Chapter 73

This system prompt is very simple and easy to understand, but it seemed rather strange to appear before Rod’s eyes at this moment.

Rod, of course, knew what his glory was. Especially considering the series of brilliant past events that stemmed from his card holy sword, he was the most influential summoner knight, the most powerful guild master, and the ultimate Duel Champion of the Dragon Soul Continent, standing out among tens of thousands of players. The current task seemed to be asking him to do it all over again, which seemed simple enough.

However, this was very strange because this was not a game world. There were no players, no game companies, and no global PvP Duel League. It was like someone traveling back to the Tang Dynasty and being given a task to win the F1 Championship—whether such a thing even existed back then was questionable.

Rod also saw the guardian holy mark he had obtained. He was not unfamiliar with this. In the game, many professions had similar holy marks in their later stages: mages had the Ring of Magic, swordsmen had the Mark of Courage, knights had the Judgment of Will, spirit masters had the Sacred Heart, and even thieves and rangers had corresponding magical tattoos. Of course, in the game, these were the results of passing certain trials. Summoner knights also had their own magical tattoos, but they were not guardian holy marks; they were soul contracts.

Two intricate and ornate patterns, one silver-white and one dark, appeared on his arms like tattoos, extending up to his elbows before gradually fading away. The patterns on his arms connected to the summoning arrays on his hands, and when Rod focused his mind, the patterns quickly disappeared into his skin, vanishing without a trace.

[Guardian Holy Mark (Honor Heart Recovered)

Honor Heart: All summoned spirits’ consumption reduced by one-third, duration increased by one-third (Honor is my life)]

Done!

Only then did Rod let out a long breath, sitting on the ground. The holy sword in his hand quickly disappeared, reverting to a card and sealing itself. His left hand was now extremely pale, almost devoid of blood, and the wound on his finger, which had been bleeding profusely, had become even more mangled. The Bloodshed Blade was indeed a fine weapon, and its power when it had absorbed enough blood was indeed satisfactory—though it would be even more satisfactory if it didn’t draw blood from its wielder.

"Mr. Rod!"

As the trial ended, the barrier that had sealed the area also disappeared. Marin, who had been anxiously waiting at the back, hurried over. Seeing the mangled state of Rod’s left hand, the girl’s face changed dramatically.

"Are you hurt?!"

"It’s just a minor injury."

Rod shook his head and tried to stand up. Although his will was still clear, the aftereffects of the blood loss made him dizzy, and he staggered, almost falling to the ground again. Fortunately, Marin, who was quick to react, caught him.

"You should rest if you’re injured... There shouldn’t be any enemies nearby, right?"

"There shouldn’t be."

"Then you should rest for a while before we continue."

Faced with Marin’s insistence, Rod did not argue. Not only was he suffering from blood loss, but the excessive consumption of soul power also left him exhausted. Forcing himself to continue would not be a wise choice, so he finally sat back against the stone pillar with Marin’s help to recover his strength.

However, while Rod was resting, the young mage did not. She took out several exquisite crystals from her pocket and placed them around Rod, then chanted a spell softly. Soon, a translucent, polygonal protective shield appeared, enveloping both of them.

"This is an intermediate protective spell."

Feeling Rod’s gaze, Marin lowered her head and explained.

"It can effectively heal injuries and restore strength. I, I think... you’ve been through so much, you should rest properly, especially now. Don’t worry about being attacked; this is a treasure of the Senea family, not just anyone can break it. You can rest easy now."

As she finished speaking, a hint of pique crept into Marin’s tone. From the start of their journey to the Rock of Sighs, they had spent about two days. During these two days, Rod had been in a state of high alert, reacting to any slight movement around them. He also frequently asked Marin to check the direction and position of the spies to avoid any unexpected situations. Honestly, these tasks had left Marin very tired. Every night, when she collapsed on the ground, she felt that the cold, uneven stones and the smell of wild grass were as comfortable as the soft, cozy bed in her home in the Golden City, and she wished she could lie there forever. But compared to Rod, her fatigue was nothing.

On the surface, Rod seemed to have everything under control, and even if problems arose, he could easily solve them. But Marin knew very well how much Rod had sacrificed behind the scenes.

To be honest, Marin felt that she and Rod were very similar. She had been called the "Senea family’s once-in-a-century pride," "the top genius in the academy," and "the spirit and darling of magic." In others’ eyes, she always learned spells effortlessly and understood soul power far better than others. But they did not see what Senea did behind the scenes. While other children played in the garden, she sat in a room filled with books, reading those difficult ancient texts. When other young ladies socialized at parties, she practiced spells alone in the cold, dark basement. Even when other children were immersed in sweet dreams, she had to practice noble etiquette in front of a large mirror after a long day. Even now, while other noble children played in their stables, she was undergoing dangerous training in the deep mountains.

Many people envied her, a magical genius and the pride of her family. She accepted their envy as a matter of course, for she had the right to be proud—she had talent, ability, and was willing to work hard. Therefore, she naturally had the right to be proud, confident, and receive praise and envy.

On the other hand, Marin absolutely could not tolerate those who looked down on her. In her view, if she worked so hard and was still looked down upon by those who only knew how to indulge in pleasure and complain, it would be a great humiliation.

Because of this, Marin could understand Rod’s feelings. Even when Rod angrily scolded her, she could only accept it without arguing. This man was smarter, more talented, and worked harder than she did. She did not allow others to trample on her efforts, so she naturally did not like trampling on others’ efforts.

Rod, of course, did not know what Marin was thinking. He did not like to guess women’s thoughts. In the past, when Rod was naive, he had tried to understand his ex-girlfriend’s thoughts when they broke up. Was it because she had fallen out of love? Or had she found someone else? Or were they just not compatible? In the end, he found out a ridiculous truth—his girlfriend had broken up with him because he attracted more attention from others when they went out together, which made her feel pressured. For a modern woman, having a boyfriend who was more attractive than herself was not something to be envied...

Since then, Rod had stopped doing such pointless things. Since Marin had made a promise, and from Rod’s perspective, the protective array was indeed quite solid, he did not refuse and soon leaned against the stone pillar, closing his eyes to rest.

Although the cold, hard pillar made him uncomfortable, it did not matter.

"Um... Mr. Rod?"

Rod opened his eyes and looked at Marin beside him. The girl was spreading her cloak on the ground, then looked up at him hesitantly. Noticing Rod’s gaze, Marin bit her lip.

Yes, this is just my way of making amends. Because of my mistake, he got hurt. As a member of the Senea family, I must make some compensation. This is my pride, yes, that’s right!

"...If you can... you can lie here..."

As she spoke, Marin lightly patted her thigh, her face almost as red as if it were bleeding.

"I, I think you’ll rest better this way, it’s healthier than leaning against that cold stone pillar. And... your hand is injured, I didn’t help you in battle, at least let me take a look. Although I’m not as skilled in healing spells as Lise, I do know some basic knowledge as a mage..."

"Is that okay?"

Rod did not immediately respond but looked at Marin curiously before asking. Hearing his question, Marin immediately raised her head and chest, adopting a determined "ready to die" stance.

"O-of course there’s no problem! This is a small matter, it’s nothing at all!"

"Then I won’t be polite."

Before Marin could say anything else, Rod had already fallen onto her lap and closed his eyes. Faced with Rod’s sudden action, Marin’s body stiffened, and she was unable to move for a moment. By the time she finally reacted, Rod was already sound asleep.

"Such a brute!"

Gritting her teeth, Marin glared at the young man lying on her lap, who was now in a deep sleep. But soon, she sighed, shook her head, and carefully picked up Rod’s left hand.

Under the glow of magic, the mangled and pale hand made Marin gasp. Except for the thumb, the joints of Rod’s four fingers were torn open, bleeding profusely, a sight that was hard to bear.

"Such a serious injury..."

Although she had known Rod was badly hurt, seeing the extent of his injuries still made Marin tremble. She carefully took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from his hand, but her face showed a mix of pain and sympathy.

As a mage, Marin had indeed learned some emergency healing spells, but she had rarely used them. Mages rarely got injured, and when they did, they were usually close to death... at least in most cases.

But now, looking at her clumsy bandaging, Marin wished she could scold herself. She had never wished more to be an all-powerful genius. If she could learn to bandage properly in one go, it would be great. Now, looking at Rod’s fingers, which she had bandaged like carrots, she felt frustrated.

If Lise were here...

Marin suddenly paused.

For some reason, when she thought of Lise’s name, a hint of annoyance surfaced in her heart. Why? Lise was her best friend and a spirit master. If she were here, she could better treat Rod’s injuries. As her best friend, it was normal to think this. But for some reason, the thought of Lise treating Rod’s injuries made Marin feel somewhat unhappy... but even she did not know why.

Is it because I’m too tired from the past few days?

Furrowing her brow, she thought for a moment but found no answer. Finally, Marin shook her head, pushed the thought aside, and focused on bandaging Rod’s wounds.

In the vast ruins, silence reigned, with only the glow of magic flickering...