Ch 398: The Lives Of Ordinary People （part 8）

Time rewound to when Hien fled to seek help.

Hien, ordered by Levi to bring reinforcements from the Guild, ran at high speed through the trees. Already unharmed, he displayed astonishing speed, his heart set on saving his teammates, even just one; he didn’t want to lose any more companions.

But things wouldn’t be that simple. When Hien had gone about five kilometers, he was immediately stopped by a group of Magic-infused Forest Wolves.

“Tsk…”

He clicked his tongue, took down his bow, and began to shoot. Whether it was because he was anxious or a side effect of running so fast, one arrow missed its mark, grazing the foot of a Magic-infused Forest Wolf without hitting a vital spot. That Magic-infused Forest Wolf then seized the opportunity to pounce on Hien’s leg, biting down hard on his calf.

“Ugh! Die… die!”

Hien shook his leg, but the Magic-infused Forest Wolf refused to let go. He steeled his heart and, kicking the wolf and himself against a nearby tree trunk, finally killed the wolf. However, his lower leg was broken in the process.

“Damn beast!”

Hien cursed at the now-dead wolf. He didn’t rush to continue his journey; after all, a broken leg was quite painful.

Hien drew the dagger from his waist and began to butcher the wolf. He skinned it, using his blood-stained hands to extract the wolf sinew. Then, using wolf bones and wooden planks as a splint, he bound the splint to his fractured leg using the wolf sinew. After a moment of adjustment, he continued running towards the town.

For the Hien of before, this distance, if he used his top speed combined with Wind Magic, could have been covered in ten hours. But now things were different. Although he could still use Wind Magic to assist him, the broken leg greatly slowed him down. He knew that the slower he was, the lower his teammates’ chances of survival would be. Therefore, he ran desperately, constantly consuming magic to increase his speed.

“Faster, even just a little faster…”

He kept repeating this phrase, but the broken leg still affected him. The persistent pain consumed a lot of his stamina, and due to the excessive consumption of magic, he was nearing his limit.

“No… I can’t give up!”

Hien pulled out a piece of dried meat from his waist. It was emergency food, and his current state was extremely poor due to the double consumption of stamina and magic. He bit into the dried meat, partly to relieve the pain of his broken leg and partly to replenish his stamina.

Another thirty kilometers, and the lights of Guangyue Town were clearly visible; victory was within sight. Hien mustered his remaining strength, risking further injury to his fracture, and continued his frantic dash towards the town. Half an hour later, he finally arrived at the Guild. By this time, the Guild had closed; only Nirvana remained behind the bar, polishing wine cups.

Hien looked at the empty counter in despair; the fire in his heart was quenched by the cold water of reality.

“Again… I failed again…”

Hien knelt on the ground. Nirvana noticed him. He used his cane to leave the counter and went to Hien’s side, holding a water cup.

“Want some?”

Nirvana offered the water cup to Hien, but Hien didn’t react. Nirvana then placed the cup on a nearby table, turned, and opened the door to the corridor leading to the Guild Master’s office, entering inside. After a short while, Selena ran out, Bal and Ken behind her.

“What happened?”

Bal was still confused. He had seen this Elf that morning, and he didn’t understand why the Elf was here now, looking so disheveled.

Nirvana pulled Bal aside and explained the situation. Selena and Ken helped Hien to his feet. When Hien saw Selena, the fire in his eyes rekindled.

“Guild Master Selena, please, send someone to save my companions! They encountered a Rock-Crushing Blade Bear; two are seriously injured, and two are in critical condition. Please, send someone to save them!”

After hearing Hien’s plea, Selena immediately pulled Bal, who had been drinking with Nirvana, over.

“Quickly, call Fei’er, Nia, and Grey to help rescue them. They encountered a mutated Razorback Bear while exterminating the Razorback Bears.”

Bal frowned, then drew his short sword and went into the office. Selena returned to Hien’s side and had Ken give him some first aid.

“Mr. Hien, don’t worry. I’ve already sent people to rescue them. Sit here, and I’ll have Ken take care of your leg.”

Selena and Ken helped Hien into a chair. They removed the splint made from wolf sinew and wolf bone. Hien’s calf was twisted. Ken first cleaned Hien’s wound. After disinfecting it with Nirvana’s strong liquor, he used the Guild’s bandages to re-dress Hien’s wound. They would have to wait for Phia to finish the treatment.

Bal soon emerged, and shortly after, three people entered the Guild.

“Fei’er, please treat this gentleman’s injuries first. He was attacked by Magic-infused Forest Wolves, and his leg is broken.”

“Alright.”

As Phia approached Hien, he waved his hand.

“Don’t worry about me, go save my companions.”

“It won’t take long.”

Ignoring Hien’s request, Phia placed her hand near Hien’s wound. A green light shone in Phia’s palm, and Hien’s wound began to heal; his broken leg was also restored.

“Done.”

Phia stood up and went to Ken.

“Take him to the clinic the Guild cooperates with; his poison hasn’t been removed yet. I’ll deal with it after I save everyone.”

“Understood.”

After instructing Ken, Phia returned to Bal’s side, and the group walked out of the gate with their backs to Hien. Hien relaxed slightly; a wave of drowsiness washed over him. In his last moments of lucidity, he saw the hopeful backs of the four people.

“I’ll leave it… to you.”

He whispered these words, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Bal heard Hien’s last words. He nodded, and the four-person rescue team set off.

When Hien woke again, he saw his teammates lying unharmed in other beds in the same room. He lifted the covers to examine his leg. Thankfully, it was still there. He slowly got out of bed and saw Nia upon leaving the room.

“Hmm? You shouldn’t be getting out of bed yet. Go back and lie down, be good.”

“How are my teammates?”

“They’re fine. They’re out of danger, but they’ve lost a lot of energy and need a good rest.”

“That’s good.”

Hien breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall. Nia quickly supported Hien and took him back to the ward.

A day later, Phia examined Hien. After confirming that there were no aftereffects, she allowed him to be discharged.

Following this, Levi and the others woke up and were discharged, and they reunited.

Later, they successfully advanced to an A-rank squad. The Guild covered their losses because the Rock-Crushing Blade Bear had entered that area due to an accident caused by a certain genius. That’s a story for another time.

Later still, Akxiya married Levi. They invited the four rescuers and Selena, Ken, Anda, and Nirvana, who remained at the Guild.

Their story temporarily concludes. Everything returned to normal life. This event did not affect their adventurous lives. After resting, they continued their adventures. With this experience, they gradually grew stronger, eventually becoming one of the few S-rank squads in the town. But that’s another story for another time.