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

A cold night.

The bright moonlight shone down, flowing slowly among the trees like a winding river, illuminating the fragments of weapons stuck diagonally between the mounds.

The burn marks had not yet faded, forming a charred patch on the dark red soil. Not far away, some tattered pieces of cloth fluttered in the wind, beckoning into the distance with the midnight chimes.

Bless the cemetery.

Austin didn't really want to come back to this place, even though he was very familiar with it.

He knew it was a trap.

The Blackhorn gang was wiped out, but Luca and the lower-class people were still alive and were transferred to this place where he had stayed for a long time.

He could figure out who would do such a thing even with his skeletal frame; it had to be that adventurer named Nolan.

He's using these people as bait.

If even Austin could see it clearly, how could that important person not know it?

However, he still forcibly ordered Austin to come.

Because the blood core formed by Luca, as described by Austin, was so valuable that the important figure felt he could gamble with Austin.

If they lose, only Austin will die; it won't affect him.

If we win, those are dozens of blood cores that we've painstakingly cultivated.

They have trapped themselves in their own web.

The word popped into his mind, causing Austin's lips to curl into an unpleasant smile.

So, filled with resentment and anger, Austin set foot on this familiar land.

His black robes fluttered in the wind, and the staff he held was no longer concealed. The black crystal at the top shimmered with a pale light under the moonlight, mixed with a faint hint of blood.

Austin's gaze fell on the rebuilt wooden cabin.

The door was open, and the flickering firelight illuminated the eyes of dozens of people from the lower classes huddled together. Most of them were numb, with a hint of resentment in their eyes.

Luca sat on the steps in front of the door, his hands and feet still bound by severed chains. Although he no longer had his staff, his eyes still gleamed with a cold light.

Roland sat beside him, his longsword diagonally embedded in the soil, and his scorching javelin leaning against a pillar, its runes gleaming in the flames.

He didn't look at Austin.

He simply held a piece of white bread and chewed it slowly.

The moonlight fell on him, and the red in his scales looked as clear and transparent as congealed blood.

He wasn't the first to speak.

"You've finally arrived."

Luca's voice, tinged with coldness, drifted on the wind through the cemetery, which reeked of a foul stench, and struck Austin's heart.

"...Did you choose this location?"

Austin's face twisted slightly as he stared intently at Luca, the mentor he had once followed with everything, and also the one he had betrayed.

"Of course," Luca smiled, but his eyes remained cold. "Don't you think this is a good place?"

He stood up, raised his hands, and the chains clattered together.

"It's a bit far from Broken Rock Town, but not that far... The official professionals from the Church of the Righteous God have already left, so no one can sense the aura of necromancy... It's perfect for you to use."

"Of course, it's also... very suitable as bait."

That's the clever thing about the cemetery; if it were in town, Austin probably wouldn't be able to do anything, but here, he would.

Even if he doesn't come, someone will force him to.

"..."

Austin remained silent for a moment, ignoring him, and instead turned his gaze to another person, his voice slightly hoarse: "Nolan."

Roland finally stopped chewing and looked up at the apprentice necromancer he had met just two weeks ago.

The moonlight shone between the two, transforming into a shimmering silver curtain, like a fence made of mithril.

"Long time no see," he said.

Then, Roland stuffed the remaining piece of white bread into his mouth, patted the crumbs off his hands, and stood up.

The longsword was pulled from the soil, and the scorching spear was held in his hand.

The familiar, warm touch brought a smile to his face: "You greeted me two weeks ago."

"Now, it's my turn to greet you."

Austin's expression changed.

Because at the very moment those words were spoken, the javelin had already transformed into a dazzling crimson streak of light and hurtled toward his face!

boom!!!

The staff was held horizontally in front of him, and the shield formed by pale magical power was shattered in less than half a second. The scorching spear, carrying its remaining force, pierced through him!

Austin managed to adjust his position, letting his shoulder take the blow for his head.

Bone fragments were faintly visible in the blood-filled hole, which was then patched up with eerie black threads.

He only had time to gulp down a bottle of medicine before a long sword came crashing down on his head!

laugh--

The blade grazed the neck, piercing into the flesh, but was stopped by the hard neck bone. Roland drew his sword, twisted, and plunged it into the enemy's throat!

But Austin didn't budge!

He chanted a spell in a low voice quickly, and slammed his staff on the ground. The faint sound of something breaking could be heard from his body, indicating that he had used some kind of extraordinary artifact.

Pop!

A ring of grayish-white ripples spread out in the blink of an eye, knocking Roland back two steps. Before he could regain his footing, he noticed something unusual out of the corner of his eye.

Click.

The cold, sharp claws pounced on Roland, sparks flying from the scales. Although they failed to harm him in the slightest, they did make him more focused.

It's a ghoul.

There were three in total. The one that attacked me appeared the fastest, and the other two were crawling out of the mud.

"You've really improved a lot after all this time..."

Roland marveled at Austin's changing abilities, then casually pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket and threw it around him.

The developing dust scattered in mid-air as the longsword cleaved through the skin, turning into a fine white mist that illuminated a three-meter radius around it.

The three ghouls and Austin, who was continuing to chant the spell, emitted gray-green marks, a sign of negative energy.

Roland's attention, however, was focused on something else entirely.

At the edge of the white mist, a blurry silhouette was slowly moving, about to circle around behind him and launch a sneak attack.

They are invisible servants.

Roland smiled and, to Austin's astonishment, pulled on the secondary soul-binding net hanging beneath the leather armor, aiming it at the silhouette.

Nourishes—

Like water meeting hot oil, the outline burst forth with a sharp and violent hiss, disappearing into puffs of white smoke.

"What...you!?"

Austin dodged another of Roland's slashes, finally realizing something, and looked in shock and anger toward the front of the cabin.

Luca was smirking.

He was all too familiar with Austin's tricks, and he knew that Austin had a habit of using ghouls as cover at the start of a battle and then launching stealth attacks with his cloaked minions.

Roland's advantage was this old acquaintance's experience, and he certainly wouldn't let it go.

With a flick of his sleeve, the sword oil was evenly applied to the blade, giving it a silvery sheen, as if it had been forged and refined by the moonlight.

Three ghouls pounced on him.

Roland took the first ghoul's claw attack with his leather armor, twisting his body as his arm muscles bulged, and his sword blade drew a semi-circular arc in the air.

boom!

The sword's edge grazed the ghoul's neck without the slightest resistance. The once-hard skull was now as fragile as paper, and the rotten head flew off and crashed to the ground.

Without pausing for a moment, Roland ducked to avoid another ghoul's attack, then raised his longsword from below, stabbing it into the jaw and straight into the brain before pulling it out after a few twists.

Thud!

A cold glint flashed, and the longsword slashed across the neck of the last ghoul. The two ghouls fell to the ground one after the other. Roland didn't stop, heading straight for Austin who was chanting a spell!

boom!!!

A blinding white light suddenly appeared, causing Roland, who was about to swing his longsword, to instinctively block, but he couldn't sense any force coming from the blade.

Then came a deep voice.

The sound was like the terrifying noise of countless bone fragments grinding together, yet it also carried the madness of someone in dire straits.

"You..." Austin knelt on the ground, black blood gushing from his eyes and nostrils, yet he sneered, "Did you really think that's all I'm capable of...?"

At the top of the staff, the black crystal suddenly shattered, turning into countless fragments that spun around him, each fragment reflecting a distorted face.

—It was all Austin himself.

He clenched his fist tightly.

The fragments suddenly exploded, transforming into fine needles swirling with black energy, which rained down on Roland, accompanied by painful wails, even obscuring the moonlight.

These needles were extremely fast, and Roland had no time to dodge. He instinctively raised his arm guard to block them.

when--

The fine needles woven from magic landed on the fiery red scales, bursting out with a sharp, metallic crackling sound. The powerful force forced Roland to retreat, and a faint stench began to emanate from his body.

The needle is poisoned.

Roland dared not take the attack head-on, nor did he dare gamble on how long the scales could withstand such magical attacks.

He suddenly turned to the side, his figure shifting horizontally, and used his toes to lift the scorching spear stuck diagonally in the ground, grasping it in his palm before channeling his power into it.

hum-

The moment the energy perception was activated, Austin's location became clearly visible behind a needle-like black mist. He was gripping the javelin tightly, but did not throw it.

It can hit, but it can't kill.

Austin definitely still has the ability to save his life, which is a basic requirement for a mage.

In the blink of an eye, the black needles changed direction, drawn by their master's will, and charged toward Roland once more!

Let's take a gamble!

Roland took a deep breath, pushed off with his feet, and shot out like an arrow, his target being Austin, who was hidden behind the needle!

The fiery red scales on the leather armor twitched slightly, as if they were alive, resisting the layers of falling needles—that was the balance force at work.

In the first wave, the fine needles struck Roland's chest, causing his blood and qi to surge. He then took out a life-saving potion from his bag and drank it in advance.

The second wave saw fine needles graze his shoulder, with many piercing his cheeks. Intense pain began to spread, but fortunately, a continuous stream of life force kept repairing the wounds.

The third wave—Roland had already rushed in front of Austin.

boom!!!

The runes on the javelin suddenly lit up, illuminating Austin's horrified face. He struggled to stand up, but the spell had consumed too much energy, causing him to temporarily lose consciousness.

Step forward, sweep!

Spiraling runes spread from the spearhead, illuminating the entire javelin. With an unstoppable force, it hurtled through the air, hurtling towards Austin's face!

boom--

The blow was so powerful that it dented Austin's right cheek, twisting and deforming his bones and muscles, and producing a cracking sound as his entire body was subjected to the immense force...

Take off.

Roland did not stop. He slung the javelin back over his shoulder, drew his longsword, and the silver-white blade gleamed with a faint white light as it traced an exquisite arc.

Heavy Strike!

when--

Austin raised his arm, and the last of his pale mana seeped out, forming a round shield in front of him, trying to block the blade.

However, with the sword oil added, this method is almost useless!

Like a fragile, freshly baked block of tofu, the round shield couldn't even withstand the silver blade for a moment before turning into black mist and dissipating, followed by the ever-expanding sharpness!

"No!!! I..."

Austin tried to speak, but it was too late.

At first it was flesh and blood, but the blade cut it into distinct muscle layers, splitting it in two.

Behind it was bone, which seemed to have been strengthened and replaced in some way, but instead accelerated the blade's slashing, neatly shattering into dust.

Finally, there's the brain matter.

Mixed with various slimes, red and white splattered into the air, finally landing on Roland's body and face.

Warm.

Roland looked down at Austin's head, which was wide-eyed, not far away, and said nothing. Instead, he stared at the body that was kneeling on the ground.

boom--

A dark gold color suddenly appeared, carrying with it shattered flesh and blood, bursting open the chest and exploding from the black robe!

It spun in mid-air, each rotation emitting a ring of crimson ripples, faintly accompanied by a muffled sound like a heartbeat.

Blood nucleus.

Roland flicked the longsword, letting it land at the tip of the blade.

It was larger than the one he had seen before, and its surface was covered with vein-like patterns. Even more strangely, Austin's face could be faintly seen inside.

thump—

thump—

Heavy footsteps echoed from the woods not far away, causing Roland to turn his head and watch the figure that had burst into the battlefield.

Heavy armor, a greatsword, and a black goat emblem on his chest.

This guy was probably sent by that important figure to clean up the mess...

A pitiful person?

Roland's lips curled into a cold smile as he removed the blood core and stuffed it into his pouch. Then, he gripped his longsword and turned around.

"Come."

He said.