[Fantasy] Divine Capital (Book) - 4-6

Chapter 3

As expected of a high-level guild, Rayout even has its own guild hall. Guild halls are exclusive spaces rented to guilds by mercenaries in medium-sized or larger cities. They are immune to outside attacks, and security measures are extremely robust; without an invitation code, members outside the guild cannot enter.

Rayout's guild is based in Dragon Palace City, a city much larger than Red Pine City where I used to live, and also the capital of the Duchy of Fegard. Clearly, Rayout's financial resources are considerable; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to bid for a guild hall of this caliber.

I was once invited into the guild hall of an ordinary guild for a quest; that hall was only about two or three hundred square meters and only had one meeting room. I imagine Rayout's hall must be much more magnificent.

I waited idly on a bench in the mercenary quarters for Fey to come find me. She and Orange had gone to apply for invitation codes from the guild leader, so I had to wait for her.

As I scanned the guild hall, I noticed a girl. The girl had long, pure black hair like mine, but since she didn't turn around, I couldn't tell if her pupils were the same as mine. Hair can be dyed, but eye color can't be dyed here.

Perhaps she was a member of the Dragon Clan of the Chinese Federation, I thought.

The Chinese Federation now encompasses the historical Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East. With immigrants from other places, yellow-skinned people are no longer the mainstream; now, mixed-race people are the majority. However, my parents are both Dragons, so I can still maintain my pure black hair and pupils.

Like us, there's the Light Clan, scattered all over the world, but the largest are, of course, on the Japanese islands. Our two races are actually quite similar culturally, but I think they've preserved it better, after all, being on an island, they're less susceptible to the erosion of foreign cultures. Our Dragon Clan, on the other hand, has had its culture severely damaged by war and politics throughout history.

While I was thinking about these things, the girl noticed me too. Yes, black eyes—that familiar color I hadn't seen in a long time. She seemed quite interested in me, standing a distance away in front of the mercenary mission board, her eyes scanning me several times.

I turned my head towards the Rayout guild hall and noticed Fey walking towards me.

"Alright, here's the invitation code, the guild leader is waiting for you inside."

Fey smiled sweetly and gave me the code.

"Fey!"

Just as we were walking towards that direction, someone called out.

Fey and I turned around and saw that it was the black-haired girl.

"You're back?"

She glanced at me and then said to Fey.

"Yeah~ It's a pity the mission failed."

Fey smiled at her.

"It's good that you're alright. Who is he?"

the girl asked Fey, looking at me.

"I knew you'd ask that!"

Fey's eyes curved into crescents. "This is Greed Wolf, I recruited him to the guild."

The black-haired girl was very pretty, young, but her demeanor was very elegant and poised. Fey was the kind of sweet, innocent-looking woman, while this girl had a pair of wicked, cold eyes that gave the impression she was always plotting something bad.

"Are you a member of the Light Clan?"

she asked.

I shook my head. "Dragon Clan."

"Oh..."

she nodded. If I wasn't mistaken, she was a member of the Light Clan. We both had the same problem, instinctively assuming that anyone with our race's characteristics was like us.

"Sanzenin Natsuki, that's my name,"

she said to me.

"Natsuki..."

I chewed on the vibrant name.

Her face immediately turned red, and she shrieked on tiptoe.

"Who told you to call me that! Who do you think you are!"

I was stunned, and Fey was startled too. Then I realized that the Light Clan had a custom: only very close friends of the opposite sex would use the last name. But for me, "Sanzenin" was too long and a bit awkward to pronounce, so I made a rather embarrassing mistake.

I quickly apologized, but she blushed as if I had bullied her.

Fey quickly stepped in to smooth things over, pulling her aside to comfort her, and then gestured for me to go see the guild leader.

************

I successfully entered Rayout's guild hall using the invitation code, and then I discovered that the hall was larger than I had imagined; accommodating two hundred people shouldn't be a problem. Moreover, besides the hall, there seemed to be many other rooms used for different purposes.

Standing at the entrance was a man around thirty years old, with long golden hair tied in a braid at the back of his head, wearing an erotic robe with dragon patterns. Of course, it was the pattern of a Western dragon. He had a little stubble on his chin, making him seem slightly casual for a high-ranking guild leader.

"You must be Greed Wolf? I'm Balgus, the guild leader of Rayout."

The man extended his hand to me.

I shook his hand. "So, this counts as joining?"

"I have a few questions for you,"

Balgus said with a smile.

"Looks like there's an entrance exam..."

I told a not-so-funny joke with a blank expression.

“Don’t be nervous, it’s just a simple question. Why do you want to join Rayout?”

“Fey invited me,”

I replied.

Balgus laughed heartily. “Fey is the darling of our guild; a full third of the members here were invited by her. But if you don’t want to join, her invitation won’t help.”

“If I had to give a reason, it’s probably because I’m looking for kindred spirits…”

I threw out that ambiguous answer in my mind, but I felt it was still too vague.

But Balgus nodded. “I hope you can find what you’re looking for here.”

“Any more questions?”

“No. But there are a few rules you need to know. What makes our guild different from others is that we are a whole. I don’t want my members to abandon their companions during quests, and everyone is prohibited from doing anything that harms the feelings or interests of other members.”

“That’s fair,”

I nodded.

“Well then, welcome. If you’d like, let Fey show you around and introduce you to the other members.”

After saying this, Balgus left.

I looked up at the high ceiling and felt a subtle sense of belonging for the first time since entering the game.

Later I discovered that this high-level guild hall was less of a hall and more of a genuine base. Fey showed me around the guild base; it had a large guild warehouse, training grounds, rest areas, and even a kitchen for cooking.

"Renting a guild hall of this caliber...it must cost a lot of money."

"Thirty million,"

Fey replied simply.

Thirty million gold coins...even converted to the outside world's currency, that's at least tens of millions. The

currency of [Divine Capital] is extremely valuable because the system strictly controls the total amount, ensuring no inflation. Those who can afford that much money are mostly warriors who risk their lives.

"With that kind of money...you could buy several mansions outside..."

I said, frowning.

Fey turned her head, her eyebrows forming a cute shape: "How should I repay you? You should be saying 'we' now."

Having long been used to being alone, changing my address was truly difficult. I could only shrug helplessly.

I started learning about Rayout from Fey. The guild had forty-four members, and I was the forty-fourth. Although forty-four is a very unlucky number in my cultural background, it seemed I didn't have much of a choice.

The three strongest warriors in the guild were level 2 Azza, level 4 Shadow Eclipse Wind Howl, and level 4 Laharis. These guys rarely showed up in the guild. For monster-level warriors like them, the guild was more like a home for rest than a place for battle.

Balgus's level wasn't high, only slightly above average in the guild. But his leadership, personal charisma, and shrewdness had kept him firmly in his position for a long time. Without a doubt, he was the most suitable person for the position.

The level gap in the guild seemed quite large, with monsters like Azza and guys even lower level than me. But without exception, everyone was the kind of person who took the world very seriously. Because all members' neural simulation was level zero, the bonds between them felt even more real.

In the following days, I got to know many people in the guild.

The first vice president, Nafisaya, is a tall, curly-haired girl with a low combat rank and a dislike for showing off. She speaks in a clear and gentle voice, but is meticulous and decisive when handling guild affairs. This is why Balgus entrusts her with all the

miscellaneous tasks. The second vice president has a name similar to Orange's: Pudding. In fact, Pudding is Orange's older sister, and the two are remarkably alike in some ways. Pudding is the kind of person who livens up the guild atmosphere; my impression of her is that whenever she starts shouting in the lobby, there's always a guild activity. Her rank isn't high either, so her popularity among members below A-rank is quite high.

There's also Fronburn, the man closest to Fey. In my memory, this man is a higher rank than Fey, I heard it's around level five. He spends all his time by Fey's side whenever he has the chance, so many people think they have a closer relationship. Fronburn has a sharply defined face and looks quite handsome. I think he could even make movies if he were in the outside world.

I've talked to him a few times, and his attitude towards me is lukewarm, just polite. But I always seem to detect a hint of inexplicable resistance in his eyes and demeanor, and I don't know why.

Balgus was right, Fey is indeed Rayout's heartthrob. Whenever she appears, everyone in the guild, regardless of gender, greets her enthusiastically. Her charm lies in the fact that she never becomes arrogant because of her popularity. On the contrary, it seems that to her, all of us are precious assets. Just as I guessed, she and Orange are both level seven warriors.

Of course, there's also the girl I offended on the first day, Sanzenin Natsuki. Although I sincerely apologized to her, she never gave me a kind look. Because of this, whenever I had to share a room with her, I always felt uneasy.

I settled down in Rayout and rented a bedroom in the base directly from Nafisaya.

Compared to the inn, the guild's rooms were not only more luxurious but also cheaper. This money would be used to renew the guild hall lease next year, though it was unclear how much would be spent in the next auction.

***************

That day, I woke up early and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. When I entered the kitchen, I found a woman I didn't recognize sitting at the table.

I was slightly taken aback, then nodded to her in greeting. Since there was only one small, symbolic table in the kitchen, I had to sit opposite her after making the tea.

"I'm a new member, my name is Greedy Wolf,"

I introduced myself to the woman.

The woman smiled gently. "Call me Mono. Balgus mentioned you to me."

"Is that so… Where's Balgus?"

I took a sip of tea, feeling a warm sensation spreading through my body.

"I came back from a business trip yesterday, rested for a bit, and couldn't resist logging on early. Balgus was still sleeping,"

Mono replied.

I was puzzled: "You and Balgus..."

"I'm his wife."

I suddenly realized, but still asked very cautiously, "A wife outside?"

Mono laughed, "Both here and outside. Our son is four years old."

"You don't look like you've ever had a child at all."

To be honest, there wasn't a trace of it on her waist.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"I'm just stating the facts."

"Just like Balgus said, you're quite an interesting fellow."

"Really? I don't think so myself... Does your son also play [Divine Capital]?"

"We've brought him in before, but he's not old enough to distinguish between the two worlds yet."

Mono had a magical power; even a gloomy guy like me could be completely disarmed by her in just a few words—of course, it might have something to do with the tea in my hand, who knows. Just a few minutes later, we were chatting and laughing like old friends.

"Because I have to take care of Allen, Balgus and I don't have much time to come up here together these days..."

Mono talked to me about her husband and child, her eyes brimming with happiness.

This made me feel like I was seeing myself and Yingfeng in a parallel world… If none of that had happened, perhaps we would already be holding our own children, with our own little troubles in life, just like them… I was fascinated by this scenario.

But that's impossible… at least for me now…

“You know very well how dangerous this game is, so why are you still here? What will happen to your children if you die in the game?”

I asked her, frowning.

“For Baal and me, this game is also a part of our lives. We are both professional gamers who make a living from this game. The money we earn in this world to live on outside is just as meaningful as the money we earn to live on outside. It's not that we're not afraid of death, it's just that this world isn't as dangerous as you imagine. You've just completely immersed yourself in the dark side.” What

she said made sense. As long as they didn't participate in those high-risk missions, the chances of dying were about the same as getting into a car accident outside. She and Baalgus had connected the two worlds in this way, something I had never imagined before.

If it could be like this, it wouldn't be a bad thing. But even though I could look at them from afar, I still couldn't touch them. Because the reason I entered this world as a professional gamer wasn't my own decision. If I lived in two worlds at the same time like them, I believe I wouldn't live long.

Just as I was lost in thought, Mono spoke.

“If you want, we’re all happy to help you get out of the darkness. People always have choices, I believe that.”

“Even as a battery?”

I couldn’t help but reveal my true situation outside, bracing myself for the look of disdain on Mono’s face.

“It’s all the same. What do you think Fey does out there?”

Mono replied without batting an eye.

I froze. "You mean Fey, she..."

"She's a battery too. But she chooses to face herself, neither burying herself in the darkness nor forcing herself to stand entirely in the sunlight. Many in our guild are batteries; that's not a reason to refuse to choose."

"I became a battery to escape..."

"Who isn't?"

Mono interrupted me. "What is Fey escaping from? You can ask her yourself. I'm not trying to convince you to do anything; just remember we're all the same."

"Where is Fey now? I haven't seen her for the past two days." "

Fronburn invited her to the Beast Forest. There's a riot among the beasts there, and the seal on the high-level areas of the forest is about to break three layers. I heard there's a lot of high-level equipment inside the seal."

"Is Fronburn Fey's lover?"

Mono smiled. "Are you that concerned? But unfortunately, I don't know the answer. You should ask the person involved."

Just as I fell silent, a figure appeared next to Mono. It was Natsuki Sanzenin.

"Mono, I have something to tell you, can you come over here for a moment?"

The black-haired girl glanced at me lightly and said to Mono.

I stood up tactfully. "No need, you can sit here."

For some reason, Sanzenin seemed annoyed with me. I don't really want to be an annoying person, but other people's feelings are not something I can change just by thinking about it.

************

After leaving them, I opened the search engine and began to browse information aimlessly. Now I feel that I need power more and more. Before, I just wanted to vent, but now there are some reasons that I can't explain. The only thing I'm sure of is that the desire to become stronger is stronger.

Unintentionally, I saw a mission, and the four words on it made me jump up from my seat.

"Black Flame".

From the beginning, I have been sorting out the events before the tragedy. Why did those guys in black find Elegy, and find me? The only explanation is that Elegy killed the members of Black Flame at that time, exposing her hidden identity. Among those Black Flame members who escaped, there must have been someone who recognized her.

It must have been a Black Flame member who knew Elegy who gave those men in black information about her, and then they found us based on the information Zhang Long and I left when we made the mission agreement.

I'm certain those men in black aren't members of Black Flame. If Black Flame had members of that level, they wouldn't be just a small bandit group.

But I'm also certain that the only lead to finding those men in black who killed Elegy is Black Flame!

So after re-entering the game, I've been searching for information about them. But since that attack, they seem to have vanished into thin air, never appearing in public again, which once filled me with immense anger and anxiety.

But now, those four words have reappeared before me…

This time, I can't let them disappear again…

Reaching into my chest, I pulled out a ring chained to my chest. It was something I took from Elegy's hand as a keepsake when I buried her. I swore an oath to avenge her before this ring… Now, the opportunity has finally arrived.

I pulled the ring off the chain and put it on my hand.

**********

The Black Flame reappeared, and this time, just like before, it was an attack on the town.

Organizations like bandits must report to the system before attacking a town, and their absolute distance from the town cannot be too close. After reporting, when they attack, all residents of the town become unable to log out. Because many residents choose to log off immediately after the town is warned, the bandits give the residents a few days to lower their guard and log back in. This gives the town a considerable amount of time to gather mercenaries for defense, and correspondingly ensures that the bandits don't leave empty-handed.

However, I still used all my energy to accelerate towards that place, because I absolutely couldn't let this clue slip away.

When I arrived at the town, I found that I had made it. The Black Flame members hadn't appeared, but some mercenaries had already gathered.

I had used almost all my energy for acceleration, so now I needed to rest well to ensure I was ready for any battles to come. I didn't necessarily intend to fight the Blackflame, but if necessary, I wouldn't leave my sword sheathed.

I decided to sit in the tavern for a while, since taverns are usually in the center of town, giving me enough time to prepare if the bandits attacked.

Pushing open the tavern door, I froze after taking just one step. I saw someone I recognized…

even though his back was to me, I recognized the black sword instantly.

I had no grudge against him; if I had to say we crossed paths, I had killed one of his former trading partners.

Fey and Orange could win his favor by using Azza's name, but as a newcomer to Rayout, Azza didn't even know I existed.

If this guy really wanted to cause me trouble, I didn't know what to do.

Just as I hesitated, unsure whether to advance or retreat, the man turned and glanced at me before turning back to drink his beverage.

It seemed he had no intention of acknowledging me. I breathed a sigh of relief and went into the tavern, choosing a corner to sit down.

Looking back on the fight with that guy, it was practically suicide. I carefully analyzed the siege and realized that the biggest difference between us was this man's insight and physical abilities.

Against different opponents, he could immediately employ the most effective means to shift the battle to his advantage. Perhaps someone of his caliber could handle an attack from so many of us, but none could do it as cleanly and effortlessly as he did.

He knew exactly how to quickly crush the enemy's fighting spirit in a one-on-many fight. Of the thirty warriors surrounding him, he killed less than half; the rest fled. If we thirty could maintain a death-defying resolve and expend all our energy fighting him, even if we couldn't defeat him, we could definitely inflict serious wounds.

Just then, the system alarm went off.

The mercenaries in the tavern erupted in commotion, clamoring and pushing their way out. I felt my heart race, and my hand reached for my weapon.

Just as I was about to leave, the man turned and looked at me, and I instinctively stopped.

"Why are Rayout members always so interested in missions of this caliber lately…"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for me to hear.

I didn't know how to answer him, and just stood there stiffly.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a monster. Do whatever you want, I’m not trying to cause you any trouble.”

The man sighed helplessly and reached for his wine glass.

I nodded to him, then drew my sword and walked out of the tavern.

Clang!

Suddenly, I heard the sound of shattering glass behind me.

“Stop!”

It was his voice. I didn’t know why he suddenly called me back, but a strong killing intent instantly enveloped me. The feeling made me break out in a cold sweat, my back soaked, as if I would be chopped to pieces if I took another step…

I slowly turned around to look at him. All the mercenaries in the tavern had run out to fight the Black Flame people, leaving only him and me. The tavern was eerily quiet, like a cold tomb.

The man’s eyes pierced me like knives, scanning back and forth. “Why do you have that thing!”

“What?”

I tried to control my trembling arms and asked, frowning.

He pushed back his chair and stood up abruptly. I immediately raised my sword and held it defensively in front of me. But instead of attacking, he pointed a finger at my hand.

"That ring! Where did you get it?!"

he growled, like a wolf ready to tear its prey's throat.

I looked down and realized what he was pointing at.

"...A friend's..."

I mumbled a low reply.

"You're Wange's friend!"

he raised his voice.

My scalp tightened, and a howling fear surged from the depths of my heart. I didn't know if he was Wange's friend or foe, and either way, I didn't think I'd be safe today.

But finally, I nodded. "You know Wange..."

The man didn't answer my question, but instead threw out another: "Where is she now?!"

Hearing this, my throat tightened, and my heart clenched.

Seeing my expression, the man's face changed.

"Speak! Where is Wange now?!"

"...Dead..."

I managed to utter those two words with all my might, and then the whole world seemed to sink away.

The man stood there, silent for a long time. We stood frozen in the middle of the tavern's lobby, like statues.

Suddenly, the door next to us was kicked open, and a group of people rushed in, weapons in hand.

"Hand over your money! We're from the Black Flame Bandits! Your mercenaries have been driven away! Hand over your valuables and you won't die!"

The leader shouted, brandishing his sword.

I focused all my attention on the man in front of me, completely ignoring the shouting of the guy next to me. So when I saw the man make a move, I immediately created the thickest protective shield I could.

Just as I finished creating the shield, the man unleashed a thick pillar of energy from his left hand, shattering the shouting guy's head. Immediately afterward, a familiar, massive energy storm ripped through the air, the powerful force sending me flying a considerable distance. If it weren't for my shield, I would have been seriously injured.

I thought I would crash into the tavern wall, but when I came to my senses, I realized the entire tavern had been blasted to pieces in the massive energy explosion. The man stood amidst the ruins, unleashing bursts of energy from his body before drawing his sword and slaughtering the arrogant bandit gang members.

A dozen or so men were hacked to pieces before they could even replenish their energy.

I stood there stunned for a long time, then realized something.

*Clang*—I managed to block two of the man's attacks with all my might. It wasn't that I didn't want to withstand more blows, but the high-level weapon I'd seized from Dragon Plate was cleaved in two by the man's black sword after only two hits.

The difference in energy enhancement was simply too great; I didn't even have time to fully charge my weapon.

Fortunately, the man hadn't lost his mind, or I think I would have been killed too.

My intervention wasn't out of pity for those I killed, but because if they were all killed now, my trail would be cut off.

The man, panting heavily, slowly withdrew his energy; the rampage had also wasted a lot of his energy and stamina. The two houses around us had been blasted to pieces by the energy, and the ground was scorched black. Severed limbs and copious amounts of blood stained the black with crimson.

He looked at me, but I didn't look at him. Instead, I turned and grabbed the survivor of the Black Flames behind me. The man's face was contorted into a pitiful shape, his cheeks smeared with snot, tears, and saliva.

"Why did the Black Flames disappear before? And what are you doing out now?"

I asked, holding my broken sword to his neck.

"...I...I don't know..."

he stammered, shaking his head. The man was terrified.

I severed two of his fingers with a single stroke. He clutched his hands, screaming in pain, his whole body writhing on the ground.

I don't like torturing people, but I don't mind doing it if it gets me the answers I want.

"Why did you hide your whereabouts before? What is your purpose in coming out now? Every time I ask a question and get no answer, you will lose something, do you understand?"

The man cried out twice, then shook his head: "We didn't... we just robbed... our bandit gang just started using this name... it's only just been formed... I don't know about the Black Flame incident before..."

He wasn't lying, at least I could tell from his pleading eyes that he was telling the truth. I can still tell the truth from falsehood when a person is in such a state of collapse.

The answer was so simple… It disappointed me greatly. I released my grip on him and made a cut on his neck.

Standing up, I turned to face the man again. By now, I was calm, no longer intimidated by his murderous aura, and my hands were no longer trembling.

“Are we enemies?”

I asked him, because this was the question I most wanted to know.

The man shook his head: “Wange is also my friend. I have no reason to be your enemy.”

That’s only because you don’t know what I did to her… I murmured to myself.

“…I thought she was still living in seclusion. I searched for her for a long time… I didn’t expect her to be dead… That wretched woman…”

He looked at the sky and muttered to himself.

Behind Wange lay a huge mystery that I couldn’t see clearly, and this man in front of me might be the breakthrough point for me to understand it all.

“What exactly is your relationship with Wange?”

I asked.

The man glanced at me. “You worry too much.”

“I just want to avenge her… If I could know more about her…”

I squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

The man sighed, then looked up. "That's your business, what does it have to do with me?"

"You're her friend too! Don't you want to avenge her?!"

I couldn't help but shout.

"People like us only have one fate, so revenge... if Wange could still speak, she wouldn't let anyone else avenge her..."

I didn't know what he meant by "people like them," but I couldn't accept his answer on Wange's behalf, so I remained silent. "If possible, you should give up too. She certainly wouldn't want to see her friends struggling desperately for her, just to kill someone,"

the man continued.

I gasped... because I realized that even after he said those words, my desire to kill those men in black hadn't diminished in the slightest. Perhaps... I did all this not for Wange, but for myself.

What's this talk of avenging her? In the end, it's just me avenging the life I lost in the real world? Or a way to escape guilt after betraying my companions? My mind went blank.

"I killed her..."

I murmured.

"What did you say?"

The man raised an eyebrow.

I don't know if what I did was right. I simply and calmly told the person in front of me everything that had happened. Maybe he would kill me after hearing it, but I felt that if that was fate, I couldn't accept it.

After saying all this, I closed my eyes. Maybe the black sword would pierce my chest in the next second, or maybe not… I didn't care anymore. My mind was suddenly filled with the image of Elegy, and my eyes began to slowly well up with tears. Elegy, atoning for my sins in this way, I really know how to be opportunistic…

I wasn't killed.

"How boring."

I opened my eyes and looked at the person who said those three words after hearing them. The man was still standing there with his hands behind his back, staring at me with a furrowed brow. I was a little stunned, not expecting him to say that.

"I don't understand why you're saying these things to me. Do you think I'm a priest for you to confess or something?"

the man said.

"You think I shouldn't have died?"

"If you deserved to die, Elegy would have killed you with her own hands back then. Since she's already pronounced her sentence, what right do I have to point fingers? Ridiculous..."

Fey, and the man in front of me, seemed to be telling me one thing... that I had already been forgiven by the dead. It sounded like a consolation, but I had to admit I felt a little better.

"Do you know who killed her?"

I asked.

"She had many enemies, but I could more or less guess who it was that went to such lengths. They killed Elegy, but didn't take her Ring of Immortality... They were really careless..."

After Elegy died, I remembered those people in black stripping away all her armor, even taking her broken sword. I knew those items must be very valuable, but I never knew what secrets this ring held.

"The Ring of Immortality... you mean this?"

I raised my hand.

The man nodded. “If you weren’t Wange’s friend, I would have killed you and stolen the ring long ago. Showing off this kind of equipment without knowing its power, you’re really courting death.”

I didn’t know the ring’s secret, otherwise I wouldn’t have done something so foolish.

“The Ring of Immortality… does that mean the wearer can be resurrected?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

The man laughed angrily. “Hahahaha! How terribly naive! What do you think this is? A movie set? If people can be resurrected, then why do we need to mourn the dead?”

I knew I’d said something stupid… but I still hoped Wange could really be resurrected.

“So how do you use this ring?”

The man stopped laughing and looked at me. “I have no obligation to be your teacher.”

“I need power.”

“That’s none of my business. We’ve wasted too much time talking nonsense…”

He finished speaking and turned to fly away.

I immediately increased my energy and chased after him. If I let him go like this, I didn’t know when the questions in my heart would be answered.

“Why are you following me?”

The man looked annoyed when he noticed I was catching up.

“I have a lot of questions for you.”

I tried my best to keep up with him.

“Following me will only lead to a quick death.”

“Who exactly are you?”

“If you have a high-level search engine, look it up yourself. Four million will get you my information.”

The man had an evil smile on his face.

Of course I knew that; I had checked before, and he wasn’t lying.

“Based on your characteristics, there are four S-rank missions… Are they all related to you?”

“Of course, what did you think?”

“What are those missions…”

“Wanted posters. The bounty is about sixty million.”

I almost fell off the plane when I heard that number.

“What exactly did you do?”

“Just killed a few people. It’s just that their companions were quite rich.” Someone

who could offer sixty million for his capture was definitely not a low-level character…

“At least tell me your name.”

“Melfis.”

“The Dead Raven Melfis who slaughtered the entire Twilight Cross Mercenary Group!”

I couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hahaha, that was a long time ago."

The Twilight Cross Mercenary Group was a very famous mercenary group when I first started playing [God's Capital]. It was even more famous than Rayout because it had far more members.

The legend I heard was that they angered someone they shouldn't have, and that guy boasted to the world that he would wipe out their entire mercenary group in a month. From that day on, he began hunting down anyone wearing the Twilight Cross Mercenary Group insignia. He kept his word, and the mercenary group was wiped off the face of the earth.

That person was Dead Raven Melfis.

His exploits certainly didn't stop there, but the rest seemed to be stories circulating only among high-ranking warriors; someone of my level probably wouldn't have the right to know them.

I'm starting to feel ridiculous now, after all, we actually thought we could rob this monster with just thirty B-rank mercenaries.

"Are you planning to keep following me like this? Having a tail following me is making me increasingly annoyed,"

Melfis glared at me.

"Where are you going?"

"The Beast Forest."

I paused, remembering Mono saying Fey and Fronburn had already gone there.

It seemed the information about the seal breaking was true, and the things inside actually piqued this guy's interest…

"I'm going with you."

"Aren't you afraid of dying in there?"

"I've been there before, I can handle it."

"The inside and outside of the seal are completely different worlds. A level eight warrior like you could easily die inside the seal if you're not careful. I don't have time to babysit you."

"I'm only B-rank."

I guess in the eyes of high-ranking warriors like them, level eight and B-rank are practically the same.

"How long has it been since you checked your level? I'm currently moving at around level nine's full speed. If you're not level eight, you can't keep up."

Could this recent deathmatch have given me such a significant level boost? Although I know that in this game, if you're willing to risk your life, leveling up can be very fast, this level eight was something I hadn't expected.

As I was pondering this, Melfis suddenly accelerated, leaving me, flying at full speed, nearly fifty meters behind in just two seconds. I only caught a glimpse of his words:

"If you really want to come to the Beast Forest with me, that's fine, but I won't make myself wait for you."

I gritted my teeth and tried to accelerate further, but maintaining this speed was my limit. I had to watch him gradually disappear from sight.

************

I had a map of most of the continent on me, so I roughly knew the location of the Beast Forest. Given Melfis's speed, even if he reached his destination, he would definitely need to rest in a nearby town to recover his energy and replenish his supplies. Therefore, I still had time to catch up with him before he entered the forest, if I was lucky…

I must say, my luck was quite good… I actually caught up with him some distance from the Beast Forest… at least that was essentially the case.

Before seeing him, I had already had to land twice to rest due to depleted energy.

So at that time, I had no hope of seeing him on the way.

But I actually saw him. He lay sprawled under a tree, several mangled corpses beside him, the ground littered with energy blades and the marks of an explosion.

I swooped down immediately, and upon closer inspection, I found him covered in blood, seemingly unconscious from his severe injuries. What kind of person could have inflicted such damage on him, I had no idea.

If he wasn't treated quickly, this legendary monster would likely vanish from the world today. I quickly lifted him up and rushed towards the nearest town.

"Is something wrong?"

the NPC at the clinic asked methodically as I stormed in with someone.

I gasped for breath before I could speak, but just as I was about to call a doctor, someone else spoke for me.

"We're fine."

I was completely stunned, because Melfis was grinning mischievously at me. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the ground, glaring at him, panting.

"Your injury is fine!"

"I'm not injured."

"Then why were you unconscious!"

"Are you really that stupid? Or is my acting really that good? Hahahaha! Finding someone to carry me to my destination is such an easy choice..."

He laughed smugly, while I was furious.

"You..."

Just as I was about to explode, he took a sword from his waist and handed it to me.

"Although it's not as high-grade as your sword, it's the best I could get. You can't go into the Illusionary Beast Forest without a weapon."

My trophy had been destroyed when I fought him earlier. Although I kept it with me because I was reluctant to part with it, it was only because I was unwilling to accept defeat. So I took the sword he handed me and tucked it into my waistband.

"Why did you put on this show?"

I asked coldly.

"If I really want to take you into the Illusionary Beast Forest, at least I need to test whether I can trust you. You know this head is worth sixty million..."

He smiled wickedly and patted his head.

But I was still angry because he was simply toying with me. But Melfis's motives weren't incomprehensible. If it were me… I probably wouldn't do something so unbecoming, would I?

"So, what's your conclusion?"

I said irritably.

Melfis stopped laughing. "Elegy's friends really aren't people money can buy…"

"I betrayed her."

"Hmm, but not for money. And if you were to betray me, you'd only get money."

"If someone again kidnapped someone important to me, forcing me to stab you in the back, what would you do?"

"What would you do?"

Melfis didn't answer, but threw the question back at me.

In fact, since that incident, I'd asked myself this question countless times: If the same thing happened again, would I still choose to kill Elegy?

The answer was no. I'd sworn to myself never to betray those who trusted me again, no matter the cost. Because I'd already traded my entire life in the outside world for such a simple lesson.

I think my choice would be simple: to resist.

My companions are no longer the weak, ordinary people they were back then. Both Bruiser and Fey are true warriors. They don't need me to make choices; they will take their own lives into their own hands, not make me choose for them just to survive. I won't make the same mistake again for those kinds of people…

I was about to speak when Melfis raised his hand, indicating I didn't need to answer. He had probably read my thoughts clearly from my expression.

"What's your name?"

he asked.

"Greedy Wolf."

"Greedy Wolf... let me tell you my conclusion. I don't mind entrusting my back to you on this journey, but can you trust me?"

"Trust you..."

"Why do you think I won't abandon you when needed?"

"Because you said from the beginning that if I hold you back, you won't wait for me."

I said earnestly.

He couldn't help but laugh after hearing this: "Have you always been this rigid?"

"I don't think so."

Melfis's words always seemed to inexplicably annoy me.

"Alright... if you really want to come in with me, remember one thing. Because I've entrusted my back to you, you have to do the same. It's at least a matter of respect for your companion."

I nodded vigorously.

**********
...

"..."

Melfis stared at me speechlessly for a long time. "Those guys just suddenly jumped out trying to rob me. I just had a sudden idea to test you."

"Why would anyone rob someone in a place like this?"

"Because many people have received news that the seal on the Beast Forest is about to break and are rushing here. So some people are targeting lone warriors. They're unlucky to run into me."

"What exactly is in the forest? Some people from my guild have come too."

"Is it that red-haired girl?"

Melfis laughed. "She's the type that makes you want to strip her naked the moment you see her... Hey, don't look at me with that murderous look, I was just kidding. The Beast Forest has had three layers of seals broken this time. Inside the deepest part is an S-rank Beast. Its horn and heart are high-grade materials for forging weapons."

"Doesn't sound like anything that appealing... Would someone of your level be interested in that kind of stuff?"

"I'm not going in to compete with those idiots for my life... An S-rank Beast has about a 50% chance of having an energy level equivalent to a level 2 warrior..."

"And the other 50% chance?"

“The other half of the chance is probably at the level of a level one warrior… There are more and more people who don’t value their lives these days…”

“If you’re not going to kill that phantom beast, then what are you planning to do there?”

“I’ve been in there twice before, trying to get another item hidden inside. But the mechanisms inside made me fail both times. This time, the seal has reopened, and the opportunity is rare. If I don’t try again, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

I forgot that Melfis is not only a high-level warrior, but also an adventurer with rich experience… After all, he’s the guy who calmly walked out of the ruins of Lordman.

“Why do you insist on following me? Can you tell me why? You know, if it’s a question I don’t want to answer, your constant pestering won’t do any good.”

He asked me.

“To become stronger,”

I said.

“There’s no need to take such an extreme approach to becoming stronger.”

“But I can’t think of any other way.”

I have someone I want to protect now, and my past experience tells me that without power, I can’t succeed.

Melfis shook his head and then stopped. I turned to look at him curiously.

“Do you think I’m strong?”

he asked.

“Of course.”

“Where are you strong?”

“Your energy…your magic circle…your swordsmanship…”

He let out his signature maniacal laughter. Strangely, I didn’t find his arrogant laughter offensive at all.

“What level do you think I am now?”

I thought for a moment: “Level two.”

He shook his head.

“Level three? Or maybe Level one!”

“I’m Level five.”

Too many things had surprised me today. “That’s impossible!”

“What’s impossible about it? Should I go to the assessment center to have it checked for you?”

“If you were Level five, you couldn’t have wiped out the Twilight Cross Mercenary Group all by yourself back then! And you couldn’t have escaped unscathed when we surrounded you.”

I wasn’t wrong to say that, after all, there should be double digits of warriors at his level or higher in the Twilight Cross… although more than half of them were Level five like him.

“So you don’t understand what strength is.”

His answer left me speechless, and I could only wait silently for him to continue.

“Don’t use energy, fight me.”

“What did you say?”

I didn’t react for a moment.

“You should have heard me clearly.”

“With my fists?”

“As long as I don’t use weapons or energy, I can do whatever I want.”

Melfis smiled.

I frowned, then adopted a fighting stance I’d learned from action movies. One foot forward, body bent, hands crossed in front of my head. I considered my imitation skills not bad, at least 80% similar.

Melfis, on the other hand, had his knees slightly bent, hands at his sides, forearms bent forward to protect his sides, his entire body facing me directly, not leaning forward on either side.

“Is this…”

“That’s right, karate.”

“This kind of thing is useful in games?”

“You can try it and see.”

Although my energy was no match for his, backing down in this situation would really hurt my pride. So I lowered my center of gravity and charged at him. Of course, because I wasn’t using energy, my speed wasn’t very fast.

Then, as I swung my fist at his head, I inexplicably lost my balance, and when I came to my senses, Melfis had already pinned me to the ground by the arm.

"In a real fight, you'd be dead."

After he released me, I struggled to my feet, though I was unwilling to accept it. I knew that another attempt would likely end the same way, so it was better to avoid further embarrassment.

"How did you do that?"

"It's simple, these are just basic fighting techniques. Shotaku, CQC, Judo, which one would you like to try?"

"If it's about energy, then this is completely useless, isn't it?"

"So your understanding of strength and weakness is completely wrong. Do you think a higher-level person can always beat a lower-level one? Your understanding of energy is completely off track. Energy itself is an extension of human physical abilities—an increase in strength, an increase in speed… If you can fully control and understand your own body's inherent abilities, then one unit of energy can at least achieve five units of effectiveness."

Melfis's explanation was very valuable, and I knew he was right, but I just couldn't understand and apply it yet…

"You think my combat abilities are strong? It's because I underwent systematic training outside. I know the vulnerable parts of the human body, the blind spots of every joint, what kind of instinctive stress response the body will have when you attack a certain part, and which potentially fatal parts are overlooked by inexperienced enemies… When you know all of this, you can kill enemies several levels higher than yourself, just like I do. The leader of the Twilight Cross Mercenary Group, when I killed him, he was only level seven, while his level was two. Do you understand now?"

I understood… What I understood was that I probably would never be as strong as him in this lifetime… After all, the fundamental difference between us is too great… I think that even if he wasn't a high-level fighter in the outside world, he should at least be a ranked martial artist…

"I can't learn from you… I'd rather focus on strengthening my own energy…"

“You don’t need to systematically study fighting techniques like I have. Having been a professional fighter for so long, your reflexes should be even stronger than those of professional boxers, which is a great foundation. If you can focus on training your body in this world and strengthen your physique, you can significantly improve your strength. Knowing what your body can and cannot do, once you deeply understand this, the gap between you and me will be very small. After all, we both use swords, and I, like you, don’t have any special insights into swordsmanship.”

I finally received some truly valuable information, which excited me.

“If you’re willing, I can give you some systematic training in the near future.”

“I’d love to, thank you.”

Over the next few days, Melfis conducted very rigorous physical and agility training with me, and also taught me some very basic techniques for attacking from the opponent’s joint blind spots, which benefited me greatly.

I asked Melfis about the Ring of Immortality, and after hesitating for a long time, he gave me another ring.

“What’s this one?”

I asked after taking it.

“This Ring of Immortality is a pair with your Ring of Undying. The Ring of Immortality was something I gave to Elegy a long time ago, and this matching ring has always been with me. But I've never worn it because if Elegy knew it was a pair, she probably wouldn't accept it. But now, there's no point in me keeping it, so you can take it.”

“…You and Elegy…”

“I've always considered her a friend, but she doesn't see it that way. You could even say she doesn't like me.”

“Why?”

“Why would you ask such a silly question? If every question in this world had an answer, we wouldn't have to worry about anything.”

I put the two rings on my left and right hands, as Melfis had instructed me to do. And when he told me the item levels of these two rings, my heart almost burst from excitement.

Item level is a hidden attribute of an item, an internal classification within the system, similar to the energy level system for warriors. Except for a very few artisans and appraisers, no one else can identify the item level. And these two rings were only level zero…

“Isn’t that a divine artifact? You’re giving them to me?”

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

“The Ring of Immortality belongs to Elegy; after I gave it to her, it no longer belongs to me. And the Ring of Undying itself has no power; I kept it only as a memento. But sharing a set of rings with a man is disgusting. Most importantly, I can’t use the power of the Ring of Immortality, and I don’t want to sell them for money. Do I look like I’m short of money?”

I didn’t understand why Melfis would give something so important to someone I’d only known for a few days. I didn’t thank him, because that was beyond what words could express.

Maybe he wanted to use me, but I didn’t care. Because no matter how I looked at it, my value was far less than these two rings.

In the days before the seal of the Beast Forest completely broke, I stumbled through and mastered the basic abilities of the Ring of Immortality, and my confidence began to rise. I seemed to have unconsciously developed a greater desire for the battles I would face in the coming days.

**********

...

“I’ve always felt that many things are predestined. If fate has decreed that I’ll die in there, there’s no point in me going back,”

I said.

Melfis snorted, “You Chinese are really interesting.”

“That sounds a bit racist,”

I glanced at him.

“I was just stating my feelings, and you guys are always so sensitive about these things…”

“That does sound a bit racist,”

I said, and we laughed together.

The path to the forest wasn’t lonely; we were surrounded by many fellow warriors. Melfis wrapped himself up tightly in his cloak, trying to avoid being bothered by flies, as he put it.

I glanced at the warriors around me but didn’t notice anyone noteworthy, so I didn’t tense up too much. The battles in the forest would definitely be overwhelming, and being on edge now would quickly lead to mental exhaustion. In the outermost space of the Beast Forest, the highest-level beasts were only A-rank; I had trained there for a while before, and most of the enemies I’d encountered were only B-rank.

"What level are the magical beasts inside the seal?"

"Most of them are level A in the first level, level 7 in the second, and level 5 in the third."

"Level 5... even the grunts are this strong..."

"Scared?"

"What do you think?"

“Don’t worry. There are very few phantom beasts inside the seal, almost no grunts. I’m talking about boss-level ones.”

I nodded, then unconsciously touched the ring on my hand.

“Once we enter the forest, follow my pace, conserve your energy, and don’t worry about anything else. If any phantom beasts block our way, I’ll handle them. I’ll call you if I need your help. If we encounter a large herd, I’ll discuss specific tactics with you based on the type of phantom beast. The phantom beasts are currently in a rampage, and the situation in the forest is different from when you came before. Many people will die in there because of this.”

“It’s up to you.”

“So obedient…”

Melfis teased me, but I wasn’t angry. Because I always felt that he was just like that, always quick to criticize, and it would be a bit childish of me to get angry over something like this… although I’ve had my share of childish thoughts.

The forest wasn’t very dark, because although it was a forest, the trees weren’t as dense as I had imagined.

The warriors who entered the forest at the same time as us rushed forward like madmen as soon as they saw the phantom beasts, and while they were wasting their energy, Melfis and I had already started to accelerate.

Because he had already entered the sealed space, Melfis's direction was very clear. Our advantage was that we didn't need to waste time searching for the location of the sealed space entrance.

Perhaps our decisive action attracted too much attention, because several groups of guys started following us.

And judging from their speed, they weren't low-level warriors that we could easily shake off with our B-rank speed.

"Using us as a way to clear the way? What clever guys..."

Melfis glanced back at them and smiled wickedly.

"What kind of bad idea are you up to?"

Seeing his smile, I instinctively felt a little uneasy.

"Stay close!"

The moment he said that, he started to accelerate, and I quickly shut my mouth and began to increase my energy. Thick, rotten logs whizzed past us, and our speed began to increase.

The people behind us seemed to realize something, and they also began to accelerate. I looked back, and this action almost made me crash into the big tree in front of me. If I crashed into it at this speed, all the bones in my body would probably be shattered, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

"Watch where you're going! Do you want to die!"

Melfis shouted.

“I just wanted to see how many people were catching up,”

I said, struggling against the wind.

“That’s not important. They’ll thank us soon enough. Follow right behind me!”

I didn’t say anything more, just tried my best not to fall behind. Melfis began firing not-so-powerful energy blasts from his body into the trees on either side. As we passed, the sounds of energy blasts hitting the ground echoed from our sides and behind.

Our acceleration had forced a few lower-level creatures to give up chasing us, but the number of pursuers hadn’t decreased. Because Melfis’s energy blasts had attracted more attention, several more groups were chasing us.

I didn’t understand why he was using energy to reveal his position, but I didn’t ask him, because opening my mouth would make the wind very uncomfortable.

In less than three minutes, the answer to my question was revealed. Melfis wasn’t doing this to attract attention; his energy blasts were to lure a horde of phantom beasts…

When the horde of phantom beasts surged towards us from the trees on both sides like a tidal wave, my scalp began to tingle. Even with Melfis's earlier warning, the sheer size of the beast horde still far exceeded my expectations. If I had entered the Beast Forest alone without preparation, a warrior of my level would have been in grave danger if they encountered such a horde and didn't know how to handle it.

"What do we do with so many of them!"

I yelled at Melfis.

"Nothing to do, that's the problem for those behind! Hahahaha!"

Melfis left a trail of maniacal laughter in the air, then increased his speed by another level. Our speed should have reached the full speed of an A-rank warrior, but I felt I still had some energy left. It seemed that, as he said, my energy might be growing rapidly without me even realizing it.

As the beast horde pressed towards us, the first to come into contact were those chasing us from afar. I didn't turn around, but when the roars and energy explosions of the beast horde reached us, I knew those trailing behind were in trouble.

"Can you swim!"

Melfis suddenly shouted.

"Swimming?!"

I didn't react for a moment.

"Damn it! Can't you understand human language?!"

Melfis cursed.

“Oh…I know!”

“That’s good!”

Before I could ask him why he needed to know this, a vast body of water appeared at the edge of my vision. Because the surface was very still, I knew it must be a lake, but I couldn’t see the end of it at all.

“Watch out!”

Melfis suddenly warned. I immediately turned around and saw some furious warriors who had broken free from the phantom beast horde at high speed and were approaching us. Their levels should all be above A, otherwise they couldn’t have closed the distance between us.

Dozens of energy blades rushed at us from behind. I was about to draw my sword to block them when Melfis tugged at my arm.

“Ignore them!”

He said as he began to form hand seals, lowering his body from the air to almost touching the ground. Although I was reluctant, I forced myself to do as he said. I wasn’t used to completely trusting Melfis and exposing my back to the enemy’s attacks without any resistance.

Melfis performed a dazzling spin in the air, forming hand seals while moving at high speed. Then, a powerful surge of magic shot from his hands to the ground, leaving a long trail behind him.

The ground began to crack, irregular rocks and dust coalescing into countless sharp spikes that blocked all the energy blades attacking us. The path we had flown through, under Melfis's magic, became a hellish tunnel impossible to traverse at low altitudes. Those creatures

lost a significant amount of speed due to this spell, and in an instant, Melfis and I had left them far behind again. The horde of phantom beasts quickly engulfed them, and I could already hear the booming sound of the beasts shaking the earth.

A sense of fear rose from the depths of my heart, because even knowing these phantom beasts weren't high-level, few could remain unmoved by such a scene, whether from a visual or auditory perspective.

Fortunately, they no longer had a chance to surround us; a dozen seconds later, the lake shore was close at hand.

"Let's go!"

Melfis rose back in front of me, then roared and plunged into the lake.

I took a deep breath, the cold lake wind sending a chill down my spine. Then, the icy lake water enveloped me.

I struggled to open my eyes in the water. The weight of the breastplate and the speed of the sprint made me sink rapidly. I quickly used my energy to lift myself up and then swam forward following Melfias's figure.

After the bubbles around me dissipated, I saw a huge palace deep in the lake, and Melfias was swimming towards it.

Although not from the same direction, I had been to this lake before, but I had no idea there was such a large underwater structure at the bottom.

The palace's design was very unique; it was clearly built specifically to avoid water, not the typical palace on land. I followed Melfis through a stone door, and when we surfaced, we were already deep inside the palace.

"Damn...it's freezing..."

Melfis complained as he used his energy to evaporate the icy lake water from his body.

I did the same and began to survey my surroundings. Although the place was sealed, the walls were covered with energy torches, illuminating the entire palace as if it were daytime.

"How did you know there was a palace here?"

I asked.

"Too lazy to answer that question...you just need to know that this place is a safe haven from the beasts. I always use this method to avoid hordes of raging beasts when I come here,"

Melfis said.

"What's deep inside the palace? Sealed here?"

Melfis shook his head. "There used to be some treasures here, but they were all looted long ago. Keep going in this direction, and once you get out, you'll be deep in the Phantom Beast Forest, avoiding direct contact with other Phantom Beast groups."

I have to say, his experience in wilderness survival strategies was far beyond my reach.

"Are there monsters here?"

"Yes, though they're not low-level, they pose no threat to us. The task of clearing the way is up to you."

After saying that, he ignored me completely. I simply didn't ask him any more questions, drew my sword, and walked ahead.

**************************

When I saw what kind of monsters were in the palace, I completely relaxed.

Fully armed skeleton warriors. The level of these monsters was judged entirely by the appearance of their armor and the quality of their weapons. Powerful skeleton warriors could rival A-rank or higher warriors, while weak ones could be so weak that they could be used as practice targets for newbies who hadn't even reached a real combat level. This was arguably the enemy with the biggest power disparity in the entire game.

We were probably facing one of the top three level skeleton warriors out of all, but that was a piece of cake for me.

When the first skeleton warrior swung its energy-enhanced longsword at me, I used instantaneous energy acceleration to flank it and placed my hand on its armor.

After doing this, the skeleton warrior fell silent.

This was an additional ability of the Ring of Undying; I could control any undead creature lower in level than me, but only a maximum of two.

So, after controlling two skeleton warriors, Melfis and I simply stopped fighting ourselves and instead directed the two monsters to bully other of their kind that appeared before us.

At first, I felt a sense of accomplishment, after all, it was my first time controlling monsters. But this cheap sense of accomplishment quickly turned into boredom, because all these skeleton warriors could do was hack and slash.

Melfis remained nonchalant until he heard faint human voices coming from around the corner of the maze ahead.

He immediately raised his hand to signal me to stop, and of course, I did the same.

We tiptoed forward and found ourselves in a large hall on the next level. We were on the second floor of this hall, in what looked like a grandstand.

I peeked out from behind a partition and looked down, seeing a crystal ball on a pillar in the center of the hall. A group of people were standing next to the crystal ball; to avoid being discovered, I only glanced at them from a distance—there seemed to be seven or eight of them.

"What's that crystal ball for?"

I asked Melfis, who had been here before and should know.

"It's the switch to the passage to the next level. There's nothing valuable there anymore, and even if there were, it's locked up by powerful mechanisms."

"Why don't you try to get them?"

"Too much trouble. Those things aren't worth my time."

I really couldn't say anything to him…

"Huh? Isn't that woman your girlfriend?"

he suddenly asked.

Confused, I quickly sat up and looked closer. Fey was among the people standing there! "She's not my girlfriend," I said. "You were willing to throw yourself onto my sword for her, weren't you!"

Melfis laughed. "...Let's go down. I came here to find her too, and we ran into her so easily." I awkwardly changed the subject. We jumped down from the stands, an action that immediately caused a commotion. I felt a vibration of energy; it seemed someone had unleashed their energy because of our sudden appearance. "Fey!" To avoid misunderstanding, I called the girl's name immediately. "Greedy Wolf?" Unexpectedly, Fey didn't turn around to look at me. She gripped the hilt of her sword behind her back, staring motionlessly at the person in front of her. I immediately realized that something was wrong. Fronburn was standing next to her, and in front of them were five unfamiliar figures. It seemed they had been in a standoff, and my sudden appearance with Melfis had worsened the situation. "What are you doing here?" Fronburn asked as I walked up to Fey. He was wearing dark brown armor and carrying a broadsword. I certainly wouldn't say that I had pestered Melfis to get information out of him, nor would I say that I was here to check on Fey's safety. "Just here to practice," I said casually. "What happened?" "Some people have no manners..." Fronburn said coldly. "Don't think you can be arrogant just because you have two more people," one of the guys opposite shouted. "The Rayouts are really something, thinking no one else can interfere with what they want?" "Fey?" I sensed Fronburn wasn't really interested in talking to me, so I turned to Fey. "Fronburn found a weapon here before, and recently got the method to crack the mechanism... but it seems others have also gotten the same information... so..." This situation isn't uncommon. Usually, both sides bid against each other, and the highest bidder pays the other group who gave up the bidding the corresponding amount of gold coins to buy what they want. But if things are this tense, it can only mean that one side doesn't want to abide by the rules. Of course, there's another general rule: fighting. Which one you choose is entirely up to you, if you're really willing to fight to the death for something. "Don't waste time... what are you planning?"

I asked the person opposite me. I didn't want to annoy Melfis... after all, his temper was really unpredictable. From the beginning, he had been standing behind me, looking completely indifferent and silent.

"Let's settle this with swords. We'll send four people, one match, and don't say we're bullying you."

I glanced back at Melfis, who rolled his eyes, as if to say, "Don't look at me, it's none of my business."

"How about we each send one person to duel, one round to decide the winner?"

I said.

"Okay."

The other side agreed.

Fey suddenly tugged at my clothes and whispered, "Why are you hanging out with this guy?"

I shrugged. "Coincidence, or fate, who knows? But he's not an enemy now, you can rest assured about that."

"Rest assured?"

Fronburn suddenly interrupted, "You'd better tell your friend that if he does anything suspicious, don't blame me for being ruthless. I don't trust either you or your friend."

I frowned, afraid that Fronburn's arrogant tone would provoke Melfis. But when I saw the slightly mocking smile on Melfis's face, I wasn't worried.

Fey had been trying to stop him from speaking, tugging at his sleeve, but failed, so she looked a little embarrassed. After all, she was the one who brought me into the guild, and now there seemed to be some inexplicable rift between me and Fronburn. I didn't know if it was my fault or if Fronburn was just like that.

I didn't care, because I wasn't interested in him. Besides, I didn't really trust him either; I just hadn't been shameless enough to bring what everyone knew to the surface.

"Internal strife? Why don't you stop fighting and have your own people fight each other for a while?"

one of the female warriors on the other side mocked.

"I don't need your concern..."

Fey glanced at her and said indifferently.

"I'll go first, you guys send your men."

Fronburn stepped forward after glancing at Melfis and me.

A strong warrior stepped out, wielding a two-handed greatsword, two sizes larger than the weapon Fey was using.

Fronburn opened his left hand and slowly raised it, creating a completely opaque barrier that enveloped him and his opponent.

The sounds of colliding energy quickly filled the air; all we had to do now was wait for the outcome. Although I didn't like Fronburn, I knew his strength wasn't to be underestimated.

I turned to look at Fey and saw her frowning, watching the barrier with worry. Seeing her anxious expression, I felt inexplicably irritated. I told myself it was childish, but I couldn't control my emotions.

"That guy's pretty strong, much stronger than you,"

Melfis suddenly said, approaching me.

"How do you know? You can't see..."

I glanced at him sideways.

"The energy vibrations—I can roughly sense the battle inside. Every attack he makes produces energy collisions, meaning they're effective. And the opponent's energy often vibrates against the barrier..."

"You're a monster... How does he compare to you?"

"About thirty seconds,"

he laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"The time it would take to kill him."

It sounded incredibly arrogant and cocky, but I had to admit it was impossible. This despicable guy's abilities were something I couldn't help but envy.

We were talking in hushed tones, so Fey didn't hear us. But as Melfis approached me, she kept glancing at him with a wary look on her face.

"Afraid of me, beautiful?"

Melfis said with a smile after catching Fey's gaze.

Fey smiled back and shook her head. "You said you wouldn't kill me, didn't you?"

"You brought up killing right off the bat. Looks like I haven't made a very good impression."

Melfis laughed.

Looking at Fey's smile, my agitation began to subside. Being near her always gave me a special feeling; perhaps her attraction to me wasn't as strong as I imagined.

I wanted to talk to her about something, but I didn't know how to start. Seeing the worried look on her face made me feel superfluous… If she already had someone she loved, I'd better not cause myself any trouble.

Suddenly, the energy within the barrier trembled violently, and then the barrier was dispelled. Fronburn swung his sword and walked back to us. His opponent, wounded in the leg, lay on the ground, gritting his teeth and clutching his injury.

"I held back this time, don't force me to kill you,"

Fronburn said to the man's companion from a distance.

The man he had defeated was probably one of the stronger members of that group, so they simply took the wounded man and left without a word.

Clean and efficient, although it must have cost him some energy, Fronburn was unharmed; this was a complete victory.

Fey smiled after he stepped out of the barrier. Fronburn watched his opponent walk away, then opened a passage with his crystal ball.

"Let's go~" Fey turned to me, looking at me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Wait."

Fronburn turned around before I could reply. "Fey, why did you let them come along?"

Fey stared at Fronburn, wide-eyed. "He's a member of our guild, isn't it normal to act together?"

"I don't think he's trustworthy."

"He saved me!"

Fey unconsciously raised his voice.

“Alright.”

I couldn’t help but stop their argument. “It’s okay, Fey. I hadn’t decided to join you anyway.”

I wasn’t just saying that; after all, I couldn’t ignore Melfis’s thoughts.

“Ugh… when did Rayout become such an ugly guild? I really want to see what Azza’s expression will be when he sees all this.”

Melfis suddenly spoke up.

“Don’t think you can comment on our guild just because you know Azza.”

Fronburn said coldly to Melfis.

“Oh? I don’t think you have the right to decide what I should and shouldn’t say.”

Melfis revealed a very arrogant and provocative expression.

If I didn’t say anything, the two of them would definitely fight. If I had just joined the guild and my companion killed a member of the guild, I couldn’t think of a more embarrassing situation.

“Melfis…”

“Alright, alright, stop messing around. I won’t fight him. He doesn’t even know I’m angry.”

Melfis knew exactly what I was going to say. He waved his hand, indicating that I didn't need to worry. "How you proceed is up to you and your girlfriend for now. I'm not in a rush."

"She and I aren't in that kind of relationship. I've already explained that,"

I said, frowning... But why did I have this feeling that he was doing it on purpose?

Fey looked at me with a hint of doubt, then at Melfis, and then covered her mouth and laughed. Her laughter was as melodious as an angel's.

"Floonburn, let's go down below to get our things and then go with them. If we really want to explore the seal, having two more people will definitely make things much easier. As for the trust issue... if you trust me, you should trust the people I trust, right?"

Fey said.

What she said was something Floonburn couldn't refuse, and he finally had to nod.

"Wait for us here for a bit, okay?"

After persuading Floonburn, Fey ran up to me and asked with a kitten-like expression. Of course, I couldn't say no.

Watching them enter the passage, I turned to look at Melfis.

"You did it on purpose."

"What?"

He gave me a very affected questioning look.

“You’re joking about my relationship with Fey.”

I said, frowning.

“So what if you are?”

“I don’t like these kinds of jokes.”

“I just wanted to help you out. You like her, and she likes you. I can’t stand watching you two just stand there doing nothing.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

I was very unhappy with his teasing. If Fey heard this, the relatively close relationship we’d managed to maintain would probably be over. Because Melfis didn’t know that everyone in the guild treated Fey as kindly and gently as she did to me.

“Stop pretending… You dare say you have no feelings for her?”

“…I… You can say whatever you want, but you shouldn’t talk nonsense if you don’t know Fey’s feelings,” I retorted.

“You didn’t notice, but I saw it. She kept watching you when you weren’t looking, and the moment you turned your head, she pretended to be worried and went to watch that hot-tempered guy’s fight. I’ve been with many women, I know very well what emotions were in her eyes when she looked at you.”

I hoped he was telling the truth, but adding unreliable fantasies to my head at this point would only make things more confusing, so I simply stopped talking about it.

Fey and Fronburn didn’t keep us waiting long; half an hour later, we were already on our way.

“This sunshine is really nice… I wish we could have a picnic!”

Fey stretched vigorously as we emerged from the water.

“Whether we’ll have a picnic or be used as a picnic by phantom beasts is still uncertain.”

Fronburn’s face showed a loving expression as he reached out and touched Fey’s hair. I noticed Fey instinctively tilted her head, but didn’t flinch when Fronburn’s hand came down.

The two of them walked ahead, with Melfis and me diagonally behind them. Melfis hadn't spoken since they started working with us, so I had no idea what he was thinking.

"We need to reach the western cave before dark, otherwise some very troublesome phantom beasts will appear tonight,"

he finally spoke.

"Need energy to speed things up?"

Fey turned to look at him.

"If you want to run a long distance to get some exercise, I have no objection,"

Melfis said with a wicked grin.

Throughout this brief exchange, Fronburn kept giving Melfis a very unfriendly look. I had a feeling these two would clash sooner or later… but Melfis never seemed to take Fronburn seriously.

Melfis took the lead and began low-altitude flight using energy, and we all boosted our energy and followed. The pace wasn't fast, as we needed to conserve energy for unforeseen events.

"I haven't told you this before… but it shouldn't be too late now…"

Fey said, gliding down to my side.

"What's the matter?"

"Rayout has a good reputation, but it still has enemies, so I wanted to remind you."

"People like us always have enemies..."

I said, "What kind of enemies?"

"Several rival guilds. Because Fronburn and I saw members of those guilds enter the forest before, we'll probably run into them later, so I thought I'd tell you."

"Rival guilds... that sounds troublesome, are they big guilds?"

"Hell Temple. Our guild has clashed with them before. Fronburn personally killed several of their core members, and we lost two of our comrades. So if we encounter their high-ranking members, a fight is almost certain. There are also several guilds allied with Hell Temple, they are not to be underestimated."

Hell Temple is a relatively well-known big guild with nearly a hundred members, and their guild leader is a guy called "Earl."

But I don't know much else about them, and I don't know if "Earl" is a nickname or their real ID.

Usually, big guilds don't easily clash, because if it escalates into a guild war, many people will die. However, as guild members grow, no one can guarantee that they won't make mistakes.

Sometimes, a small misunderstanding can escalate into a battle involving hundreds of people; this is not uncommon, either in the outside world or here.

Currently, the top-ranked guilds in [Divine Capital] are Dreams, Twp, and the Destroyer; other guilds lag far behind. These three guilds each possess their own castle, almost completely controlling the city and surrounding area, bordering on a small nation, with thousands of members.

Dreams has the most members because they don't limit the number of applicants. Twp has the most high-level warriors among the three, but their numbers are relatively small due to level requirements for membership. The Destroyer strikes a balance between the two.

If a conflict were to erupt between these three guilds, the entire world of [Divine Capital] would likely be engulfed in bloodshed. Fortunately, these guilds are not organizations ruled by a single person. They all have internal council-like bodies, preventing the guild leader from indiscriminately sacrificing their members' lives in a fit of rage.

Guilds like Rayout and Hell's Temple are basically run by their guild leaders. Fortunately, Balgus seems to be quite restrained, and that "Count" probably is too; otherwise, one of those guilds would have already disappeared from this world.

"...So Balgus's instructions to us are that if we encounter members of an enemy guild, we're to decide for ourselves what to do and bear the consequences,"

Fey said.

I've never sat in Balgus's position, so I'm not qualified to judge whether this order is good or bad. But personally, I don't dislike it.

"Hell's Temple has Alliance guilds, what about us?"

“Of course we have one too. The Seren Guild is our loyal ally. Aside from being administratively and financially independent, our two guilds are practically one large alliance. Azza was originally from Seren, but transferred to us later due to some connections.”

I’d heard of that guild before; the guild leader seemed to be a woman, but I couldn’t quite remember her name.

We chatted like this, and soon we saw a cave. The cave wasn’t deep, but it was hard to spot from a distance.

“This cave is a safe zone; you can safely exit. As long as you don’t actively provoke any phantom beasts, it can also serve as a resting place,”

Melfis said.

Fronburn glanced at the small cave, only a few dozen square meters, then walked over to Fey. “Then let’s log off and rest… eat something, sleep… and set off again in ten hours, okay?”

Melfis ignored him, but clearly had heard him. He stretched, glanced at me, and then logged out of the game.

Fronburn said he was going to log out, but he didn’t move. It took me a while to realize he’d been watching me.

"Aren't you quitting?"

"..."

I was silent for two seconds. "I'm not in a hurry. You don't need to worry about me."

"Fey?"

Fronburn looked at Fey.

"It's okay, you can go now~ See you in ten hours."

Fey gave him a sweet smile.

After Fronburn left, only Fey and I were left in the cave. To avoid awkwardness, I went out of the cave and collected a lot of branches, then lit a campfire with a flint and steel.

"Aren't you quitting?"

Fey asked, watching me do all this.

"You didn't quit either, did you?"

I sat down by the fire, looking at her face through the leaping flames.

"I... I'm actually... a battery..."

When Fey said this, I caught a glimpse of inferiority on her face for a moment, an expression I had never seen on her face before. But she didn't make excuses to deceive me; instead, she revealed the identity that made her feel embarrassed.

"We both have the same reason,"

I told her.

"Really?"

Her eyes widened, and then she sat down opposite me.

I hung my portable kettle over the campfire on a long stick to boil water, then took out some dry rations. Although as a battery I didn't actually need to replenish my energy with food, the zero-level neural simulation would make me feel hungry, and my stomach would feel uncomfortable if I didn't eat.

Fronburn knew Fey's identity very well, and he didn't look down on her at all. On the contrary, before leaving, he was worried that Fey would feel uncomfortable exposing her privacy in front of me, which showed how considerate he was of her.

The two of us "batteries" sat facing each other, the hot air from the campfire distorting our gazes between us. I took this opportunity to shamelessly admire her beautiful face and crystal-clear eyes, poking at the fire in front of me.

04-19
Chapter 05

She was looking at me too, and it seemed like we were both deceiving ourselves. If it weren't for the campfire standing between us, probably neither of us would have done this.

"Why be a battery?"

she broke the silence.

"Why do you want to know this?"

I asked.

“I just wanted to know… If I offended you, just pretend I never asked that stupid question…”

Fey’s gaze began to dart away.

“Because there’s something I have to run away from… I’ll die if I don’t become a battery.”

I answered truthfully, though it sounded very vague and irrelevant. “What about you?”

“Are you really sure or just asking politely?”

Fey said with a smile; she was a remarkably intelligent girl.

“I talked to Mono, and after she found out I was a battery, she told me about you too. She said you were also running away from something, and I really want to know.”

I explained everything clearly.

“So you’ve always known I was a battery… but you seemed to be testing me by asking a question you already knew the answer to?”

Fey frowned.

“…No… that’s not what I meant… I just… felt… afraid of making you feel uncomfortable…”

I began to explain incoherently.

Fey covered her mouth and giggled, “I was just joking with you. You should see how serious you looked just now…”

I breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly cursing myself. Regardless, losing my composure over a single sentence is something someone my age shouldn't do.

"Outside, I was a patient,"

Fey steered the conversation back on track.

"A patient?"

"More like a cripple. Because of an accident, my spine was broken, so I couldn't do anything but lie in bed. I lay there for three years, and then [Shen Du] appeared."

I couldn't speak, because I didn't know what to say.

"I'm so grateful for [Shen Du]. The developers there specially modified equipment for people like me, allowing me to move my virtual body again. If I was running away from anything, it was probably that rotten body outside that couldn't even metabolize itself… But here, I'm like everyone else, I can live well, and I'm happy."

"You're so strong. If it were me, I probably wouldn't have lasted three years."

I was telling the truth; if I were truly paralyzed, I would definitely choose suicide.

Fey opened her mouth, but continued. I sensed she was hiding many things from me. What could I blame her for? After all, I hadn't told her my whole story either.

“Actually, I’m glad you accepted my invitation to join the guild.”

After a short silence, Fey looked up again and said.

“Why?”

I realized I had a lot of “whys” tonight.

“Because I inexplicably feel very close to you, like I’ve found a big, long-lost dog.”

She said, giggling.

I frowned at her analogy, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“That’s a rather impolite way of putting it.”

“Ah… I forgot that you dragons eat dog meat…”

“…I don’t eat it…and not everyone eats dog meat…”

I don’t like dogs, but I don’t hate the animal either. However, Yingfeng likes dogs, so I never eat dog meat.

“Do you like Rayout?”

My initial reason for joining Rayout was just because of her, but I couldn’t tell her that.

“I don’t hate it.”

I answered truthfully.

"Fronburn is a good person, although his personality is a bit awful, but his words weren't malicious. I hope you and your companion won't take them to heart."

"He's really good to you. Are you two a couple?"

I asked, seizing the opportunity to ask the question I'd wanted to ask for a long time.

Fey shook her head. "Just good friends."

"He seems to like you a lot."

"I know, he's confessed several times already."

This answer surprised me.

"You didn't accept? I think if you don't accept someone's feelings, it's better not to maintain such a close relationship. Keeping giving someone hope can be very hurtful..."

"I've already made it very clear to him that I'm a single person... He respects my choice and then changed his mind, saying that as long as he's with me, that's enough. I'm afraid that neglecting him will make him very sad."

"A single person... Is that popular now?"

"Not really... As for the specific reason... it's a secret!"

She smiled, her eyes narrowing, looking very cute.

"Everyone has secrets..."

I muttered to myself.

"What did you say?"

She moved closer to me.

“I mean…it seems everyone has things they don’t want others to know…that must be the so-called dark side of human nature…”

“Perhaps we’re just always searching for something that can illuminate our dark side…”

Fey sat beside me, her knees drawn up, her hair dyed a fiery red by the firelight. She turned to look at me, and I looked at her. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and within those tears flickered flames.

I couldn’t help but reach out and press the back of her hand under my palm; her fingers began to tremble, and so did mine.

I gradually moved my face closer to hers, and her slightly rapid breathing became clearer in my ears.

But she seemed to forcibly pull her consciousness back before she lost the ability to think. Fey withdrew her hand and then looked away from my gaze.

“I…I’m sorry…”

she said softly, her brow furrowed and her face flushed, before burying her head between her knees and arms.

I let out a long sigh and then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“I really don’t know what I was thinking. I’m the one who should apologize; I did something ugly.”

Fey looked at me again, gently shook her head, then leaned her shoulder against me, closed her eyes, and nestled against the rock wall behind her.

Soon, I too fell into a deep sleep, inhaling the scent of her hair.

************

When I woke up again, Fey was gone. The campfire, emitting acrid black smoke, had been extinguished for some time. Melfis sat on a large rock in front of me, watching me.

“How long has it been?”

I asked, stretching my aching shoulders.

“An hour until the scheduled time.”

Melfis looked at me with a smile.

“What are you laughing at? Where’s Fey?”

“She went to the river to wash up. Don’t worry, she’s in a safe area.”

Melfis was still smiling, making me very uncomfortable.

But I knew that making me uncomfortable was his purpose, so I simply ignored him.

When Fey returned, she smiled at me but said nothing. After waiting for a while, Fronburn also landed.

"We need to discuss our next move."

His first words upon arriving were this.

"I have something I need; just get that, and the rest of the treasures are yours to divide,"

Melfis said.

"Do you know how to get through the seal?"

Fronburn asked, turning his head.

"Where do you think you are now?"

Melfis glanced at him sideways.

"Are we already inside the seal?"

I interjected.

"That's right. This cave is the last safe exit area. Further in, there's nowhere to safely log off and rest, so we have to fight our way to the end."

"Sounds tough..."

I sighed.

"As long as you behave, at least you won't die before entering the Beast Nest,"

Melfis said, walking out of the cave, and we followed one after another.

Just as he had told me at the beginning, we didn't encounter any more large groups of beasts inside the seal. But our luck wasn't such that we wouldn't encounter enemies forever.

When a two-meter-tall beast appeared before us, I realized that the creatures inside had become quite advanced.

"Don't all rush at once, let's take turns dealing with them and conserve our energy,"

Melfis immediately stopped us from rushing out.

"Who goes first?"

I asked.

"Hey beautiful, I remember your weapon is electrified?"

Melfis asked Fey.

Fey shook her head, "No, it's an attribute I added to my sword with a spell, it only works with super-heavy attacks."

"It's okay, it's all the same. This one's yours, non-elemental phantoms can't handle your kind of attacks."

Fey nodded, then charged forward with increased energy.

The phantom's level wasn't as high as Fey's, and its AI didn't seem particularly good either. Fey spent five minutes wearing down its energy and stamina, and the phantom's movements gradually slowed down. She seized an opening and plunged her electrified sword into the phantom's heart.

Melfis clapped lightly and exaggeratedly, I nodded to her, and Fey smiled.

The second one was dealt with by Fronburn. He fully charged his sword, then used a burst of energy to accelerate towards the phantom and directly chopped off its head. Although it wasn't anything particularly special, I still felt there was an element of showing off in how quickly he used so much energy to defeat a phantom beast.

Melfis had been smiling ever since Fronburn took down his first one, until the third one appeared.

He drew his sword and, after steadily parrying four or five phantom beast attacks, Melfis's black sword effortlessly pierced the beast's mouth at a very skillful angle. Fey seemed a little surprised by his fluid swordplay, while Fronburn frowned, because Melfis had seemed to be deliberately showing off, using almost no energy at all.

When the fourth one appeared, I knew it was my turn.

"Ice-type phantom beasts, the freezing effect on their attacks is the most troublesome, you know that, right?"

Melfis said to me after identifying his opponent.

I nodded. Everyone else had eliminated their opponents smoothly and without injury, and it would be too humiliating for me to mess it up. So, I unconsciously increased my energy and raised my weapon. I

charged at the phantom beast, which roared and began to fight me. I remembered Melfis saying that the phantom beast in the first seal should only have A-level energy, so I could easily break through its energy shield and leave a wound.

However, because this thing was quite large, my attacks weren't very serious for it, and instead enraged it. The moment it began to counterattack, I felt the pressure increase greatly. Its attack speed suddenly increased, and before I could adapt, it slapped me and sent me flying.

Fortunately, I hadn't underestimated it; the protective shield I had prepared absorbed almost all the damage, but the powerful impact still made my chest hurt.

I was a little anxious because the others hadn't been hit head-on in the battle. Although my level was the lowest among them, the phantom beast was only A-level, and I felt utterly humiliated.

I charged towards it with increased speed, but the moment I made contact, the phantom beast spewed out a cloud of icy mist. Caught off guard, I plunged into the mist, swallowed whole by a bone-chilling cold.

My hands and feet went numb, and my sword frosted over.

My movements faltered, and the phantom beast immediately pounced on me from the side. I barely managed to raise my sword to block its attack, enduring the chill, but was thrown off balance and sent flying a considerable distance.

This was extremely dangerous; my frozen joints made it impossible to adjust my posture in mid-air. If the phantom beast launched another attack now, I would be either dead or severely injured.

I transferred the sword to my other hand and began forming hand seals, hoping I could do it in time.

Fortunately, the phantom beast's attack didn't arrive before I completed the seals. The Ring of Immortality emitted a surge of energy, instantly dispelling the frost from my body. I twisted my now-flexible body, dodging to the side and successfully avoiding the phantom beast's attack.

This was an ability of the Ring of Immortality called "Nirvana." A low-level "Nirvana" could dispel most low-level negative effects by activating it with hand seals.

The phantom beast's charge was too powerful, and I seized the opportunity to accelerate, plunging my sword into the back of its head.

The phantom beast's massive body slammed to the ground, and I landed panting heavily. My mood soured because using "Nirvana" in this battle had wasted most of my energy, making me feel incredibly embarrassed.

"Haha, you've gotten quite skilled at that already,"

Melfis said with a laugh.

I shrugged, frowning and remaining silent.

"Was that phantom beast really only A-rank?"

Fey suddenly asked Melfis.

"We've already entered the second layer of the seal; that guy is a level 7 phantom beast," Melfis said with

a wicked grin.

I suddenly realized I'd been tricked by this guy again… If it really was an A-rank phantom beast and I'd still be in such a sorry state, it would truly be a blow to my pride.

**********

...

“The Beast Lord should be on the top level, why are we going down?”

Fronburn asked as they walked.

“Because what I want isn’t what it’s guarding. Do you even need to ask such a simple question? Is your brain just for show?”

Melfis retorted sharply.

Fronburn hadn’t given Melfis a friendly look the whole way, even though Melfis wasn’t intentionally provoking him—I knew that was just his way of speaking—Fronburn wouldn’t pretend he hadn’t heard him.

“Say that again!”

Fronburn snapped.

“Okay… don’t be impulsive…”

Fey quickly pulled him back.

“You heard what he said! I’ve put up with this guy for a long time, and this time he’s asking for trouble!”

Fronburn roared, looking like he was about to charge.

Melfis didn’t even change his expression, just stood there quietly staring at him.

“Don’t argue like children. If you really don’t like each other, it’s more direct to just fight, what do you guys think?”

I was completely fed up with Fronburn’s temper, so I said to the two of them.

“Just what I wanted! What do you say?”

Fronburn continued to yell at Melfis.

Melfis's unchanging smile vanished, and he nodded.

“If I kill you, I hope your guild won't come after me.”

He gave me a serious look as he said this to Fronburn.

“Quite the boast! Don't worry, for revenge in a fair duel, our guild isn't that pathetic.”

Actually, I knew Melfis didn't care about Rayout at all. He hadn't killed us before not because he was afraid of Rayout or Azza, but simply because there was no need to kill us.

His mention of the guild now had only one purpose: my problem.

Because he was now my comrade, if Fronburn were killed, I would be the one in the most trouble, which was why he looked at me as he spoke.

I didn't like Fronburn, but I didn't want him to die. But if I had to choose between Melfis and him, I would definitely want Melfis to live. Because in battles between warriors of similar caliber, neither side can hold back; victory or defeat is often decided in the blink of an

eye by a single opening, and whether anyone dies is entirely a matter of luck. I nodded to Melfis, indicating that I was alright, and he smiled again.

"Let's find a spacious place and have some fun..."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Inside the underground palace of the mountain, we found a cave perfect for fighting. This cave was about the size of a small palace, enough for these two to wreak havoc.

Fey seemed very unhappy because Fronburn hadn't listened to her, and I acted as if it were none of my business. She always tried to keep everyone around her at peace, but that was impossible, because conflicts will always arise between people, even between close friends or intimate lovers.

Fate always presents us with various choices, and some choices are inherently contradictory.

"How do we fight?"

Melfis stopped, raising his chin to look at Fronburn.

"Whatever you want!"

"Stop using magic, fight with your sword. I'm skilled in rock magic; using that here would be too unfair to you."

"If you underestimate me, you won't even know how you died..."

Fronburn's face darkened further.

Melfis didn't childishly continue arguing; he simply drew his black sword.

I didn't know what high-level equipment Melfis possessed, but there was no doubt that the black sword was among the best weapons I'd ever seen. After all, the Dragon Coil Sword had shattered my weapon, but that black sword had broken the Dragon Coil Sword.

Fronburn wore heavy full armor; judging from his appearance, he seemed to be a pure swordsman type, because, except for some special armor, most heavy armor significantly reduced the effectiveness of magic.

Melfis is a magic warrior, capable of close combat and possessing a considerable level of magic power, so he was only wearing a breastplate similar to mine from earlier. I think he was indeed a bit overconfident, after all, they were both at the same level, and without using magic, Melfis's defense couldn't possibly keep up with his opponent.

But now it's all in vain, they've already unleashed their energy and are fighting.

Melfis's speed advantage is on full display, he dodges almost all of Fronburn's attacks. His attacks, however, force Fronburn to use his sword to block, and in the back and forth, Fronburn's energy consumption is a level higher than Melfis's.

The level of [Divine Capital] is calculated by combining the total magic power and total energy, and Melfis's magic power is quite strong; the magic circles he used in front of me couldn't be released with just a little magic power.

If that's the case, his energy intensity pales in comparison to his opponent's.

Fronburn's attack intensity is very high, each strike scattering a lot of excess energy that explodes onto Melfis's shield. Even with his perfect dodges, Melfis couldn't avoid the energy scattering, so his overall advantage wasn't significant.

During the stalemate, Fronburn suddenly unleashed a burst of energy, accelerating and wielding his weapon with incredible speed, forcing Melfis to take the hit head-on.

Melfis did so, and was blasted away by his opponent's energy. Just as he regained his footing on the ground, Fronburn unleashed a massive energy blade. I'd never seen such a large energy blade before; it tore a gaping hole in the ground where it passed, sending chills down my spine.

Boom—a violent energy explosion erupted where Melfis had been, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Fey and I quickly erected a shield to block the choking smoke.

When the dust settled, I saw a large crater in front of Melfis, his arm seemingly injured, with a red stain on the ground.

His expression wasn't good; he wore an evil, arrogant smile. I knew something bad was about to happen.

"Proud to have made that kind of energy blade, huh?"

he shouted at Fronburn in the distance, laughing.

Fronburn flicked his sword, pointing it back at Melfis. "There are only three warriors of the same level who can withstand my energy blade head-on. I must commend you."

"Hahahaha!"

Melfis laughed wildly, then raised his black sword. "Very good... It's been a long time since I felt this way... Interested in trying my energy blade?"

"Hmph..."

Fronburn scoffed, then began to create a high-level protective shield, assuming a defensive stance. Faced with such a blatant challenge, his pride made his body react immediately.

The moment Fronburn accepted the challenge, I felt an unusual energy vibration. Black light began to emanate from around Melfis's black sword, and a large amount of black feather-like energy was born from the air, then quickly absorbed by the black sword itself. The air began to vibrate slightly, and the vibration grew louder and more obvious.

A few seconds later, the feather-like energy on the black sword had gathered to an extremely terrifying intensity, and I could discern exactly what the sound of the sword's vibration was.

A raven's cry...

the sharp, piercing cawing of a crow pecking at carrion, echoing wildly throughout the cavern like a razor's blade. Fey and I quickly covered our ears; the sound felt like our insides were being torn apart.

Fronburn, his face covered in sweat, gritted his teeth, enduring the chilling cawing, and assumed a fully defensive stance.

The feather-like energy on Melfis's sword made it appear three times longer, and he swung it with all his might.

The black energy blade, accompanied by a raven's cawing as it tore through the air, hurtled towards Fronburn. Like Fronburn's energy blade, Melfis's black energy blade also left a mark on the ground, but unlike Fronburn's, this mark was left by the residual energy released as the blade charged forward. The feather-like energy trails ravaged everything in its path.

At the last second, Fronburn couldn't hold on any longer; he released his energy and darted to the side, narrowly avoiding Melfis's attack.

The black energy blade pierced directly into the rock wall behind him, creating a deep, bottomless crack. Immediately afterward, a muffled explosion echoed from the crack. The sound seemed to travel far, indicating that the energy blade had cut a fissure at least a hundred meters deep into the rock. The intense tremor transmitted through the rock caused loose sand and gravel to fall from above, and the ground beneath our feet shook violently.

Fey and I exchanged a glance; her forehead and temples were damp with sweat, clinging gently to her cheeks. I was also covered in sweat, my palms sticky.

Fortunately, Fronburn had chosen to dodge, otherwise he would have been killed instantly by the energy blade. But his action undoubtedly indicated his surrender, because he dodged, while Melfis hadn't.

"Pretty smart...not foolishly choosing to stand there and wait to die..."

Melfis slowly withdrew his energy, smiling as he looked at his opponent.

Fronburn's hand holding the sword trembled. He seemed to want to continue fighting, but his pride prevented him from drawing his sword again. He had chosen to accept the challenge, and he had also chosen to back down. Under these circumstances, he felt ashamed and didn't retaliate against Melfis. After all, he was a true warrior, and he couldn't do something so humiliating.

We all knew that this didn't mean Fronburn had truly lost to Melfis, and Fronburn understood this as well.

"You should understand that in actual combat, no one will directly block your energy blade, nor will they give you that much time to gather energy!"

Although he outwardly yielded, Fronburn's words remained defiant.

Melfis simply smiled and then sheathed his sword. Others might think he acquiesced to Fronburn's words, or that he was saving face for him, but I knew he clearly just disdained to speak to Fronburn anymore.

"It's good that you're both alright..."

Fey's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she smiled again.

Having expended a lot of energy, we decided to rest for a while. The two guys who had just fought sat down far apart. Although I knew they still loathed each other, at least they shouldn't clash again during this adventure.

Fey sat down next to Fronburn, the two of them talking in hushed tones. Since they didn't want me to hear, and I couldn't possibly force my way in, I sat down next to Melfis.

"What he said earlier makes some sense. Could you use this move in actual combat?"

Melfis glanced at me. "Of course. Just create a binding array to trap your opponent beforehand."

I was speechless. My understanding of magic arrays was very limited. I only knew that, at the same level, even the strongest binding array couldn't move itself while trapping someone—that was the most basic rule of binding arrays. Therefore, I didn't know what Melfis's binding array would be, allowing him to trap someone while continuing to attack.

I voiced my question, and Melfis gave me an answer that infuriated me.

"You don't understand magic arrays, explaining it to you is pointless. Even basic rules have loopholes; just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't."

He had given me too many surprises already, so this time I felt I was used to it.

**********

...

Fey and Fronburn both looked puzzled, so I guessed who he was talking to.

"You're still alive...you survived those injuries?"

Melfis stood up from behind me, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Who is it?"

I asked.

"An enemy,"

Melfis said casually.

"An enemy! They are...they are from the Dreams..."

Fey frowned, and I saw the insignia on their armor...

"Hey...I know you cause trouble all over the world...but isn't getting involved with that kind of force a bit too much?"

I said, looking at Melfis.

"Not everything goes your way, and I can't choose who I'm enemies with,"

Melfis said, clearly displeased with my words.

Well, if the other party started it, I'm sure he wouldn't be the type to swallow his anger.

"Will a fight break out?"

I asked.

"Mostly yes."

"How strong is the leader?"

"The vice-captain of the Dreams Third Assassin Group, Blackhis, a level four warrior."

A very, very troublesome enemy... Not only are they incredibly strong, but they also outnumber us by a huge margin... And more importantly, the power behind them is immense...

"You guys are really taking it easy. When I heard the whistling of your signature Raven Feather Blade just now, my hands were trembling with excitement. I'm going to settle the score with you today for what happened a year ago..."

Melfis didn't look at him, but turned to us.

“You guys go. There are too many of them. It'll be easier for me to escape alone. They can't stop me.”

I nodded. “Fey, you guys go quickly. There's no need to get involved in this.”

“I didn't say you had to stay.”

Melfis interrupted me, frowning. “If you fight them, Rayout might be wiped out by Dreams. You go with them.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “It's okay. I'll leave the group for now. If I have to abandon my comrades and run away now, I probably won't be able to be a warrior again.”

“I'll stay too.”

Fey suddenly said. “We're already comrades. Rayout wouldn't run away at the first sign of battle.”

I looked at Fronburn. Surprisingly, he also nodded and decided to stay and help Melfis. My impression of him improved instantly.

“You guys are so naive.”

Melfis shook his head, his brow furrowed, but I felt he was quite happy that we made this choice. “Rayout people are always so naive.”

“Stop talking nonsense… How are we supposed to fight with so many people?”

I said.

“You’ve fought Blackhis before, you’ll be in charge of fighting him,”

Fronburn said to Melfis. “The rest are ours.”

Melfis shook his head. “They think the same way, we can’t follow their lead. You and Fey should be a good team, you two will hold Blackhis off, and Greed and I will quickly split up the others, taking out as many of his men as possible, and then we’ll finish him off together.”

“Let’s do it this way,”

Fronburn said.

“How can I coordinate with you?”

I asked.

“I’ll go all out on the attack, you stay close, and you’re responsible for blocking any attacks from others.”

“So many attacks! And their levels are all at least as high as mine, you really trust me!”

“It’s not that I trust you, it’s that I trust what you’re wearing,”

he said.

The enemy didn’t give us any more time to waste. Blackhis looked at Melfis, pointed at his face, and gestured for him to come out alone. Melfis smiled and pretended to move to the side with him.

I gripped my sword tightly, every nerve in my body tense, waiting for that moment.

"Kill!"

Melfis roared suddenly, unleashing a burst of energy as he charged towards the nearest Dreams member. The guy, who had been watching us closely, didn't even have time to react before Melfis cleaved half his head off with a single sword strike.

I immediately rushed forward, while Fey and Fronburn, as planned, held off the astonished Blackheath.

The remaining Dreams members, after recovering, roared and charged at Melfis, who was drawing a magic circle on the ground. My heart was pounding in my chest, because even if I were incredibly powerful, I couldn't possibly shield him from so many attacks coming from all directions!

Just as I was about to make a desperate attempt to rush out and kill one of them, Melfis suddenly grabbed my clothes with his free hand.

He hadn't expected me to shield him from this wave of attacks; in fact, Melfis's magic circle had been activated before the attackers even reached us.

It was those familiar rock spikes again. As these thick spikes erupted from the ground around us, I smelled blood in the air.

The attack had worked; someone was injured. That was the only thing I could think of. Melfis immediately grabbed an injured guy and began fighting him relentlessly. I followed behind him, and the three closest to him had already caught up with us.

I started making hand seals, and then, as they were about to attack Melfis from behind, several energy holes appeared around me.

Pale bone spears emerged from the energy holes. I used my left hand, adorned with the Ring of Immortality, to locate them, and then these bone spears shot towards them like arrows.

I successfully blocked them, but my energy was rapidly decreasing; summoning these bone spears was quite a strain on me.

Fortunately, Melfis exploited the opponent's weakness and severed one of their legs after about ten seconds. He didn't continue chasing the guy who was screaming as he fell from the sky, but instead charged directly at another one.

Seeing that they couldn't get close to us quickly, those guys immediately changed tactics, firing a barrage of energy projectiles and blades at us in an attempt to stop Melfis from reaching the second target.

"Damn it!"

I stared dumbfounded at the overwhelming energy projectiles and blades, and couldn't help but curse. I really didn't have the confidence to withstand so many attacks; after all, this was the first time I had been forced to use the power granted to me by the Ring of Immortality.

I immediately summoned two thick bone shields on the outside of my arms, enough to cover my entire body, and roared as I raised my arms to protect myself.

A second later, my entire body was hit by a powerful impact; bone fragments flew everywhere, and I felt like my internal organs were being churned together, making me feel like I was going to vomit blood.

Three seconds later, the bone shields shattered into pieces, but I had successfully blocked this round of attacks, and Melfis had successfully killed the second person.

"Can you hold on?!"

Melfis shouted from behind me.

"Not much energy left!"

At this moment, Fey and Fronburn also engaged in battle with Blackhis. Blackhis's armor was now encased in a layer of lightning energy armor. Whenever Fronburn and Fey attacked him, electricity would surge from his body, making it impossible for Fey and Fronburn to find an effective way to harm him. Most of the time, they were simply covering each other to avoid injury.

After losing several men, the enemy immediately realized our tactical intentions. Those chasing us changed tactics and turned to surround Fey and his group.

"Go help them!"

Melfis yelled at me.

"What about you?!"

"Give them a little treat! You guys hold out for thirty seconds! When you hear me call Blackhis, dash towards the passage outside the cave!"

"Got it!"

I turned and flew towards Fey and his group, while Melfis darted to the other side.

Dodging the attacks of three men, the continuous energy acceleration made my chest ache terribly.

"Go!"

I shouted to Fey and his group, and they readily abandoned their fight with Blackhis and began circling around the cave with the Dreams' group.

In this situation, I couldn't tell them Melfis's tactical intentions, because if I shouted them out, they could hear me too. I could only signal with my eyes for Fey and the others to speed up and move closer to me.

Fey was indeed a very clever girl; she quickly understood what I meant and then led Fronburn towards me.

"When Melfis shouts, hide in the passageway to the side!"

I said, trying to speak in a voice loud enough for the three of us to hear.

Just as I finished speaking, Blackhis came chasing after us like a whirlwind from behind. After all, he was a warrior even more advanced than Fronburn; catching us was far too easy for him.

I turned around and was startled. Blackhis behind me had already gathered an energy ball more than two meters high in his hand. If he were to smash it down like that, we would definitely be seriously injured. But at this moment, I had used all my energy for acceleration, and I didn't have any extra energy to create a shield.

To make matters worse, the other Dreams behind us began frantically firing energy blades to prevent us from dodging to the side. To avoid being hit directly by these energy blades, Fey had to turn around and use her sword to block for us, while Fronburn and I grabbed her armor straps from behind and continued charging.

"Blackhis!"

Just when we were in despair, Melfis's voice finally rang out from afar.

I didn't even have time to see what was going to happen; I reached out and grabbed Fey's waist, plunging headfirst into the nearest rocky passage. A

frenzied tremor and explosions came from behind, followed by the collapse of the entire cavern's dome. In the instant our passage was sealed by boulders, I saw through the cracks countless boulders flying wildly through the cavern, and Dreams members screaming as they were smashed into a bloody pulp. ********** ... “Where’s Fronburn?” I asked. “I saw him dart into the other passage. But Melfis…” “Don’t worry about him, he launched the attack, he knows better than we do.” We’d completely lost our sense of direction. This passage was much smaller than the one we entered the cave, but it looked like there were more forks in the road if we went forward. I was at a loss, because whether we stayed put or cautiously ventured out, it was impossible to say whether we’d run into allies or enemies. “You probably have a clue which direction Fronburn escaped in, right? Let’s go in that direction.” Fey nodded, and then we set off. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to regenerate more energy, but because the enemy outnumbered us, we’d always be on edge if we didn’t regroup quickly. “That Blackheath looks pretty tough,” I said to Fey. “Yes…we’ve tried our best to coordinate, but we’re completely helpless against him. His lightning energy armor is such a headache; we have no idea how to deal with it without preparation. Every time we’re attacked by lightning, our hands go numb for several seconds and we can’t lift them…” “Maybe a mid-range distraction would be better…” “But Fronburn and I are both melee fighters, and his energy is stronger than ours. If we’re at mid-range, we simply can’t stop him from intercepting you.” “This is really troublesome…I don’t know what to do if we run into him again…” Fey didn’t reply, but looked at me: “You lied to me, didn’t you?” “What?” I was stunned. “You said you were only B-rank, that’s completely wrong…”

"...I haven't tested my level in a long time...The last time I tested it, it was B...Melfis said I'm around level 8 or 9 now..."

Fey shook her head: "I think it's more than that...I was terrified when I saw them all firing energy blasts at you...Many of them were compressed energy blasts enhanced with magic. But you caught them all so easily...I don't think even I could do that."

Easily...If she knew I was almost coughing up blood from the attack, she wouldn't have said that.

The narrow passage started to extend in the opposite direction from what we expected, which was very disappointing. If we continued along it, we definitely wouldn't reach the passage where Fronburn was. But we had no other choice but to continue along the seemingly reliable side path.

Not long after, a figure appeared vaguely in front of us. We stopped together, took out our weapons, and prayed that it was someone on our side.

When that person was fully exposed to the light of the energy torch, my heart sank.

Blackhis stood before us, covered in dust and his hair disheveled, his armor grime from the earlier collapse.

"Your luck isn't great..."

Blackhis stared at us, radiating a chilling aura of killing intent.

"Looks like it."

I stared intently at him, pondering how to deal with this guy. I'd been thinking about this the whole way, but unfortunately, he appeared before I could find an answer.

"You Rayout are a pretty famous guild, why are you associating with someone like Melfis?"

"Who we associate with is none of anyone else's business."

I knew this would easily provoke him, but my subconscious wouldn't allow me to back down in front of anyone, even an enemy four or five levels higher than me.

"Because of you, I've lost many men... You should know that Dreams won't let you get away with this..."

"Stop talking nonsense... Even now, you're still trying to intimidate us with the guild's name?"

I said.

Fey remained silent, simply building up her energy; I think she also knew a fierce battle was unavoidable.

"Fine... since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

Blackheath charged at me after uttering those words. I immediately raised my sword to block, but as he got close, he unleashed a powerful energy attack. My protective shield was thick, so he only knocked me back without causing any damage.

However, I knew he had a backup plan if he was going to knock me away. Sure enough, he quickly made several hand seals, gathered a large amount of electrical energy in his hands, and hurled it at me.

I couldn't change direction in mid-air and could only use my energy to cushion my impact before hitting the wall. The trident-like arc of electricity was already upon me; dodging was impossible.

I used all the energy I could muster in an instant to summon a bone shield, protecting myself completely beneath it. However, the expected electric shock didn't occur; there wasn't even a slight tremor.

I opened the bone shield and found myself trapped in an electric cage, unable to move more than a meter.

"Stay there and watch how I play with this woman..."

Blackhis said menacingly before engaging Fey in combat.

I tried to bombard the electric prison with massive amounts of energy, but I couldn't budge it at all. Then I tried to ram it with my bone shield, but it was easily shattered by the electric current.

Blackhis was much higher level than Fey, and his advanced electric energy was a perfect counter to Fey's ultimate attack, leaving Fey with no chance to retaliate.

I tried to summon bone spears to ambush Blackhis from behind, but again, the bone spears couldn't penetrate the electric prison's defenses. The energy of this electric prison was incredibly powerful; if I wasn't mistaken, something this powerful would be extremely difficult to break from the outside. This move could have completely different offensive and defensive effects depending on the situation; Blackhis was truly a formidable opponent...

Blackhis quickly knocked Fey's greatsword away, as Fey had run out of energy in the previous battle. I was frantic, but I couldn't break out of there.

After Fey's weapon was knocked away, Heath didn't continue attacking. Instead, he sheathed his sword and began close-quarters combat with Fey. He wasn't concerned with fairness; this bastard was just playing around.

Fey gritted her teeth and kept throwing punches, but Heath's localized energy acceleration made all her attacks miss. She gasped for breath, her stamina slowly being drained to its limit.

She raised her leg to kick, but it was too slow. Heath easily grabbed her ankle and slammed her against the wall.

Fey fell to the ground like a flower petal, coughing as she propped herself up. Heath squinted at her, walked over, and kicked her in the stomach.

Fey cried out in pain as she was sent flying by the powerful impact, unable to get up again.

I felt my blood boiling, but I didn't impulsively charge into the electric prison again. I needed energy now; if I had it, I could probably try using the Ring of Immortality's "Nirvana" to dispel the electric prison.

Because such a high-level electric prison couldn't possibly be activated by a simple hand seal-based "Nirvana."

Blackhis walked to Fey's side, grabbing her hair and staring at her face. Fey's face was contorted in agony, but the stubbornness in her eyes remained undiminished.

"Very good… looking at this face, I can't help but want to do something."

A wicked glint appeared in Blackhis's eyes; I remembered that expression very clearly… it was the same expression the Ashwick and his gang had when they raped that girl. My heart began to pound violently, and words of hatred almost escaped my lips, but I held back, because now was not the time. Besides, doing such a thing would only demonstrate my own incompetence.

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