Chapter 19

"Mr. Rod! We found it!"

At the sound of this voice, Rod immediately turned around. He saw Mace standing at the church door, a look of surprise on his face, holding a finely crafted small statue high in his hand. The statue depicted a gargoyle curled up, with two eyes made of ruby fragments faintly emitting a dark red glow. That was the control core!

Mace's shout also caught the attention of the gargoyles. As alchemical creatures, they naturally knew what Mace was holding. Soon, the two gargoyles changed direction and charged towards Mace.

"Ah!"

Seeing the two terrifying monsters charging at him, Mace let out a scream in fright. He instinctively tried to turn and run, but at that moment, Rod's voice reached him.

"Throw it over here!"

Despite the fierce appearance of the two monsters, Mace felt as if he would be torn to pieces at any moment. However, he steeled himself and threw the black, intricately crafted statue in his hand.

It must be said that the fat merchant's aim was not very good. The object he threw drew a crooked arc in the air, deviating from its original path and flying towards the two gargoyles instead of Rod. If an uninformed person saw this, they might think the fat merchant was on the side of the gargoyles. The gargoyles were taken aback by the unexpected gift but instinctively extended their claws to try to grab the small statue.

However, just as they were about to succeed, a gentle breeze swept past them. The soul bird, almost formless, left a series of translucent ripples in the air and snatched the statue away.

This was Rod's last bit of strength. Exhausted, he had to put away his sword and snap his fingers with his right hand.

With this sound, the soul bird gracefully flew through the air and headed towards Rod. The two gargoyles immediately stopped and changed direction.

"Swish!!"

The gargoyle running on the ground flipped, its thick, long tail lashing out and striking the soul bird. Although it did not cause much damage, the green wind element surrounding the soul bird was slightly disrupted, causing the bird to tilt.

The soul bird did not give up. It continued to flap its wings, flying quickly over the ground, striving to reach its master.

However, it did not reach its destination.

A massive stone claw descended from the sky, piercing the body of the soul bird. The chaotic wind element could no longer maintain its form, instantly dissipating into its most basic state. The black statue, which the bird had been carrying, flew out, but soon, two dark figures chased after it. They extended their claws, opened their mouths, and reached for the statue—until it landed quietly and steadily in Rod's hand.

[Control core of the gargoyles obtained, identification complete]

[Command—]

"Aig!"

Rod's voice was not loud, even somewhat low. However, the black figures that were attacking changed instantly—bodies that had been glowing brightly became dull, and their outstretched limbs froze in mid-air. The eerie red glow in the gargoyles' eyes also vanished.

Then, the two black figures passed by Rod and crashed heavily onto the ground behind him.

"Boom!!"

With the impact, the gargoyles, now devoid of power, reverted to their original statue forms. They lay quietly on the ground behind Rod, maintaining the posture of their last charge. Without the support of magic, they were no longer as hard as before, and the collision caused them to break apart, turning from artistic sculptures into worthless debris.

"Phew………"

Only now did Rod let out a sigh of relief. He felt utterly drained, the excessive use of soul power making his legs weak and his right hand, which held the statue, unable to grip tightly. However, on the surface, Rod maintained a calm expression. He stood silently for a moment before putting the statue in his pocket.

"Mr. Rod!"

At this moment, Lise and Mace ran up to him, their faces filled with worry and anxiety.

"Are you alright!?"

"I'm fine."

Rod took a deep breath. He really wanted to sit down and rest, as the excessive use of soul power in the game had various effects, and experiencing it firsthand was quite taxing. However, he could not collapse now.

Fortunately, the dense fog outside no longer showed the presence of the wraiths. It seemed they had finally decided to abandon their pursuit and leave this forbidden area. Although this did not mean they had given up entirely, it was a good thing for the moment. However, Rod did not show much emotion, as it was a habit he had developed as a team leader. A leader must always remain calm and not panic over small matters. If he shouted and panicked at the slightest difficulty or became overly excited after defeating a strong enemy, it would not have a positive effect on his subordinates. Although Rod was no longer the guild leader of a guild with tens of thousands of players, this habit still influenced him.

However, seeing his calm demeanor, Lise and Mace, who had been tense, felt relieved. They had been worried about the situation outside while searching, fearing that something might go wrong. Lise had worked very hard, but Mace was clearly better at identifying items. They finally found the small statue in a corner, and it must be said that their luck was quite good. If they had been a bit later, the situation might have been different.

Rod's original plan was to cross the fog ruins as quickly as possible, but the appearance of the two gargoyles forced him to change his mind. The gargoyles had almost drained his strength, and without proper rest and recovery, the next battle would be even more dangerous. Therefore, Rod decided to rest in the church for the night and continue the next day. He was not worried about any unexpected events here, as the church in the game was a place where many players rested and organized their loot, so there would not be any major problems.

Although Mace, looking at the dark, eerie church and its disturbing decorations, felt his legs tremble, he had no say in opposing Rod's decision, as usual.

The sky gradually darkened.

Dense fog lingered outside the church, and through the windows, nothing could be seen but a white expanse. The three of them sat in the center of the church, using the abandoned, rotten pews and tables as firewood, which were now providing their last bit of warmth in the burning fire. Cold winds blew in through the broken windows and cracks in the walls, carrying a chill.

Lise carefully reached out and removed the bandages from Rod's left chest, then frowned slightly.

"It's split open again, Mr. Rod."

"I know."

Rod nodded, not saying much. In fact, this was not the first time. Throughout their journey, Rod had been at the forefront of the battles. Although he had tried to avoid using his left hand to protect his chest wound, he could not always do so when faced with particularly troublesome situations. This led to his wound frequently reopening. According to Lise, a wound that should have healed in two or three days might take over ten days to recover if it kept reopening.

However, the young girl could not complain much, as all of this was for their sake. The only thing