[GL] I'm Just A Side Character... So Why Is The Heroine Chasing Me?!-Chapter 30: Into the mist

The Misty Gorge swallowed everything in a thick, ghostly haze.

Zhao Lingxi’s boots struck the damp earth with precise rhythm. Each step was deliberate, her gaze sweeping across the twisting cliffs and ancient trees that leaned over the path like watchful sentinels. Bai Xuelan moved beside her, silent, her silver hair catching the faint glow of bioluminescent moss.

"The mist isn’t natural," Bai Xuelan said softly, almost to herself. "It reacts to spiritual energy. It will mask your presence, but it can also mask hazards. Be careful where you step."

Zhao Lingxi tilted her head slightly. "And how do you know that?"

Bai Xuelan’s ice-blue eyes met hers, sharp and unapologetic. "I’ve studied this gorge longer than most students have been alive. I know what lurks in it."

They walked in silence for several minutes. Every snap of a branch, every rustle of leaves set Zhao Lingxi’s senses on edge. The Misty Gorge was alive, not with birds or animals, but with energy. Ancient, restless, hungry energy.

Zhao Lingxi stopped abruptly. Bai Xuelan almost collided with her.

"What is it?" Bai Xuelan asked.

Zhao Lingxi crouched low, her hand brushing against a patch of moss. Her fingers traced the faint outline of a rune carved into the stone beneath it. "Trap," she said simply. "Spirit signature is weak but recent. Someone left this less than a month ago."

Bai Xuelan crouched beside her, peering at the carved symbol. "So someone made it for the Trials?"

"Or to catch an unsuspecting student." Zhao Lingxi rose gracefully, brushing her hands. "Either way, it won’t work on me."

The mist thickened suddenly, rolling like waves across the gorge floor. Shapes shifted in the haze, making the trees seem alive. Strange whispers echoed faintly. Zhao Lingxi’s hair lifted slightly with static energy, a signal she always paid attention to.

Bai Xuelan tilted her head. "Do you feel it?"

"I do," Zhao Lingxi said. Her hand moved instinctively to the hilt of her sword, though she didn’t draw it. "Something is watching us. Not just the natural beasts. Something intelligent."

Bai Xuelan’s lips curved into a small smile. "Good. I was hoping for a challenge."

They pressed forward. A sudden screech split the mist. Zhao Lingxi barely had time to react before a shadow dove at them. A spectral wolf, larger than any natural beast, lunged with glowing eyes and a mouth full of jagged teeth.

Zhao Lingxi’s footwork was flawless. She sidestepped, letting the beast sail past. Her sword flashed in her hand, slicing through the air, leaving a faint trace of spiritual energy that cut through the mist. The wolf yelped and dissipated into mist, a mere echo of its spectral form.

Bai Xuelan’s expression didn’t change. "Not bad. But that was only a test. There will be worse."

Zhao Lingxi inclined her head slightly. "I expected worse."

They moved deeper into the gorge. The trees grew thicker, their twisted roots clawing up from the ground like the fingers of giants. Strange glowing fungi dotted the rocks, casting eerie green light that painted the mist in surreal patterns.

After an hour of cautious movement, they reached a narrow ravine. The path was lined with razor-sharp stones, slick with mist. Zhao Lingxi paused.

"Spirit Jade," she muttered. Her eyes flicked to a shimmer near the edge of the ravine. A token floated above a moss-covered stone pedestal, glowing faintly.

Bai Xuelan stepped forward. "Go for it?"

Zhao Lingxi shook her head. "Too obvious. It’s a trap."

A gust of wind swept through the ravine, carrying the faint scent of smoke and ozone. Zhao Lingxi’s senses screamed. Her eyes scanned for energy disturbances, picking up the faint pulse of another presence.

Before Bai Xuelan could react, Zhao Lingxi leapt forward with incredible speed. Her hand closed around the token as a hidden wire snapped taut beneath her. A spray of needles shot from the surrounding rocks, missing her by inches.

"Impressive," Bai Xuelan said, her tone flat but amused. "I thought you’d step right into it."

Zhao Lingxi’s eyes narrowed. "I’ve survived worse traps than this. Don’t assume I’m careless."

The mist shifted again, and they both sensed the presence of multiple spiritual beasts nearby. Zhao Lingxi’s eyes scanned every shadow, every movement. The gorge was a labyrinth of danger, each step calculated.

"You trust me to watch your back?" Bai Xuelan asked casually.

Zhao Lingxi’s lips twitched. "I trust no one completely."

"Fair enough," Bai Xuelan said, unfazed. "I’ll settle for partial trust."

Hours passed. They navigated the gorge with efficiency, avoiding traps and collecting Spirit Jade tokens. Zhao Lingxi moved with a predator’s grace, her awareness razor-sharp. Bai Xuelan followed smoothly, occasionally offering advice or pointing out subtle dangers that Zhao Lingxi might have missed.

At one point, Zhao Lingxi stopped abruptly, crouching behind a fallen tree. Bai Xuelan followed without question.

"Why?" Bai Xuelan whispered.

"Movement," Zhao Lingxi said, her dark eyes fixed on a patch of mist ahead. Shapes shifted within, spectral forms that didn’t belong to any ordinary beast. Their energy was chaotic, violent, and hungry.

Bai Xuelan nodded. "Spirit Wraiths. Dangerous, but slow. I can distract them if you want to grab the tokens."

Zhao Lingxi’s gaze softened, almost imperceptibly. "Do it quickly. Their senses are attuned to false energy."

Bai Xuelan extended her hand, summoning a thin barrier of ice. The wraiths collided with it and hissed, their forms recoiling from the unnatural cold. Zhao Lingxi moved silently, gathering tokens without a sound.

The mist began to thin slightly as they approached the gorge’s central plateau. The air was charged, thick with spiritual energy. Zhao Lingxi’s hair lifted with static, and she could feel the faint tremor of something massive moving beneath the earth.

"Something’s here," she muttered. "Larger than any First-Year spirit beast."

Bai Xuelan’s eyes gleamed. "Good. Let’s see if your technique matches your reputation."

Before Zhao Lingxi could answer, the ground trembled violently. Rocks shifted, roots writhed, and from the earth erupted a massive guardian construct, glowing with runes and spiritual energy. Its form was humanoid, but every movement carried the weight of mountains.

Zhao Lingxi’s heart rate accelerated—not with fear, but anticipation. Her sword hummed with energy as she tapped into her spiritual foundation. Bai Xuelan took a stance beside her, summoning her own energy in icy spirals.

The construct’s eyes glowed like molten metal as it swung a massive arm toward them. Zhao Lingxi’s movement was fluid, precise, a combination of speed, skill, and pure instinct. She dodged, countered, and struck, her blade cleaving runes in the construct’s chest.

Bai Xuelan joined her, her ice energy slicing through the construct’s defenses, forcing it to stagger. Together, their attacks synchronized, a deadly dance of skill and power that neither the Misty Gorge nor its guardian had seen before.

When the construct finally collapsed, the mist began to settle. Tokens hovered freely, no longer guarded. Zhao Lingxi retrieved them swiftly, her expression calm and controlled.

Bai Xuelan studied her, a hint of admiration in her cold eyes. "You’re... faster than I expected."

Zhao Lingxi’s lips twitched. "I told you. Don’t assume I’m careless."

They moved again, deeper into the gorge. Each step brought new dangers—hidden pits, spectral beasts, energy traps—but together, they moved like shadows, efficient, precise, and deadly.

By the time night fell, they had collected nearly half of the available Spirit Jade tokens. Their movements were silent, synchronized. Zhao Lingxi’s gaze was sharp, always scanning, while Bai Xuelan’s energy manipulated the mist and traps with elegant precision.

When they paused to rest, Zhao Lingxi crouched on a rock, her eyes reflecting the faint glow of the tokens they had gathered. Bai Xuelan sat opposite her, fingers tracing a token idly.

"You’re different in the field," Bai Xuelan said. "More... precise. Calculated. Less emotion than in the Academy."

Zhao Lingxi’s dark eyes met hers. "Precision is survival."

Bai Xuelan smirked. "And yet you trust me enough to follow your lead. Interesting."

Zhao Lingxi’s expression didn’t change, but the faintest curve of a smile touched her lips. "Partial trust. I said that already."

Bai Xuelan’s eyes glimmered in the mist. "I’ll take it."

They rested briefly, catching their breath, listening to the whispers of the gorge. Every shadow and sound was alive, but Zhao Lingxi’s presence dominated the space. Even the Misty Gorge seemed to respect her, wary of the predator who moved silently and efficiently through its depths.

The first day of the Trials was nearly over. The mist thickened as night fell completely, and the gorge seemed to close in around them. Zhao Lingxi checked the tokens again, her mind already calculating the next steps.

"This gorge isn’t just a test," she murmured. "It’s a lesson. And I intend to learn everything it has to teach."

Bai Xuelan tilted her head, watching her carefully. "I think I’m going to enjoy this partnership."

Zhao Lingxi’s dark eyes met hers, steady, unyielding. "Don’t get too comfortable."

The Misty Gorge stretched endlessly before them, a labyrinth of danger, traps, and unseen eyes. But Zhao Lingxi stepped forward without hesitation, Bai Xuelan beside her, and together they disappeared into the swirling mist once more.

The first day had ended, but the Trials had only just begun.