Chapter 84

After re-entering the forest, everyone was extremely tired, including Marin and Riz, who were both panting heavily. However, Rod did not stop his pace. He carried the spirit master who could barely walk and half-forced everyone to continue moving forward until they reached a clear spring. Only then did he order everyone to rest on the spot.

"Phew...!!"

Upon hearing Rod's command, everyone's tense nerves suddenly relaxed. They plopped down on the ground, too exhausted to move. Old Walker whistled softly and then sat on a rock, taking the opportunity to rest. Serek and Annie were the only two unaffected; one quietly observed the surroundings, while the other ran around the group, occasionally bringing them water and food.

"How long do you think it will take for you to recover your strength?"

Rod also sat on a rock and casually asked the spirit masters beside him. This was not a game; they couldn't just sit on the ground, eat a few bites of bread and water, and then be fully restored. Soul power, as the name suggests, was a force derived from the soul, similar to energy, but with a crucial difference: when you were exhausted, you would at most faint. But if your soul power was depleted, you would be left half-dead, if not dead.

In the game, there was a setting where once soul power was exhausted, the character's attributes would immediately drop by half. If you couldn't find a place to recover in time, you would soon understand how non-combat casualties were created. After coming to this world, Rod also discovered that the people here followed the same rule. They rarely used large amounts of soul power, especially spellcasters like Marin and Riz. Once they felt they couldn't continue, they would stop attacking decisively because they knew that overexertion could be fatal.

"At least... half an hour."

Hearing the exhausted response, Rod frowned. He thought this speed was too slow. After all, this place was not much safer than the previous battlefield. It was more like an enhanced version of the Black Forest they had initially entered. Here, those evil spirits would not just hide in the woods and observe. They would lie in wait and attack at any moment. The nature of spirits made them hard to detect, and this required the assistance of spirit masters, especially Riz's Holy Light. However, seeing the girl leaning on Marin's shoulder with her eyes closed, Rod understood that she wouldn't recover anytime soon.

Would they really be able to find any survivors after such a delay?

"What's wrong? You look so worried."

Serek's voice appeared beside Rod. Looking up, he saw the swordmaster smiling at him.

"We've wasted too much time."

Rod shook his head.

"I'm a bit worried."

"Wasted?"

Hearing Rod's response, Serek laughed in surprise. He looked at the young man in front of him, unsure of what to say. In Serek's view, they had already done an excellent job. From entering the Silent Highlands to now, they had spent less than four hours, considering the battles in between. Such performance was already perfect. Not to mention, they had no casualties, just a bit of fatigue. In Serek's opinion, no mercenary group in Deepstone City could do better. Seeing Rod's frustrated expression, he thought Rod was worried about something, but he didn't expect him to think they were moving too slowly.

If this were to be known, many mercenary leaders would be ashamed and commit suicide to atone for their failure...

"I think you've done a great job."

Serek, not understanding Rod's thoughts, stopped thinking about it and smiled bitterly, patting Rod's shoulder.

"Even if I were alone, I couldn't have reached here in such a short time. You managed to bring everyone here safely, which shows your strength. You are indeed an outstanding mercenary leader. At least in Deepstone City, I haven't seen anyone as reliable as you. And what I'm more curious about is..."

At this point, Serek narrowed his eyes, a hint of doubt in his gaze.

"How did you think of using the spirit master's healing spells to weaken those undead? This wasn't just a sudden idea, was it?"

"When I was in the Eastern Mountain Plains, I participated in several battles against undead creatures. As you know, in certain situations, to survive, one must try every possible method."

Rod lied without a hint of hesitation, but his explanation was not baseless. The Eastern Mountain Plains were on the edge of the Night Kingdom, a closed-off part of the Moon Principality. Although they had small-scale conflicts with the Night Kingdom, these conflicts had led to the emergence of a local specialty profession—the Soul Hunter. These warriors, who grew up in the Eastern Mountain Plains, were rare in the Kingdom of Light for their extensive experience in fighting undead creatures. Many of them faced undead attacks from the moment they could wield a sword. This struggle had lasted for centuries, but both sides were restrained, keeping the conflicts secret and preventing them from escalating.

Serek did not doubt Rod's explanation too much. He already knew Rod's background and was interested in him, considering that someone would leave such a closed-off world. The entire Moon Principality knew the mystery and isolation of the Eastern Mountain Plains. They almost never traded with outsiders, and it was difficult for outsiders to enter their territory. They quietly did their own things on their land, regardless of what others thought.

For a while, Serek suspected that Rod might be one of them, but now it seemed that he was quite different from the image of the Eastern Mountain Plains residents.

"I've heard about the brave warriors of the Eastern Mountain Plains and their battles against undead creatures. It seems to be true."

Serek wisely did not press the issue further. He just shrugged and looked around.

"This place isn't very safe."

Clearly, the swordmaster also sensed the danger hidden in the forest.

"I know, but we have no choice."

Rod frowned. He didn't want to reveal too much of his strength, as it wasn't a good thing. However, it seemed that their strength was significantly reduced. When dealing with undead creatures, holy beings were always the easiest to handle, so...

Thinking this, Rod stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find a friend, I'll be back soon."

Serek knew Rod was lying, but he didn't say anything. As a swordmaster, he appreciated Rod's attitude. Although it seemed like nonsense, it was also a polite way of telling him that there were things he didn't want him to know. Serek naturally didn't plan to ask more and just nodded, letting him go.

Seeing Rod walk into the nearby forest, Old Walker and Marin were about to stand up and follow, but Rod quickly stopped them with a gesture, indicating that he had something to do and would be back soon. Seeing Rod's gesture, although everyone was a bit puzzled, they still stopped and continued resting. After all, they had developed unconditional trust in Rod over this long period, so they didn't doubt his orders.

Walking a short distance into the forest, Rod looked around and, after confirming that no one was around, extended his right hand.

Soon, a summoning array emitted a bright magical light, and a white card appeared in Rod's hand, transforming into a magnificent holy sword that floated in front of him.

Yes.

In response to Rod's inner command, the pristine longsword immediately melted into a dazzling light, spreading lines that extended and condensed, quickly forming the beautiful girl once again.

"Master, I answer your call."

The girl supported herself with the longsword, kneeling on the ground, looking at Rod calmly and seriously. Her eyes were crystal clear, with a faint golden light shining in them, giving her an alluring charm.

Unlike Riz, who was half-trained, this was a pure angel.

"Stand up, no need to be so formal."

Facing the girl, Rod felt a bit uncomfortable. Although female spirits were not uncommon in summoning, such as water spirits and wind spirits, which were popular among players, they were still living beings. The girl in front of him, however, had transformed from a sword, which was a first for Rod. He had never seen a summoned spirit that transformed from an object, and the thought that this beautiful girl was originally a sword made him feel a bit strange.

"I need your help in the upcoming battle."

Rod spoke directly, as the girl was his summon, and there was no need to be polite.

"I assume you can sense the undead aura around here. They are troublesome... Can you die?"

"No, Master."

Hearing Rod's command, the angel girl shook her head slightly.

"I am not a pure living being, so I do not fear death. As long as your power sustains me, I will continue to exist."

"That's good."

Hearing the girl's response, Rod nodded in satisfaction.

"In a moment, I will take you out. Remember, from now on, you are... Do you have a name of your own?"

At this point, Rod realized he didn't know if the angel had a name.

"Yes, Master."

The girl raised her right hand and placed it on her chest.

"I am the tenth of the Eternal Holy Sword, Star Trace—Celia. When I take human form, you can call me Celia."

"Alright, Celia. Remember, in front of others, do not reveal your true identity. If you have any questions, you can ask me, understood?"

"Yes, Master."

Hearing Celia's response, Rod nodded in satisfaction and then turned around and walked back.

When he emerged from the forest, everyone had almost finished resting.

"Hey, kid, where did you go?"

Old Walker put the wine flask back at his waist and asked curiously. He looked up, curious about Rod, but his movements stopped when he saw the fully armed girl behind him.

"Mr. Rod?"

Riz also opened her eyes in surprise, standing up and looking curiously at the girl quietly following Rod. The others were no exception. This was not just because Rod had brought someone back after a short trip, but also because the girl's snow-white wings clearly told everyone that she was an angel.

After all, angels were very noble beings on the continent, mostly occupying high positions. Even the lowest-ranking angels had considerable status. In a place like Deepstone City, even the city lord might never see an angel in their lifetime. Now, Rod had somehow brought back an angel after a short trip?

Who is she?

Even Serek looked at the two with a mix of surprise and doubt, wondering the same thing.