329-336

Chapter 329: Self-Breakthrough

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Rhode's timing was just right.

When he appeared beside Barter, Barter had left an opening while he lifting up his swords. The hot flames and whirlwinds that surrounded him had blocked his sight and hearing. Not to mention, Rhode's agility was much higher than his. Although in terms of physical strength Rhode was still lower than him, but whether its agility or level, Rhode was far beyond him.

At this moment, facing the opening that he left him, Rhode quickly activated his strongest skill.

[Strom Slaughter, activate]

[Detecting attribute level breakthrough, Spatial Displacement activate, duration 5 seconds]

[Select location]

One to two, two to four, four to eight.

Rhode moved and his bright red sword beams flashed over and over. The straight red lines weaved into a spider web and warped Barter inside it. This scene couldn't help but make everyone shocked. That sharp sword seemed to have slashed the surrounding fire apart and trapped Barter inside it. At this time, Barter finally calmed down. He fiercely clenched his teeth and drew his swords once again.

"Earth, destroy my enemies!"

The two greatswords broke through Rhode's swordsmanship blockade without stopping and heavily hit the ground. His sword aura emerged from the ground and completely shrouded him like a barrier, sturdy as a mountain, blocking Rhode's sword attack from all directions.

"Clang!!"

Rhode's shadow flashed, but his speed was still unable to break through Barter's strength. For Barter to display his full power was already troublesome enough, not to mention his current berserking state. As long as Barter still stood on the ground, then he could use an unlimited supply of the earth's power. This part had put him at a disadvantage.

It's really terrifying.

A powerful force emerged from his swords, the impact making Rhode feel a little bit numb. His bright red sword issued a harsh colliding sound. At the same time, it also started slanting to the other side. If this Crimson Tears wasn't an artifact level weapon, then this blow would be enough to completely break it.

However, facing this attack, Rhode wasn't panicked. Instead, he was happy.

Nice!

As he thought of it, he released his right hand in an instant. The red sword that had lost its grip whistled and hovered into the air as if there was a power supporting it. Rhode backed down and stretched both of his hands to the side. Currently, there was a black and a white card in his hands.

[Give 75% damage, activation effect—Self-breakthrough]

Rhode stepped forward.

The black and white sword gave off a distinctive, different aura. It crossed over and broke through Barter's earth barrier.

The audiences couldn't see what happened clearly.

They only saw Barter slam the ground as he was trapped by Rhode's attack. Then, the earth shook and rushed up, swallowing up the bright red sword, flames, whirlwinds, and everything around it. However, after less than three seconds, everyone felt as if the entire world had suddenly disappeared. The earth barrier that was shrouding Barter was suddenly destroyed and someone flew out from it. That person hit the wall on the side of the ring. The impact was so great that even the audiences could feel the earthquake-like motion. The walls that were reinforced with steel plates and granite stones were unable to block the impact and the person formed a hole. He was just slammed like a giant beast and destroyed the entire arena. Even some of the audience had fallen from into the crack.

The disaster continued and stopped until it reached the third platform. The crowd stood at the front, surprised as they saw Barter stuck there. He was still holding both of his swords crossed before him. It seemed like he still managed to defend himself in the end.

How... how could this be?

Viktor gasped and subconsciously stood up. Not only him, but everyone also looked at him the same way. They were looking at Rhode who quietly stood in the ring, speechless. The powerful Barter was actually defeated easily by him? Who is this young man actually?

Naturally, the audiences was unable to see their actions clearly; they only knew that it was very intense and ended very fast. Judging from this point, Rhode's strength definitely had surpassed Barter's. Only the veterans were able to see the truth behind his victory. Including Anne: she also had noticed that their next attack would be a fatal blow to determine the winner. However, in the end, she still couldn't really see what happened.

It was no wonder; even Rhode himself couldn't figure out what was happening.

He only stood there, looking at Barter who was lying unconscious on the high platform. His mind was currently in a state of confusion.

At first, the situation was still going according to his plan. He used his full power by activating Storm Slaughter and the limit breakthrough triggered one of the Composition Adornment's attributes, Spatial Displacement. At the same time, Barter's counterattack disrupted his attack. Even so, the buff from Spatial Displacement didn't disappear, due to Barter's counterattack having exceeded Rhode's tolerance. Instead, it had triggered the second Composition Adornment attribute, Self-breakthrough.

As for the third attribute of Composition Adornment, it was calculated and displayed separately according to the additional attributes of the holder's equipment. The Spatial Displacement was derived from the Rhode's agility and additional agility attributes carried by Rhode's equipment, plus the agility boost from the skills outbreak. The trigger condition was reached after the three values of the agility attributes were added. As for Self-breakthrough, the second attribute of his equipment was vitality.

Although Rhode was clever enough to obtain many pieces of equipment from mercenary groups, naturally, a player's equipment wasn't standard like an NPC's. Rhode needed more equipment that could add more damage and critical chance. After all, for a player, higher DPS meant a higher winning rate. But for NPCs, they valued equipment that could save their lives more. Even though they didn't have a system that could show the equipment attributes like Rhode did, their first choice would always be equipment that would make one stronger and less likely to die.

It was precisely because of this, most equipment he had obtained was like this. The equipment was either for HP restoration, increasing vitality or physical defense. The equipment that Rhode needed the most, for increasing speed and critical chance, was nowhere to be found.

Those NPCs were deserved to be killed by the players and get their loots taken. Who told them to use all the MT gears that had no damage? But since the equipment attribute of the Composition Adornment still had to be decided, in the end, Rhode chose to add vitality. The reason was also very simple; the Composition Adornment needed its own attribute in order to exert its ultimate effect. If he didn't choose a good attribute, the effect would be less satisfactory. So far, his mixed-race had not yet been identified; thus, he could only guess his own attributes. Although currently, his agility should be the highest, but he believed that his vitality was certainly not low either. This point could be proven from the fact he had survived after falling off from a floating ship even though he was heavily injured. Precisely because of this, Rhode chose some pieces of equipment that would increase his vitality. If he could trigger a special effect such as increasing vitality or a self-recovery ability, then it would be worth it.

But he didn't expect that the effect triggered would be like this.

[Self-breakthrough: 50% of damage dealt during the skill duration will be absorbed and all the attributes will be increased one level above the opponent level. Lasts for 5 seconds.]

This skill seemed odd at the first glance, but he still felt relieved after he saw it because it was just as good as Spatial Displacement.

The effect of this skill was actually very simple to explain. Assume that Rhode was a Level 1 player and he suffered from a damage caused by a Level 10 monster. Because in this world, skill level was linked to character level, Self-breakthrough would be automatically triggered and his physical attributes would be forcibly increased to Level 11 to resist the damage.

Although this skill seemed bland and could only be used to resist damage, Rhode was very clear that when this skill was triggered, all the attributes in his body, including agility, will, vitality, and all others would be forcibly increased to Level 11. Even though it could only last for 5 seconds, the fact that Rhode's attributes would increase didn't change.

This battle wasn't as simple as the battle between a Level 1 player and a Level 10 monster. This was a battle between two swordmaster.

Although there was no way in a normal battle between two swordmaster, the other person would receive 50% damage, Rhode was an exception. Although he had a skills of a swordmaster, he didn't have the physical attributes of a swordmaster. His current physical attributes were only at the elite level at most. Even if some of his attributes were higher than the others, but overall, he was still incomparable to Barter.

That was why Rhode had been waiting. He had been preserving his strength to face the opponent's fatal blow. He knew if Barter attacked him with full force, then he would definitely be unable to withstand it. But as long as he dealt 50% damage, the [Self-breakthrough] skill would immediately activate.

According to the description of this attribute itself, it was bound to automatically increase Rhode's physical attributes one level higher than master level.

That would be the legendary level.

In fact, when [Self-breakthrough] was triggered, Rhode did feel as if he had broken through an invisible barrier and entered an area that was out of a mortal reach. At that moment, he had enough confidence to defeat Barter and achieve an overwhelming victory.

However, the next thing that happened was beyond his expectations.

He originally thought that after raising his attributes to the legendary level, his agility attribute would have evolved to something similar as Spatial Displacement or Spatial Tear. Since before he triggered [Self-breakthrough], due to the [Spatial Displacement], his agility attribute was the highest among all of his physical attributes. In that case, when he reached the legend level, it should be natural for his next attribute's evolution to be related to agility too.

But reality was completely different.

When both of Rhode's swords collided with Barter's attack, it seemed like his attack had been anuled. Even Barter's attack seemed to have instantly disappeared. It was as if the whole world had turned into nothingness. Rhode only saw a chaotic circle rune appear in the center of the place where his swords crossed, and then Barter's earth power suddenly disappear. Afterward,s Barter was heavily sent flying.

What exactly happened?

He also had no idea what happened, but in any case, he was certain that it was definitely not an attributes evolution. Thinking until here, he instinctively wanted to replay the previous battle recording and finally realized that this was not the game world and there was no battle recording extension in his brain.

Fortunately, the system didn't show the skill record in the previous battle. Otherwise, he would have been annoyed long ago. But now, he would probably think that it was better to be annoyed.

That power was too weird. At that time he felt like everything had turned into nothingness. It was as if he or his enemy and all the things in this world no longer existed or had never existed. This bizarre feeling made him feel very uncomfortable, and he even dozed off at the same time that strange power broke out and sent Barter flying.

However... this skill was really easy to use, it's just that...

Rhode couldn't help but calm himself down and swallow the blood in his throat that had almost blurted out. Absorbing the damage did not mean that the damage didn't affect him. It was impossible to increase a physical attribute without any cost. Right now, he couldn't even lift up his sword. Now, Rhode felt that it was already impossible for his hands to lift a sword, but fortunately, Star Mark and Nightmare weren't ordinary weapons. Else, there was no way he could stand all the way to that moment.

In the eyes of others, Rhode didn't seem to be affected at all. Currently, Rhode's usual poker face turned out to be useful. Although he felt really bad, his face was still as indifferent as usual. This made everyone think that Rhode was only waiting for the result to be announced.

Crumble.

At this moment, a crumbling sound sounded. The sturdy, tall figure that was pinned into the stone wall suddenly stood up. Barter was using both of his swords to support his body and stand up. It seemed that he was currently heavily injured and couldn't even stand up properly. However, the fact that he was still alive made everyone feel surprised...

"Hey kid, not bad."

He ignored the inexplicable gaze of others as he smiled at Rhode and spoke. It seemed the burning flame in his eyes hadn't dissipated.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this excited. You are amazing! Not bad; we should spar again next time!!"

Having said that, Barter put his swords back. Then, he walked to the high platform and waved his hands towards his subordinates.

"Alright kids, the show is over. Let's go back and have a drink!"

"Is it really okay, Mr. Barter?"

At this moment, Rhode frowned and curiously asked.

"Although I admit that keeping promises is a virtue, I'm still curious: why did you propose such a bet? To tell you the truth, I'm also very exhausted now, and if you continued, perhaps you could still eliminate us."

"You're just as sly as Viktor."

Upon hearing Rhode's question, Barter laughed and pointed a finger at Rhode.

"You don't have to talk in circles. If it's not because of that bet, there's no way that you would have fought me with your full power. If that happened, who knew what the result will be. It's okay now; it's been a long time since I met someone who could make me look this pitiful. Kid, I shall leave the rest to you. Go and bury that b*stard Rosen in the arena!"

After saying it, Barter turned away without looking back and waved his hands.

"Let's go celebrate our loss, kids and compensate the regret that you kids felt since you guys weren't able to join the match. I'll treat you today and let you guys have a good time! Ah..."

Saying this, Barter couldn't support his body anymore and lost his balance. At this moment, the masked girl who stood beside him quickly held him up. She looked at Rhode and nodded as she left.

Seeing that the people from Purple Lily had left, Rhode also turned around and walked towards his subordinates.

"Alright, let's go back," said Rhode.

Chapter 330: Aftershocks

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

That was the end of the match.

From the beginning to the end, not even twenty minutes had passed. This seemed to be the shortest match in the long history of the Midsummer Festival. However, this time, the audiences did not complain as they did before. Instead, they excitedly left the holy arena as they discussed today's match.

Although from the first day of the Midsummer Festival til today, there were a lot of good matches, but none were comparable to today's match. Not only did they see Barter, the leader of Purple Lily, display his full power, they also saw that young man's true strength. All of this made them awestruck. Just a day before, people were gossiping about Starlight's victory against Sky Sword being pure luck instantly changed their view. Most of the experienced swordsmen and mercenaries among the audiences understood and saw the strength differences between the two. So, from their point of view, since Rhode was able to beat Barter without any injuries in just one hit, his strength probably had almost reached the legendary level or had even already reached the legendary level.

As soon as this statement was spread, everyone was shocked. The people who lived in Golden City weren't ignorant villagers. Naturally, they knew what a legendary level meant. At this time, Starlight's reputation had kept increasing. Barter's strength was known as one of the strongest among the four major guilds. Of course, he was only considered one of them because Rosen still existed. Although it had been a long time since Rosen appeared in the mercenary world, everyone had still heard of him. 'Rosen, the Berserker' was a name not only well-known in the Munn Kingdom, but almost the entire Dragon Soul Continent.

Originally, many people thought that the last battle would be the most worthwhile. The strongest warrior among the younger generation, Barter, vs. Rosen, who had enjoyed his fame for long. This battle would determine who was the strongest warrior in the Munn Kingdom. But now, another person suddenly appeared and abruptly changed the outcome.

However, they weren't disappointed with the current outcome. To the contrary, they really looked forward to seeing it and felt really excited. After all, compared to Barter, who had been known for years, this young man was obviously more attractive and was a better gimmick. Although there were no reporters in this world, a human was born with the instinct to gossip; there was no need to provoke them into doing so.

They were currently guessing Rhode's real identity. No matter what, it was impossible for this young man to be an ordinary mercenary. He seemed to be just in his early 20s, but the fact he was able to reach a legendary level at that age meant that his identity wasn't simple.

Some people who speculated that he might be from an ancient noble family that came to Golden City for something. Perhaps, after the Midsummer Festival, the major authority and power holder in the Golden City would change once again. There were also some people who thought that he was the disciple of a legendary master that came out to travel and see the world. Otherwise, with such a powerful force, why did he choose to form a mercenary group? There was an even more ridiculous rumor that said that Rhode was the guardian of Lydia and might even be her fiancé. It was not hard to understand; the fact that Lydia liked beautiful things was known to everyone. Rhode's beautiful face was enough to be the talk of the town, and now he actually had legendary level strength. These talks had escalated to another level.

Everyone had their own ideas. Now that the battle was over, they couldn't wait to find someone to share their opinions with. Because of this, no one felt disappointed that the match had ended early. To the contrary, they felt really fortunate because it would give them enough time to talk about and speculate what they had just seen. According to the usual schedule, the match would have lasted at least until noon, and by then, there would be less than two or three hours for them to talk before the group battle started. Obviously, the time was not enough for them to talk about this topic. Now that everyone had left the field, naturally, they also didn't have to wait any longer and could leave immediately.

"Really interesting."

In the crowd, Waltz frowned as he looked at Rhode figure, which had already disappeared. Currently, his mood was not good at all.

Of course it wasn't good. The fact that Mobis had lost in the previous battle was already embarrassing enough for the reformist party. The reason he came here to check on Barter was to find out whether he would be a threat to the reformist party. He didn't expect that he would actually encounter a bigger threat.

Legendary level.

Thinking until here, Waltz shifted his gaze towards the old man beside him. He also wasn't clear what level Rosen had reached. He had reached the peak of master level swordsman when he retired, so he should have reached legendary level too. He was also clear that although there was only a one level gap between the master level and legendary level, the gap was like unreachable sky. There were a lot of swordmasters who were unable to surpass that gap in their entire life. Although when one reached the master level, they would be able to live up to hundreds years of age, even they used their whole life, they would still be unable to overcome it.

That's why Waltz was also unclear of whether Rosen had reached the legendary level or not. Out of courtesy, he chose not to ask this question. Since Rosen had a strange personality, it was not wise to provoke him. Although he was a loyal reformist, his beliefs were quite different from the current reformists due to his age. Those reformist nobles knew that they couldn't win over Lydia's authority. Therefore, they tried to use the power of the Country of Light in order to achieve their goals. However, Rosen always scoffed about this. He didn't trust the Country of Light, and he only wanted to gain more authority through the reformist party. It was also the foundation of reformism. They wanted to overthrow the current system and create a whole new country like the Country of Light, where they could have their own liberty. But now, their fear and weakness had overwhelmed their desire for power. They were now more like a slave of the Country of Light, where they felt content receiving their leftovers.

This was naturally intolerable to Rosen. In his point of view, the weak actions of the reformists had tarnished the ideals they had originally created. One person was not supposed to determine the fate of a country—everyone should decide together. But now, these garbages had abandoned their ideals and turned their heads to ask for the Parliament for protection? How was this different from asking them to surrender in front of that cocky little girl?

In the end, they still couldn't become the master of their own lives.

Although Rosen was rather dissatisfied with the softening side of the reformists, under the plea of ​the reformers, he still showed up in the end. He knew very well what this Midsummer Festival meant for the reformists. If they lost here, then it meant they lost everything. That moody Archangel was likely going to take this opportunity to thoroughly uproot the reformist party and this was something that Rosen couldn't tolerate. Even if the reformists were weak and incompetent, but it was once and is still his ideal. As long as the reformist still existed, he believed that there would be someone competent in the future. Even if this was a barren mountain, as long as the rain arrived, green grasses would grow.

That's why Rosen eventually came here.

"Mr. Rosen, it seems like we have encountered a strong enemy."

Waltz clenched his teeth and said. He did not really pay attention to when Mobis was defeated. After all, Mobis only knew how to play petty tricks and his strength was the worst among them. So it was not really surprising that he was defeated. At that time, Waltz was only a bit surprised to see Rhode's strength, but he still felt that it was only so-so. As Viktor had thought before, people like Rhode could be seen everywhere. Only small unnamed nobles would be scared off by a swordmaster in his early twenties. In his eyes, he was just a gem of a slightly better texture.

But it was a completely different story when the gem turned out to be a diamond.

Legendary level.

Thinking of this, Waltz could not help but finally understand why that young man had actually dared to threaten him in the public. With his strength, surely it was not a difficult thing for him to kill Waltz at that time. Luckily, his luck wasn't bad... But what should he do next? Should he just gamble?

Not only that, judging from his actions, he seemed to be a part of the King's party. This could be a big problem. A strong legendary level warrior. Even the Country of Light wouldn't dare to provoke him upfront. Did the heavens really want to destroy the reformists?

These past two days, unlucky things kept happening one after the other. That b*stard Edward was also missing. At first, he wanted to send someone to find him. But now, it seemed like there were no other ways besides reporting it now... Ah what have I done? Why do bad things keep happening to me?

Thinking of this, Waltz bit his teeth and wanted to say something more, but Rosen sat beside him suddenly stood up.

"Hmph, interesting."

He only said this sentence, then he walked towards the exit, leaving Waltz sitting still. Seeing Rosen's figure, he did not know what to say. Interesting? What does this mean? Is he sure? Or not sure? At least give me a more reassuring answer!

Forget it, he couldn't rely on Rosen too much.

Thinking until here, Waltz shook his head. He also stood up, looking towards the empty passage.

It seems like I can only rely on myself to solve it.

Thump!!

Rhode fell to the ground. The cold arena was filled with blood. Beside him, Lize and Lapis were rushing to help him.

"Mr. Rhode, Mr. Rhode, are you okay??"

"Sir Guardian, are you still alive?!"

It's no wonder that the both of them were so flustered. After he walked down from the ring, he immediately fell to the ground. Everyone saw that blood kept spewing out of his mouth without any end. His eyes, nose, and ears were also bleeding. This scene made everyone look pale. Lapis was scared and almost fainted. Fortunately, Lize reacted in a timely manner and quickly reached out to cast several healing spells on Rhode and managed to stabilize his injury.

"Sigh... don't worry, he won't die."

After he vomited turbid things that condensed into black blood clots, he finally felt a lot better. The Self-breakthrough ability was really crazy; just now, he thought he would really die like this. Forcibly increasing his level was more than what his body could endure. He could even feel that all of his internal organs had been injured. If he were in his previous world, he would have died if he wasn't sent to the hospital as soon as possible. He could have even died after being sent to the hospital and could only give in to fate. However, in this world, the Cleric healing ability was stronger than hospitals in his former world.

In fact, if it wasn't because he was forcing himself to suppress the injury and let the side effect occur immediately after the [Self-breakthrough] effect disappeared, his injury would not be so serious. But Rhode did not do that. He was keenly aware of the gazes among the audience. He didn't want to reveal his weak side in front of his enemies.

"Cough cough..."

Although Lize's current spiritual skill had also improved following the improvement of her level, but the effect of her healing spell was not very good. Rhode could still feel the blood in his internal organs condensing into blood clots, which made him feel uncomfortable and want to spit out the dirty stuff. Well, it was still much better than death.

Anne looked unusual. She put her hands on her chest and her face was extremely pale. She still jokingly hit Rhode's body and complained that he had stolen her chance to fight, but she didn't expect that he would have such a reaction. Anne stood there and didn't know what to say. She only stared blankly at Rhode, who was accepting Lize's treatment, while next to her, Lapis was desperately trying to help him wiped off the blood with a handkerchief. On the other hand, she couldn't do anything.

It wasn't only Anne—even Randolf and Joey were scared. Rhode had always been indifferent in front of them. They never thought that there would be a day where this young man would actually be injured. Holy Spirit, when he killed that demon, he wasn't even injured.

Is that person so powerful?

"Sigh... I'm okay, thank you."

Rhode stretched out his hand and wiped off the blood on the corner of his mouth, then he drank the healing potion Lapis handed him. The cold and sweet syrup instantly flowed through his body along with the effects of the healing magic. He stood up and felt a little bit dizzy; at this moment, Lize hurriedly moved forward to support him.

"You need to rest, Mr. Rhode!"

"Don't worry, it's just a small injury."

Looking at Lize who was concerned, Rhode patted her shoulder and comforted her. He could feel that his body was recovering very quickly. If everything went well, he should be restored to his original state by tomorrow morning.

Rhode's understatement made Randolf and Joey feel in awe. A small injury? He was bleeding everywhere but still said they were minor injuries? Our leader is really not a human ah...

However, now Rhode's skepticism towards the [Self-breakthrough] skill was getting higher and higher. The reason he used the Composition Adornment at first was to complement his swordsmanship, so he only noticed [Spatial Displacement]. As for [Self-breakthrough], he only kind of guessed the skill effect, but never really experienced it. It was a passive skill and could only be triggered once the requirements had been met. There was no one in Deep Stone City that could give him 50% damage. But after using this skill for the first time, Rhode felt that [Self-breakthrough] was a more powerful skill than the [Spatial Displacement]. But according to the Composition Adornment characteristics, his vitality was even higher than the agility that he had worked hard to increase. And not just a little higher?

As the former leader of a player's guild, Rhode naturally also knew about MT attributes and gears. Although he was responsible for the damage, he certainly had to understand the attributes and skills of other players. The vitality of MTs was very high. However, even among them, no one once possessed skills such as [Self-breakthrough]. After all, this skill was too OP. If the game really had such a skill, then an MT only needed to strike the boss once and could immediately kill the boss afterward, letting the healer restore his HP back. If such a cheat-like ability existed in the game, it was impossible for him to not have any news about it at all.

So there were only two possibilities. Either his vitality had exceeded the vitality of all the MTs in the game, or this skill had never existed in the game. Although both were possible, but...

They didn't make any sense!

Thinking of this, Rhode couldn't help but cry inside. He wondered if it was really alright for him to choose agility when he first advanced. However, this idea quickly flashed through his mind. He didn't regret his choice. After all, even if he had a strong vitality, he still wasn't good at MT-like melee combat. It was not the battle mode he was familiar with and good at.

Even so, Rhode could not help but wonder; if he had chosen to strengthen his vitality, would he have gotten an even more abnormal skill than [Self-breakthrough]?

After a moment, he finally felt relieved. Even though he felt powerless right now, but at least it was not as severe as before, where he couldn't even stand still.

After that, Rhode wore a cloak to cover the blood on his body and gestured everyone to leave.

"Alright, let's go."

"Go?"

Hearing these words, Lize was stunned.

"Mr. Rhode, you should rest a little more..."

"No, we have to go back quickly. I have something to do."

Rhode frowned. His thought drifted back to the pair of shameless people in the prison guarded by Gillian. That man's identity wasn't ordinary; he should have gotten enough information from him. If he delayed it and the other party noticed something was wrong, then he would be in a big trouble.

Chapter 331: The Trap of Alanic Foundation (1)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

When Rhode and the others returned to the base, Marlene had already changed her clothes. She stood in the hall while gazing out the window. She couldn't help but feel startled and turn around when she heard a sound of the door.

"How come you guys came back so early?"

"The battle ended quickly, that's why we came back earlier... how do you feel?"

Rhode nodded and replied. But as Marlene heard Rhode's voice, she lowered her head, feeling flustered, not even answering Rhode's question. This scene made Lize feel a little strange, due to her understanding of Marlene. She shouldn't be the type to get flustered when someone asked her something. What happened? Has she not awoken yet? Or does she feel uncomfortable somewhere?

At this moment, Marlene seemed to realize that her behavior was a little strange. She lightly coughed and when she looked up, her facial expression had returned to usual.

"How come it ended so early? Supposedly now the second game has just started, right?"

"You're right. We only had one match. Barter was difficult to deal with, but fortunately, we still won."

Rhode simply told Marlene about the bet he had with Barter. Afterward, he looked at his own cloak and said.

"Marlene, go get ready. We still have something important to do. I'll go and change my clothes."

"Okay, Mr. Rhode..."

Upon hearing this statement, Marlene was slightly startled, but she quickly answered. Rhode only waved his hand and turned around to leave. She dozed off as she gazed at Rhode's back intently. Until a moment later, Lize's voice had finally brought her back to reality.

"What's wrong, Marlene? You seem strange today; are you feeling unwell? What happened yesterday?"

"Eh? This..."

Marlene was taken aback by this sudden question. She quickly calmed down her mind and looked at Lize. Then she forced herself to smile as she shook her head.

"Something indeed happened... but don't worry, Lize, everything has passed..."

In the last sentence, Marlene's tone subconsciously lightened. Everything has passed... Could it really be forgotten that easily? She might no longer remember those hateful things, but how about the things that were deeply etched into her memories? Would they also disappear?

Marlene could be regarded as a role model among the nobility. Her strict education made her manner to be graceful, strong-willed, and sensible. During the days of adventure, she had overcome her weak side and began to transform into a beautiful butterfly. However, she's still a girl after all. Even though she was usually calm and rational, but when something like this happened to her, she was still unable to calm herself down.

Although Marlene knew that she didn't hate Rhode for what he had done, when he acted just like usual, she felt really restless. She understood that Rhode was trying to lighten down her mood because of what happened yesterday, but she couldn't help but feel a little gloomy. She couldn't even understand whether the empty feeling in her heart was because she felt relaxed or disappointed...

"It just that my mind is a little bit preoccupied, but then again... Anne seems to look unwell too?"

Marlene wasn't trying to shift the topic, it was just that Anne obviously looked very unusual. She didn't cheer, scream, and tell everyone what she did after she came back. She usually would always be lively, cheerful, and never looked tired at all. But today, she only stood quietly behind like a lady... It was indeed very strange.

"Eh? Ah... this..."

What Marlene didn't expect was that Lize also began to look strange after she uttered that sentence. She seemed to not know what to say. She took a few steps back and smiled awkwardly.

"Actually, actually nothing happened. Perhaps, Anne is a bit tired today. Well, well, I know that everyone is tired today, so let's go back and rest."

After Lize finished her sentence, she turned around towards the others. After hearing Lize's words, Lapis and Anne nodded, then they walked towards their room.

"Then, I'm going to make some preparations first, Marlene."

Until everyone had gone away, Lize finally felt relieved. Rhode forbade them from telling the others, including Marlene, what happened in the arena. Even if she was Marlene's close friend, she still didn't intend to break this promise. It wasn't only to comply with Rhode's order, but also because she was worried about Marlene's physical and psychological condition. Although Rhode and Gillian didn't specify much about what happened to Marlene, but she knew that it definitely wasn't something small. Because of that, Lize didn't want to increase Marlene's burden with this kind of thing. Not to mention, Rhode also seemed to be recovering, so there was no need to raise the matter up.

Originally, with Marlene's keenness, it was not difficult for her to perceive Lize's lie, but she was too busy with her own problems and didn't pay much attention at all. Lize also felt uneasy for hiding the truth from Marlene, so she didn't pay attention to Marlene's facial expression either. The two sides actually maintained a bizarre tacit agreement. Then, Lize walked away, leaving Marlene who was still standing in the living room while dozing off.

After a moment, Rhode, who had changed his clothes went to the living room and watched the girl as she dozed off. He shook his head helplessly and knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

The door's knocking sound awakened Marlene from her daydream. She trembled then looked at Rhode who was nodding towards her.

"Let's go, Ms. Marlene."

The temporary base that they currently lived in was a Security Corps base in the past. Therefore, there were a lot of prisons here. Followed with the relocation of the Security Corps, these prisons naturally lose their function and turned into cellars for storing food. However, even so, they still retain some of the features of the prison. When Rhode and Marlene walked into the ground, Gillian was swinging and sitting around the chair. Not far behind her, Ellenson and that man were chained by a fire whip. The man was still unconscious at this moment and Gillian looked extremely bored. It seemed that if he were a little bit later, she would have fallen into sleep.

"Oh, master, you are finally here!"

Seeing Rhode and Marlene, Gillian immediately jumped and lazily yawned.

"Yes, if you come a little later, I'm going to be bored to death. The humidity in this place is so heavy and it isn't good for the skin..."

"How are they?"

Rhode didn't seem to care about her complaints and directly inquired.

"They are still unconscious, Sir. The effect of Lapis's potion is pretty good; if I knew, I wouldn't have to guard them..."

"It's always better to be more careful."

Rhode shook his head, then he walked up towards the man and opened the potion in his hand. Soon, a pungent stench spread out.

Even Marlene and Gillian couldn't help but step back while holding their nose. Rhode himself also couldn't help but twitch his nose. He quickly came closer to the unconscious man, squeezed his mouth and poured the potion in.

The effect was very good.

Less than five seconds, the man opened his eyes. He curled up, wretched and struggled. It seemed that the potion wasn't as simple as just having a pungent stench.

A moment later, the man looked up as he wheezed. He blinked and looked at everything before him awkwardly, then he locked his sight at Rhode, who was standing in front of him.

"You, who are you!"

The man shouted and asked. He struggled hard and found out that he had been tied up. However, the man's response was really fast. He just stopped struggling immediately and glared at Rhode.

"No matter who you are... Do you know that you won't be able to afford the consequences for treating me like this?!"

"Tch."

Hearing his intimidation, Rhode only coldly snorted and heavily kicked his lower abdomen. This blow caused him involuntarily groaned and instinctively curled up. At this time, Rhode lowered his head and whispered to him.

"Alanic's son of a b*tch, it seems that you still do not understand the situation you're currently in. Did you inherit your low IQ from the orcs?"

"You...!!"

Hearing this, the man looked at Rhode in disbelief. He coldly glared at Rhode but he didn't know what to say.

Marlene also looked at Rhode in surprise as she heard Rhode's words.

"Alanic?"

Chapter 332: The Trap of Alanic Foundation (2)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

It's no wonder that Marlene was shocked; the Alanic surname wasn't unfamiliar at all. That family had one of the top Foundations in the Country of Light, which was the Alanic Foundation. Their main business was firearms. They had power and authority in the entire Country of Light—even the weapons of their Justice of Light Army and Sword of Freedom Army were provided by the Alanic Foundation. Not only that, small countries under the Country of Light also purchased their weapons from the Alanic Foundation. However, in the Munn Kingdom, the name of Alanic Foundation wasn't something that was well received because there had been rumors in the nobility that the Alanic Foundation had sent some weapons privately to the reformers. Even the riots that had happened several times before were plotted by them.

At this time, Marlene immediately noticed that something was wrong. For the people from the Alanic family to appear here and want to do something towards her as the heir of Senia family, this fact itself could even turn into a major diplomatic problem. Although Alanic seemed to be only an ordinary foundation, anyone who was familiar with the Country of Light knew that in fact, the Top Five Foundations were the real rulers of the Country of Light. They dominated the country's core resources: monetary, minerals, military, and grains. The members of the so-called 'Light Parliament' representing the people were merely their puppets.

One of the most powerful foundations was the Alanic Foundation. They monopolized all the firearms and grains of the Country of Light. They were extremely influential in the Country of Light and was even privately called the ruler of Country of Light. It was also evident that the Alanic Foundation had the ambition to dominate the entire Country of Light. Their foundation badge symbol was a sword that pierced through the center of a golden dragon. According to the interpretation of the people from Alanic Foundation, it was to pay a tribute to the Light Dragon, but some people could see the true meaning of the badge.

It was precisely because of this that the relationship between Alanic, the Guardian of Dragon Light, and the Munn Kingdom was not good. It was not only because the Munn Kingdom was not accustomed to the way of Alanic in trying to 'take care of the ruler's seat', it was also because the Munn Kingdom had blocked their financial road. Originally, in order to expand its influence, the Alanic Foundation would embargo certain 'unobedient' territories, such as prohibiting them from buying or selling grain, weapons, equipment or even ores, thereby forcing those territories and small countries to the corner. However, at this time, the Munn Kingdom would lend their hand and even sell those resources at a lower price than Alanic Foundation, with no imposed condition, as a normal trade. This loss made the Alanic Foundation feel hatred towards te Munn Kingdom. Not to mention, the Munn Kingdom also didn't impose any conditions, so it naturally had won the favor of many territories and small countries. Precisely because of this, most of the countries under the Light Dragon's territory was an ally of Munn Kingdom. There were still a small number of people who had been standing firmly by the Munn Kingdom's side.

It could be said that the Munn Kingdom was both an opponent of Alanic Foundation from a political and monetary perspective, so they had always been very dissatisfied with the Munn Kingdom. But now, Marlene was clear that their actions towards Munn Kingdom had surpassed the scope of being 'dissatisfied'. What they were doing was simply provoking a war!

Marlene was only surprised. On the other hand, that man was coldly glaring at Rhode.

He didn't expect that Rhode could state his identity in just a sentence.

This man was called Edward Alanic. It could be said that he was also one of the members of the Alanic family. However, there were not many people who knew about his identity.

His mother was a member of the Alanic Family and later married to the Hovanie family because of political reasons. But after marriage, she discovered that her husband didn't have 'that' ability. Of course, for a woman, it was unbearable, but there was nothing she could do because it was a marriage without love. It was only for the sake of both families.

Debauchery was common among the nobles and she was also a political trader. She was not worried about any betrayal or guilt. But after all, she was a woman, and she couldn't help but feel really lonely. However, she also had her own political mission; if she stole another man, a problem might occur. In the end, she finally found a solution.

In order to seek stimuli, she began to seek males outside the human race to fulfill her sexual pleasure. From pigs to horses, orc, to elves. From this point of view, it could be seen that this woman's taste was really quite heavy. However, in the end, she was tired of it. There was a time when she brought back an orc slave from the auction. The orc's 'strength' was too unbelievable, causing her to play with the other party for a long time. As a result, she realized that she was pregnant.

Although the orcs looked like beasts, they were similar to humans to some extent. Not to mention, there were also rumors in remote mountainous regions that orcs took away female humans for reproduction. Therefore, it was no wonder that she would become pregnant. However, this matter caused quite some trouble back them. Even though the man who married her was quite unhappy about this, but before the Alanic Foundation, he was only a small insect. Moreover, he himself did not have that 'ability', so he could only bite the bullet and get cheated on.

However, to the Alanic Foundation, it was still a bad scandal. That's why Edward's birth was regarded as a secret, so not many people knew about it. When he grew up, the Alanic Family discovered that he had inherited his father's powerful 'ability'. He could make women abandon everything for him. Later on, they began to use Edward's ability to secretly seduce other consortia and women from influential families, let them fall into his seduction and become his slave, thus providing information and even financial assistance for the Alanic Foundation.

Because of that, not many people knew about Edwards's existence. He was more like a behind-the-scenes existence; even if the other families and foundations found something wrong, it would still be difficult for those seduced women to spit out any information about it. With the help of the consortium, it was difficult to torture intelligence from a woman's mouth. With the help of the 'Fragrance of Seduction', those women would completely surrender under him and would even offer their life to him. So Edward was never worried that his identity might be revealed. The others only thought that he was just a rich second generation of the Alanic Foundation who lived a life of idleness. No one knew that this prodigal son would be such a poisonous snake.

However, in the game, this man was famous among the players. Several chain quests in the Country of Light were ultimately related to him. Many players were commissioned by those families who suffered his treachery to investigate the incident. There were about eighteen, nineteen cases which were linked to him. However, the outcome of these quests differed. Some of the young girls that the players protected committed suicide after Edward was killed. There were even players who were almost killed by Edward because of they were lured into traps by those seemingly pitiful girls.

Many of the players were older otakus, and the young girls in the game were particularly beautiful. Naturally, they had a good impression towards them. In the end, when the truth was exposed, they finally found out that the girls they had always loved and admired were actually another men's slave. A lot of players were unable to accept this fact. Edward was definitely one of the top three most hated NPCs in the game.

It was precisely because of this that Edward was stunned when Rhode called out his identity.

He was not a fool. Even in the Alanic Foundation, his own identity was only known by a handful of people, but this strange man could actually figure out his own identity. This man definitely wasn't simple!

Thinking of this, Edward soon calmed down. His first reaction was thinking whether there was a traitor among his men. Otherwise, he would have succeeded already. Where did this man come from? Does it mean that he has long noticed that the situation is wrong? But it didn't make sense. If he really knew his plan, it was absolutely impossible for Marlene to come. If it was a trap to lure him, it still didn't seem right either. Judging from Marlene's facial expression previously, she was surprised to see him and if Marlene was really told in advance, then she would never be so angry and sad.

The only explanation was that there was a traitor! Certainly, there must be someone who noticed something was wrong and reported it to this man, destroying his plans. Otherwise, that place was so hidden. How could he have found it so quickly?

It was no wonder Edward would think so. He certainly didn't know that there was a mercenary group stronghold system in Rhode's body that could accurately track everyone's location. Or else, even if he knew the place she was at, it would still be difficult for Rhode to find the exact position.

Who is this man actually?!

Edward stayed vigilant. He coldly glared at Rhode while quickly thinking who might be the possible traitor among his men. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find any clue. He knew what position the Senia family held in the Munn Kingdom. Although he was only following instructions, he knew very well that if something happened to him, the Alanic Foundation would never admit it, so he was always careful. This time, he didn't even inform his subordinates, but carefully tricked Ellenson to his side before directly went for Marlene. He was sure that he was not careless at all and didn't disclose his plans to anyone. So, how did this man know all this?

"I will give you a chance now, Mr. Edward."

Rhode stepped back and said.

"Although I already know what you are doing and what you want to do, I still want to hear you confess your crime... in front of the lady who was almost offended by you. Of course, you can also choose to shut up, but at that time, please be prepared for the consequences."

"... I don't understand what you are saying, sir."

Edward looked at the unconscious Ellenson not far from him. He gritted his teeth and said nothing, but it was to be expected.

"Is that so, then I shall use my own way to make you confess."

Rhode said, then he flipped his hand.

Not long after, dark fog emerged and Celestina appeared.

Chapter 333: The Trap of Alanic Foundation (3)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Can't you even manage this small thing by yourself, Master?"

Celestina, who appeared out of nowhere, proudly lifted her chin and complained. She then noticed Edward's gaze fall on her and she immediately frowned.

"Lowly creature! Who allows you to look up!"

Pa!!

"Ahhhhhh!"

Along with crisp slapping sound, Edward screamed fiercely. He shook his head and looked down. There was a trace of a long, bloody, whip wound on his face. A whip suddenly appeared in Celestina's hand out of nowhere.

"But doesn't it seems like you are more skilled in doing this kind of thing?"

Rhode crossed his arms as he coldly watched this scene. Celestina only snorted in disdain.

"Even so, there's no need to bother this noble lady just to handle this low-class b*stard. It will only dirty my hand. But... since it's Master's order, I can't help but agree to it. I hope next time you can consider the situation first before summoning me, Master."

Hearing Celestina's answer, a glimpse of a sharp glare flashed through Rhode's eyes. However, Rhode decided not to dwell on this boring topic in the end. That's why he only pretended as if he didn't hear any complaint from her and once again looked at Edward.

"Now, I hope you can consider your current situation, Mr. Edward. I know what you are thinking, but don't forget, you're just a disposable dog of the Alanic Foundation. You and I clearly know the Senia family's position in the Munn Kingdom. Just for you alone, do you think that it is possible for the Alanic family to have the strength and guts to challenge the Senia family? I remember..." Rhode lowered his head as he quickly recalled the current powerful authorities in the Country of Light, then he continued. "If I remember correctly, the Hurdbat and Yamia Foundation have been waiting for this kind of opportunity. For a half-human, half-orc descent like you, is the Alanic Foundation willing to take this risk? I believe you also know that your life and death are not their concerns. Then why are you being loyal to them?"

"Tch!"

When he heard Rhode's words, Edward lowered his head and snorted. But this time, he was finally being more obedient and didn't lift his head. It was just that his attitude was still very tough.

"Indeed, just as you said, this gentleman, I'm just a dog of the Alanic family, but so what? If I tell you guys, will you even spare me? Since both outcomes bear death, why should I satisfy your wish? Not to mention, I still haven't repaid the gift that you gave me."

Hearing this, Rhode shrugged his shoulders and exchanged a strange glance with Marlene. Rhode was a little bit surprised, not because Edward was aware of his current situation, but it was because of his reaction. It was no wonder, taking into account that he had destroyed his happiness as a man smoothly. It was not surprising that Edward was not being informative. This was his 'revenge'.

However, it was as he had expected.

"Celestina, I'll leave the rest to you."

Rhode nodded towards Celestina and walked to the side.

"Hmph."

Hearing Rhode's words, Celestina snorted with dissatisfaction. Then, she stretched out and threw out some spiky thorns to pin Edward's body. After that, she swung her hand and whipped him hard.

"Ugh!!"

Followed by the screaming sounds, a bloody wound immediately emerged on Edward's body. Celestina's whip was also decorated with small, spiky thorns. This whip was an extreme torment to anyone. However, Edward was already used to similar torture. That's why he only screamed. Then he turned around to look at Celestina and revealed a smile.

"Hey, missy, try to use more power, I'm a hard nut. This level of torture is nothing to me..."

"How dare you!!"

Hearing these words, her expression suddenly sank. An invisible chill and murderous intent emanated from her body. Then the whip once again heavily fell on Edwards's body. Now there was a shocking scar left on his fragile body.

At this moment, Marlene couldn't help but to turn around and look at to the side. However, Rhode remained unchanged. He knew what Edward was relying on. Not only did he inherit his father's strength in 'that area', but he also inherited the orc's strong vitality. He might look weak and fragile, but in fact, his body was pretty strong. Of course, compared to Rhode's legendary bizarre vitality, he was still lacking a lot. But there was no problem for him to resist those ordinary whippings.

Rhode didn't stop Celestina's actions, only quietly watching this scene from the sidelines. Edward didn't know that Celestina's whip wasn't an ordinary whip. As a high-level demon, Celestina's thorny whip was made of the agony vines that grew in the depths of hell. When these agony vines touched one's skin, the pain would be doubled. This was also the most commonly used item when a demon was torturing the enemy. Players who had been beaten by this thorny whip in the game would get an 'extra double damage' debuff. In the beginning, the damage of this attack was not high, but this debuff would stay. After ten or twenty hits.... It was enough for the player to consider escaping from this attack.

So now, Rhode was only watching and waiting for the other party to give in. In Rhode's opinion, it would be just a few minutes.

Things were going according to Rhode's plan.

"Ugh..Ah!!"

Edward's body shuddered.

His body felt really uncomfortable now. In the beginning, Edward thought it was just an ordinary whipping. However, following Celestina's actions that were speeding up, he felt that it was getting more and more painful. He couldn't believe it because according to his vitality, being hit by a whip should be nothing to him. But he could feel that things seemed a bit strange.

Logically speaking, after being tortured this much, his nerves should have gradually become numb and used to the pain. To the contrary, it was getting more and more painful for him. Even when the tip of whip only lightly swept by him and didn't even leave a scar on his face, he still felt an indescribable pain of being pierced by thousands of sharp blades, mercilessly tearing and crushing his body.

Although the pain quickly went away, he still broke out in cold sweat. He had never felt such pain before. This time, Edward finally realized that something was wrong. But even so, he still bit his lip, resisted stubbornly. Not only that, he looked towards Celestina in disdain.

"Only this much, b*tch?"

"Hmph! You're looking for death!"

Hearing that Edward still had the energy to offend her, Celestina's eyes turned cold as she kept whipping him.

"Let's see how long you can endure!"

Followed by her angry shouts, the thorny vines on her whip changed its shape. They formed into a barbed spike and began to wander around Edward's body. The sharp part pointed straight to Edward's buttocks and Celestina snapped her finger.

Snap.

Along with the snapping sound, the thorny vines that originally wrapped around Edward's body swiftly retreated. After that, he fell down and sat on the barbed spikes.

"Aaaaaaaaaaa!!"

Edward's piercing scream split the air.

The barbed spike was the size of a small fist and half of it had entered Edward's buttocks. Even an ordinary person couldn't afford to suffer such a blow; moreover, currently, he was on an 'extra double damage' debuff. His eyes widened, and two of his eyeballs were poking out. His screaming sound filled the entire prison. At the same time, blood kept flowing out of his buttocks, followed by the barbed spike that fell to the ground.

Gillian couldn't help but blow a whistle as she watched the scene before her. Rhode frowned his brows and said nothing. As for Marlene, she couldn't bear watching such a terrifying scene and lowered her head.

"Ara? You can't endure anymore? Where's your energy from before, lowly creature?"

Right now, Celestina finally revealed her evil side as a demon. Edward kept screaming and trembling as he 'sat' on the barbed spike. Celestina stepped forward and proudly stretched out the whip in her hand and lifted up Edward's chin to look at his expression. He was no longer calm, and his body shuddered and tears flowed down from his eyes mixed with his saliva. His originally handsome face had become distorted and ugly at this moment.

But Celestina didn't stop until then. Looking at Edward, she chuckled and stepped back. The thorny whip began to transform once again, softening and turning into small snakes. They swam all the way in from Edward's intestines and traveled around his body.

"Ahhhhh... Uuu..."

His screams had turned into a bizarre sound. Everyone could see several slender objects were walking around his skin. Edward suddenly lifted his head up, and five or six black snakes spat out from his mouth. They looked at Edward's face and hissed.

"Hiss..."

Marlene could no longer watch and vomited in the corner. However, Gillian and Rhode's expressions seemed indifferent. Although the current scene was indeed disgusting, but this scene could only be considered as boring B-level horror movies that were still within his range of acceptance. It was a lot better than to see something indescribable coming out from his stomach... right?

"...!!!"

At this moment, Edward finally felt extremely frightened. The pain that Celestina gave him was both physical and psychological pain. He felt as if his buttocks were pierced by a sharp blade. The snakes that were swarming in his intestines made him feel nauseous. Originally, Edward thought that there was nothing more terrifying than living a life that was not his own. But now, he finally understood that he was completely wrong.

For a moment, he even felt deep hatred towards his strong orc lineage. If he was just an ordinary human, then he would have died a long time ago and there would be no need for him to endure such nightmarish pain. He couldn't even commit suicide.

On verge of despair, a voice echoed in his ear as if it had come down from heaven.

"How is it? Are you willing to confess now?"

Chapter 334: The Trap of Alanic Foundation (END)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Edward thought that he could endure all the torture in this world, but now he completely surrendered in less than ten minutes. After the torture stopped, he fell to the ground and cried, sobbing like a five-year-old kid, completely ignoring his image. The demon's torture had fully destroyed Edward's defense. After which, even without much effort, Rhode learned the whole story from Edward's mouth.

As Rhode had expected, they had been planning to kidnap Marlene for a long time. They were looking for opportunities to insert a spy in the senior ranking officials in the Munn Kingdom, but it was difficult since Lydia was there. Originally, they planned to control Marlene through drugs and turn her into Edward's slave to provide them with information from the Senia family. Alanic's plan was very cautious—they didn't choose to directly control the Senia family. They were very clear that the mages of the Senia family were very strong and doing so would likely arouse too much attention. On the other hand, as the sole heir of the Senia family, Marlene would become the head of the family sooner or later. Therefore, the Alanic family wasn't in a hurry. They wanted to bait them with a big fish and hollow out the entire confidential information in the Munn Kingdom, then destroy it from the inside.

Edward had only arrived in Golden City a few months ago. He originally intended to repeat the usual trick he used in the Country of Light. It was by approaching Marlene through a dance banquet and finding an opportunity from it. He didn't expect that Marlene was famous for disliking to participate in these banquets. Not to mention, she even left Golden City to go on her own adventure. Edward, who was a nobleman from the Country of Light, naturally had a sensitive identity and didn't dare to act rashly. So he chose to get close to Marlene through her schoolmate, Ellenson. His plan went very smoothly at first. Ellenson easily became his slave and even provided him with information regarding her family, as well as some parts of their family's secret agreement with the Senia family. Of course, to avoid any trouble, he didn't dig too much into it. He was very clear that his ultimate goal was Marlene. If he was too deeply involved in other aspects and alerted the enemy, it wouldn't be good.

In the end, his patience paid off. Because of the Midsummer Festival, Marlene returned to Golden City. Afterward, Edward instructed Ellenson to invite Marlene. As for what happened next, there was no need for him to say more.

When Edward was telling them everything, Marlene's face had been dark and gloomy. She clenched her fists and slightly trembled. A burning flame of anger flashed through her red eyes.

But after Edward confessed everything, she calmed down. Then, she looked at Ellenson next to him and asked, "Is there a way to cure EIlenson?"

"There's no way."

This time, Celestina firmly replied before Edward spoke.

"Unlike you, that human girl has already tasted that man. Just like a sugar fused with water, if you want to disperse it, you can only evaporate the water and to that human girl, it will be the end of her life."

Marlene was surprised to hear her answer. She leaned back against the wall, lowered her head, and looked at the ground.

"Then... What will become of Ellenson?"

"She will probably become a sl*t."

Celestina disdainfully looked at Ellenson who was still asleep.

"Master has already castrated that man; without him, she will definitely crave the taste of other males instinctively. At that time, she will lose all her senses and become a sex addict. But judging from her looks, perhaps there will be a noble who will accept her as their own private pet."

"Really... Is there no any other way?"

"At least, there's none in my opinion. But if Master isn't disgusted by her, then he can also take her in, right? Of course, the above is just my personal suggestion. If you feel dissatisfied with it, you can look for that Behermes descendant; as an alchemists race, she may be able to come up with something."

Lapis?

Rhode was surprised to hear this name. Indeed, this would be a good idea. Even if 'Fragrance of Seduction' was a demon's potion, it was still a potion, after all. As the head of the Behermes family, Lapis should be able to create a detoxifying potion.

Rhode finally felt relieved. But soon, he quickly recalled another problem.

Why did the Alanic Foundation want to go against the Senia family at this time?

"This... I'm also not too sure."

Edward who was lying on the ground murmured and replied with difficulty,

"When I received the order, I was not told of the reason. But... cough... from the rumor that I heard... the Senia family has a big secret... that can change the situation of the entire Munn Kingdom..."

A secret that can change the situation of the entire Munn Kingdom?

Rhode was even more puzzled. He knew that the Senia family held all power regarding magic in the Munn Kingdom and was also a loyalist of the King's party. To say that they had a secret that could change the situation of the entire Munn Kingdom, they definitely did have one. However, this level of 'secret' was no longer news among the upper-class nobles. Such a big family certainly held an influential trump card. But why did the Alanic Foundation choose the Senia family? Was it because they found out that the 'secret' of the Senia family was very special?

Rhode carefully thought about it and didn't notice that Marlene's body was slightly trembling at this moment and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.

"Ms. Marlene, how should we dispose of them?"

It was useless to think about it if he couldn't figure anything out yet. Rhode shrugged his shoulders and looked at Marlene. She looked down in panic and sighed after pondering for a while.

"... If Mr. Rhode allows it, I hope to hand him over to our Senia family. As for Ellenson... I'll also personally explain it to her family."

"Sure, no problem."

Hearing Marlene's answer, Rhode nodded. Her decision was understandable. After all, this was the Senia's family problem. It was better if he didn't interfere and left everything to them. From what he had heard, this case seemed to also involve the secret of the Senia family. In the game, Rhode and the Senia family did not deal much with each other. So, he knew very little about them, and he was also very clear that curiosity killed the cat. If he didn't want to become enemies with them, then it was better to avoid offending his potential allies with his frivolous curiosity.

At this time, Gillian, who had been watching from the sidelines, moved her ears and said.

"Master, it's noisy above. It seems like someone is coming."

"People? Who? Is it those angels?"

Hearing Gillian's report, Rhode had gotten nervous. Edward's screams were so loud, Rhode even thought that half of Golden City might hear it. If the patrolling angels outside noticed something was wrong and came to explore the situation, it would be troublesome.

"It's not... this voice... It seems there's a problem?"

"Eh?"

After hearing Gillian's report, Rhode frowned and walked out of the room.

"I'll go up and see."

When Rhode left the cellar and walked to the hall, he couldn't help but feel surprised to see the situation before him.

It was a mess in the hall. Starlight's mercenaries rushed in and out, lifting three to five injured people. Among them, there were Christy, Shauna, and Kavos. Shauna and Kavos's injuries were the most serious, but Christie was also not much better. The others were only slightly injured, but their condition looked pretty bad.

Rhode quickly walked next to Christie. She was unconscious, and deep scars could be seen on her shoulders and arms. Beside her, Shauna's chest and shoulders were slowly seeping out blood. Kavos was stricken with scars all over his body and it looked very terrifying.

"How's their situation?"

Rhode frowned and looked at Lize next to him. Lize looked up and nodded. Her forehead was currently covered in sweat.

"Fortunately, Christie only suffered external injuries. She will be fine as long as she receives good treatment. Mr. Kavos and Sister Shauna's injuries are more troublesome... but with Lapis's potion, I think it shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing until here, Rhode breathed a sigh of relief. Then he immediately turned around and looked at the other mercenaries.

"What is going on here?!"

Rhode coldly asked. Hearing his voice, the mercenaries exchanged glances with each other. Then, a thief walked out from the crowd and said, "It's like this leader. We're suddenly attacked on our way back."

"Attacked?"

Hearing this word, Rhode's brow twitched.

"Where?"

"On the street not far from here... When we are sending Ms. Christie to the Evening Square, I didn't expect that a group of masked people would suddenly come out of the small alley and launch an attack on us. Those guys are really strong and we were unable to fight back. It seemed like they were targeting Ms. Christie, but Sister Shauna and Mr. Kavos protected her with their own body so those masked people did not succeed and they quickly retreated before the patrolling angels arrived."

"How many people were they? What kind of weapons did they use?"

Upon hearing Rhode's inquiry, the mercenary recalled.

"Probably... five to six people, they look very strong, but most of the weapons they had were standard weapons, nothing too special."

Five to six people, standard weapons.

Hearing until here, Rhode looked a little distressed.

The opponent actually dared to attack his people in the Golden City, and even in public.

Who were they actually?!

Chapter 335: Equivalent Exchange (1)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Bam!!

Anne clenched her teeth and heavily punched the wall.

"Who! Who is it! Let Anne catch and pound them into minced meat!!"

"Anne, calm down."

Lize sat on the chair, her face very pale because she was healing all the injured people. She had used up all of her spirit power. Fortunately, the patrolling angels came quickly and helped them solve half of their problems. The security corps also promised that they would catch the culprit, so they didn't have to worry. However, to Rhode, it was just an empty promise.

"They appeared so suddenly..."

Rhode stood beside the bed, looking at Shauna, who currently looked very weak and pale. This red-haired female mercenary revealed an exhausted expression. Although with the treatment, her injuries had gotten better, but the gap between their strengths and the enemy's strength was too big, and Shauna almost died back then.

"At that time, we had just left the arena for not too long... cough, we were going to bring Christie to the Evening Square, but on the way, we were suddenly attacked by black-masked people that appeared from the small alley. They seemed to be well-trained, had a clear division of labor, and were obviously targeting Ms. Christie... Kavos and I reacted immediately, but those people's movements were so fast that they easily overwhelmed us. Fortunately, we still managed to bring Ms. Christie back into their hands... When they did not succeed, they immediately retreated. It looked like they were really familiar with Golden City because until they left, the people around barely noticed what had happened, and when the patrolling angels arrived... everything was already over. "

"I understand."

Hearing until here, Rhode reached out and gently patted Shauna's shoulder.

"Have a good rest and leave everything to me."

"Sir, you have to be careful... those guys... they might still be targeting Ms. Christie..."

Upon hearing Shauna's advice, Rhode slightly frowned. Then, a murderous intent flashed through his eyes.

"They won't have this opportunity."

Having said this, Rhode turned away and walked out of the room. He closed the door, he saw Gillian who was shaking her head and spreading our her hands.

"How is Christie's situation?"

Rhode looked at Gillian and asked. Gillian shook her head helplessly.

"Nothing changed... It looks like this time it's really troublesome... Master... Do you have any clue about the attackers?"

Rhode didn't answer Gillian's question. On the contrary, he was silent for a moment. Then, he opened the door and walked into the room.

The girl was lying quietly in bed, motionless. Her face was pale and white bandages wrapped her wounds. When she slightly moved, a bit of blood appeared through the bandages.

Christie's situation was not too good.

In the beginning, Rhode thought that she had only received minor injuries, but soon, Lize noticed something was wrong. Although her spirit power could heal Christie's injuries, it couldn't cure her. Lapis's potion also had no effect on her. It was very strange. However, after hearing what they both had said, Rhode immediately understood what happened to Christie.

She was cursed.

Clearly, at that time, Christie's attackers didn't use a normal sword but a cursed sword. Rhode remembered there was a weapon called 'Tears of Sorrow', and the wounds inflicted by it couldn't be healed, but that didn't mean that there was no other way. By chance, in Golden City, only one force possessed this weapon, and it also had enough motives and reasons to attack them.

That group of b*stard really thought that he was that easy to deal with?

Rhode snorted and then slowly walked to Christie's side.

When she heard footsteps sound, Christie slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Rhode's presence, a soft smile appeared on her face.

"... So... rry ... Rhode... I gave you... more trouble..."

"It's okay, Christie, this is not your fault."

Looking at her smile, he didn't know what to say. He reached out and stroked her soft, long hair, gently helping her comb out some of her messy hair.

"I know you feel very uncomfortable now. Be patient, and I'll find a way to cure you soon."

"... It's okay... Rhode... I'm not afraid..."

Upon hearing Rhode's comfort, Christie shook her head slightly. Perhaps because her movement had opened the wound, she felt pain. She frowned and managed to endure it. Then, she once again opened her eyes and looked at Rhode quietly.

"... Actually... Christie doesn't want to... become Rhode's burden... I don't want..."

She slowly breathed and continued.

"... I don't want... Rhode... for Christy..."

"Christie, don't worry."

Rhode gently interrupted her.

"I assure you that this is not a problem. I'm not forcing myself to do this. It's just an accident. You're not my burden... So don't think about these things again. Now you only need to rest quietly and I'll be back soon."

Speaking until here, Rhode stretched out his hand. Celia's figure emerged and she came to Rhode's side.

"I'll leave Christie to you. If there is something, report to me immediately. I will be back soon."

"Yes, Master."

After receiving Celia's answer, Rhode walked away from the room. Currently, his expression was very serious.

"That group of southerners really thought they were something. They actually dared attack my people. It seems that killing them in the game wasn't enough... Well, it's not a problem to kill them again now. Anyway, in the game, the reactions of those NPCs was too rigid. Perhaps now their expressions will be more interesting... Gillian, Celestina."

"Yes, Master!"

"Be prepared to follow me. We must completely solve this problem. When a tiger isn't angry, they really take it to be a sick cat?"

"Master?"

Hearing until here, Celestina frowned.

"Are you going to stir up chaos here?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Celestina."

He didn't answer Celestina's question, but Gillian giggled and said, "Master is not that foolish. He definitely has his own way to solve the problem. We just have to follow it. Fufufu, to make Master that angry, I really want to see what will happen to those fools."

The night was getting late.

Old Barr raised his head and groped the hilt of his sword behind his lower back. At this moment, Golden City had gradually begun to get crowded, and the brilliance of the night gradually emerged, illuminating this pure and sacred city. However, the bustling scene did not make Old Barr relaxed. He looked at the Holy Arena from the distance uneasily. Tomorrow was the Liberal Wings's final match. It's still unknown whether Lord Rosen and Lord Waltz could win.

But soon, Old Barr shook his head and threw his worries aside. He turned around to look at the surroundings and shouted towards the mercenaries around him.

"Alright, get spirited, young master is going back! Be alert and be careful!"

When Old Barr voice fell, a trace of light suddenly flashed through his eyes.

Boom!!

Suddenly, there was an explosion, and hot and strong waves rose into the sky, mingled with the flames, spreading to all directions. They weren't prepared to face such an attack and fell to the ground as the impact of the explosion hit them. They immediately fell into a panic. Screams and cries filled the air, and Old Barr barely stood up after colliding with the crowd. However, he had not yet had the time to issue an order. A whistling wind echoed from his side, and he lowered his body. At this time, a black thorny whip appeared out of thin air. It hit Barr and the others mercenaries and sent them flying.

"Ah!!"

The severe pain caused Old Barr, a veteran mercenary, to cry out loud. But he also remembered his responsibilities. He endured the pain, stood up, and then rushed through the crowd. When he arrived at the carriage, his face looked pale.

The carriage had been divided into two, and the top had also disappeared. However, there was no one there.

At this moment, Old Barr shuddered.

"I'm done."

At this moment, in the small alley, Rhode stared at the flustered crowd. Then, he looked back towards a twelve to thirteen years old young man who was tied up in Celestina's thorny whip. He had short, golden hair and a handsome lovable face. However, Rhode couldn't help but feel sick as he saw that face.

At this time, Gillian suddenly moved her ears and smiled.

"Master, there's a good news~ I just received a message from Celia. There's someone who sent a letter to you, Master. Saying that they want to discuss something with you in the Black Coast Tavern—and it was about Christie. "

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Rhode slightly squinted, and there was a glimmer of coldness in his eyes.

"It seems like the other party can't wait anymore... Well then, let us talk to them," Rhode coldly said.

Chapter 336: Equivalent Exchange (2)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Black Coast was located in the dock area of Golden City.

It was not as gorgeous as the uptown area, but it was clean and tidy. The blue lake danced and a glimmer of lights reflected in the water like a gem. When the night fell, the business here was pretty much deserted. Only the workers and sailors who worked at the dock would relax here.

Rhode entered the tavern and saw Waltz with his subordinates seated around the table. Judging from his smile, it seemed like he hadn't heard about what happened before. However, the tavern, which was supposed to be bustling, was currently almost empty. It looked like Waltz had put in a lot of effort into this matter. Unfortunately, his effort wasn't put in the right place.

"Mr. Waltz, I did not expect it to be you," Rhode said with knitted brows. He thought that Waltz wouldn't make a move himself, but now it seemed like he was confident to do so. Well, he was the kind of guy who couldn't wait to destroy his enemy personally, so it was only right that he wouldn't want to miss such a good opportunity.

"Hahaha."

Waltz laughed heartily. Then, he reached out his hand to invite Rhode for a seat.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Rhode. You don't have to be so modest."

"I don't intend to be modest."

Rhode pulled out a chair, sat opposite Waltz and stared in silence. Waltz chuckled and rubbed his chin. He smiled arrogantly as though he was the winner and nodded.

"It seems like Mr. Rhode is facing a huge problem."

"You're correct, Mr. Waltz," Rhode said with puckered brows. Waltz's smile widened into a grin. The latter lifted the jug on the table and poured a glass of wine for Rhode.

"Of course, I have a way to resolve your problem, but... Mr. Rhode, I want you to promise me one thing and I guarantee that Miss. Christie will recover soon."

"What is it?"

"It's simple and easy."

Waltz spread his hands apart.

"I hope you can forfeit tomorrow's battle. In exchange, I will help you lift Miss. Christie's curse. What do you think about it, Mr. Rhode? Of course, I understand that the winning prizes are always tempting, but they can't be compared to the life of the most important person, right?"

"... It seems like the incident that happened in the afternoon is caused by you indeed," Rhode said grimly.

"You are smart, Mr. Rhode, so I believe that you know what is the best choice."

"This is a great one indeed."

Rhode lowered his head and fiddled with the wineglass. Waltz gazed quietly as he was 100 percent sure that Rhode would agree to his condition. Just as Rhode expected, the incident that happened in the afternoon was precisely caused by Waltz. Although Rhode was powerful, his subordinates were far weaker than guild members. Originally, Waltz wanted to kidnap Christie as a hostage to threaten Rhode into forfeiting the game. But he didn't expect the mercenaries to be that tenacious. It would be an easy matter for him to kill them off within minutes, but he didn't want to raise too many eyebrows, which would alert Lydia. Fortunately, he had a backup plan. After he forced Kavos and Shauna away, he used his family's heirloom 'Tears of Sorrow' on Christie before retreating quickly.

Before the incident, he investigated the people around Rhode, and Christie's situation caught his attention. Not to mention, they looked exactly the same and would easily be mistaken as siblings. According to the report, Rhode cared for her a lot, so Waltz came up with this idea to constrain and force him into forfeiting the final competition. In any case, Waltz was concerned about Rhode's strength since Old Rosen wasn't confident if he could defeat him or not. Therefore, instead of pinning their hopes on imaginary luck, it was safer for him to take a more realistic approach.

Rhode poured himself more wine and shortly after, he lifted his head and smiled.

This left Waltz perplexed, but for people who knew Rhode well, they would surely inform Waltz that it was a dangerous sign. Whenever Rhode smiled at someone other than Christie, nothing good could come out from it.

"This is indeed a great choice, Mr. Waltz, but I do have a better suggestion."

Rhode put down the wine glass. He leaned on the chair and stared at the man with narrowed eyes.

"I'd like to hear the details..."

For unknown reasons, Waltz's heart sank and he instinctively felt that things seemed to be spiraling out of his control.

"How about this..."

Rhode crossed his arms and the smile on his face widened. "Give me the 'Tears of Sorrow' and I'll destroy it. Isn't this better?"

Waltz sulked.

"I advise you to think clearly before giving me an answer, Mr. Rhode."

"The same goes to you, Mr. Waltz."

Rhode tossed something on the table: a finger with a dark spider ring. Judging from the fresh wound, it seemed that this finger was severed just awhile ago.

"This...!"

Waltz's expression turned ashen. He stood up abruptly and glared at Rhode.

"You..."

"I advise you to think clearly before giving me an answer, Mr. Waltz."

Rhode leaned back on the chair relaxedly.

"If my memory serves me right, this young man should be the heir of your family. If you wish to see him alive, it's better for you to agree with me. Or else..."

"Or else... What will you do?"

Waltz finally lost his composure. He gritted his teeth and stared at Rhode sternly. However, Rhode didn't directly answer his question. Instead, he enjoyed the scenery of the lake from outside the window and shook his head.

"The dock at night is dangerous. Mr. Waltz. If there's a child who accidentally falls into the water, it would be a tragic accident, wouldn't it?"

"... Hmph, what a foolish threat." Waltz remained silent for a few moments and said coldly.

"It may be foolish, but I'm patient." Rhode took out a pocket watch as he replied.

"I can wait for your answer here. But, for every hour, my subordinates will cut off his fingers, toes, and four limbs one by one. Please don't worry though. My subordinates and I have had a lot of experience in giving others the greatest pain. Of course, I can also put forward some small suggestions. I guarantee that he will taste the most painful torture... Everything depends on your decision, Mr. Waltz. As a father, it's time for you to make your choice."

Rhode put back his pocket watch and grinned.

"Don't worry, Mr. Waltz. We still have a lot of time. I am also a patient person and the rest depends on your choice."

"..."

Waltz pondered deeply. He looked at the finger on the table and clenched his teeth.

Indeed, just as Rhode expected, Mona was Waltz's only son. Waltz had been wandering around the continent for all his life and only had Mono, who was his everything and the only heir of his family. But, Waltz didn't understand how Rhode knew about this. In order to protect Mona, only a few of his trusted aides in Liberty Wings knew about Mona's identity and Mona's mother died after she gave birth. How did this young man know this information?

I've miscalculated!

With this thought in mind, Waltz gritted his teeth. He could see that Rhode was serious and he even knew about his family's heirloom, the 'Tears of Sorrow'.

Damn it, who is this young man? How does he know about his matter so clearly?!

Waltz felt chills running down his spine. He finally realized how foolish he was for the things that he had done... But now, what could he do?

"... I-I agree with your suggestion, Mr. Rhode."