Night Ranger

Chapter 192: Ivan’s Humiliation

p>After leaving Marvin that day in Tornado Harbor, Ivan went out to sea on his own. He actually went through great lengths to chase the Ancient Red Dragon.

But even if Ell was scared away by the Dragon Killer Sword, he hadn’t been critically hurt by it.

Ivan took advantage of Ell resting on an island to launch a sneak attack!

Both sides fought a fierce battle, but the outcome was obvious. Even the powerful Elven War Saint was nothing more than a punching bag for the Ancient Red Dragon Ell.

Ivan was defeated.

Normally, with Ell’s temper, he would definitely have chased him in this kind of situation.

But at that time, he was affected by the Dragon Killer Sword, there was a shadow in his heart.

The paranoid Red Dragon believed it was a plot by the South Wizard Alliance, so he didn’t pursue Ivan.

Ivan luckily escaped.

But this didn’t mean that Ell would let him off for free.

He didn’t chase Ivan himself, but he called another Adult Red Dragon to hound Ivan.

Thus, a fierce battle was carried out on the sea.

Under normal circumstances, Ivan would have been strong enough to turn this Adult Red Dragon into mincemeat.

But he was seriously hurt. And the sea wasn’t a suitable fighting location for the War Saint who couldn’t fly. They kept fighting and were entangled for so long!

Both sides suffered in the end.

Ivan punched the Red Dragon with using all of his strength. Some of his power still remained inside the Red Dragon’s body, which is how he could feel that the Red Dragon was nearby.

This punch directly put the Red Dragon on the brink of death, but unfortunately it could fly, so Ivan didn’t succeed in killing the Dragon.

What happened next was a story Ivan was very reluctant to share.

Despite that, the story of what Ivan called “Humiliation” was eventually dug up under Marvin’s constant questioning.

…

The pitiful Ivan was trying to return to the continent with his serious injuries.

But as he was drifting, he came across a group of women.

A group of completely unreasonable women.

They were Sea Elves.

Unlike the Wood Elves, the Sea Elves lived in a Matriarchy, where women reigned over everything.

That group of Sea Elves weren’t ordinary either. They were royalty. Ivan even heard most of those Sea Elves address a graceful and elegant girl as “Queen”.

This meant that this Sea Elf’s status in the Sea Elven community was equivalent to that of his own father Nicholas in the Wood Elven community.

The Sea Elves Saved Ivan.

But something unfortunate happened. As Ivan put it, that “Big boobs no brain” took a fancy to him.

She didn’t ask for his permission and directly brought back the seriously hurt Ivan to rest at her palace!

Using Ivan’s words, he almost lost his virginity in front of the Sea Elven Queen!

He stayed at the palace of the Sea Elven royalty at the seafloor for some time. During that time he had no choice but to yield since he was living under someone else’s roof.

He originally wasn’t the Sea Elven Queen’s opponent, and he was even less of a threat after being seriously injured.

But Ivan didn’t lose hope!

He didn’t want to become the breeding tool of the Sea Elven royalty!

The pitiful Ivan finally grabbed an opportunity. The day before yesterday, he found a way out of the Royal Palace and fled!

Sadly, good things don’t last forever. The Sea Elven Queen’s might exceeded his imagination. She actually chased him down.

Both sides fought an all out battle.

Ivan was still not the other side’s match. He lost consciousness from the injuries, but before that happened, he used an item his mother set aside for him and escaped.

Who knew where he got that rotten plank, perhaps just from survival instinct. In short, he passed out and drifted on the sea for a while.

His mother’s item helped him escape the search of the Sea Elven Queen, but if not for Marvin fishing him up, who knew where he would end up drifting to.

Thus, he was shocked to see Marvin again and expressed his gratitude.

As for this humiliating story of almost being locked up as a plaything by a group of women, Ivan seriously warned Marvin over and over again to not disclose a single word of it to outsiders.

Otherwise, their friendship would be over.

After Marvin laughed for a while, he promised to keep the secret.

He hadn’t expected this powerful Elven War Saint to suffer such a defeat, Marvin inwardly shook his head.

This world had so many outstanding and powerful women, and their personal strength greatly overwhelmed 99% of the male lifeforms.

This kind of power guaranteed that they could act how they wanted and not be under a man.

But sometimes, they would use that power to oppress others in some… extreme ways.

…

But what interested Marvin the most after hearing about Ivan’s humiliation wasn’t that group of Sea Elves.

He knew of the Sea Elves’ pride, and even if he met them, they would only consider him as a “insignificant human”. And the Sea Elves were kindhearted. If you didn’t provoke them, they wouldn’t meddle with you.

He was more interested in the Red Dragon.

According to Ivan, that Red Dragon should still be in one of the surrounding islands. After being seriously injured by Ivan, he shouldn’t have been able to fly far!

Ivan’s power left in the Dragon’s body had turned into an excellent tracking method.

As long as he could find that Red Dragon, the Elven Prince was 99% sure he could slaughter it.

That remaining 1% depended on the Dragon being able to fly…

Marvin contemplated for a short time before clapping his hands and making a decision!

This Dragon must be killed!

After a huge gift of experience and fame from killing a dragon was delivered right at his doorstep, wouldn’t it be a waste to not pick it up?

But he wasn’t like the Elven Saint with his extremely powerful body who would be fine even if the Dragon scratched him a couple times.

Marvin estimated that he wouldn’t be able to resist the Dragon’s power if he was hit.

He had to ensure his own safety if he wanted to kill a Dragon.

Thus he patted Ivan’s shoulder.

“Rest for another day.”

“We will act tomorrow night.”

…

Very late at night, in the camp. A strange candle was lit by Marvin.

The impatient voice of the blacksmith came from the candle. “Where did you run to?”

“Why are the coordinates different every time you contact me?”

Marvin had yet to speak when a second voice jokingly said, “Marvin, you are aren’t acting like a suitable Overlord. If you are unsuitable, you should give it to me.”

Constantine.

Marvin was overjoyed, and immediately said to the candle, “Sir Constantine!”

“I want to borrow something from you!”

The latter immediately became cautious. “What?”

“Oh, it’s that…” Marvin told him what he wanted.

The answer immediately came. “Get lost!”

…

On an isle not far from the East Coast.

A huge monster was tightly sticking to the mountain wall, breathing deeply.

It had sustained very heavy injuries. And even though the Dragon’s powerful vitality helped him recover, he still couldn’t get rid of that Elven War Saint’s power.

Its Dragon Magic couldn’t remove this power.

It could only stick close to the wall add layers of camouflage upon its body.

After resting for a few days, it could go back to flying long distance and would immediately seek help from Elder Ell.

It wouldn’t be a problem then.

But now was the most dangerous time.

The Red Dragon was uneasily checking his surroundings. He had this odd feeling, as if someone was watching him.

But it couldn’t find where it came from, making him even more impatient.

Outside the isle, a few people’s shadows quietly showed up.

“Your Highness, why don’t you kill the Red Dragon?” a soft voice inquired.

The Sea Elven Queen indifferently said, “I can’t find him. He must be hiding.”

“But I know he’ll come look for trouble with that Red Dragon.”

“Just guard this Red Dragon, I’ll wait for him.”

Another puzzled voice asked, “Your Highness, is that Elven War Saint truly that attractive to you?”

“Superficial,” the Queen snorted. “The external appearance is nothing more than skin, his strength and potential is the most important.”

“Do you know how many years it has been since our Elven Race, including Wood Elves, Sea Elves, Moon Elves, and others, had a [War Saint]?”

That person wasn’t convinced and said, “But your Highness is an [Admiral] that hasn’t been seen for many years too.”

“Thus, I’ll have him make me a child.” The Sea Elven Queen declared in an extremely domineering voice, “The offspring of the Admiral and the War Saint would be the strongest in this world.”

“I’m looking forward to the day our child grows up to be the strongest in the world.”

…

Early in the morning, Marvin had his wish fulfilled and Constantine sent over the item through some special means.

In order to borrow this item, Marvin had to use countless words and promise numerous benefits after killing the Dragon to convince Constantine.

Fortunately, they weren’t far from each other and there was only one mountain on the way. And since Constantine was a Legend, it was quite normal for him to have special long distance transmission techniques.

Marvin obtained that thing and began preparing to slaughter the Dragon.

For this Dragon killing plan, only Ivan and Marvin would participate.

The others were ruled out.

Under the Dragon’s might, these sailors might be frightened into peeing their pants from far away.

Marvin couldn’t rely on them.

Taking advantage of the high tide, Marvin made the Sailors move the Southie once again. Following Ivan’s perception, they went toward the east.

Marvin’s perception when controlling the Sea Emperor’s Crown would go further than the Dragon’s.

He soon found that island. The direction and distance were more or less what Ivan described.

He ordered the Southie to stop there. Ivan and Marvin dove in the water and swam all the way.

Marvin physical strength was naturally not that good, but with the Sea Emperor’s Crown, he could control the currents.

He and Ivan pretended to be common Sea inhabitants as they quietly approached the island.

They stopped on the beach.

They waited for the darkness to descend before starting their plan.

Chapter 193: That Cannon’s Charm

p>After it got dark, Ivan and Marvin split up to act. Once they reached that small island, Ivan was able to feel the Red Dragon even more clearly.

He quickly pointed to the mountain gorge the Red Dragon was staying at.

Marvin first carefully checked the terrain. If the Dragon wanted to fly away, it could only be toward the east.

The night was when Night Walkers’ abilities would be maximized.

He soon climbed a mountain on the east side of the island.

On that mountain peak he could overlook the entire island and could even see the mountain gorge the Red Dragon was hiding on.

Despite Marvin’s current perception, he still couldn’t find the Red Dragon’s exact location. But from this position he could cover the entire eastern sky!

‘It’s time to bring out the big guns.’

Marvin cautiously looked for a concealed spot and then took out a suitcase.

He put the suitcase on the ground and then took out a scroll which had been sent along with the suitcase.

This wasn’t a contract scroll, but rather was was a class scroll.

As long as he signed his name on the document, Marvin would be able to obtain his second subclass!

He unhesitantly signed it with a quill.

The scroll burst in flames before turning into a black mark which then entered Marvin’s forehead.

A big series of logs appeared in front of Marvin.

…

[You obtained a 2nd subclass – Battle Gunner (Sha Clan)]

[You receive an experience penalty. 2000 Battle exp deducted]

[Familiarity with the Sha +1]

[You gained Hot Weapons Mastery (Beginner)]

[You gained knowledge – Firearms’ Elementary Usage and Maintenance]

[You obtain the Setting Sun Maxim]

…

Hot Weapons Mastery!

Just as Marvin wanted!

He had been thinking about his 2nd subclass for a long time. Due to Versatile, his 1st subclass was exempt from the experience penalty, making it very worth it.

But his 2nd subclass was different. It would suffer from a very serious experience penalty. It would double at the beginning, and later on it would triple, even quintuple!

Marvin had to get a subclass that could display a very strong effect even at level 1!

After thinking over all the classes in Feinan and taking his environment into account, Marvin chose [Battle Gunman].

Battle Gunner was the Sha Clan’s defining class, and only the best of the Shas were qualified to get this class.

There was no doubt that even though Constantine was a Night Walker, he was also a proud Sha.

The class scroll he personally wrote naturally wouldn’t have any problems.

Marvin successfully obtained the Hot Weapons Mastery (Beginner).

But beginner level wasn’t enough!

He also took out two bracelets and put them on.

These two bracelets were also something he borrowed from Constantine. In any case, he already got paid in advance for the goldmine and this Dragon slaughtering.

[You equipped Flaming Bracelet, Hot Weapons Mastery +1]

[You equipped Frost Bracelet, Hot Weapons Mastery +1]

With the bonuses from those two bracelets, Marvin’s Hot Weapons Mastery directly reached [Expert] rank.

However!

This wasn’t enough!

That big fella in the suitcase needed at least Master rank Mastery to be used.

He took out a pair of gloves. This pair of gloves was a bit special, with the fingers made of steel, reducing the flexibility but offering good protection to the palms.

He removed the Ghastly Gloves he had been wearing and put on that pair of special gloves called [Kersu’s Fury].

In the end, his Hot Weapons Mastery reached [Master] level!

By forcibly relying on his borrowed equipment, Marvin successfully turned himself into a temporary Battle Gunner with Master Hot Weapons Mastery.

He then opened that suitcase.

In the darkness of the night, the big cannon seemed very beautiful.

‘Men should be having fun with this kind of rough thing!’

‘If I hadn’t gotten into the game early on and Battle Gunner hadn’t been released so late, maybe I wouldn’t have played a Thief.’

‘No need to get close, just fuck them from a distance. Just thinking about it is exciting enough!’

He began to quickly assemble this [Brilliant Purple] Legendary Item!

Brilliant Purple had many parts, and its structure was also very complex.

Constantine could assemble or dismantle it in mere moments, but Marvin needed at least one hour.

This was only because he could follow the assembly manual.

Marvin was still a novice after all.

…

An hour later, Brilliant Purple was finally assembled.

Marvin hid beside a huge rock, simply getting ready to use Brilliant Purple once he had an opportunity.

It wasn’t rare for him to play around with those catapults and other things during siege battles, so he figured that his long range weapon control wasn’t bad.

Constantine only gave Marvin one [Dragon Tooth] artillery shell.

In other words, he only had one chance to fire.

If he missed his shot, the Dragon would fly away.

That would be a big loss.

Each shot cost 500 Wizard golds after all!

Constantine himself only had five [Dragon Tooth] shells before, and after using one to kill Bamboo, he only had four left.

The manufacturing process for each Dragon Tooth was very troublesome. This was the reason Hot Weapons didn’t become mainstream in Feinan.

When fighting, each shot was money.

Marvin knew this.

Why weren’t the Shas powerful? Because there were few of them, and they lacked resources and the business mindset.

Battle Gunners needed large amount of money.

Look at the current Marvin for example. As a level 1 Battle Gunner he dared to go kill a Dragon after equipping a frightening weapon and a set of frightening equipment.

There was a large amount of money behind this!

Naturally, it was linked to the friendly relations between Night Walkers.

…

As the agreed time was getting closer, Marvin also became more and more excited!

His blood was on fire and his heart was beating a lot faster!

This was killing a Dragon!

Even if it was only an Adult Red Dragon, this was a very dangerous existence for Marvin!

If he was careless, he would get embroiled in the fight.

If it weren’t for his trust in Ivan’s strength and complete faith in his own reaction speed, he wouldn’t dare to come.

‘Go ahead, I am ready.’ Marvin kept adjusting the cannon’s orientation, while silently saying those words in his heart.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Ivan finally moved!

He acted and ruthlessly kept attacking!

He had suddenly rushed to that hidden Red Dragon and fiercely beat him up!

“Roar!”

A frightening Dragon’s roar could be heard, causing the island to shake and fierce waves to toss about in the surroundings.

Fortunately, Marvin picked a good location and wasn’t affected by the Dragon’s roar.

He was about 8 kilometers away!

This was a very safe distance for Marvin.

Thanks to the Night Monarch’s blessing, he could see the battle ongoing in the mountain gorge.

The large Red Dragon seemed very weak under Ivan’s fierce attacks.

Their stature formed a distinct contrast!

Under such discrepancy, Ivan’s punches seemed very fierce!

It was very different from the Martial Monk. Ivan’s punches had an overwhelming pressuring power.

It had the intent of not sparing anything. Even if it meant destroying indiscriminately, it would beat you down.

…

“Worthy of the man I fancy!”

Not far away, a strange glint flicked in the Sea Elven Queen’s eyes.

If it weren’t for her plan, she wouldn’t be able to wait to pounce on Ivan to strip him naked before using force.

Really too fierce!

The Red Dragon was beaten up so much it was wailing. Only people this powerful could beat a Red Dragon like a dog.

“Your Highness, it looks like he has a friend,” reminded one of the Sea Elves on the side.

“You mean that guy hiding over there?”

The Sea Elven Queen disdainfully dismissed, “Too weak, peeping with some sort of telescope, I have no interest in him.”

“But that telescope seems to be emitting some strange energy. It looks like a good thing,” her follower said.

“Do we lack good things in our palace?”

The Queen had no interest in Marvin. There was only Ivan in her eyes. She suddenly said, “That Red Dragon will risk his life to escape in a moment.”

“The War Saint probably can’t fly, his biggest regret. But I can help him block it.”

“At that time, I’m sure I’ll win him over!”

…

Indeed, just like the Sea Elven Queen said.

The Red Dragon naturally knew he wasn’t Ivan’s match in a melee battle and soon used his cunning, followed by Dragon Magic, to forcefully escape!

He spread his wings and hurriedly raised his huge body!

Despite Ivan’s astonishing jump, he was delayed by the Dragon Spell and failed to catch up!

“Time to act!” The Sea Elven Queen smiled.

The Red Dragon rose up rapidly, heading toward the east before quickly arriving in front of a mountain.

But at that time, a huge mountain rock rolled down from the east mountain!

“Rumble!”

Marvin’s foot had already kicked the loose rock, completely exposing his position!

On the mountain, the huge cannon could now be adjusted at will, no longer having any obstacles in the way.

“Finally.”

Marvin tightly held onto Brilliant Purple and firmly locked it onto the Red Dragon swiftly flying over!

His heartbeat immediately increased several times as he silently assessed the distance between both sides as well as the attack position.

“What does he want to do?” The Sea Elven Queen noticed his actions and didn’t move.

The Red Dragon also looked at the insignificant silhouette on the mountain peak.

It didn’t pay it any attention. The other side’s strength was too weak, so it wouldn’t be able to pose any threat to him!

But the next instant, Marvin took a deep breath.

He moved his hand and abruptly pulled on the lever. He was thrown backward by the powerful recoil, almost falling off the mountain!

“Bang!”

In an instant, an extremely thick purple light was shot out of the cannon!

This was a cannon piercing heaven and earth!

“Woosh!”

Flames and lightning forcefully pierced through the Dragon’s head, smashing it into pieces!

Blood fell, sprinkling around like rain!

The Red Dragon’s body fell down extremely miserably!

The Sea Elven Queen and her followers were completely stunned!

…

Marvin felt an acute pain in his chest, and he coughed some blood.

But looking at the numerous logs, he loudly laughed.

That was an artillery shell!

That felt fucking great!

Chapter 194: Dragon Slayer

p>[You killed the target creature (Adult Red Dragon). You obtained 8000 battle exp.]

[Dragon race experience doubled. You actually obtained 16000 battle exp.]

[You received the title – Dragon Slayer]

[World Fame (Dragon Slayer) +1]

[Chromatic Dragon Enmity +1, Red Dragon Enmity +3]

…

A large amount of logs flashed in front of him. The benefits from killing the Red Dragon were obvious.

The first one was the Dragon Slayer title.

[Dragon Slayer]:

1st Effect: Your strength is awe-inspiring, Dignity +50.

2nd Effect: Dragon Might Resistance +10.

These two properties were only the effect on the surface. Marvin knew that after getting the Dragon Slayer title, there would be even more benefits when walking among people.

For example, if he had the Dragon Slayer title when he released his wilderness clearing order, there might have been three or four times more people coming because of his reputation.

…

After killing the Dragon, Marvin not only got the Dragon Slayer title, but also his first point of World Fame.

It’s rumored that when a Dragon died, it would automatically leave a warning to its race. After Marvin and Ivan joined hands to kill the Dragon, there would be a trace of resentment left on their bodies.

This kind of resentment could be distinguished by Red Dragons and Chromatic Dragons. As for the rumors about the Dragon Slayer, it would slowly spread among them, ultimately drifting to the human world.

Naturally, the Red Dragons would be hostile to Marvin after this Dragon’s murder. The Chromatic Dragons would also not have a favorable opinion.

As for the Metallic Dragons like the Copper Dragon and the Bronze Dragon, they would actually have increased Affinity toward Marvin.

But the most important benefit from killing a Dragon was the materials.

It they were properly handled, they could be made into first grade goods like alchemical products and magic potions.

Many also believed that taking a bath in Dragon’s blood would improve one’s physique.

Marvin naturally wanted to try it.

However, they weren’t done with their troubles.

When Marvin fired that cannon and puked blood from the recoil, he suddenly felt something wrong.

He instantly used the Sea Emperor’s Crown at his waist and felt some warning signs.

There were some powerful lifeforms hiding in the surroundings!

‘Shit!’

‘It’s a situation like when the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?’ Marvin’s thoughts were rather heavy.

Who could be there?

He suddenly thought of something and his heart immediately sank. He hid the Sea Emperor’s Crown in his chest while slowly moving Brilliant Purple’s huge cannon to aim at an empty distant location.

“Your Majesty the Queen. Since you came, do you have to hide?” He said this purely to probe.

He hadn’t actually expected that a few pretty women would appear out of nowhere after these words.

As he had guessed, they were Sea Elves.

…

That one cannon shot truly startled the Elves, including the Queen.

They had never seen such a frightening killing tool in all their time in the seas!

A cannon made the Dragon’s head burst like a tomato, sending blood flying everywhere… This kind of power was really too frightening.

The Sea Elven Queen assessed that killing the Red Dragon wouldn’t be too difficult for her either, but killing it in such an efficient way like Marvin did would be very difficult.

But it also didn’t occur to her that this was because the Red Dragon was careless.

Marvin’s first shot was hard to avoid, but that was because it didn’t take Marvin seriously and delivered himself in front Marvin.

Wasn’t that just gifting Marvin some experience…

But in any case, that shock made a flaws appear in their camouflage. And Marvin was warned due to the strong perception granted by the Sea Emperor’s Crown. He randomly said a sentence to bait them out.

“It’s you again!”

Ivan had painstakingly climbed to Marvin’s mountain. He wanted to check on how Marvin was doing, but he didn’t expect to see the Sea Elven Queen appear.

The pitiful Elven Prince had a shadow in his heart. Just a moment ago he felt extremely bold and powerful but he suddenly started to panic a bit.

…

“I still haven’t officially become the Sea Elven Queen, thus there is no need to use ‘Your Majesty’.”

“‘Your Highness’ will suffice.”

The Sea Elven Queen regained her calm, looked at Marvin and said, “We don’t have any evil intentions.”

“Haha…” Ivan sneered from behind.

Marvin coughed twice, hinting at Ivan to stay calm.

The best outcome would be if the other side didn’t act and was willing to listen.

Marvin right now was afraid they would angrily snatch Ivan, along with this Red Dragon’s corpse.

Marvin would have nowhere to cry.

“Dear Queen… Since you have no evil intent, could you let us get our loot first before discussing?”

The cannon was still pointing at them as Marvin said this.

He was betting on the other side not knowing how this thing worked.

At that time he could only bluff.

“Feel free.” The Sea Elven Queen frowned.

With that power, if she didn’t dodge on time, even she might be blown to pieces!

The words coming out of that guy’s mouth might be pleasant to hear, but he was in fact threatening her!

A crafty guy indeed. He was obviously powerful, but he still pretended to be this weak.

At this time, she could only perceive the other side’s strength to be at the 3rd rank.

This was impossible!

‘To be able to kill a Red Dragon so easily, how could he be at the 3rd rank?’

‘Ivan didn’t even notice me hiding, but this guy did. Could he be a lot stronger than Ivan?’

‘Who is he in the end?’

The Sea Elven Queen looked at Marvin with curiosity.

She also wanted to see how this guy in front of her was planning on dealing with the loot.

Marvin, suddenly took out something from his Void Conch.

It was a Thousand Paper Crane.

It was gifted to Marvin by Shadow Thief Owl when they first met. After merging with his body, Marvin randomly found out that it not only let him learn Origami, but he also could summon that Thousand Paper Crane out.

This was an invaluable thing!

This was the work of the Shadow Thief himself. His Origami skill even made the Crimson Patriarch suffer a loss.

As Ivan and the Sea Elven Queen watched in curiosity, the Thousand Paper Crane slowly flew down from the mountain peak.

The impressive Red Dragon’s corpse was calmly lying at the bottom of the mountain.

The Thousand Paper Crane softly swept past the Red Dragon’s corpse. The corpse disappeared in an instant!

‘Storage Item!?’

‘What’s this item?’

The Sea Elven Queen was more and more curious.

The Thousand Paper Crane slowly flew up before landing onto Marvin’s palm and disappearing.

Marvin sighed in relief.

He got a hold of it.

The Thousand Paper Crane that Shadow Thief Owl gave him was a pretty good mobile Storage Item.

This was one of the highest level techniques of Origami.

It was one of the things that the first to rob a God used in those days.

He actually didn’t need to go in many tightly guarded areas. He only needed to throw a Thousand Paper Crane in.

The Red Dragon’s corpse was very safe in the Thousand Paper Crane because time was frozen inside. Well, it was actually still flowing, but at an unimaginably slow speed.

The Dragon’s blood, bone marrow, and other such things could be preserved for a very long time.

…

“Queen, if there is nothing else, my friend and I will leave first.”

Marvin was still aiming the cannon toward the Queen as he continued, “But I have a feeling you don’t want to let us go.”

The Sea Elven Queen chuckled, “I have no interest in you, but Ivan is my man. What qualifications do you have to take him away?”

“Who the fuck is your man!?”

Ivan almost collapsed!

He angrily said, “Admiral, I know you are the most outstanding genius in the Sea Elven Clan, but you are old enough to be my mother. If you like powerful men, I can introduce you to my father, he has been single for quite many years.”

“Please don’t bother me anymore!”

“Nicholas?” The Sea Elven Queen surprisingly considered it seriously. “I saw him when he was young, but his potential is far inferior to yours.”

“Ivan, you are the Elven War Saint, and I am the Admiral. Trust me, our child will definitely be the strongest among the Elves…”

But her sentence was violently interrupted by Ivan.

“You’ll never have my child!”

“I’ll slowly convince you.” The Sea Elven Queen looked very gentle. “The years in the sea are very long, you’ll inevitably get used to it one day.”

Ivan took a deep breath and gave a meaningful glance to Marvin.

Marvin coughed and urged, “Queen, making a child isn’t something that can be forced.”

“Let’s suppose you use power to lock Ivan in your palace, if he doesn’t cooperate with you, wouldn’t it be useless?”

The Queen charmingly laughed. “I have ways to make him cooperate.”

“Men aren’t complicated.”

Cold sweat trickled down Marvin’s back.

There was no solution.

This Sea Elven Queen was a stalker.

He made a sign to Ivan and then quickly put Brilliant Purple and the suitcase into the Thousand Paper Crane.

Then Ivan grabbed Marvin and the two jumped down the mountain toward the east!

The Elven War Saint’s powerful jumping ability let them directly jump over the beach to fall in the sea!

“Want to escape?” The Sea Elven Queen was as calm as ever. “How will you escape in the sea?”

The group of Sea Elves quickly dove in the water.

However, the Queen was shocked by the fact that even when using her perception, she completely lost track of Ivan and Marvin!

“Impossible!”

She lost her composure for the first time.

…

The Sea Emperor’s Crown.

This thing had so many functions. Marvin had only tested three of them before, but due to the circumstances, he had to use the fourth one without testing.

That was hiding one’s aura in the sea.

Disguising oneself as an ordinary fish.

Even the Sea Elven Queen who knew the sea like the back of her hand also had no way to see through the camouflage of the Sea Emperor’s Crown.

Marvin controlled the currents as he and Ivan escaped toward the East Coast.

As for the Southie? Marvin had already sent an order for them to return.

“Finally escaped the calamity.”

Marvin saw Ivan’s relieved expression and laughed inwardly.

This matter shouldn’t be over. With the Sea Elven Queen’s temper, Ivan would probably not dare get close to the coast in the future.

Otherwise, he might be captured for breeding purposes.

Chapter 195: Whispers from Hell

p>Marvin and Ivan relied on the Sea Emperor’s Crown to return to the East Coast.

They spent half a day to return to camp.

Fortunately, this group of slaves and sailors was doing well under the supervision of Lola and Boatswain Roberts.

It was currently summer and they had enough food on the boat, so apart from the mosquitoes there wasn’t much to worry about.

Marvin discussed with Ivan, hoping he could temporarily help watch over this side.

These sailors were men after all. If he left Lola, Little Tucker and the others behind, who knew what might happen.

Ivan straightforwardly agreed.

Marvin had saved him earlier and then killed a Dragon with him, before finally saving him again from the hands of the Sea Elven Queen. This matter wasn’t difficult.

Marvin repeatedly warned Lola to pay attention to various things and then ordered Roberts to have the sailors keep improving the temporary camp.

This camp would be the foundation for the new harbor and city.

It was good to start planning now.

After explaining, Marvin left the shore alone and journeyed to the west, toward White River Valley.

…

In the mountain range, late at night. A silhouette could be seen flashing like lightning.

Ever since he advanced to Night Walker, Marvin was getting increasingly more fond of travelling during the night.

His sight was even better at night than during the day, letting him see very far away.

This mountain range didn’t have a name, nor did it belong to the Shrieking Mountain Range. They weren’t excessively steep, and could only be considered small hills with a few big mountains in the middle.

One of those mountains was Marvin’s target, the mountain the Ogre tribe was occupying.

And when standing at the bottom of that mountain, Marvin had two paths to bypass it.

In the south was a forest, and south of the forest was a small path that ran parallel to the White River and would smoothly lead to White River Valley. To the north there was a ravine. He wasn’t sure what sorts of things were in the ravine, but there shouldn’t be powerful monsters, so this path could also be taken.

Marvin wasn’t the same as in the past. He was level 13, so even if he ran across a large group of monsters, he wouldn’t be worried.

Even if he was no match, fleeing was definitely not a problem.

‘Which path should I take?’ Marvin was hesitating.

But a sneaky shadow suddenly flashed across his field of view!

It was a very small shadow.

‘A Gnoll!’

Marvin’s eyes shone.

He no longer hesitated and immediately ran north.

…

He didn’t see the Gnoll directly. He noticed it, as well as traces of other Gnolls, in the ravine to the north because he was sharing the Night Crow’s field of view.

He had previously been a bit confused, wondering where Toshiroya and Miller had found Gnolls to work with.

He had already searched the area south of White River Valley as well as other suspicious locations and didn’t find any traces of Gnolls.

But he finally found a clue in this place.

Marvin had a premonition that this sneaky Gnoll was most likely related to those that invaded his territory!

He immediately sped up, rushing toward the north.

…

In the northern ravine, a Gnoll was walking on tiptoe through thickets and an area filled with cobbles, avoiding a small path while heading toward the high mountain in the south.

That was the mountain occupied by the Ogres!

But a shadow suddenly rushed out and kicked the Gnoll!

The latter howled miserably as he was sent flying by that kick.

With Marvin’s current abilities, he could bully a creature like a Gnoll as he wished.

He quickly used the Wishful Rope to tightly tie that guy up.

Thanks to Lola’s instruction, Marvin’s Gnoll Language was quite decent. Under the threat of the curved dagger, the pitiful Gnoll confessed everything in mere moments!

He was following the Tribe Leader’s orders to carry a letter to the Ogre tribe.

Their Gnoll tribe was the same one that had invaded Marvin’s territory. They originally lived in the depths of this ravine. After their retreat, only a few weak soldiers remained, making it difficult to stay in this area.

In order to survive, they became vassals of the Ogre tribe.

The Gnoll’s words attracted Marvin’s attention.

‘Vassal? Ogres know how to accept a vassal?’

‘This is something nearly impossible. Ogres are a type of powerful creature with a very high concept of race. How could the powerful Ogres care to look at the Gnolls?’

There was only one kind of reason for this behavior.

This Ogre Tribe’s Leader must be extremely smart. It was highly possible that this was an Ogre Mage.

Ogre Mages and Human Wizards had different magical concepts. Like the Dragons, they had a unique casting system and were capable of overcoming the Universe Magic Pool to draw in Chaos Magic Power to cast their spells!

The concept behind their casting was similar to Dragon Spells. They relied on their own bodies to amass a huge amount of Chaos Magic Power.

Thus, Ogre Mages weren’t affected by the fall of the Universe Magic Pool.

At the same time, because of being in contact with Chaos Magic Power for such a long time, they were more prone to chaos and destruction.

This was a race that was very troublesome to tame.

Thus, Marvin made proper preparations to clear the wilderness and slaughter every creature that dared block his path.

It was bound to be a bloodbath. But not having any bloodshed on the road to success was impossible.

…

“What letter? Take it out,” Marvin ordered.

The Gnoll helplessly took out the letter.

Marvin checked it and found that he couldn’t understand its contents.

‘Not Gnoll Language… Looks like Ogre Language. Did the Gnoll Leader personally write it?”

‘What the hell.’

Marvin collected the letter, becoming more and more doubtful.

After making sure he couldn’t get more out of this Gnoll, Marvin directly killed him.

He would never be lenient when it concerned Gnolls. Who knew how many innocent villagers were killed when they invaded White River Valley.

He could still remember many of them.

This was enmity forged through a sea of blood. There was no way he could forgive them.

‘Looks like I have to take a trip to that Gnoll tribe.’

Marvin took a deep breath and went inside the ravine.

…

One hour later, the Gnoll Leader and those few soldiers met with the same treatment.

As a Night Walker, sneaking into their buildings was really too easy for Marvin.

He grabbed the Gnoll Leader directly.

Ever since that Shaman died, the Tribe Leader was a relatively strong Fighter.

Naturally, strength was always relative. Under the absolute strength suppression between the 3rd rank and the 1st rank, the pitiful Gnoll Leader was no different from those soldiers.

He kept his lips tight for a moment, but unfortunately, after Marvin used a few simple interrogation techniques, this guy immediately spilled everything.

After hearing it all, Marvin started pondering.

‘It actually has something to do with a black-clothed old man.’

‘This letter actually is trying to instigate the Ogre tribe to attack White River Valley.’

‘The old man said that a treasure was hidden under White River Valley!’

…

That black-clothed old man again!

This wasn’t the first time Marvin heard about him. He had already heard of him from Toshiroya, and now the Gnoll Leader.

Marvin tried to make him describe the old man more carefully but the Gnoll Leader only shook his head blankly.

He didn’t remember clearly.

The person he saw was vague. The other side apparently had a mysterious power that could persuade them.

But after parting they would only remember that the other side was a black clothed old man. The rest of the details would be fuzzy.

This strange method made Marvin think of Hell.

That group of Devils seemed to be fond of using this kind of stratagem… Hold on… Hell? Devil?

Marvin recalled the Great Devil Head in his grandfather’s hidden room.

Along with that hidden treasure map.

Everything was connected.

‘What treasure?’

‘Could that singing voice I heard that day in the secret path be some whispers from Hell?’

Thinking of that, Marvin felt numb.

Having dealings with a Devil was very troublesome. That group of bastards was good at playing with people’s hearts and controlling feelings. Playing with contracts was also their strong point.

It was clear that the thing under his territory was related to the Devils, and it didn’t look like something minor either.

This made Marvin very anxious.

It felt like he was sitting on a bomb.

Who knew what his grandfather had hidden there?

If he wanted to find out, he would have to start from the secret path.

He would have to ask some Legends next time to help explore this secret.

Marvin casually dealt with the Gnoll Leader.

After passing through the Gnoll tribe, he kept going west. He would soon reach White River Valley.

But he suddenly felt a jolt of pain.

His Night Crow was killed!

The other side had acted pretty fast. Marvin had no time to see what attacked!

‘What the hell!’

Marvin frowned and immediately used Night Tracking!

The attacker shouldn’t know about this skill.

The Night Crow was Marvin’s summon, and could be tracked with his Night Walker abilities. Regardless of who killed the Night Crow, Marvin would be able to use Night Tracking to catch him!

A faint red line spread out and Marvin quickly judged that the target wasn’t far!

He sped up and five minutes later, he caught up!

But when he caught up, he saw a constantly running shadow.

It was wearing black clothes.

A weird feeling filled Marvin’s mind. He couldn’t see through the other side’s strength!

“Who are you!”

Marvin ground his teeth and sped up, arriving in front of the shadow and forcefully blocking its path!

The other side forcefully stopped on a withering tree.

Marvin stared at him. It was an old man sneering at him!

A black clothed old man!

“Who the hell are you?” Marvin asked in a heavy voice.

“Me?” The other side spoke very slowly in Common Language, apparently thinking of something.

But then, his body suddenly distorted!

From a black clothed old man, it turned into a Three Eyed Great Devil Head.

Marvin felt a shiver down his spine!

Chapter 196: Birthday

p>In the darkness of the night the Three Eyed Great Devil Head laughed strangely.

Marvin clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. The next second he opened his eyes only to find that the other side had already disappeared!

‘He was able to escape?’

Marvin silently checked his logs.

He had an instinctive reaction when the Great Devil Head appeared. This was most likely an illusion!

And the willpower check on the logs clearly confirmed that point.

This illusion was very similar with the one set in his grandfather’s secret room, but from the strength, it could be seen that the enemy had hurriedly cast it and it wasn’t as powerful as the one set up in the secret room. Thus, Marvin was easily able to escape from it.

But this magic also gave the foe the chance to escape.

Even if he couldn’t see through the target’s strength, Marvin could feel that it wasn’t his match.

This might be related to its form.

Marvin had a feeling that the other side had actually no substance.

It might be an existence similar to ghost.

It emitted great power, but it seemed suppressed by an even greater power.

This made Marvin feel very puzzled.

He once again used Night Tracking but couldn’t find the black clothed old man in the end.

He looked around nearby for clues, but in the end he could only choose to return to his path.

When he went through the Gnoll ravine, Marvin had spent half an hour massacring the Gnolls. His methods were very ruthless. He completely cut the weeds and eliminated the roots, not sparing even the youngest Gnoll children.

The Gnolls were cruel by nature. Since both sides already had this kind of hatred, and even though they wouldn’t be too much of a threat to the territory, they could still harm his people.

Marvin’s kindness was limited. He wasn’t a saint after all.

In a way, Gnolls were also a race possessing intelligence. They were also fighting to reproduce and survive.

But the world was this cruel.

Marvin wanted to open up a new territory, so these monsters would have to be killed sooner or later.

He wouldn’t leave any dangers behind because he needed to protect this territory, protecting the inhabitants so that they wouldn’t be injured.

For this, even if he ended up unable to wash off the blood on his hands, he wouldn’t care.

…

After the ravine was a hilly region, and beyond that was a sparsely forested area. Once out of that forested area, a vast open field extended in front of Marvin.

In the distance was the familiar White River slowly flowing, and on a tall hill, a castle could vaguely be seen.

White River Valley, finally.

Marvin accelerated and quickly returned to his territory.

But he was surprised after noticing that his territory was a lot more lively than he had thought!

There were more than three hundred low level adventurers rowdily gathered there, having hurried over from Jewel Bay.

Only about one tenth of those were people specifically recruited by Marvin.

The others joined on their own to get in on the action, coming to see if they could gain some small advantages.

Such a large number of adventurers wasn’t something White River Valley could accommodate.

Fortunately, there was enough food in the territory now. The chefs worked overtime to serve freshly baked bread which was instantly sold out.

Apart from the adventurers chosen by Marvin who were eligible to live in the specified area outside the castle, the rest had to build a camp around the White River.

Marvin had expressly stipulated that these adventurers weren’t allowed to disturb the lives of ordinary inhabitants, or else they would be severely punished.

It seemed that these guys knew their place.

But seeing them unrestrainedly making noise, Marvin couldn’t help but frown.

If that group of people didn’t have an outlet for their energy, they would do something sooner or later.

White river Valley’s inhabitants had never seen so many adventurers. Fortunately the guards were patrolling quite often, making them feel more at ease.

…

It was already noon when Marvin returned to his castle. Wayne and Anna were both pleasantly surprised by his return.

Both of them complained.

And they had the same complaint: those adventurers were really too difficult to manage!

“Because those adventurers who came for the job only listen to the one who sent the wilderness clearing order, we are unable to deal with them.” Anna helplessly spread out her hands.

“A few irascible adventurers caused some troubles. Even if they were stopped by Andre and me, it still affected a few innocent farmer families. Thus, I pushed them to the side of the White River.”

“But they are still out of control.”

“There was a big ruckus yesterday. A drunk adventurer tried to rape a girl in the territory. Thankfully, Sir Constantine acted and directly killed him.”

“When those adventurers found out that we had a Legend overseeing the territory, they exercised a lot more restraint.”

Wayne added, “But they are still very troublesome. They defecate and urinate everywhere, it’s very uncivilized.”

Marvin listened and rubbed his temples.

This was within his expectations.

With their explanations, he more or less figured the current situation in the territory.

…

Going to war was really like burning money.

In order to recruit those 2nd rank adventurers, Marvin almost used up the 200 Wizard golds he got from Black Jack’s body.

Not to mention that with so many adventurers converging to White River Valley, if they weren’t supplied with food, there would be an issue.

Marvin had promised to supply food to those adventurers he recruited, but apart from them, if the others wanted to buy food, White River Valley needed to have the production ability to meet the demand.

Fortunately, River Shore City’s goods arrived at that time.

Under Anna’s arrangements, these hundreds of adventurers’ needs were considered barely met.

With Hathaway as a witness, Marvin and Madeline’s deal was completed. River Shore City would be part of Marvin’s forces in the future, so receiving supplies didn’t bother Marvin at all.

‘Madeline is heartless enough. What wouldn’t she give up to become a Legend?’

‘But after she becomes a Legend… Hard to say…’

Marvin knew that woman’s character.

Once she became a Legend, the command contract would become ineffective. Who knew if she would hand over River Shore City to Marvin at that time.

But her delivering supplies at that time actually made Marvin quite pleased.

These supplies not only included food and drinks, which White River Valley needed at the moment, but also included simple clothes and second hand weapons of River Shore City’s guards.

These weapons shouldn’t be looked down upon, as they were army weapons.

After a bit of maintenance, their sharpness would be a lot better than what most ordinary adventurers used.

Apart from this, she also delivered fresh vegetables and fruits. These were a free gift to Marvin.

And this was only the first batch of supplies, with the second batch still on the road.

Madeline promised that River Shore City would become White River Valley’s strongest support when opening up new territories.

This also made Marvin very satisfied.

At least that page of the Book of Nalu wasn’t useless.

Marvin himself didn’t dare to read the 3rd page for now. Before becoming a Legend he wouldn’t touch it.

The [Destruction] chapter could twist people’s natures and make them lose their minds.

The Lich resting in the Scarlet Monastery was a good example.

Thus, he wasn’t too bothered about Madeline right now. He was worried about Hathaway.

Even though the Seers were wise, many people since ancient times had turned crazy from the Book of Nalu, and even a god died!

It showed that this book was very frightening!

Hathaway had relied on the 6th page of the Book of Nalu, [Rebirth], to advance to Legend rank. Marvin was afraid she would become dependent on the Book of Nalu.

But according to that 2nd rank Wizard’s message, Hathaway was recently developing a new spell and was too busy to bother with other things.

This made Marvin a bit more relieved.

Marvin was unable to see through that strong-willed woman. At that time, he also prayed she had enough Intelligence when reading the Book of Nalu.

…

“Oh right, the adventurers are constantly bored these days. They keep asking when we would start clearing the wilderness,” Anna reported. “I’m afraid that if this continues, a riot might happen in the territory.”

“Despite Constantine being here, there might be people injured.”

Marvin nodded.

He thought for a bit, before deciding, “Since these people have nothing to do, get them to prepare.”

“Since they want war, they will have war.”

…

In the blistering hot afternoon, half-naked adventurers were diving in the White River.

But at that time, major news suddenly spread through White River Valley.

A war mobilization order signed by Lord Marvin himself was released!

A knight from the guard read Lord Marvin’s mobilization order out loud at the location where adventurers from all over gathered.

From now on, they would begin preparing for the war!

East of White River Valley was a temporary gathering location, where a temporary camp would be built.

A week later, the army would be gathered there, and all who wanted to participate in this fight and have a share of the loot had to participate in building the temporary camp.

The camp’s construction was under the responsibility of Lady Anna and everyone must be registered.

In an instant, those adventurers were completely excited!

Why did they rush over to White River Valley from distant locations? It was for that war!

Furthermore, there would be countless valuables in the Ogre’s den, as well as the rumored gold mine!

…

Sunset, after the war mobilization order was initiated, most of the adventurers had already shifted locations.

They left for the area between the forests and the hills chosen by Marvin and started building the temporary camps under the orders of Gru, the Vice-Leader of the guard.

And in White River castle, there was a somewhat different dinner from the usual.

“Birthday?”

Marvin was looking at Anna and Wayne in shock. Furthermore, Constantine, the old blacksmith Sean and his daughter Jane, the Necromancer Fidel and the Alchemist who had lost his memory were also present, along with some other people.

“Yes? Don’t tell me you forgot?”

Anna felt sorry as she looked at Marvin. “Today’s your birthday.”

Marvin suddenly understood.

14th August, the final day of the Swimming Fish.

This night, the Swimming Fish constellation would be dominating in the center of Feinan’s starry sky.

Marvin was moved. Perhaps only Anna and Wayne in White River Valley remembered his birthday.

Wayne, well it was obvious, and as for Anna, this woman who silently had his back, helping support White River Valley, Marvin was very grateful.

This butler did everything she could, even putting her own strength aside to help Marvin supervise his territory.

She did very well.

“Thank you,” said Marvin sincerely.

A beautiful cake was carried over.

“Jane made it,” Anna softly mentioned.

Jane smiled. “There isn’t much to do in the castle.”

Marvin slightly nodded and expressed his thanks again.

Birthdays were very important in Feinan.

Because the constellations leading your life could respond to one request during that day. Although that request might not display too much effectiveness, they could get some good luck, or obtain their constellation’s blessings.

“Make a wish.” Constantine said with a smile, “With your luck, maybe it’ll be fulfilled.”

Marvin lowered his head, according to Feinan’s custom, and silently made a wish.

His wish was very simple. It was for the people at his side to be happy and safe.

“Well, like the previous years, the Swimming Fish still didn’t respond to me,” Marvin bitterly laughed half a minute later.

Everyone laughed heartily.

This was actually a normal situation. Only a few people might get an answer.

But suddenly, a bright light suddenly illuminated the dining hall!

Chapter 197: Resting Warriors

p>The bright light kept spinning in the hall, slowly forming a small vortex.

The light emitted from the vortex felt warm.

They heard a low singing voice coming from it.

As it kept whirling, the eye of the vortex kept growing bigger, and under everyone’s shocked gazes, a bright starry sky appeared behind it.

They could clearly see the starry sky through the castle.

The Swimming Fish Constellation.

It was made up of a total of 247 stars.

This kind of existence that only appeared in rumors appeared before their eyes.

The vortex kept spinning, and soon a small light slowly descended before entering Marvin’s forehead.

“What happened?”

They all looked at Marvin, concerned about the changes in his body.

But Marvin helplessly spread out his hands and said, “I didn’t notice anything.”

Constantine clicked his tongue. “You are quite lucky kid… Last time I saw someone’s birthday wish being fulfilled was more than ten years ago.”

The old blacksmith took a deep look at Marvin and didn’t say anything.

Marvin was also confused.

He knew about wish to the constellations.

In the game, each player would have their birthday, and they would receive a three day blessing on that day by making a wish to their constellation.

This blessing might be an increase of a few attribute points, a direct increase of their Attack Power, or simply double experience.

But Feinan’s natives didn’t get this kind of benefit. Instead, a few people might be able to get an answer from their constellation.

Marvin thought that since he transmigrated into a native’s body, he shouldn’t be able to get an answer from the Swimming Fish constellation.

He wasn’t expecting it to really happen.

But the blessing he obtained this time was completely different from the one in the game.

After the light entered Marvin’s body, there was no change in his logs.

There was only another line at the bottom of his character window that said, [Swimming Fish Blessing (inactive)].

He didn’t know how to activate this thing.

But what made him somewhat concerned was that this blessing appeared at the exact location where the Fortune Fairy’s [Luck +1] blessing had appeared last time.

‘Could this need some special conditions to trigger it, like last time?’

Marvin thought it was so.

But regardless, getting the blessing of the Swimming Fish was good.

They all celebrated, and with a lively “Happy Birthday,” Marvin spent his first birthday in Feinan.

Till midnight, apart from chatting with friends and taking a small break, he didn’t do anything else.

He sat on the sofa in the hall for a moment, taking a short rest.

He was truly exhausted this time.

…

In the temporary camp on the coast, a girl wearing a dress was hugging her knees, sitting on a tall rock and looking toward the west.

At that time, she saw the bright light from the Swimming Fish constellation descending in a region not far from there.

‘Swimming Fish.’

‘Turns out today’s your birthday,’ Lola quietly thought.

After today, the Sea King would become the center of the starry sky.

A person quietly walked over and sat next to her.

“It’s rare to see you not speaking.” The Elven Prince was also looking at that light in the distance.

As a Legend, his perception was much higher than the average person’s.

“The Swimming Fish constellation hasn’t blessed anyone in about three years. Marvin is someone very special,” he said.

Lola nodded, seeming somewhat depressed.

“Are you upset that you can’t wish him Happy Birthday personally?”

Ivan took the rare initiative to start a conversation with Lola.

The Elven Prince was disgusted with women, so his attitude toward Lola now would simply shock people.

Even if she was quite a chatterbox, she was a girl that was hard to hate.

“In fact, what I told those sailors was fake. I was deceiving them.”

Lola turned her face, a bit uncomfortable with the topic. “I’m not something like the person in charge of White River Valley’s business activities. I’m only a swindler, that’s all.

“I’m probably just one of those insignificant characters to Lord Marvin.”

“He chose to believe in me just because he thought everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I always mess up. I even messed up with the food situation. I am worthless.”

Ivan was silent for a while.

He gently patted Lola’s shoulder. “You are wrong.”

“There are things you can’t do, not because you are worthless, but because people or circumstances can’t help you show your worth.”

“Moreover, Marvin chose to trust you not only for that reason. I believe it’s even more important. It was because he believed you were a kindhearted girl.”

“This world is very chaotic, and strong people can’t protect everyone. Thus, for all those weak people, lying became a must-have skill.”

“To survive, you have to lie, isn’t it so?”

Before Ivan finished his words, the girl at his side already started shedding tears in silence.

“You are right. In reality, I also didn’t want to become a swindler…”

“When I was younger, my father had already passed away…”

“When my mother was at death’s door, she made me promise to keep on living. But what could I do? I was a rural girl without any skills… An older girl, my childhood friend, sold me to a brothel. I did my best to escape.”

“Then I stopped trusting people. I began to learn how to scam others. I was only able to survive then.”

“I’m not like you or Lord Marvin, fighting so fiercely. I can’t protect myself…”

“You said people like us have it so much harder to live in this world. Then what is the meaning of living?” Lola asked, choking with sobs.

The Elven Prince shook his head before firmly saying, “In this world, every life has its meaning as long as you are alive.”

“This was what my father told me when I was young. He is the most powerful man in this world.”

“Thus, you should believe his words.”

Lola nodded, slightly confused, her eyes filled with tears.

She might not even know what “Ivan’s father” meant.

But this sentence was already the greatest comfort to her.

“Thank you, Mister Ivan.”

She cautiously asked, “But… why did you take the initiative to talk to me today?”

“Aren’t you annoyed by women?”

Ivan noticed that Lola’s eyes suddenly emitted a hint of wariness and was amused.

He chuckled as loneliness flashed through his eyes. “Because I feel very bored sometimes. I also wonder why I am alive.”

Lola seriously said, “But you are so strong, and you have a father good to you.”

Ivan was silent for a moment before saying, “Once I turned ten, he stopped acknowledging me.”

Lola looked at Ivan in a daze and suddenly patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be so sad, at least you are handsome.”

“Do you know the story of the Swimming Fish constellation? If you don’t know I can tell you.”

“It’s rumored that early on, this world didn’t have any constellations. It wasn’t until after God Lance arrived that there were constellations. As for the Swimming Fish, he casually…”

The sea breeze was very strong, as the girl’s voice slowly scattered in the wind.

The night gradually darkened, and the Swimming Fish constellation gave out its final burst of light before the center of the starry sky was ultimately replaced by the Sea King constellation.

Summer would soon be over.

…

Late at night. Marvin, lying on his bed, slowly opened his eyes.

This feeling… He had a good sleep.

He might have really been too tired this time. He didn’t even feel people carrying him from the the dining hall to the bedroom.

Marvin massaged his temples, trying to wake himself up.

He dressed up and left the bedroom, quickly arriving at the old blacksmith’s place.

That was naturally a blacksmith’s workshop.

Late in the night, the old blacksmith was still forging, the “Clang!”, “Clang!” sounds confined inside the workshop, unable to affect other people’s rest.

“You arrived?” He apparently already knew Marvin would come.

“Do you know what I want?” Marvin smiled.

“Of course. This group of noisy adventurers looks powerful with those numbers, and should be able to overthrow an Ogre Tribe.”

“But in real battle, their morale and cohesion is something to doubt. If a few people die, they might scatter.”

“In any case, you can’t win this war by relying on the Silver Church or other external powers, right?”

The old blacksmith frowned. “Even if you weren’t here tonight, you could have come tomorrow night. But you should have rested a day.”

“I am already rested.”

Marvin took a deep breath. “Help me open the [Eternal Night Kingdom].”

“I need their help.”

Sean nodded. “Indeed, they have been resting for far too long.”

“This world has had too many changes since they started their rest. I heard news from a lot of my friends, including Lady Hathaway.”

“There will soon be many shocking changes in this world.”

“Awaken them if you have the power to do so.”

“They are real warriors.”

…

The next morning, a group of luxurious carriages stopped at the boundary of White River Valley.

It consisted of three carriages, over twenty high level knights, and even more squires.

They had a military banner with half of a new moon on it.

Soon, a messenger walked over to White River Valley’s castle.

Marvin wasn’t inside the castle at that time.

Every matter was handled by Anna and Wayne.

But when they granted the messenger an audience and heard what he said, the two couldn’t help but speak out at the same time, shocked.

“Another fiancée?!”

Chapter 198: Thorny Path

p>The Eternal Night Kingdom.

In the entire Night Walker organization, only two people were qualified to open this incomplete plane.

One was the current Night Walker leader, and the other was the former leader.

When Sean moved to White River Valley, he took with him the contents of the basement room. Marvin didn’t know how he did this, but as the former Night Walker Leader, he certainly had his own ways.

“Think about it carefully. You might meet many dangers on this path.”

Sean took a deep look at Marvin. “And I’m not necessarily talking about physical dangers.”

Marvin firmly nodded.

He knew what was ahead. This was the reason he was confident in challenging that thing that no one had cleared before.

Awakening the sleeping warriors, rousing them from their dark and cold eternal slumber, to once again fight to protect Feinan.

This was really a difficult mission.

But everything was under his control. He was somewhat aware of the task, or else he wouldn’t have picked the Night Walker advancement path.

The power of a class wasn’t the only thing worth considering when choosing one’s advancement path. One still had to consider the secrets hidden behind that class.

All the classes in Feinan weren’t simply fighting styles or schools of thought. There was a long, long history behind them.

The Night Walker class was a good example.

The only thing that surprised Marvin was that something appeared on his quest menu that had seen no changes for a while.

[Path of Darkness]

[Description: To wake the slumbering warriors, you need to experience the pain they went through in those days. You’ll set foot on the path of the Night Monarch of the olden days to inherit his glory and duty.]

[Mission Reward: ?]

…

‘The mission reward is actually unknown?’

‘This is a bit strange.’

In fact, ever since he transmigrated, Marvin felt that this system in his body was more of an information software than a real system.

Apart from two points he couldn’t understand, the rest completely fit with this world.

Of these two points, the first was the battle experience system. Why could he obtain battle experience when killing?

The second was why the quest system reward was general experience.

If you ignored these two points, Marvin felt that his system was simply a record of himself.

It would make an extremely precise record of his bodily status and what happened during battle.

Apart from that, there didn’t seem to be much use.

This gave him the impression that rather than transmigrating with the game system, he had instead obtained a status monitoring ability similar to the game system.

This was a type of power.

This was the best explanation Marvin could think of, but unfortunately this explanation had a flaw, the experience issue.

This was also the biggest difference between him and the natives. The natives would raise their strength through tempering, insights, and all kinds of differents methods.

They couldn’t just kill to raise their strength like Marvin.

There must be a reason hidden deep behind this, waiting for Marvin to dig it up.

But for now he had to focus on completing this quest.

“Nineteen Legend warriors. Slumbering in the sea of cold darkness.”

“You have to walk through the Thorny Path barefooted and climb up the Endless Mountain, before finally finding the will of the Night Monarch.”

“You’ll be able to rouse them only if you become the true heir of the Night Monarch.”

“Every Night Walker who tried it before you failed.”

“This has nothing to do with strength. It is about character, willpower… and luck.”

The old blacksmith took another long look at Marvin. “For me, your luck is definitely not bad.”

Marvin silently smiled.

“We are in a different era. I have a feeling you’ll really be able to wake them up.”

“Go,” the old blacksmith said in a firm voice as a dark and rugged path appeared in front of them.

The Thorny Path.

Marvin took a deep breath and removed his shoes. He walked over to the small path, barefoot.

‘Thorns…’

First step! Marvin breathed in cold air!

He could feel the acute pain from under his foot, fiercely stimulating his nerves.

It felt like a needle was suddenly stabbed into his sole.

The fierce pain made him instinctively draw back.

But he couldn’t retreat!

If he retreated, he would fail in this path to awaken the warriors.

Forward, there was only forward.

The pain was fake. Marvin wasn’t wounded, but the Thorny Path would directly transmit the pain to his senses.

If he couldn’t even endure this much pain, then what about inheriting the will of the Night Monarch?

Marvin tightly bit his lips, focusing his willpower.

He didn’t draw back, instead taking large steps toward the depths of the darkness!

He knew that the faster he was, the less contact with the Thorny Road he would have, and the lighter the pain.

…

Seeing Marvin’s back gradually disappearing at the end of the Thorny Path, the old blacksmith turned back to the furnace on the side, diligently working on something a low level apprentice should be doing.

Forging standard iron.

This was the Eternal Night Kingdom. That place was vast and mysterious, and even leaders would be considered as amateurs.

Over time they got used to it.

A shadow silently appeared at the old blacksmith’s side.

“You think he can succeed?”

“He can.” Old Sean kept forging.

That man indifferently said, “He became a Night Walker about a month ago. You think he completely understands the Night Monarch’s will?”

“No, no one can understand the will of the Night Monarch.” Sean laughed and said, “In fact, perhaps our way of thinking is wrong.”

“Every Night Walker who wished to rouse the nineteen warriors made great efforts to draw close to the Night Monarch, but was it the right move? No one knows.”

“But this is our duty. Guarding this continent.” That man’s tone carried a hint of unhappiness. “You and Constantine are wasting too much time on him. When I needed your help in the north, it’s fine that you didn’t come, but you actually were willingly following a small Baron around doing some absurd things. I know you are critical of me, but as Night Walkers, we are brothers.”

“You are wrong, O’Brien. We aren’t critical of you,” Sean seriously replied. “But the one you called a small Baron could plot a scheme to bury the Crimson Patriarch, who countless Legends had failed to kill. He was able to retrieve the Book of Nalu in front of the Heavenly Sword Saint. He just got rid of a Red Dragon a few days earlier.”

“He is only 15 years old.” Sean emphasized his age. “What were you doing at 15, O’Brien?”

O’Brien was speechless.

“Take a step back. If I’m misjudging, and if Constantine is misjudging, then what about Hathaway, Shadow Thief Owl, Endless Ocean and Nicholas? Are they making a mistake too?”

The old blacksmith unhurriedly continued, “In all of history, the East Coast has never had someone who could gather up such a force.”

“Thus, I am quite looking forward to what my disciple is able to do in the future.”

“This is the reason I am remaining in White River Valley.”

O’Brien took a deep breath, his mood a lot better. “Perhaps you are right. Even if I am powerful, I’m not wise enough.”

“No, no one is perfect. You are currently the best leader for the Night Walkers.” Sean smiled in encouragement. “You have a strength that others don’t have. Even if you are powerful, you can listen to other people.”

O’brien muttered helplessly, “My mother told me when I was young, [O’Brien, you aren’t clever so you need to pay attention to wise men’s words].”

“I did as I was told, which turned out pretty well. I didn’t mess up too much.”

“If this kid really awakens the nineteen warriors and advances to 4th rank, I’ll consider giving him the Half-Artifact [Eternal Paradise].”

…

On the Thorny Path.

A silhouette was walking alone.

Marvin was sweating all over.

The pain coming from under his feet had been growing and growing. It wasn’t the kind of pain you could become numb to.

You couldn’t know when the pain would strike.

It was possible to not feel any pain after walking three steps, and suddenly feel incredible pain on the 4th step.

This was the frightening part of the Thorny Path.

Monks should be the best at handling his path.

‘This path is to test the heir’s temperament.’

‘It’s rumored that the Night Monarch personally walked a Thorny Path at that time to save a group innocents from Hell.’

‘Thus this path is also known as the Ancient Saint Path.’

A lot of information appeared in Marvin’s mind as an attempt to divert his attention.

But a scream echoed beside his ears!

He turned in surprise.

A man’s half-rotten face suddenly appeared on the side of the road.

He was coldly watching Marvin as a kind of indescribable fear rose up from Marvin’s heart.

Fear. But no willpower check.

‘[After pain is fear], those were words left behind by the Night Monarch.’

‘As long as I ignore these frightening illusions, I will be safe.’

‘They are only illusions in my mind.’

Marvin took a deep breath and controlled his shivering body. He clenched his teeth and continued forward.

He walked ten more steps, all sorts of illusions appearing in succession.

Hell’s skeletons, endless seas of blood, rotting maggots, deformed human bodies…

If it was someone else, they might have already been scared away.

The path was targeting the human fear of repulsive things!

But Marvin was gradually getting used to these things.

‘Ah? Trying to scare this Lord who has watched countless horror movies in a past life?’ Marvin began to inwardly sneer.

He was so confident, and it wasn’t without reason.

In all of Feinan, there might not be someone like him who could withstand all of these frightening scenes.

He visualized some funny things on these frightening scenes and the horrifying part was a lot weaker.

The second part of the Thorny Path was a piece of cake to Marvin.

Soon, a fork appeared in front of him.

A strange beast was occupying the intersection.

Chapter 199: Saint, Ruler, Mighty

p>It was a monster with a beast body and a human face.

It was calmly lying on its stomach, its eyes as big as Marvin’s fists. Next to the strange beast body was a shabby iron sword stuck in the ground.

Three paths spread behind its back.

Each path seemed to lead into a very different direction.

Marvin took a deep breath.

This was the last stage of the Thorny path.

Pain and Fear had already been cleared.

Next was [Choice].

…

“Hello Marvin,” the strange beast said, its voice very cold.

It would make people who heard it shiver.

Marvin didn’t know this monster’s name, but he knew it was here to guard.

If it didn’t allow him to pass, there was no way to pass through the last part of the Thorny Path.

Thus, he walked toward the monster and greeted, “Hello, Mister.”

“Mister? I like this honorific.” The strange monster used his large dragon-like claws to scratch his back where two pairs of sturdy wings were folded.

He looked like a pretty strong guy.

“As a Night Walker, since you reached here, you have proven that you have the endurance to withstand pain and the willpower to withstand fear.”

“But inheriting the Night Monarch’s heritage isn’t that simple.”

“It’s well-known that if you want to get something, you have to give something up.”

“Tell me your choice,” the strange beast said with his ice-cold voice.

Every word he spoke made Marvin feel cold, but he still slowly drew closer.

His pace was very slow, yet steady.

“Choice? What kind of choice?” Marvin asked, even though he already knew the answer.

In fact, Marvin had already seen a Night Walker expert’s public video in his previous life. The scene was very similar, and he also knew the meaning of the three paths behind the monster.

The expert at that time had stopped there and made a choice, only to fail.

Then many people started discussing which one should have been chosen. But Marvin felt that their way of thinking was mistaken.

If he or another extremely careful player had been in that Night Walker’s position, the quest might not have been failed.

He couldn’t try it in the past since he wasn’t a Night Walker, but this time he could find out if his own choice was correct.

Thus, he kept approaching.

…

The strange beast’s eyes closely watched Marvin. “I’ll tell you the meaning of each path behind me.”

“You can’t tread through every path. You can only choose one path.”

Then, clear pictures showing different people appeared in front of Marvin.

The first path was the Path of the Saint.

At the end of this path were the Ancient Saints. They spared no sacrifice to protect Feinan.

Stepping on this path meant following the footsteps of the Ancient Saints, taking on the responsibility to protect all of Feinan.

This was a very challenging path!

At that time, the Night Monarch also walked through this path.

…

“The Path of Saint. Will he choose that?

Beside the furnace, the two generations of leaders looked at a distant place.

O’Brien couldn’t help but ask.

They could see Marvin arriving at the fork and facing the monster’s question.

“No idea.” Sean was still expressionless. “But I think he won’t choose this one.”

“This kid is definitely not a Saint.”

O’Brien shrugged. “Not picking this one is also good. I failed when I chose the Path of the Saint.”

..

“I refuse,” Marvin firmly answered.

“I know myself, I’m not Saint material.”

The strange beast relaxed, a strange glint appearing in its eyes. “Good, then let me reveal to you the second path.”

The first path disappeared from Marvin’s sight.

Ripples appeared on the second path.

White RIver Valley, River Shore City, as well as a familiar new harbor appeared in Marvin’s sight.

He saw the old butler, he saw many citizen of White River Valley, he saw the guards being busy.

“This is your territory, these are your subjects.”

“You cannot guard the entire world, but guarding an area is good too.”

“Thus, this second path is the Path of the Ruler.

Path of the Ruler.

It meant that you didn’t need to protect the entire continent, but just your own territory.

All the subjects were under your protection.

They could live because of you and regardless of what kind of disaster came, you had to protect them.

This was the duty of the Ruler.

Many Ancient Rulers walked this path. They might not be Saints, but they were like gods to their citizens.

They were Rulers who established a territory with their own power.

Stepping on this path meant that you pledged to protect your own territory for the rest of your life.

Marvin was calmly looking at the pictures in front of him.

The strange beast’s voice echoed next to his ear. “Will you choose the Path of the Ruler?”

…

“Will he?” O’Brien asked again.

The old blacksmith couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “How would I know?”

“I think you are smarter than me,” O’Brien honestly answered.

The old blacksmith was speechless, but after a short time he replied, “Unlikely.”

“Why?” O’Brien seemed very surprised.

The old blacksmith sneered, “Because he already made a choice.”

…

“I refuse!” Marvin answered.

Thus, the second path disappeared from his sight.

The gaze of the strange beast turned unpleasant.

“Oh, young Night Walker, you are a selfish person.”

“I’m starting to dislike you.”

“But due to my duty, I’ll still tell you about the 3rd Path.”

“Looks like you intend to pick this path. Indeed, this path is the easiest, but it is also dangerous. You might feel very strong, but you will be bound to suffer a setback!”

The third path.

Marvin successfully became a Ruler of the Night, having killed countless people to get there.

He became the continent’s strongest person, but he could only protect a few people at his side.

Some familiar faces could be seen in front of him: Anna, Wayne, Hathaway… Even Lola was surprisingly among them!

These were his closest friends.

The third path was the Path of the Mighty.

A sole man, continuously growing stronger, protecting a small amount of people.

Perhaps one day you could become an exceptional Powerhouse, but in front of the approaching calamity, you could only protect yourself and a few people.

Afterwards, you could only watch as countless innocents died.

This was the lonely Path of the Mighty.

…

“Looks like he wants to choose the Path of the Mighty,” O’Brien said somewhat dissatisfied. “Isn’t this selfish?”

The old blacksmith sighed and chided, “Can’t you be patient? Wait for him to make his decision before saying nonsense.”

O’Brien nodded, before freezing and shouting, “What?!”

“He actually refused again?!”

…

In front of the third path.

Marvin refused for the third time.

This time, he was already very close to the strange beast, so close that he could clearly see details of the strange beast’s features.

“I refuse to take this path,” he said.

The strange beast angrily roared, “You can’t!”

“This is the final part of the Thorny Path. You have to make a choice!”

“Tell me what your choice is! Otherwise you can’t get through!”

Three paths once again appeared behind it.

The Saint, the Ruler, the Mighty.

But at that time, Marvin did something which completely shocked O’Brien and the peeping blacksmith!

He suddenly dashed up, threw himself at the side of the strange beast and then picked that sword.

“What are you doing!” The monster seemed to lose his head out of fear.

“I am letting you know my choice!”

Marvin lifted the iron sword and leapt high, fiercely stabbing it into the strange beast’s head.

“Sphhhlt!”

The seemingly blunt iron sword pierced through the strange beast’s head up to its hilt.

“It is… Screw you!”

After Marvin’s words, the monster began to howl in pain.

Its terrifying body began to shrink, turning into a little Imp. It was as small as a fist but was firmly nailed down on top of a stone by the sword.

“I’ll walk my own path. Even if I have to make a decision, you have no say in it,” Marvin coldly declared as he released the sword.

Then, a new path appeared in front of Marvin. He ignored the Imp howling in pain and quickly walked forward.

…

By the furnace, Sean and O’Brien were dumbstruck!

“Hey… That sword was stuck there for so many years, why did no one notice it!?”

“This was just a fucking Imp? How did Marvin notice!”

“Is that the right choice?”

The two were extremely shocked.

In so many years, they had never seen a Night Walker go through the final step of the Thorny Path.

Because each one made a choice.

But no one was like Marvin, making a choice that was outside the three offered.

Killing the strange beast and treading on his own path.

This was a test set aside for the Night Monarch’s heir!

…

Marvin followed this path forward. He soon arrived in front of a mountain.

The Endless Mountain.

He raised his head and looked up. This mountain wasn’t too steep, but he couldn’t see the end.

Only by passing through this mountain could he reach the sea of darkness where the warriors were slumbering.

Marvin took a deep breath and began to climb.

This was the first time someone set foot on this mountain ever since the Night Monarch left the Eternal Night Kingdom.

Marvin took step after step forward. Climbing a mountain was a very exhausting work, needless to say an endless mountain.

He only knew up to there because no one had been able to pass through the Thorny Path.

He would have to completely rely on himself for the rest.

‘The Thorny Path tested endurance, willpower, and decision making.’

‘What is the Endless Mountain testing?’

‘It wouldn’t really be endurance, would it…’

Marvin climbed for a long while and then looked up. He still couldn’t see the top.

He was already completely exhausted.

He clenched his teeth and climbed a bit more, preparing to rest once he was totally exhausted.

How could he have expected to find that his hands had become very rough!?

These weren’t the hands of a 15 years old.

There was a small pond of water not far away. Marvin forcefully dragged himself over to take a look inside.

He stared into the pond, and a middle-aged man marked by the passage of time stared back at him, appalled.