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"————!"
Shane forcefully lifted his head and looked forward.
In the next moment, Shane saw it.
"Good evening, should I say that?"
A melodious voice with a playful tone came from a young girl.
A young girl in a dress that made her look like a princess, with black hair and red eyes, sat swinging on a tree branch ahead, while gently rocking her little feet and holding a dessert in both hands, nibbling on it bit by bit.
This girl, Shane had seen before.
And it was just yesterday.
"Are you the poser from yesterday?"
This sentence slipped directly from Shane's mouth.
"Poser?" The girl froze for a moment, then frowned unhappily, saying, "You can just call me Laischa, but the term 'poser,' although I don't know what it means, I can sense it's not a good thing. Can you please not call me that?"
Hearing this, Shane raised an eyebrow instead.
"Is that okay?" Shane responded like Laischa just did, with a playful tone, "Didn't you say before that not just anyone could get your name?"
"Indeed." Laischa looked at Shane, the unhappiness between her eyebrows vanishing, replaced by a hint of amused emotion, saying, "But I don't want you to run off like last time, so it's better to obediently give my name this time."
"Then, obediently named Laischa, may I ask what you're doing in a place like this?" Shane questioned in a rare aggressive tone, "Don't tell me it's a coincidence, okay?"
Perhaps because his earlier muttering had been overheard, Shane's bad mood was evident in his tone and attitude.
However, Laischa didn't seem to mind at all.
"Just consider it a coincidence," Laischa replied to Shane with an upbeat tone, "If it wasn't a 'coincidence,' how could I hear such interesting words?"
Sure enough, Laischa had clearly heard Shane's earlier words.
"I was merely passing through Lamijion during my escape, and didn't expect to encounter such a thing." Laischa stared directly at Shane, as if trying to see through all his secrets, saying, "However, thanks to this, it seems there will be unexpected gains this time."
In just a few words, Shane was made aware that the opponent was indeed here for him.
Maybe after yesterday's meeting, Laischa had been watching Shane, even following him to this extent.
In other words...
"Have I been followed?"
Shane muttered aloud.
Laischa made no response, only smiling to herself, her gaze at Shane becoming more intriguing.
"Like last time, you seem to be saying something very interesting again?" Laischa said with a playful smile, "This time, what you said is true. The world no longer needs a hero. Isn't that sad?"
"Sad?" Shane squinted his eyes, pretending to be puzzled, but also said sincerely, "Why should I be sad?"
Just looking at the fact, Shane could hardly be happier.
If the world doesn't need a hero, then he could discard this responsibility, living unrestrained, right?
It's just...
"Are you worried about being caught in a conspiracy whirlpool?" Laischa saw through Shane's heart in one glance, saying, "Not knowing why the Divine Race would summon yourself, or what the situation among the three clans is, simply put, there is a severe lack of information, so you don't know which side to trust."
"Am I wrong?"
"New hero."
As Laischa's words fell, the atmosphere suddenly became insufferably heavy.
Shane, too, abandoned any hope of fortune.
Because the reality was very clear.
His identity had been exposed.
"Aren't you going to take out the Holy Sword from the package on your back?" Laischa taunted, "If you don't use the Holy Sword, with just your current level, you won't stand a chance against me, you know?"
"Opponent?" Shane met Laischa's eyes, asking, "Are you here to deal with me?"
"What?" Laischa continued smiling teasingly, "Is that strange?"
"Of course it's strange." Shane ignored Laischa's taunt and retorted directly, "If you were truly here to deal with me, I would have already detected your presence."
After all, Shane possessed a skill like "Enemy Detection," which allowed him to sense targets with animosity towards him.
Under such circumstances, if someone approached with hostility, Shane would have detected them long ago.
However, Shane didn't detect Laischa's presence in time.
This proved the opponent bore no hostility towards Shane.
Of course...
"Aren't you a bit too naive, my Lord Hero?"
Laischa seemed amused, though the laughter in her eyes began to fade.
"Indeed, I harbored no animosity toward you."
"But, there's no need for animosity to engage in battle in this world."
"Like me, if I just want to test your real ability, not to be your enemy, don't you think that's already adequate reason to deal with you?"
As the words fell, magic power like an inky whirlwind rose from Laischa's body.
That magic power stirred up a gust, sweeping in all directions, making the surrounding trees sway with a rustle, while the fallen leaves flew erratically.
Shane's heart tensed, and he drew his weapon without hesitation.
The weapon drawn wasn't the Holy Sword but the Broad Blade Sword Shane wore at his waist.
In the next instant...
"Boom!"
The magic power rising from Laischa's body transformed into gravity, impacting the entire world like a field, and pressed down on Shane.
In an instant, the leaves that flew in the air were all pressed toward the ground, and the surrounding trees seemed to be held by invisible forces, creaking and snapping inch by inch.
Shane also felt his entire body being pressed by an astonishing gravity toward the ground.
Without exception, this gravity should have sufficed to pin Shane to the ground.
But, whether it was the Magic Resistance skill or the Abnormal State Resistance skill that took effect, the gravity acting on Shane abruptly weakened before pressing him to the ground.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Laischa voiced extreme surprise.
"Resisted my Gravity Magic without using the Holy Sword?"
This point took Laischa completely by surprise.
Unfortunately, at this point, it was already too late for surprise.
"Evolve!"
Shane resolutely and swiftly activated the Extreme Transformation skill the instant the gravity weakened.
Immediately, magic power flowed through his body, causing Shane's strength to escalate dramatically.
"Boom!"
And so, Shane crushed the ground with a muffled noise and shot toward Laischa's direction like a rocket, defying the gravity.
Since the opponent had already made a move, there was no need for any hesitation here.
This showcased Shane's decisiveness brought about by his strong adaptability, and the ruthlessness honed in the forest over ten days.
Seeing this, Laischa was not alarmed but rather amused.
"Things are getting interesting."
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