Chapter 97: Intense Game 2
Let’s rewind time, just a little—right before Nero veered off course after detecting the orc at the very edge of his Divine Sense.
At first glance, it had seemed that Khione hadn’t noticed anything unusual. She had flown ahead, focused and silent, her crystal wings slicing cleanly through the air. Nero assumed she was simply fixated on her goal.
But in truth, Khione had seen it too.
She had sensed the lone orc just as she passed—felt its faint signature brushing against the edge of her awareness. Yet she chose not to pursue.
It wasn’t carelessness.
It was calculation.
Khione had deliberately left the orc for Nero. With him distracted, she would have more freedom to move undisturbed, giving her the chance to focus on something larger—a cluster of signatures further ahead. At least three, maybe more. They pulsed faintly through the flow of the surrounding magic and elemental energy, like embers glowing under the surface of ash.
She had been ahead of Nero by a fair margin, and so she was the first to detect them. Letting him take the bait had been an easy decision.
And, just as she had planned, Nero hadn’t noticed a thing.
Soon, she reached her destination.
NovelFire
The forest here opened into a quiet glade. The trees stood farther apart, their trunks leaning lazily as if softened by time. A gentle stream meandered through the clearing, its clear waters catching the sunlight in rippling flashes of silver. Moss-lined rocks dotted the banks, and the air smelled faintly of damp earth and wildflowers.
Near the stream, four orcs were gathered—hulking figures crouched low, scooping water into their mouths with guttural grunts. Their crude weapons rested nearby, leaned against stones or slung lazily over shoulders.