Chapter 113: Awakening

“Rod, are you… are you okay?” Seeing Rod lying on the bed once again in a state of stillness, Alice couldn’t help but shout anxiously!
The sounds from the outside were clear, and she could distinctly feel the presence of the person standing beside her—Alice, yes, that annoying female mage! At this moment, Rod wasn’t unwilling to get up; he truly couldn’t. He didn’t even have the strength to open his eyes. His entire body was exhausted, leaving him unable to use any strength, not even to blink slightly!
“Thud…” A dull sound came, followed by Kiro’s voice: “What’s wrong? What happened? Alice, what were you shouting about?” Thinking something bad had happened, Kiro, along with Anderson, rushed into the room from next door.
“N-nothing… It’s nothing. Just now, Rod… he moved. He’s awake, really! He’s awake!”
Seeing Kiro and Anderson’s faces turn slightly red, Alice quickly added, “He’s awake, really!” With a tone of surprise, she rushed to the bed. Seeing no movement from Rod, Kiro frowned slightly.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Trying to move again, Rod couldn’t help but groan in pain.
“Really, Rod, are you… are you okay?” Seeing this, Kiro also asked excitedly.
For a moment, all three of them stood nervously by Rod’s bed, staring at him, afraid of missing any detail, not daring to blink.
Trying again, tiny beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Every movement brought intense pain, forcing him to grit his teeth. Moving was so difficult. Focusing his mental strength, he gradually overcame it. First, he tried to open his eyes, pouring all his strength into it. After great effort, he finally managed to open them.
He couldn’t help but close them again and took some time before opening them once more. The harsh light was a bit overwhelming for him. Indeed, his consciousness was in complete darkness; it seemed he hadn’t seen such strong light in a long time.
“Are you really awake? Thank goodness! You’ve scared us to death these past few days!” Kiro said, a relieved smile appearing on his face as he watched Rod open his eyes.

While eating, he tried moving his fingers, then his legs. It was actually much easier now than before; it seemed that once the first barrier was broken, everything became simpler. In a short time, sensation returned to his entire body. It was at this moment that Rod truly felt his own existence: “Cough, cough… How long has it been? How long have I been asleep?”
Of course, this was what concerned him the most. He felt as if about three months had passed in his consciousness sea, and he wanted to confirm it.
“Six days. You’ve been asleep for six days, but now it’s fine. It’s great that you’ve woken up!”
“Six days?” His face paled, his mind filled with disbelief. It was only six days? So short. He had only been in the consciousness sea for six days, yet he had learned so much? Hearing Kiro’s words, Rod was secretly amazed. At this point, he also understood why Xuanyuan had said that place was a good place he would never want to leave. After learning about the wonders of that place and the benefits of cultivation, and now understanding the effects of time as well, he finally grasped everything completely.
“Mm, six days. Do you feel anything wrong?” Anderson, who had usually remained silent, spoke up for once. It seemed that before this, he had always followed Alice’s lead and disapproved of Rod.
“I’m fine. I’ll be okay after resting for a couple of days!” Knowing this, Rod’s mind started working quickly.
It was only six days. It seemed he could still do many things. His body wasn’t seriously injured. Based on his experience, he knew two days would be enough for him to recover. Next, the first thing to do was to return the task, and then, according to his plan, he needed to go back to Flaming City. He wondered if Kambi and the others were still there and how they were doing!
With his head lowered and his mind racing, he even forgot that Kiro and the others were around him.
Seeing Rod’s state, Kiro and the others couldn’t figure out what had happened, but it seemed he really wasn’t seriously hurt, which relieved them a bit. Although the Earth Bear was brought about by Rod himself and almost caused trouble for them, Rod later created opportunities for them and stayed behind to fight the Earth Bear at great risk. From that moment on, they found themselves no longer complaining or holding grudges against Rod, but instead their views of him changed greatly.

The image of that petty thug in their minds had vanished, replaced by a sense of admiration! At least they knew that in such a situation, they wouldn’t be able to make such a decisive decision if they were in his shoes.
“You…” After a while, seeing Rod still silent with his head lowered, Kiro couldn’t help but ask worriedly. Could something be wrong with him?
“N-nothing’s wrong. Heh, I’m fine now. Alright, if it’s possible, I’d like some time alone!” Rod, pulled back to reality by Kiro’s words, froze for a moment before saying with a bitter smile. He had thought about many things and realized that since waking up, his views on many things had changed, and there were many things waiting for him to do—feeling as though there wasn’t enough time.
“Are you really fine? Then be careful. If you need anything, just call us. We’re next door—no need to hesitate!” Looking at Rod with confusion, they sensed that he had changed greatly since waking up, though they couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the changes were. Suppressing their doubts, they pulled Anderson and Alice, who wanted to speak as well, and led the two of them outside.
Seeing the group leave his room and the door close again, Rod lay back on the bed, closing his eyes slightly, and continued his earlier thoughts. Return to Blaze City—what should he do once he got there?
Find Cambi and the others!
If he found them, he might go to Blue Ice City as well. He needed to meet up with Bit and the others. It had been some time since the mercenary group was reformed, and he always needed to check on them. If possible, he’d bring Cambi and the others along to fulfill that dream.
At the same time, he was prepared for the worst—if Cambi and the others really left Blaze City, he would still go to Blue Ice City to handle some matters before continuing to train.
Facing the Earth Bear, Rod realized just how weak he was. He needed to become stronger. It was only now that he realized even the once seemingly invincible Silver Warriors were so fragile. What he wanted wasn’t this kind of outcome—he wanted to become the strongest person on this continent, the king of mercenaries, a top-tier existence, and use his own hands to change that disgusting hierarchical system in the world.
Suddenly, he began to redraw his vision for the future, setting a new goal for himself.
……

“I have a feeling that little ruffian is a bit strange!” While Rod was deep in thought, in Kiro’s room next door, Anderson and Alice were gathered together. The three sat around, but the atmosphere wasn’t very cheerful. Lowering their heads and thinking about Rod’s previous behavior, Anderson couldn’t help but express his doubts.
“He is indeed a bit strange!” Kiro said with a wry smile as well. This was such a big difference from the Knight Rod he had seen before.
“Hmph, what’s so strange about him? He must be severely injured and too weak to move—he just needs rest. Stop overthinking it. If you have the time, think about preparing for the graduation exam instead!” Unexpectedly, Alice this time didn’t side with them to discuss Rod.
It could be said that from that day on, her attitude toward Rod changed drastically, and even Kiro and the others could clearly sense it.
“Cough, cough… Alice, why are you siding with that ruffian now? Seriously, didn’t you say you’d kill him if you saw him again? I think you’ve forgotten—who’s been taking care of him nonstop these past few days? I find you’ve changed a lot.”
Hearing Alice’s words, Anderson couldn’t help but complain. Her attitude toward Rod these days made him feel uneasy.
“You… what are you talking about? And stop calling him ‘little ruffian’ anymore. After all, he’s now a Silver Warrior, and he even saved our lives. I’m taking care of him just to repay this favor. Hmph, once he recovers, I won’t be so polite—I’ll kill him then!” Her face turned red as she glared at Anderson, though her confidence seemed lacking.
“And don’t tell that brat that I’ve been taking care of him these days, understand? If I find out, you’ll deal with the consequences!” She added hurriedly, as if suddenly remembering something.
Hearing this, Anderson’s expression changed. He lowered his head and grunted. As for Kiro, he sat in his seat, watching the two of them with an almost imperceptible smile on his lips.
“Well, now that Rod has finally regained consciousness, that’s good. Now we should think about our own affairs. There isn’t much time left before we have to return to school. I think it’s time for us to go!”
In the next moment, Kiro spoke up to ease the awkward atmosphere in the room.

When these words were spoken, they immediately caught Anderson and Alice’s attention, and once again, the atmosphere became tense. A few people quickly got involved in the conversation. After all, time was really running out—the return to school was just around the corner, yet they still hadn’t finished their tasks!