Defying the Fate of Beheading

After the Shadow-Climbing Ivy, Louis and his group didn't continue fighting.

Louis and others needed to conserve their combat strength; they couldn't afford to give it their all.

While taking a break in an open area, Louis tossed a water pouch to Alice and said:

"Lately, you're not quite yourself."

Alice licked her lips, opened the cap, and took a few gulps of water before speaking:

"What do you mean, like or not like?"

Louis snorted softly:

"The Alice I know is the kind of top-notch hunter who dares to challenge strong foes. Now, you've seemed to restrain your sharpness a bit."

Alice replied discontentedly, "How have I restrained myself? I did practice with you a lot in the academy..."

"Practicing with me counts as challenging a strong foe?" Louis laughed, "Not to belittle myself, but without using Limuru, I stand no chance against you."

Alice chuckled and said:

"Even if you did, you couldn't beat me."

Louis said, "But I wouldn't lose either, would I?"

Alice spread her hands and said:

"That's why I say, aren't you underestimating yourself?"

Louis shook his head:

"It's different. Even though our combat abilities are about equal now, Limuru is an external aid, not my inherent power."

"For you, relying on an external aid versus being crushed by peers with sheer strength is not the same concept."

"Alice, after you killed the sapphire dragon, you... lost your motivation to move forward, didn't you?"

Alice was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:

"I guess I kind of did. After killing the sapphire dragon, I felt like a burden I've carried for years was lifted."

"But it seems I've also lost some direction."

Louis pondered for a moment, hesitated, and said:

"You didn't realize something, did you?"

"What is it?"

"Your enemy isn't dead yet."

"???

She burst out laughing, "Are you joking with me? That sapphire dragon was devoured entirely by your Limuru."

Louis shook his head and said:

"Do you think I'd joke about something like that?"

Gradually, the smile on Alice's face began to fade.

"So you really didn't notice, huh..."

Louis sighed softly.

Alice slightly furrowed her brows and said:

"Tell me."

Louis patted Limuru beside him:

"Have you ever heard about the incident at the National Waste Disposal Plant?"

"Yes, I have."

"Limuru shone brilliantly at the disposal plant, processing a large amount of magical waste and successfully covering it up. Guess how it was achieved."

Alice honestly said, "You told me, it was by relying on [Iron Stomach] and [Pica], combined with Limuru's inherent slime characteristics, creating a miracle."

"Right, I mentioned to you before the source of those abilities."

Alice paused for a moment.

The next moment, her eyes began to redden.

Instantly, a thread connected all the clues in her mind.

She replayed the original Moonlight Cat Cat Group's ordeal in her mind.

Back then, they primarily engaged in tasks capturing magical creatures.

The intention of the Cat Cat Group was because the old captain Tiqi Laoxin and the other members loved raising gentle magical creatures.

So the tasks they took on were mostly related to capturing creatures.

In that field, they were somewhat experts.

Yet on that day, a nightmare descended.

On their way back, they were viciously attacked by unknown creatures from underground.

No warning at all.

Alice watched helplessly as her companions were skewered by spikes that erupted from the ground, watched as flying stones shattered the heads of those she knew.

The dying screams of her companions lingered endlessly.

The blood spattered couldn't even be blocked by the smoke, splashing onto her cheeks.

That day, in the midst of the smoke, she saw a slowly wriggling shadow.

It was a dragon-like creature, its chilling breath waking her from countless silent nights.

It was a tremendously painful blow to her.

Indeed, before becoming adventurers, many had come to terms with the idea of dying, unnoticed, like wild grass in the wind.

Money was easy to earn, but just as easy to spend.

This was the norm for adventurers; accepting high-risk tasks and dying by the hand of target creatures was common.

But the annihilation of the Moonlight Cat Cat Group was different.

The Cat Cat Group wasn't an adventuring group that lived by extermination; most tasks involved capturing creatures, and Captain Tiqi was careful in selecting targets, never greedy.

So they almost never encountered conflicts with other groups or got involved in power struggles.

Yet they were attacked by a dragon on their way back after completing a task.

Being attacked by a dragon and being attacked by magical creatures were two different concepts.

Attacked by a creature, you'd be dissatisfied, but just think you were unlucky, encountering an insane, rabid beast.

But dragons... aren't creatures!

They are a sentient race, just like humans.

Being killed by a dragon, without any apparent reason, is a blood feud.

If given the chance, it's the kind of thing you'd definitely seek revenge for.

And coincidentally, she had the talent for it.

She honed her combat skills, raised her level, venting the cowardice and fear of that year in continuous battles.

She honed her blade for three years, all for that day.

When she killed the sapphire dragon, she completed a three-year pursuit, cut off the nightmare, and saved the helpless self from three years ago.

But why?

Why did she never notice the time discrepancy within it?