Frilian: The Adventure of the Hero

"Given the dwarves' fondness for iron smelting, the 'Blackrock Mountain' mentioned in the information should be an iron mine. There's an abandoned mine to the east of the 'Neck Mountains,' which used to be rich in iron and tin ore. Let's go there and check it out first," Frilian suggested, flipping through the map.

Xia En thought it made a lot of sense.

He stuffed the last bag of food into his backpack, checked all the supplies, and nodded: "Let's go then, let's go treasure hunting!"

The two walked out of the hotel one after the other.

To everyone's surprise, a riot broke out at the town gate ahead as soon as they stepped onto the street.

A sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats, accompanied by screams from those around them, rang out.

Xia En subconsciously turned his head and saw an abandoned carriage speeding toward the center of town. The carriage, wheels, and even the reins were covered in sticky blood, which dripped and splashed all the way, and the strong smell of blood instantly filled the street.

The terrifying scene caused passersby to scream, and the once peaceful street erupted in chaos.

Shane and Frilian exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.

Several guards rushed over, maintaining order while struggling to control the rampaging carriage. Then, officials arrived in the street, beginning to reassure the crowd and informing all the merchants that the trade route to the [Neck Mountains] was closed immediately.

From their few words, Shane quickly understood: this was the second demon attack the town had suffered this month.

Both times were exactly the same: a caravan traveling through the Neck Mountains was ambushed by demons, and none of them survived.

The town sent out scouts when the first incident occurred and requested help from the nearest city, Gostan, but Gostan was also under attack at the time and had no time to deal with it, which is why the problem remained unresolved for so long.

Xia En frowned.

The attack on [Grosstan City] was carried out by Solitaire. At the time, she was clearly aiming for the Sage's Magic in the labyrinth, and the timing of the attack on the town's caravan conflicted with the first attack, so it didn't seem like it was done by one person.

"Could there be other powerful demons nearby besides Solitaire?"

Upon hearing this, Frillie pondered for a moment and then shook her head.

"When I was searching for clues about the dwarf helmet in the mountains near the town, I carefully explored the surrounding environment and found no trace of demons."

"That's very strange. Could it be that the attackers weren't demons?"

Frillie frowned. She didn't say anything more, but bent down and squatted down, gently touching the bloodstains left on the stone pavement with her staff.

Then, some light blue marks appeared on the ground, extending all the way to the edge of the town and heading east.

This is [Tracking Magic], which allows you to track the movement of a creature by observing its scent and traces.

Shane immediately understood what Frillian meant: they were going to track down the "mastermind" who killed the merchant.

Following the direction indicated by the magic, the two hurried out of the town.

…………

The bloodstains extended far into the distance.

After chasing for about an hour, they finally found another carriage abandoned in the woods.

The carriage's reins were broken, the horses were gone, and the carriage lay overturned by the roadside. Like the carriage that had run back to town, this one was also covered in blood, a truly horrific scene.

But there were no signs of a struggle or a body in the vicinity.

It was as if the merchants had vanished into thin air, leaving only bloodstains on the ground, silently recounting the tragedy that had just occurred.

Shai En suppressed his nausea and checked the situation inside the carriage.

The goods are still there.

It wasn't murder or robbery.

That leaves only one answer: the demon race.

Frillie activated [Magic Detection], carefully sensing the surrounding situation, and then shook her head at Shane.

The two continued following the traces of magic, venturing deeper into the forest.

Before long, they found another carriage in the forest. This carriage was completely different from the previous two. The entire carriage had been smashed to pieces, and there were traces of magical destruction everywhere on the ground.

Frillie immediately stopped in her tracks.

Her magic circle instantly aligned itself in one direction, whoosh—

Without the slightest hesitation, the attack spell shot out instantly, passing through the bushes and shrubs in front of him, and accurately hitting the target in the distance.

A wolf was shot through the skull and died silently.

Immediately afterwards, three more wolves appeared from the bushes, forming a triangle and surrounding the two of them.

Shane and Frilian stood back to back, wary of their surroundings.

"I'll attack head-on, you provide support."

With that, Xia En drew his longsword from his waist and charged forward, activating [Numerical Mirror] at the same time.

He had wanted to try this term for a long time, and today he finally got the chance.

Instantly, a tingling sensation shot up his spine, and he clearly sensed that his body was undergoing a wondrous change—

His previously not-so-strong body now felt its muscles bulge, his strength instantly increased significantly, his movements became exceptionally agile, and even his senses became heightened. He could clearly hear the demon wolf's breath and even smell the stench of demons wafting from several kilometers away…

Is this the power of numerical mirroring?

It's amazing that he managed to make his physical stats the same as a dire wolf.

Xia En was overjoyed. The feeling of having a strong physique without having to train was so amazing!

Seeing Xia En charge forward, the wolf immediately opened its blood-red maw, its sharp steel claws whistling a foul wind, aiming straight for Xia En's face. Xia En, using the agility granted by [Mirror Image], easily dodged to the side, simultaneously raising his longsword high.

Crackling sound—

The blade in his hand erupted with silver-white lightning, carrying the power of thunder, and slashed towards the head of the demon wolf.

Even a god descending to earth is nothing more than this.

Behind her, Frillie's initially wary expression gradually relaxed, as if she didn't need Frillie's support.

In a short while, all three demon wolves were beheaded by Shane.

The wolf's corpse transformed into magical particles and slowly dissipated. In the center of the arena, Shane gracefully sheathed his sword, appearing completely at ease.

Frillie was secretly surprised; Shane's growth rate was beyond her expectations, and he was now able to fight the demonic wolf on his own. She stepped forward, about to offer a word of praise, when she saw Shane in front of her suddenly seem to "deflate."

Hmm? Is it just my imagination?

"call--"

Xia En let out a breath. The feeling of that adrenaline rush gone was really a bit unsettling, like the post-exploration period of clarity that leaves one with a slight sense of emptiness...

He recalled the direction from which he had just sensed the "demon stench," and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"Frilian, it seems there are demons heading towards that abandoned mine."