"Klee, go back to your dorm for a bit. I need to talk with Sister Eula about something."
Lin Mo spoke in a low voice.
"Mm… okay…"
Even if Klee was naïve, she could more or less guess that her dad and this beautiful Sister Eula shared a rather complicated past.
Though curiosity bubbled in her heart, she still obediently stepped out of the room.
Before closing the door, Klee glanced at Eula, whose uniform was in disarray. She even poked her little head back in and reminded them, "Ganqing-gege~ no being naughty, okay~"
"Mm, I know."
Lin Mo—currently transformed into a Dodoco plush—nodded.
Click.
With that response, Klee carefully shut the dorm door.
By now, the dark clouds brought by the dragon crisis had dispersed.
The evening glow streamed through the window, dyeing the room in an intimate shade of pink.
Inside, the two faced each other in silence.
But…
Eula was the first to lose her composure.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she said resentfully, "Why didn't you meet me in your real form?"
"I was afraid."
Lin Mo answered honestly.
"Afraid of what?"
"Your clothes weren't properly fastened. I was worried I wouldn't be able to control myself."
"…"
Eula fell silent.
Indeed, in her memories, Lin Mo had never been able to resist her physical allure.
So that they could actually talk—so she could see that face from her dreams again—Eula chose to fasten the two loose buttons on her knight's uniform.
Lin Mo watched as she finished adjusting her clothes.
A twinge of regret rose in his heart.
"Sigh… such a breathtaking view… gone just like that."
…
"Now can we talk properly?"
Eula had finished tidying herself, her gaze now sharp and steady as it fixed on Lin Mo.
Poof—!
White smoke puffed up around the Dodoco plush.
"Long time no see."
Along with the gentle greeting, Lin Mo stepped out of the smoke.
Bathed in the glow of sunset, his face wore a warm smile.
Eula stared at that familiar smile returning before her eyes.
Her eyes reddened, her lashes trembling.
Within that warmth, she sensed a faint bitterness.
And that made her recall the moment they first met.
Back then…
didn't this bastard wear the exact same smile!?
…
Memories surged.
Eula's thoughts were dragged back into her dream—to that snowbound lakeside on Dragonspine.
"Pervert!! Stop right there!!"
Across the snow, Eula charged forward with her sword, chasing a nimble figure like a madwoman.
Though she was fast, her knight's uniform was clearly disheveled—thrown on in a hurry before she'd grabbed her sword and gone after the "pervert" she was shouting at.
"This is bad, this is really bad… This opening is definitely going to leave a terrible first impression on Eula!"
Lin Mo ran while grumbling to himself.
"Damn it… that stupid Ice Slime came out of nowhere!"
"Otherwise I wouldn't have been discovered!"
"Why was she bathing in an icy lake anyway? Isn't that freezing!?"
"But… honestly…"
"That figure was just unfair…"
…
Lin Mo darted through the steep terrain of Dragonspine like a gust of wind.
To become part of the Lawrence Clan, he had to leave a good impression on Eula.
Peeping on Eula while she bathed?
Who did that?
No idea. Never heard of him!
Lin Mo would rather die than admit it.
There had been over ten meters between them. Surely she hadn't seen his face clearly.
Even if she had, she probably wouldn't remember it.
As long as he escaped her pursuit, there was still hope.
He could reintroduce himself later—as a polite, refined gentleman.
So Lin Mo didn't dare look back, afraid she'd memorize his face.
After running for a long time, he finally stopped hearing her furious shouts behind him.
Only then did he halt and turn around.
Sure enough, the snowy road was empty.
All that remained were the monsters he'd woken from their slumber—Ice Hilichurls and Cryo Whopperflowers.
"WA—!"
"GHAGHA—!"
The small mob seemed furious at being disturbed, rushing straight at Lin Mo.
"Tch. Looking for death."
Lin Mo immediately drew the Dull Blade at his waist and charged in.
"WA—!!"
Clink!
…
Screams mixed with the shattering of ice.
In under a minute, Lin Mo had cut down eight Hilichurls and two Whopperflowers.
"Wait… I've already gone pretty deep into the mountain, haven't I?"
Only then did he realize how far his escape had taken him into Dragonspine's depths.
No wonder such a short mountain path had attracted so many monsters.
"Hold on… something's not right…"
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
If even this tiny stretch of road had ten monsters, then the total distance he'd sprinted—easily a hundred times longer—must have awakened far more.
Then…
where had all the others gone?
"Oh no!"
A chilling realization hit him.
"The other monsters…"
"They wouldn't have all gone after Eula, would they!?"
A sense of dread welled up in his chest.
He clearly remembered hearing the roar of a Frostarm Lawachurl along the way—
and the heavy sound of a massive Ruin Grader activating.
The more he thought about it, the grimmer his expression became.
If nothing unexpected had happened, all those awakened monsters must have redirected their attention to Eula.
He could already picture it—Eula alone in the snow, surrounded by a tide of monsters.
"No. I can't let that woman die on this mountain!"
…
…
At Snow-Entombed City—Outskirts.
Boom—!!!
The Frostarm Lawachurl collapsed, slain by Eula's blade.
With the giant's fall, the horrifying scene of the area revealed itself once more.
The snow was littered with over a hundred Hilichurl corpses,
dozens of shattered Whopperflowers,
and countless fragments of glittering Ice Slimes.
Such a terrifying battle record—and yet Eula remained on edge.
Because one last enemy still remained.
Thump.
Thump.
…
Heavy, rhythmic footsteps shook the ground, each step kicking up clouds of frost.
Emerging through the swirling snow was the very Ruin Grader Lin Mo had accidentally awakened.
"Damn that lecherous rogue…"
Anger burned in Eula's eyes.
She leaned heavily on her sword, gasping for breath, barely keeping herself upright.
Her sweat-soaked face and the wounds scattered across her body told the story—
she was at her absolute limit.
Against a group of Hilichurls, she might still have had a chance.
But facing a Ruin Grader, even stronger than the Lawachurl…
she knew her odds were close to zero.
Bzzzz—!!
The Ruin Grader suddenly halted, its massive body crouching slightly.
The core in its head flared with a blinding red glow.
Eula's pupils shrank.
She knew exactly what this meant—it was charging its energy, preparing to ram her with its colossal, iron body.
If that attack landed, death was certain.
She tried to move.
She couldn't.
After that prolonged, brutal battle, even standing was already her limit.
Thump thump!
Thump thump!
Thump thump!
The ground quaked violently.
The Ruin Grader surged forward.
"Is this… really where I die…?"
Eula closed her eyes in despair.
"Hey, big guy—don't touch her!!"
A sharp shout suddenly reached her ears.
Eula's eyes flew open.
From another direction, a nimble figure was sprinting toward her at full speed.
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact