“Beware all! He may possess some peculiar talent!”
The head of the mercenaries bellowed, his gaze locked on the black-cloaked young man. What perplexed him was the young man’s calm demeanor. He neither fled nor struck first, simply standing there unperturbed, observing them.
— (Such a charlatan.)
“Order for all! Formation one! Bring him down!”
With the fall of the mercenary leader’s command, three “Tier-2 Heavy Armored Soldiers” advanced, holding their shields high.
Simultaneously, three “Tier-1 Archers” and one “Tier-2 Sniper Archer” readied their bows, half-drawn.
Should the young man dare to escape through the gaps in their encirclement, they would instantly release their arrows!
Yet, bizarrely, the young man showed no intention of flight. He set down two large bags, obediently approaching and being circled by the heavy armored soldiers with their shields.
The mercenaries all knitted their brows in confusion, but being professionals, they didn’t let this distract them from their duties.
In the rear of the formation, a “Tier-1 Mage” promptly completed the “Tier-1 Earth Magic: Multi-layer Rock Wall”. Stone walls sprung from the ground, forming a layered barricade that further trapped the young man, encased within the shield circle, inside a rock cage.
The heavy armored soldiers retreated, their mission accomplished. The young man was now completely trapped.
At this moment, another “Tier-1 Mage” approached, seeking the opinion of the mercenary leader. He asked whether they should use a ring of fire inside the rock walls to burn the target to death, or use “Frost Breath” to freeze and then transport him.
The mercenary leader initially intended to freeze him, but the young man’s confounding calm made him uneasy, and he ordered the mage to burn him alive instead.
However, at this moment, the neighing of a stallion echoed from the other side of the mercenary group.
Everyone, assuming a cavalier had breached the battlefield, looked over nervously.
To their shock, they didn’t see an ordinary steed, but a magic elemental warhorse ablaze with blue fire. In the blink of an eye, the Blue Blaze Steed charged into the mercenaries’ formation.
Wherever it went, cries of agony followed. Those hit directly by its flames were instantly charred, while those on the periphery abandoned their armor in pain.
“How is this possible?”
“Where’s the mage?!”
“Where did this Tier three magic come from?!”
The power of Tier 3 magic could destroy a single-story building in one blow. For Tier 1 and Tier 2 combat professionals, a direct hit meant certain death.
Yet, Tier 3 magic required a long incantation period during which the mage could hardly hide.
“What the hell are the scouts doing?! Why didn’t they alert us to an enemy mage?!”
The mercenary leader was livid. Being ambushed by a mage was a matter of immense embarrassment among their ranks!
But before his subordinates could respond, a second Blue Blaze Steed charged out.
This time, even the mercenary leader himself couldn’t discern where the enemy’s magic circle had formed.
“Damn it, are there multiple mages?”
Only at this point did the mercenary leader truly realize the gravity of the situation. He planned to flee, but before he could slip away, he knew he had to kill the black-cloaked young man.
It wasn’t a matter of professionalism, but survival. If he didn’t complete the task, he would undoubtedly be executed by Mayor Gideon.
“Don’t panic!”
“This powerful magic couldn’t possibly strike three times consecutively!” 𝗈𝐕𝗅xt.𝔠𝐎𝕞
“Thieves, quickly locate the mage!”
“Heavy armored soldiers, raise your shields and form a defensive line!”
“The enemy’s reinforcements might not be limited to one!”
The mercenary leader roared hoarsely. He was issuing commands while hastening towards the rock cage.
Without the slightest hesitation, the mercenary leader thrust his sword through a gap in the rock cage. In such a confined space, the black-cloaked young man couldn’t possibly dodge. However, something strange occurred—the mercenary leader felt as if his sword had pierced nothing.
“Impossible, how could there be no one in here?”
The mercenary leader peered through the gap in the rock wall, and indeed, the cage was empty.
He had clearly seen the black-cloaked young man confined inside. How could such a large person have vanished without a trace?
Just as the mercenary leader was about to throw a luminous magic stone into the cage for a better look, someone tapped his shoulder from behind.
“Stop bothering me, can’t you see I’m busy?!”
The mercenary leader roared impatiently, then turned around.
But after turning his head, he found he couldn’t turn it back.
“Do you have a moment? I have some inquiries,” the youth said, smiling at the head of the mercenaries, his eyes devoid of any mirth.
.
By the time Albert arrived at the control area of the Gateway of Trials on the outskirts, it had already become a veritable feast for beasts.
Wolves, wild dogs, even bears, were all devouring human corpses without any interference.
As there was ample food scattered across the ground, the beasts paid little heed to the living human that was Albert approaching them.
Conversely, the dangerous aura emanating from this man deterred them from showing aggression.
— (He even lured the beasts… He must be seasoned…)
Albert assessed the state of several bodies, preliminarily determining that they had been deceased for merely one or two hours.
Yet, upon further inspection, confusion creeped into Albert.
According to the intelligence Mayor Gideon provided, the target should have been a black-clothed archer; however, there were no injuries caused by arrows on the bodies.
Contrary to Albert’s expectations, most of the wounds were sword inflicted, their edges smooth, suggesting the murderer wielded a particularly sharp blade or was highly skilled in swordsmanship.
Apart from this, some corpses were burned to death, charred beyond recognition, with the most severe cases having their bones reduced to black powder.
Could all this truly be the work of a single archer?
Albert proceeded to count the number of bodies—fifteen mercenaries had been killed.
— (Fifteen against one, and they were all wiped out…)
This forced Albert to question whether there had been a mistake in the intelligence from the mayor, or perhaps… were there more than one assailant and an ambush had been set?
— (Or could it be… this archer is a Tier-3, like me?)
Albert began to feel a twinge of excitement; it had been a long time since he had encountered a worthy adversary!
His main reason for accepting the commission from the mayor of Sunny Town this time was to keep his body in fighting shape.
Otherwise, he might not be able to serve as an effective role model when he next joins Lady Viviana on the battlefield.
Albert scoured the area and eventually found a fresh set of footprints. They appeared to belong to a man and a horse, and the deep indentation suggested they carried a heavy load.
Oddly, the man seemed to have walked alongside the horse instead of riding it, leaving footprints in the direction of Sunny Town.
Albert stood up, mounted his horse, and followed the tracks with mounting anticipation.
.
Simultaneously, high above the Abyssal Empire, the “Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name” had just torn through space-time, creating a rift leading to the Wester Kingdom, the territory of Lord Azure Lizard, in Sunny Town.
For the “Singular Demon God – The Unutterable Name”, there was no need for other transmigrators in this world apart from the “The Eternal Winter Lord”.
.
End of the Volume “Advancement Trail” (*′?`)~?
Next Volume: “Unknown Death”ε?(?> ? <)?з