Suddenly, consciousness returned, and senses awakened. Xu Xin realized he was lying on a bed somewhere.
'Is this my quarters' bed?'
Xu Xin slowly lifted his eyelids. He saw what appeared to be the ceiling of a cave. He didn't know where he was, but he could tell it wasn't his own quarters.
He checked his physical condition. When he lifted his right hand to examine it, the swelling had almost subsided, and the bones seemed to have healed on their own.
'My left forearm and ribs also seem to have healed.'
His left forearm and ribs were the parts injured when he was overtaken by the red-haired beauty at the end. When he gently felt them with his right hand, he didn't feel any particular pain.
'Judging by the fact that I'm not particularly hungry, it seems like only a day or two has passed. I've truly become a martial arts master.'
For ordinary people, it took a month or two for bones to heal. In contrast, martial arts masters who had reached the Spirit Condensation realm could heal bones in just a day or two due to their extraordinary recovery ability.
'I wonder what happened to Lady Eve and Lethe? I hope everyone is safe.'
While worrying about Eve and Lethe's well-being, Xu Xin suddenly sensed unfamiliar presences. Someone was approaching.
He silently lowered his eyelids.
Soon after, the sound of a door opening and multiple footsteps were heard. Those who walked up to the bed where Xu Xin was lying looked at him for a moment, then placed a finger under his nose.
"He's breathing."
Someone who placed a finger under Xu Xin's nose muttered. It was a thick, powerful male voice.
"Chief, why did you tell us to rescue this one? Isn't this an elf from the Divine Tree forest?"
"All elves possess magical force. Bringing one into the cave so carelessly might be dangerous."
Several voices went back and forth. To this, the one with the thick voice said:
"This world belongs to Titans, Dragons, and Elves. But Titans view us as prey, and Dragons see us as playthings. So we must rely on Elves. How long will we hide in caves, eating rats to survive?"
"..."
"Elves don't leave the forest, so even if we wanted to befriend them, we had no opportunity. And now, an elf in distress has appeared before us. If we take good care of him, we might become friends with the forest elves."
After quietly listening to their conversation, Xu Xin slightly opened his eyes. Then he sat up.
As he abruptly sat up without any warning, those in front of the bed were startled and stepped back.
He slowly turned his head to look at those gathered in front of the bed. Men and women, young adults or middle-aged, were facing him.
"..."
After examining the men and women before him, Xu Xin blinked.
'Dog... No, wolf ears?'
The men and women before him surprisingly had pointed ears like wolves. Moreover, they even had tails attached near their buttocks.
Xu Xin thought of mystical creatures like nine-tailed foxes. It was said that animals that lived long enough could transform into humans, and he wondered if these beings were similar.
'Indeed, this is a world overflowing with all sorts of mystical things.'
Thinking this, he calmly asked:
"Did you all rescue me?"
Among the wolf-eared people, the man with the thick voice answered:
"Yes. We are beast-people who inherited the power of wolves. Are you an elf from the Divine Tree forest?"
"I am. I'm grateful for your kindness in rescuing me."
Xu Xin bowed his head to express his gratitude. When he politely thanked them, the wolf beast-people showed considerably relieved reactions.
"May I ask one thing? Where exactly did you rescue me from?"
"My daughter found you washed up on the riverbank and brought you back."
Xu Xin was puzzled inside.
'I was washed up on the riverbank?'
His last memory was barely defending against the red-haired beauty's attack in the Dragon's palace. He couldn't guess what had happened afterward that resulted in him being washed up on a riverbank.
"We're curious about something too. We'd like to know how a forest elf ended up in the river."
"I don't know much about how I fell into the river. Before losing consciousness, I was fighting with a Dragon..."
"F-Fighting with a Dragon?"
The wolf beast-people were startled and began to murmur among themselves.
"Even among elves, those who can stand against Dragons must be rare..."
"Someone who can match a Dragon... C-Could it be... a High Elf, the king of elves...?"
The wolf beast-people looked at Xu Xin with eyes mixed with fear and admiration.
Their gazes seemed to reflect some kind of misunderstanding, yet not quite a misunderstanding.