Ael'tharion's defiant and flamboyant personality made him stand out among the generally proud and reserved High Elves.
To this day, Ael'tharion still remembered the teachings of a certain senior.
"Ael'tharion, you must remember one thing: people are all different."
"We cannot meet everyone's expectations. Based on the personality you display, some will like you, and naturally, others will dislike you."
"Don't change your nature to conform to the general environment. Your life is for yourself; boldly show your true side."
"Don't worry, as long as you don't cause much trouble, your older sister will do her best to clean up after you."
It was precisely because of the promise made by his equally rebellious older sister that Ael'tharion completely let loose, earning a considerable reputation in the southern part of Eversong Forest... though not all of it was positive.
Getting up and returning to his sleeping mat, Ael'tharion began rustling through his pack.
A moment later, he pulled out a short knife wrapped in a beast-hide sheath from his bag.
This was a commemorative gift given to him by the older sister who had made that bold promise, on the day she led her team out of Quel'Thalas.
The short knife was handmade by her from materials she collected herself. The sheath, blade, and hilt were all sourced from the Mana Spring Lynx of Eversong Forest, and she made two in total.
One was given to her biological younger brother, and the other was placed in Ael'tharion's hands.
"Zzzzt~"
Since the blade was not metal but polished from fangs containing magical power, the sound made when drawing it was very faint.
Under the confused gaze of the many people from the other world, Ael'tharion inverted the blade and began using this highly significant short knife... to shave his beard.
???
CHAT I SAT THROUGH ALL THAT FOR NOTHING??? 😭
I THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING A SAD FLASHBACK ARC
LIKE "HE TOUCHES THE OBJECT… MUSIC SWELLS… TEARS FALL"
AND THEN—NOTHING. SCAMMED 💀
FOCUS UP 😤 THAT AIN'T THE IMPORTANT PART
I THINK I FIGURED OUT WHO THE REBELLIOUS BIG SIS IS
YO SAME??? I GOT A THEORY TOO
WE ARE COOKING RN 🔥🔥
STOP BEING MYSTERIOUS 😭 JUST SAY IT
RIDDLE MERCHANTS OUT OF AZEROTH
I'M DROPPING IT: IT'S Alleria Windrunner 😤‼️
BOOM. LORE NUKE
CALL ME KIRIN TOR WITH THIS INTEL
CHAT TYPE "ALLERIA" IF YOU KNEW IT TOO
WE SOLVED THE ARC. NEXT.
Ael'tharion's movement of wielding the small knife paused slightly.
'These people... they really know a lot about the people and things of Azeroth.'
'Could they really all be farseers who can predict the future?'
After a period of experimentation, Ael'tharion had roughly figured out how to use the Live Broadcast System connecting the two worlds.
He didn't need to communicate with the bullet chat through speech; as long as he had a thought, it would naturally be conveyed.
The previous memory segment was presented as a monologue to the people from the other world sending bullet chat.
Conversely, if there was something Ael'tharion didn't want the bullet chat to see, he could actively block the screen, ensuring he wouldn't be stared at by thousands of eyes while taking care of personal hygiene.
Shaving a beard with a sharp short knife was a technical skill; a slight slip could leave a wound on the face.
The fully focused Ael'tharion didn't notice that as the beard fell from his face, the previously serious atmosphere of the bullet chat began to shift.
AAAAHHHHHH 😭 THE BIG BEARD'S SECRET FACE IS OUT
HANDSOME ELF ALERT 🚨 "LOVE" MODE ACTIVATED
I WANNA BEAR YOUR CHILDREN 😭💀
WHAT THE HELL??? THE CHAT JUST GOT… WEIRD 😳
IS THE FANDOM ATTACKING US RN???
THIS MAN JUST WENT FROM "MYSTERY" TO "DEMIGOD" IN 0.2 SECONDS
SOMEONE CALL THE KIRIN TOR, THIS IS UNHOLY 😭
CHAT, DEFEND YOUR SANITY OR DIE TRYING 💀🔥
After shaving off the wildly growing, messy beard, Ael'tharion's appearance was finally presented completely before everyone.
High Elves possess a unique advantage in appearance; the average attractiveness of their entire race is far above the mainstream race of Humans in the Eastern Kingdoms, not to mention the short-statured Dwarves and Gnomes.
According to some sour Human comments in Azeroth, male High Elves are often described as having a feminine appearance, lacking masculinity.
This was true.
Due to their overly handsome looks and self-proclaimed elegant demeanor, most male High Elves despise crude, muscular brutes and maintain a consistently proportionate physique.
It was rare to see the kind of muscular physique in Quel'Thalas that could easily elicit excited screams from the opposite sex.
Unfortunately, Ael'tharion was one of them.
Ael'tharion was neither a Ranger who relied on mobility to ensure survival nor a Mage who could withstand damage with a magic shield and blink around to dodge attacks.
As a Warrior who charged forward to absorb damage, having a good physique was essential.
Having been taught by a renowned master since childhood, Ael'tharion never slackened his strength training, ensuring sufficient mobility even when wearing heavy armor.
Considering the complex terrain and environment of Eversong Forest, moving through the woods in heavy Plate Armor would essentially make him a sitting duck.
As a compromise, Ael'tharion adopted his mentor's suggestion and chose Mail Armor, which balanced defense and flexibility.
Due to his own personality, Ael'tharion's features were also handsome, but his temperament possessed a certain ruggedness that most male Elves lacked.
After taking off his armor, his thin shirt couldn't conceal his beautifully sculpted muscles. The combination of high attractiveness and a great physique attracted shouts and screams from a crowd of women from the other world.
Ael'tharion: "?"
Putting down the small knife that had completed its shaving mission, Ael'tharion touched his smooth chin, feeling slightly unaccustomed.
"You people, have you never seen a handsome man before?"
The bullet chat once again experienced a visible surge, with the main voices this time coming from women... probably.
The content... was somewhat indecent to describe.
Just as Ael'tharion was trying to learn more about the future of Azeroth through interaction with the bullet chat, the Ranger on night watch on the second floor of the camp suddenly let out a suppressed cry.
"We have a situation!"
Ael'tharion's previously calm gaze instantly sharpened, and that piercing look affected the viewers in the other world, causing the number of bullet chat to immediately thin out.
"Clang!"
Having donned the disassembled Mail Armor as quickly as possible, Ael'tharion picked up the Two-Handed Sword from the weapon rack and strode towards Halduron, who had already been startled awake.
As a veteran Ranger, Halduron was extremely agile.
He easily jumped onto the second floor by lightly pushing off the camp's outer wall twice, and under the night watchman's guidance, he activated Eagle Eye to look into the distance.
Eagle Eye was an essential scouting skill that every Ranger was required to master.
Ael'tharion had not specialized in Ranger techniques; his Ranger level of only 5 was proof of that.
However, a universally applicable scouting technique like Eagle Eye was definitely worthwhile learning for any class.
In a state of war, the combat personnel in the Farstrider camp slept lightly, and the slightest disturbance woke everyone up.
Within just a few minutes of commotion, the combat personnel from all Farstrider units were ready for battle.
Ael'tharion wasn't as flashy as Halduron; he reached the second floor via the spiral staircase.
"Eagle Eye, activate."
His eyes experienced a slight, throbbing pain, and Ael'tharion's vision was greatly enhanced, allowing him to catch unusual signs in the quiet night forest that ordinary people couldn't detect.
Someone must have passed beneath those trembling leaves, but upon closer inspection, no further details could be seen.
"Trolls. They've started moving, just as expected."
Halduron's expression was grave. He signaled his deputy, who immediately understood and jumped downstairs to organize the defenses.
Forest Trolls, like the High Elves, were skilled at fighting in the woods and were highly proficient in similar forest concealment techniques.
Halduron waited with a hint of impatience. When he saw the signal from his deputy indicating readiness, he immediately shouted loudly.
"Illumination Flares, fire!"
"Whoosh~"
Over a dozen bright flares were shot into the air by the Rangers, finally exposing the Amani Trolls who were sneaking through the woods.
"Attack!"
The Troll Shieldbearers who first charged out of the forest were exposed to the gaze of the High Elves.
Without Halduron needing to give a specific order, the Rangers had already switched to Fire Arrows designed specifically for wooden shields, and a single volley halted the charge of the Troll vanguard.
"Something's not right."
While drawing his bow and shooting arrows, Halduron diverted some attention to observe the Trolls' movements.
"The numbers are too small. They've lost at least 60% compared to daytime. They shouldn't have that many casualties, should they?"
Ael'tharion, who was about to jump down and join the battle, reacted to the words. He suddenly remembered the development of the War of QuelThalas mentioned in the bullet chat.
"Could it be..."