want to explain a question that makes no sense?

It was as if she were defending herself—that she had not experienced a failure.

Is it simply because he is a human from another world, unlike the monkeys of this world?

Don't be ridiculous, would she even care about something like that?

What does her background have to do with her?!

Yes, Hinco Nielbaren was indeed a forest elf, and she was absolutely certain of it.

However, when Xin Ke came to her senses, she had already been muttering to herself in a daze for a very long time.

"...I am the Flower Crown Lord, who rules over the entire forest elf race..."

"...I rebuilt the Forest Elf magic system and led them in a counterattack against the Gophers..."

"...I am the current head of the Nielbaren family..."

"...I am the most talented being in the history of the Forest Elves, the only Eightfold Mage..."

For some reason, even though the monkey hadn't said anything, when Xin Ke saw those golden eyes, she couldn't suppress the restlessness in her heart. She just wanted to say something to defend what she had just said.