My bloodline is so eager to improve.

Immediately afterwards, Otto took the initiative to attack.

In the narrow sewers, a scarlet figure moved about like a ghost.

Every swing of the Soul-Capturing Sword carries a chilling blue light, and the air seems to freeze as the sword wind sweeps by.

Although Alex and his clone worked together seamlessly, they were of little use against Otto.

Every strike of his sword went straight for the vital points—simple, ruthless, and deadly.

The slippery sewage beneath his feet had no effect on him whatsoever; his heavy armor gripped the ground firmly, and every step he took was as steady as a rock!

At this moment, Alex was forced to retreat repeatedly, his back soon slamming heavily against the cold rock wall, with nowhere left to go.

As he watched Otto relentlessly close in, and the ever-growing eerie light emanating from the other's sword, his heart pounded wildly, almost leaping out of his throat.

This can't be! Is he really just an ordinary shield guard?!

Alex gritted his teeth and used all his magic power to try to create another clone.

But his magic power was already almost depleted, and this forced use not only failed to create a new clone, but even the original clone became more illusory.

This clone was created by Alex using his expertise and is called Twin Echoes.

The clones created are almost identical to oneself, even in terms of their life level.

That's why Alex often uses this skill to lower his prey's guard, so that he can take them down at the crucial moment!

But what about now?

The person in front of him launched a counterattack that left him with absolutely no chance to fight back!

Just as Alex was gripped by fear, Otto's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

He took a sudden step forward, splashing water everywhere he stepped on. His longsword emitted a sharp sword aura, forcing the foremost clone to retreat repeatedly, and directly pushing Alex's main body to the Rat King's side.

Immediately afterwards, Otto spun around, using his waist and abdomen to generate power, his whole body like a drawn blade, the Soul-Capturing Sword in his hand drawing a full moon-like arc.

Cang Yue Spins!

This sword strike was both fast and ruthless; the air whistled as the sword light flashed past.

The already fragile clone couldn't keep up with that speed at all, and didn't even finish raising its sword to block.

The Soul-Capturing Sword cleaved directly from the clone's shoulder to its waist and abdomen. The figure swayed like a burst bubble and then quickly dissipated into the humid air.

"Oh dear, we've attacked the wrong person."

Otto withdrew his longsword, his tone slightly mocking.

"I initially thought this was the main body."

As the clone dissipated, an energy mixed with life force and spiritual power surged along the Soul-Capturing Sword, even carrying Alex's violent emotions and chaotic thoughts.

Otto did not allow these mixed energies to invade his soul; he simply stored them away.

He kept Wu Na's reminder in mind, determined not to let such impure energy pollute his soul.

The current situation has completely turned one-sided.

Alex's main body was panting heavily, his face pale. As for the so-called Rat King, it posed no threat whatsoever except for the poisonous smoke.

Otto's sword strikes were faster than the last, each aimed at his opponent's vital points.

In the narrow sewer space, only the crisp sound of metal clanging together could be heard.

At that moment, with his back against the rock wall and nowhere to retreat, Alex watched Otto approach step by step, then suddenly raised his foot and kicked the Rat King hard beside him.

"Block him for me!"

The Rat King, already huddled to the side in fear from the previous battle, was caught off guard and stumbled, crashing right into the tip of Otto's sword.

It let out a sharp squeak, and just as it was about to turn its head, the Soul-Snatching Sword had already pierced its skull.

The foul-smelling black blood spurted out, the Rat King twitched twice, and then remained motionless.

"You're really despicable."

Otto withdrew his longsword, shook off the bloodstains, and spoke calmly.

“They can sell even their last partner without hesitation.”

But Alex paid no heed to Otto's teasing. Taking advantage of the moment, he moved a few steps to the side along the rock face, looking for an opportunity to run deeper into the passage.

But Otto didn't give him that chance at all.

As soon as he finished speaking, Otto exerted force with his feet and shot out like an arrow.

A crimson figure cast a long shadow in the dim firelight, the tip of the Soul-Snatching Sword pointing directly at Alex's chest.

A sudden thrust of the azure moon!

Erik was terrified and hurriedly raised his sword to block.

Just as his iron sword was about to touch the Soul-Capturing Sword, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his brow!

The invisible mental shock struck his soul like a heavy hammer!

Depressive Sting activated!

The mental shock came along with the swordsmanship!

Alex froze, his mind went blank, and his sword-raising motion abruptly stopped in mid-air.

His eyes became blank, even his fear disappeared, leaving only a dazed look.

It was this brief pause that determined his life or death.

The Soul-Capturing Sword pierced his chest without any resistance, its tip emerging from his back, dripping with warm blood, and embedding itself in the cold rock wall.

Alex's eyes widened suddenly, and he made a hoarse sound in his throat.

He looked down at the sword blade in his chest, then looked up at Otto, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He couldn't understand until his death how his carefully designed trap could have fallen into the hands of such a young man.

As for Otto, he twisted his wrist, the blade stirred, and Alex's body twitched twice, his head lolled to the side, and he was completely lifeless.

Otto loosened his grip on the sword hilt, took a step back, and looked at the corpse with a large hole in its chest before him, letting out a slow sigh of relief.

"Alright, the task is complete."

Although the Adventurers' Guild's request was a bit troublesome, the result was pretty good.

Not only did we resolve a potential problem, but we also gained a lot.

Otto walked to the body and first bent down to pick up the crystal rib that had fallen to the ground.

The crystal bone glowed with a warm white light under the firelight, felt slightly cool to the touch, and had a delicate texture; it was indeed a top-grade product.

"It just so happens that Una is going to Academy City, so it's perfect to give this to her as a gift."

Otto muttered to himself as he carefully put the crystal rib into his spatial pocket.

He still remembered the favor he owed the Soul-Capturing Sword.

Otto knew that Una was obsessed with alchemy and was worried that she didn't have anything worthwhile to offer.

This crystal rib is an excellent alchemy material, making it a perfect gift, far more meaningful than giving it directly to King Thorne as a farewell present.

After collecting the crystal bone, Otto crouched down and began scavenging Alex's corpse.

He quickly pulled a palm-sized leather pocket from the corpse's bosom.

Although it was locked with runes, Otto easily opened it with the help of the Magic Ape.

Otto discovered that there were more than twenty gold Thorns, a small pile of scattered bronze Thorns, several bottles of unknown antidotes, and some miscellaneous low-grade alchemy materials.

In addition, there was half a yellowed parchment with a crooked map drawn on it, marking the approximate location and entrance of the underground tomb. Next to it were many small notes, all of which were Alex's own exploration records.

"So the tomb really does exist."

Otto unfolded the map and glanced at it a few times, seemingly lost in thought.

It seems that Alex wasn't entirely lying; there really is an ancient tomb down there, but he didn't have the ability to go in, so he thought of using the Rat King.

Although this half-map is incomplete, it's still an unexpected bonus.

But something is better than nothing. I'll take it back and study it; maybe I'll find something useful.

After all, the guild had already stated that all the proceeds from this commission would belong to Otto.

Otto has already figured out how to handle this.

He planned to ask Juliet and her vengeful spirit friends for help.

Those vengeful spirits whose bodies can transform between reality and illusion at any time are excellent partners for explorers of underground tombs.

I haven't visited Juliet in a long time, so this is a good opportunity to go and see her, lest the vengeful spirit fall into a low mood again and cause any trouble.

With this in mind, Otto immediately quickened his pace of looting.

He then walked to the Rat King's corpse and, following the instructions of the Magic Ape, used the tip of his sword to pry open the Rat King's head, digging out a dark green poison crystal the size of a pigeon egg.

This is the source of the Rat King's poisonous smoke.

Although it is highly toxic, it is also a material for making poisons and enchantments. It should be able to sell for a few dollars. Even if it doesn't sell for much, it can still be given to Maeve as a farewell gift.

Otto benefited greatly from Maeve's connections, and now that she's leaving Oak Town like Una, he should reciprocate.

Otto simply thought that Maeve, as a necromancer, would definitely like this little gadget.

With that thought in mind, Otto finished taking inventory of everything, then immediately stood up and prepared to leave.

But just then, a familiar notification popped into his mind again: the Ridge Bear and the Demon Egg.

The giant bear on the ridge devoured the life force absorbed by the Soul-Sucking Sword, removing its violent tendencies and the impurities of Alex's will.

The demon egg absorbed the spiritual energy drawn by the Soul-Snatching Sword, purifying it of negative emotions and impurities such as Alex's will.

[Through the dual transformation of the Ridge Bear and the Demon Egg, your vitality has been slightly enhanced, and your soul's resilience has been nourished.]

Chapter 266 Cemetery Secrets (6K)

The changes that his animal friends brought to Otto surprised him greatly.

He originally thought that this energy could only be used cautiously for replenishment and consumption, like guarding a gold vault but only daring to scrape together a few coins to make ends meet.

However, with the help of his animal friends, he was able to make full use of this energy.

No longer a stingy, trickling act of charity towards the body, but a surging river that flows unimpeded through the pathways of his soul and magic.

This is undoubtedly a huge help.

Whether it's spiritual practice or meditation, he can save a lot of time.

"This is the first time I've seen you have such a positive effect."

Otto almost burst into tears of joy.

The Demon Egg, that unreliable creature, seems to have finally become somewhat useful.

You should know that since this demon egg transformed, apart from occasionally spouting some annoying remarks, dropping the chain at crucial moments, and tricking him in all sorts of strange ways, it seems to have never done anything serious.

Now it can even resonate with its animal friends, completely purifying the energy that was originally only used for replenishment, which has slightly changed Otto's opinion of it.

However, the demon egg did not respond to Otto's gratitude at all, but instead gave him a slightly curious hint.

The demon egg has extended an invitation to you; the rat king appears to be female.

"Get out of here!"

With a roar, the veins on Otto's forehead throbbed.

He knew he couldn't count on the demon egg to do anything. The emotion he had just felt vanished instantly, replaced by an urge to tear this animal friend out of the depths of his soul and crush it.

Otto took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the urge to pry the demon egg out of the bloodline mark and throw it into the sewer. After putting Alex's corpse into his spatial pocket, he left the stinking underground space with his spoils.

Before long, a sliver of dim light shone through the end of the passage, which was the exit leading to the ground.

But after exiting the underground waterway, Otto did not immediately head to the Adventurers' Guild. Instead, he turned and walked out of the city gate, heading towards the Raven Cemetery.

Otto removed his crimson heavy armor.

The heavy armor began to regenerate the moment it left his body.

In just a few breaths, a tall, scarlet steed appeared before him.