Chapter 21: The Second Deal: The Holy Artifact

For a profession like a monster hunter, one almost faces countless dangers every day. Therefore, when faced with the possibility of death at any moment, monster hunters gradually get used to it—those who can't adapt either change professions early or eventually die, with the latter being more common.

However, even if monster hunters are accustomed to danger and the risk of death, they still can't help but feel a deep sorrow when a comrade dies, especially if they were close. And since Puck could call John for help, it was clear that their relationship was good! Therefore, after telling Ye Qi that the deceased was Puck, John immediately rushed to the bell tower to retrieve Puck's body.

Ye Qi, after instructing the police chief and others to quickly evacuate and comfort the townspeople, stood to the side, frowning in thought.

Coincidence? Or a warning? Or perhaps a provocation?

Ye Qi stared at the glaring bloodstains below the bell tower, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The enemy is not to be feared; what is to be feared is the enemy hidden in the shadows! Just like a venomous snake hiding in the grass, no one knows when it will strike from behind, baring its sharp fangs!

"Kid, it seems you're in trouble!"

Just as Ye Qi was frowning in thought without any results, the long-absent voice of the strange wolf appeared in his ear. Hearing this lazy voice, Ye Qi couldn't help but be startled.

After all, since the last time, Ye Qi had called out to the other party countless times in his heart, but received no response. If it weren't for the increased attributes and the Vampire's Touch skill, Ye Qi would have thought it was all a dream. This time, the strange wolf suddenly reappeared without any warning, and Ye Qi wouldn't think the other party was just here to chat; it must be related to the current situation.

Facing an enemy hidden in the shadows, Ye Qi didn't want to be caught off guard. So, without hesitation, he asked directly in his mind: "What exactly is the other party?"

"What? It was a person before! Now, it's half-demon, half-human..."

"Half-demon, half-human?"

Ye Qi's eyebrows shot up at the unfamiliar term.

"Hey, kid, interrupting someone is very impolite! Half-demon, half-human is what we call them. In human terms, they are demon worshippers!"

A demon worshipper, as the name suggests, is someone who serves demons. They are people who have given their souls to demons in exchange for power. In most cases, many dark wizards who are old and have little life left often use this method to extend their lives. Of course, besides this, wizards have many other ways to extend their lives, such as transforming into liches. However, transforming into a lich not only requires great power but also a complex process, which most dark wizards cannot achieve. In comparison, becoming a demon worshipper is much simpler, requiring only a few rituals.

"The couple represented lust, and the subsequent friends represented betrayal, but what does Puck represent? And there shouldn't be tomb robbing in a demon ritual..."

Thanks to the strange wolf's reminder, Ye Qi quickly deduced the meaning behind the series of murders based on his knowledge of demon worshippers, but he still didn't understand Puck's death or the initial tomb robbing.

Could his deduction be wrong? Is tomb robbing unrelated to these events?

Although he solved the old problem, a new one arose. Ye Qi couldn't help but ask the strange wolf in his mind: "Why did this demon worshipper brutally kill Puck?"

"An offering! The previous rituals were incomplete without an offering! Only by offering a sacrifice can the ritual be completed, and the demon worshipper can gain the benefits of the contract!" The strange wolf's lazy tone suddenly carried a hint of something imperceptible: "Kid, do you want to make another deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

Given the other party's dishonesty last time, even though Ye Qi benefited greatly later, he still felt a chill when he heard the word "deal."

"Help me get this demon worshipper's soul, and I'll give you a holy artifact!" The lazy tone was full of ease.

"Holy artifact?!"

Although he now had the identity of an apostle, if he could also obtain a holy artifact... Thinking of this, Ye Qi couldn't help but swallow hard. The combination of an apostle and a holy artifact is not as simple as 1+1. If the abilities of the apostle and the holy artifact complement each other, they can easily double or even tenfold the original power! However, the number of holy artifacts is extremely limited, and only the successors of major monster hunter families or the saints and holy maidens of the church can possess both.

Thinking of such an opportunity, Ye Qi hesitated for a moment and then nodded in agreement: "Alright! But how do I help you get the demon worshipper's soul?"

"Very simple, just kill the other party!" The strange wolf seemed very pleased when Ye Qi agreed and immediately took action: "Now, raise your left hand!"

Hearing that it was just a matter of killing the demon worshipper, Ye Qi visibly relaxed—this demon worshipper had already committed the atrocity of killing a monster hunter, so Ye Qi and the other party were already enemies. Killing the other party was inevitable. And to gain a holy artifact, why not?

Of course, the most important thing was that there were no disgusting rituals as expected—Ye Qi had heard from John that to steal someone's soul, one needed countless demon rituals. Thinking of being spared those bloody rituals, the monster hunter felt much more relaxed. Therefore, when he heard the strange wolf's somewhat commanding tone, he didn't feel any aversion and followed the instructions.

A dark golden light, visible only to the monster hunter, flashed from the bronze bracelet on his left wrist, and then the strange wolf's voice sounded in his ear: "Done! I've done my part, the rest is up to you! I wish us a pleasant deal!"

The monster hunter, who had just relaxed after avoiding countless demon rituals, now had a sullen look on his face: "Bastard! You tricked me again! This bracelet is clearly mine!"

Thinking of being tricked again, especially when the other party "gave" him his own item, the monster hunter felt incredibly frustrated. However, compared to the monster hunter's frustration, the strange wolf was quite reasonable: "Your item? You couldn't activate this holy artifact with your special abilities several times, so it was just a decoration, a piece of junk! I activated the holy artifact's ability for you, making it truly useful to you. Isn't that giving you a holy artifact?"

"You..."

Unable to refute this, the monster hunter looked down at the bronze bracelet on his left wrist.

Bronze Guardian (Starlight): A holy artifact forged from the finger of a bronze titan who died in battle. Effects: 1/day protection from ranged attacks, 1/day Bronze Guardian.

Protection from Ranged Attacks: The target is immune to most ranged attacks. Duration: 1 minute.

Bronze Guardian: Activates the residual power of the bronze titan, transforming into a bronze warrior to protect the wearer. Duration: 1 minute.

Bronze Warrior: 5 meters tall, immensely strong, but slow-moving, impervious to blades and bullets, and takes double damage from energy attacks. Duration: 1 minute.

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