He took the script of an exorcism legend, but became the number one anti-fraud expert.

"Has he gone mad?! Mr. Hord! Come back!"

"It's no use! He's entered a state of torment..."

Victor's words revealed Benjamin's predicament, which startled everyone.

Everyone except Pete and Abby realized that they were entering a period of torture...

Doesn't that mean Benjamin and their lieutenant are exorcists?!

However, one exorcist lieutenant did little to soothe the crowd's emotions, not only because the spider, now preoccupied with its own problems, remained aggressive.

Furthermore, exorcists in a state of torment are also dangerous.

"This is troublesome. He'll lose his mind if he goes into torture; the pressure on him is too high to come down!"

John did not blame Benjamin for his outburst, because he knew how much pain an exorcist in a state of torment would suffer.

"That's not the worst case scenario. If he has self-harm tendencies, you'd better knock him out."

Pete's eyes narrowed when he heard what Victor said; he knew what Victor was talking about.

There are many kinds of torment, and at least three of them involve losing one's mind and harming teammates and oneself.

Humans who lack rational self-control and emotional balance are even more dangerous than evil spirits!

"Damn it, quick! Everyone, protect the lieutenant!" Pete immediately ordered.

When Pete shouted, everyone looked up and saw that the spiders around them were rushing straight towards Benjamin.

"Quick! Use bayonets!"

This book was first published on 2020s.com, providing you with a reading experience free of errors and disordered chapters.

John took the lead and charged forward.

However, it seemed too late; their legs were trapped in the mud, and they could only lift their feet and stagger forward step by step.

"Can I shoot?"

"Idiot, do you want to kill the lieutenant? Who's going to pay us if he dies?"

"Shut up, all you care about is money! Without him, we'll be blackmailed by that idiot Avery again!"

"..."

"Damn it, protect the lieutenant!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers, as if injected with adrenaline, scrambled and crawled toward Benjamin.

Benjamin's features became clearer, even more sensitive, once again.

He could feel the wind flowing around him, which meant that when a spider leaped close by, he could react immediately even without seeing it.

Benjamin drew his dagger, turned around, and slashed behind him.

*Sizzle!*

Before he could retract his dagger, a spider was cleaved in two from its body, its massive rear end falling to the ground.

Just as Benjamin was about to sheathe his sword and charge up again,

Another spider also flew over.

He almost instinctively swung his arm, and although he didn't have much strength, he managed to deflect the attack.

Benjamin suddenly understood.

The mysterious figure's actions that had been etched in my mind... were actually to prevent a series of attacks from evil spirits.

When he was controlled by the mysterious person, the mysterious person drew his knife and immediately slashed horizontally, which was equivalent to a two-stage attack.

It can not only inflict damage on the same target twice, but also prevent a sudden attack from the opponent.

So, instinctively, Benjamin changed his plan; he pulled his foot out of the mud and turned around completely.

He swung his dagger repeatedly at the swarming spiders...

Come on, bring as many as you want, let me kill you all.

Benjamin's eyes gleamed with a murderous light. Though he had lost his mind, his goal was clear: kill, kill, kill... His mind kept repeating the same thought over and over again.

His hand never stopped moving as he wielded the knife.

Although occasionally spiders would bypass the attack, crawl onto his body, and bite Benjamin's thighs and arms.

But he was able to endure the excruciating pain and immediately fight back. These injuries did not break his spirit; instead, they made him even more excited.

If you can't defeat your own anger, then death is the only option.

Gradually, more and more spider corpses appeared around him.

Attracted by Benjamin, the number of spiders behind them decreased, and the soldiers launched a surprise attack on the spider army's rear.

The two sides formed an encirclement formation, and in an instant, the battle, which had just been going against the tide, turned into a one-sided slaughter of evil by humans.

Despite Benjamin's irrational behavior, the battle situation improved rapidly, and the soldiers became increasingly enthusiastic as they saw the positive outcome.

They set up their formation as Benjamin had instructed, proceeding steadily and surely, with some holding the line in front and bayonets following closely behind.

In no time, the once unstoppable army of spiders was reduced to a pile of curled-up corpses.

"Don't rush! Watch out for those spiders that aren't quite dead yet!" Pete warned.

"They're afraid of fire! Hold the torches out to them!"

"It stabs my head! The liquid inside that spider's ass is so hot!"

With everyone contributing their ideas, almost everyone had gained some insights into how to kill the spider demon.

Life and death became a real-world learning experience.

Benjamin's dagger swung faster and faster, changing from initial two-stage swings to continuous slashes.

His movements became fluid and natural, no longer confined to vertical or horizontal cuts.

Instead, it's based on the spider's attack direction that you decide where to stab and where to scratch next.

His body was covered in yellow liquid, and spider remains clung to his clothes.

So that's how spiders move. Just aim at the junction between their head and abdomen. Once you cut that spot, the spider won't be able to move.

Benjamin not only anticipated the opponent's movements, but he also felt unsatisfied, as the opponent was too slow and had too few moves.

Finally, after piercing the last spider in two, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing all the soldiers staring at him like he was a monster, Benjamin ignored them.

Right now, he still has a surge of passion in his mind that he can't express.

After looking around, he met the eyes of a pair of red eyes in the forest.

As if sensing danger, the spider's legs at the edge of the darkness slowly retracted.

Benjamin yelled, "Trying to escape? Not so easy!"

After saying that, he immediately ran towards the forest.

"Benjamin!!" Pete tried to call out to Benjamin, but it was too late.

As the lieutenant charged into the forest, the soldiers exchanged glances.

Perhaps they were blinded by the long-awaited victory they had achieved through their own hard work, or perhaps they didn't want Benjamin to suffer any mishap because of the money.

Almost simultaneously, everyone ran towards the forest.

"Light the torches! Burn the forest down!" Benjamin roared.

"Oh no, oh no, I've never seen anything so crazy. Is Mr. Hord trying to drive all the evil spirits out of this forest?" Abby grinned and sighed inwardly.

"Calm down, everyone! Go help! Don't let them actually set the forest on fire!"

At Pete's prompting, several soldiers who had just raised their hands to throw torches into the treetops immediately stopped what they were doing.

Everyone ran towards the forest...

Benjamin, in a state of torment, paced back and forth. With no view of the world, he could only dart around with agile steps to avoid sudden attacks.

Every now and then, he would suddenly swipe something behind him or above his head.

He looked like a terrified guy waving his arms wildly at the air.

However, he himself was not actually panicked, and his behavior was not due to fear.

Behind you! Above you!

Spiders prefer to attack from these two directions; that's how those guys who were just killed attacked them.

Whether it's a grandmother spider or a spider demon, they are ultimately the same creature with the same attack habits.

*Whoosh!*

As Benjamin swung the dagger overhead again, he suddenly felt a different sensation.

That's right, it stung the grandmother spider, because the spider was quite large and could be cut!

"Aww!"

A sharp roar came, and Benjamin saw a huge figure land in extremely low visibility, but immediately retreated and disappeared back into the darkness.

Benjamin was glad he had hurt the Grandmother Spider. In his excitement, he hadn't let his guard down, otherwise the attack from that direction would have twisted his head off.

As the soldiers arrived, the torchlight gradually illuminated the surroundings.

Benjamin then realized his surroundings.

It was a shallow pit, and around it were countless withered, skinned corpses.

Some are obviously ghouls, while others are humans.

I see, this is the Grandmother Spider's feeding ground. Whether it's a human or a ghoul on the ground, anything drained by the spider is discarded here.

"Lieutenant, watch out!"

As Benjamin observed the soldier's physique, he also felt a gust of wind swirling around him.

Just as he was about to retaliate with the dagger again, he turned around and immediately changed his mind.

The grandmother spider's raised leg, like a sharp spear, hurtled straight towards his chest.

Benjamin rolled away to avoid it; even if he had lost his mind, he wouldn't have deliberately sought death.

Seeing this, Pete threw out his torch. It could be seen that the arc the torch drew did not go straight towards the tree trunk, but rather around the pit. The other soldiers followed suit.

In an instant, the surrounding darkness was dispelled.

But it did not hinder the spider's speed at all.

"Don't come any closer if you don't want to die! I don't have time to help a bunch of trash!"

As soon as Benjamin spoke, several soldiers who wanted to step forward to help stopped in their tracks.

They dared not fire, partly because they feared missing and attracting the spider, which would bring them to their deaths, and partly because they worried about accidentally injuring the darting Benjamin and restricting his movements.

Although Benjamin's words were harsh, everyone knew that his ability to persuade the soldiers while under torture meant he had reached the limit of his mental strength.

At this moment, the grandmother spider hid in the shadows not far away, blending into the darkness.

They also seemed unwilling to let Benjamin go. Benjamin knew that, as mentioned in "The Exorcism Manual," intelligent evil spirits would regard exorcists as superior food and would not give up easily.

The manual doesn't explain why.

But that doesn't matter anymore. He's currently caught in a state of paranoia; if he doesn't kill this grandmother spider, he'll be tormented by unbearable frustration.

It's the kind of anger that keeps you up at night.

This obsession made him unconsciously tighten his grip on the dagger, because the difference in strength between the two was a real and undeniable fact.

He knew he was facing a challenge beyond his level!

The sharp spider legs he had just encountered made him realize that even a mere brush against them could cost him a chunk of flesh, forcing him to make some changes.

If only there were something to block it, but it's obvious that the shields in the soldiers' hands would be pierced.

correct!

That shield, the murloc's shield, he had stored the spoils from the shore into his ring while he was in the barracks.

It should be here.

Benjamin used his mind to search for the items in the storage ring.

"Benjamin, watch out!!" Pete shouted, instinctively raising his gun.

Just as Pete was about to pull the trigger and fire at the monstrous beast that suddenly attacked Benjamin from the shadows, he saw a faint silver reflection.

"clang!"

"Ugh—!"

Benjamin staggered back a few steps, the immense force nearly knocking him over. Fortunately, he landed on the edge of the pit, giving him enough leverage to use his shield to withstand the attack.

The sparks in the darkness were particularly bright, and Benjamin then realized that the tips of the spider legs were so hard that they could shatter into sparks against the iron shield in his hand!

Just as he raised his left hand to retaliate with his musket, the Grandmother Spider suddenly disappeared again.

Damn it, not only did I see through the opponent's attack, but the opponent also understood what I wanted to do.

However, the attack method can be switched.

Benjamin suddenly thought of something...

He feigned exhaustion and knelt on one knee. Just then, as if sensing Benjamin's exhaustion, the Grandmother Spider reappeared.

Benjamin tensed his arms and stepped forward to nudge the Grandmother Spider's leg.

"clang!"

He then stepped forward, aimed at the grandmother spider's head, and muttered, "Close-range fire!"

'Bang!'

With a loud bang, the grandmother spider was hit.

Though the wound wasn't fatal, the grandmother spider immediately retreated, shaking its head, which had been shot, and rolled on the ground, its body trembling.

What was Benjamin thinking?

He mimicked the actions of the fishmen on the shore, curling up his body and raising his shield in front of him to smash it into the Grandmother Spider's head!

'Bang!'

"That's too risky!" Pete exclaimed, realizing the danger of the action. He couldn't hold back any longer and fired at the Grandmother Spider's rear end.

With one shot, the grandmother spider cried out in pain.

Seeing this, the other soldiers also aimed at the largest part of the Grandmother Spider's body, its rear end, and fired.

'Bang! Bang! Bang! .....'

The continuous gunshots were deafening. The grandmother spider's body slowly sank downwards; it immediately abandoned its fight with Benjamin and tried to escape.

Blood, splattered on the ground, glowed with fireflies, leaving a viscous trail in the torchlight.

"Chase!"

Benjamin led his soldiers in pursuit of the Grandmother Spider's trail of blood, during which he reloaded his gun.

Finally, after chasing for more than ten meters, perhaps because the spot on its head that had just been hit was the grandmother spider's eye, it crashed into the tree trunk and then fell to the ground trembling.

Benjamin aimed at its enormous rear end and fired again. With a loud bang, the close-range musket attack blew a gash open in the Grandmother Spider's anus!

Then the soldiers caught up and opened fire.

Everyone was talking about something, and Benjamin reloaded and fired again.

The grandmother spider, which was already on the verge of death, did not react at all. Its body was pierced by countless bullets and then exploded.

Then a figure rushed out, shouting, "Enough! Don't shoot! It's a waste to destroy him; this guy is full of treasures!"

Victor's reminder startled Benjamin, and the jumbled thoughts and throbbing headache in his mind began to subside.

The exhilaration of victory washed away the endless anger, like a dam being opened to extinguish a wildfire downstream.

In an instant, he felt his vision blur and his shoulders slump.

The wounds he had sustained during the battle began to throb with pain, causing him to lose his footing and stumble to his seat.

The torment... has subsided.

"Cease fire!" Benjamin shouted with his last breath.

The sound drew everyone's attention back; they gasped for breath and lowered their guns.

Then he raised the torch and looked at the fallen grandmother spider, whose rear end had been blasted apart.

However, even in the undamaged areas, one could still see these eerie and malevolent patterns. The white lines on the spider's rear end resembled a hideous human face, staring at everyone present.

It gives you goosebumps.

Everyone fell silent, staring at Benjamin, who sat on the ground in a daze.

Previously, everyone listened to Benjamin solely for the £2 attendance fee and the huge compensation for those who died in battle.

But now, a different, more complex emotion is stirring within everyone.

It is a biological instinct of obedience, awe of the strong, and trust.

Their lips trembled, and someone suddenly laughed, then couldn't help but say, "I feel like we might survive. I mean, this cold wave doesn't seem so scary anymore, after all, we were able to kill this terrible monster."

A sense of relief, as if surviving a disaster, quietly spread.

"I never imagined that as a soldier in the Guard, I could kill such a huge creature like an exorcist, you know? This is a Grandmother Spider!"

"Grandmother Spider...is that the one known as the Forest Harvester?"

"That's right! I heard that killing a Grandmother Spider outside the city-state can be exchanged for a residence in the city-state's center!"

Everyone gasped. Although they didn't know if it was true or not, the value of hunting Grandmother Spiders was undeniably tempting.

Living in the heart of the city-state, on the last line of defense within the Hamlet Federation, is the dream of every resident of Windhowl.

Pete seemed to sense a surge of greed flowing through the crowd, and he quickly gave John a wink, saying:

"This is all thanks to Lieutenant Hodg. If it weren't for Benjamin, we probably wouldn't have been able to beat those little spiders."

John chimed in, "That's right! Everyone almost failed just now, but the lieutenant really meant what he said—he wanted us all to live. He truly wanted to protect us!"

"That's right, truth is paramount, and the great Hod family has saved our lives again!" Abby also praised Benjamin's achievement.

again.....

That's right, last time on the shore, it was Benjamin's team that led everyone to survival, but this time...

For a moment, everyone stepped back half a step, making way for Benjamin and the Grandmother Spider.

Art, who had been arguing with Avery in the barracks, immediately stepped forward: "Yes! It's all thanks to the lieutenant! I believe in him; he can lead us to survival!"

Human emotions are contagious. At this moment, no one questioned Benjamin's abilities anymore, and no one cared about the harshness of Benjamin's words just now.

Benjamin's mind finally cleared up. Amidst the praise, he realized that people are herd-oriented, and as long as he led everyone to victory, they would believe in him unconditionally.

Now we're just missing one sentence to complete the masterpiece...

Benjamin's outstanding performance earned him the praise of everyone in the guard, and he deserved to be admired by all. However, he suddenly felt that rather than accepting it gladly, he should win people's hearts and make long-term plans.

He would choose...

[Virtue: Sharing credit with everyone, making them feel flattered, +10%]

[Torment: Being the best and only having the best means you have no obligation to share your credit with others, +10%]

Benjamin slowly stood up.

Everyone step back.

Benjamin grinned: "It's all thanks to everyone. If it weren't for everyone working together, how could I have defeated such a powerful opponent by myself!"

Benjamin chose to share the credit; he believed that sharing joy is worse than keeping it to oneself, and winning people's hearts is worse than prioritizing personal gain.

[The accumulation of virtue is at its peak: 121%]

"..."

The air seemed to freeze, and after a brief silence, an unprecedented roar of cheers erupted.