The Welfare of the Blacksmith Shop, Still Top's Kuma

The wind and snow gradually subsided in the pine forest on the northern slope.

The battlefield was a mess after the fight, with over a dozen wind wolf corpses scattered haphazardly across the snow.

As the most experienced guard in the party, Rhodes stood speechless for a long time next to the corpse of the wind wolf whose head had been blown apart by Lynch in a single strike. He reached out his foot and gently kicked the completely shattered wolf skull. The sensation transmitted through the sole of his boot told him this was definitely no illusion.

That pure, tyrannical physical destructive power sent a chill down the spine of even a proper Rank Two warrior like him.

"Phew..."

Rhodes let out a long breath, sheathed his longsword, and turned to walk toward Lynch, who was calmly collecting his potion bottles.

His gaze had changed. It was no longer the polite look reserved for the "young master's friend," but rather carried a trace of awe for a powerhouse, along with deep gratitude.

"Mr. Lynch."

Rhodes took off his helmet, revealing his weather-beaten face, and solemnly gave Lynch a knight's salute. "Thank you for saving us just now. If it weren't for that strike... the young master would likely have met a grim fate."

In that split second, even he hadn't had time to fall back and defend. If something had truly happened to Asik, he, as a guard, wouldn't have survived either.

"Ah, you're too polite."

Lynch waved his hand, his face still bearing that harmless smile. "Since we are in the same party, looking out for each other is only natural. Besides, Asik came to help me clear out the threats around the village anyway."

Seeing Lynch's breezy and indifferent demeanor, Rhodes felt even more admiration in his heart.

To be so powerful yet neither arrogant nor rash—this was the true demeanor of a master.

"Words cannot express my gratitude for this great favor."

Rhodes pulled a copper plaque engraved with a hammer crest from his breast pocket and handed it to Lynch with both hands. "I am a long-term guard for Young Master Asik's family, and I practically watched him grow up. As you know, the young master's family runs a blacksmith shop."

"This is a VIP token for the shop. If you ever need anything in the future, whether it's forging farming tools or repairing equipment, just bring this token, and you'll get a thirty percent discount on everything!"

"Furthermore, as long as I am there, your orders will always be treated as a priority!"

"A thirty percent discount?"

Lynch's eyes lit up, and he readily accepted the copper token.

This was a tangible benefit!

He was just wondering if he should get an automatic irrigation system for the herb garden later, or a handier set of digging tools for Kuma. This blacksmith shop discount came at the perfect time.

"Then I won't be shy." Lynch happily tucked away the copper token, thinking to himself that although this bro looked serious, he actually knew how to handle social affairs quite well.

"Alright, everyone clean up the battlefield and dig out all the magic cores. We're getting ready to head back to the village!"

At Lynch's command, the four-person party cheerfully began harvesting their spoils.

...

However, just as everyone was immersed in the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Deep in the dense forest less than two hundred meters away from the battlefield, a silent slaughter had just concluded.

On the thick snow, there were no signs of a struggle; only a massive wolf corpse lay quietly beneath a fir tree.

The size of this wind wolf was a full circle larger than the alpha wolf Lynch had just killed. Its entire coat of fur was a deep, ghostly blue, looking exceptionally eerie against the current snowy landscape.

There was a bloodline as thin as a hair on its neck, the cut as smooth as a mirror. It had clearly had its windpipe and arteries severed in an instant by some extremely sharp blade, not even having the time to let out a miserable howl.

A foot wearing a delicate little leather boot was stepping on the wolf corpse's head.

Kuma was toying with a pitch-black dagger in her hand. Her pair of beast ears twitched slightly, and her eyes revealed a coldness that did not match her appearance.

"At the threshold of a Rank Two magical beast... perhaps even a variant."

Kuma narrowed her eyes, examining the prey beneath her foot. "Tsk tsk, this big guy was quite patient. Letting those Rank One underlings go die to wear them down, while hiding in the dark preparing to ambush."

"If it had absorbed enough blood aura, it might have truly evolved into a Rank Three Wind Wolf King."

The faint, lingering gaze Rhodes had felt on the battlefield earlier actually mostly came from this predator hiding in the shadows.

Judging from Lynch's track record of solo killing a Phosphorescent Brown Bear the last time he went into the mountains, even a Rank Three magical beast should be something that man could handle.

But...

"Lady Witch's order is 'absolute safety'."

Kuma shrugged. "In order to prevent that human from facing even the slightest risk of injury, it is better for me, the Pillar, to snuff out such potential threats in advance."

"And..."

Kuma glanced at Lynch, who was talking and laughing cheerfully in the distance, and a mischievous smirk curled the corners of her mouth.

"If he knew there was an even bigger one, he would definitely run over excitedly to farm monsters again. If he dirtied his clothes and went back late, Lady Witch would definitely take her anger out on me."

Thinking of this, Kuma flipped her wrist.

Black magic power surged, and the massive wolf corpse was instantly swallowed by shadows, turning into nothingness—this was the high-tier shadow magic, [Corpse Destruction].

Having dealt with all this, Kuma clapped her hands. Her figure blurred, once again turning into an inconspicuous black shadow, and darted toward the village ahead of the four-person party.

...

Half an hour later.

In Lynch's home, inside the main house that was as warm as spring.

Felsy was sitting by the window, holding a book that hadn't had its pages turned much, her gaze constantly drifting toward the courtyard gate.

Suddenly, a black shadow slipped in through the crack of the window and landed, transforming into the appearance of a beast-eared girl.

"Lady Witch! I'm back!"

Kuma knelt on one knee, wearing an expression that begged for praise. "Mission accomplished perfectly!"

"Where is Lynch?" Felsy put down the book, trying her best to keep her tone indifferent.

"He's still behind. It will probably take him another ten minutes to arrive."

Kuma reported, "That pack of wind wolves has been completely wiped out. Lynch is completely unharmed; he even picked up quite a few magic cores and seems to be in a very good mood."

Hearing the word "unharmed," Felsy's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

"Mhm," she replied faintly. "He didn't run into any trouble, did he?"

"He did! Of course he did!"

Kuma immediately perked up and began to embellish her contributions. "My Lady, you have no idea! Just as they were fighting that group of small mobs, there was a variant Wind Wolf King at the peak of Rank Two, on the verge of breaking through to Rank Three, crouching nearby!"

"That guy was incredibly sinister, just waiting to ambush Lynch when his magic power was exhausted! The situation hung by a single thread; it was as precarious as a pile of eggs!"

"Fortunately, your subordinate was quick to act. Before that beast could spring up and hurt anyone, I hit it directly with an [Shadow Instant Kill] and sent it packing to the afterlife!"

Speaking of this, Kuma proudly puffed out her chest, her tail wagging like a propeller:

"Although that Lynch does have some skills, hidden crises like this still need to be handled by professionals like us! Now it's all good. The hidden danger is eliminated, and he is safe."

After hearing this, a trace of approval flashed in Felsy's eyes.

Indeed, an open attack is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. Kuma did well this time.

"Well done."

Felsy gave a rare word of praise, "You are allowed to eat at the table tonight."

"Yay!"

Kuma was so excited she almost jumped into the air. The joy of being praised, combined with the prospect of an upcoming feast, completely loosened her already loose lips.

Looking at Felsy's noticeably softened expression, she couldn't help but chuckle. With an "I know exactly what you mean" look on her face, she said,

"For the happiness of Lady Witch, this little bit of hard work from your subordinate is nothing!"

"As long as I can protect your beloved little husband, I wouldn't hesitate even if you asked me to assassinate a dragon! After all, the sweet life of you two is your subordinate's greatest..."

Buzz.

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

Before Kuma could finish her sentence, she felt the surrounding temperature plummet by twenty degrees.

She stiffly raised her head.

Only to see Felsy staring daggers at her. That breathtakingly beautiful face was covered in a deep blush—the color of extreme embarrassment and fury.

In her purple eyes, shame and murderous intent were wildly intertwining.

"Be... beloved little husband?"

Felsy's voice sounded as if it was squeezed through her gritted teeth. "Sweet... life?"

"Uh, well... My Lady, please listen to my explanation..."

Kuma realized she had stepped on a landmine, and a nuclear one at that. She turned around, wanting to run.

But it was already too late.

"I see you have too much free time on your hands."

Felsy sneered and hooked her finger.

"Since you have so much energy, let's continue the unfinished special training from last time."

The next second.

A magic rope appeared out of thin air, accurately wrapping around Kuma's ankle and hoisting her entirely upside down.

Whoosh.

A familiar feeling, a familiar formula.

Kuma once again turned into a high-speed spinning top, hung from the highest beam in the living room.

"Waaah... My Lady, I was wrong... I'll never spout nonsense again..."

Accompanied by Kuma's miserable pleas for mercy, Felsy, her face still red, sat back down in her chair in a huff and picked up that book again.

Only this time, she was holding the book upside down.

"That idiot... why isn't he back yet."

She muttered softly to herself amidst the background noise of spinning.