Endless Leveling Done Right!-Chapter 605: Sword And Shield [Part 1]

A relieved sigh escaped Fran’s lips as the pleasantly cool spring water washed away her anxiety and tiredness.

But one thing still bugged her—she couldn’t understand why some kind of power kept ‌flowing into her body.

During the battle against the two Boss Monsters of the Shadow Forest, Fran had even felt her strength break past Rank 6.

While that power had come and gone like an adrenaline rush, her base strength was still rising at a pace that she didn’t expect.

’If this keeps up, I might break through to Rank 5 by tomorrow,’ Fran thought. ’Just what is happening to me?’

While she was deep in thought, a voice suddenly reached her ears.

"How does it feel to return to this place?"

Fran immediately stood up, took a fighting stance, and looked at her surroundings. The air felt icy against her bare skin, but she ignored the discomfort. She clenched her fist, knowing her attacks would be weaker since she had left her gauntlet at the camp to be repaired.

"Calm down, child. I didn’t come here to fight."

Mere seconds later, something appeared in front of the young lady.

A deck of cards at least three meters tall.

At its center stood a beautiful woman looking at Fran with a faint smile on her face.

Fran instantly felt that her vigilance and tension were unwarranted. Lowering her fists, she looked at the lady, whom she felt had been watching over her for a very long time.

Her gaze rose to the top of the cards, where she saw the symbol [XXI].

The beautiful woman reached out to Fran, as if inviting her to come closer. There was no trace of hostility in her eyes, only genuine affection that made Fran’s chest ache.

The woman looked familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Her voice was very calming, like a mother coaxing her child to sleep.

Fran slowly raised her hand to touch the hand that beckoned her to come closer. And the moment she held onto it, warmth washed over her soul, making her feel like she had truly returned home.

"I... remember you," Fran muttered.

Tears streaked down her face. The woman reached out to pull Fran into her embrace.

"Welcome home, my daughter," the woman said softly, patting her head. "Are you happy right now?"

"Yes," Fran replied, hugging the woman tighter. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me."

"You deserve it," the woman replied. "But this is just the start, Fran. The world will soon enter a phase that will try to destroy your happiness. As such, you must remain vigilant for unseen forces moving from the North of the Continent."

"North?"

"Yes." The woman nodded. "Alex cannot escape his destiny. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the past or this lifetime. The wheel continues to turn. Once it makes a full cycle, the frozen time will again come to pass."

"Mother, I don’t understand," Fran replied. While the woman was not really her biological mother, she found the term perfectly natural. "What will happen to Alex?"

"His past will catch up to him," the woman answered. "It may not be today, tomorrow, or the next day... but it will come. And when it does, he will need all the help he can get. Also, a time will come when even the most steadfast of warriors will break apart.

"Even if he no longer wields a shield, he will still continue to fight for those who are important to him. As such..."

Before the woman could continue, a voice suddenly interjected.

"That’s enough spoilers."

The air above the grassy bank suddenly hissed and cracked. A pair of hands from deep within the crimson fissure reached out, grabbed the sides, and pushed. To Fran’s horror, the gap actually widened.

The beautiful woman sighed before planting a kiss on Fran’s head. "Time is up. I placed a memory inside your mind. Please look at it later. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. He won’t dare to hurt you."

With that, the deck of cards disappeared, leaving Fran behind.

The moment the woman vanished, Fran turned her attention to the young man who had risen out of the fissure.

He had short black hair and blue eyes. This was her first time seeing the young man, but she couldn’t help but find him very familiar.

The two stared at each other before the young man removed his cloak. He then casually tossed it to Fran, who caught it by reflex.

"Cover yourself, Fran," the young man ordered. "Don’t casually show your body to anyone except me."

He then looked at his surroundings and frowned.

"I see. So this is the Shadow Forest," the young man noted. "Are you done visiting the graves?"

"Who are you?" Fran asked while wrapping the cloak around herself.

The young man smiled. "I guess you don’t recognize me in this form, huh?"

Suddenly, something white jumped out of the red fissure behind the young man and landed on his head.

It was none other than a little bun wearing gangster sunglasses.

"Kukuku."

The little bun chuckled.

"Dim Dim?" While the creature before Fran did look like Dim Dim, its presence felt very different from the Dim Dim she knew.

It was then that Fran heard someone approaching.

Riding on his shield, Alex broke through the trees.

When he came closer, Fran could see another white bun perched on his head.

Dim Dim blinked after seeing a little bun who was also wearing gangster sunglasses.

Not wanting to lose, Dim Dim took out its own gangster sunglasses and put them on dramatically.

Alex, on the other hand, couldn’t help but stare at the strange young man, utterly shocked.

"About time you arrive," the young man said. "Saves me the trouble of finding you."

Alex summoned Everguard and stood between Fran and the young man giving him some bad vibes.

"Who are you?" Alex asked.

"What a funny question," the young man replied. "Don’t you already know the answer?"

Alex held the shield in his hand more firmly. The young man before him had the face he had owned back on Earth.

While Alex already had a hunch who the stranger was, he hadn’t expected that he would appear in this manner and in this form.