To make sure they got the most out of this, Ryen handed the Vampiric Staff to Ganyu.

"Ganyu, the moment he finishes casting, use the Vampiric Staff to take him out!"

Ganyu could see the eagerness burning in Ryen's eyes.

She nodded firmly and gripped the Vampiric Staff.

The others were a bit confused by this sudden arrangement, but they quietly waited for Ryen's follow-up.

Lisa, however, kept staring at the crimson lightning barrier. Her eyes gleamed—she was clearly tempted.

She obviously wanted a spell like that for herself.

The thunderous barrier lasted about seven or eight seconds.

When the Skeleton Druid realized he couldn't catch anyone, he finally let it dissipate.

"Now!"

Ryen shouted.

Ganyu immediately swung the Vampiric Staff.

The Skeleton Druid was yanked into the air and visibly writhed in agony.

Threads of vivid green life force were drawn from his body, streaming into Ganyu.

Her aura grew stronger and stronger with each passing second.

Though it wasn't their first time witnessing the staff's power, the scene still shook everyone.

Evil… and terrifying…

"That master-tier staff… is mine now!"

Ryen grinned, watching the Skeleton Druid's life fade away.

Within moments, the mage's life force was completely drained, leaving nothing behind.

A staff radiating dazzling violet light clattered to the ground.

At the same time, a ring shimmering with strange blue light also dropped.

There was some fluorite powder too, but that wasn't worth paying attention to.

Ryen's eyes lit up with delight.

"A real treasure-giver! Even dropped an epic accessory—Ring of the Enchanted Eye!"

Ganyu handed the Vampiric Staff back to Ryen, casting a wary glance at it.

This thing was… truly sinister.

When she'd drained the Skeleton Druid's life just now, the way he writhed in unbearable pain—while her own condition recovered so rapidly—

it made her feel as if she had turned into some evil warlock.

The weapon was undeniably powerful… but vicious to the core.

Beidou, seeing the Vampiric Staff for the first time, furrowed her brows tightly and said with a hint of wariness:

"This staff can actually steal someone's life to heal its wielder? That's too wicked."

"But very effective," Ryen replied casually, cheerfully putting the Vampiric Staff away.

He strode quickly to where the Skeleton Druid had fallen and picked up the staff and ring.

The ring was indeed the epic-tier Enchanted Eye.

And the staff…

Ryen's joy was impossible to hide.

"As I thought—Master-tier Thunder Staff ! Even upgraded two levels in Mana Condensation! This guy was really generous—was he delivering it to me in person?"

"Ryen, can you explain what's going on now?"

With things quieting down, Keqing looked at him seriously.

He stored the staff away. The Skeleton Druid had used up a lot of mana earlier, and he'd need to recover—but that could be solved by killing a few more creatures.

Ryen lifted his head and addressed the group seriously.

"There's been a change. The Twilight Forest is even more dangerous than before. Let's head back first, then I'll explain."

"What about the lich…"

Lumine opened her mouth to speak.

After seeing Ganyu use the Vampiric Staff to kill a mage from afar, her desire for the Four Divine Artifacts had only grown stronger.

"The lich doesn't matter anymore! I have something far more important to say!"

"The Four Divine Artifacts don't matter either—we'll have something even stronger than them!"

With that, Ryen quickly headed back the way they came.

The others exchanged glances. They didn't understand what he meant, but since Ryen was already leaving, there was no reason not to follow.

The group walked in silence for a long while.

On the way, Ryen was cursing the system in his mind.

"System, you've lost your conscience! Was that Skeleton Druid something that normally spawns in the Twilight Forest?"

The system didn't answer immediately. After a long pause, it finally mumbled a reply:

"Ding. The Twilight Forest module loading screen included the corresponding notice."

Ryen raised a brow and opened the chat history.

Sure enough, under the Twilight Forest module reward, there was a single line of text—so tiny it was almost invisible—that read:

"Also loads the Twilight Forest Witchcraft Bundled Expansion Pack, Twilight Forest Spell Collection."

Ryen pressed his lips together and complained in his head:

"One tiny line like that, right under the huge bold title 'Twilight Forest'! Who's supposed to notice that?!"

"That Skeleton Druid nearly scared me to death. System, shouldn't you at least give me some compensation?"

"System! Have a heart!"

Unfortunately, little tricks like this no longer got any reaction out of the system.

Ryen sighed regretfully and gave up questioning it.

After all, in the end, this was actually a good thing.

The Twilight Forest Witchcraft Expansion Pack—this was a great opportunity to learn magic!

Magic!

Ryen had dreamed of wielding elemental powers!

Now, at last, his dream was about to come true!

Before long, they returned to the Firefly Forest.

Using the portal, they experienced a brief wave of dizziness, and then the world before their eyes brightened once more.

The sun was already sinking in the west.

It seemed that not much time had passed at all since they had first gone to the Twilight Forest.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how beautiful the scenery in the Twilight Forest might be, the ordinary landscapes of the main world still felt more comfortable.

At least… it was much safer here.

Not far away, two little lolis were sitting idly in the garden. Hearing the commotion, they turned their heads.

When they saw Ryen and the others return, Klee and Nahida's eyes lit up with indescribable joy.

They immediately leapt down from the swings and dashed toward him—

grabbing the slower-moving Paimon along the way.

"Brother Ryen!"

With a cheerful cry, Klee and Nahida jumped into his arms, happily rubbing against him.

Ryen's heart softened completely.

It was the same warm, recharging happiness as coming home after a hard day's work to be greeted by adorable daughters.

~~----------------------

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