Chapter 70

The two of them looked at each other in silence.

Rod stood in front of Marin, his long sword held at an angle, but he couldn't help but inwardly groan. What he feared most was a direct confrontation with an advanced profession. After all, advancing meant their power level had already surpassed that of ordinary people, officially entering the ranks of superhumans. Although spies weren't known for their strength, it didn't stop them from being powerful. Not to mention, spies were extremely fast, making it difficult for ordinary people to react. Moreover... this was a human. If it were some barely intelligent beast or alchemical creature, it would be much easier to deal with.

But regretting it now was useless.

"Marin, stay alert. When you get the chance, lock onto him and attack. Understand?"

"I'll try."

This time, facing Rod's command, the usually confident and proud Marin became cautious. She had almost never seen such speed before, and the fact that the opponent could break through her magical shield added to her sense of danger. She took a few steps back, steadied herself, and then raised her staff.

At that moment, the spy's figure flickered.

What incredible speed!

Almost in the blink of an eye, Rod saw the cold blade already in front of his face. He was taken aback and instinctively flipped his long sword to block the short knife.

But then, Rod felt a tremendous force from the sword, and his body was sent flying backward, landing heavily on the ground several meters away. Although the blow was severe, he gritted his teeth, rolled to his feet, and instinctively swung his sword in a circle to block the blade that came from the darkness again.

"Boom!!"

Rod's figure flickered, and he knelt on the ground, his magical weapon making a harsh, rasping sound as it bent backward like a long bow.

Is this a barbarian or a spy?

Rod held the hilt of his sword with one hand and the blade with the other, inwardly groaning. This guy was really tough to deal with—fast and strong. If it weren't for his experience, he would have been a corpse on the ground by now.

"Ah?"

Seeing Rod's miserable state, the black-clothed spy's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt.

He didn't underestimate Rod. From the way he silently killed his two subordinates, the black-clothed spy could tell that this young man was both brave and strategic, with extensive combat experience. The fact that he could immediately detect his presence and dodge his ambush further proved that this young man was not easy to deal with. After the first failed attempt, the black-clothed spy had no confidence in handling him, and the subsequent attacks were more about doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

But he didn't expect the young man's performance to be completely out of his expectations.

He couldn't withstand my attack?

Looking at the black-haired man struggling to hold on, the black-clothed spy was puzzled. He knew that someone who couldn't withstand his frontal attack definitely hadn't advanced. But how could an unadvanced swordsman silently kill his two subordinates? This was too strange.

Generally, combat experience was closely tied to strength. The more combat experience you had, the stronger you were. But how could someone with rich combat experience be so weak? The black-clothed spy, of course, didn't know that Rod's combat experience came from a world almost identical to this one. As a spy, caution was his nature. Unusual events were suspicious, and the decisiveness and lack of hesitation in Rod's actions suggested that what he saw might be an illusion. He had to be careful to avoid being caught off guard.

With this in mind, the black-clothed spy eased his strength.

Sensing this, Rod quickly reacted. Although he didn't know why the spy was hesitating, he wouldn't be foolish enough to miss such a good opportunity.

His left hand, which had been pressing against the sword, relaxed, and then slid down the blade!

A burst of bright red flames suddenly erupted from Rod's palm, roaring toward the black-clothed spy. Accompanied by a howl, a black hound once again leaped out of the flames, opening its mouth to pounce.

What the hell is this?!

Seeing the flames burst out without warning, the black-clothed spy was greatly startled. He quickly retreated to avoid the flames, but before he could recover, the Flame Killer pounced from the air, its sharp teeth causing the black-clothed spy to inwardly shudder. However, as an advanced profession, he wasn't easily frightened. Facing the black hound, the black-clothed spy snorted and swung his hands, creating two bright arcs that instantly decapitated the Flame Killer.

The black-clothed spy snorted and turned his head to avoid the hound's corpse. It was a good decision, but without considering the Flame Killer's characteristics...

"Boom!!"

A violent explosion erupted, red flames and thick smoke spreading in all directions, even shaking the entire palace. The black-clothed spy retreated in a disheveled state, no longer as calm as before, with a hint of panic in his eyes.

His guess was right; this young man was indeed problematic!

He threw away the short knife in his left hand, which had been completely melted, and gritted his teeth. He had never seen such a strange elf summoning technique before—no incantation, no preparation, and it could be activated directly. And the summoned elf had such an effect?

Was this the power of some magical equipment, or his own ability?

As the black-clothed spy was in doubt, a sharp flash pierced through the smoke, heading toward him.

It was a flawless white long sword!

"Damn!"

The black-clothed spy, experienced in battle, immediately knew things were bad when he saw the other side's relentless attack. Rod's strange combat style had already made him somewhat unprepared. He deflected the long sword with his dagger and quickly retreated. At this point, the black-clothed spy had given up on continuing the attack. It was better to retreat temporarily; they wouldn't stay here forever.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Just as his dagger deflected the long sword, the sword suddenly transformed into a translucent, green bird. It circled in the air, let out a low cry, and then dove down.

What the hell is this?!

Even the experienced spy was completely flustered. Everything that was happening was beyond his comprehension—a summoning elf that could explode, a bird that could turn into a sword, or a sword that could turn into a bird? For the love of the Holy Soul, could it get any more chaotic?

Although the black-clothed spy was frustrated, he had no time to vent. He clearly saw Rod's figure emerging from the smoke, sword in hand, charging at him.

"Hmph!!"

At this point, the black-clothed spy no longer hesitated. He drew another short knife from his waist and threw it at the soul bird, while holding his dagger in front of his chest. After the previous encounter, the black-clothed spy had learned his lesson. If the bird could explode like the dog, he would be in trouble again.

Sure enough.

Seeing the black-clothed spy's reaction, Rod was delighted. When the spy had retracted his knife earlier, Rod had been puzzled, wondering if the guy had some interest in toying with his prey. Now he understood—the spy was afraid of him!

Or more precisely, he was afraid of Rod's combat style!

Thinking of this, Rod made a decision. Opportunity was fleeting, and the spy's uncertainty was his chance. Once the spy figured out his tactics, Rod's days would be numbered.

But Rod wasn't a fool. Seeing the spy's focus on him, he wouldn't rush in. Instead, he stopped, gripped his red long sword, and threw it forward.

A silver arc cut through the darkness, flying toward the target.

What is this?!

Seeing Rod's sword, the black-clothed spy almost dropped his dagger. Condensing sword energy and attacking from a distance was a clear sign of an advanced swordsman. He had indeed been deceived by the young man! Looking at his previous act, he almost fell for it.

Thinking of this, the black-clothed spy broke out in a cold sweat.

Does this guy have a penchant for toying with his prey?

He promptly returned the exact words Rod had used to describe him a minute ago.

What a beautiful misunderstanding.

Facing the flying sword energy, the black-clothed spy finally didn't try to block it with his hand. He leaped back to avoid Rod's attack, but at that moment, a faint sound in the air made his heart sink.

"Swish, swish!!"

At that moment, Marin finally locked onto the constantly moving figure and raised her staff, pointing forward.

Invisible wind blades shot out, heading toward the target.

"Ugh!!"

A low groan echoed.

Although the black-clothed spy was skilled, human speed had its limits. To avoid Rod's sudden attack, he had done his best. But facing Marin's wind blades, he had no resistance left. All he could do was roll on the ground to avoid the attack. Even so, several sharp wind blades grazed him, leaving cuts.

When he stood up again, his body was covered in wounds, and the black cloth covering his face had fallen off.

"Ah?"

But when she saw the black-clothed spy's face, Marin was stunned.

Under the black cloth was the face of a young girl.

Her pale face was now ashen, and her blue eyes burned with anger and frustration. Seeing her true identity exposed, the black-clothed spy (now correctly referred to as a she) roared and charged at Marin with her dagger.

"Marin, attack!"

Although she heard Rod's command and her magic was already condensed in her staff, Marin couldn't raise her staff. It felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, impossible to lift.

She's just a girl about my age. Can I really kill her?

This thought flashed through Marin's mind, causing her to lose focus. But this hesitation cost her the best opportunity.

"Die!!"

Like a female leopard, the black-clothed spy leaped to Marin's side and raised her dagger.

"Damn!"

Seeing this, Rod gritted his teeth. He didn't run forward but instead raised his right hand and took a step back.

Then, darkness completely enveloped his figure.

"Ah..."

The girl's roar and the cold wind of the dagger finally brought Marin back to her senses. When she refocused, she saw the scythe of death raised above her.

Just waiting to fall and claim a life.

"———!!"

In that moment, Marin felt a chill run through her body. She closed her eyes, clutched her staff, and her mind went blank.

Am I going to die?

This was Marin's only thought.

The dagger, gleaming with a cold light, pierced through the force field generated by her sense of danger, through flesh and bone.

"Thud!"

But Marin felt no pain.

Am I dead?

She opened her eyes in surprise and saw a large hand in front of her. In its center, the sharp, cold dagger had pierced through the palm.

The owner of this hand was only one person.

"Mr. Rod!"

"Hmph!!"

With one hand blocking the black-clothed spy's attack, Rod snorted and then swung his sword with his right hand.

A head flew into the air.

The girl's face was filled with anger and frustration, her eyes bloodshot, but her head drew a circular arc in the air and fell heavily to the ground. The body, now off-balance, fell backward, blood spurting from the neck, and the corpse twitched uncontrollably, like a fish still struggling for life.

"Phew..."

Only when he saw the opponent fall did Rod relax. He knelt on the ground, gritted his teeth, and then reached out to pull the dagger from his palm. He then turned to glare at Marin.

"I told you to attack. Why didn't you?"

"..."

Marin was stunned.

She had never seen Rod so angry before. His usual expression was calm, and a frown or a cold snort was the most he would show. But this time, Rod was clearly very angry. His handsome face was even somewhat distorted, his eyes cold and piercing, cutting through the young girl's body.

"Speak!"

"I'm sorry..."

Marin felt useless. She had no response to Rod's angry outburst. If she had followed his command, she wouldn't have been in danger. But her mind had been distracted by other thoughts, causing her to hesitate. No matter how she looked at it, it was her fault. This deep sense of failure was something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I... It's all my fault..."

Marin bowed her head deeply.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rod. I shouldn't have been distracted..."

"I know what you were thinking, but you need to understand that in such situations, your hesitation can cost your companion's life!"

Rod didn't accept or reject Marin's apology.

"Fortunately, I was prepared. What if it had been Lise? If the target had been Lise, your hesitation would have been enough to make you cry over her corpse for the rest of your life!"

"..."

Marin shrank back, unable to say anything.

"Since you know you were wrong, I'll give you a punishment. You should accept it, right?"

"Of course, Mr. Rod, what do you want me to do!?"

Hearing that she had a chance to make amends, Marin quickly looked up, eager to ask, but what she saw was Rod turning his sword and handing it to her.

"Use this sword to cut off the heads of those two corpses and burn them."

"Ah?"

"If you're not used to killing the living, then start with the dead."

This was indeed a difficult task for Marin. She hesitated, looking at the sword Rod offered, and tentatively reached out. After a moment's pause, she gritted her teeth and took it.

"I hope you remember that if you hadn't killed them, the one lying on the ground with their head cut off would be you or your friend... I hope you don't forget that."

Seeing Marin take the sword and walk toward the other two corpses, Rod sighed. He leaned against a stone pillar, gritting his teeth. The pain was intense; the black-clothed spy's dagger had completely pierced his palm, and the pain was unbearable, not to mention the poison on the blade...

Fortunately, my constitution is high.

Lifting his left hand, he saw the dark green wound in the center of his palm and drew a sharp breath. He had already received a system message confirming his successful resistance to the poison. Otherwise, Rod wouldn't have been teaching Marin how to kill—getting back to detoxify would have been the priority.

But neither Rod nor Marin noticed that the blood dripping from Rod's left hand into the stone crevices didn't dry up. Instead, it flowed like a living thing into the grooves on both sides of the palace, moving silently forward.

In the darkness, an invisible force drew the blood upward, over steps and pillars, eventually converging on the altar.

"Mr. Rod, I'm done."

At that moment, Marin completed Rod's command. Her face was pale, and it was clear how much this had affected her. But Rod didn't say anything more. He glanced at the three burning corpses nearby, stood up, and nodded at Marin.

"Alright, let's prepare to leave this place. There are two more outside, and we need to deal with them. Remember, don't hesitate like this again..."

"Ah!!"

Rod's words were cut off by a distant scream.

What's happening?

Rod looked in the direction of the sound, which should have been the entrance to the secret passage. Could the two spies have been killed? What's going on?

"Be careful, let's go!"

Ignoring his injured hand, Rod grabbed Marin and prepared to leave. But before they could go far, a golden light appeared.

Mysterious and strange characters formed an impenetrable wall, blocking all exits. At the same time, Rod saw the statues on either side of the pillars glowing with magical light!

Oh no, not this...

As if confirming Rod's suspicions, the statues slowly turned to face him and raised their swords!

Then, a heavy voice echoed in the air.

"Descendant of the guardian knights, have you finally come to accept the trial?"

Trial?

Rod and Marin looked at each other in confusion.

What trial?

"J-Just now, I read some information from the pillar, Mr. Rod."

Marin stammered.

"This place seems to be where knights undergo trials to gain recognition and the title of guardian... I don't know what they guard, but it seems to be something very valuable..."

"Whatever they guard, it has nothing to do with us."

Rod shook his left hand, wincing in pain. Without Lise, his injury couldn't be properly treated. He had bandaged it, but it was barely effective. This must be a hidden quest, but Rod had no interest in challenging it. He was injured, had used a lot of energy in the fight with the spy, and had already used the Dark Soul. In this state, he had no desire to face any trial.

"I'm sorry, we just took a wrong turn."

Rod said casually, then patted Marin on the shoulder.

"Let's go."

But the voice didn't respond to Rod's answer