Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

"Rhodes, Rhodes. We're just going to look for clues, why did you buy so many potions?" Paril chattered beside her.

"Jackals are ferocious by nature, and they will usually attack immediately once they discover traces of humans."

"Buy some medicine to prepare for battle."

The two walked out of the guild shop, and Rhodes stuffed the small bottles into his various pockets.

If you have the chance, you should hunt down a few gnolls.

Not only are gnoll ears valuable alchemy materials, but they are also used to upgrade skills.

As humanity's status declines and fewer adventurers hunt other races, these items naturally command exorbitant prices.

He had just renewed his rent for another month and only had one silver coin and a few dozen copper coins left.

The most urgent task is to fill our pockets again.

"You remember the battle instructions I gave you, right?"

"I remember." Paril counted on her fingers:

"First, stay away from you; second, be obedient; third, be cowardly first, then attack."

Rhodes took a deep breath.

The three things he told Paril were to maintain a certain distance between them during combat to prevent area damage.

Only engage in combat when following instructions and ensuring the safety of both individuals.

"I'm glad you remembered it all."

Rhodes didn't say anything more; there was probably no hope of this guy having any fighting spirit.

He held a map in his hand, on which a red circle was drawn on the cliff east of Phil town.

This is where Nathan Oldden lost his goods.

It is also on the edge of the gnolls' territory.

The mage and priest walked and rested intermittently, while the warrior ran for half an hour, and it took them an hour and a half to arrive.

"Rhodes, there seems to be voices up ahead."

The highly perceptive Paryl tugged at Larodos's sleeve.

Rhodes bent down slightly and tiptoed around to the top of the earthen slope, following the sound, before he could barely hear the loud arguing.

"The prices here are one silver coin for people over fifty years old, one silver coin and fifty copper coins for children, and three silver coins for young and middle-aged people. Those with professional talents are charged separately."

"Why do you gnolls have the right to drive down prices so drastically?"

The voices came from two lizardmen with gray scales, who were confronting five or six gnolls while holding steel spears.

The lead gnoll's orange fur bristled like steel needles, his sharp teeth bared, and his expression seemed to carry disdain: "A newbie from the Sunrise District, out trying to earn some extra money for the first time?"

"So what if it is?" the lizardman retorted.

"Hmph." The gnoll sneered.

"These nearby villages don't even have a single adventurer guarding them. Why do you think we don't raid and plunder them?"

"Apart from the town of Phil, all the human villages in this region have been divided up by various races."

As it spoke, its sharp claws pointed to the humans bound to the wooden wagon in the distance:

"I accepted your goods, but I still have to bear the wrath of other races."

"Thirty copper coins is already a high price."

Following the jackal's claws, one could see seven or eight humans, young and old, all bound together with hemp rope.

There was a seven or eight-year-old child who would occasionally cry out loud.

His voice was hoarse, and his tears had long since dried up.

The adults nearby seemed not to hear.

Their eyes were uniformly filled with numbness and emptiness.

It's as if they've become accustomed to this kind of thing.

Young people can at least be raised and bred to serve as laborers and live a few more years, but those who are a little older may end up on the dinner table tonight.

The lizardman gripped his steel fork tightly, clearly showing his defiance.

Seeing this, the gnoll's mocking expression became even more obvious: "Even if you live in the Sunrise Zone, you still have to follow the rules when you come out."

"If you really have the ability to capture a few humans from the Sunset District, we'll pay you the original price, not a single copper coin less."

The lizardman shouted, "The Sunrise Zone is protected by the Adventurers' Guild. If we dare to make a move, according to the rules, the guild leader can directly lead his men to chop us up."

Back then, the town of Phil was defeated in a battle against a combined attack by various races. After the defeat, it chose to cede half of its territory to other races.

The old guild leader led a group of adventurers to stand up, demanding that the leaders of various races sign the Human Protection Ordinance with an attitude of "if you don't agree, we'll fight to the death."

The regulations include provisions prohibiting other races from trafficking or harming human residents of the town.

"That settles it."

"In the end, it's just that you don't dare to make a move."

The gnoll waved his paw: "Sell now if you want, or get lost. I don't have that much time."

"Okay, okay, this price is fine."

One of the lizardmen impatiently agreed.

"Since there are so many humans, we can slowly make money by secretly kidnapping a few people from nearby villages."

The jackal nodded in deep agreement, licking his lips with his scarlet tongue as if he were already eyeing his dinner.

"Swish swish swish"

Four rockets rhythmically drew an arc in the air.

Thanks to Paril's blessing spell and the increased casting speed of the staff itself, the fire arrow instantly shot towards both parties in the transaction.

The distance gave the opponent time to react. The gnoll raised his iron shield to defend, only to find that the sharp fire arrows had stuck directly into the shield.

The lizardman seemed to have little combat experience; his foot was pinned to the ground by a flaming arrow.

"Enemy attack from the direction of the hill!"

The gnolls shouted.

Rhodes calmly opened a bottle of mana potion and drank it down.

Ugh.

They're so close in team fights, they're practically giving away experience points.

An explosion with a radius of three meters was enough to cover all units except for those civilians.

Just as the gnolls were preparing to launch a charge, the flaming arrows in front of them suddenly began to glow.

"boom!"

The four exploded almost simultaneously, producing a sharp, loud bang.

A red flame lit up, and heat waves carrying dust spread in a ring.

Cool!

Art truly is an explosion.

For a moment, the field was shrouded in yellow dust and black smoke, making it impossible to see the specific situation.

The several bound humans were also startled, and they instinctively shrank back.

[230 Life Essence Points Acquired]

[Next enhancement requires 235/100 Life Essence]

Only 230?

These guys are still too weak.

According to the adventurer ranking system, the strongest among them is only at the apprentice level.

Rhodes pondered as he waited for the smoke to clear.

After confirming that the gnolls and lizardmen on the field had been reduced to charred remains, he put on his mask and then used his dagger to cut open the ropes binding the civilians.

The civilians were too frightened to move.

Staring blankly at the person in front of me who was covered up very tightly.

"Run!"

Rhodes shouted in a high-pitched voice.

They then realized what had happened and several strong men, pulling the old man along and carrying the child on their backs, fled quickly without looking back.

Seeing the civilians run away, Rhodes found a gnoll who was still relatively intact and beckoned to Paril: "Come here."

He tossed the staff to the young priest, indicating that she should use the dead to communicate.

"The explosion could attract other things in the vicinity, so hurry."

Paril nodded, and a ghostly green light emanated from her staff.

Rhodes kept a watchful eye on his surroundings while opening the panel.

I'll take this opportunity to have a go.