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The Swiftshadow Wolf’s stat growth was fairly balanced. It did not lean heavily toward any particular attribute like the Wishkeeper or the Mad Swordsman, but that didn’t mean the class was weak.

After all, ordinary classes could only reach a maximum of 2.5 stars for now. Perhaps class advancement would unlock after level 50, but until then, the hidden classes’ stats completely outclassed the regular ones.

In other words, in his Gray Wolf form—no, his Swiftshadow Wolf form—he possessed combat power no less than that of a Wishkeeper.

Nangong and the others naturally noticed Zane’s transformation. He casually shared his attribute panel in the party chat, shocking them so much that they nearly reported him on the spot. Was a hidden class really that easy to obtain!?

***

“Chief, are you leaving us?”

Zane nodded. “Yes. I can’t stay here forever. Only by becoming stronger can I grasp my own destiny.” He spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face. Luckily, no one else could understand wolf-speak.

“Morthar, stay here in the Crimson Plains for now. Protect them well.”

The giant beetle obediently lowered its head.

“Hero, what do we do with this one?” Yalu pointed at Polly, who was trying to sneak away.

That gnome… was giving him a headache.

If left alone, it could easily cause more trouble later. However, now that the Snowfeather Goblins had learned how to operate the Battle Puppet, all Polly could really do was toss out flashbangs and try to hijack the puppet in the chaos.

‘Should we kill him…?’

That felt like a waste. Gnomes were known to be masters of engineering. If he could get its cooperation early on, construction progress would skyrocket. With so many goblins and wolves around, perhaps they could even build a small village someday.

**Swoosh!**

An icicle shot out, striking the ground in front of Polly and startling him so much that cold sweat drenched his back.

“H-hey, what are you doing? I was just… admiring the scenery over there.”

“Do any of you know how to perform a servant contract?” Starry asked.

“No… I’ve only heard rumors about that evil kind of pact. They say once it’s signed, the servant loses all rights as a person, their life and death determined by their master’s mere thought. A most sinister kind of magic,” Yalu replied, frowning.

Goblins weren’t good with magic to begin with, and Snowfeather Goblins, who could use frost magic, were already considered an anomaly, let alone those who could cast contract spells.

“Wait… don’t tell me you plan to use that on the gnome…!”

“That’s right. I once entered the first floor of the Forgotten Tower and earned a long-lost scroll after passing the trial.” Starry spoke with a grave expression, as though recalling something dreadful.

“!!!” Yalu’s face turned pale with horror.

Polly, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, trembled uncontrollably, not knowing what to do.

“Yalu, I’ll leave him to you.”

“No! I can’t! Even if I could learn it, we Snowfeather Goblins would never use such vile magic! Besides, it’s your spoil of war, I’ve no right to take it.”

“Well then… come here a little closer.”

Yalu tilted his head and leaned in. Starry whispered, “I can’t use it either! I’m just scaring him. If this little thing behaves and helps out, it’ll benefit all of you.”

Two minutes later—

“I see! That makes sense. Very well, I agree,” Yalu nodded, then produced a blue skill book. “This is Iceflow Shield, a secret technique passed down among the Snowfeather Goblins. Take it as a token in exchange for that contract.”

The moment Starry saw the skill book, her eyes sparkled.

“Hero, you’ve done so much for us already. I have little to offer in return, so please accept this as a small token of gratitude.”

This trip had been worth it after all! Although the Snowfeather Uprising quest had failed, her rescue mission had unexpectedly triggered a follow-up storyline. And this single Iceflow Shield skill alone was well worth the trouble. An 80% damage reduction was a game-changer, the kind of power that allowed one to challenge bosses far above their level!

***

The Gray Wolf Alpha’s reward had already been distributed to them, but it was only a tiny bit of experience, barely even one percent of the total.

Nangong wanted to complain, but when he remembered Zane’s absurd stats, he wisely chose to keep quiet. They had already profited more than enough today.

Incidentally, they could choose to bring back a few Gray Wolves to use as mounts, but that was far too risky. The wolves’ stats couldn’t keep up with their pace, and their numbers were already dwindling. It was better not to be reckless.

The Battle Puppet was also left behind at the Snowfeather Goblins’ camp. Being on the Crimson Plains didn’t guarantee safety, and they needed such a powerful guardian to ensure their protection. With Morthar there as well, it was double insurance. And given their personalities, Zane had no worries leaving them in charge.

Speaking of which, that Battle Puppet had originally been developed by more than a dozen gnomes working together, and Polly had been one of the contributors.

Unfortunately, compared to the other gnomes, he was much younger. In a rigidly hierarchical race like theirs, that made him a target of bullying. Despite possessing extraordinary intelligence, Polly barely managed to earn a minor role in the research project…and so, he secretly tampered with the Battle Puppet.

The reason it had always remained uncontrollable was, unsurprisingly, because of Polly’s handiwork.

Polly had planned to use the goblins to unleash the puppet for his own purposes, but things had taken an unexpected turn when Starry captured him first.

Now, he could only serve as the Snowfeather Goblins’ slave. Of course, he didn’t know that the “ritual” binding him was fake, but for a gnome, the instinct to survive outweighed everything else.

Lordsey had also considered staying behind. YoyoPink told him that if he truly wished to, she could dissolve their contract immediately. However, after a long silence, he shook his head.

The Greenrock Goblins were a thing of the past. He was now alone, unburdened by ties. Though most of his kin had been slain by humans, having personally experienced death, he came to realize that goblins were merely pawns on the board. Only by following these people could he continue to grow stronger.

***

Before they knew it, it was already 8 p.m.

“Let’s call it a day,” Zane said. After everything that had happened, his mind had been running at full capacity the entire day. Now that things had settled down, exhaustion hit him all at once.

One by one, the group logged off.

On the Crimson Plains, only the busy goblins and Gray Wolves remained. Morthar helped them dig out essential tunnels underground.

By a giant tree, fallen leaves suddenly straightened unnaturally, as if pressed by some invisible force, the entire leaf soon crumbled into several pieces.

Faint tracks appeared across the ground.

“How interesting,” someone murmured.

***

After going out with Shiu for a hearty meal, Zane returned home and collapsed straight onto his bed. He didn’t feel like logging in tonight…right now, he just wanted to sleep.

**Bzzz—Bzzz—Bzzz.**

His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw the word “Dad” flashing on the screen. That single word carried an inexplicable weight, Zane instantly sobered up.

“Hello?”
“You brat, you finally decided to answer my call?”
“…” Zane stayed silent.
“I really don’t know where you got that stubborn streak from,” his father said, sounding exasperated.
“From you,” Zane replied without hesitation.

Truly a man capable of killing a conversation within three sentences, his father nearly hung up right then and there.

“All right, enough nonsense. You’ve probably cooled off by now, right? So I’ll get straight to the point, where did that money come from?”
“Of course, I earned it myself,” Zane said with a clear conscience.
“You earned it!? Fifteen grand in just a few days? Who are you trying to fool!?” His father’s tone grew heavier.

Then, it softened. “Zane, just be honest with me. What have you been doing? Our family might be poor, but that doesn’t mean we should lose our moral compass. There are things in this world you must never touch.”

Zane’s lips twitched. He hadn’t expected his father’s imagination to go that far. When he’d transferred the money earlier, he hadn’t given it much thought, but now that he reconsidered, fifteen thousand yuan really wasn’t a small sum. Without a convincing explanation, no one would believe it.

Should he just tell the truth? Earning money through gaming wasn’t unheard of these days, but only a handful of people could actually pull it off.

“It’s nothing shady. I made it by trading in-game gold,” he said.

“Gold?”

“Yeah, game currency. There’s this really popular game right now called Dreamscape. I earned a lot of gold in it and sold it to players who needed it.”

“…Really? I’ve heard of that game. Is it actually that profitable?”
“It’s true. I’ve got no reason to lie to you. Zina’s illness isn’t something that’ll heal overnight, I don’t need to take desperate risks.”

“Hah…” His father sighed in relief, sounding like a weight had been lifted from his heart. “As long as it’s nothing illegal. By the way, since that game makes so much money, maybe I should buy it too!”

Zane was completely speechless. “It’s probably not as simple as you think.”

“Hah! You think I don’t know games? I used to play that Journey to the West one! It’s the same thing, you can trade items to make money!”

“No…” Zane buried his face in his hands, speechless. Those two games had absolutely nothing in common!

“Dad, is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”
“Hold it, brat! There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Your sister’s been hospitalized again. Stop playing that game for now and come visit her tomorrow. Your mom and I have been taking turns taking leave from work. If we keep it up, we’ll both lose our jobs.”

“What!? Since when? Why didn’t I know about this?” Zane exclaimed. She hadn’t been hospitalized once since reaching adulthood!
“You didn’t know? She didn’t tell you?”
“No…”
“Sigh, anyway, just come home quickly. I’ll send you the address later. Come by in the morning. We both have to work tomorrow, if we take another day off, we’re done for.”
“…Got it.”

***

“Shiu!” Zane shouted toward the living room.
“What’s up? Weren’t you going to sleep?”
“I’m heading home tomorrow.”
“Home? You’re finally going back?” Shiu asked in surprise.
“…My sister’s in the hospital. I have to see her.”

“…” Shiu fell silent for a moment. “How long will you be gone?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Yeah, who could say with something like this?” Shiu sighed. “Take your game helmet with you. It’s still the best way for you to stay productive.”
“Mm. Of course, I’ll bring it.”

“What time are you leaving? I’ll drive you.”
“Not decided yet. I’ll check again tomorrow. I looked earlier, there are still plenty of tickets.”