Chapter 13: Stainless Steel Sword

Ten minutes later, the entire Angel Squad was back in the Territory.

Virginia, Janet, Carolyn, Ruth—four dual-winged Angels hovered midair, gently flapping their pristine wings, their figures radiant with a holy glow.

As Angels, they were flawless.

Even the most critical eye couldn't spot a single imperfection.

At this moment, Edward once again congratulated himself on his choice.

"Pick up the pace."

Angel Ruth, flying at the rear, called out softly.

Instantly, the long line of Goblins below started to sprint, hoisting the bodies of Wild monsters as they surged into Edward's Territory.

...

"Lord."

The Angel Squad descended from the sky, bowing respectfully to Edward.

They were indifferent, proud, and sacred towards the Goblins, but in front of Edward, they showed only reverence and fervor.

Just like Virginia had said.

Edward was the Lord of Holy Light, the origin of all that is holy and bright.

He was also their god of worship.

In the face of faith, reverence was necessary.

Edward nodded, his gaze shifting to Virginia and Janet, surprised, he asked, "You've leveled up?"

"Yes, Lord."

Virginia and Janet replied respectfully, "Guided by your faith, we found our path forward, broke through our limits, and reached Level 6."

They were the first Angels Edward had summoned.

They had been hunting monsters in the wild all day.

The Wild monsters they 'purified' numbered nearly a thousand.

With the help of a substantial experience reward (original power), their levels had successfully advanced to Level 6.

As for Angels Carolyn and Ruth, who were summoned later, they remained at Level 5.

However, it seemed likely that they too could advance to Level 6 by tomorrow.

"This is good news."

Edward was pleased.

Angels were his Territory's exclusive troop type.

The stronger they were, the faster the Territory would develop.

Additionally, Edward felt his own level was about to break through.

He was currently a Level 1 professional, but he could feel that advancing to Level 2 was not far off.

In fact, leveling up as a professional was quite challenging.

Although there were no limits in terms of realms, each level up required exponentially more original power, meaning double the experience needed, which required killing even more Wild monsters or enemies.

Which professionals leveled up quickly?

The top-tier combat professionals.

Combat professionals, relying on their own strength to kill Wild monsters, kept all the experience to themselves, making their leveling up quite swift.

And then there were Lords with top-tier troops.

With powerful troops whose numbers were increasing, the speed of monster killing was fierce. Even though they shared most of the experience rewards, it was enough to rapidly increase a Lord's level.

Like Edward.

Nearly Level 2 in just one day.

Such speed was truly astonishing.

If word got out, it would surely shock and terrify the other professionals on the island.

Edward said to Virginia and the others, "Your squad's combat strength isn't strong enough yet, and the wild world at night is full of dangers, so I had to call you back."

"Tomorrow or the day after, once the squad size increases, you can hunt at night."

"My Lord is merciful."

The four Angels were deeply moved.

The Lord of Holy Light always considered their safety, and naturally, they were touched.

Then, Virginia stepped forward, handing over the spoils of the afternoon hunt to Edward with utmost respect, and said, "Lord of the Territory, this is the harvest from our afternoon hunt."

There were two types of loot.

Gold coins, a hefty pile.

Equipment, one piece, a longsword shimmering with a metallic sheen.

The appearance of the longsword was a pleasant surprise for Edward.

Frequent "monster kill prompts" in his mind had been annoying him, so he had turned off the notifications.

Thus, this was an unexpected delight.

He hadn't anticipated that the Angel Squad could score a second piece of equipment.

After a moment's thought, Edward used his mind to connect to the "Worlds' Floating Isles," reactivating the monster kill notification feature and filtering out ordinary alerts, only announcing special loot like "blueprints" or "equipment."

The Worlds' Floating Isles was quite 'smart' and agreed immediately.

Edward then turned his attention to the longsword.

[Stainless Steel Sword]

[Type: Attack Equipment]

[Attack Level: 5]

[Durability: 100]

[Special Effects: None.]

[Description: This is a longsword forged from refined steel, reasonably sharp.]

...

"Level 5 weapon, no special effects."

"And from the description, it's pretty standard gear."

"Nothing compared to the Snake Armor."

Edward swung the stainless steel sword in his hand.

The blade sliced through the air, emitting a piercing screech.

A smile quickly spread across Edward's face.

Even if the stainless steel sword was ordinary, it was still a level 5 piece of equipment.

Far superior to the starter gear given to combat professionals by the Worlds' Floating Isles.

The newbie gear for combat professionals was level 1, while the stainless steel sword was level 5, a crushing difference in level alone.

"Knights and Swordsmen could use it to slice through lower-level Wild monsters like chopping veggies, one sword stroke per monster."

"Too bad, it's useless to me."

"Better to trade it for a blueprint."

Edward immediately opened the "Island Trading Platform" and listed the "Stainless Steel Sword."

[Newbie Artifact—Stainless Steel Sword (Click for details)]

[Trading Conditions: Exchange for blueprints and special items, serious inquiries only, no time wasters]

[Trading Time: Within 24 hours]

[Equipment Owner: Edward]

...

After listing the "Stainless Steel Sword," Edward turned his attention to the pile of gold coins.

[Item: Gold Coins]

[Quantity: One hundred sixty-seven]

"Jackpot."

Edward grinned broadly, in high spirits.

Over a hundred and sixty gold coins would allow him to summon three dual-winged Angels, nearly doubling the size of the Angel Squad.

Looking at the pile of coins shimmering brilliantly in the darkness, Edward even considered having the Angel Squad venture out at night after the summoning to continue hunting.

But after some thought, he decided against it.

Even with three more dual-winged Angels, they couldn't be careless.

If they encountered a level 9 monster, or even a king-level monster in the wild, the Angel Squad would surely struggle, especially since the highest among them was only level 6.

Especially at night, when higher-level wild monsters were more prevalent.

"Let's summon the Angels first."

Edward walked straight towards the "Lord's Hall."

Virginia and the others followed closely, like Edward's personal beauty bodyguards.

Meanwhile, with the "Newbie Artifact—Stainless Steel Sword" now listed, the island's chat channel was once again abuzz.