Witch Redemption

The smile on number 47 suddenly turned bitter because of those words.

Chapter 8 It's hard to make money these days

"It's not that simple. Competition in this world is extremely fierce. Who wouldn't want a profitable business?"

Number 47 stuffed the two magic cores in his hand into the bag on his waist and continued to walk slowly forward a few more steps.

"You'll find out in a bit. I'll also tell you how to hunt these mimicry Chaos and how to use your class skills."

"First of all, when dealing with mimicry chaos, it's best to strike first. If that's not possible, you must use bait. As I mentioned before, mimicry chaos only needs a drop of blood to transform into the appearance of the corresponding creature. Can you guess what its weaknesses are?"

Li Lan suddenly realized, "Give it a drop of pig's blood and it can turn into a pig?"

“That’s right. The weaker the source of the blood, the better. These low-level monsters aren’t very intelligent before they transform. They will definitely reveal their true form and try to transform into the corresponding form of the blood. That’s their first weakness. The second weakness is that the transformation takes time, usually a gap of one to three seconds. If you can seize this gap and destroy its core, it will surely die.”

The advice given in number 47 was based on experience; he still clearly remembered that it was learned through the deaths of countless comrades. If the Witch's Cult hadn't gone mad this time, miraculously allowing him to bring two new recruits, their futures would likely have been bleak.

After explaining, he took out two small bottles from a small bag at his waist and handed them to Li Lan and Lana respectively.

"Anticoagulant chicken blood is very expensive, so use it sparingly."

"..." Li Lan and Lana were both stunned, not expecting such a thing to exist. "Thank you."

"You can buy it at the pharmacy that sold recovery potions before. These are usually sold to adventurers to create low-level barriers."

After discussing how to deal with low-level monsters like Mimicry Chaos, number 47 then touched on the topic of class skills.

"Most of our professional skills cannot be used without limit. A few are limited to ten times, most to five times, and some high-powered professional skills are limited to three, two, or even one time."

"Therefore, starting from midnight every day, you need to pay close attention to the number of times you use your professional skills and judge your return time after entering the monster area to avoid unexpected accidents that could lead to disaster. In addition, try not to rely too much on your professional skills and professional artifacts. The only thing that can save you in the early stages is this thing in your hands."

Number 47 brandished the Libra Cross Greatsword in his hand, "Sword skills are all superficial. Fancy tricks are not suitable for us. No matter what method or means we use, as long as we can plunge this sword into the monster's body, we have a chance of winning!"

As they talked, the three of them approached a mimicking chaos that was lurking a dozen meters away.

Number 47 stepped aside. "Try working together to take it down. I'll provide support from behind if anything happens."

………………

The border forest area of ​​Mori, in front of the border city gate.

The morning mist was very thin, and the chill of early spring was still a bit biting.

Three burly men, shivering from the cold, walked along the forest road and turned a corner, heading deeper into the woods.

These three are all native inhabitants of this world, former soldiers who retired from the lower ranks of the empire's army, and now they are adventurers.

Adventurers are not a rare profession in any country in the world; they can be found everywhere. Furthermore, the Adventurers' Guild clearly classifies and distinguishes adventurers based on their strength, and awards them corresponding identification.

Adventurers can earn money in more ways than just hunting monsters for magic cores. They can also accept commissions from the Adventurers' Guild, collect monster materials, and exchange them for generous rewards. Some powerful adventurers can even participate in escort missions for caravans.

These three adventurers are low-level Bronze-rank adventurers with mediocre strength. Currently, they are only hunting low-level monsters in the Mori Defense Forest.

One of the rugged men, dressed in dark gray soft armor and with a finely crafted short sword at his waist, was named Ryan. He was the leader of the adventurer squad. According to his Imperial rank when he retired, he was a private first class, but because of his decent brute strength, he usually preferred to call himself a "quasi-corporal."

"Brother, it's only seven o'clock. Is it really necessary to come out so early?"

The man who was complaining was a rat-like fellow, carrying a steam rifle and a dagger at his waist. His name was Reiner, the younger brother of the squad leader, and he claimed to have been a "sharpshooter" in the army.

"Stop talking nonsense. There are still two days until the next Crimson Night Torrent. Most of the monsters around here have been killed. If you want to compete with those lackeys, you'd better come out early. I'm already complaining that I got up too late!"

Ryan's dark brown eyes scanned his surroundings constantly, as wary as a seasoned hunter.

"We weren't alone the whole way, so it doesn't matter if we're a little late."

We're already out, we can't possibly go back to sleep, can we?

After complaining a few times, Reiner quieted down considerably.

At this moment, another man walking beside him, carrying a long spear, finally had a chance to speak, "Ryan, the next batch should be arriving soon. Hunting monsters in this defensive forest area may become more difficult in a while."

You mean?

"Witch."

“Oh right,” Ryan said, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes. “The last batch is almost all dead. There are only a few left. It’s annoying to have these flies always stealing business. I don’t know why the Empire releases this batch of people every year.”

If possible, Ryan would not want the Empire to send a large number of witches to the border every year. The Imperial Army and the Papacy's troops are enough to hold off the Crimson Night Flood.

"However, the previous batch of witches were indeed formidable. I wonder how they accurately detected the signs of the simulated chaos. Perhaps they had some secret technique. If only we had known this before they died..."

"Bensen, don't get your hopes up. What kind of trick could there be? Warriors who have cultivated their strength to the extreme all have an aura that allows them to sense hidden dangers with just their perception. Of course, this only applies to low-level monsters; they can't do anything about the stronger ones."

That being said, the average strength of those witches was indeed much greater than that of these bronze adventurers.

"Um, are those witches really that powerful?" Reiner asked curiously from the side.

He was so used to hearing about the deaths of various witches that he had become somewhat numb to it.

"What do you think? Those guys are desperate criminals who dare to face even the Crimson Night Torrent. They're more ruthless than anyone else, otherwise not many people would dare to mess with them. Fortunately, they all follow one ironclad rule: never harm humans, so sometimes it's okay to steal their business."

After putting down his hand, he walked over the towering trees and suddenly saw three hooded female figures in the distance.

………………

The arrival of three uninvited guests broke the silence of the forest.

Ryan recognized the three women's attire; the legendary witches were said to wear similar gray-white bodysuits for combat, with black cloaks covering half their faces under hoods.

Of course, their most distinctive features are the greatswords they carry and the magical grimoire.

"Big brother, they're witches. Should we take a detour?"

As the younger brother, Reiner is not only lazy, but also a bit timid and usually quite afraid of trouble.

"What are you afraid of? Didn't you see the way those three are acting? There are definitely monsters ahead! So what if we stole their business? Do you think they'll treat us badly?"

Ryan had seen it all; he knew better than anyone how to rob and seize property.

Benson behind him remained silent in acquiescence, having already removed the spear he had been carrying.

Ryan glared at his timid younger brother, then roared at the three witches, "Gentlemen, this is our territory!"

As he spoke, he spat, pointed in another direction somewhat arrogantly, and swore.

………………

Li Lan and Lana were looking at the red dots on their respective magic books, intending to test the waters, when three men suddenly appeared behind them, interrupting their further actions.

In particular, hearing that provocative remark, similar to "get lost," caused their blood pressure to spike.

"Are these three guys looking for trouble?"

Li Lan glared at the group with some annoyance, noticing that the three fully armed men didn't seem to be civilians of the Empire, and the weapon carried on the back of one of them caught his eye.

Is that a rifle? Does this world even have firearms? What's the point of having melee weapons then?

"They are adventurers, don't mess with them, let's go."

Number 47 lowered his voice, stopped the two newcomers who were about to lash out, and then started walking to the side.

Lana was also frustrated, "But..."

"Remember, this is not the world you know. The word 'witch' has no auspicious meaning. We are witches, not heroes, so it's normal that we don't receive respect."

Unlike the two newcomers, number 47 did not feel any resentment.

"This is why I said the competition is so fierce. It's not just witches who hunt monsters; there are also the Empire's army and a large number of adventurers. And we're at the very bottom of this hierarchy. You'll get used to it."

Perhaps considering that Li Lan and Lana had just transmigrated and were full of youthful vigor, he thought for a moment and added, "Recklessness will only ruin you. You should understand the principle of making a fortune in silence better than I do."

Li Lan calmed himself down and did not refute. In fact, if he had encountered a similar provocation in his original world, he probably would have left in the same dejected manner.

Ultimately, he considers himself a keyboard warrior; the braver he is online, the more cowardly he is in real life.

After all, I've long passed that passionate age; people approaching thirty will only become more docile.

Lana, on the other hand, was an elite person who usually disdained to argue with people who lacked manners, so he quickly relaxed.

"By the way, senior, I just saw that person carrying a rifle. How effective is that thing against monsters?"

“It’s very good, but,” Number 47 expressed a hint of regret in response to Li Lan’s question, “we can’t use that kind of weapon. One reason is that it’s too expensive to manufacture, and the other is that the Imperial government’s laws prohibit witches from handling firearms. Hmm, I think you might be able to witness the power of firearms during the Crimson Night Torrent the night after tomorrow.”

"The empire is so powerful, summoning us witches is useless. Do they really need us to save the world?"

Li Lan was truly confused.

"Karen and Lana, you'll understand later. There are some facts that neither I nor Number 86 can tell you directly. You'll have to learn about them gradually in the future."

If you are able to live to that time.

At this moment, the three of them had walked several dozen meters away when several loud gunshots suddenly rang out behind them. A few seconds later, the gunshots stopped abruptly.

At the same time, several shrill screams and cries for help rang out.

"Damn it!"

The expression on number 47 changed slightly, and he began to curse himself for not being careful enough.

"what happened?"

Li Lan and Lana asked, puzzled.

"There's one more thing I need you to pay attention to as we head back," Number 47 explained as they started walking back, "No matter how coldly humans treat you, if they encounter a crisis, you should try your best to help when necessary."

What would happen if we didn't intervene?

That's strange. You haven't even given me a friendly look, so why should I be nice to you?

"It would violate the witch's rules and could endanger your lives."

The words in number 47 did not sound like a joke at all.

Chapter 9: Isn't this battle a bit too realistic?

Blood splattered everywhere, and Ryan, whose left arm had been eaten, lay on the ground, crawling away in fear.

His younger brother, Reiner, had already fled out of fear, and another companion, Benson, seeing that the situation was not good, also decisively fled in another direction.

"Damn it! Damn it! Those two bastards!"

He uttered a voice of resentment at the betrayal of his accomplices, and tears streamed down Ryan's twisted, rugged face.

His yearning for life drove him to desperately try to escape this oppressive, hellish place.

However, the fully revealed humanoid shadow pounced like a ferocious tiger!

Suddenly, a cross-shaped greatsword shot out from the other side, creating a sonic boom. After severing one of the humanoid shadow's arms, its power remained undiminished, and it shattered a tree not far away with a loud bang.