I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 16 Spider Web

Wilder paused for a moment, then crouched down to check the situation.

Talia's light brown linen robe was covered in mud, and the cuffs were torn open, revealing her fair arms.

There was some blood on his body, but no wounds could be found, only a few shallow scratches.

Wilder's heart tightened, and he put his finger under her nose.

Breathing evenly.

Fortunately.

Wilder breathed a sigh of relief and gently patted her shoulder.

"Talia?"

no response.

"Talia!" He increased the intensity.

The girl's eyelashes trembled, and she finally managed to open her eyes. Her pale blue pupils were somewhat unfocused, and it took her a while to focus on Wilder's face.

"Wild".

Her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't had water in a long time.

"You've been lying here half the night?" Wilder asked.

Talia didn't answer. She tried to get up shakily, but her legs gave way and she almost fell back down.

Wilder grabbed her arm, and the moment he touched it, he frowned.

It's as hot as last time.

This girl has been running a fever?

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

Talia shook her head, but her pale cheeks and weak limbs were clearly not right.

"and you……"

Talia's throat bobbed, and she managed to squeeze out two words: "So hungry."

Relieved, Wilder helped her into the room and sat her on the bed.

"Wait."

He turned and went downstairs, where he bought two bowls of oatmeal, two pieces of dark bread, and a small dish of cured meat from the pub on the first floor.

Talia's eyes lit up instantly when she saw the food, but she still said "Thank you" first.

After saying that, she picked up the bowl of porridge, not caring that it was hot, and ate it in small bites. In no time, she finished her portion.

Seeing that she still wanted more, Wilder pushed his own portion of porridge and bread over to her as well.

"Eat."

Aren't you hungry?

"fine."

"Thanks."

Talia finished her meal in one go, and her complexion finally returned to normal.

"You really went to the border forest?" Wilder asked.

Talia nodded.

"Have you found the Soul-Burning Hound?"

At this point, Talia's expression turned serious, and she replied, "I'm sorry, I failed my mission."

"Never fought one?"

"no."

"The Soul-Burning Hound got away?"

"no."

"What happened?"

"Burning Soul Hounds..." Talia thought for a moment, then nodded to herself, "That's it."

"That's it?" Wilder didn't understand. "You mean... it wasn't found?"

"...Hmm." She nodded vaguely.

"Did you encounter a forest fire?" Wilder asked again.

Talia's expression hardened, and she immediately shook her head.

Are you lying?

Wilder sensed it slightly, but wasn't quite sure.

However, she seemed to have no need to hide such a thing. The fire that was so difficult to extinguish must have been caused by the release of magic, and it should have nothing to do with her.

"Thank you for the porridge." Talia suddenly stood up and was about to leave.

Where are you going?

"Go accept the new quest and collect five gold coins."

She had regained some strength, but was clearly not well-rested; her eyes were slightly squinted, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

"You need to rest," Wilder stopped her.

In her current state, if she goes on a mission, she'll definitely be swallowed by a monster.

Perhaps it was because he saw a pitiful shadow of the original owner in her, or perhaps it was because of the stubbornness she showed when she handed him thirty silver coins.

Wilder didn't want to watch her go to her death.

"I won't sell the scales for now, so there's no need to rush." ​​He sighed. "I'll return your silver coins to you. Find a place first..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

After buying two breakfasts, I only had four silver coins left in my pocket.

Good heavens, they've spent all of their money...

"I'm out of money. Here are a few silver coins for you. Find a place to rest, and I'll pay you back the rest when I get back tonight."

Verd pulled her hand and put three coins inside.

Thinking about her astonishing appetite...

Forget it.

He put the last coin he had in his pocket on it, since it was originally someone else's money.

Talia stared blankly at the silver coin in her hand.

"Thanks."

She was truly exhausted and did not refuse.

The two went downstairs together, and Solna used a silver coin to book a private room before going up to sleep.

Having wasted a lot of time, Wilder jogged to the town gate to rejoin the adventure team.

……

The outskirts of the border forest.

The vibrant life and lush greenery of the spring moon make even the forest, which is often haunted by monsters, seem much more endearing.

The adventure team is moving through it.

"Cyrion, did you bring any food?" Wilder asked somewhat embarrassedly. "I'll treat you and Martha to drinks after I get my paycheck this time."

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Cyrion handed him a shriveled but firm piece of jerky. "Overslept and forgot to eat breakfast?"

"I've run out of money," Wilder said with an embarrassed smile.

"You received quite a lot last time, how come you spent it all so quickly? What did you buy?" Cyrion asked.

Before Wilde could answer, Gru interrupted with a grin, "It's not because of a woman, is it?"

"No," Wilder denied.

In fact, without Talia's money, his wallet would have been empty even faster.

"I went to the association to participate in the mage class level assessment, which cost me two gold coins."

"What? Two gold coins!" Gru exclaimed in surprise. "Wasn't it two silver coins? I thought that was too expensive! It's just a piece of paper!"

"Huh?" Wilder was taken aback.

No wonder I always felt like I'd been scammed.

"The mage profession is rather unique, so this price is indeed the case. I heard Martha mention it," Cyrion offered a reassuring remark, then asked, "What level did you rate it?"

"Mage apprentices," Wilde had wanted to ask for a while, "And you? What's your level?"

"Junior Warrior".

"I'm the same as Cyril."

"Beginner Ranger"

Just as Wilder guessed, getting certified at the beginner level wasn't difficult, but advancing from beginner to intermediate level seemed quite challenging.

Cyrion is already thirty years old, and he's still stuck at this stage, unable to get promoted.

"I read the career guide. Intermediate warriors only need to master a few more combat skills than beginners. If they study hard, they can be promoted, right?" Wilder asked, voicing his confusion.

"Level one combat skills are alright." Cyrion sighed helplessly. "Level two combat skills, I can't learn them."

"Can't learn it?"

To be precise, they can learn the movements, but they can't apply them effectively.

As Cyrion walked, he said, "Level one combat skills only require mobilizing the power source within the body, while level two combat skills require concentrating power into a single point and unleashing it all at once."

Gru couldn't stay still for a moment, so he picked up an axe and started demonstrating.

"For example, when I use the level one combat skill [Spinning Slash], the power comes from my feet to my legs, then to my waist, and then to my arms and wrists, all at the same time."

"But level two combat skills are the opposite; I have to use all my strength..."

Gru's voice suddenly stopped.

"What do you need to focus all your power on?"

Wilder turned his head and found that Gru was not only silent, but also completely still.

"Gru, why are you stopping?"

"It's not that I don't want to leave..."

At this moment, Gru clenched his teeth, and the veins on his neck and arms bulged, as if he was using every ounce of strength he had.

"I can't leave!"

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the dense canopy of trees, and the refraction of the beams created crisscrossing silver lines on Gru's body, which shimmered slightly.

That is……

cobweb.

"alert!!!"