‘Similarly, when faced with suffering, the two of them made utterly different choices, don't they?’ Yan Yu mused.
The community's transmit switch had already activated, and the surrounding scenery transformed into the entrance of an ancient mansion, with a gloomy sky and a dark forest reappearing before everyone.
"The witch surely gets what she deserves," Scattered Fireflies said.
"Brother Bai, this time I’m really indebted to you," Great Wilderness clapped Bai Mu on the shoulder, grinning, "Next time we’ll have a drink together, my treat."
"Sure," Bai Mu replied indifferently.
“Well then, everyone, my brother and I will head out first, need to go back and check our rankings,” Great Wilderness waved, “Though I didn’t do much, to be honest, I’m exhausted, and a normal ending suits me better. “But getting to tag along with Brother Bai on a hidden ending is still nice, haha.”
After exchanging a few polite words with Great Wilderness and Nancheng Port, they waved and were transmitted away.
Scattered Fireflies, however, wasn’t in a hurry to leave; she approached Bai Mu and thanked him, after all, she’d been saved by him against the armored monster, and even if she couldn’t offer anything tangible, she needed to show proper gratitude.
She felt herself, before Bai Mu, to be a completely newbie, and after hearing from Yan Yu about Bai Mu’s possible profession, she felt an even greater reverence, as if she were gazing at a big shot.
"Brother Bai, thank you for looking after me," Scattered Fireflies said, "I’ll go check my ranking now."
"Take care," Bai Mu nodded.
Her perception of Bai Mu was a bit better than that of the Great Wilderness brothers, mainly because this girl listened to orders well; though her courage was a bit small, in a sense that wasn’t a flaw.
Being timid makes her easy to command, especially when she thinks the other person is stronger and more reliable than her.
Actually, sometimes it’s not fear of a timid teammate, but fear of a teammate’s wild ideas; if a real high‑difficulty dungeon needs to be tackled, Bai Mu would rather team up with someone like Scattered Fireflies.
At least she can take orders, serving as a healer or DPS; simply put, she’s actually perfect as a tool for a top player. Moreover, she’s one of the few players who’ve cleared a script with Bai Mu, so she’s more reliable than random matchmaking, and getting along with her is certainly the right choice.
As for Yan Yu, there’s no need for such politeness between them, after all they’d been fighting each other in the training room.
"This mushroom’s still yours," Yan Yu pulled the Guard Mushroom off her shoulder, "We’ll talk later, goodbye."
"Bye."
The four teammates all turned into a flash of white light and were transmitted back to the community, leaving only Bai Mu standing in front of the ancient mansion gate.
The transmit key on his interface had already activated, but he didn’t have the 180‑second transmit timer, because an unfinished side quest remained in his mission log.
[Mission: ‘Falling Leaves Return to Roots’ – The girl still has affection for her home and wants to see where she grew up one more time.]
[Reward: None]
[Note: This is merely a simple wish; not completing it will have no effect.]
The task’s countdown was one hour; Paradise had reserved an hour for him to finish this side quest, but the task offered no reward, only testing whether Bai Mu was willing to undertake it.
The doll in his pocket, a special item he had just obtained, was in fact a magical familiar created via a magic circle.
In that basement, the great bear sacrificed itself, allowing the girl to transform from a witch into a magical familiar, freeing herself from the mansion. She would no longer feel pain, her body would be whole, but in this world she had no place to return to; her home was already in ruins.
Bai Mu glanced at the doll; from the player’s perspective, it was a special item.
[Name: Doll]
[Type: Special Item]
[Quality: Unique]
[Effect: Summons a magical familiar that obeys your commands.]
[Note: A doll possessing a soul, housing a human spirit.]
The girl became a magical familiar like the great bear, but she had no special abilities; even when summoned, she was still just an ordinary girl.
When the black cat handed the doll to him, he accepted this mission; being a personal quest, no one else could help, so he said little.
Moreover, the task itself offered no reward, merely a wish of the girl.
After his teammates had all been transmitted away, Bai Mu decided to use the doll.
The doll slowly expanded, becoming a girl slightly taller than Bai Mu’s waist; she had a golden braid, her appearance restored to her original form, though her clothing remained the blue mini‑dress Ellen had worn.
She looked indistinguishable from a real human, but she had no body heat and weighed far less than a human.
"My name is Bai Mu," he asked her, "What do you call yourself?"
"I’m Viola," the girl said, "You can call me Xiao Wei."
"Do you remember the way home, Xiao Wei?"
"Mm." Xiao Wei nodded, looking toward a direction outside the forest.
"Then let’s go, I’ll take you back to see," Bai Mu took her hand.
The two stepped into the forest, disappearing at the road’s end.
After they left, mist swirled around the ancient mansion, its vine‑covered walls becoming hazy and indistinct.
Leaving the forest wasn’t easy; previously Xiao Wei could effortlessly travel between the mansion and villages, likely because Ellen had paved the way; this is a rather primitive forest, with no convenient paths for people, merely animal trails.
Nevertheless, for the fully enhanced Bai Mu, it posed no difficulty.
Holy necklace, title, piggy toy, plus the meat soup he drank in the kitchen, his stats rivaled a true bear; even unarmed, he could easily become the king of beasts in the forest, sitting at the top of the food chain.
Holding the Flaming Sword, he hacked his way through brambles, snakes, rodents, and insects fleeing from him; after walking a stretch, Xiao Wei lost her sense of direction, and then the ‘Mushroom Speech’ came into play.
In this primitive forest, mushrooms were everywhere; he’d simply ask any mushroom he found, and although they lacked complex thought, they possessed a kind of ‘memory’ that guided Bai Mu smoothly to Xiao Wei’s village.
Eventually, he made it out of the forest within the one‑hour limit.
Only about fifteen minutes remained, the sky grew dim, and a fine drizzle fell; raindrops pattered on the mud, some thatched huts were burnt, others demolished; the village was empty, aside from the sound of rain, only scavenger crows, startled by newcomers, flew away.
Bai Mu led Xiao Wei to a ruined, unrecognizable thatched hut; she gazed silently at it, her eyes clouded as if with mist.
If only she could cry, she would have sobbed; but she couldn’t, for she was no longer human, having lost the right to weep, so in the remaining ten‑plus minutes she simply cleaned up her home, quietly lingering in the ruins.
[Side Quest ‘Falling Leaves Return to Roots’ Completed.]
[Script Completed, About to be Transmitted to Community.]