Brilliant morning light seeped through the cracks in the shutters, casting soft pillars of light across the dim room.
Outside the window, the CHIRP CHIRP of blue-tailed finches rang out crisp and cheerful, like a morning serenade composed exclusively to awaken the slumbering town.
Raine’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as he slowly roused from a deep sleep. He sat up in bed, habitually rolling his shoulders and neck before walking toward the window facing the street.
With a CREAK, the shutters were gently pushed open.
The warm morning light instantly flooded the room, enveloping him in its warmth. A breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees brushed against his face, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed.
The street was quite bustling. Several peasant women carrying baskets were chatting as they walked toward the market, while a group of artisans with tools slung over their shoulders gathered at the corner, greeting each other as they prepared for work. Further away, a fully equipped Adventurer party was taking inventory of their gear. Everything was orderly, brimming with the vibrant pulse of daily life.
A week had passed since the attack that night. Standing in the sunlight and breathing the tranquil air, it felt as if that bloody and chaotic night was nothing more than a distant Nightmare.
Raine stretched his limbs, carefully assessing his body’s condition. The bruises and wounds left from the fierce battle had mostly healed after ample rest and herbal poultices, leaving only a few scabs on his skin. For the past week, he had spent most of his time resting at the Return Inn or doing restorative training in the backyard, allowing both his body and mind to slowly recover from that extreme exhaustion.
Taking a deep breath, he sank his consciousness into his mind to review the changes over the past few days:
[Eagle Vision Level 2 (15/20)]
[Stealth Step Level 2 (10/20)]
[Basic Archery Level 2 (13/20)]
[Basic Swordsmanship Lv1 (8/10)]
Since that night, the proficiency of his various Skills had increased to varying degrees. Eagle Vision had increased by three points, largely thanks to his conscious, targeted practice over the past few days. The experience of repeatedly forcing Eagle Vision open during close-quarters combat at the brink of life and death that night had made him acutely aware of the Skill’s importance in melee. Whether it was capturing fleeting openings or executing extreme evasions, it played a decisive role.
Therefore, he began combat training against imaginary enemies while moving at high speeds in the courtyard, deliberately activating Eagle Vision during complex maneuvers to adapt to the high-intensity drain of close combat.
Although the stinging pain brought on by mental strain was still intense, he could feel that his endurance had slightly improved. Especially when activating Eagle Vision at his Physical limits, the proficiency growth seemed even more pronounced.
Basic Swordsmanship had also increased by three points. During his desperate struggle against the Bear Goblins that night, it had risen by two points consecutively. The pressure between life and death truly honed one’s skills better than anything else. These past few days, he had also focused heavily on Swordsmanship, constantly reflecting on the Enlightenment brought about by that battle.
As for Stealth Step, it had steadily increased by two points. Whether moving about within the inn or pacing during breaks in his backyard training, he would consciously maintain it.
In contrast, Basic Archery had only grown by one point. This wasn’t due to slacking off, but rather because he had dedicated more energy to covering his shortcomings in close combat. While ranged attacks were undoubtedly important, that night’s experience made him soberly realize that once enemies breached the deterrent range of his arrows, solid Swordsmanship was the key to staying alive.
Of course, what delighted Raine the most was not this growth in proficiency, but the Specialty he had achieved Enlightenment of in that desperate situation—Rival’s Perspective.
[Rival’s Perspective] [Specialty]
[Effect: Able to perceive the old physical wounds of Demons.]
[Note: After a bloody battle with Demons, you suddenly felt a certain resonance from the Power of Nature, and your will began to closely connect with this land.
In a trance, you seemed to see the figures of countless predecessors—chasing through the woods under the moonlight, drawing their bows at the peaks of snowy mountains, and lying in wait in grassy marshes.
You saw their struggles in the wilderness, witnessing their successful hunts and their tragic falls.
What they gazed upon and pursued has now transformed into formless trajectories, converging into a torrent of natural memory.
And you have heard this resonance across time and space, receiving this inheritance that belongs uniquely to a Ranger.]
Feeling the information regarding Rival’s Perspective in his consciousness, Raine slowly took a deep breath. The reason he could see through the old wounds of the Bear Goblins was that he had resonated with a certain Power of Nature. The source of that Power was precisely the collective memories left behind in this world by countless Ranger predecessors.
Along with a profound sense of reverence in his heart, a trace of contemplation flickered in Raine’s eyes.
His ability to turn the tide of battle in such a desperate situation that night was largely thanks to Rival’s Perspective. It allowed him to glimpse the flaw on that Bear Goblin’s leg that had long been buried by time, much like finding a hairline fracture in an otherwise flawless fortress. It was precisely by exploiting the imbalance caused by that old wound that he managed to seize the fleeting chance of victory.
However, the limitations of this ability were equally obvious; it could only trace old wounds on a physical level. If the opponent was a non-physical creature such as an elemental body, Ghost, or Mechanical Body, it would be ineffective. If the opponent possessed a powerful Regeneration Ability or had received timely healing to make their body flawless, then it would also return no results.
Raine silently warned himself, "In the end, a Specialty is only an auxiliary tool. The only thing I can truly rely on is the Power I have tempered myself. I can’t expect my opponents to be carrying around old wounds every single time."
Furthermore, if he hadn’t dodged that death throe counterattack capable of crushing a skull that night, even if he had seen the weakness, he would probably be nothing more than a corpse right now. If he were to face not just one powerful opponent, but multiple, he would undoubtedly find it very difficult to cope.
Having finished his assessment, Raine buried this realization deep in his heart. While a Specialty was a sharp weapon, one’s own self was the key to wielding it.
Afterward, he dressed neatly and pushed open his bedroom door.
The sight that greeted his eyes was starkly different from the mess of a week ago. In the hallway, the large holes smashed by the Warhammer and the gouges left by sword strikes had entirely disappeared. They had all been replaced with brand new wooden boards, sanded smooth and flat, and several damaged doors had also been swapped out for new ones. The entire inn looked brand new, with almost no trace of the fierce battle from that night.
On the morning of the second day after the attack, the Town Council dispatched a dedicated team of artisans to conduct comprehensive, free repairs on the Return Inn. Not only that, the Town Council also announced an exemption from all taxes for the inn for the next three years, and compensated for all the furniture and items destroyed during the battle. Additionally, a considerable sum of compensation was delivered to Lady Basha, which temporarily soothed the traumatized hearts of her and Lian.
To stabilize public morale, a fully armed squad of elite Adventurer Guards was also deployed for long-term patrol and vigilance around the inn.
As the main forces in that night’s battle, Raine, Kaelin, and the Dwarf all received handsome compensation. Since Raine had killed two Bear Goblins and had the most prominent battle merits, he received a total of two Golden Kings, while Kaelin and the Dwarf each received one Golden King. As for the other Adventurer guests who participated in the resistance, they also received varying compensation of several dozen Silver Lions based on their degree of loss and contribution.
The Town Council’s efficiency and generosity in this matter were clearly intended to shut the mouths of everyone in the inn.
Regarding the attack from that night, the Town Council issued an official announcement five days later, its wording rather clever.
The announcement pinned all the blame on "Traditional Nobility spies." It claimed that these despicable scoundrels not only committed arson everywhere, but also used some unknown means to quietly sneak several "dangerous Magical Beasts" into the town in an attempt to create panic and shake the morale of the front lines. The announcement then quickly shifted gears, heavily praising the heroic actions of the acting Sheriff, the guards, and "certain Adventurers with a sense of justice." It stated that under the leadership of the Ring of Steel Professional party, this despicable conspiracy was swiftly thwarted. All infiltrating spies and Magical Beasts had been purged, and Mottled Town remained a safe and reliable paradise for Adventurers.
This narrative not only failed to diminish the town’s perceived safety, but actually reinforced the impression that "it is very safe here" to a certain extent. The townspeople and outsiders who were unaware of the truth would only feel that the town’s response was swift and forceful.
Raine guessed that this was likely not just a decision made by the Town Council. Behind it, it was very possibly the result of discussions involving Sir Skeller, or even that New Noble Lord. This much could be glimpsed from the fact that the announcement was delayed for a full five days before being released. This way, they not only cleverly defused this crisis but also threw dirty water on the Traditional Nobility, allowing the New Nobility to gain the upper hand in public opinion as well.
After all, not all the nobles in the Solan Kingdom were on the brink of war. There was still a substantial faction of wavering, neutral nobles who were closely observing the development of the situation.
Although from beginning to end, the announcement deliberately obscured what had happened at the Return Inn, never mentioning the Bear Goblins and downplaying Raine and the others as merely "certain Adventurers with a sense of justice," Raine didn’t care. He had received tangible rewards and understood that some truths carried no weight on the scales of power.
Just as he reached the top of the stairs, Raine seemed to think of something and couldn’t help but frown again.