Night Ranger

Chapter 450: Bloody Forest [Part 3]

arvin was slightly stunned, but not too surprised.

It was clear that the person Ivan was talking about was the Great Elven King, who had fought to his last breath to buy time for Feinan.

This wasn’t hard to guess. When the Great Elven King stepped out, everyone knew his fate.

It was just a matter of time.

“I’m very sorry.”

Marvin’s apology came from the bottom of his heart.

If not for his suggestion to attack the Evil Spirit Plane back then, the Great Elven King might not…

Ivan shook his head, as his eyes cleared up. “This isn’t your fault.”

Although he was depressed, he was a lot calmer.

The Great Elven King’s death made Ivan suddenly realize how much burden his father had been carrying on his shoulders.

He had been carrying the fate of the entire Wood Elven Race alone.

In the past, no matter how much of a troublemaker Ivan was, he always had an unrivalled father to settle things for him.

But everything would be different after today.

After the 2nd layer of the Universe Magic Pool broke, even more Chaos Magic Power flooded into the plane.

The North Guardian and the Cloud Monk retreated to the 3rd layer, relying on that layer’s stronger defense to fight a long battle with the Gods.

During this time, the Gods would be unable to enter Feinan, but that didn’t necessarily mean that it would be peaceful.

Marvin sighed. The future would still be challenging.

Although asking this wasn’t appropriate, after some hesitation, Marvin decided that he still needed to know:

“How many did he take with him?”

The Great Elven King dared to step out, which meant he must have believed that it was the best time for his last stand.

Before Eric died, he took three Low Gods with him, leaving 25 of the New Gods behind.

Marvin eagerly wanted to know the situation of the group of Gods now.

“Three,” Ivan answered. “A High God and two Mid Gods.”

Marvin gasped.

Nicholas really was one of the most frightening people of this world.

Those few battles in the game must not have shown his full power.

After all, this time he fought that group of Gods on his own. Despite that, he managed to exterminate a High God and two Mid Gods. This strength was something the majority of the Demon Lords and Archdevils couldn’t reach.

But that terrifying Divine Fire had withered his soul and his strength, so in the end, he could only accept his death.

This really was a huge loss to Feinan.

But the death of the Great Elven King wasn’t meaningless.

He had bought yet more time for Feinan.

The deaths of a few of their members sapped the morale of the New Gods. In the following fight, they were bound to be a lot more restrained.

Therefore, the progress of the Universe Magic Pool shattering would be a lot slower.

…

“In the past, I didn’t understand why he always seemed unhappy.” Ivan stood by the lake, looking dejected and frustrated. “Even when I was a child, he wouldn’t look happy when facing me and my mother.”

“But now, I vaguely understand.”

“A lone man fending for himself, and a person charged with protecting their whole Race… These are two completely different things.”

Marvin had the same feeling.

A loner could be completely unfettered and only needed to be responsible for their own life. And if the person was strong enough, they could just find a place to hide and wait out the disaster.

However, it was harder if they had people they wanted to protect.

Marvin’s White River Valley.

Nicholas’ Thousand Leaves Forest. It was now passed on to Ivan.

Hearing the sadness in Ivan’s tone, Marvin muttered, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Ivan hesitated for a long time before taking a deep sigh. “The Council of Elders doesn’t consent to me becoming the new Elven King.”

Marvin sneered, “The reason?”

“Too many.” Ivan shook his head, as he listed out, “Being heretical, getting banished once, getting expelled once, and not having enough qualifications to convince the people… Moreover, the Great Elven King never explicitly said that I should succeed the rule of Thousand Leaves Forest.”

“But Marvin, you know… I saw his look before he left.”

“There was no disappointment, no encouragement… only relief. That damn old man, he left everything up to me and left like that… leaving me alone.”

Ivan turned his back to Marvin as his eyelids faintly fluttered open and closed, getting a bit watery.

“There is still infighting at such a time?” Marvin inquired. “What’s the Council of Elders?”

Because the Great Elven King was so incredibly strong, he didn’t have to deal with the Council of Elders when ruling the Wood Elves.

But from Ivan’s tone, it seemed that this so-called Council of Elders was quite influential and had some power among the Elves.

“It is all a structure created by a previous Elven King to check and balance the King’s power,” Ivan calmly explained. “An assembly made of old men living simple lives through their years, acting like Elves of the ancient times and unaware of how much things have changed.”

“They oppose any sort of dictatorship and proclaim that democracy is the only way. Something like that.”

Marvin derided, “Something that only makes sense during peaceful times.”

Ivan nodded in agreement. “I also think so. Now they are a hindrance.”

After hearing Ivan’s explanation, Marvin stayed silent for a moment before saying, “Tomorrow, this hindrance will no longer exist.”

Ivan’s eyes twitched, but he didn’t say anything.

Perhaps, he had been waiting for Marvin and hoping that he would help him deal with this issue.

Doing it himself… He couldn’t bear to do that in the end. They were fellow Elves after all.

“Do you need me to do anything?” Ivan asked.

Marvin blinked. “Two things.”

“First, you have to have a date with the Sea Elven Queen. Don’t look at me like that, a sincere dinner is good enough, just don’t slip away.”

“Second, I need a mount. I want to go to the Supreme Jungle.”

Ivan smiled bitterly. “You really sold me?”

Marvin patted Ivan’s shoulder and seriously said, “In fact, I am also very much looking forward to seeing how powerful the child of the Sea Elven Admiral and the Elven War Saint would be…”

…

That night.

Thousand Leaves Forest was peaceful.

The situation seemed a bit unusual. The Elven Iron Guard was dispatched to the eastern part of the forest to inspect traces of a group of Devils.

And in the depths of the forest, beside a beautiful valley, a large shadow slowly appeared.

A Hellhound.

He had already devoured the souls of countless people and Monsters while patrolling the wilderness south of White River Valley. He might break through to the Legend Realm anytime!

Marvin seemed rather insignificant while standing on him.

He gently caressed the Hellhound’s fur and resolutely told him, “Go.”

The large shadow suddenly pounced toward the tranquil valley.

The forest’s bloodshed began.

Marvin stood expressionlessly at the exit. Any fish that escaped the net would be personally caught by him.

This was a massacre.

But for Thousand Leaves Forest to be stable in the long term, this tumor needed to be removed, even if doing so was painful.

It would get better tomorrow.

Chapter 451: Setting out

vernight, the [Deep Valley] where the Council of Elders resided became a river of blood. The Elven Iron Guard was currently surrounding the location, and ordinary Elven inhabitants couldn’t approach.

The people of Thousand Leaves Forest felt alarmed for some time.

A Ranger residing not far from the valley claimed that he saw a Hellhound leaving the place at dawn. Furthermore, there were many Devils!

No one from the Council of Elders survived the disaster.

His Highness Ivan quickly set up a memorial, and after that, no one voiced a complaint against him.

The Wood Elves united as one in their anger, brought together by this invasion of outside Races.

But most people still felt something strange.

The Deep Valley was in the depths of Thousand Leaves Forest, defended by the Elven Iron Guard.

It just so happened that yesterday, the Elven Iron Guard headed east to search for the traces of Devils. The Devils lured them away and extinguished the lives in the Deep Valley…

The situation had many odd points.

However, even if many Wood Elves were aware, those supporting Ivan naturally would not say anything, and those who were fighting against him decided to remain silent.

The reason was simple. If this matter wasn’t related to Ivan, it was proof that there was really a large amount of Devils active near the Thousand Leaves Forest, and they would need Ivan’s protection.

And if this was done by Ivan… then this person who was considered gentle and lukewarm by the Elves was actually willing to use truly ruthless methods. That was enough to intimidate most people.

In short, after the event, Ivan had solidified his position as the new ruler of the Wood Elves, and he had the obedience of the troops.

In exchange, Ivan had no choice but to arrange a meal with the Sea Elven Queen.

…

Marvin left Thousand Leaves Forest before dawn along with the Hellhound. When the Chaos Magic invaded the land, the Hellhound became excited and violent.

Because of the contract, Marvin could feel his excitement and his changing mood.

The Hellhound was simply like a fish back in water in this land. He rarely met a predator and his soul-swallowing ability was quite fearsome.

The reason the Hellhound still had yet to advance to Legend was the lack of an inheritance.

Feinan wasn’t Hell, so if he wanted to transcend his current boundary, he would have to return to the Hellhound territory of the Nine Hells and undergo a ritual.

Marvin understood its thoughts through the contract.

After hesitating for a bit, he ultimately removed the contract.

This Hellhound had helped him a lot. Marvin had originally only taken advantage of it to handle the Shadow Shrine’s forces.

As for what happened afterward… Marvin rescued it because of a moment of compassion.

They rarely interacted after that, so it was completely different from a relationship between a Ranger and his animal companion.

But he could feel the Hellhound’s loyalty.

Even if Hell’s lifeforms were Evil, they were also Lawful.

As long as the contract was in place, the Hellhound wouldn’t leave Marvin.

But Marvin could still feel what the Hellhound truly wanted from time to time.

He longed for freedom.

He was a noble wild Hellhound, and was a bit unwilling to stay as a Ranger Pet.

Hell was its homeland.

Marvin had been considering how to handle the Hellhound for a while.

He was incompatible with White River Valley, so he had always been wandering outside the Sanctuary, silently massacring Monsters and reducing the threat on White River Valley by a lot. But Marvin felt like this kind of restriction of freedom was a torture for the Hellhound.

Marvin had never been the kind of person who liked to prevent others from making their own choices, especially when it came to his own people.

Daniela was a good example.

And the Hellhound was another.

Thus, before dawn, Marvin went to the edge of Thousand Leaves Forest and removed the pet contract, letting the Hellhound leave.

The latter seemed extremely shocked, his three heads looking exceptionally malevolent.

But even though there was no longer a contract between the two, he clearly understood Marvin.

He lowered his three heads, rubbing them against Marvin’s chest one after the other, before frantically rushing back toward the wilderness!

The large silhouette gradually disappeared toward the horizon. Marvin faintly saw a gate opening in the wilderness.

The Hellhound went in.

Because the first two layers of the Universe Magic Pool had shattered, the barriers between the planes were a lot weaker. It was still very difficult to open a gate from the lower planes to the top plane, as in from the Abyss, Hell, Negative Energy Planes to Feinan. But it was a lot easier to open a gate from the Prime Material Plane to a lower one.

The Hellhound relied on his own abilities to open a Gate of Hell to return to his home.

Marvin sighed.

They might meet again one day if they were fated to.

When that time came, the little guy who struggled out of the Shadow Shrine’s ruins might have turned into one of Hell’s hegemons.

…

Marvin waited by the hills.

A Golden Griffon slowly appeared when the sun rose up.

Butterfly.

The Wood Elven girl frowned as she commented, “You reek of blood.”

Marvin grimaced. “You again?”

He told Ivan that he wanted a way to get to Supreme Jungle, but not through a Teleportation array. He did not want to be seen by the Migratory Bird Council; he wanted to sneak in.

Thus, using the Supreme Jungle Teleportation Array would be no good.

The best way was to fly over.

Now that the first stages of the Great Calamity were over, the sky was relatively safe. The Supreme Jungle was vast. It was north of the Millennium Mountain Range, far away from the Lavis Dukedom.

Normally, flying would take somewhere from ten days to half a month.

But Marvin remembered that Thousand Leaves Forest had many fantastic beasts, so it would be great if he could borrow one.

He hadn’t expected that Ivan would dispatch Butterfly and the Gold Feathered Griffin.

Marvin did have to admit that the Golden Griffin flew very fast, at least no slower than a Dragon… but this Butterfly girl always gave him a strange feeling.

In a fight, she was a dead weight. He didn’t know how she was able to obtain the Golden Griffin’s approval.

“Of course it’s me.”

“I am one of His Highness’ most trusted people,” Butterfly proudly said. “Let’s go.”

“I heard that we have a long trip this time, so let’s hurry.”

Marvin rolled his eyes and asked, “Didn’t you say last time that Blackie couldn’t support the weight of two people?”

Butterfly denied it with a brilliant smile on her face. “You must have remembered wrongly.”

“If Sir Marvin is unwilling, I can return and report to His Highness Ivan to send someone else.”

Marvin thought for a moment before deciding to let it be.

There wasn’t much time right now so he wouldn’t bother bickering with Butterfly.

He quickly got on the Golden Griffin. This beast had a very large back with enough room for even five people to sit there, so one man and one woman would be a breeze.

“Let’s go,” Marvin said. “First stop, Steel City.”

Chapter 452: Sewer Entrance

fter leaving Thousand Leaves Forest, Marvin’s first stop was Steel City.

Feinan was quite vast, and everything south of the Millennium Mountain Range was known as the South.

But the most important territory of the South Wizard Alliance was between the Millenium Mountain Range and Thousand Leaves Forest.

This area was a wide plain. Compared to the southeastern Six Pearl Harbors, Bass Harbor or Jewel Bay, this place was just as important, but for a different reason.

Countless Wizard Towers and lofty cities had been built there.

But after the disaster, everything was left in ruins.

The Wizards’ banners were lying among the rubble, and everything was covered in blood. Some battles were still ongoing.

In the face of the disaster, the bigger the cities were, the faster they would be crushed.

In fact, it was those in the countryside who had a better chance of surviving because they were far away from the Wizards. Even if there were some Monsters, with the instincts and skills of the old hunters, some of them would be able to deal with those.

When Marvin saw Steel City’s suburbs again from afar, he felt the dead, bloody atmosphere, which seemed to be growing stronger day by day.

Butterfly even claimed that when they flew over a mass grave, the Golden Griffin saw a Reaper from the Underworld.

This made Marvin shiver.

Back when he was on the verge of death, an Underworld Reaper had wanted to take his soul.

If the denizens of the Underworld wanted to participate, then the situation in Feinan would be a lot more troublesome.

After the Universe Magic Pool shattered, there were forces from four places that invaded Feinan: Hell, the Abyss, the Negative Energy Plane, and the Astral Sea.

The only saving grace was that these four powers didn’t see eye to eye.

Who wouldn’t be disgusted by Evil Spirits? They were too filthy! Everyone loathed Demons because they felt that Demons were brainless, just a group of lunatics. And who wasn’t vigilant against the Devils? The high-ranked Evil Spirits knew the origins of the Devils. They were descendants of the Ancient Angels and they could betray their own anytime.

Hell and the Abyss were natural lifelong enemies. At the bottom of the endless Abyss and the Nine Hells was the Bloody Wasteland, where a battle had been raging for who knows how many millennia. Whenever Demons and Devils met, they always ended up in a fight to the death.

The Astral Sea’s Gods were generally mortal enemies with the other three groups.

The Gods did jointly attack the Universe Magic Pool, but that wasn’t so that Feinan could be ruled by a group of filthy magic races.

Feinan was already in a terrible mess because of these four forces attacking at the same time.

If there was a fifth force in this Universe that could be compared with them, it would be the Underworld.

The most powerful Necromancer, the Necromancer Monarch, seemed to be an Underworld Sovereign’s representative on Feinan. He had summoned a great number of Red-Clothed Corpse Servants here previously, and Marvin found their fighting strength quite amazing.

To Marvin, ordinary Undead might look very frightening, but their fighting strength was quite average.

But Red-Clothed Corpse Servants were different. This kind of Undead creature was able to eat the energy of the four totems boundary, making it clear how fierce they were.

‘I hope it’s only Butterfly’s nonsense,’ Marvin comforted himself.

From what he remembered, in this disaster at least, the Underworld’s Sovereign and the Astral Sea’s Ancient Gods chose to remain neutral, with no plans to meddle with Feinan.

…

As they approached Steel City, Marvin was even more careful.

The Golden Griffin was indeed powerful, but with the progress of the disaster, there should already be many creatures that had evolved into flying Monsters.

The closer to a city, the more careful one needed to be.

Butterfly had no fighting strength, so if they met a large group of enemies, even escaping would be troublesome.

Thus, he made Butterfly land in a small forest east of Steel City.

Using his Earth Perception, he found a relatively safe area for the Griffin to protect Butterfly and then left on his own.

Steel City was already destroyed.

Marvin followed the corpses westward, frowning.

The bodies on the road were in horrendous states. Some had their entrails coming out of their bellies or had crushed limbs. There were also small amounts of ice, acids, or ashes on some of their bodies.

The physical brutality was caused by beasts that had turned into Monsters, while the latter traces were the masterpieces of Wizard Monsters.

From the faintly detectable arcane energy on these limbs, it could be seen that the injuries had been caused by the Ice, Fire, and Acid spells most loved by Wizards.

After all, these were considered the most destructive low-rank spells.

Marvin kept moving while Stealthed, not wanting to have to fight his way through.

But those Monsters roaming on the road didn’t care about that.

His 200 SP in Stealth was enough to hide from Gods, but in front of some of the Monsters, it actually lost its effectiveness!

They relied solely on their killing instincts to forcibly uncover Marvin’s position.

Marvin had no intention of being entangled with them, so he kept using Shadow Escape and other skills to shake them off.

Only a few of the Monsters were able to distinguish Marvin’s aura.

As for the Wizard Monsters, they originally should have been able to find Marvin… after all, the Wizards’ detection spells were still very impressive, especially in the current environment. With the collapse of layers of the Universe Magic Pool, the Chaos Magic Power greatly empowered their spells.

But unfortunately for them, they had already lost their minds and could only recklessly cast spells on instinct. Marvin just had to carefully avoid them.

Moreover, Constantine killed quite a large number of Wizard Monsters with Glorious Wind. As a result, Steel City turned out to be less crowded with Wizard Monsters than Marvin had imagined.

This was quite fortunate.

…

He came to Steel City mainly for the development of his territory.

He needed weapons and food. These were things that a big city like this one would have ample reserves of.

Especially the former, since Steel City was the biggest producer of weapons for the South Wizard Alliance. It definitely had a great amount of top-grade military weapons.

Marvin knew that there was a secret warehouse here that was also a concealed Sanctuary.

‘I wonder if there are people alive in that Sanctuary.’

‘The Great Calamity came so fast that there shouldn’t have been many people who were able to react…’ Marvin thought.

He kept following the road.

At a juncture of the street, there were a few crows eating a middle-aged man’s rotting flesh.

When Marvin walked past, they didn’t even react.

At that time, a huge Fireball suddenly flew over and crashed into the crows!

The Fireball’s explosion almost blew Marvin up despite him still being Stealthed.

He looked up and saw that the spell was cast by an expressionless Wizard Monster.

After shooting the Fireball, he seemed unsatisfied with the effect and crazily followed up with a Lightning Storm.

Marvin had a bad feeling and hurriedly departed.

…

Marvin went through many corners of Steel City and avoided disaster by a hair’s breadth several times.

There were no living people left, only Monsters.

He sighed as he finally found the location that he remembered.

It was the entrance of the sewers.

Chapter 453: Morrigan’s Heart

n his past life, by the time the players entered Feinan half a year after the Great Calamity, many forces had managed to establish themselves.

At that time, the group that controlled Steel City was known as [Dream Scorpion].

The name sounded decent, but it originated from a group of mountain bandits that occupied a valley north of Steel City.

These mountain bandits had no Wizards among them and their leader was very determined. They had once been mercenaries who were famous in the North’s City-States.

It was said that the leader later committed a crime and had no choice but to flee to the South. He took some people with him and formed them into a bandit group.

However, his means were very ruthless. He not only plundered, but also killed. He never left a witness and he didn’t shrink from pillaging or raping.

Although he wasn’t a Legend, he had the strength of a Half-Legend.

Under his tough rule, the bandits who lost their minds to Chaos Power were buried alive.

In that way, although his group lost some people, it wasn’t harmed too much.

After the turmoil from the Great Calamity started to subside, they slowly cleared out the corrupted beasts and Wizards near the valley. Later on, they seemed to have received help from a mysterious power, letting them gain control of Steel City.

Marvin wasn’t too sure about who this backer was. When he passed by Steel City in his past life, the players had already destroyed [Dream Scorpion] and a few guilds had divided up the resources of Steel City.

…

Although he didn’t know much about their backer, the video of the instance had been shared by the guilds and Marvin had watched it.

As a professional gamer, he was fascinated by these kinds of things.

It was also in that video that he noticed the most important part of the city!

Indeed, Steel City had many weapons warehouses, but in fact, there was a hidden place that stored a great amount of food and top-grade military weapons!

It was an underground stronghold called [Morrigan’s Heart].

Morrigan was the name of Steel City’s first generation Lord.

This City Lord planned far ahead and left a refuge for the future generations.

Because of Steel City’s special function, many residents were soldiers or were otherwise related to the military. Most ordinary people weren’t allowed in and even merchants didn’t have the privilege to spend the night in the city.

This was the South Wizard Alliance’s most important military fortress.

The city stood among a forest of Wizard Towers.

Alas, it was also because of this that Steel City suffered even more at the onset of the disaster!

The current Steel City had already become nothing but rubble and ruins.

But Marvin was pretty sure that Morrigan’s Heart should still be in decent shape!

The weapons there weren’t ordinary by any means. The place was rumored to hold many military-grade Alchemy materials and Magic Weapons!

The South Wizard Alliance had been storing things up for many years and its strength wasn’t as simple as what was visible on the surface.

In fact, if the Wizards had found a way to avoid being affected by the collapse of the Universe Magic Pool, then even if the Gods invaded, the Alliance might not necessarily be powerless against them.

…

Marvin maintained his Stealth as he quietly opened the entrance to the sewers before going in.

“Shhhrrh!”

Two huge, deformed rats rushed right past Marvin.

His Stealth was too high so these Monsters didn’t even sense him.

‘Eh?’

Marvin was slightly surprised.

‘There is someone here?’

He had very sharp Perception and managed to faintly hear some footsteps far in the distance!

‘Has someone found Morrigan’s Heart before me?’

Marvin frowned and immediately hastened his steps while making sure to keep his Stealth up.

…

The sewers had tunnels snaking out in all directions and the whole place was filled with a rotting smell.

A large amount of rat corpses were floating on the water, and sometimes there would be the corpse of a stray cat, a lizard or some other animal.

The sewers reeked all over.

Marvin followed the path he remembered, sometimes stopping for a few seconds to make sure of his way, and finally arrived at the entrance of Morrigan’s heart, which was a hidden door.

Only the people with the secret key could open it.

But that hidden door had already been opened!

Sure enough, there really was someone here.

Marvin didn’t worry about it and slowly went in.

After entering, he saw four fierce men standing on guard, each holding a broadsword in his hands.

Dream Scorpion!

Marvin’s heart sank.

How could this be!

These mountain bandits actually found Morrigan’s Heart first?

Based on the course of history, they should still be in that fortified valley trying to get rid of their internal issues.

How could they have the strength to come get the weapons and food from Morrigan’s Heart so quickly?

Marvin was puzzled by this discrepancy.

But those four men before him were indeed from Dream Scorpion. There was no doubt about this.

They had the bandit group’s unique mark, along with a rather heavy killing intent that could be noticed with just a glance.

Although their strength wasn’t outstanding, they had experienced many bloody battles.

Being able to survive up till here in spite of the Calamity explained a lot.

They were watchfully guarding the entrance to Morrigan’s Heart. To Marvin’s surprise, he saw that one of the bandits was holding a very valuable Gem of Seeing and using it from time to time to look for any invisible intruders.

Unfortunately for the bandit, Marvin’s Stealth had reached such heights that a mere Gem of Seeing wasn’t worth his attention.

…

After passing the four bandits guarding the door, Marvin quickened his pace again. He skirted past a few obvious traps and then reached the center of Morrigan’s Heart!

To add to his confusion, he saw that this place was occupied by not just one group, but two!

Marvin identified one of the groups as Dream Scorpion’s people, the bandits.

As for the other group, they seemed to be in the weaker position. They had women, children, and some that were so old they had trouble walking.

However, they still had some robust young men among them, and from the way they stood, they should be soldiers.

The two sides seemed to be negotiating.

Marvin thought of something and sneaked over to eavesdrop.

…

“Senma, don’t be too greedy.”

The group with soldiers was headed by a robust man. He insisted in a deep voice, “We keep our original conditions. You can keep a third of the weapons.”

“The true treasure of Morrigan’s Heart needs a Wizard to open it, so we can only get the more ordinary weapons for self-defense.”

“If we humans massacre each other during such desperate times, then we are done for. Thus, I’m willing to split the weapons with you.”

“But the food, definitely not!” the soldier finished decisively.

The people behind him were showing determined expressions and even seemed unafraid of death.

That man called Senma was the leader of the bandits.

He chuckled while glancing at a few young girls behind the soldiers. “You are quite correct. For mankind to keep proliferating, we have to cooperate.”

“Thus, I only ask for half of the weapons… and one third of the food should be good enough.”

He then smirked and added, “Oh right, those few girls behind you aren’t bad, they are old enough to give birth. There are no women in our stronghold. Share some with us, for the sake of mankind…”

Chapter 454: Duel

he people behind the soldiers paled once they heard these words.

They felt sorrowful about the situation.

Sure enough, the difference in strength was too big.

Marvin guessed that this group of soldiers had been in charge of defending this refuge when the Calamity struck.

When the disaster began, Steel City would have reacted as expected of a military city.

The army’s higher-ups sent the order to lead the noncombatants to the Sanctuary.

But they couldn’t handle what happened next.

The berserk Wizard Monsters destroyed everything.

Most soldiers died within the city proper.

Only a few of them survived the initial turmoil and were still able to defend the refuge with all they had.

Originally, the food and the weapons in the refuge would have been enough for them to survive for quite some time, but for some unknown reason, the Dream Scorpion bandit group found the entrance of this Sanctuary.

The soldiers noticed some strange signs of activity a few days ago, and sure enough, Senma brought a large group of men to Morrigan’s Heart.

The defenders were completely caught off-guard and tried to rely on the advantage of their defensive positions to face the bandits.

Morrigan’s Heart was a true underground fortress, but it needed to be controlled by a Wizard Craftsman.

Normally, Steel City wouldn’t activate this kind of war refuge without a special signal.

The status of Wizard Craftsmen was also very high, so one wouldn’t stay hidden in an underground fortress for no reason.

When the disaster struck, the Sanctuary didn’t have a Wizard available.

Thus, even if they avoided the brunt of the Calamity, they still met with another source of trouble.

Since the soldiers didn’t understand how to activate the fortress’ defensive runes, they could only rely on the most basic physical defenses, which consisted of a few gates and traps, to confront the bandits.

If the other party really insisted on a fight, the outcome wouldn’t be good.

Marvin made an assessment of the strength of both sides.

The soldiers roughly had the manpower of a city guard squadron, twelve people. Apart from them, the group included three times that number in noncombatants consisting of women, children, and the elderly.

As for the bandits, there were thirty of them. Although their equipment wasn’t as good as what the soldiers used, they had a lot more people that could fight, even if their strength was uneven.

Besides the leader Senma, who was a 4th rank expert, the strength of the rest was around the 2nd rank, some were weaker, some stronger.

The soldiers, on the other hand, were all at least 2nd rank.

Two of them were 3rd rank experts and were probably vice captains.

Their leader was a 4th rank powerhouse and was probably the reason why the bandits had yet to attack.

They might stand to gain a lot by fighting, but they would also suffer heavy losses.

…

‘4th rank Fighter… This guy should be one of the strongest soldiers in the army.’

‘Although Steel City had many talented individuals, a Fighter at that level shouldn’t be just a Captain, right?’

Marvin was somewhat doubtful about this person’s identity, so he carefully observed him for a while and noticed that the soldier’s right foot slightly shuddered.

As a trained soldier of that rank, and in this situation, the trembling wouldn’t be caused by nervousness.

There was only one reason.

It was an illness.

Senma’s eyes were very vicious. Although he was wary of the other side’s strength as a 4th rank expert, he had already noticed this flaw.

Thus, he dared to haggle shamelessly.

But he still received an icy answer: “Dream on!”

The leader of the soldier group seemed to be unyielding, as he suddenly took a step forward.

This step thoroughly exposed his disabled right leg.

But his expression didn’t change, “Since you are clearly looking for trouble, I don’t want to waste too much time with you.”

“If you want to fight, let’s fight!”

Once he said those words, everyone behind him suddenly yelled angrily, “Fight!”

“Stake it all!”

“We are soldiers, how could we be threatened by mountain bandits?!”

A few of the elderly even tightly held their walking sticks while holding daggers hidden in their hands.

The girls silently wiped their tears.

These twelve might be the last group of soldiers in Steel City. They guarded the choke point that led further in.

There was no door there, but the soldiers stood strong, forming a city wall to protect the civilians!

…

Senma furrowed his brows.

Although bandits were people that liked to see blood, they also tended to be very cowardly.

They clearly lacked the valor of the soldiers.

Although he had obtained guidance from a mysterious person that helped him find the Sanctuary, that person had clearly said that only after Senma personally conquered this fortress would she be able to help him.

He knew about that person’s remarkable power and knowledge. She was too powerful; that might even be the case among Legends.

If he could get her help, he might really rise to power in this era.

Thus, he had to get ahold of this Sanctuary!

A cold light flashed in Senma’s eyes.

A smiling expression was plastered on his face as he muttered, “Unneeded.”

“We will just waste manpower.”

“Now that the Human Race is facing a disaster, it’s better to be united.”

The leader of the soldiers coldly said, “Your previous words didn’t suggest that.”

Senma spread his hands in a shrug. “Well, I’ll apologize, that was just a joke.”

“How about this, let’s change the rules of the game.”

“I know your fortress has a lot of food and weapons inside, but if we can’t settle on a deal, then fighting it out would be really too bad, too hurtful.”

“So instead of that, how about we each come up with a proposal and then set up three duels. We will choose the proposal of the side that wins at least two of the three duels. What do you think?”

Senma laughed as he continued, “Naturally, I’ll guarantee that my suggestion won’t include those girls behind you, haha.”

“We only need food and weapons.”

The leader of the soldiers hesitated.

He was quite suspicious about Senma backing down.

But if he remained stubborn, it would only go against the interests of the people he was protecting.

“Duels… Three Duels…”

He subconsciously looked at the bandits and then at his own people before biting his lips.

“Fine. But I need to see your proposal first.”

Senma had a proud smile, “If we win, we will take half of the food and two pieces of military equipment per person!”

The soldier leader frowned, thinking it was too much.

But after thinking it carefully, his group had a higher chance of success, and if they just kept haggling, it wouldn’t lead anywhere.

“Good!”

“It’s time to duel!”

Chapter 455: Amo

p>Since both sides came to an understanding, the next step was to discuss the terms of the duels.

Marvin was hidden in a corner, coldly watching as they hammered out the details.

This soldier was too soft-hearted… He actually believed the words of a bandit.

That Senma guy wouldn’t put away his greed even if he lost.

He was definitely set on getting food and weapons from the Sanctuary.

Then what was the true purpose of this duel?

Marvin frowned as he speculated to himself, ‘He wants to probe the strength of the soldiers through a duel.’

‘He might also catch the other side unprepared during a duel.’

As expected, when Senma retreated to talk with the bandits, they kept using a codeword.

The bandits definitely had their own words for referring to certain things.

Although Marvin didn’t understand the meaning of their codeword, it was definitely nothing good.

It was safe to say that his target was the same as that of the bandits.

But he wouldn’t use the same methods as the bandits. He could accept these people in White River Valley, an option that the bandits definitely didn’t have.

After all, Morrigan’s Heart was a Sanctuary that was stocked with supplies to withstand all sorts of disasters, but who would have imagined that the Universe Magic Pool would collapse one day?

This place, rather than being a Sanctuary, seemed like more of a gold mine.

But not many people knew about it.

They would leave this place sooner or later. An underground living environment was too squalid, and wasn’t good for elders and children.

Marvin bided his time, wanting to see what trick Senma had prepared.

‘For these bandits to find Morrigan’s Heart so early, there are only two possibilities.’

‘First, there is a traitor in the group that settled in Morrigan’s Heart. But from what I can see, this possibility is unlikely. Soldiers and bandits are mortal enemies, and it’s the same for anyone related to military. If there really is a hidden traitor among them, then that person’s acting skills must be incredible.’

‘Second, that mysterious power from the game might have made a move earlier than before.’

Marvin was more prone to believe the second possibility.

After all, he had already seen changes made in the timeline because of his appearance, with some matters happening ahead of time, like the Calamity itself.

That mysterious power might have wanted to make a move earlier in order to get more resources to have an even bigger advantage after the Gods descended.

Marvin already had a conjecture regarding the bandits’ backer. This power was most likely related to the God Realms!

It might be a God’s subordinate, an avatar, an Apostle, a Chosen, a Divine Servant, or something like that controlling them from behind.

The Universe was so vast, and although only the Shadow Prince’s Time Molt could freely go past the Universe Magic Pool’s barrier, there might be something with a similar effect.

This seemed even more likely since two layers had already been shattered. Marvin wouldn’t be surprised if some lifeforms of the Astral Sea were able to pass through now.

He wasn’t afraid either.

Currently, the worst that could descend would be a Divine Servant, at the level of an Angel. They were just a bit stronger than ordinary Legends. In the eyes of a God Slayer like Marvin, they were nothing.

He had already crushed an ordinary Angel in Arborea as a Fierce Asuran Bear.

The problem was just that the real enemy had yet to show their face, and Marvin didn’t want to scare them away, so he kept watching.

But he suddenly saw a familiar-looking face!

‘Eh? Him? What is he doing here?’

Marvin froze. He had been focused on the bandits, the civilians, and the two leaders previously, and hadn’t been scrutinizing the soldiers much.

It was to the point that even with his formidable Perception, he almost missed the Elven youth because of his guard uniform!

He was wearing a light armor with a very strange hat, but it was very cleverly hiding his conspicuous ears. However, his face was still extremely delicate.

To most others, he still looked like a common human youth.

But Marvin recognized this youth.

When he went to Thousand Leaves Forest to advance to the Night Walker class, he once passed through an Elven village while seeking a page of the Book of Nalu. At the same time, Black Jack just happened to be doing his advancement to become an Outlaw of the Crimson Road, killing a whole village.

Because this Elven youth had followed Marvin out of the village, he ended up being the only survivor.

After the event, Ollie took him to an Elven city. Marvin also gifted him a dagger.

Even back then, Marvin had felt that this quick-witted youth might not be able to continue living a peaceful life with the rest of the Elves.

He just hadn’t thought he would meet him once again here.

From his clothes and the way he interacted with the others, he seemed to have adapted to the life in Steel City quite well.

Marvin didn’t know what had happened in the previous months, but the improvement in the Elven youth’s strength surprised him.

The powerless youth was now a 3rd rank expert.

Marvin wasn’t sure which class he had, but it should be a Ranger-like class. However, his aura made Marvin feel a bit strange.

It seemed to be a specialized class.

Marvin took a deep breath, remembering what the Outlaw of the Crimson Road had done to this Elf’s relatives.

‘Could it be… that class?’

A question appeared in Marvin’s mind.

At this time, the first duel started.

A burly guy came out from the bandits’ side. As for the people staying in Morrigan’s Heart, they discussed for a moment before surprisingly sending the Wood Elf.

‘Interesting.’

‘It seems that this kid is responsible for scouting.’

‘In a group, only the elite are responsible for scouting. His talent was below average, so he couldn’t join the Elven Iron Guard… In this world, there is no power that comes from nowhere.’

Marvin was silently focusing on the youth who left the formation.

With everyone cheering for him, Marvin managed to learn his name.

Amo.

An ordinary name, which might be his alias. This wasn’t important.

But it looked like everyone believed in him.

Perhaps he could find that feeling of home he had been missing since the Elven Village.

…

The fight quickly started.

The two went to an empty spot.

The burly guy was using an axe glowing with fire.

This guy was a common 3rd rank class holder with a Fighter-type class. His axe was very frightening. It was at least a Magic Weapon.

Every movement would cause wisps of fire to come out. This kind of weapon was troublesome to deal with for rogues.

Because the flames were unpredictable, it was very difficult to avoid them.

And although this wouldn’t make distinction between the user and the victim, the Fighter didn’t mind too much.

He wasn’t afraid of this flame. As a 3rd rank Fighter he definitely had the [Unmovable Mountain], [Steady Strength] and other specialties typical for meat shields. The weapon’s magic enchantment was definitely not worth worrying about for him.

Both sides had yet to make a move, but Amo seemed to already be at a disadvantage.

“Kid, just die.” The big guy laughed nastily while weighing the axe in his hand with a taunting expression.

Amo was calm and composed and began to walk around the guy.

His footwork was very strange. His speed was definitely not fast, but somehow the pace seemed fast.

The Fighter kept waving his huge axe.

Flames flew in all directions.

It was safe to say that this fire would inevitably give him some small advantages and influence the rest of the fight.

But a strange scene played out.

Amo’s body seemed to become snake-like, extremely flexible. He easily dodged every flame.

His expression became exceedingly clear, as his movements were very soft, with each step being nimble.

‘The innate gifts of the Wood Elves aren’t that powerful…’ Marvin’s eyes shone.

This evasive ability wasn’t as overbearing as Marvin’s, but among those below the Legend realm, it could be said to be at the peak.

Especially since Amo’s ability was currently restricted by the limited space.

But both sides were still in an unusual stalemate.

The Fighter seemed very vicious, but he had yet to hit Amo. Meanwhile, the latter’s exceptionally elusive dodging ability let him sneak attack several times, causing no small threat to the Fighter.

His attacking style was very strange.

It was different from common Assassins, Thieves, or Rangers, he used sudden thrusts.

His rapier would easily break in a real battle, but it could bring a fatal injury in a split second!

Just now, he made two consecutive stabs toward the Fighter’s heart, forcing that guy to withdraw.

Surprise flashed through Senma’s eyes.

He hadn’t noticed Amo’s strength.

But as a true expert, he could see that the outcome of this battle might not go as expected. Amo was winning.

The axe’s flames might be troublesome, but if it couldn’t hit the enemy, how could he have a chance of winning?

It was actually Amo’s rapier with its sudden burst that was the most threatening.

Even if this Fighter was immune to deadly injury, if this rapier pierced him, he would still be seriously injured.

Morrigan’s Heart’s side was in high spirits.

Amo sidestepped and easily dodged the Fighter’s axe, his rapier piercing forward ruthlessly as it was stabbing toward that Fighter’s neck!

If this pierced through, the Fighter would definitely be defeated!

The onlookers’ hearts stopped beating.

But at this time, the Fighter suddenly bellowed!

A powerful Divine Power burst from his chest. It was coming from a pendant!

The powerful Divine Power burst out and Amo’s rapier was shockingly blocked by the Divine Power.

“Clang!”

The rapier shattered!

Amo was startled and furious, his weapon actually broke like that.

A layer of Divine Power armor covered the Fighter’s body, seemingly unbreakable!

“Drop dead!”

Rage flashed through the Fighter’s eyes as his axe was mercilessly slashing over.

Amo dodged with difficulties!

“Enough!”

At this time, the leader of the soldiers coldly said, “Stay your hand. This duel is our loss.”

He knew that the other side was definitely prepared.

This Divine Power armor was definitely not ordinary, even Amo’s thrust couldn’t pierce through it.

Thus he made a decision.

Senma stopped the Fighter who wanted to keep going, all smiles, he gently said, “Continue?”

“Next fight.” The soldier leader calmly said.

Next second his right foot shook as he thought of walking over.

“Captain!”

Unwillingness appeared in Amo’s eyes.

The Captain patted Amo’s shoulder and comforted him, “You already did your best, rest now.”

“It’s my turn now!”

But suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed from the Captain’s side:

“There’s still me!”

Chapter 456: Dream Divine Servant

p>Everyone in the Sanctuary was startled, as this voice seemed a bit unfamiliar.

A few soldiers were on guard.

They turned, only to see a thin man wearing a drooping hat standing in a corner.

He was the one who just talked.

“Captain Alexis, I’m still here.”

He slowly walked over.

They all suddenly had a strange feeling.

‘Turns out to be him…’

‘It was that mysterious guy who randomly joined our group?’

‘He had been there for so long… He really has no presence…’

These were the thoughts appearing in the soldiers’ heads.

A memory had been added to their minds, making them not feel so surprised about this stranger.

…

Marvin came out of the shadows with a smile while using his charm spell.

This spell was one of the innate Sorcerer spells. Sorcerers were charismatic people and could temporarily charm others.

Especially ordinary people.

But a few people had shocked expressions.

This included that Captain.

He was absent-minded for a moment before managing to resist the charm effect.

He frowned, hinting the other soldiers who had resisted the charm to not act blindly.

He was still clear-headed. If that person was their enemy, he would have used the opportunity created by the charm to greatly harm their people.

But he didn’t do so and actually stated his wish to fight on their behalf.

Where did that guy come from?

Alexis was a bit nervous.

“I have never seen you fight before.” In order to avoid alerting the bandits, Alexis answered calmly.

“Rest assured, I won’t lose.” Marvin winked. He knew that his average charm spell could only deceive some ordinary people.

Alexis was a 4th rank expert and his willpower wasn’t bad. It wasn’t surprising that he was able to resist the charm.

After saying these words, Marvin took out two daggers and walked past Alexis’ side.

Alexis instinctively wanted to stop him. This battle was a decisive duel with the supplies of Morrigan’s Heart on the line. Even if he could feel that this man had no enmity toward his group, carelessly letting him take the spot wasn’t something a sensible leader should do.

But when Marvin walked past, a powerful aura instantly enveloped him!

[Domain – Slaughter]!

Even if it only lasted a split second, it still crushed Alexis with its killing intent!

His body stiffened, unable to move. He could only stare blankly toward Marvin.

“Captain!”

Amo walked over, puzzled.

The other few individuals were also very surprised. Why didn’t Alexis block this stranger?

But when they arrived at Alexis’ side, they shockingly discovered that this soldier who had been through numerous bloody battlefields was actually shaking from head to toe!

“Captain… What’s going on?”

One of the soldiers found something amiss and was about to go forward to stop Marvin before he was suddenly pulled back by Alexis.

“It’s not important.” He had a pale face while looking at Marvin with respect, and muttered, “Get ready to fight…”

The people shivered.

Alexis was no fool. Regardless of the outcome of this duel, that group of bandits wouldn’t leave things be.

But he still had some methods. If they fought, he felt that he would be able to push them back.

He had accounted for Senma’s group in his plan.

He was more afraid of this mysterious, unknown man.

‘That feeling…’

‘This person’s strength should be far above mine, could he be a Legend powerhouse?’

Alexis was bitter.

He didn’t know this Legend’s goal, but he understood that if Marvin wanted to act against them, they wouldn’t be able to survive!

Thus he could only hope that this mysterious person had a good heart.

…

As for the bandit group, they hadn’t found out about the change in the soldier group.

Senma went up personally, intending to get another win right away.

His plan was very good. He first probed that disabled soldier’s forces and then used the treasure at a critical time to grab the victory.

That person gave him two treasures back then: a pendant that would create a Divine Armor that even a 4th rank powerhouse couldn’t pierce through and a magic scroll that could quickly get rid of anyone below Legend rank, which he was holding in his hand.

In order to capture Morrigan’s Heart, he decided to use the treasures.

As expected, his strongest subordinate was forced to use the pendant to avoid losing the first duel.

Senma still wasn’t pleased with the Fighter negligently using that treasure, but he knew that he couldn’t afford to have internal fighting at the moment.

He had to deal with the Sanctuary’s people first and capture Morrigan’s Heart. That way, their backer would keep supporting them.

He believed that as long as he killed Alexis, Morrigan’s Heart would be under his control.

Although that guy was disabled, he had huge prestige among that group. If he died, their morale would fall greatly and the bandits would be able to use that chance to attack.

Who could have thought that there would be a variable?

Alexis, who was known to be the strongest, didn’t act. Instead, it was a man wearing an old and somewhat funny hat who came forward.

He was holding two daggers, his steps very graceful. He seemed similar to Amo.

‘Another Ranger?’

Senma looked strangely at Alexis and thought, ‘He didn’t come forward for such an important battle?’

He tried to discern something from Alexis’ face.

Unfortunately, the Captain was expressionless and Senma didn’t notice anything off.

From his Perception, that man before him was 3rd to 4th rank. It seemed unstable and was probably due to some item blocking his Perception.

Senma was an expert Swordsman and had been a famous mercenary in the North.

When both of them met, they didn’t speak and directly made their moves.

The bandits and the people occupying Morrigan’s Heart stopped breathing and nervously watched this scene that would decide the fate of both sides.

But they never would have thought that just as the fight began, it was already over!

Marvin was as fast as lightning as he used Night Boundary to arrive right next to Senma.

His dagger was already in front of Senma as his voice resounded in Senma’s ear.

“You lost,” Marvin said calmly.

Everyone was in uproar.

Senma felt dizzy!

“How could this be?”

“This…”

He didn’t even have time to parry or resist before his life was already in his opponent’s hands!

He stiffened in place with a blank expression on his face.

The Sanctuary’s side was shocked too.

That mysterious guy was this powerful?!

Then why did he always hide in the back when they painstakingly faced against Monsters?

Even Alexis, who had guessed some things, was still surprised.

In his eyes, Amo’s speed was already extremely high, but he couldn’t even see Marvin’s move!

Duel? That was beyond one-sided!

The atmosphere became strange.

The bandits were extremely shocked, and some didn’t even manage to react. Their boss’ life was already in that guy’s hands.

Their thoughts couldn’t keep up.

If there was someone who had recovered his wits, then it was Senma, who was in Marvin’s hands.

His right hand moved, but before he could finish his action, his head was struck!

“Bam!”

A scroll radiating a faint Divine light fell from his sleeve.

Senma paled.

This person’s reaction time and judgement already exceeded the scope of his comprehension!

‘Legend!’ He blanked out for a while before this word came to his mind.

He was covered in cold sweat at the revelation. He was still in his confused state and didn’t understand what Marvin told him when he moved his dagger away to pick up the scroll on the floor.

“Hey.”

Marvin raised his voice once again while weighing that scroll in his hand. “Who gave you this thing?”

Senma was at a loss.

The bandits behind him were already restless.

They were still confused, but with their boss being at a disadvantage, they instantly surrounded them.

As for the soldiers, they were also ready to fight.

The atmosphere stiffened.

But Marvin was still calm.

This was normal. Few people would care about those small details when they had enough strength to crush everything.

“I’ll ask you one last time, who gave this thing to you?”

Marvin’s curved dagger was once again pressed against Senma’s neck.

The latter shivered and immediately reacted, “I… I… I don’t know her…”

“Her?”

Marvin carefully paid attention to his form of address.

“Hey! You won this duel, quickly let our boss go!”

The Fighter who won the first duel after relying on the Divine Armor clearly couldn’t understand the current situation and was looking for trouble.

Marvin glanced at him indifferently as he stated, “The competition is paused, and if my question is not answered, your lives won’t be spared.”

But the clueless, burly man answered, “If you dare to…”

His voice was cut off, as was his head.

A stream of blood flew out as his head fell on the ground, his headless body still standing where it was.

Marvin was still standing in front of Senma, and the blood on his dagger was the only link to the burly man’s death.

This time, the surroundings were completely silent.

The bandits froze once again. This guy was an exceptional expert!

Morrigan’s Heart’s people were overjoyed.

The bandits originally pushed them toward the brink of despair. Who would have thought that that mysterious guy would suddenly make a move to curb the disaster?

Only Alexis and a few others had very complicated expressions.

They didn’t know that expert’s goal. He appeared out of nowhere and there was no way it was simply to help them out, right?

‘I hope he won’t have excessive requests…’

Alexis was a bit worried.

To his side, Amo was deeply pondering.

He felt that this back seemed slightly familiar.

…

The atmosphere was quite awkward.

The bandits were scared shitless, while Senma was sweating all over, trying to find words to say.

Marvin glanced at the scroll in his hand and pondered.

If he wasn’t wrong, this was a high level [Divine Punishment] scroll.

The Gods’ Punishment was actually a very large class of spells.

As for what kind of Divine Punishment was sealed inside, there was no need to know.

This kind of scroll was almost extinct before the Great Calamity.

It could only be made by High God Priests and would use up a lot of Divine Power.

With this scroll appearing here, and the previous Divine Armor, Marvin concluded that there were already Gods’ spokespeople who reached Feinan.

There wouldn’t be too many of them because the presence of the weakened Universe Magic Pool was still a huge restriction.

Thus, if she wanted to build a force, she would have to cautiously entice people.

The current Gods should have a new understanding of Feinan by now.

The Great Elven King and Eric, fearless of death, had brought down many Gods with them, and the powerful Dark Phoenix was killed by Marvin during her ascension.

Before the Gods’ main bodies could descend to Feinan, this world’s powerhouses would still be among the strongest.

A Divine Servant that came to Feinan might be surrounded and annihilated by several Legends, since the Legends were working together against the Gods.

Thus, that one chose to be cautious and support the Dream Scorpion¹ bandit group in the dark.

But her luck wasn’t that great. She bumped into Marvin.

…

“I can tell you everything,” Senma finally said after some thought, “but you have to agree to one request.”

Marvin nodded.

“Let my brothers withdraw,” he said loudly.

The bandits felt moved.

But at the same time, a voice echoed in Marvin’s mind. “You have to kill them all, or else she will know that I leaked the information. Moreover, you have to guarantee my safety. After I tell you what I know, you have to let me go, let me take some food and basic weaponry.”

Marvin inwardly sneered.

This guy had a tool for mind communication.

He glanced at these people. These people were criminals and their hands were stained with the blood of countless people, so he had no qualms about killing them.

Therefore, he nodded.

Senma immediately relaxed and waved his hand.

The group immediately scattered.

This was their secret signal, and after retreating, they would gather at the designated location.

After the bandits withdrew, Senma looked at Marvin and said in a low voice, “She is called Ambella.”

“She claimed to be the Dream God’s Servant and has unimaginable abilities…”

“She can control dreams!”

“In fact, she can even kill you while you sleep!”

Chapter 457: Invitation

p>Dream God.

It really was this guy.

In fact, when Marvin remembered the [Dream Scorpion] name, he guessed that it might be related to the Dream God.

This mysterious person was most likely one of his subordinates.

Now Senma confirmed it for him. Ambella wasn’t an unfamiliar name to Marvin. She was the first Divine Servant of the Dream God.

In Marvin’s previous life, the Dream God was very low-key.

Even if the Shadow Prince hid in the shadows, he liked to jump around everywhere. The Dream God was deeply hidden.

No one knew how big his influence was, but during the fights between Gods, his territory had always kept expanding.

He rarely showed his face, sending his subordinates and Divine Servants instead.

The unknown was scary.

This was also a way to put pressure on others.

And the Dream God’s unique domain made people respect him.

No one could avoid sleeping.

He was the God who could easily enter and control people’s dreams.

Senma’s claim that Ambella could kill people in their dreams wasn’t a lie. As the first Divine Servant, it was expected for Ambella to have part of the abilities of the Dream God.

In the game, there were several Legends who died mysteriously, and some suspected that it was due to the Dream God.

But they seemed to have been claimed by the Shadow Prince. The relation between the two was special.

…

After Marvin found out the origins of the other side, he made a decision.

He wasn’t afraid of the Dream God’s Divine Servant.

After passing through the Night Monarch’s test, Marvin wasn’t afraid of Ambella coming while he was sleeping.

To try to kill Marvin in his dream, she would also have to enter the dreamworld, and if she was killed then, she would also die in reality.

With Marvin’s current willpower, he had no fear of losing to her.

If she came to fight him directly, it would be even better.

The most important thing was Ambella’s status as a Divine Servant!

‘The Dream God was a High God. If I kill his First Divine Servant, how big will the reward be?’

With Marvin’s current realm, ordinary Monsters couldn’t meet the needs of his Essence Absorption System.

Experience points became increasingly useless. Now he needed to kill Divine Servants, God Spawns, and other similar lifeforms.

He had a plan for this, but he hadn’t expected that he would be lucky enough to find a Divine Servant’s traces in Morrigan’s Heart.

Moreover, it was most likely the first Divine Servant who came to Feinan.

A pondering expression appeared on Marvin’s face.

After some time, he released Senma. The latter fled in a hurry, scared witless.

Marvin didn’t care about him, he had already marked Senma and could use Night Tracking to chase him down anytime.

During the Great Calamity, the sky was dusky and the Laws were in chaos, he could also use many of his Night Walker skills during the day, increasing Marvin’s dominance.

…

The next thing to do was to deal with the soldiers and the former inhabitants of Steel City.

Alexis’ group seemed a bit nervous.

This was a person that could kill a group of bandits in an instant, after all.

His group didn’t have the right to talk in front of him.

But at that time, the disguised Elf suddenly took off his hat, revealing a young face.

“It’s you!” Amo yelled in shock.

The others also had pleasantly surprised expressions, mixed with respect.

“Sir Marvin!”

After Marvin exposed his face, they all became excited.

Marvin was famous throughout Feinan after all.

Before the Great Calamity, he used his own strength to repel two armies. He ignited the Source of Fire’s Order first when the disaster struck and established his own Sanctuary. He even successfully killed a God!

People who didn’t know better felt that Marvin’s strength was already on the same level as that of the Great Elven King and the others.

His prestige and fame were very high.

Although these people in Morrigan’s Heart had been underground for a long time, they had still managed to learn about it since they were also located in Steel City.

The mysterious man being Marvin was a huge good news to them.

Because from what they knew, this young Marvin had a good temperament. Moreover, he also had a huge territory and shouldn’t have any evil intent toward them.

Alexis was excited but still nervous. After the young Amo’s sudden words, he turned silent.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Marvin was somewhat helpless.

His name was now famous and everyone knew about him.

Naturally, this included the Gods.

Everything had its pros and cons, and he could only let nature take its course.

The rest was naturally a lot easier.

Marvin told Alexis his purpose here.

White River Valley was indeed lacking in food and weapons.

At the same time, he also gave an invitation to Alexis. After all, Morrigan’s Heart was a half-abandoned Sanctuary and didn’t have too many defenses.

Compared to White River Valley’s Holy Sanctuary, this place was really too unsafe, despite being hidden.

Marvin’s invitation was clearly within the expectations of Alexis and the others, but they needed time to consider. Becoming part of White River Valley meant that they would have to move, and the food and equipment in Morrigan’s Heart would also fall into Marvin’s hands.

The negotiation between them was a very troublesome question.

Marvin gave them some time.

The weapons and food here wouldn’t run. He was more mindful of that Divine Servant of the Dream God.

He left the underground fortress and started using Night Tracking to chase after Senma.

…

After leaving the maze-like sewers, Marvin arrived on the surface of Steel City.

Senma slipped away very quickly, but with Marvin’s speed, he still chased him down easily.

He didn’t choose to go to the location Senma gave him. Regardless of whether what he said was true, a group of bandits clearly couldn’t compare to a Divine Servant.

‘As someone chosen by a Servant of the Dream God, how could he reveal her location so easily?’ Marvin sneered inwardly.

He had let Senma go free on purpose to find the Dream God’s Servant.

As expected, he followed Senma’s escape path toward the west, leaving Steel City and arriving at a dark forest.

After entering the forest, he cautiously entered the Shadow Plane and once again used the Shadow Vortexes to move forward.

Soon, two silhouettes appeared in front of him.

Senma was fearfully standing in front of a woman wearing something similar to the robes worn by Chinese men on Earth. While lowering his head, he recounted, “We met some huge troubles.”

“That person was very powerful and was definitely a Legend powerhouse. I didn’t have the strength to retaliate.”

“I partly told information about you, and I think he believed me. If I’m not wrong, he should be in the Creek Valley to the east.”

The Dream God Divine Servant dully said, “Clearly, you are wrong.”

She looked to an empty spot to the side and called out, “Legend powerhouse of Feinan, please come out. We might not necessarily be enemies.”

Chapter 458: Temptation

p>Ambella’s Perception exceeded Marvin’s expectations.

When hiding in the Shadow Plane, even Dark Phoenix couldn’t accurately determine his location. Marvin hadn’t thought that this Dream God Divine Servant would suddenly look toward him.

‘Is she tricking me?’

Marvin was surprised and used a Shadow Vortex to once again change location.

But Ambella just turned her head and kept looking at him.

She tightly held the staff in her hands, clearly prepared to use a Divine Spell in a moment’s notice.

She seemed very relaxed on the surface, but her firmly clenched right hand betrayed her thoughts.

Facing someone adept in stealth, even though the Divine Servants were very powerful, they still needed to be vigilant.

Marvin’s heart shook, this woman was very troublesome. She could actually locate him in the Shadow Plane.

He hesitated before coming out.

Senma’s face immediately paled.

But before Marvin made a step, a ball of light shot from Ambella’s right hand.

The bright Divine Spell flashed and Senma screamed as he was dismembered, before turning to dust.

The golden dust seemed eerily beautiful as it fell on the ground, reeking of blood.

“We can chat now.”

Ambella was radiating confidence.

She casually killed Senma. She had already given him an opportunity, however he failed.

This man was not worth her backing, and he knew her identity, so he was doomed to die sooner or later.

At the same time, disposing of him in front of Marvin would serve as intimidation.

But Ambella didn’t expect that Marvin wasn’t shocked by Senma’s death at all, as if everything was within his expectations.

She squinted and carefully sized up Marvin, before displaying a pondering smile, “Turns out to be you…”

“You are the one who killed Dark Phoenix, right? You are that Marvin?”

…

Marvin was very calm on the surface, but fidgety on the inside.

It wasn’t strange for Ambella to find out his identity, what unsettled him was the unfathomable feeling this woman gave him.

He didn’t get that sort of feeling even from Dark Phoenix.

He cautiously looked at her. In his Perception, that woman was non-existent.

But she clearly stood there right in front of him.

“Is there even anything worth talking about?” still, Marvin wasn’t anxious.

Ambella’s smile widened, “You should have already learnt about my identity from that fool, right?”

“To be honest, I want to discuss a cooperation.”

“Don’t refuse right away, listen to what I have to say. I noticed that you seem to misunderstand the Gods greatly… It’s as if being enemies was natural, am I right?”

Marvin hinted her to continue.

“But in fact, you shouldn’t forget that the current Gods were once the heroes of Feinan’s 3rd Era.”

Ambella sternly said, “In your eyes, attacking the Universe Magic Pool is a very hateful move. But the Gods also act according to their principles. They wouldn’t attack the Universe Magic Pool without reason. That would be akin to destroying the Universe’s balance and laws and would probably lead to a disaster.”

Marvin was a bit impatient, “What’s your point?”

“Do you mean that those Wizards and civilians suffering tragic deaths were just fated to die?”

Ambella had a solemn expression, “I didn’t say they should have died. Every life has its worth.”

“It’s just that living in this era is their misfortune.”

“As for you, and for us, it’s an opportunity.”

“Could it be that you are uninterested in the 4th Fate Tablet?”

Ambella’s voice was tempting, “Someone getting a hold of a fragment of Fate Tablet could ascend and become a God, then what if it was a whole Fate Tablet?”

Marvin sneered, “The 4th Fate Tablet is only a myth.”

“Even if it was real, the Gods will definitely fight over it. That one backing you will never let go of it. You think this empty promise will make me cooperate with you? Aren’t you too naive?”

There was no change in Ambella’s expression as she said, “What I want to say is that in this era, every genuine powerhouse has the opportunity to be looked at favorably by Providence.”

“Cooperation between the strong isn’t a bad thing. You don’t necessarily need to reject the Gods so much.”

“In fact, you openly killing Dark Phoenix was very awe-inspiring, but it already made many Gods vigilant against you. Without the backing of a High God, you’ll find yourself in troubles in the future.”

“After all, the true God Era will arrive.”

Marvin shook his head, “You are a very qualified lobbyist. But I have no interest in becoming a God’s lackey.”

Ambella’s face turned ugly.

Marvin’s sentence was simply a slap to her face.

If it was someone else, she would have already cast a Divine Spell.

But the other side was Marvin.

This man’s strength was unfathomable, he was the most important target to rope in. She recalled the reason of this trip to the human world and kept her calm, “I want to stress it once again, it is a cooperation. It’s based on mutual benefits.”

“Eh?”

Marvin pretended to be slightly interested and took half a step forward, “If it was cooperation, what benefits would the Dream God give me?”

“Protection.”

Ambella was completely oblivious to the impending danger and kept talking, “You are also aware, right? That you are already on the must-kill list of many Gods.”

“The mastermind behind the Shadow Prince’s God Realm’s explosion had already been jointly investigated by the Gods, and it actually turned out ot be you. You are really good at causing troubles.”

“Although Glynos fell in a slumber, one of his friends has already found a way for him to recover quickly. In six months at most, the Shadow Prince will come back. With his temperament, there is a 99% chance of him coming to get his revenge.”

“Not to mention other powerful Gods. Many of them think that the best way to show their might after descending to Feinan would be to kill you…”

Ambella patiently explained, “This world’s current circumstances… How long would they last for? The Universe Magic Pool will be shattered soon.”

“At that time, no one will be able to stop the Gods from descending.”

“You need the protection of a powerful God, and the Dream God is very pleased to offer you this kind of protection. The condition is for you to be willing to help him deal with some small matters.”

Marvin couldn’t help but inwardly sigh in exasperation, this woman was really good at tempting others.

If he was already on the Gods’ blacklists, why would the Dream God wish to offend them?

But outwardly he still frowned and said, “Like what?”

He feigned to take a step forward subconsciously.

A prideful expression flashed through Ambella’s eyes.

But next second, Marvin suddenly disappeared.

‘Not good!’

Ambella was stunned, suddenly becoming upset.

Chapter 459: Lumber Woods

p>In fact, Marvin never had any intention of letting the first Divine Servant of the Dream God go after finding signs of her presence.

His attitude towards Gods was clear-cut. This might be due to his previous life’s experience, or maybe the dissatisfaction toward their attack on the Universe Magic Pool. Either way it was very unlikely for him to cooperate with the Gods in the near future.

Moreover, the Comprehension points provided by Divine servants were something Marvin was in dire need of.

Although he had already become a Legend and was considered a hero that could move unimpeded throughout Feinan with the power of the Ruler of the Night, it still wasn’t enough in front of true Gods.

Thus, he still needed to quickly get stronger.

Hunting Divine Servants was a shortcut!

Thus, when he got close enough to Ambella, he unhesitantly launched an attack!

His daggers moved like lightning as they ruthlessly beheaded Ambella.

But the next second, Marvin’s expression sank.

He clearly felt something wrong.

There was no log saying he killed a Divine Servant!

At the same time, Ambella suddenly scattered through the air.

‘It’s a [Reflection]!’

Marvin had an ugly expression.

He didn’t think of this.

Ambella’s strength had already reached this level?

No wonder she wasn’t very nervous when he approached. Although she took precautions, she still wasn’t afraid.

He was the person who killed Dark Phoenix after all, it was normal to have some reservations.

Marvin felt he had an opportunity, but he hadn’t expected he would be deceived like that.

‘No wonder I felt she didn’t exist.’

Marvin smiled bitterly.

[Reflection] was similar to the [Projection], both would draw from particles to reflect their bodies on another world or plane.

The difference was that Projection would make use of the particles of the interplanar barrier while the Reflection would be using the user’s own strength. Naturally, it was also possible to use some treasures.

It was also different from Doppelgangers and Avatars, as shattering a Reflection would have no effect on the main body.

‘Looks like she wasn’t just roaming in Steel City’s vicinity, she was really trying to negotiate with me.’

‘This is a big loss. Next time we meet, killing her would be more difficult.’

Marvin looked at the pile of dust that used to be Senma’s corpse and inwardly shook his head.

Before the Gods descend, Ambella would undoubtedly become a huge problem.

He didn’t know where her main body was, but since she already came to Feinan, she was bound to tempt a force for her cause.

Since Dream Scorpion had been stopped by Marvin, she would definitely look for another power.

In any case, in this long war between Gods and mortals, the Dream God already took the lead on the Gods’ side.

Marvin didn’t have any means to find Ambella’s location and could only shake his head and leave.

…

Glacier, Far North.

Below a huge crack was endless darkness.

A green clothed woman had her eyes firmly shut.

Suddenly, she opened them.

A light appeared in the darkness, it seemed like someone had opened a door.

From behind the door appeared a bloody head.

That was a Barbarian’s head, his face still displaying his anger.

He died with a grievance.

After the light door opened, a stunningly beautiful woman calmly stepped out, “I brought you a gift.”

“Seems like you have had it hard, you look worse than the last time I saw you.”

If Marvin was here, he would be able to recognize that woman instantly, it was the Dream God’s First Divine Servant, Ambella.

Her main body was there.

The woman who just opened her eyes in the darkness was clearly the Azure Matriarch.

“If you had been stared at by the North Guardian day and night and fought a battle against a crazy psycho, you would also look bad.” The Azure Matriarch reacted coldly, “You eradicated that Barbarian tribe?”

Ambella indifferently said, “They didn’t want to accept God’s favor and didn’t listen to enlightenment, I had to purify them.”

“Good.”

The Azure Matriarch indifferently said, “What do you want?”

Ambella smiled, “Someone’s information.”

The Azure Matriarch frowned, “Seems like someone stumped you.”

Ambella surprisingly nodded and sighed, “The world has changed.”

“I already feel that the current Feinan is different from the prophecy.”

“Even the common farmer would pick up a hoe and resist, are those the weak humans I knew?”

The Azure Matriarch sneered, “Regardless if they are weak or strong, that doesn’t matter, because they will end up annihilated.”

“Do you know the difference between Magic Races and Mankind? If humans are this plane’s parasites, then you… are the bigger leeches.”

Her tone carried a hint of provocation.

Ambella didn’t care.

The World Ending Twin Snakes and the Gods aren’t on the same page, she didn’t expect anything from the Azure Matriarch.

She only needed some information.

Although the Twin Snakes Cult was destroyed, there were still embers burning in the darkness.

She was a newcomer and needed more information.

“So, whose information? A Great Druid? Dragon? Or that monastery in the Dead Area?” The Azure Matriarch inquired.

Ambella shook her head and grimly said, “Marvin.”

The Azure Matriarch immediately turned silent.

Then, she gnashed her teeth in anger, “Count it as you making a profit.”

“I’ll give it to you free of charge.”

…

After leaving the forest where he met Ambella, Marvin rushed to the place the bandits gathered at.

This group had always been a walking disaster.

Before the Great Calamity, they didn’t refrain from committing any crime, and ever since they gained a backing, it only turned worse.

Although their leader was already dead, there would still always be someone gathering them again to keep doing evil.

Although Marvin wasn’t a hero obnoxiously obsessed by justice, he wouldn’t mind casually getting rid of them.

Cleaning up that group of bandits, who didn’t have the strength to put up any resistance, took him exactly three minutes.

After three minutes, he left that newly created field of blood and returned to Morrigan’s Heart.

Regarding Marvin’s return, Morrigan’s Heart’s people were a bit worried.

Marvin was somewhat astonished by their reaction.

But he quickly understood. It seemed like they didn’t want to leave this place.

Captain Alexis explained the outcome of their discussion.

Most of them were inhabitants of Steel City, relatives of the dead soldiers.

They had too many memories of this place.

Since the bandit issue had already disappeared, they didn’t wish to move.

But they were afraid of offending the unique powerhouse Marvin, thus they spoke tactfully.

Moreover, from Alexis’ words came a ‘if you really want us to move, then we will heartbreakingly leave our home, but we won’t resist’ kind of meaning.

After all, they didn’t have the strength to resist.

Marvin muttered irresolutely, Morrigan’s Heart’s people’s decision was really beyond his expectations.

Seemed like their feeling for their hometown was superior to the fear of the disaster.

But such a group would clearly be unable to protect such resources.

Thus, Marvin raised another suggestion:

– Morrigan’s Heart’s people didn’t have to go to White River Valley, instead White River Valley would dispatch some troops to defend this place. –

In exchange, White River Valley would get food and weapons from Morrigan’s Heart.

Marvin’s suggestion made Alexis sigh in relief.

White River Valley still had a pretty decent reputation, moreover, these refugees also needed strength to defend themselves.

He thought for a bit and accepted Marvin’s suggestion.

They then talked about the details.

Marvin planned to develop Morrigan’s Heart into an outpost in the middle of the land. He saw that these soldiers and inhabitants didn’t have much needs.

They just didn’t want to part with their hometown.

He could easily help a bit.

For this cooperation to work, both sides had to sign a cooperation agreement.

Marvin didn’t get involved with the details, he wouldn’t be able to do much if he had to take care of these kinds of details everyday.

He directly used the Book of Nalu’s connexion to Madeline to make her bring Lola and two Dark Knights to Morrigan’s Heart. The specific agreement would be dealt with by a specialist.

After dealing with this, and despite Alexis’ attempt to show his sincerity by wanting to lead Marvin to the 2nd floor’s treasure house for him to try his luck, Marvin decided to leave quickly.

Morrigan’s Heart was a huge treasure trove, Alexis and the others only opened the first level.

And further in, there were at least three treasuries. These treasuries needed the South Wizard Alliance’s special unlocking method, which Marvin didn’t know. Trying his luck would be currently meaningless.

Moreover, the treasuries wouldn’t escape, as long as this place remained under Marvin’s control, he would have enough opportunities.

He had already stayed in Steel City for too long, there was still a friend locked in that northern jungle, waiting for him to save her, he couldn’t delay for too long.

He left the sewers and returned to that location.

When he arrived, Marvin was stunned. Butterfly, who said she would wait for him… Disappeared!

‘Damnit!’

‘So unreliable.’

Marvin couldn’t help but scratch his head.

There is no trace of Monsters in the surroundings nor a trace of fighting and with the Golden Griffin protecting Butterfly, there shouldn’t be any accident!

On the other hand, the only rational explanation was that this mystical messenger set off by her own will…

However, the Wood Elves are a bunch of people following the rules inflexibly. Someone like Ivan was already regarded as unconventional.

It was clear that this Elven girl wasn’t a common Elf.

She departed after Marvin left her hanging there.

…

Marvin looked around and became increasingly gloomy.

Out of courtesy, he took care to not touch Butterfly on the way, and thus couldn’t use Night Tracking.

The Golden Griffin had a special constitution, Marvin didn’t want to remove a feather from its body.

He hadn’t expected to suddenly lose track of her.

‘Could they have been captured?’

Marvin was skeptical.

Although there was no trace of fighting, it didn’t completely rule out this possibility.

Thus, he could only broaden the range of his search.

Five minutes later, he found a clue under a tree.

That was breadfruit’s scraps!

‘The fruit a of a breadfruit tree?’

Marvin pondered.

There was a fruit tree like that in the Elven Kingdom, but that breadfruit couldn’t be consumed as food, it was used as a signal.

Only Wood Elves and their allies were able to see the breadfruits in the bushes.

Marvin was a Night Walker and he had a pass to Thousand Leaves Forest, so he could naturally see the breadfruit’s scraps.

‘This meant that she spontaneously left?’

It seemed that Butterfly met with something.

He unhesitantly followed the scraps all the way till the northern part of Steel City.

Though, there was so little scraps, it seemed that Butterfly was moving at high speed when scattering them.

This brought a lot of troubles when Marvin followed her trail.

He had no other choice but to make multiple checks to keep tracking her.

It was getting harder and harder for Marvin until finally the scraps ran out.

It was in front of a forest filled with thick fog.

On the edge of the forest were a few lumbering workshops which were established next to a river.

This river was known as the Norris River. It rose from the Millennium Mountain Range and flowed toward the center of the South Wizard Alliance territory before converging into the sea at Bass Harbor.

Steel City established workshops on the upstream part of the Norris River, as wood would be lumbered and processed there.

Those wooden logs would follow the Norris River and float downstream, saving transport expenditure.

‘I unconsciously approached the Millennium Mountain Range?’

Marvin couldn’t help but find it funny.

The Norris River was next to a forest which was called the Lumber Woods by people.

Most lumber workers only dared to work on the edge of the forest. After all, there were rumors that this forest was haunted by a Devil.

Not only that, it was said that the South Wizard Alliance’s people tried to open up the forest multiple times, only to be met with failure.

It had to be known that if they could get through the forest, they would be able to open up a new path to the North like the [Volcano Pass], [Wizard Horn] and other similar paths.

But they failed.

Clearly, this forest was a bit magical.

And as a former player, Marvin naturally knew the reason behind it.

This was the Chromatic Dragon’s gathering place!

This was the main instance of the [Dragon God’s Wrath]’s expansion. It would happen in the depths of the Lumber Woods.

But Marvin didn’t get to play this instance before transmigrating.

What was in this forest, he wasn’t too clear about it.

But the trail disappeared in front of the forest, it was clear that Butterfly went in.

Marvin was caught in a dilemma.

His plan to hurry to the other side of the Millenium Mountain Range had been put to a stop by his temporary driver.

At this moment, he finally became aware of the importance of a flying mount.

It’s a pity the Black Dragon was seriously hurt in the last battle, otherwise Marvin wouldn’t have a need for this puzzling messenger to take care of his matter.

And now, he was clearly not allowed into the forest.

Who would have thought that just as he was planning to sneak in, a shout came from behind him, “Hey, Marvin.”

“You’ll die inside.”