The person who arrived was Dago, the captain of the Forest Patrol.
His tall, slender figure emerged step by step from beneath his gray robe, and in his outstretched white hand, a basketball-sized ice sphere hovered in his palm as he walked.
Inside the sphere, ice crystals intertwined and spun, emitting a faint crackling sound, and a chill seeped through the gaps in his fingers.
The cold air swirling around the ice crystal sphere formed an invisible and violent cold current in the air, ruffling Dago's shoulder-length black hair and the hem of his gray robe.
As he walked across the icy ground towards the center of the chaotic battle, the ice sphere slowly rotated in his palm.
It made his jawline appear even colder and harder, and his profile, illuminated by the ice-blue light, was even more intimidating than the sharpest icicle in the forest.
The moment they saw Dago, everyone from the Forest Patrol on the field breathed a sigh of relief, shedding the pressure of the life-and-death crisis.
Moluo Ke, lying on the ground, desperately tried to prop himself up, struggling to get a clear look at Dago's face, but the blood continuously gushing from his mouth choked his throat.
He couldn't utter a single word.
Dago pressed the ice crystal sphere in his hand downwards, and with a "boom—" the ice sphere accurately struck the enemy's chest.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, but a terrifying low temperature erupted the moment of contact.
Moluo Ke's Black Robe was first covered in frost, and then his entire body seemed to be plunged into an abyss of extreme cold.
His skin turned purplish at a visible rate, and the blood in his veins seemed to have frozen.
The bone staff in his hand had just begun to lift when it shattered into countless pieces in the cold air emanating from the ice sphere, turning into dust and scattering.
Even more horrifying, the ice sphere did not dissipate; instead, it spread wildly along Moluo Ke's body, from his chest to his limbs, and then to his head.
In just a few breaths, Moluo Ke was completely frozen in a massive block of ice.
He remained in the posture of raising his staff to strike, his face still frozen in an expression of incredible terror.
Sharp icicles continuously spread from the surface of the ice block, freezing the surrounding gravel and broken branches within it, forming a bizarre ice sculpture.
Dago snorted coldly, and the ice block suddenly exploded from within.
Only a scattering of glittering ice shards remained, as if the living Moluo Ke had never existed.
The moment Moluo Ke was killed, the misty vengeful spirits naturally dissipated.
Dago rummaged through the broken ice and managed to find a palm-sized, unknown animal skin pouch among the debris.
He picked up the seemingly empty, deflated leather pouch and probed it with his mental power.
His heart suddenly quickened a beat; inside the pouch, an extremely complex rune was inscribed.
As his mental power touched this rune, he roughly understood.
This was a space-type rune, containing an "other-dimensional space" that could store items far exceeding its external size.
In other words, this was a storage leather pouch. Dago calmly tucked it into his robe, then freed up his attention to check on the condition of everyone on the field.
Viser looked at Dago with a complex gaze that combined shock, fear, respect, disbelief, and other emotions.
It was as if only now had he truly come to know the real Dago.
However, after meeting Dago's gaze, Viser immediately lowered his head in a panic, deeply hiding the embarrassment and jealousy in his eyes.
Dago looked at Ian, who had fainted on the ground, and then at Linus, who was pale and on the verge of collapsing, a cold sneer in his heart.
He had just learned the detailed course of the battle from Old Marico and could be said to have "looked at Viser with new eyes."
Old Marico offered a prayer for the deceased Gavin, who lay on the ground.
Although Gavin was usually a quiet young man, he had, after all, lived with everyone for so long.
Soon after, Serena also arrived. She looked at Gavin's body, and tears immediately streamed down her face.
This was the first time their Forest Patrol had experienced the death of a teammate.
To prevent possible reinforcements from the Dark Blood Council's Black Robe Wizard accomplices.
They quickly cleaned up the battlefield. Old Marico carried Gavin's dead body, and Evan carried Ian, who had fainted from fright.
Afterward, Dago used several Air Bullets to disrupt the traces they left behind and set off for the Treehouse Stronghold.
Upon returning to the Treehouse Stronghold, everyone first dug a pit nearby to bury Gavin's body, and Old Marico presided over the simple funeral.
Viser, with his head bowed, was also at the funeral. After more than half a month of living together, some feelings had developed, and he came to see him off one last time.
However, everyone's gaze towards him was quite cold, and beneath the coldness was undisguised disgust and contempt.
Because this guy was very arrogant, always feeling that his forest wizard was superior.
Before, they thought this guy was just annoying, but now they realized he was so ruthless.
If Old Marico hadn't arrived in time to drive away the vengeful spirits, they might have had to dig another grave today.
Although no one openly scolded him, the contemptuous looks were not hidden.
Finally, Viser left in shame and never appeared at the Treehouse Stronghold again.
In fact, everyone understood this fact: Viser did not belong to this forest and would leave sooner or later.
However, with the Forest Patrol losing such a combat-ready member, everyone's situation became more difficult, and they couldn't help but have other thoughts.
At noon, everyone silently ate a hearty lunch, but the atmosphere was completely different from before, with an added sense of solemnity.
After eating, The Evans were the first to find Dago and expressed their desire to leave the team.
"My uncle has his own property in the Town's wealthy district. Although I really don't want to leave, this time I have no choice but to rely on him," Evan said with a reluctant and helpless expression.
Dago did not blame the couple, expressing his understanding and wishing them a smooth journey ahead.
He left Dago a note with an address written on it, expressing his sincere gratitude to Dago once again.
Dago did not take the note, waving his hand without saying anything, and the two returned to their temporary dwelling in silence.
Ian, who had been hiding in the shadows and watched the entire process, came out, still wearing an expression as if he hadn't returned from the gates of hell.
"Captain Dago, actually, I came to say goodbye to you too. I'm still young, I can't die here, I hope you can understand," Ian said with a tearful voice.
Dago naturally let him leave without surprise or retention.
He told Old Marico and Serena the news that these three were leaving the Forest Patrol, stating that the coming days would be even more dangerous, and choosing to leave was only natural.
Old Marico and Serena, as expected, chose to follow him. What difference was there between the Town and the forest now, anyway?
In the afternoon, The Evans and Ian silently left their temporary residence at the Treehouse Stronghold, carrying large bags, without goodbyes or farewell ceremonies.
For the rest of the day's patrol, only Dago, Old Marico, and Serena remained.
Fortunately, they did not encounter retaliation from the Dark Blood Council, but Dago felt that they must also be looking for him...
After all, he had already killed two of them; it was impossible for there to be no reaction at all.
