Chapter 202: Beast Nature, Soul, and Healing Methods

The sudden attack of the Beast-kin caused Bo He to suffer some minor injuries.

But the morale of the entire Sea Thorn Squad soared invisibly.

The mission target appeared, the investigation mission made huge progress, and the upgrade materials for the snake-scale arm shield were right in front of them; Xia Nan was naturally looking forward to it.

For Weiruisi and Kashi, the mane left by the Beast-kin on the field not only confirmed that the target they had been tracking for a long time was nearby, but also confirmed its identity—not the cunning beast they previously thought, but a Beast-kin transformed from an intelligent creature.

In just one night, the atmosphere of the entire squad underwent a huge change.

It was hidden well, but the Drow half-elf who had been poisoning her daggers for half the night while keeping watch, and the subtle change in Kashi's tone this morning, still made Xia Nan keenly perceive the attitudes of these two temporary teammates that had quietly changed.

Before this, whether it was those commissions for clearing beasts or the road before coming to Qingmai Village Village, although the two performed very professionally and wouldn't slack off, the impression they gave was a bit like workers on an assembly line, using a fixed process close to muscle memory to prepare supplies, set up traps, build camps, encounter enemies and fight, and after the battle, peel materials and collect spoils, constantly repeating.

It couldn't be said that there was any problem, but it indeed lacked a kind of enterprising mentality.

As if there was some more important thing placed in front, and everything else was just for transition.

And right now, even though only one night had passed since encountering the Beast-kin attack, when discussing follow-up plans this morning, the two clearly showed considerable enthusiasm.

Regarding this, Kashi's explanation was that there were no discoveries before, just a simple investigation commission, and he couldn't get motivated.

After the Beast-kin appeared, they obtained the possibility of getting the full reward, and an E-rank mission had a chance to be completed.

Therefore, there was a change in mentality.

Regarding his statement, Xia Nan maintained an attitude of neither agreeing nor disagreeing, knowing in his heart that the two were hiding something.

However, to some extent, this could also be considered a good thing.

It was just an investigation mission, and it didn't stipulate that the Beast-kin's head must be brought back.

Theoretically, even if they returned now and handed in the information collected so far, the mission would be considered completed, it was just that he absolutely wouldn't be able to get the material rewards enough for the arm shield upgrade.

Under these circumstances, if they encountered a slightly more dangerous encounter, Kashi and others could completely choose to retreat and avoid the battle; there was no need to risk their lives for this.

Now it was fine; through the attitudes invisibly revealed by the two, Xia Nan even felt that even if he suddenly quit, these two teammates would continue to do the mission.

Outside the window, the last trace of night melted under the illumination of the morning sun.

Xia Nan packed his luggage and checked it in detail in the room again, confirming that nothing was left behind, before pushing the door out.

In front of the wooden house, Bo He was holding her purple-wood staff, waiting quietly.

The tattered robe stained with blood had been thrown away, and the replacement clothes on her body were still the same color and style as before.

Not flashy at all, just a simple plain robe.

"How is the recovery of the injuries? Are you okay?"

Nodding in greeting, Xia Nan asked casually.

"It was just a minor injury, one night is completely enough." Bo He replied with a smile.

Saying this, she even raised her left hand to gesture, indicating that she had already recovered.

Xia Nan naturally knew; he was just greeting casually.

After all, last night, he watched Bo He's palm emerge with a emerald green light group, sticking to the surface of the wound.

In just a few minutes, it was completely healed, without even leaving a scar.

He couldn't help but sigh at the convenience of magic in this world.

If he could learn similar abilities in the future, maybe even the 50-gold-a-bottle healing potion could be saved.

Pondering in his heart, seeing that Kashi and Weiruisi hadn't appeared yet, he chatted with the girl beside him.

"I heard you mention the Mist Forest before; it seems you often came here many years ago?"

"That's what I said, but actually..." Bo He nodded lightly, and the night's rest made her face, which was originally pale from excessive blood loss, have a few more ruddy colors. "I just followed behind the mentor, and didn't dare to do anything."

"Your mentor is quite reassuring, letting you come out alone like this, and even having to find teammates on the spot."

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the dilapidated houses on both sides, asking seemingly casually, but secretly carrying a bit of probing.

It was indeed strange.

Being able to become a magic-type professional at such an age, and even having a certain background behind her, with a senior professional mentor to take care of her.

Yet she came out to adventure alone like this, clearly her melee combat power was worrying, and she didn't even bring a guard, joining a squad quite casually.

According to Xia Nan's observation of Bo He these days, her understanding of Kashi and Weiruisi was not even as detailed as his own.

No matter if it was the mentor she mentioned, or herself, this heart was too big.

To this, Bo He responded like this:

"I've already obtained a professional level anyway; I can't hide behind the mentor for the rest of my life. Coming out to train for a few years and getting to know more people is not a bad thing."

Hmm...

Xia Nan only felt a bit subtle in his heart, didn't react much, and took the conversation:

"So you lived with your mentor since you were a child?"

"Sort of." Bo He revealed a hesitant expression on her face, seemingly not wanting to go deeper into this topic.

Seeing the other party's meaning, knowing that the probing was about enough, Xia Nan flexibly changed the topic and asked the girl beside him quite seriously:

"You are from a Druid background; what is your understanding of 'Beast-kin syndrome'..."

The encounter in Niumu City and the battle with the Beast-kin "Ba Ke" made Xia Nan interested in this ancient and terrifying curse.

Oh, rather than interest, it was more about the worry about its beast-like effects.

Xia Nan was very satisfied with his current body and didn't want to grow a tail for no reason, or howl a few times every full moon.

Therefore, after returning to River Valley Town, he launched a detailed investigation and study of this curse.

By now, he could be considered to have a preliminary, not-so-comprehensive understanding, knowing that if he wanted to heal, he could roughly go through two methods.

One was through spells like 【Remove Curse】, directly clearing "Beast-kin syndrome."

But 【Remove Curse】 itself was a third-ring protection spell, which had a certain threshold for learning, and not all spellcasters had this time and energy to learn it.

And it was foreseeable that unless you had a special friendship with the other party, otherwise, if you wanted to move such a spellcaster... the cost was definitely not small!

It definitely wasn't something ordinary civilians could afford.

The second was to borrow special items like potions and magic scrolls.

Of course, not to mention their purchase channels, just in terms of price, it was already an astronomical figure for ordinary people.

In summary, did ordinary civilians in this world really have no way to heal if they accidentally got infected with Beast-kin syndrome?

However, Xia Nan sometimes thought that in areas under the jurisdiction of several gods' churches, those priests might provide some help.

Regarding this terrifying curse of "Beast-kin syndrome," Bo He, who claimed to have a professional mentor, undoubtedly knew more than Xia Nan. "【Remove Curse】 is of course useful, but it also depends on the stage."

The hem of her robe fluttered in the morning breeze, she lowered her head slightly, and the short hair reflecting a faint green luster rested on her cheeks.

"If it's just injured, realizing that one might be infected with Beast-kin syndrome, and treating it in time, there is a possibility of completely removing the curse."

"But if it develops to the back, and the symptoms gradually become serious, then it's more troublesome."

Slender white fingers rubbed the staff, and the blood vessels under the fragile skin could be vaguely seen.

"Beast-kin syndrome, after all, is a curse, not a disease."

"It itself is a confrontation between humanity and beast nature."

"What it affects is not just the flesh..."

Bo He suddenly raised her head, her eyes looking straight at Xia Nan.

"But also the soul."

Just for a moment, then she lowered her head again, burying her eyes in the shadow on the surface of her face.

"In the vast majority of cases, Beast-kin syndrome cannot be cured by itself; no matter how tough the willpower is, it can at most suppress the beast nature for a short time, and cannot eradicate its influence."

"A Beast-kin syndrome infected person, perhaps on weekdays is a considerate husband, a competent colleague, a kind neighbor, but on those bright moonlit nights... you wouldn't want to know what he is enduring and experiencing."

"And if humanity is suppressed, letting beast nature gain the upper hand, or even actively accepting the beast side of the heart."

"Then you will succumb to its wildness and bloodthirst, and your personality will be affected by it in silence, becoming like a beast."

"In short, as long as one is infected with Beast-kin syndrome and doesn't get treated in time, he will become an unstable factor in the city, a walking bomb that could explode at any time."

"This is also the reason why many cities hate and expel the Beast-kin group."

"When the originally pure soul is polluted by beast nature, it's like ink mixed into clear water."

"It's not something that a third-ring spell like 【Remove Curse】 can solve."

Hearing this, Xia Nan couldn't help but affirm his plan of having a certain amount of savings for a long time in his heart.

If he really got hit by accident in the future, whether it was going to the alchemy shop on the second floor of the association to buy relevant potions, or directly issuing a commission to hire a spellcaster to clear the curse for himself, it would definitely be a not-so-small expense.

Pondering in his heart, he glanced at the girl in front of him.

It was just a casual question, didn't expect the other party to really know something.

Couldn't help but seize the opportunity and ask further:

"So those who are infected with Beast-kin syndrome, if they want to live in the city for a long time, they can only live carefully and not be discovered?"

"It's hard to endure." Bo He shook her head. "The influence of the Beast-kin curse is not something ordinary people can resist."

"There are many intelligent creatures infected with Beast-kin syndrome in this world; in those wilderness far from human smoke, there are many communities composed of Beast-kin, this is not a secret, many people know."

"Some people even, in order to improve their strength in a short time, actively get infected with Beast-kin syndrome and embrace beast nature."

"There even exist descendants born from the combination of humans and Beast-kin—'Beast-kin-born'."

From ancient times, long history, huge numbers, and extremely strong transmissibility, surrounding the terrifying curse of "Beast-kin syndrome," too many things have been bred on this continent.

It's not something that can be explained clearly in a few words.

If one wants to have a full and comprehensive understanding of it, one might need to go to the library of a big city, or find scholars and professors in relevant fields.

Xia Nan didn't have any channels to check this knowledge on weekdays, and the only senior professional he had contact with, Fugang, had long since left, leaving only a wolf tooth used as a favor.

Wanted to ask but didn't know where to ask.

Right now, seeing Bo He looking like she knew quite a bit, he thought about taking the opportunity to learn more about transcendental knowledge.

However, before he had time to speak, on the other side of the road, Kashi and Weiruisi had already walked over.

Attacked by a Beast-kin last night, and a small half of the wooden house was smashed, causing a great commotion in the village.

Just as dawn broke this morning, the two went out to find the village chief to explain and handle relevant matters, and only now did they come back.

"Are you all ready?"

Kashi asked the two people in front of the house.

Seeing that Xia Nan and Bo He had no objections, he also nodded slightly.

"Then let's set off, we should leave."

The appearance of the Beast-kin disrupted the Sea Thorn Squad's plan to a certain extent.

After all, what they originally thought was to go to Qingmai Village Village first to find the villagers who had contacted the attacked adventurers to understand the detailed situation, and then according to the information obtained, explore deep into the Mist Forest according to the rough orientation provided by the association.

Right now, the Beast-kin was nearby, so naturally there was no need for the second step.

Several people immediately centered on Qingmai Village Village and searched around.

Very meticulous, circle by circle, gradually outward.

Xia Nan didn't have too many expectations for this.

After all, in his view, such a Beast-kin who could disappear in an instant after attacking Bo He, and even experienced senior adventurers like Kashi and Weiruisi couldn't find its traces, clearly had some kind of concealment method, and it shouldn't be the case that it would leave a chance for everyone to continue tracking after leaving.

But what he didn't expect was that even before the sun above his head reached its highest point, they discovered the first trace that was highly likely to come from the Beast-kin.

That was a broken sheep corpse.

It was not done by other predators on the plain.

Its limbs and internal organs were already scattered all over the ground, and even its head was torn from its spine.

But after careful observation, one could find that the sheep's flesh was not obviously missing.

Pieced together scattered, it could almost form a complete form of the whole.

And this meant that the murderer who killed it was not out of the need for hunger or hunting.

It was just pure violence, venting its desire for slaughter on other creatures.

And what was even more critical was the circle of footprints around the corpse that was almost exactly the same as the Beast-kin last night, which also disappeared suddenly in a corner like a teleportation.

Several people continued to search around.

Soon, the second and third corpses were discovered one after another.

And the direction they pointed to was precisely the target in the Sea Thorn Squad's original plan:

—Mist Forest!

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 203 =====