Chapter 19: The Spirit of the Sword (Part 1)

Ancient tales tell us that spirits are everywhere.

Wherever there is substance, there are spirits: a house has its spirit, a tree has its spirit, and even a stone has its spirit.

Even man-made objects have their spirits. For instance, does a sword have its own spirit?

The pine forest grew denser, with towering trees requiring several people to encircle them, reaching up to the sky. The forest became increasingly darker, and even at midday in the height of summer, one could feel the perpetual dampness and cold of the Snow Forest.

According to the magical map provided for their mission, there was still a day's journey to their destination. The map indicated that there should be one last inn before entering the forest.

Daqingshan looked up, trying to see the sun through the treetops to determine the time, but sighed at the dense foliage. Even if they saw the sun, it wouldn't change much—in the open, it would still be high at 5 PM, but in the forest, it would be dark by 4 PM, and by 5 PM, they'd need to set up camp. They had to hurry, or they'd be camping out again tonight.

The two quickened their pace.

As the sky darkened, just when Daqingshan and Amy were about to give up, a faint light appeared through the gaps in the towering trees.

Guided by the light, Amy and Daqingshan finally knocked on the door of the Traveler's Rest just before dinner.

Compared to the freezing cold outside, the warm atmosphere inside the inn was undoubtedly the main reason countless travelers made a detour to stay here.

The inn wasn't very large; there was a small courtyard at the back separating the rooms, and the largest space was at the front—the main hall. After dropping off their luggage, Amy and Daqingshan joined the bartender in the main hall, which had more than ten tables, all occupied, mostly by mercenaries.

Arriving late, Amy and Daqingshan drew quite a few glances. The long swords, shields, and the mage's insignia on their clothes clearly indicated their identities.

"Hey, newcomers!" called a loud voice from the right side of the room as Amy and Daqingshan looked around for seats. "Are you just passing through, or are you here for the double SS mission?" All eyes turned to the corner where a group of mercenaries, clearly warriors, sat around a table. Each had an assortment of battle axes beside them, some even had two. Unlike typical axe warriors, they wore no heavy armor, even in the frozen lands, with their left shoulders bare. They were undoubtedly berserkers—the one speaking was a towering figure over two meters tall.

"Yes, we're here for the double SS mission," Daqingshan answered honestly, thinking the question was directed at him.

"Haha, you two little rookies! What rank are you? Are you from a mercenary group's reserve team?" The man sneered condescendingly.

"Ha, big brother, you speak well, very well. Thanks for the compliment," Amy replied quickly, worried about Daqingshan's honesty getting them into trouble.

"When did I compliment you?" The berserker clearly did not understand Amy's humor.

"Ha, heroes arise from youth! Complimenting us on being young must mean you think we're young heroes," Amy said earnestly. "Really, there's no need to be so polite. We're just two small mercenaries, truly small mercenaries."

The berserker spat as he spoke, "What rank are you then? You two aren't hoping to freeload off our efforts, are you?"

"Hehe, how should I put this? Although we're small mercenaries, as young heroes, we're future stars, and our rank is quite impressive."

"Impressive? How impressive? At most D, E, or F rank," the berserker was taken aback.

"Ha, you think D, E, or F rank is impressive?"

"Are you already C rank? At such a young age?" Berserkers were known for their simplicity.

"Haha, indeed, you're smart," Amy said, watching the berserker bask in the praise, "but sorry, you guessed wrong."

"Could you be B rank?" Respect for B-rank mercenaries showed in the berserker's eyes.

"Is B rank that great?" Amy asked dismissively.

"You—you're not saying you're A rank, are you?" Faced with the rare A-rank mercenaries, no one could ignore them.

"Do mercenary ranks stop at A?" Amy looked up at the towering berserker, shamelessly boasting.

"What?" The berserker and his companions all stood up, "Are you saying you're an S-rank like the legendary ones?" Other tables' occupants' eyes lit up as well.

"Ha, that sounds about right," Amy nodded with satisfaction.

"Bang!" In another corner, a large hand slammed on a table heavily. "Youngster, don't take jokes too far. There are only six S-rank mercenaries, all over 50," a grizzled dwarf with a stern face spoke from where he squatted on a chair.

"Ha, there seems to be a misunderstanding, Grandpa. Did I say I'm S-rank?" Amy feigned innocence, "I said it's close—S is the top rank, and my companion and I are close—G rank, the last rank."

"Messing with me, kid, you'll pay!" No one dared joke with berserkers, especially to mock them. The big berserker grabbed his nearly four-meter-long knight's battle axe, and his fellow berserkers reached for their own axes.

"Everyone, take it easy." A pleasant male voice came from another table. A man in white stood up and waved Amy and Daqingshan over, "No other tables left, you two sword users, come sit here."

At the white-clad man's table were five men, all in white with swords next to them—single-handed swords at their waists and two-handed greatswords on their backs. The speaker was amicable, medium-built, with a greatsword casually leaning against the table. Anyone who saw him would think he was an academic or a nobleman.

Furious berserkers ignored any threat, and everyone in the room was tense. The inn's staff cowered behind the counter, afraid to mediate.

"Whoosh" Despite the low ceiling, the enraged berserker expertly swung his axe into thin air, kicking up a small whirlwind. "Insult me, and you die!" With a roar, he lunged at Amy, swinging the massive axe down.

Having faced berserkers before, Amy wasn't worried. This time he wouldn't be so unlucky to meet a high-level berserker with four mirror images again. He stepped back and reached for the Ice Blade behind him.

"Clang—" A huge longsword extended from the side, blocking the descending axe. The multiple axe shadows vanished instantly.

The berserker, thinking he was too dignified to vent his anger on a kid, shifted his fury to the white-clad swordsman who intervened. "If you don't strike back, they'll think you're a sick cat instead of a tiger. You won't see tomorrow's sunrise—die!"

Like a hibernating bear constantly provoked, the berserker's eyes turned white with rage, bloodshot. "Argh!" With a slight pullback, he swung his axe with terrifying speed. The white-clad man's sword moved with unimaginable speed, shadowing the axe, restricting its space. Just as the axe reached its peak, the sword intercepted, preventing a devastating blow—within a blink, the massive axe and sword clashed four times.

"Brothers, dismember him!" yelled the berserker. Three more berserkers, wielding four huge axes, rushed forward.

Four towering berserkers surrounded the white-clad swordsman. Clearly longtime partners, their synchronized swings neither collided nor obstructed each other in the cramped space. The enormous axes chopped, sliced, hacked, and stabbed, their gleaming blades reflecting the flickering candlelight, creating a barrage of axe shadows. The compressed air screamed from the pressure.

Axes swung, and the candlelight flickered. Amidst the surging axe shadows, the medium-built swordsman seemed like a small boat on stormy seas, constantly in danger of being overwhelmed.

In the chaos, Amy gripped the Ice Blade, slashing a white streak towards the large berserker; Daqingshan drew his black sword, lifted his shield, and charged a dual-axe berserker, thrusting his sword from beneath the shield.

Two golden, intangible sword energies appeared in front of Amy and Daqingshan, swirling to intercept their attacks. As the sword energy dissipated, another white-clad man appeared, smiling, "No need for your help; he can handle it."

The battle shifted; the white-clad swordsman's sword vibrated intensely, emitting a blue glow. Like a spirit snake, an intangible blue sword energy extended from the blade, leaving a sword trace in the air. In an instant, eight sword energies emerged around him, intercepting the tangible axes with intangible swords.

"Clang—" The dual-axe berserker was the first to be hit by the blue sword energy, both arms struck, blood gushing from his axe-wielding arms. Unable to hold on, one axe dropped to the ground.

"Heh, true to their berserker nature," the old dwarf commented again. "Taking on an SS mission and daring to challenge the 73rd ranked A-rank mercenary, White Wind." His rare sharpness was a cold splash of water, quickly easing the berserkers' hostility.