NOVEL FROG Chapter 258-265
Chapter 258: The Underdark Winter
p>That mysterious and graceful shadow coming out of the darkness made Marvin feel a bit off, and he soon reacted!
That woman was actually the Dark Elf he met in the deep pool of water.
Even if he didn’t know how she managed to change her skin color and appearance to look like a Half-Elf, she had the exact same face.
Marvin felt this wasn’t good. Hera’s business partner was actually a Dark Elf?
In order to confirm the other side’s identity, he stealthily took out the dagger he had snatched and used Night Tracking.
The skill confirmed that this “fair” Half-Elf in front was definitely the woman he stepped on in that pool of water!
Why would the Dark Elves come to the surface?
She wanted to buy… Information?
Marvin pondered.
Suddenly, something flashed through his mind.
He remembered something!
‘The Underdark Winter!’
‘I overlooked such a major event.’
Marvin took a deep breath as he tightly gripped his curved dagger and coldly watched the Dark Elf approach.
It seemed tonight’s transaction wouldn’t be that simple.
…
The Underdark Winter.
This was a change in climate over a wide area, rarely seen in history.
Some time before the Great Calamity, in the western part of the Underdark, the Eternal Frozen Spring bordering the huge mountain suddenly began to spray Extreme Cold Water.
Extreme Cold Water was an exclusive treasure of the Elemental Plane, and a small amount of it was an excellent material to make Magic Items.
In the East Coast, a small amount of Extreme Cold Water could sell for a huge amount of money!
But the amount of Extreme Cold Water that Eternal Frozen Spring sprayed out was frightening.
The entire western side of the Underdark suffered from the excessive amounts of Extreme Cold Water and began to quickly cool down.
The Underdark’s environment was originally already quite vile, and this huge change of climate would lead to the death of the shining plants.
The days became more and more difficult to bear.
Because of this, the Black Dragon that occupied the Underdark, Clarke, woke from its slumber.
It gathered some Dark Elves and other Dark Races and had them launch a surprise attack on the surface to loot food.
Clarke kept sending Dark Elf scouts to the surface and ultimately found a completely new path to the surface.
And that path led directly to Rocky Mountain!
This huge war happened about three months before the Calamity.
When the players had yet to arrive on Feinan, this story line event was publicized as a trailer. Marvin had watched it, but it hadn’t made much of an impression on him.
Now that he thought about it, he was stepping into this timeline.
It was also at this time that the Source of Fire’s Order fell in Rocky Mountain.
This would truly be a time of chaos for Rocky Mountain.
Previously, the sneak attack from the Underdark was very successful. Ankhegs rushed out from below and poured into Rocky Mountain and the surroundings.
In a mere half a day, they wiped out one third of the surrounding small towns!
This definitely included Lion, which was completely caught off guard.
And three days later, they would arrive at Hope City.
It seemed like they would swallow the entire Rocky Mountain.
It was also at that time that Jessica of the Three Sisters displayed her unique strength for the first time.
Facing Black Dragon Clarke, the Fate Sorceress would use the most brutish method to end the Dragon’s life.
Using the [Strength of Fate], she tore apart the Black Dragon in front of the Underdark’s inhabitants and all mankind!
Tore apart a Black Dragon!
This was something that only overpowered novel characters could do.
At the time, Marvin had completely mocked the publicity around it.
But he also had to admit that the three sisters were really charming and had some kind of special aura around them.
Especially Jessica. She was a very boyish girl. This trait also made it easier for her to establish Rocky Mountain and be as famous as the future northern Valkyrie.
…
The most important part now was this Dark Elf. What business did she have with Hera?
Marvin felt something wrong, but he didn’t dare to come too close.
Drows had very strong perception!
Marvin was tense. This business transaction would definitely go wrong. Hera didn’t tell him the details, but it was definitely something sensitive.
‘What is it after all?’
Marvin’s eyes aimed at the scroll in Hera’s hands.
The next moment, Hera seemed to noticed the Dark Elf.
“Hey, Raven, long time no see.”
She apparently was familiar with the other party.
Raven smiled faintly. “Yes, it’s been a very long time. I went to the Underdark and the harvest wasn’t small.”
‘This Dark Elf’s Common is pretty good…’ Marvin thought secretly.
The Underdark’s lifeforms used Undercommon and it was a lot more barbaric from the Common. Raven’s Common had clearly been specially trained.
Hera waved the scroll in front of her. “Same as before, I’ve got everything you want.”
“I want money.”
Raven smiled. “Money isn’t an issue.”
After saying this, she took out a heavy pouch.
She slightly opened it, revealing a dizzying golden light.
This was actually gold with high purity!
No wonder Hera said this deal would be enough to keep living in Hope City.
“This thing for the money,” said Hera plainly.
Raven nodded.
The two people slowly approached and against Marvin’s expectations, Raven and Hera peacefully completed their business transaction.
During this entire business deal, the Dark Elf didn’t show any sign of trickery.
In fact, Marvin was surprised she didn’t swiftly kill Hera after getting what she wanted.
But even more unexpectedly, as they parted, Raven added a few words. “Leave Lion in the morning. This place will most likely not be safe.”
Hera nodded.
The Dark Elf took her things and quickly disappeared.
Marvin unhurriedly came out.
“Raven is someone trustworthy.” Hera seemed in a good mood. “I always thought Dark Elves were deceitful and merciless, but there are exceptions.”
Marvin had a cold face. “You already saw through her disguise? What did you give her?”
/
Hera calmly answered, “The map of Lion’s defenses.”
“In any case, even if they didn’t have this thing, they would also be able to destroy Lion, wouldn’t they?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m a lot more broken than you imagine. When I first came to Lion, lil’ Guy nearly died in their hands, and some scum also…”
“This town is full of criminals, they are guilty and deserve to be punished.”
Marvin took a deep look at her. “Destroying evil by using something more evil is not the correct way.”
“Go get Guy and wait for me here. In two hours, I’ll escort you to Hope City.”
“But before that, I still have to do a few things.”
After saying this, he suddenly sped through the darkness.
Night Tracking!
A red line showed up in front of Marvin, and it didn’t seem to lead very far off.
Raven hadn’t gone far!
She was still in Lion.
Chapter 259: War
p>Raven’s speed was rather slow as she stopped at a place for a moment before continuing to move around Lion Town, hidden.
‘She is checking the authenticity of the information,’ thought Marvin coldly.
This Dark Elven Scout was really an elite among the elites, handling the matter so cautiously.
Dark Races were inherently more powerful than the surface races. If not for the fact that they were weakened by sunlight, the Underdark’s races might have already ruled Feinan.
But they weren’t penalized at night.
In some ways, Night Walkers were similar to the Dark Races.
It’s just that Night Walkers were a lot more powerful than average Dark Races at night thanks to the Night Monarch’s blessings!
Marvin pursued.
He had to recover the map of Lion Town’s defenses!
Although they were criminals and greedy adventurers, they were still part of mankind.
Even if Marvin wouldn’t help completely hold off the attack on Lion Town, there were still some things he could do.
…
Raven’s shadow flashed throughout the forest south of Lion Town.
‘There really are two hidden sentries here. Golden Lion seems very cautious. This place is quite close to the Underdark.’
Raven closed the scroll in her hand, pleased.
Hera’s gift was worth it.
Suddenly, a strong and quick attack came over from inside the forest!
Someone was sneak attacking!
Raven coldly snorted, fearless!
The daggers looked exceptionally cold under the sparse rays of moonlight.
She put her two daggers behind her back and used a powerful skill, easily blocking the sneak attack.
“I know it’s you. Maggie.”
Raven coldly watched the woman before her. This woman was also a Dark Elf and part of the same clan. They were even cousins.
Raven and Maggie were the most likely to inherit Lady Tess’ seat as Matriarch.
It was said that after this attack on the surface was successful, Lady Tess would be bestowed a reward by Leader Clarke and become a higher existence.
She would be assigned another higher level mission.
And this Dark Elf tribe’s Matriarch position would be empty. Maggie hated Raven to the bone because Raven had always been more outstanding than her ever since they were children.
Lady Tess clearly thought more highly of Raven.
This made her very unsatisfied.
The Dark Elves’ world lacked warmth, it was filled with massacre and conspiracies. From her point of view, Raven was too kindhearted. This kind of person would simply lead the Dark Elves to their deaths.
But Raven’s instincts and intuition were out of the ordinary.
According to Lady Tess’ judgement, if Raven advanced to 4th rank, it was highly likely that she would obtain the [6th Sense] specialty.
This was a unique specialty that Monks had. Only rare geniuses among the Dark Elves could get it.
Thus, Lady Tess attached a lot of importance to Raven.
But in Maggie’s eyes, if Raven became the Matriarch, she would lead the clan to its ruin due to her kindness.
In the Underdark, kindness was equivalent to death.
If you don’t eat others, others will eat you. The first priority was to survive.
Raven clearly didn’t fit in that world, and she was even less fit to lead a clan.
…
“Hand over the map.” Maggie coldly said.
“I obtained this through my own means.” Raven’s expression didn’t change. “Could it be that you want to delay Leader Clarke’s plan?”
“There are still a few hours left before dawn. Lady Tess only needs half an hour to send a special force,” Maggie answered. “There is more than enough time.”
Maggie seemed pleased with herself. “Moreover, why would I go look for a plan of their defenses. I knew you would find it so I just had to wait here.”
“Then let’s see if you have the ability to get it,” Raven sneered as she put it away in her cleavage. After a few shakes of her breastplate, it quickly disappeared.
Marvin inwardly clicked his tongue. ‘That… Women are truly unfathomable.’
In the dense forest, a scuffle broke out between the two Dark Elves.
Both sides showed their experience as they jumped around everywhere, daggers flying, and used all kinds of tricks.
A few exchanges were enough to be an eye opener to Marvin.
Drows’ fighting techniques were really brilliant. They were efficient and focused on dealing the greatest amount of damage.
Marvin boasted of his excellent fighting skill.
But compared with the Dark Elves’ innate skill, it was a lot different in nature.
The simplest example was their curved daggers. The Drows used curved daggers that were shorter and slightly less curved. They moved very fast, like Assassins.
When they attacked, it was different from Marvin. They weren’t going after fatal critical hits but rather tried to make sure each attack had some effect.
Even from his position hidden among the branches, Marvin could clearly see that their curved daggers were smeared with a strange purple color.
This was some kind of poison.
‘Even among the same race, they can still be completely unscrupulous.’
Marvin sighed with sorrow while preparing to make a move at any moment.
This was the most potent place for a Night Walker to make a move: In a forest during the night.
Even with the superior perception of drows, they wouldn’t be able to notice Marvin hiding nearby!
They continued their fierce struggle, but clearly, Raven’s fighting abilities were a lot stronger than Maggie’s.
After the latter’s sneak attack failed, she gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Seeing the change in the situation, Maggie changed her tune. “Killing each other makes no sense.”
“We can’t make Lady Tess wait! Quickly handing over the plan is more important.”
“Dear younger cousin, you’ll surely forgive my improper actions, right?”
Maggie retreated and looked as if she wanted to reconcile.
Raven coldly snorted, “So now you suddenly know how important the information is?”
“Well, I don’t feel like bothering with you at this time.”
After saying this, she put away her curved daggers and ignored Maggie as she walked straight past her.
A strange expression flashed in Maggie’s eyes.
Just as Raven went by, Maggie launched another sneak attack!
Both daggers rose up and ruthlessly aimed at Raven’s head!
…
‘Fool…’
Marvin clearly saw everything from his high position. This Maggie was truly an idiot.
Indeed, the next second, Raven shook her body like lightning and a pair of straight daggers strangely appeared in her hands.
She lowered her body and dodged the curved daggers and knocked against Maggie’s chest!
Maggie had never thought that the always “gentle and kindhearted” Raven would actually be so treacherous!
The straight daggers accurately pierced her heart.
She struggled for a few moments and soon lost her life.
‘As expected, there is no Dark Elf that isn’t treacherous.’ Marvin inwardly shook his head.
Then, he took advantage of Raven dealing with Maggie’s corpse to make a move!
…
Night Boundary!
The space suddenly distorted as Marvin quietly appeared behind Raven’s body!
The Dark Elf reacted very quickly and turned around while sharply kicking out!
Marvin wasn’t slow, and simply lifted his leg to block Raven’s attack.
Then, his hand moved like lighting toward Raven’s neck!
A strong chop knocked her out.
Dark Elves had strong bodies, but she wasn’t a match for Marvin who was already at the 4th rank.
Especially on the Dexterity side, he had far exceeded Raven.
Even if Dark Elves had a very sharp perception and could react very quickly, Marvin’s movements were too fast!
It wasn’t too hard for him to take her down, especially in a forest at night.
If it was in a cave in the Underdark, it might be hard to say. After all, the terrain was very important during fights.
Marvin didn’t feel like dealing with Maggie’s body.
Dark Elves were mostly poor, because everything was in their Matriarch’s hands. The daggers they used weren’t any better than his.
But those few bottles of poisons seemed worthwhile.
If Marvin was right, these poisons had hallucinatory properties.
In general, all major classes had very high resistance to deadly poisons at 3rd rank and above.
Thus, deadly poisons would yield highly reduced results. For high-level rogues, if they wanted to smear their weapons with poison, they wouldn’t chose deadly poison.
Paralyzing, petrifying, hallucinatory, and other such poisons were better. Humanoid lifeforms lacked resistances to these poisons, making them more effective.
After kicking Maggie’s corpse into a shrub, Marvin carried Raven and began to quickly leave the forest.
…
Ten minutes later, a dark crow was flying outside the tallest building in Lion Town.
“Crash!”
The dark crow suddenly flew through a window.
The light shone, exposing a middle-aged man embracing two women, one on the left and one on the right. He glared furiously at the dark crow.
But then his expression abruptly changed.
A scroll and letter were tied to the dark crow’s leg.
Surprisingly, the scroll had a map of the military defenses of Lion Town.
“Fuck!”
“The Underdark Winter? The Dark Races’ sneak attack? Isn’t it fake?”
The middle-aged man’s curses could be heard filling the room.
…
Near the barn, Hera was watching lil’ Guy, restlessly waiting.
“Let’s go.”
Marvin appeared out of nowhere.
Hera was somewhat startled as he looked at the woman Marvin was carrying on his back.
“This… This is Raven?”
Marvin nodded. “We can go.”
“Hold on… I can understand you grabbing the map of the defenses back.”
“But why did you grab Raven too?”
Hera looked at Marvin with a strange expression.
Marvin frowned. “Is there an issue?”
“I might need a Dark Elf as an assistant where I am going, thus I grabbed one.”
Hera was speechless.
At the same time, she had a better understanding of Marvin’s strength.
This Robin was very frightening!
‘He could even casually grab a 3rd rank Dark Elf… This guy surely isn’t a Legend, right?’ Thinking of this, she grew somewhat restless.
But regardless, the group still travelled in the cover of the night as they left Lion Town.
Hera’s body wasn’t particularly strong, but she had a lot of willpower.
She carried the little boy and walked quickly.
They walked through the night, and at one point, Raven woke up once, but Marvin used an anesthetic needle to stop her from moving.
She couldn’t even talk.
At dawn, they could already see the outline of Hope City.
But at that time, a frightening uproar could be heard behind them!
It felt like the earth was shaking from splitting open.
Marvin took a deep breath as he turned toward Lion City!
“Ankhegs!”
The war had begun.
Chapter 260: Azmyths
p>Ankhegs.
A type of huge monster living in the Underdark!
These lifeforms were quite huge and were somewhat similar to octopi, but looked like huge insects.
Ankhegs had sixteen limbs.
But these limbs were really different from those of an octopus.
Ankheg limbs were very hard and the each had a tip shaped like a sharp spiral. They were very good at digging holes through the mountain.
There weren’t many of them and they were rather averse to moving around.
According to the Pearl Tower’s scholars, more than 60% of the caves in the Underdark weren’t formed naturally but were in fact the result of active Ankhegs.
Ankhegs had very sharp awareness. Their caves would rarely collapse because they could choose places where the earth was relatively stable to make their path.
‘I didn’t expect that even Ankhegs were subdued by Black Dragon Clarke!’
‘The Drows and other small-sized races don’t need Ankhegs to make large tunnels. Since they used Ankhegs, maybe they have quite a few Kuo-toas in their army!’
‘Along with some flying monsters from the Underdark… It would be very difficult for Lion Town to keep up their defenses.’
Marvin’s expression was grave.
He looked at the mountain that kept shaking in the distance. Lion Town was suddenly stirred from a deep sleep, and the alarm kept echoing endlessly.
Even though he warned Golden Lion several hours earlier, it was clear that this guy didn’t believe him.
Otherwise the situation wouldn’t be like that now.
Far in the east, the sun barely became visible above the desert.
And at that time, Dark Races covered everything as they kept coming from the Ankhegs’ tunnels!
Dark Elves, Quaggoths, Duergars, and Kuo-toas!
As for Kobolds, Goblins, and Gnolls, they were even more numerous!
Lion Town’s adventurers would probably be scared silly by this frightening scene.
Not only Lion Town, but even the farmers in the surroundings might have a hard time escaping.
“Let’s move on!” Marvin hurriedly shouted.
Although this scene was unpleasant, he also wasn’t a saint.
He knew he couldn’t save everyone.
He already did what he could for this assault.
Next, it was time to let nature take its course.
Hera looked at this scene and was naturally frightened.
It had to be known that if the Dark Races had attacked a day earlier, she would have also become one of those people caught in the massacre in Lion Town!
Someone like her who completely lacked fighting strength might die at the start of the war.
They immediately sped up at Marvin’s urging!
…
On the southern part of Lion Town’s mountain, a woman was loudly chanting something.
Following her chant, black clouds gathered from all directions.
A scarlet light kept shining in the eyes of the monsters at her sides.
They were very excited!
The Underdark’s nasty environment subjected them to great suffering. They were hungry, in pain, and thirsting for slaughter!
There was no need to encourage them. The monsters swarmed around under the urges of their instincts!
Since they didn’t know of the layout of the enemy defenses, Lady Tess, who was in charge of this military deployment, would simply not use many specific directives!
In any case, previous scouting had demonstrated that Lion Town’s adventurers and troops simply wasn’t a match for their army.
The Underdark’s forces were just like a tide breaking through Lion Town’s weak barrier.
Wailing voices and a bloody smell began to spread!
And in this chaotic mess, a reverberating chant kept echoing, becoming louder and louder!
It was that cloaked woman!
She opened her eyes and prayed toward the sky, constantly praying.
And the black clouds kept growing thicker and thicker.
In this place commonly known as the edge of civilization in Feinan, the first rays of dawn were blocked by thick black clouds.
For the next half a month, this place wouldn’t have any sunshine!
Because it was a Divine Spell bestowed upon her by the Black Dragon, called [Shroud the Sun].
…
‘Shroud the Sun, as expected.’
Marvin could feel the sky becoming increasingly darker. It was obviously early morning, yet it was as dark as night!
This was a large-scale Divine Spell. It was powerful enough to cover all of Rocky Mountain.
It wasn’t without reason that the Underdark’s races dared to attacked the surface.
Backing them was not only Black Dragon Clarke, but also the Black Dragon God.
Marvin remembered that during this invasion event, there was one female commander that displayed especially eye-catching abilities.
It was the Dark Elven Matriarch, whose name seemed to be Tess.
And she had another eye-catching position, Black Dragon’s Apostle!
Very rarely would Dark Elves choose to believe in a god other than the Queen of Spiders, as the narrow-minded Queen of Spiders would definitely not allow it.
But this clan was apparently an exception.
The Queen of Spiders tacitly agreed with the Black Dragon God’s action of taking followers from her, which was a bit strange.
And for Marvin, regardless of whether it was the Black Dragon God or the Queen of Spiders, both were very troublesome.
Even if they only had average Divine Power, they had great interests and desires in Feinan.
Moreover, they were very cunning.
They were also among the few Ancient Gods in favor of attacking the Universe Magic Pool.
‘Black Dragon God, Queen of Spiders, Plague God… From what I remember, there isn’t anything good about them.’
Marvin inwardly sneered.
There were signs of Raven being uncooperative on his back. Marvin wasn’t one to be particularly nice to women, so he immediately karate chopped her and directly rendered her unconscious.
He was bringing Hera to flee, so how could he have time to take care of Raven?
He had taken along Raven because she would be useful in the Dark Elf’s area.
While looking for the Source of Fire’s order, they would be in very harsh circumstances, so he wished to get a qualified assistant. For now, Raven was qualified.
As for whether she was willing to cooperate, this wasn’t an issue Marvin needed to worry about for now!
His current mission was to quickly get Hera and the small child to Hope City!
Marvin felt restless because the Dark Races’ surprise attack had gone faster than expected.
Lady Tess didn’t send all her forces to fight in Lion Town. She sent many soldiers into the surrounding areas, and some straight to Hope City.
These monsters were quite threatening for ordinary soldiers and were going straight for Hope City.
Some monsters circled around Lion Town and trampled the farms. These farmhouses that Marvin had passed through before ended up being completely destroyed.
‘Her goal is to kill all the people able to relay the information!”
‘At the same time, cutting off any sort of communication between Lion and Hope.’
‘No good, if we don’t hurry, we might be surrounded.’
Marvin used Night Crow and carefully watched the monsters rushing from the darkness. They were clearly trying to encircle the town.
This encirclement wasn’t too tight, but once it was completed, it would form a blockade between Lion Town and the rest of Rocky Mountain.
Surface lifeforms wouldn’t be able to go through the enemy lines to reach Hope City.
It was clear that this Black Dragon’s Apostle was definitely a genius at commanding!
…
The group accelerated.
Hera was very resolute. Despite panting and sweating all over, she was still following behind Marvin.
As for the small child, he obediently did as his mother said and was carried on her back, tired.
“Come on.”
“Just a few more kilometers and we’ll be there,” Marvin encouraged.
Suddenly, a burst of wind appeared behind them!
From the sky, a group of giant bat-like creatures dove down!
They had high speed and scouted in all directions in a blink..
Two of them were apparently looking at Marvin’s group, and rushed over!
“Azmyths”!
Marvin’s expression changed
“Find a place to hide, quickly!” he yelled loudly to Hera.
Not far, an abandoned windmill could be seen and Marvin instantly pointed in that direction, having them hide first!
These bats were strange. Each of them had the shape of a giant bat but a head similar to a human’s.
These were the Underdark’s Azmyths.
Marvin hadn’t thought the Azmyths would appear, as they weren’t in the trailer. Their unexpected appearance seemed to be a change in history!
This Dark Army was apparently fiercer than in the past!
Hera tightly held her kid and charged into the windmill.
Marvin wanted to follow, but he suddenly sensed an attack behind him!
It was that fucking bat!
Marvin slashed backwards.
Blazing Fury ruthlessly chopped an Azmyth’s neck, directly cutting its head off.
This lifeform wasn’t particularly powerful, but their most important trait was their ability to fly.
On average, each Azmyth’s level was 13 to 15, the most powerful ones unlikely to exceed 3rd rank.
But their flying ability made them a great threat.
After Marvin beheaded that one, he suddenly felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulders.
Literally.
A burst of wind whistled past as another Azmyth used the opportunity to snatch Raven away!
‘Fuck!’
‘Fighting over a woman with this Lord…’ Marvin’s thoughts heated up.
‘These little birds are using their flight to be arrogant. I can’t have that.’
Raven was still useful to Marvin, so how could he give up on her.
His body suddenly moved like lightning as he used Demon Hunter steps. He took a few steps before jumping on the roof of a farmhouse.
An Azmyth flying while carrying a Dark Elf, would definitely have its altitude and speed greatly reduced.
“Burst!”
Marvin directly jumped high from the roof and threw himself on that Azmyth’s wing!
It immediately lost its balance and struggled as it fell.
It simply couldn’t bear this weight!
Marvin firmly held the Azmyth’s neck and broke it in the sky!
The three people spiralled to the ground.
Fortunately, it wasn’t that high. Marvin controlled his own body and grabbed Raven.
But he couldn’t have expected a voice to cry out from behind him.
That was Hera’s voice!
Marvin’s face turned green.
“Lil’ Guy!”
Chapter 261: Taboo Ability
p>Marvin abruptly turned back after hearing Hera’s scream.
An Azmyth was taking lil’ Guy from Hera’s hands!
It was proudly howling with laughter as it rose up in the air while Hera let out cries filled with despair.
It was quite fast, quickly disappearing from Marvin line of sight.
Azmyths were very nasty creatures!
Often, they would catch prey just to play around with it, which seemed to be the case for lil’ Guy. They would rise very high in the sky and then release their prey, letting it fall down and turn into mincemeat!
“Sir Robin!” Hera shouted with all she had.
Marvin obviously knew what she meant.
He immediately clenched his fists and opened the back door of the windmill before sending Raven in.
“Look after her for me!”
“Lock the door, and by all means, don’t let the Azmyths come in.”
“Rest assured, I’ll return lil’ Guy!”
Then, Marvin pushed Hera in and slammed the door shut.
Then he prepared to jump high in the air, his sight focused on that Azmyth’s body!
Lil’ Guy’s was very light, so it was flying pretty fast.
‘I really need to get my hands on a set of flying items.’
‘It’s really disadvantageous to fight in the sky.’
Marvin assessed the height and distance of the Azmyth before unhesitantly using Burst!
Night Jump!
Second Jump!
Marvin’s body flew up high in the sky, but he was still some distance away from the Azmyth!
But fortunately, the power of Shroud the Sun also gave Marvin access to all his Night Walker abilities.
Marvin’s body kept distorting through the sky!
An Azmyth aggressively flew over, trying to grab Marvin.
But it ended up pouncing at empty space!
Night Boundary!
Marvin’s body craftily roamed about in the sky.
The next second, his body appeared a few meters above the Azmyth that abducted Guy!
This was the highest place Marvin could reach after using all his skills.
His body plummeted, pouncing fiercely toward this Azmyth.
But the Azmyth also had a very sharp reaction.
It let out a sound and stiffly brushed past Marvin!
“Heheheh…”
It howled with laughter as it watched Marvin fall.
Even if it didn’t know how Marvin jumped so high, he would surely be half-dead from the fall!
But its celebration was cut short by a heavy weight suddenly pushing against its back.
It waved its wings to resist this heavy weight!
The Azmyth was shocked to find out that the silhouette that had been falling earlier now appeared on its own back out of nowhere!
Marvin sneered. After using Shadow Escape and the Wishful Rope, he firmly held the Azmyth’s neck.
It started sharply falling.
Even the Azmyth wouldn’t be able to escape death if it fell freely from this height!
Thus, it had no other choice but to struggle to slow down its fall.
Other Azmyths tried to catch up and provide assistance, but Marvin firmly controlled the path of their fall and snatched the little kid.
The small child looked very scared, but he didn’t cry.
‘Truly a strange boy,’ Marvin thought.
…
Marvin forced the Azmyth to about roof height. He then held lil’ Guy and jumped down from the Azmyth, still holding the Wishful Rope!
“Bang!”
After Marvin nimbly landed on the ground, Marvin pulled forcefully on the rope, making the Azmyth lose its balance and crash into the ground.
Marvin stepped forward and mercilessly ended its life!
He then carried the little boy and quickly rushed back to the windmill.
Azmyths weren’t good at sustained flight, so as long as they hid there for a while, everything would work out.
Without open space to fly around and harass targets, these guys would be relatively less annoying!
When he opened the windmill, his expression immediately changed!
The room was completely empty!
Hera and Raven had both disappeared.
‘Have they been grabbed by Azmyths?’ Marvin was a bit perplexed.
Besides Azmyths, the other creatures from the Underdark shouldn’t be that fast.
But he felt something wrong.
…
There was a discarded cart in one corner of the room, and the shadow behind the cart appeared a bit unnatural.
Marvin sneered, drawing a dagger with his left hand while leading the kid with his right, and slowly walked over.
Before he got close, the shadow took the initiative to stand up.
“I was still found by you.” Her voice was very weak.
But Marvin’s expression was grim.
Raven had regained consciousness.
It seemed he had underestimated the Dark Elf’s resistance to the potion!
It hadn’t been long since he had given her the anaesthetic, but she was still able to recover so fast?
And more importantly, she had a hostage.
“Mommy!”
If not for Marvin tightly holding lil’ Guy to stop him from moving, the little guy might have run over already.
Hera was sweating, as Raven was holding her straight dagger against her neck.
But she apparently wasn’t paying much attention to her own safety, she saw lil’ Guy safe and sound and let out a sigh of relief.
“I heard you were called Robin? Seems like we have something to discuss.”
Raven was sweating a bit. It looked like the anesthetic still had some effect on her.
Subduing a noncombatant like Hera wasn’t an issue, but the pressure she felt when facing an expert like Marvin was huge. When Marvin sent Hera in, it was mostly to protect her from the Azmyths, so he had overlooked Raven’s state.
However, if Marvin ignored Hera’s life and death, she wouldn’t be able to block him.
“What do you want?” Marvin asked in a heavy voice.
“Freedom, safety,” Raven calmly said. “Our army is already carrying out the attack. Soon, this place will become our land.”
“You made me lose the best chance to obtain contributions, and held me captive. But I don’t care about that.”
“I only want to safely leave and join my people now.”
Marvin took a deep breath. “Release Hera and I’ll let you walk.”
“I don’t trust you.” The Dark Elf shook her head. “Mister Robin, you should think of a more convincing way of cooperating.”
“Otherwise, how would I know if you wouldn’t deal with me after I set Hera free? I’m not your match.”
Marvin frowned.
He instinctively felt something wrong.
Raven was too cunning, far more cunning than an ordinary Dark Elf.
She definitely planned something… Wait…!
Something occurred to Marvin.
At that time, Hera suddenly yelled, “I saw her send a signal!”
“There might be more Underdark creatures coming over.”
Raven’s expression turned cold. “Shut up!”
“Talk less if you want to keep living.”
Marvin clenched his teeth and was about to respond, but he suddenly heard some subtle footsteps!
Raven’s Listen was a lot higher than Marvin’s, and she clearly also heard them.
She smiled complacently. “Sir Robin, you lose.”
“My people have arrived. In an instant, they will finish surrounding this place. You are dreaming if you think you can still go to Hope City.”
“Our people will flood over, and you’ll be screwed.”
Hera’s expression changed. She foolishly looked at the child and said, “Sir Robin, don’t worry about me, please, escort lil’ Guy to Hope City!”
“The things you want are in his hands. He will give it to you in Hope City!”
“Ignore me! Please save him. I know you have the strength.”
Raven covered Hera’s mouth, apparently thinking of silencing her.
But Hera had already made a decision!
She forcefully turned her head, and the dagger pierced her neck.
A wound appeared, and blood madly coursed out.
Hera’s body couldn’t help but twitch a few times.
Her eyes were locked on lil’ Guy.
Raven was shocked by Hera’s move and inadvertently released her.
“You…”
Hera’s voice was very faint. “Lil’ Guy, don’t cry…”
Her body slowly went limp, before finally collapsing at Raven’s feet.
Marvin rushed over like lightning, kicking Raven in the abdomen!
The Dark Elf was sent flying by the kick, crumpling in a corner.
The little child was standing there in a daze, his expression full of pain.
“Mommy…”
“Mommy…”
He threw himself over and grabbed Hera’s hand.
But she already showed no signs of life.
Marvin’s heart was filled with anger.
The squadron outside the windmill could already clearly be heard.
It was most likely a Dark Elven scouting team!
“I originally didn’t want to do this.”
Marvin coldly looked at Raven.
The next second, he took out the Book of Nalu and quickly chanted an incantation!
He hurried to Raven’s side and held her, before using a knife to engrave a strange rune on her forehead!
That was the God of Deception’s private rune!
A strange and vague sound could be heard from the Book of Nalu as a faint black light enveloped the two.
“Using my name, I grant you Rebirth.”
Marvin’s voice was extremely grim.
Raven’s body began to shake crazily, and she looked as if she was seeing something extremely frightening!
Then, a burst of pain also surged through Marvin’s mind!
Soul Strip!
A taboo ability of the Book of Nalu.
Using this ability, both Marvin and Raven would have to pay the price.
Willpower tests kept flashing through the logs!
Fortunately, Marvin had Vanessa’s Gift and a very tenacious will, helping him firmly resist each ripple.
After ten seconds.
Raven stopped struggling.
Her body went through a strange transformation.
She slowly lifted her head resolutely.
“Servant Raven awaits your orders.”
Chapter 262: Wind Knight
p>The Book of Nalu… Despite it being just a thin page, it contained endless power.
Soul Strip was only one of the most easily controlled Taboo Skills contained within it.
However, this power was very dangerous.
If he hadn’t been angered, Marvin wouldn’t have wanted to use this taboo ability.
The word taboo represented a lot of things in itself.
The Soul Strip ritual captured Raven as its servant through its powerful ability to influence the mind.
And Marvin, as the owner of the 6th page, became Raven’s master.
But this captivity had a price: Marvin also had to endure a powerful wave of attacks on his will.
If Marvin didn’t resist the attacks, he would also become the Book of Nalu’s servant.
Marvin assessed that with his own willpower, he should be able to control two servants at most.
Madeline was considered as one, and Raven was the second.
The Dark Elf was already one of the candidates Marvin was thinking about.
The race’s innate willpower was low, and they were easily enticed by their ambitions, unable to restrain their desires. Dark Elven society was very promiscuous, so using the Book of Nalu to control a Dark Elf was a lot easier.
Raven had quite a lot of willpower compared to the typical Dark Elf.
Marvin felt a burst of pain in his brain from time to time.
This was a sign that he used too much spirit power.
This meant that Marvin had used huge amounts of effort in the willpower checks.
‘Originally, I planned to use the Book of Nalu to control you as a last measure.’
‘But you killed Hera and drew a team of Dark Elven scouts here, so I can only do it like this,’ Marvin thought silently.
…
He and Hera were only in an ordinary business deal. Marvin didn’t feel anything special toward her.
But she was a mother of a child.
In order to give a better future for her child, she had silently suffered.
Marvin could tell that this person who was once a noble lady had kept working hard in a dangerous town like Lion for her child’s future.
She firmly decided to sacrifice herself to let Marvin escape with her child, to not become Raven’s bargaining chip.
She didn’t even hesitate.
This kind of feeling moved Marvin.
A mother is always willing to do everything for their children.
And in fact, Raven didn’t do anything wrong, only wanting her freedom.
But she also hadn’t expected that Hera would make this kind of choice to protect her child.
And now, how could Marvin fail to live up to her expectations?
He had to safely escort lil’ Guy to Hope City!
Outside the windmill, the footsteps became clearer.
This was a standard Dark Elven scouting team.
Normally, most of the Dark Elves should still be attacking Lion. This team clearly had only come so quickly because of the signal Raven sent.
“You made a mess, so clean it up,” said Marvin coldly.
He gave Raven an antidote.
The numbing effect would disappear in less than half a minute.
“Kill them.”
This was Marvin’s order.
She took the dagger Marvin gave her as the God of Deception’s rune flashed in her eyes, and calmly left.
…
“Lil’ Guy…”
“Your mother already died. We have to quickly leave this place, okay?” Marvin soothed him as much as possible.
Suddenly, the little boy who had been silently hugging his mother’s dead body started weeping.
This was the first time Marvin saw him cry.
Even when caught by the Azmyth, this 4 year old boy didn’t cry.
But he was now crying his heart out.
He wept in a very peculiar way. The sounds he emitted were very low, but he was taking huge breath in and out, like some kind of frightening monster!
What shocked Marvin was that lil’ Guy’s tears were faintly cyan colored!
‘Am I wrong? Is it because of the darkness?’
Marvin rubbed his eyes.
But what he saw next left him dumbstruck!
As lil’ Guy wept, his body slowly began to swell up.
His original clothes were already lacking, and due to his bones growing, they ruptured.
In an instant, he turned from a 4 year old kid to a teenager!
His youth and inexperience could still be seen in his face, but his body had already grown up.
It happened in mere seconds.
It was really too exaggerated!
If not for the fact that Marvin didn’t notice any traces of [Shapeshift], he would have thought that this was the result of a spell.
But there wasn’t the energy of a skill, nor any sign of a spell!
It was a pure natural feeling.
‘This is… Bloodline power?’
Marvin felt something wrong.
At that time, lil’ Guy gently wiped his tears.
He once again regained a calm expression.
“When I was young, Mommy told me: – Lil’ Guy, you must not cry. –”
“In fact, not only I must not cry, I must not smile.”
“Some things, I don’t need to learn them. I just feel a lot of knowledge enter my brain…”
“Sir Robin, let’s go.”
He slowly stood up, his expression full of sadness, but also full of resolve.
This kid was actually able to control his state of mind that well?
Marvin dazedly stared at the transformed lil’ Guy. He knew this face!
‘Hold on… Wasn’t he the most famous person in Rocky Mountain after the Three Sisters in the period after the Calamity? [Wind Knight] O’Benson.
Marvin suddenly realized.
Wind Knight O’Benson’s family name was Hera.
…
Wind Knight.
In the game, he was another legendary figure in the Rocky Mountain, aside from the three sisters.
That powerhouse wasn’t most famous for repeatedly protecting Hope City.
Or for the fact that not a single god’s avatar he fought survived his winds.
Rather, it was because of his face.
O’Benson was actually very handsome, but for some reason he never smiled, and no one ever saw him cry.
Afterwards, an expert did a hidden quest from the Wind Knight and the truth came out:
– O’Benson had a special bloodline. –
He was a descendant of some Overlord in the North, and that Overlord also seemed to have some mysterious racial bloodline, like the Hammons. They had a type of curse, but it only passed onto the males.
They couldn’t have any kind of change in mood.
They couldn’t cry, and they couldn’t smile.
If they smiled or cried once, it was equivalent to passing ten years of their life!
This was a very frightening curse, and made this clan’s men forever unable to show emotions.
Lil’ Guy had been trained by Hera to control his mood, and had never gone out of control before.
But faced with his mother’s death, he couldn’t control himself.
He cried, and lost ten years. His body grew a lot taller, and his intelligence also increased, along with his bloodline strength. In that split second, he grew to be a 14-15 year old youth.
In other words, lil’ Guy was now about the same age as Marvin.
This was a strange experience. People who had never experienced it wouldn’t be able to know how it felt.
And Wind Knight O’Benson originally was someone bad with words.
Apart from the downsides, the curse granted powerful abilities. They could control wind and have good relations with any lifeform related to wind.
For example, the [Asperi], also known as Wind Steeds, which lived in the Roland Highlands, and Air Elementals.
That was the origin of the name Wind Knight.
In the past, Marvin wasn’t very familiar with the Wind Knight. He only knew a bit about his background. His mother died to the Dark Races. He’d once talked about his first love, but that girl made him smile for the first time and then made him cry once again. He thus lost another 20 years of life.
These clansmen typically only lived about 50 years.
…
‘Seems like even if I didn’t get involved, Hera would have also died from the Underdark’s denizens.’
‘As for lil’ Guy, he would have survived.’
He gently got up and patted lil’ Guy’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”
He then took out the Thousand Paper Crane and put Hera’s body inside.
This action surprised lil’ Guy, but he still trusted Marvin.
After all, this middle-aged man Robin had faced a huge risk to get him back from the Azmyth’s hands.
And his mother also entrusted himself to him.
He should be worth trusting.
The two lightly walked to the windmill’s back door.
Outside, the sounds of slaughter were gradually coming to an end.
Marvin gently opened the door. The Azmyths in the sky were already gone. They had probably been exhausted by flying and returned to Lion Town to reintegrate with the forces.
And many more monsters from the Underdark should have already completely sealed off Lion Town from Hope City.
Raven was panting roughly, and her two daggers were dripping with blood.
Six Dark Elves’ bodies were messily laying on the ground.
An elite captain’s strength really was outstanding.
Moreover, these Dark Elves would have never thought that the candidate to be the next Matriarch would suddenly attack her own subordinates!
“Master, I already accomplished your order.”
A flattering expression flashed through her eyes.
But her body was somewhat stiff.
Marvin frowned.
At that time, he once again felt a burst of pain in his mind.
Clearly, Raven was still resisting. But the Book of Nalu’s power was too great and forcefully suppressed her.
In any case, Marvin still successfully controlled her.
Then, he gave her another order, having her wander around Hope City by herself.
From what Raven had said, breaking through the blockade wouldn’t be that easy.
When Marvin needed her, he would naturally call her through the Book of Nalu.
Raven left.
Marvin brought lil’ Guy and they proceeded to break out toward Hope City!
It was unfortunate that the Thousand Paper Crane couldn’t be used to hold a living person, because breaking through the blockade alone would be a piece of cake for Marvin.
Many groups of monsters could be seen ahead.
Marvin led lil’ Guy to try to bypass them.
Chapter 263: Life and Death Blockade!
p>Hope City.
The distant Hope City also noticed something wrong when the Dark Races rushed out to the surface.
The town of the Three Sisters was highly efficient. They quickly entered a state of emergency.
Under Lorie’s leadership, Hope City’s military forces were on high alert.
They kept dispatching scouts and information rushed through Hope City.
…
On the city wall, a young purple-haired girl was looking into the distance.
Though covered to some extent by black clouds, Rocky Mountain could still receive some rays of light.
And these rays of light could bring harm to the Dark Races, even if it was merely a few of them.
She was able to see very far due to her own special ability.
A pitch-black blockade line was already completed.
It looked like a black snake, twisting around the surrounding towns between Lion Town and Hope City, strangling many fleeing refugees!
“Dark Races…. Lion Town has already been breached.” A low whisper could be heard from her mouth.
The expression of the Knight at her side was quite serious.
As this city’s supreme leaders, the three siblings had supreme authority. This authority was originally very stable because of Jessica’s backing.
But now, traces of chaos seemed to have appeared in Hope City!
The Dark Races invaded!
This information spread everywhere and immediately caused panic.
There was no Legend overseeing Hope City at the moment!
The strongest of the three sisters was currently on the edge of the Chaos Ground, trying to catch that Black Dragon who often came to disturb Rocky Mountain.
And Kate, who had shown some development in her abilities, also took a few people and left for the dangerous area to the west to investigate the meteors.
Only Lorie, the youngest of the three, remained.
Even if the inhabitants were fond of Lorie, that girl was way too young. Few people were willing to entrust Hope City to her hands.
If not for the city’s guards keeping the situation under control and Jessica’s reputation, civil strife might have already broken out in Hope City.
Even so, a feeling of worry spread through Hope City.
Merchants packed their belongings and tried to head west, while poor people were blankly gathering together, wanting to know more information.
During this time, the city was on the verge of sinking into chaos.
But after Lorie personally made an appearance, everything became better.
This young girl was actually very smart. She had exceptional leadership and management abilities.
Right at the start, she summoned the most loyal city guards.
And Head Knight Terry at her side was the most loyal follower of the three sisters.
Orders came from Lorie’s mouth and they were strictly implemented by the city guards!
Gather the militia. Conscript the adventurers. Quickly deploy the city guards to get the surroundings villages’ inhabitants to move over. Gather the exiled Sorcerers’ organization [Demonic Hand]. Open the refuge and send in the elderly and children. Open the armory and provide able people with the means to defend themselves…
The orders were methodically carried out.
It unconsciously stabilized the hearts of many people.
They looked at that short silhouette standing on the city wall and they couldn’t help but feel an unprecedented reverence toward her.
Before this event, this young girl always obediently hid behind her two sisters.
She was extremely good-looking and had an aura of innocence.
No one knew that in a time of war, she could be so calm and rational.
Even for the Head Knight at her side, it was the first time he saw Young Lady Lorie acting like a commander.
…
“Ankhegs’ endurance is ordinary. Even if they move with magic, lazy monsters like them can’t work for too long.”
“But without the Ankhegs, it would be very hard to break through Hope City. The Dark Races’ commander should clearly know about this.”
“Thus, they would attack Hope City after three days. In that time, they will purge the rest of the humans on the surface. After all, in the eyes of the Dark Races, lifeforms of the world above are prey.”
Lorie mumbled, with grief flashing through her eyes, “Uncle¹ Terry, we really can’t save those people?”
(T/N1:Form of address.)
The Head Knight remained silent.
Hope City had already made proper war preparations. He had faith that under Young Lady Lorie’s leadership, they could repel the Dark Races.
What’s more, with the Dark Races making such a big move, the powerful Lady Jessica would certainly notice it.
If the Fate Sorceress returned to Hope City, the Legend’s skills would unconditionally suppress the Dark Races and they wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow!
But the people Young Lady Lorie talked about were the inhabitants of the cities and towns between Lion Town and Hope City. They had low chances of survival.
Despite the dark sky, they could still see far into the distance from the city wall.
That pitch-black blockade was clearly visible. Even though the blockade line was uneven, there was no place that didn’t have the Underdark’s monsters.
Goblins, Gnolls, and Kobolds made up most of the blockade line. These lifeforms mostly weren’t very strong, but there were plenty of them.
And the most powerful Quaggoth and Fomorians were real nightmares!
They were in the center of the blockade line. No matter what part of the blockade was broken, these monsters would appear and fill in.
They just saw a group of elite cavalry being quickly defeated.
They were a troop of cavalry from one of the villages next to Lion Town.
More than twenty cavalrymen rushed into a hole of the blockade.
But unfortunately they were caught by a Fomorian!
They were sturdier than Ogres, but less intelligent. Most Fomorians had high magic resistance while also mastering one or two kinds of spells.
This was what was most troublesome.
You couldn’t know what kind of spell he would come up with. Not knowing if a Fire Tongue or Ice Cone would suddenly come out while you were in melee was very troublesome.
In short, those knights who broke through the goblins’ blockade were swept away by a few Fomorians.
These monsters relied on their sturdy physiques to crush the cavalry.
Moreover, they still had helpers.
Whether it was quantity or quality, they couldn’t do anything against it.
This blockade was the line between life and death for humans on the surface.
“Go take a look at the refugee shelter.”
“If they are more or less done, close the city gates.” Lorie sighed.
…
“The inhabitants from the surroundings already scattered and found accommodations. Fortunately, enough refuges were built when we established the city, or else we couldn’t have squeezed them in,” reported Head Knight Terry after a while.
“The city gates can be closed at any time. The cavalrymen we sent around already returned.”
Lorie nodded.
She was about to give the order.
But suddenly, a commotion appeared in the north of the blockade.
She squinted.
There was some activity.
…
It was a village a bit north of Lion Town.
Because they heard Lion Town’s signal, they reacted before the Dark Races attacked them.
Most people still ended up buried under the mouths of the Dark Races, but a small group of them still managed to escape.
There were many innocent villagers among them.
There were roughly 100 of them, and they were escorted by a large-scale mercenary team.
The entire mercenary team numbered about 80 people. They moved slowly, but because of their numbers, they had some hope of breaking through the blockade!
As long as they broke through the blockade, they would be able to reach Hope City.
Thus, they all did their best.
“There is still such a dedicated mercenary group?” Terry also watched this scene.
The mercenary group was holding a Silver Fox’s flag and was considered one of the most famous mercenary organizations in the Chaos Ground.
The large mercenary group had a fairly good reputation, and they apparently took over the mission of defending that northern village.
Now, as they evacuated, they even firmly escorted that group of villagers.
In fact, if they abandoned those villagers with no fighting strength, their chances of breaking through the blockade would be a lot bigger!
But they didn’t do so.
The blockade line was pushed back for the first time.
The mercenaries attacked in a triangle formation. At the spearhead was a powerhouse wielding two greatswords.
That was the mercenary leader. He was creating a path out of this battlefield on his own, leading everyone to break out of the blockade!
“Not good, we have to rescue them!” Lorie frowned.
Head Knight Terry clenched his teeth. “Even though our cavalry is intact, it would still be easy to lose them to the tide of monsters if they attacked now.”
“It’s likely that they wouldn’t be able to survive until our cavalry arrived. There are way too many monsters after all.”
Lorie stayed silent.
The little girl knew that Terry’s words were right.
For a few hundred people, it wasn’t wise to sacrifice a cavalry unit. At the same time, Hope City’s thousands would see their odds of survival greatly decline. This wasn’t something wise.
But for her, lives couldn’t simply be coldly calculated.
She clenched her fists. “Dispatch the cavalry.”
“We must save them.”
“In any case, we have to give it a try.”
Terry took a deep look at her and ultimately used knightly etiquette as he said, “Yes!”
“I’ll personally lead the team!”
The young girl was stunned. “Uncle Terry!”
But this time, the Head Knight didn’t turn back to the city wall.
…
Hope City’s gates slowly opened.
A small group of about thirty cavalrymen quickly rushed to the north of the blockade.
They soon arrived at the edge of the blockade.
Under Head Knight Terry’s leadership, they forcefully ripped apart the defensive line and successfully joined up with that group of mercenaries.
“Follow us, rush out!”
Head Knight Terry bellowed.
Everyone worked together to follow the Knights toward the west.
But at that time, five Fomorians had blocked them off.
Following the Fomorians were a Quaggoth and a squad of Dark Elves!
Kobolds and Gnolls also kept squeezing toward them.
The pressure faced by the human group increased.
“No good.” Worry could be seen on Lorie’s face.
Even though Terry was an expert of the 3rd rank, he was heavily outnumbered.
If they couldn’t deal with the Fomorians, the team of Knights would be in danger!
“Uncle Terry…”
Lorie silently prayed, “You must safely return…”
But at that moment, a somewhat lazy voice echoed by her ear. “You don’t need to be that worried.”
“They will definitely break through the siege.”
A plump lifeform sat on her shoulder.
“Eh, Ding?”
Lorie looked at the north of the blockade, somewhat nervous.
The Fomorians quickly surrounded them, and if they couldn’t break out, even the cavalrymen wouldn’t be able to escape.
The current Hope City didn’t have the strength to fight a direct battle with the Underdark’s lifeforms.
But those ordinary villagers greatly slowed the advance.
Some women were still holding onto their children!
Many mercenaries were also collapsing. The leader of the convoy just took a blow to his knee and was limping, needing someone to lend him an arm to keep moving forward!
That group’s fate seemed to have already been decided.
“I was reckless!”
The little girl was grabbing her pretty light purple hair, upset.
“No. You made the correct decision.”
Ding squinted and said, “I can feel someone familiar hiding in that group.”
“What is he waiting for?”
…
What was Marvin waiting for?
He was waiting for an opportunity to make a move!
After leaving the windmill, they quickly ran across the Silver Fox mercenaries. The kindhearted mercenaries took them as common refugees and pulled them into the ranks.
They kept rushing forward and it looked like they were about to break through the blockade.
During that time, Marvin kept switching between the shotgun and the two pistols, not wanting to attract the attention of the Dark Races’ commander with his strength!
‘Just a bit more!’
‘Just a bit closer to reach Hope City!’
He was waiting for that opportunity.
When he acted, he would inevitably be spotted by Lady Tess. At that time, a group of even more powerful creatures would be sent to block their way, and this group would lose all hope!
Thus, he had to be patient.
He had to catch them unprepared!
The cavalrymen helping out made him overjoyed. It seemed that whoever was leading Hope City, that commander was still caring about human lives.
The group rushed through the blockade and was soon intercepted.
At that time, five Fomorians surrounded them!
Despair filled everyone’s faces.
Fomorians were big and sturdy, towering at a height of over 2.5 meters!
The cavalrymen also slowed down.
“Follow them to battle!” The Silver Fox’s leader roused them.
That guy was someone who attached high importance to comradeship.
The other mercenaries also raised their swords one after the other.
The villagers silently and gratefully looked at these mercenaries.
They knew that if it wasn’t for themselves, the mercenaries might have already broken through the blockade.
These people were worthy of admiration.
“I can’t lead the charge anymore.”
The leader lifted a long sword. “Thus, lads, let us fight together!”
“To battle!”
Everyone bellowed, unwilling to give up and unafraid of dying as they rushed toward those five Fomorians!
But at that time, a shadow as fast as lightning suddenly rushed to the forefront.
“I’ll open the path,” he said.
Even in the chaotic battlefield, Marvin’s voice could clearly be heard.
They were already close to breaking through to Hope City’s gates, so he didn’t need to hide his own strength anymore.
It was now time to make the final push to break through the blockade!
He crazily rushed forward and before everyone’s shocked eyes, his body began to swell up!
Shapeshift Sorcerer, Beast-shape!
The Asuran Bear’s terrifying form instantly descended and sent 8 or 9 Goblins flying with one swipe!
“Roaaaar!”
Chapter 264: Breaking Through!
p>Two Fomorians imposingly blocked the path directly ahead.
But their 2.5 meter height was shorter than the Asuran Bear’s!
With an increase in the level of the Shapeshift Sorcerer class, the Asuran Bear’s properties would also increase.
And its build had also improved significantly.
Facing the Asuran Bear’s charge, even the Crimson Patriarch’s Snake form could only barely resist!
Although that was due to a potion and a scroll, when facing these common Fomorians, Marvin was very confident.
He burst out and charged ahead.
The three huge bodies were like tanks knocking against each other.
Then, both Fomorians howled in grief as they were sent flying by Marvin!
Two other Fomorians, one on each side, launched an attack.
A lightning bolt and some acid landed on Marvin’s body!
A burst of electric current pierced through Marvin’s body, but the Asuran Bear had strong resistance to these kinds of magics.
Marvin’s sturdy fur suddenly stiffened as his body went numb for half a second, and then he used his left and right paws to ruthlessly slap those Fomorians’ heads!
The pitiful Fomorians passed out from the huge power.
Their massive bodies flew and landed on a bunch of Goblins!
The human side cheered.
“Quick! Go!”
Marvin in his Asuran Bear Form roared out words in Common, urging them with a bellow.
The bewildered cavalry looked at Marvin indecisively, but they still worked together with the Silver Fox mercenaries to help evacuate the villagers.
The blockade had been breached!
Not far to the side, on top of a hill, a shadow suddenly rose.
Marvin faintly squinted.
That was an Underdark Venom Drake!
This predator could only fly at low altitudes, but its venom was very powerful.
The Asuran Bear’s fur might not be able to withstand it.
Underdark Venom Drakes usually used their venom to kill an enemy before drying it for consumption.
And it was the final trump card of this blockade!
This was also the reason Marvin hadn’t revealed his strength earlier.
If he had alarmed them earlier, the result would have been counterproductive.
He wanted to catch them off guard!
The Asuran Bear frantically charged. His limbs were his best weapons.
Countless pitiful Goblins, Gnolls and Kobolds howled in grief from being crushed by his limbs or butt!
They were sent flying, but they were innumerable.
Soon, he managed to clear out a path.
All the Underdark’s creatures were looking at Marvin, their eyes filled with fear.
The creatures in the Underdark were like this, worshipping the strong. As long as you showed absolute power, they would submit to you.
Of course, they acknowledged the power, not the person.
But regardless of their fear, they couldn’t disobey Lady Tess’ orders.
She was the Apostle of the Black Dragon.
Her will was the Black Dragon’s will!
All the Dark Races summoned their courage to once again surround them.
At that time, Marvin suddenly stopped and took a step back.
He opened his maw and let out an extremely powerful roar!
Intimidating Roar!
The Asuran Bear’s unique ability.
In an instant, all the Dark Races sank into chaos.
They didn’t have strong willpower. After all, they were relying on the Black Dragon’s support.
They were scared by the Intimidating Roar and their formation became chaotic.
They started to trample and attack each other like a bunch of undisciplined soldiers.
Meanwhile, the cavalrymen were escorting the villagers as they quickly approached Hope City’s walls.
They could faintly see the city gates slowly opening.
Hope City didn’t give up on them.
The Three Sisters didn’t give up on them!
They were all moved to tears as they kept rushing forward. Even if they were already wounded, even if the pain in their feet was unbearable, they clenched their teeth and sped up.
Because that shadow was still approaching from behind!
The Underdark Venom Drake!
…
Marvin was at the back of the human group. Seeing that they were about to reach the gates, the Venom Drake went all-out to chase them.
“Mister Robin!” Guy, the future Wind Knight anxiously yelled.
“Follow them!” Marvin bellowed, “Get in quick.”
Guy clenched his teeth and ultimately obeyed Marvin’s order.
In a few moments, a vacant space appeared outside Hope City.
The Asuran Bear was alone, facing the monsters of the entire blockade, as well as one Underdark Venom Drake!
But Marvin wasn’t afraid.
Even if the Venom Drake was powerful and had a bit of an advantage over the Asuran Bear, his other Shapeshift could completely subdue it!
Don’t forget that the Twin-Headed Snake was completely immune to venom!
Marvin calmly waited for the enemy to approach.
The Venom Drake hissed and flapped his wings, apparently wanting to dive at him.
Marvin also did proper battle preparations!
But at that moment, a thick ballista bolt flew under the Venom Drake’s legs!
The frightening ballista bolt flew out and fearsomely pierced into the group of monsters. In an instant, it impaled seven or eight Goblins!
The Venom Drake startledly flapping his wings and rushed to the sky.
He wouldn’t risk his life to chase that kind of prey.
All the Dark Races stopped pursuing and began to pull back.
And with Marvin’s fortuitous support, the blockade seemed to have loosened up. Apparently many people managed to find weak spots, ultimately breaking through the siege and escaping with their lives.
Marvin let out a long breath.
He slowly turned around and noticed that girl on the city wall attentively watching him.
A familiar silhouette was sitting on her shoulder.
Fortune Fairy Ding.
Marvin shifted his gaze to another location, seeing ten ballistas being reloaded on both sides of the city walls.
Each ballista was operated by a powerful sturdy man. Even if the bolts were unable to harm a Dragon, they were a huge threat to a Venom Drake, this kind of sub-Dragon species.
The city gates were wide open, and the human group all poured in as fast as they could.
Marvin’s body shrank and suddenly disappeared from where he was!
Shadow Escape!
With a few quick moves, he caught up to everyone and quietly reapplied his Disguise.
The area below the city wall became empty once more.
…
Inside Hope City.
The group was split up in batches and methodically assigned to different areas.
The wounded were carried off to get treatment, and the ordinary people, especially women and children, were sent to a big refuge.
If the farmers with strength wanted one, they would be granted a weapon. Hope City was at the most critical juncture after all.
They needed everyone to help.
Organizations like the Silver Fox Mercenaries were temporarily incorporated into the city guards, and the reserve militia could be called out any time.
The atmosphere on the city wall was still very nervous.
Facing the Dark Races who hadn’t emerged for many years, people always felt some kind of dread.
But when they raised their heads, they would see that small silhouette still standing on the city wall, silently looking in the distance, and they would feel oddly peaceful.
Because they knew there was always someone guarding this city.
Hope Town was jointly established by the three sisters. The other two Ladies left, but as long as Young Lady Lorie stayed there, everything would be fine.
There would still be hope!
…
In the crowd, Head Knight Terry was anxiously looking for someone.
But every time he asked, he would be answered with “Didn’t see”, “No idea”, or “Thank you”.
There was no helpful answer.
He was trying to look for that “Druid”!
This was Young Lady Lorie’s order.
This order didn’t surprise Terry. At such a critical time, they needed to use every single bit of power they could find.
And that Sir Druid that was able to Shapeshift into a huge Bear was clearly a high level powerhouse.
He was also very smart, knowing the best timing to use his power to avoid an untimely confrontation with the Venom Drake and safely escort everyone to the city.
He must find that powerhouse!
But what depressed him was that those villagers said they didn’t recognize that person!
And after the man entered the town, he quickly disappeared in the crowd.
This made him impossible to find.
Ultimately, he was able to get some information from the leader of the mercenaries.
“You are looking for Mister Robin?”
“He really is someone frightening. We thought he had no fighting strength at the start, so we specially sent him to the flank, to lighten his pressure.”
“But unexpectedly he was very powerful, bursting in at the crucial moment and saving us.”
“We didn’t get to properly thank him for that.”
Terry interrupted the mercenary leader’s flood of words, and firmly said, “Sorry, but I only want to know where Mister Robin is at the moment.”
The leader shrugged. “No one knows.”
Terry sighed and looked at the sea of people before ultimately returning to the city wall.
“You didn’t find him?” Lorie asked quietly.
Terry nodded.
“I understand, go take care of other things.”
“I’ll send others to take care of this,” the young girl calmly said.
Even if the Head Knight was doubtful, he obeyed.
…
Outside the refuge, Marvin and Guy were standing side by side.
“Sir, this is the thing you want.”
Guy handed a scroll and a few books to Marvin.
“This is our family record. It is related to the Source of Fire’s Order. You already brought me here safely, so these are yours.”
Marvin gently took the scroll and the few books. At that time, he had made a deal with Hera because she brought out enough bargaining chips.
But afterwards, the matter had gradually evolved. Marvin no longer helped the mother and child only because of the deal.
He was moved by Hera.
Guy was silent for a moment, but he didn’t move toward the refuge.
“Guy, where will you go?” Marvin couldn’t help but ask.
“Sir Robin, I already grew up. A name like Guy or Lil’ Guy isn’t fitting anymore.”
The youth pointed to something next to the refuge. “I want to go there.”
Marvin followed his finger and saw that he had pointed at the place providing weapons.
“My real name is O’Benson. My family name isn’t important. I might choose Hera as a family name later on.”
The weak youth added in a low voice, “I’m happy to have met you, Sir Robin.”
After saying this, he started to go ask for a weapon.
Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder.
O’Benson turned around, surprised, but what he saw was a youth about his own age.
“I’m also happy to have met you, O’Benson,” said Marvin sincerely.
O’Benson’s eyes were filled with shock!
“You are…”
Marvin signalled him to stay silent and soon changed back to the appearance of the middle-aged Robin.
He smiled at O’Benson and turned to walk into the crowd.
But he didn’t get far before a dissatisfied voice echoed next to his ears:
“Not greeting an acquaintance when you see them.. you are really lacking manners!”
Chapter 265: Golden Blood
p>Hearing this voice, Marvin couldn’t help but force a smile.
He turned around.
The Fortune Fairy Ding was looking at him disdainfully. “We thought you died. If not for me noticing the aura of the luck blessing I bestowed you in the past, I wouldn’t have been able to find you. A very terrifying Sorcerer bloodline. You should join Rocky Mountain.”
Marvin looked at the surroundings. “Do you think this place is suitable for a discussion?”
“It’s not.” The Fortune Fairy flapped its wings. “Follow me.”
…
Marvin followed behind Ding and returned once more to the city gates.
They went down a small path to the wall.
The fully armed guards didn’t stop them. Apparently Ding had some reputation here.
A young girl was standing alone on top of the city wall.
Marvin was meeting her for the first time, but he already recognized her.
The youngest of the Fate Sisters, Lorie.
She wasn’t as powerful of a caster as her two sisters, but her wisdom was high enough to cause envy.
She was one of the few people who saw through the gods’ conspiracy before the Calamity.
Fate Sorceresses had different types of abilities.
For example, her sister Jessica’s fate ability was [Power].
After the awakening of her bloodline, her Power kept increasing.
This Power included the strength of her spells and physical abilities.
As for Kate, if Marvin wasn’t mistaken, she had [Protection] as her fate ability. To be able to ignite the Source of Fire’s Order, her Protection ability was most important.
As for Lorie.
Her fate ability was [Wisdom]!
This was a very wise and farsighted girl.
…
She slowly turned around. She was wearing a dress somewhat like her older sister’s. The style was a bit different and it was a bit smaller.
12-13 years old was supposed to be an age where girls could be be carefree and without worries, but Marvin could see countless thoughts in her eyes.
He instinctively felt something wrong.
What about the other two sisters? Why is there only Lorie?
“Hello, Mister Marvin.” Lorie looked at Marvin with a smile. “You really gave me a great surprise.”
“Thank you for rescuing those villagers and also rescuing Uncle Terry.”
Marvin slightly nodded.
Even if this girl looked young, she talked like an adult. It made it somewhat hard for him to get used to.
“Hello, Miss Lorie.”
The two started a discussion unfamiliarly.
Fortunately, the Fortune Fairy Ding butted in from time to time and gradually reduced the awkwardness.
They both actually knew about each other.
Marvin, well, there was no need to say. And Lorie also knew about him because she knew of Marvin’s actions in the Decaying Plateau’s war.
After a few exchanges, Lorie directly expressed her own thoughts.
She wanted Marvin to help her defend Hope City.
Hope City was currently at a critical juncture. Not only was it facing a grave external crisis, but it wasn’t stable inside either.
‘I hadn’t expected that Jessica was actually lured to the edge of the Chaos Ground by Clarke.”
‘The events shown in the trailer weren’t really complete. Kate also left Hope City because of the matter of the meteors. No wonder only the youngest sister was left in Hope City.’
Marvin couldn’t help but bitterly smile and shake his head after hearing this.
How could he not want to help Hope City?
What’s more, that bit of luck Ding gave him saved him at a crucial moment.
If he was able to, he would definitely help.
But the Source of Fire’s Order was also very important.
On top of that, from his memories, he knew that Hope City would hold on even without him.
They ultimately repelled the Dark Races. There was no doubt about it.
Although his appearance had changed a few parts of history, the most important parts shouldn’t change.
If Jessica displayed her extreme power and killed Clarke, even if the Black Dragon God was furious, he wouldn’t be able to do anything!
The current Universe Magic Pool had yet to be broken and the Time Molt was in Inheim’s hands, so no god’s avatar could descend!
And if no god descended, the Legend Fate Sorceress was more or less the strongest expert.
And on a large scale aspect, Jessica was an existence that could face thousands upon thousands by herself.
Black Dragon Clarke was luring Jessica’s attention for now, but the Fate Sorceress wasn’t a fool. She would definitely notice the unusual movements on this side.
She would return sooner or later.
Hope City definitely wouldn’t have any major issues.
This was how Marvin saw it, so he originally planned to bring O’Benson to Hope City and then leave.
He would head west to the place the meteors fell, to look for a Source of Fire’s Order.
But how could he have expected that Ding would recognize him?
Thus, facing Lorie’s request, Marvin felt somewhat trapped in a dilemma.
He thought for a bit and ultimately chose to refuse. “I am very sorry, I really want to help.”
“But I came to Rocky Mountain with a more important goal.”
Lorie’s eyes were very clear, staring at Marvin. “Source of Fire’s Order, right?”
Marvin nodded.
“Sis is already looking for it,” Lorie said seriously. “There is a total of seven of them. If she finds more than one, there is no harm in giving you one.”
Marvin laughed involuntarily. “Miss Lorie, can you make a decision on behalf of your sisters?”
In Marvin’s eyes, Lorie was a bit naive.
Very few people would be willing to move a Source of Fire’s Order, let alone offer one as a gift.
Kate did have some friendship with Marvin, and the Night Monarch’s spirit helped her stabilize her bloodline, which might let her advance to Legend earlier.
But that friendship couldn’t necessarily be compared to a Source of Fire’s Order.
He knew Kate was very kindhearted, but Rocky Mountain was her home.
This was the place she wanted to protect. Marvin was only a friend at most.
Even if the sisters previously held four of them, who knew what could happen this time.
Marvin didn’t want to entrust his hopes onto others…
…
But, at that time, Ding suddenly interrupted, “She obviously can.”
“Even though Lorie is young, her words can definitely represent the three sisters.”
“Otherwise, why would the entire Hope City listen to her?”
Lorie also looked at Marvin with a hopeful expression. “I promise.”
“I only hope for you to do us a favor.”
Marvin paused for a bit, before hesitantly asking, “What favor?”
“Assassination.” Lorie cut straight to the point. “An assassination mission. I already have two experts ready. With you joining, it would make a perfect team and raise the success rate of the assassination.”
“Target?” Marvin asked.
“Tess.” Lorie told him with a calm expression, “She is the Black Dragon God’s Apostle, thus this is a bit difficult.”
Marvin firmly shook his head!
What a joke, assassinating Tess?
That’s a powerhouse on the same level as Bamboo!
Even if the Black Dragon God didn’t pour a great amount of Divine Power into her like the World Ending Twin Snakes did for Bamboo, she also wasn’t a target that a 4th rank could assassinate.
“Don’t hastily refuse.”
“I have yet to tell you the reward.”
Lorie smillingly said, “If Sir Marvin helps us with this task.”
“You’ll receive [Golden Blood].”
Golden Blood!?
Marvin opened his eyes wide.
He then instantly answered, “Deal!”