Chapter 114: Things Will Get Better in the Future

Sitting quietly in his room, after some thought, he finally formed a rough plan in his mind. The pain in his body made him realize just how severe the injury was—his internal energy was completely depleted, and he could no longer sense the presence of his combat energy; it was utterly empty.

With a sigh, he had no choice but to endure the fatigue and begin practicing. As he continued to train, his combat energy slowly returned, flowing through his meridians and nourishing them—a truly wonderful sensation!

As usual, after each cycle of training, he would feel an absorbing force from his dantian, drawing his combat energy away, leaving it reduced by half. Used to this, Rod didn’t pay much attention and continued to absorb external elements into his body. He didn’t stop for an entire day, and only after that time could he barely restore nine layers of combat energy. This made him feel ashamed—this time it had really cost a lot. In the past, a single day would have been enough to restore him to his best condition under any circumstances. But this time…

Yet, there were also surprises. Just as he had felt in his mental sea, he had indeed made progress. Even at nine layers, his combat energy was stronger than it had been at its peak before. The trials of life and death had propelled him further.

Thinking back to that scene still filled him with fear, and he was puzzled by his own changes. Vaguely, he remembered being unconscious that day, with nothing but a desire to kill and resentment filling his heart. Even now, thinking about it made him shudder—that state was terrifying.

There were still some lingering effects in his muscles, a dull ache caused by lactic acid buildup from extreme exertion, along with slight muscle strains. But this wasn’t a big problem; he believed a few days of rest would fully restore him, so Rod didn’t worry too much.

Looking at the quiet room and the meal on the table, he smiled slightly. It seemed Kiro and the others had visited, though he hadn’t noticed. Yet, this feeling of being cared for warmed his heart.

Lying in bed, he completely relaxed. He wasn’t in the condition to do anything right now. With the task deadline still a few days away, there was no rush. He decided to take a short break. After hovering on the edge of death, he really needed to rest properly.

“Hahaha… I never thought we’d be so lucky today—actually knocking over that boulder! The task is finally done!” Cheers came from outside the door, Anderson’s voice, waking Rod from his sleep.
Opening his eyes and looking through the crack in the window, he realized that a whole day had passed since he lay down.
“Alright, since everything needs to be done now, should we head back?” Anderson’s voice followed.
“Let’s wait a bit longer. There’s still some time. Let’s go check on Rod first! I wonder if he’s finished training. He really worked hard—started practicing as soon as he woke up!” Kiro’s calm voice interrupted Anderson.
Footsteps approached his room. Opening his eyes, he quickly sat up. After a day’s rest, he felt much more energetic, no longer as tired. His body had recovered astonishingly well—just one day of rest, and he hardly felt any pain, with the muscle soreness also greatly reduced.
“Creak…” The wooden door opened with a sharp sound, and Kiro and the others appeared before him.
“Have you finished training?” Kiro asked in surprise, looking at Rod sitting on the bed edge.
Like Anderson and Alice beside him, they were also shocked. This guy’s recovery ability was truly abnormal. It was one thing to start training right after recovering—that just showed diligence—but now he looked healthy and energetic. If it weren’t for the bandages covering his body and their knowledge of what had happened, who would have thought this guy had been on the verge of death the day before? Who would have thought he couldn’t move when he woke up yesterday?
“I finished training this morning. Since you all left, I took a nap. Mm, it was very comfortable! Thank you all for your help these past few days!”
He got up slowly. Though a bit unaccustomed, he recovered quickly. Walking over to them, he smiled and said, “You… you’re fine now?” The others were almost stunned. How could he have recovered to this extent? With internal injuries, muscle strains, fractures, and various external wounds, how could he walk the very next day after waking up, almost indistinguishable from a normal person?
“I’m fine. What could possibly be wrong with me?” Seeing their expressions, he looked around himself in confusion, finding nothing amiss, then asked them with a puzzled gaze.

“Cough, cough, cough… It’s good that you’re fine. Hehe, no need to be polite—after all, you saved us that day. Enough about that. It’s great that you can recover. Well, we have some free time these days, so let’s go out together. We’ll probably have to return to the Capital in a few days. Do you want to come? I’ll show you around!”
Stopping Anderson from speaking, Kiro knew exactly what the guy wanted to ask. He then turned to Rod and smiled.
“The Capital!” As he said those words, an image suddenly appeared in his mind. His face turned red before the image vanished quickly. Fortunately, no one else noticed. The person who appeared in his mind was Lucia—her stunning face, charming smile, and long light-purple hair. He had actually thought of her.
Only then did he realize that he hadn’t resented her for the deaths of his comrades. After all, as the captain had said, as a mercenary, one must be prepared for death from the moment they enter this field and shouldn’t complain about their employer for anything! On the contrary, a different kind of feeling was growing in him! When had she taken a place in his heart, linking the Capital with her?
Thinking of her face, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and his gaze softened, becoming unreadable.
“Rod… are… are you okay?” Seeing Rod’s sudden change, Kiro and the others looked puzzled.
“I’m… fine. Hehe, the Capital? I’ll definitely go if I get the chance, but I probably won’t have time these days!” With a sigh, Rod said with a bitter smile. Although he really wanted to go, there were still some things unfinished. But he would return eventually, even if it was just to keep his promise.
“Is that so? Then what do you plan to do?” Alice asked softly.
“I’ll finish my mission first—the deadline is approaching. Then I plan to head back to Blaze City. I wonder if Cambi and the others are there. It’s been a long time—I still have some things to take care of!” As he spoke, his gaze grew dimmer. Most importantly, he needed to return to the place where the old man had fought his last battle, hoping to find some clues. If he could see the old man, that would be ideal. Though he knew the chances were slim, it was this glimmer of hope that gave Rod such a strong desire.

“A mission? It can be handed in here in Tielan Town. Once you’re feeling better, I’ll take you there. There’s a mercenary guild there. As for Flaming City… do you really want to go back?” At the mention of Flaming City, Kiro’s expression changed slightly as he asked in confusion. He could actually guess roughly what Rod was thinking.
“Yeah!” Rod nodded firmly to show his determination, while also silently reprimanding himself for being careless. How could there be no mercenary association in a place filled with mercenaries? He had been too careless!
“Alright, why all this talk? Sit down and rest quickly. After all, Rod has just recovered!” After a while, Alice urged them.
It seemed she realized something only after saying that; her face turned slightly red as she avoided everyone’s gaze. Anderson’s expression was complex, while Kiro wore a knowing smile. As for Rod himself, he showed no reaction.
…
“Hmm, I’m tired. I’m going back first. You guys continue chatting. Rod, rest well. It seems you should be able to go out tomorrow, right?” After chatting for a while and seeing that it was getting late, Kiro said with a smile. Through their conversation, they learned quite a bit. They never expected Rod to have been to the capital before.
“I’m tired too. I’m going back to rest!” Anderson said in a deep voice after looking at Rod, then glanced at Alice, seemingly hoping she would leave with him. The change in Alice’s gaze toward Rod made him uncomfortable.
“Hmm, it’s getting late. Dinner time is approaching. Let’s get ready. We’ll celebrate today!”
Thinking about the completed mission, Alice said cheerfully as she saw the darkening sky.
“Yeah, that’s good. Let’s rest well today and go out for a stroll tomorrow to relax properly!” Kiro agreed.
With both of them saying so, what else could they do? Rod and Anderson also agreed.
After getting ready, they heard Alice’s voice from outside the door. Rod reluctantly left his room. Kiro and the others were already outside his door. Led by the three of them, they quickly arrived at the hotel lobby.
It was full of mercenaries. The hotel was large and crowded, so it was naturally noisy. Frowning, they searched for a while before finally finding an empty seat. This reminded Rod of the first time he met them in Flaming City.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. In just over half a year, he had grown to be on par with them. The world indeed changes rapidly. Rod believed that he would become even better in the near future!