That's right, that's what adventure is like!

The flickering firelight illuminated the iron sword lying across Roland's lap, as well as the translucent words in his eyes.

The story "The Blesser of the Cemetery" has been documented.

Story type: Guardian/Battle

Story Rank: Third-rate

Synopsis: The Blessed Cemetery is the final resting place of countless heroes who perished in battle. Guided by fate, the adventurer Nolan arrives here and happens to encounter ghouls that want to devour the bodies of heroes... Through skillful teamwork with the dwarf Seth, Nolan successfully sends them all back to the abyss, safeguarding the peace of the cemetery.

Reader review: "Those two low-level adventurers are excellent material to become ghouls."

Change in honors: Quiet and unnoticed (2/100)

[Hint: This story can continue. Do you wish to end it here?]

[Tip: Choosing to continue the story will grant you even greater rewards.]

"It's not that simple after all."

Roland's gaze lingered briefly on the line of "reader reviews," and he sighed inwardly at how unlucky his first commission had been.

He noticed this when he finished the "Goblin Trial" story last time. The so-called readers should more accurately be called "viewers." Only those who are present and witness the story can make evaluations that are consistent with their identity.

Slave traders thought goblins were a waste, so who thinks they are excellent material this time?

Demons or ghosts? Or...?

A cold glint flashed in Roland's eyes. He gently leaned his back against the wall, slowly closed his eyes, and began to subtly exert force in his grip on the longsword.

The demons and ghosts haven't appeared, and most likely they won't, because this is all made up.

The lesson of killing the goblins last night was still fresh in his mind. The slave trader had given him three pieces of advice, but he had left the most important point unsaid.

Teammates are the biggest hidden danger.

Blessing Cemetery is a good place. Although it is close to the town, it is usually deserted and very few people pass by.

If anyone wants to conduct some wicked "little experiments" here, there are plenty of corpses to choose from.

Those who enjoy studying monsters mostly share a common characteristic—they are magic-based classes.

Austin.

The face of that extremely enthusiastic adventurer flashed through my mind, and the doubts that had arisen not long ago resurfaced.

This is highly unusual. If he had truly come with the intention of looting the corpses, he wouldn't have been so enthusiastic towards the adventurers who wanted to share the spoils, and he wouldn't have even offered to share his experience and tips.

Unless, of course, he created those ghouls in the first place, or even deliberately lured the association to send more novice adventurers so that he would have more material.

Even the receptionist said that this is a very beginner-friendly mission with low rewards. The only ones who come are low-level adventurers who are after the corpses and their valuables, so their combat strength won't be too strong.

This aligns with Roland's guess.

The only somewhat unexpected thing was that he suddenly brought back another mage, who seemed to be the mastermind.

Judging from the bruises on Austin's face, something must have gone wrong along the way, and the two even had a conflict, but Austin ultimately chose to compromise.

This shows that the man was far superior to Austin.

The situation is now quite clear. The task of blessing the cemetery is no longer important. What matters is how to save your life in front of these two people.

Ideally, the stalemate would continue until dawn, giving him a chance to escape, return to the association to report the situation, and then withdraw completely.

but……

Roland's gaze inadvertently swept over the mage holding the bone staff by the campfire. He let out a soft sigh, then decisively chose to stop recording the story.

Although he might waste a much larger reward, he had no time left and had to seize every opportunity to improve his combat strength.

The story "The Blesser of the Cemetery" has ended and is currently being settled...

[You have completed a guardianship story wielding the "Sword of Protection," and the power of its past master has been extracted.]

"..."

Without warning, the hilt of the sword no longer felt cold, but instead a torrent of memories carrying a warm breath.

This time, there were no images, no sounds, but a pure feeling and will that forcefully crashed into Roland's soul.

He felt as if his feet were rooted to the earth like old trees, firmly nailed to a patch of scorched soil, unable to retreat even half a step, because behind him was a village engulfed in flames, and all he could hear were the cries of children.

He felt as if his arms were being torn apart and burned, as if he had been wielding a long sword all night and was completely exhausted.

The strongest force was a resolute will, surging and boiling in the chest like lava, which finally condensed into a single sentence, deeply imprinted on the soul.

"This body shall protect, this sword shall... shatter all invading enemies!"

boom!

Roland, standing by the campfire, suddenly opened his eyes, let out a low gasp, his back completely soaked in cold sweat, and his breathing became erratic.

"What's wrong?"

Austin's voice grew clearer as it approached, and the other man stared intently at the strange Roland, seemingly sensing something amiss.

"It's nothing," Roland leaned against the wall, adjusted his breathing and smiled, "I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that I wasn't full, and so were the ghouls."

"snort--"

The mysterious mage suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and indistinct as if through frosted glass: "Ghouls are undead creatures, unable to obtain any nutrition from flesh and blood, so naturally they are never full."

Roland nodded slightly, but said nothing more, plunging the cabin into silence once more.

"Are you alright?"

Seth, who had his back to the two men, quietly opened his eyes and wrote on the ground with his finger: "These two are strange. We may not be able to hold out until dawn."

"..."

Roland didn't speak, but tapped the blade with his index finger.

Seeing that he understood his meaning, Seth continued writing: "I'll hold them off, and be ready to escape at any time."

Roland glanced quickly at the line of text, gave a barely perceptible nod, and then turned his gaze to the window.

The wind was gradually subsiding, and the faint morning light began to dominate the stars, but the bright moonlight still spilled onto the soil of the cemetery, making the broken corpses stand out even more.

Dawn is just one step away.

Unfortunately, this strange balance did not last until dawn.

click -

A soft click—the sound of a joint moving.

The tall mage stood up slowly without warning, his movements slow, yet as if the last taut string had snapped.

"It's time."

A hoarse voice flowed through the air, causing the veins in Roland's hand gripping the longsword to bulge slightly, followed by a question: "When?"

"Hehehe—" Austin let out his usual low chuckle, but the feigned warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by a pure, playful glint, like that of someone observing prey: "Of course, it's when we're making the Vitality Potion."

"Let me introduce you," he said, gently picking up his staff, the amethyst at the tip gleaming slightly, "this mage Luca is the inventor and improver of the Vitality Potion that you've been wondering about."

"Improvements?" Roland lowered his eyes, his voice soft, concealing the cold glint in his eyes. "It seems... this potion needs the addition of some extraordinary active ingredients?"

"Extraordinary? No, in our mages' words, it should be described as...precise."

Luca drew his staff, and countless black lines appeared and twisted as if they were alive, like long-dormant black blood vessels.

"At the dawn when the old has completely died and the new has not yet fully taken over..."

His gaze locked onto Roland, then slowly swept over Seth, who was feigning sleep, and he said, word by word:

"I need that vibrant heart within you, still beating and brimming with the will to live!"

hum-

The moment the words fell, a dazzling crimson light suddenly burst forth within the cramped wooden house!