Mercenary Wars

Chapter 137 Heavy Blow Gloves
The result was as expected.

When the Blood-Summoning Sword approached Gaucano's skin, its originally sharp blade suddenly became dull and lost all its edge.

Matolius's black steel battle axe obviously lacked this function, and it directly slit his own throat in his despairing eyes, causing blood to spurt out.

[Kill a level 7 gray dwarf, experience +350]

[Removal of Status: Mark of Enslavement (Level 7)]

Gaucano breathed a sigh of relief.

The feeling of losing control of his body left him with lingering fear. If he had reacted slower and Mathorius had given a different order—such as making him jump into the furnace—he would have been badly injured, if not killed.

Fortunately, this did not happen.

Matolius, the number one slave owner in the town of Dibusara, ultimately died because of enslavement, which in a way could be considered a fitting end.

The sudden turn of events startled Groin, but he quickly recovered, picked up Matolius's body, and shouted excitedly, "Matolius is dead! Glory belongs to Prometheus!"

Seeing Matolius's corpse, the Redbeard Grey Dwarves were greatly encouraged.

The white-bearded gray dwarfs, who had initially held a slight advantage, instantly lost all fighting spirit, their faces filled with disbelief and terror.

"Mayor Matolius is dead!"

"Duragh, please protect us!"

"Run!"

Before long, the white-bearded gray dwarves fled in panic, a small number heading south, while the majority fled west—most of them were unaware of the situation in the west.

Gaucano approached Matolius's corpse, placed the Blood-Summoning Sword in the pool of blood, and began looting the spoils.

A black steel battle axe, item level seven, but unfortunately not very handy; a set of black steel heavy armor, also item level seven, but seriously ill-fitting and damaged in many places.

The black steel battle axe still has some use, but the armor is probably only good for recycling materials. Such a large chunk of black steel must be worth quite a bit of money.

A storage ring.

Gaucano didn't look inside, but instead turned his gaze to Matolius's fingerless gloves.

He reached out and touched it.

[Item: Heavy Blow Gloves]

[Level: Level 6]

[Equipment Effect: Strength +3, can unleash the skill "Heavy Strike"]

[Magic Rune Burden: 15]

……

After reading the item description, Gao Jiano was somewhat surprised.

He had come into contact with quite a few magical items, but this was the first time he had ever seen something like the Heavy Strike Gloves.

Compared to the magical items he had encountered before, the biggest difference of the Heavy Strike Gloves is that they have rune burdens, which means they will occupy the user's rune limit.

Most magical items are designed to create a portable miniature environment, with only a few choosing to occupy the user's runes.

The reasons are simple. First, the production process is complex, and ordinary craftsmen simply do not have the skills. Second, the magic rune burden on items is often not cost-effective. For the same magic rune burden, the effect of directly tattooing it on the body is usually better.

Taking strength as an example, if Daris were to apply the rune, 3 points of strength would only result in 11 points of rune burden, which is 4 points less than the Heavy Strike Gloves.

In addition to its attributes, the Heavy Strike Gloves also provide a skill – Heavy Strike.

Taking on 4 more points of magic rune burden in exchange for a powerful skill is totally worth it! Gaogano put on the Heavy Strike Gloves.

The rune burden of the Heavy Strike Gloves is 15 points. He currently has 13 rune points available, so wearing these gloves will result in a 2-point rune overburden.

Two points of magic rune are too negative. Although it's not fatal, it's still a bit uncomfortable.

After a moment's thought, Gao Jiano took off his gloves.

Only wear it when there's combat pressure; otherwise, it's unnecessary.

Of course, once he reaches level six and the magic rune cap increases, the gloves can be worn daily.

“Thank you, human.” Groin approached; he spoke human language quite fluently.

“Don’t mention it. Slavery should have been abolished.” Gaucano said politely, but he did indeed tend to agree with this view.

Groin nodded in agreement: "Yes, under the shadow of the evil god Durag, the Grey Dwarves have become mired in slavery. We have become dark, cruel, and infamous... Fortunately, the revelation of the fire saved us, but unfortunately not all of us."

He changed the subject, looking at the heavy-hitting gloves that Gaucano was holding, and said with some emotion, "These gloves are my masterpiece. When I gave them to Matolius many years ago, I never imagined that one day we would become enemies. I believe you will use them even better."

"What are your plans next?" Gao Jiano asked.

“I haven’t thought about it carefully yet.” Groin shook his head. “Before today, I was still fantasizing that Redbeard and Whitebeard could get along harmoniously.”

"What do you plan to do with those white-bearded people?" Gaucano asked again.

"Kill them, of course!" Brown interjected. "There's no room for compromise anymore. Redbeard and Whitebeard's beliefs are diametrically opposed! Don't you humans also have three opposing religions—Yemon, Mosa, and Muro? How would the followers of these three gods treat each other?"

Nicon: "Not entirely. For example, my namer Saint Nicon and Pope Fonfrew of Mosa were both known for their tolerance and were not keen on fighting each other."

Brown: "But as far as I know, Nikon of Yemen and Fonfrew of Mosa had two major things in common: tolerance and short lifespan! So this is just a rare coincidence; in the vast majority of cases, doctrinal conflicts between religions will only lead to a life-or-death struggle!"

“That’s right, Drag and Prometheus, they’re practically opposites!” another redbeard chimed in. “We can’t possibly get along; extermination is the only option!”

Groin sighed and nodded: "Kill all of Whitebeard's men."

“I’ll help you too,” Gaucano said, and then joined the group chasing Whitebeard.

Before long, he caught up with the fleeing Whitebeard army and began hacking wildly with the Blood-Summoning Sword.

[Kill a level 3 gray dwarf, experience +150]

[Kill a level 5 gray dwarf, experience +250]

[Kill a level 3 gray dwarf, experience +150]

……

After a while.

A shout of battle and furious roars came from the west.

"Kill these slave owners!" But it was the slaves from the mine who charged forward.

The white-bearded slave owners, fleeing westward in disarray, ran headlong into an enraged army of slaves.

Although the slaves were of low rank on average, their numbers were numerous. Coupled with the fact that the Whitebeards had lost all fighting spirit, the Whitebeard Grey Dwarves, who were already in disarray, suffered even greater casualties when the two sides clashed.

Another moment passed.

Another deep, furious roar came from the east: "In the name of fire!"

It turned out that Ryan had released more than a dozen fire elementals from the Black Steel Forge, and led by the Flame Guardian Eboshir, they charged menacingly toward Whitebeard!

(End of this chapter)