372-379

Chapter 372: Who Are They?

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

As Rhode walked down the stairs, he saw Sereck sitting in the hall. The man revealed a smile and stood up when he saw Rhode.

"I didn't expect to be called out at this hour..."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Sereck."

Rhode nodded and apologized to Sereck. Sereck's complaints were not unreasonable as during the day he had been with the Old President, but Rhode did not mention anything about a mercenary assessment.

However, Rhode couldn't help it because Canary and Mini Bubblegum weren't registered yet. If they wanted to become members of the guild, they had to register. Otherwise, there would be a lot of trouble in the future.

And, in a way, it was also good for Sereck.

"You don't have to apologize to me, Mr. Rhode."

Sereck shook his head and smiled at Rhode.

From his sources, the Swordsmaster knew that Rhode was probably the most powerful in the Paphield Region—both in strength and status. It was especially so when Sereck heard that Rhode could beat Barter one-on-one, but he didn't believe that Rhode had reached Legendary. Still, this spoke much about his strength as he didn't have to be at Legendary tier to become the strongest in the Paphield Region.

While it was uncomfortable for him to acknowledge a person who was much younger to be stronger than himself, Sereck didn't resent it at all. On the contrary, he felt a little happy. As a Swordmaster originating from the Paphield Region, he was once the pride of the people. But as he got older, his rate of improvement slowed down, causing him to feel slightly discouraged.

In the Dragon Soul Continent, where the strong ruled the weak, it would be best if there was someone powerful to protect them. Unfortunately, for a period, the Paphield Region had no such person, that was why they were bullied by others. Sereck understood that he could do anything he wanted within Paphield, but he had little influence outside.

Hiller's Burning Blade mercenary group had been promoted several times to a guild, but they always relegated back soon after. This proved that Hiller's experience was insufficient and his ability was average compared to the people outside of Paphield. It saddened Sereck that there were no strong warriors in the Paphield Region for years and was quite worried about the country's future.

And that's when Rhode showed up.

Although he wasn't a native of Paphield, he had definitely earned his rights to be one now. From Mobis, to Barter, to Waltz, and to Rosen, Rhode defeated them all at the midsummer festival. This young man's strength and future were limitless; all Sereck had to do was to build a good relationship with him so he would protect Paphield when the time came for it.

Thus, even though Rhode commanded him around like a servant, he didn't mind it. Knowing that this young man was Paphield's future was more than enough for him.

"I'm just saying, hahaha, actually I'm not busy, but... I'm a little curious, how do you recruit these two members, Mr. Rhode? "

"They are my former subordinates who just arrived this afternoon. Frankly, they came out of the blue and I was also surprised..."

Rhode made a gesture and beckoned Canary and Mini Bubblegum forward. Canary saluted Sereck politely, while Mini Bubblegum waved her hand as if she was saying hello.

"Oh?"

Sereck eyes lit up. Although they weren't as eye-catching as Marlene or Gillian, their looks were far above average. Moreover, they had a unique and indescribable aura. They seemed to be filled with mystery as if they were from a different world.

Sereck then shifted his attention back to Rhode. He felt the same aura from Rhode before. A person's aura could reflect their personality, but if several people shared the same aura, it is highly likely that they have grown up in a similar environment.

Looking at the two girls, Sereck surmised that they must've come from the Eastern Plains as well. Only the people who originated from that isolated place had this unique air around them.

But...

"Are these ladies your subordinates, Mr. Rhode? You really do have a good eye. "

Sereck said as he observed them carefully. But he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. They wore shabby cloaks and weren't wielding any equipment. They were just... empty handed.

Are these ladies truly his former subordinates? Or...

With a laugh, Sereck shook his head and left those thoughts behind him.

"So, are we going to do the test here?"

"No, in the courtyard."

Rhode thought that it was funny that Sereck suggested taking the test here. So if this place blew up, would he offer to pay up for the damages?

When they arrived in the courtyard, it was already late at night. However, it wasn't dark because of the torches that lit the stronghold. At this time, most mercenaries had already returned to the stronghold and many of them were chatting noisily with each other. They learned that two more members were joining Starlight when they saw Shauna inviting Sereck into the stronghold. They wanted to watch how the two newcomers fared, so they decided to hang around the courtyard.

However, after seeing the appearances of Canary and Mini Bubblegum, the mercenaries felt somewhat disappointed. They heard that both of them were Rhode's former subordinates, so they had high expectations. But like Sereck, many of them didn't believe that the two girls who didn't even possess any equipment could fight.

The mercenaries who were watching by the sidelines started gossiping, but Rhode didn't seem to mind. He nodded at Sereck and turned towards the two girls.

"Which of you will go first?"

"I'll go first."

Canary discussed with Mini Bubblegum for a moment. Then Canary came forward with a gentle smile.

Rhode had to admit that her smile was really charming. As she walked forward, the noisy mercenaries began to quieten down. They looked curiously at the mysterious and strange-looking girl.

Sereck had already drawn his sword from his waist. Then he raised his sword and nodded to Canary.

"We can start the assessment whenever you're ready, Miss... The rule is simple, as long as you can pass my test, then you're qualified, do you understand? "

"Yes, I understand, thank you."

Upon hearing Sereck's words, Canary smiled. Meanwhile, Rhode gestured to Marlene and spoke.

"It's better if you observe carefully.."

"Eh? Ah, I understand. "

Marlene was dozing off by the side. But when she heard Rhode's voice, she quickly nodded with a serious expression. She understood what Rhode wanted to say. Being strong wasn't a matter of merely learning new skills, but watching how powerful and experienced individuals battle was also part of the learning process. Canary was already monstrously strong in the Phantom Space, and now that her full strength had been unleashed... how powerful would she be now?

It wasn't just Marlene who'd thought of this. The other mercenaries thought the same. They didn't know how strong Canary was, but they wanted to see how she would face a Swordmaster with bare hands. And as for Rhode, this was the best way to verify the Phantom Guardian's function.

Canary maintained her smile as she faced Sereck who was currently poised for battle. From this point, it could be seen that she and Rhode were very similar, the only difference was Rhode's indifferent face and Canary warm gentle smile.

Then she reached out her right hand.

Suddenly, a raging wind swirled from all directions and condensed at her fingertips. Then, a wisp of flame emerged.

For a moment, many mercenaries felt the temperature around them rising, but before they could say anything, they were stunned speechless by the next scene.

The raging wind enveloped her body and congealed into a pair of blue wings which stretched out to the sides. At the same time, the tiny wisp on her fingertips flared up into a blaze, forming a long wand.

"!!"

Sereck's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Canary. The mercenaries couldn't keep quiet any longer and were discussing loudly.

"What in the Holy Soul..."

Sereck muttered to himself in disbelief. As an experienced Swordmaster, he knew what was happening before him.

Dual Element Integration—Legendary tier.

For a moment, Sereck's mind turned blank.

Chapter 373: What a Crazy World This Is

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

There was no need to explain what happened after that.

Canary had no equipment, but her level was twice of Sereck. So... basically, Sereck was a defenseless baby before Canary. She could even K.O him in just one move.

However, Canary was a nice girl. She left him some face and allowed him to counter three moves before wiping the floor with him. Yes, that's right. Three moves. With Sereck's strength, even if Canary held back, he could only hold for three moves.

While Canary didn't harm Sereck, her Dual Element Integration was still considered magic beyond Legendary tier. This means that if Sereck tried to invade her space, she wouldn't even have to move and he would be crushed by the wind and fire dual elemental's passive spell. After all, the wind element is best suited for defense, and the fire element was the ultimate offensive element. If Sereck had attacked seriously, he would end up quite miserably.

Fortunately, Sereck was on the defense and seemed to realize that he couldn't haphazardly approach her.

The flame dissipated.

"Whew..."

Sereck wiped the sweat from his head. He stood up and saluted her. He still had some doubts before the battle began. After all, a dual-element Legendary Mage was something out of the legends. Moreover, she wasn't some old hag — rather, she was a decent looking young girl! At that age, she had already attained Legendary? Ridiculous! It's equivalent to a child standing in front of a university professor and telling him that he already got his Ph.D. and only needed to spend five minutes to solve Goldbach's conjecture. Sereck had never felt this weak before. He felt like an ant standing before a giant.

When Sereck saluted her, Canary said nothing more. She turned around to look at Rhode and smiled before whispering something to him.

At that moment, the entire courtyard fell into silence. The mercenaries started at her speechlessly. Even Marlene, Lize and Anne, who already knew Canary, were dumbfounded. They didn't expect her to be at the Legendary rank. Marlene felt no more envy or surprise; instead, it was fear.

Is that labyrinth that terrifying?

Marlene fixated her gaze on Canary. It was the first time she felt that way about that place.

As it was known as the most dangerous place on the continent, information about the labyrinth was almost nil. However, it was also because of this that it gave her a sense of surrealness. Marlene had thought that the stories were too exaggerated and even wanted to go adventuring there once she grew up so she could affirm personally whether the stories were real or not.

However, Marlene had now realized that the reality was even more terrifying than the legends.

Canary was clearly at the Legendary rank, and that black-haired twin-tailed girl was supposed to be at the same level as her. Such powerful people fell in the labyrinth... so what did that mean?

Marlene bit the bottom of her lips. For the first time, she realized how arrogant she had been. It was ridiculous. If neither of the two girls could survive the labyrinth, then what about her? She once dreamed of conquering it and creating a legend for herself. Now, that wonderful dream became a joke. If she hadn't met Rhode, perhaps she would have actually done it!

While Marlene was retrospecting her arrogance, a clear voice echoed and broke the silence.

"Alright, alright, now it's my turn!"

Mini Bubblegum walked out proudly.

She crossed her hands as she looked at Sereck. It was clear that she did not want Canary to be the only main attraction. Right now, Sereck had a serious expression on his face. He had taken this little girl lightly before, but after the fight with Canary, he no longer dared to underestimate her.

Is she also at Legendary?

The more Sereck thought about it, the more he thought he was mad. It's not surprising as no one in the right mind would expect two Legendaries to pop up out of nowhere.

Sereck looked at Mini Bubblegum for a moment and decided to be careful. She was young, but judging by her self-confidence, she certainly wasn't weak. Even if she wasn't a Legendary, she might be a Master... He had to be careful.

Sereck once again took up a defensive pose, but clearly he was very vigilant now. The mercenaries didn't seem to be surprised. It was only natural for Sereck to be so serious since the previous girl had displayed such strength.

"Bubble..."

While Mini Bubblegum was getting ready, Rhode who had been staying silent suddenly spoke and frowned.

"Don't use that trick. Fight normally."

"... Alright, Leader. "

Mini Bubblegum pouted and looked away. However, she quickly patted her cheeks and stared at Sereck.

"Well, let's get started, Mister. You're lucky today."

Mini Bubblegum suddenly snapped her finger.

A golden shield suddenly fell from the sky and floated around her. At the same time, a brilliant light erupted from the shield, forming a halo in the center. Under the light, the surrounding vegetation began to tremble and grow spontaneously. A warm air began to spread and soon enveloped the entire place.

Sereck almost fainted when he saw this.

... Am I dreaming right now?

Had it not been for the fact that Sereck had been a Swordmaster for many years, he would have fainted long ago. Sereck knew what this girl was doing—she was casting Holy Mantra that could only be done by an Archbishop-level Cleric. This was the most powerful legendary tier protective spell. In his entire life, he had only seen this spell in the Country of Law once, and Sereck wasn't a fool, of course, he also understood the meaning behind white halo that surrounded her.

It was Elemental Halo, which was also known as the highest-level Light Element.

What are they...?

Sereck looked at the 14-year-old, arrogant-looking girl who was standing in front of him. He was totally speechless.

The previous girl looked like she was around Marlene's age and had already learned Dual Element Integration. Now, this younger-looking girl displayed an upper-class element and used a spell that only Archbishops could use.

Even in the Country of Law, he was sure that such a person did not exist!

Sereck turned his head and looked at Rhode in astonishment. He had thought that these two girls were something like Rhode's attendants, but after witnessing their performance, he had no clue what to think right now.

How the hell can this dark-haired young man have two Legendary subordinates?

Moreover, both of the girls were so young! Although the Eastern Plains were conservative, they were not completely isolated from the outside world. If such geniuses were known, it would have caused a sensation throughout the continent!

Where the hell did they come from?

Sereck found that he didn't seem to understand the world at all...

Chapter 374: The Hottest Recruitment

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Kacha.

The Old President dropped his cup on the table. The hot black tea was spilled all over the table and soaked the paper. However, the Old President didn't seem to care. He just stared at Sereck who sat before him in disbelief. He couldn't help but look at Sereck, who wryly smiled.

"You dare come early in the morning just to kid me? Do you not think that I might beat you up, Sereck?"

"I wish you would, old bud."

Facing the Old President's half-threatening words, Sereck helplessly spread his hands.

"If you can really beat me out of this dream, I'd really appreciate it."

Upon hearing Sereck's words, the Old President stared at him for a while before he sat down again, but even now, his face was still pale.

"You know what? You make me feel like you're telling a joke. Two legendary level figures under 20 years old? Even a drunken fool wouldn't say such a thing. "

"I wish I were crazy, but it's true."

Sereck was not surprised by the Old President's reaction, which was actually much better than his. The thought of what had happened to him last night made him sweat profusely even now. The Dragon Soul Continent was a place that worshiped the strong. Though Sereck was much older than either of those two girls and was more reputable than they were, he still showed them respect because of their strength. After that, Sereck shook his head and handed the Old President two pieces of paper.

"Here are those two ladies' mercenary qualification approval; I'll leave them to you, my old friend."

"I still don't believe you."

The Old President took Sereck's approval with a complicated expression and looked at it carefully, then frowned. He looked up at Sereck with a puzzled and queer expression.

"Canary? Mini Bubblegum? What kind of weird names are these? "

"Maybe it's an alias, or maybe it's a unique custom there. Anyway, those are their names."

Sereck laughed helplessly. Just like the Old President, Sereck's first reaction was thinking whether the other party was joking or not when he heard the two names. But judging by their serious faces, Sereck was unable to say anything. It seemed that that was a peculiar quirk of geniuses or part of the unique customs in the Eastern Plains. Sereck shook his head helplessly and pointed out the window.

"Besides, as you can see, old bud, it's very crowded out there now."

No matter in which world, which era, the most extensive news was always spread from mouth to mouth. Even on the Earth, in the age of the internet, phone, television, and 3D animation, there were no advertisements that could be spread more effectively than verbal ads. The most powerful human technology was still vulnerable to the most primitive human instincts, and it was the same here.

In just one night, rumors that two legendary figures had appeared had spread all over Deep Rock City, which affected many mercenaries. Some were surprised, some were overjoyed, and some were curious. But in any case, it was evident that Starlight had now become the sole focus of all the mercenaries in the Paphield area. Since morning, there had been a lot of mercenaries who were lining up all the way to the market to sign up and join Starlight. There were about thousands of them waiting in line. Some of these mercenaries were not part of any group. They might be somewhat strong, but they hadn't joined any mercenary group because of various reasons. Moreover, to them, a mercenary guild was a better option. Some of them were also members of other mercenary groups, bringing along other members to join Starlight and hoping to get a place there.

Facing this sudden scene, many people in Starlight were a little unprepared.

"Leader, I think you should do something!"

As he wiped the sweat from his forehead, Kavos laid the material on the table and complained helplessly.

"There are more and more people out there. We're shorthanded. I'm afraid there will be trouble if we go on like this!"

Hearing Shauna's voice, Rhode got up and looked out the window. Outside the gate, the mercenaries were lining up like a tide and blocked the whole road. Though Shauna and Anne were maintaining order at the gate, they were still shorthanded.

At the beginning, before the Midsummer Festival, Rhode's Starlight had over a hundred members, but because Rhode was pretending to be weak, making Starlight look very bad, some people chose to leave in the end because they couldn't bear the humiliation and shock. Rhode had been prepared for it, which was why he told Shauna and Kavos to record the names of those who left. Since they couldn't follow him during bad times, then they wouldn't need to enjoy the good times with him.

As expected, when Rhode won the Midsummer Festival, those mercenaries returned, but Rhode didn't even give them any chance and drove them out of the house. After they left, there were only about 60 people left, which consisted of 35 swordsmen, 10 thieves, and 15 clerics.

According to Rhode's estimation, 500 people would have been enough for Starlight, but now there were about a thousand applicants out there. It was quite difficult to pick from the remaining 400 people out of that crowd.

"Have you published the announcement that I asked you to make before?"

"Yes, Leader, it has been announced. After seeing those announcements, many mercenaries have left, but most of them stayed and more people are coming..."

Kavos shook his head. Just before, Rhode told him to post a notice at the gate, announcing the qualifications for recruits. First, Rhode announced that the guild fortress would be built in the Land of Atonement, at the same time telling them that they would have to go to the Land of Atonement. Secondly, Rhode had certain requirements: he would only accept casters and mercenaries above the elite level. Rhode also announced their guild rule that everyone would get a contract, but if they didn't perform well within the term, they'd be kicked out of the guild.

It had to be said that these qualifications really deterred many mercenaries. As mercenaries, they were naturally aware what kind of place the Land of Atonement was. Most people who had lived here for many years were already married. The very thought of taking their families to such a dangerous place made them couldn't help but retreat.

Though there were others who were single and unafraid to go to the Land of Atonement, they were still not strong enough and were therefore subject to compulsory exclusion, so they couldn't help but leave. The remaining people were aiming for the welfare and status of guild members. They didn't expect Rhode's qualification to be so strict. They thought that once they entered the guild, their futures would be prosperous. So they eventually backed down because obviously, they were not strong enough to survive the competition.

But Rhode also knew that this did not mean that the rest of them would fit the bill. In the game, he had seen a lot of people like these. When Starlight became strong, a lot of players wanted to join them no matter how difficult the requirements, from their status, level of equipment, to even their level of achievement. Rhode wasn't able to stop their decision to join Starlight because some of them did not even care how long they could stay in the guild. They only cared about the welfare and status of the guild. Many of them just wanted to take what they could and walk away without caring about the others.

Rhode believed that there were quite a few of these mercenaries among them. Even though he couldn't read their minds, Rhode had his own ideas.

"How many people are left now?"

"I don't know, Leader. I've never seen so many mercenaries in my life. Perhaps the mercenaries of the entire Paphield area have gathered here..."

"Alright."

Rhode nodded as he heard Kavos's report. He thought for a moment and spoke.

"Go and tell them again: the first five hundred can remain, while the rest of them may go. We will first select a hundred of people from these five hundred, and then we will choose again afterward. The rest of them will have to wait until then. "

"Yes, Leader."

Hearing Rhode's calm answer, Kavos agreed at heart. Of course, he understood the advantage of Rhode's actions. Not only they could appease those mercenaries for the moment, they could also change the current situation. The mercenaries who left certainly would not think that Rhode was deceiving them. After all, if Rhode only chooses 100 men, it would not be enough for him, so he would certainly have to sift through again.

Of course, Rhode could easily take these 500 people directly into the guild, but this would make the other mercenaries dissatisfied and feel like they had been tricked.

"But, Sir, how will you choose...?"

"Don't worry."

Rhode shook his head and interrupted Kavos's question.

"Just leave it to Canary and Mini Bubblegum. They know what to do."

As Kavos had expected, after he announced Rhode's words to the mercenaries, the mercenaries who stood in the back chose to leave. Instead, there was some commotion ahead. As each mercenary was expecting to be among the top 500, they were even resorting to violence. If Marlene hadn't been there to see the situation and cast a few magic spells to wake up the hot-headed ones, it would have been a big problem.

In the end, the first 500 lucky ones walked through the gate proudly, while the other mercenaries were forced to leave and wait for next time because there was no extra quota.

The mercenaries looked nervous as they entered the gate. They looked around anxiously, but they did not see Rhode. Even so, Anne and Marlene who stood by were enough to put them under a great deal of pressure. Soon, the mercenaries were led down into the backyard by Shauna, where they saw the two rumored 'legendary figures'.

"That's them?"

Mini Bubblegum wiggled her legs and stared at the mercenary before her while twitching her mouth.

"Just them? Leader's requirements certainly are a little low. "

"They're NPCs, Bubble, you can't ask for too much."

Canary looked at the mercenaries with her usual smile and nodded to her.

"So, as always, you pick the guys, I'll do the tests."

"Alright."

Hearing Canary's voice, Mini Bubblegum jumped up in disgust, then walked towards the mercenaries. She looked at them for a moment, and then put out her hand.

"You, you, you and you, you, don't look around, it's you... The ten of you, get ready to be tested."

The mercenaries were surprised to hear the little girl's instructions, but they still walked out of the line under Mini Bubblegum's instruction. At this time, the other mercenaries finally realized that the little girl had chosen a very disorganized group. Among them were swordsmen, thieves, rangers, and even a few mage apprentices, which made them look like a ragtag army.

"Alright, let's get ready to start testing."

Saying this, Mini Bubblegum was about to turn away. At this moment, a huge figure came out of the line and stopped in front of her. Seeing the man in front of her, she couldn't help but sink down in discontent.

"What do you want?"

"Hehe, I don't want to do anything, Miss."

Hearing Mini Bubblegum's inquiry, the man lifted both of his hands and stepped backward, then he looked at the Mini Bubblegum with an ingratiating smile on his face as he pointed to one of the swordsmen in the line that had been chosen by her before.

"The two of us are together, I hope... can you switch another person and put me in the group there? The two of us are good partners, and I believe that together we can definitely bring out the best in ourselves... Hey Lizst, isn't that right? "

Hearing the man's inquiry, that swordsman's face turned stiff and he rolled his eyes a little. However, he still nodded in the end. Seeing his response, the man proudly spoke and laughed.

"Well, there it is, my dear young lady. Do you think it would be convenient to...?"

"No."

The man's words had not yet finished, but he was already blatantly rejected by her. Mini Bubblegum coldly stared at the man before her; obviously, she didn't have any good feelings towards him.

"The leader has given the choice to us, which means, we have the final say. It's my choice to choose whoever I want and it's none of your business."

"Hey!"

Hearing this, the big man's face darkened.

"That's not right, Miss. We..."

"I shall repeat, it's my choice to choose whoever I want and it's none of your business!"

Mini Bubblegum's face sank for a moment, then she turned away. When the man saw she was trying to leave, he finally reached out his hand.

"Stop right there, I'm not finished..."

"Don't touch me!"

The big man's words had not finished, and accompanied by her shouting voice, a light suddenly burst out and spread to all directions.

That man's body trembled and he was thrown away like a tattered rag doll, banging against the wall, leaning sideways. Finally, he lost his consciousness.

"Just a mere NPC and you dare be so arrogant! If it weren't for Leader, I would have already skinned you alive, turned you into an alchemy potion, and fed it to a frog!"

Mini Bubblegum coldly watched the fainting mercenary. She snorted and then murmured. On the other hand, the mercenaries were looking at this scene in amazement. Although they had heard that Starlight had two legendary figures, most of them thought the rumor was just exaggerated. Now, watching Mini Bubblegum, such a little girl, knock an elite level mercenary just by shouting and without even moving a single hand, it made the rumor sound more reliable... Even if this girl wasn't a legendary level figure, she was definitely not someone that they could deal with.

After complaining, Mini Bubblegum turned around and gestured to Canary.

"Alright, big sister, you're up next."

"Okay."

Canary was still smiling as usual as she looked at this scene. She walked to the chosen ten mercenaries and nodded to them. Her warm smile made the mercenaries, who had been uneasy at the sight of Mini Bubblegum's tyranny, calm down and salute her. Then, Canary took a step back and moved her right hand.

Soon, people saw a two-meter high silver circle rising out of the sky. It looked like a mirror, spinning so fast it blurred their sight.

"Well, all of you can go in, and if you can safely get out of this space, then you pass," Canary said to the crowd with a chuckle. The mercenaries were hesitant to accept her invitation. It was no wonder; after all, humans would hesitate in the face of strange objects. However, soon, a swordsman walked in proudly, and when someone took the lead, the others followed from behind.

It was not easy to get into the portal.

The light was so blinding it felt as if the world were spinning, making the mercenaries feel a little overwhelmed. When the light dissipated and they stood on solid ground once again, they finally opened their eyes.

Then, they stared at the scene in front of them in amazement.

In front of them was a dense forest, and there were a few armed undead creatures moving slowly towards them.

"What the hell is this place?!"

A thief screamed as he drew his dagger out and looked at the surroundings uneasily. The swordsman who stood in the front frowned while he carefully observing the undead creatures before him. Not long after, he drew his sword.

"Whatever this place is, let's fight!"

Chapter 375: Preparation

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Rhode put down his book and looked at the girl who was sitting opposite him.

"It didn't go well?"

"Yes, Leader."

Canary slightly nodded. It had been five days since the recruitment began, but the results weren't too good. Rhode's approach was to use half of the Sphere's training space to select the mercenaries. This space could be changed according to the holder's mind and could also form a variety of terrains and enemies for training purposes. It was just like a test-like virtual reality game. It was pretty strange when Rhode thought about it. Playing a virtual reality game in a world that looked like a game was just too weird.

Given the likelihood of future battles, Rhode naturally set the undead as the highest priority opponent, but because of this, the entire selection process was very inefficient. In the first selection, only 60 out of 500 had qualified and the rest had failed. The people who passed didn't even reach 100. The next few days were the same; now that so many days had passed, Starlight had only recruited a total of 125 people, not even half of the target goal.

This made Shauna and Kavos feel very anxious, and they talked to Rhode privately about Canary and Mini Bubblegum's requirements being a little too strict. Some of them looked like great mercenaries, but were just never good enough in their eyes. Of course, they weren't questioning Canary and Mini Bubblegum's judgment, but the hurdle that they set was too high, and Paphield was just a small place. Kavos and Shauna thought that as long as their ability had reached a certain extent, it was already enough. Because of that, Rhode had also loosened certain limits, but even up to now, the people who were qualified to enter the guild were still less than 300.

But nearly all the mercenaries in the Paphield area who wanted to join Starlight had been sifted through.

"Too many people aren't good, but too few people is also a problem. Bubble and I have tried every means to have those who have the strength, look loyal to the guild, and will not abandon their companions stay. If they can't even do that, I think it would be a mess if they joined the guild."

"That's true, but the people here can't resurrect after they die, so you and Bubble need to pay attention to that... Now, these people are enough. I'll leave their training to you and Bubble. I think you know what's best for them. I just don't want my subordinates to be like those idiots from the Country of Light who only know how to run faster than anyone else when the Country of Darkness invades."

"Yes, Leader."

Hearing Rhode's words, Canary smiled. She was also one of the Munn Kingdom's players. The reason she joined Starlight was to avenge the Munn Kingdom, and that's why Canary was somewhat similar to him in this aspect.

"Ah, also pay close attention to Marlene. She's got a lot of potential—she's an an all-element expertise NPC. It's really enviable."

"I'll take care of her, Leader. But..."

At this moment, Canary suddenly rolled her eyes.

"That Miss Marlene, Miss Lize, and Miss Anne... Have you done them already?"

"Uh..."

When Rhode heard Canary's inquiry, he looked at the girl in front of him and smiled wryly.

"It depends. You know what I mean, don't you?"

"I knew you'd say that."

Hearing Rhode's reply, she stood up and smiled. Then she intently gazed at Rhode, stroked his face, and lowered her head to kiss him.

Her soft tongue familiarly invaded Rhode's mouth, and naturally, Rhode also reached out to put his arm around her waist and kissed her back. After a while, the two of them parted... Seeing the transparent liquid that had fallen from their mouths, it could be seen just how passionate and intense they had been. Canary looked up, licked her lips, and then looked at Rhode.

"Same as before... Nothing has changed, Rhode. Well, I'll come to you whenever I need it, just like before..."

The girl playfully winked her eyes.

"And in here, I am just a projection image, so you can feel free to c*m inside; you don't have to worry that I might get pregnant~"

"Is this an invitation?"

Rhode looked at the girl in front of him helplessly. At the same time, he reached out his hand to wipe his lips gently. There was a trace of lemon fragrance in her soft touch. Although he knew that she was just a Phantom Guardian, but... the mere thought of Canary's promise made him feel excited.

"Of course."

Canary nodded as she answered Rhode's question. But she seemed to have noticed something, so she turned around and stepped back.

"Well, Leader, I shall excuse myself... By the way, there seems to be something wrong with room door; it can't be locked... "

She turned around and left. Seeing Canary's back, Rhode shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Even if it's only a splitting image, there's no difference between it and the original her."

Rhode muttered to himself and shook his head helplessly. After that, he fell into deep thought.

"Still, it's a very attractive invitation."

While Rhode was dozing off, a knocking sound came from the door. He quickly got a hold of himself, sat straight, tidied up his clothes, then said.

"Come in."

Hearing Rhode's response, Old Walker opened the door and walked in wearily. He must have been busy; now he was so tired that he didn't even want to move an inch. After he entered Rhode's room, Old Walker quickly reached out, pulled up a chair, and sat in front of Rhode.

"Whew... It's finally over, boy. You almost got me killed. "

"Everything's fine?"

"Not bad."

Old Walker took a deep breath.

"Your plan is so weird that even I can't get it right, but luckily, that guy Shawn helped us a lot and it's pretty much done now."

"That's good."

Upon hearing the Old Walker's answer, Rhode nodded.

After returning to Paphield, Rhode had asked Old Walker to set up an intelligence post all over Paphield. After all, from now on, all of Paphield's mercenary matters would be handled by Starlight. This was unlike the game, where players could learn what was going on just by looking at the system. That's why it was important for Rhode to have an intelligence post so they could deliver information anywhere in time. It was indeed a big project. Although Paphield was not big, but there were a dozen of villages and towns around it. It was really not easy to arrange some people to those places. Moreover, this job required high loyalty and Rhode was only able to take it slow and start by placing his few trusted subordinates in the larger towns and let Shawn's mercenaries cover up for the rest. It was a reward that Rhode got for helping him kill an unlucky b*stard and as a group of assassins, they were very good at this.

Of course, loyalty wasn't something that could be proved with words. Before, in Golden City, those people who had helped Old Walker spread those rumors were rewarded handsomely and immediately became official members of the Starlight guild after they returned from Golden City. However, their mission wasn't going to battle like the other mercenaries, but to hide in the shadows, gather information, and if necessary, spread gossip.

"But you haven't forgotten our agreement, right?"

Old Walker rubbed his hands and looked at Rhode, full of expectation. Rhode only slightly nodded as a reply. Of course, he knew what Old Walker was talking about; before he sent Old Walker on this mission, he had promised him something. After he finished the intelligence network, Old Walker would be in charge of all of it. He was, after all, a veteran of Paphield, and he had a wide-range of information and was trustworthy enough to be loyal to Starlight. That's why Rhode didn't refuse Old Walker's request since it was also a good thing for him.

"Of course not, Old Man. That was the deal we made, but... are you sure you don't want to rethink it?"

Hearing Rhode's inquiry, Old Walker showed a helpless expression. He turned his head to look out the window and sighed.

"I'm already old, kid. You should know that too. I'm no longer strong and whether it's Marlene or Anne, they are a lot stronger than I am. The only thing I'm proud of now is my experience... Hehe, but I think my experience is not that much use for you, right? Although frankly speaking, I still like adventure, I also realized that I don't have the same strength as I did when I was young. It's impossible to keep up with young people like you... But..."

Old Walker rubbed his nose and went on.

"But at least now I can keep fighting this way, right? Hahaha, back in Golden City, that was my first time knowing that mouth is more powerful than the knife. It's kind of fun, isn't it? Kid, just watch me; I'll troll your future enemies to death with my mouth!"

"I don't do this to troll people..."

"Hahaha, of course, I know, but it's just fun to think about..."

Old Walker withdrew the smile on his face and sternly looked at Rhode.

"But, kid, about building the fortress in the Land of Atonement... When are you going to do it? Do you want me to get you some help? After all, there's no housing in the Land of Atonement. Don't tell me you want to dig up a hole in the ground like a dwarf."

"There's no problem. I've got plans."

Upon hearing Old Walker's inquiry, Rhode nodded, then leaned back onto his chair and looked out the window.

"But before that, we have to make some preparations."

Chapter 376: The First Group

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Time was Rhode's greatest enemy.

After the Midsummer Festival, there were only six months left before the winter break. Before that happened, Rhode had a very heavy task, which composed of building the fortress, completing the two five-star missions to make sure his guild wouldn't be relegated, and training his men to be prepared for the war that was likely to happen next year. Through Shawn's intelligence network, Rhode had gotten a lot of information about the Country of Light. As he expected, there was internal turmoil in the Country of Light and the support towards the Head of Parliament had also fallen to the extreme, making his re-election next year difficult.

However, not everything happened like before. From the intelligence report that he got, he learned that he had successfully dealt with the trade route incident, which led the trade route to be reopened and had made the internal opposition in the Country of Light less intense than what happened in game history. On the other hand, this caused Archduke Lydia to have enough energy to deal with what might have happened to the Country of Light, since Paphield had not caused any disturbance. Rhode trusted Lydia's political wisdom, and before he left Golden City, he also had a brief, private conversation with her. By that time, Rhode had pointed out the threat coming from the Country of Light vaguely to Lydia, but she seemed to already have her own plan. Because of that, Rhode couldn't say too much about it. Now he knew that knowing the future wasn't always something good. Although he knew what might happen, it didn't mean that he could persuade others to believe in it because they thought that there were still countless possibilities in what the future could hold. For example, Rhode knew that the Country of Darkness would definitely take this opportunity to attack, but for those who lived in the present, it was still a question of whether the Country of Darkness would attack or not.

Fortunately, Lydia also knew that the successor to the new Dark Dragon's soul holder was a very powerful man, and she also knew what was going on in the Country of Darkness. With that in mind, Rhode did not speak more. Since Lydia already knew about the Dark Dragon, and now, without the troubles from Paphield and the Ocean Trade Route, there was probably no more problems. Of course, if history did change, then it would be for the best. However, if history didn't changed, it would be important for him to plan ahead.

Although the situation didn't seem bad, Rhode felt that it was somehow bound to come to an end.

In the game, the reason the Country of Light caused some conflicts in Soraka Mountain was because the support for the Head of Parliament had dropped, so they colluded with military generals in an attempt to start a local war in Soraka Mountain. They hoped they would gain back the people's support by doing so.

However, those stupid old men didn't expect that this time, the Country of Darkness would not show any restraint, The reason was simple: the new Dark Dragon soul holder was strong. After he ruled, he had made some changes to the hierarchical system in order to strengthen his country.

The Country of Darkness was a very hierarchical country. It wasn't solely determined by its system, but also by the people who lived in it. In the Country of Darkness, most who lived there were dark creatures like death knights, lichs, ghouls, vampires, dark elves, etc. Since most of the Country of Darkness's residents were undead, it also caused them to be classified based on their level of strength. For example, low-level lichs couldn't fight high-level death knights, while ordinary ghouls couldn't disobey the vampires' orders. This was determined by the qualities of the undead themselves. Since they had already lost their lives, they survived by relying on unnatural forces, and because of this, their strength directly determined their intelligence and ability. That's why the Country of Darkness's hierarchy was so rigid since there was no way that a high-level vampire could talk with a ghoul whose IQ was not yet fully developed and couldn't even communicate properly.

So in the Country of Darkness, the whole system of pyramids existed. At the top was the Dark Dragon itself, and below him were the Four Legendary Demon Generals: 'Spirit Chaser' Balende, 'Blood Countess' Ashvril, 'Conqueror' Garcia, and 'Angel of Sorrow' Charlie.

Among them, Balende, Ashvril, and Charlie were undead, vampire, and fallen angel respectively, and the 'The Conqueror' Garcia was human. This power structure had lasted for many years until the new Dark Dragon soul holder appeared.

In order to strengthen the country, the new Dark Dragon soul holder, Ian, had promoted several 'lower races', including the dark elves and the grey dwarves, which naturally resulted in conflicts between the old nobles and new gatekeepers. After all, political resources were limited; the cake was only so big that if one more person appeared, one would have one less piece. Naturally, the four legendary generals also despised those lower races and didn't want to share their resources with them.

Because of that, the Country of Darkness was currently in a very volatile political situation; the new authority holders needed to show enough strength to prove that they were qualified for it. The old nobles, on the other hand, needed to protect the interests and dignity of their own race. For such matters, action was far more important that mere empty talk.

The best way to solve these disputes was through a war. Once the war began, the Country of Darkness would have access to additional resources and land that could be allocated to the new authorities, while the old nobility could also show enough power and glory to maintain their position. War was also the quickest and most convenient way for the new authorities that yearned for recognition and advancement to gain power and show their importance.

However, the Country of Light paid no heed to the undercurrents of its neighbors. It was also foolish enough to think that their provocation would be the same as before, which caused both sides to fight each other and then declare the situation tense. They used this opportunity to spread alarmist rumors that would at best lead to a local war, which would end soon. They had no idea that they were giving the Country of Darkness an excuse to start a war. Soon, the Country of Darkness had escalated a local war into a full-scale war.

Rhode could only persuade Lydia to be careful, but he could not stop the Country of Light's Parliament. If they were foolish enough to give them this excuse, then there was nothing he could do. Most likely, even Lydia had no way to stop it. He could persuade a man by telling him it was very dangerous to tease that fierce hound, but if the person was determined to go up and get bit, he wouldn't be able to prevent it.

If that hound ended up biting off his neck, that was even more out of his reach.

Had it not because the Munn Kingdom was located between the two countries, Rhode would have been happier if the Country of Darkness had attacked the Country of Light earlier and left the other side defenseless. At least then, they wouldn't have the time or energy to bother the Munn Kingdom.

Unfortunately, this possibility did not exist. In the end, they had to figure out the situation themselves.

Rhode nodded slightly as he stood on the balcony while looking at the mercenaries.

"Are they the ones you guys have chosen?"

"Yes, Leader."

Canary was standing beside Rhode and she smiled. After she and Mini Bubblegum appeared, the entire guild's structure had changed again, though not much in general. Marlene was still in charge of the vice leader's affairs, Lize was still the representative of the clerics, and Shauna was also still the leader of the stronghold guards, and there were no changes in Kavos and Anne's duties. Canary and Mini Bubblegum were just responsible for the training, and since they couldn't leave the stronghold, there was no way for them to do any heavier work.

However, in reality, those two held the most authority in the entire guild besides Rhode, and because of that, everyone in guild except for Rhode had to train under them.

At this time, everyone found that their training methods to be really different—of course, this was thanks to the Sphere of Mystery.

After activating the Sphere, Rhode could create a variety of scenarios and enemies to train them in. Those who failed wouldn't die, but they would be forced out, which was very similar to a dungeon in games. And in fact, Rhode had utilized it precisely as a dungeon.

For these mercenaries, this period of training was a nightmare for them. First, they were all divided into different groups. Next, they would be led into the phantom space by Canary and Mini Bubblegum, where they would meet the enemy.

In the beginning, their demands were very simple. They only told them to defeat the enemies and complete the task within the given time frame. But as the training progressed, rules and restrictions began to multiply. For example, the cleric had to guarantee how many people would survive when the training was completed, and the fighters who were responsible for defense had to ensure how many casters would survive to the end. They needed to learn not only how to utilize their ability to the fullest, but also learn how to avoid attacks, cooperate with others, and protect themselves and their companions. They had to learn how to improve their 'map awareness and foresight'. Honestly, they had no idea what those two ladies meant.

Those mercenaries were miserable, but so were Canary and Mini Bubblegum.

The biggest difference between a player and NPC was their attributes and talents. The player's talent tree was common and had the tendency to focus on one direction. Take Canary: since she specialized in high DPS, she naturally had to maximize her Fire and Wind element. As Mini Bubblegum specialized in crowd control, her talents were mostly support-based.

In other words, the player's talents were too straight-forward and expectable. On the other hand, NPC's talents were lopsided. It was no wonder; since they were not players, they couldn't see their talents' development. They were just training based on their intuition and no one was perfect. After all, one couldn't expect a cleric to have high DPS or a mage to be a MT. If that were the case, the effects would be really tragic.

Mini Bubblegum had complained to Rhode more than once; she felt miserable that she had to bring a bunch of rookies who had never played online games to conquer a dungeon while she gave them random orders. What's even more depressing was that they couldn't 'reset character and replay', which had become a popular phrase among mercenaries in the Starlight guild. Followed by her repeated complaints, when they thought that someone was doing a poor job, a mercenary would pat each other on the shoulder in Mini Bubblegum's manner and say, "You can't do it, go reset your character and replay..."

Of course, they didn't even know what that actually meant.

At first, many people were not satisfied with the rigorous training. They were only forcing themselves to continue in the face of Canary and Mini Bubblegum. But with the development of their training, they were surprised to find that their own strength had improved by leaps and bounds. They used to train themselves, but they couldn't improve in 10 days or even half a month. However, now, after almost every day of training, they could feel that they were improving, and not just a little.

Actually, it was also because of the bonus from the Sphere of Mystery, where the training speed was tripled within its sphere of influence. Naturally, this effect had naturally affected them quite a lot. More importantly, Rhode, Canary, and Mini Bubblegum had been digitizing their efforts and visualizing them in the so-called talent tree. It was like a man who was artistic, but didn't have the slightest mathematical mind. If he didn't level up his 'artistic' talents and instead added all his skills to 'mathematical' talents, as a result, he failed to develop his abilities. His potential was not enough to achieve the highest mathematical skills and ultimately accomplished nothing. Now, Rhode and the others were giving the mercenaries a proper 'leveling-up guide' by watching the way they fought. Some of them were good at defending and some of them liked to attack. Some people had good skills order, while some people had a strong sense of the overall situation. The reason these people had not been able to make breakthroughs was partly because of this. They weren't able to see their talent tree and the conflict between it and their specialization. Naturally, it was impossible for them to make good judgments and training directions. Now, with Rhode's guidance, the mercenaries found the right direction, and training naturally became more and more comfortable for them. Although their training bore fruits, Rhode was already nearly worn out in just the first half of the month. He needed to follow every training they had and watch their battles and after training, he talked to them one by one while pointing out the main points such as their training direction and their deficiencies that needed to be filled.

Marlene and others were not idle; though their training direction had already been specified by Rhode, they still had to perform their own tasks. They not only had to fight with the team, but were also in charge of giving orders, organizing the battlefield, and directing their men. Marlene, as Rhode's vice leader, needed to master the overall situation and learn to make adjustments at any time. Lize, as the leader of clerics, had to lead all the clerics to protect and heal the other mercenaries. They both seemed to have a very high understanding towards this matter and had done a very good job.

However, Anne... Rhode could only shake his head helplessly.

At first, Rhode and Canary had the idea of having Anne lead the Shield Warriors. But while Anne indeed stood out in individual battle... they were really dumbstruck after they saw her leading the team. Anne only commanded them with the two easiest command: "Let's go, everyone! Come with me!" and "You go first! I will handle this!"

Such orders were certainly not a good way to integrate the whole team.

Eventually, Rhode had to make a decision and he let Anne be responsible for protecting Lize and the other casters. In a regular war, usually the MT was divided into two layers: one for external protection and the other layer for internal. Rhode's original idea was for Anne to be responsible for external and internal protection at the same time. But now, it looked like it was already good enough for her to be responsible for the internal protection. As for the external protection... he could only find someone else to do it. Since it would be a long process to find someone, for now, Rhode himself would be responsible for it.

Despite the Sphere's bonus, it took Rhode a full month and a half to achieve his goal. It was almost June now, and Rhode was ready to go to the Land of Atonement. His first goal was to build the fortress, and then do two five-star missions afterwards.

"How many people are there?"

"There are 25 people in total, Leader. That's exactly the number of one party. Their loyalty is beyond question, and they also have the strength to stand the test."

Rhode sighed when he heard Canary's reply. He looked towards the 25 mercenaries who were not standing in a straight line sternly. Though they were not many, Rhode knew very well that these 25 people were the elites who had passed all the training and accomplished their goals perfectly. These 25 five people had even acquired a certain level of a player's strength.

"These 25 people consist of 11 Swordsmen, 2 Shield Warrior, 3 Clerics, 5 Rangers, and 4 Thieves. Including Marlene, Lize and Anne... I don't think that there will be any problems."

"I hope so."

Rhode nodded, seeming a little relieved. He had been very tired for this one month and a half, but it somewhat made him feel a bit nostalgic. It reminded him of the time he had just formed the guild. In order to give the new members a sense of belonging, Rhode helped them conquer the dungeon, gave them some tips on how to fight, reminded them about the main points over and over again, and made them feel less nervous... Looking back now, that nanny-like's life was tiring, but it was substantial and Starlight's foundation was also built that way. Some of them had chosen to leave, but most stayed in the end.

But among his current members, how many would stay in the end?

"I'll leave the stronghold in your hands. Keep an eye and contact me if anything happens... Also, take care of Christie for me. "

"I understand, Leader."

Canary nodded and smiled. Then, she looked at Rhode once again.

"Bubble has a good relationship with her and I don't think you need to worry about that."

"I know. That's why I'm worried about it... Sorry for troubling you."

Rhode wryly smiled as he heard Canary's reply. Just as she had said, Mini Bubblegum and Christie indeed had a great relationship. They were surprised at Christie's presence at first, but quickly accepted her. For Christie, Mini Bubblegum was the only person who was almost the same age as her, so it was natural that they had a better relationship with each other. Mini Bubblegum also liked Christie's calm and gentle manners rather than those stoic NPCs who kept calling her 'Lady'.

Rhode certainly wasn't concerned about their relationship; he was just worried that Mini Bubblegum would pass some of her bad habits to Christie... If that were the case, then Rhode definitely would be terrified by it. So, in desperation, Rhode had no choice but to ask Canary to pay attention to Mini Bubblegum and not let that crazy girl infect Christe with her eighth-grader disease. Otherwise, Rhode really wouldn't know what to do if the obedient Christie became like her.

"When are you going to depart, Leader?"

"In two more days, we'll set off once all the preparations are ready. I'd like to overcome all the obstacles in the forest path by July."

Hearing until here, she looked down as if she were thinking about something. Then, she lifted her head and whispered in Rhode's ear.

"Well, later... meet me at the back, Leader."

Chapter 377: Silhouette in the Dusk

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Alright, training is over."

Upon hearing this, Marlene put down her wand and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Looking up, it was already dusk and the bright red sunset brilliantly rendered the sky. The breeze blew past, bringing a little bit of refreshing air.

For Marlene, the training was both long and short. Mini Bubblegum's training was so strict that she had to meet the required time—even the second had to be exact. Even the most powerful mages in the Academy had never made such a high demand to her and she couldn't even imagine that there was actually someone who could perform such a skill. However, the fact spoke louder than words, and when Canary performed the 'Flawless Casting' in front of Marlene, she could only gasp in awe.

The so-called 'Flawless Casting' was a way for players to create their own free spells. In the Dragon Soul Continent, the mage would make a hand gesture, chant the mantra, mobilize the power, and release the magic. When one spell was over, they would release another one. It was a common practice among mages on the continent, and Marlene had always done the same thing all this time.

But Canary's 'Flawless Casting' was quite different. After all, the players didn't have such 'short-sighted' goals such as killing the enemy. For the players, the most important goal was to have the highest DPS and be on the leaderboards. That was also how 'Flawless Casting' was created.

Just take the ice shards spell, for example. When Marlene cast the ice shards spell, the hand gesture to the chanting took about two seconds; mobilizing it took one second and releasing it took one more second. It took Marlene about four seconds to cast a spell and another second to prepare for the next spell. Although this was a very stable and effective approach, it was quite different from a player's 'Flawless Casting'. The player was no longer affected by the magic since the third second after the ice shards spell was released, which meant they could start preparing for the next spell by then. For a player, this wouldn't just save another two seconds, but also boosted their DPS. That meant the mantras they chanted were almost non-stop, though the duration of the mantra was somewhat different, but once one mastered it by saving up the last two seconds, they would be able to keep chanting without interruption until their mana ran out. Of course, it was under the condition that the opponent had no countermeasures.

This was why mages were called the 'cheat-like class'. Although strictly speaking, sometimes they did pause, but due to the power and the long duration of the spell itself, it completely obscured the disadvantage. So if any players encountered a 'Flawless Casting' mage, it would definitely turn into a one-sided battle. When the spell was cast, it was almost impossible to dodge or block it. This was a mage's most powerful and ferocious 'one wave' tactic. In addition, the masters among the mages could even reassemble the order of the chant and used the duration of the spell itself to achieve near simultaneous multiple casting. They could chant a fireball spell first; when the fireball exploded, a five seconds blizzard spell was unleashed. In the meantime, they could cast a three seconds ice shards spell. Then, the player couldn't help but deal with both ice shards spell and blizzard spell at the same time...

Of course, not everyone could master this technique. It required a perfect understanding of each spell: its duration, skill, and gesture. If the spell failed, not only one would not be able to activate 'Flawless Casting', but it might even cause a conflict between the forces and lead to a situation where the mage was unable to release the spell, which was the deadliest state for a mage.

It was the same for Marlene.

Although she had been training her magic skills for several days, Marlene was still unable to do it perfectly. Her previous spell-casting habits were now her biggest obstacle. As the most outstanding student in the Academy, Marlene's movements and rhythms were perfect. But now, the pride that Marlene once had become the biggest obstacle to her growth. The 'standard action' of pausing for a second after releasing magic had become so ingrained in her body and it was not easy to change it forcefully..

"I almost did it today..."

Looking at the sky before her, Marlene gritted her teeth. She lowered her head and sighed.

"It seems like I have to consult with Miss Canary."

Marlene looked around as she muttered to herself. Marlene looked around, but to her surprise, she did not see Canary.

What the hell is going on?

Marlene frowned, then she remembered that Canary had said that she needed to report something to Rhode, and so she left.

"Let's see..." As she spoke to herself, Marlene walked over to the stronghold.

Because the number of members had increased, the current stronghold was much more lively than before, but the third floor was as quiet as ever. Rhode had made a rule that ordinary mercenaries were not allowed to come onto the third floor, and only a limited number of people, such as Christie or Marlene, were allowed to.

Marlene went to Rhode's study and softly knocked, but there was no response, which made Marlene feel a little strange. Rhode had been spending his time in the study observing the map of the Land of Atonement for two days.

"Excuse me."

Marlene was puzzled. She reached out and opened the door, but the study was empty. Neither Rhode nor Canary were inside.

Where's Mr. Rhode?

With a little doubt, Marlene came to Canary's room, but the door was locked and no one answered.

It doesn't seem like she's here either.

It looks like I came in at the wrong time...

Marlene shook her head as she thought of it, then turned around to leave. But suddenly, she heard a slight movement.

"Hmm?"

Marlene stopped in curiosity and looked towards the hallway. She saw the slightest gap in the usually closed warehouse door, which made Marlene curious. The door had been locked all this time. Why would it open now? Was someone there?

Marlene walked to the end of the corridor curiously. Just as she was about to reach out and open the door, a sharp, low voice came from within. Marlene, who had intended to open the door, froze.

"This... This... "

Marlene gasped. She forced herself to calm down as she leaned close to the door to look properly. Her eyes widened in surprise.

The sunset twilight dyed the room red. Two figures were currently entangled with each other. The girl was holding her hands against the wall and bending her head to gasp for breath. Behind her, the man was clutching the girl's slender waist while moving his body violently. The glow of the setting sun shone against their faces and expressions and Marlene was also familiar with these two people.

"Is that... Mr. Rhode... and Miss Canary?"

When Marlene saw this, she covered her mouth in surprise. Her brain was blank for a moment, and she had no idea what to do.

Canary's body trembled violently followed by Rhode's movements. Waves of pleasure swept over her body as she shook her hips eagerly to cater to Rhode's actions. Soon, their breaths got heavier, a moment later, followed by a muffled groan, Rhode tightly held onto Canary and pinned her under him. Then, she instinctively stood up, and her slender legs couldn't stop trembling. Sticky, translucent fluid was slowly flowing down from her inner thighs, dripping to the ground.

After a while, Canary felt her body turn weak so she knelt on the ground.

Not long after, Rhode's hands stretched out from behind, rubbing her plump, firm breasts.

"I had no idea you'd react so violently."

"Because it's been so long since I've done it..."

Canary looked up in response to Rhode's teasing. There was a faint smile of contentment as she blushed.

"Besides, this is the first time you've c*m inside... It's a feeling I've never felt before, but it's really comfortable."

"But then again, why did you choose this place..." Rhode said. He looked around for a moment and shook his head helplessly. However, Canary only smiled when she heard Rhode's complaint.

"If you're in a room, someone might come, right? And... it's more exciting to do it in a place like this..."

"Really, if your parents and teachers knew that their daughter and good student was such a lecherous and perverted woman, I don't know how they'd react."

"They can't see it anyway, and I'm tired of pretending to be a good kid. It's fun this way, isn't it? Only in front of Leader I can really be myself. Isn't that great? And... you don't hate it either, do you?"

As she spoke, Canary turned around and sat on the windowsill. Then she raised her legs in an impudent and almost shameless M-shape gesture. Under the dusk light, her face, which had always been gentle and full of smiles, was currently showing an unusually alluring expression. It was impossible to relate the person before him with the usually gentle and quiet her.

"Leader, let's do it again until you've filled my insides. I can do it as many times as you want."

"Of course I don't mean to stop here."

Facing Canary's invitation, Rhode reached out his hand without hesitation and once again drew closer to her. His left hand was rubbing against her delicate white skin, while his right hand slid down between her legs like a nimble snake.

"Ah... Right there... Harder... "

Canary held Rhode's body in her arms and shook her hair like a wild animal in heat. A sweet, languorous moan came out of her lips as she writhed her body. Her obscene moans were filled with seduction and debauchery. Anyone who was familiar with her would be dumbstruck and would be unable to recognize her at this moment.

Marlene watched them from the gap in the door. She was unable to hear them because they were too far away, but then, intermittently, the faint moan in the air seemed to stir her heart. She gazed at Rhode and Canary, and she couldn't help but feel the tingling sensation coming from under her belly.

That's a man's... It's so big...

Thinking of this, Marlene unconsciously reached out her right hand and held her lower abdomen. It looks so brawny, so scary... It had actually been inside my body? God, it's so big... Won't it tear me apart?

Her body began to heat up, and an unbearable itchy feeling came across her. Marlene fixatedly gazed at the scene before her. She involuntarily reached out her hands and began to rub her body awkwardly. Her movements became more and more intense as she looked intently at the two of them. Not even Marlene herself noticed that her breath was getting slower and uneasy. Currently, her face was tinged with a touch of flush.

No, I can't do this. I can't do this here. Although Marlene's heart was warning her strongly, her instinct seemed to gradually overwhelm her consciousness, and her movements did not cease; she could not stop herself from watching their intense movements.

"Ah... ah... Leader, I can't, I can't anymore... "

Canary moaned while embracing Rhode's body tightly. She instinctively held Rhode and both of her legs were clinging onto his waist, greedily taking up space on Rhode's body. However, looking at Canary's lovely and teary expression, Rhode couldn't help but want to tease her. He slowed down and whispered in her ear.

"You look really seducing now; what if someone else sees you? What would they think? That sweet, quiet Canary was actually such a girl... They must be shocked and surprised, right... If I open the window now, perhaps all the mercenaries down there are going to see you like this~ "

"Ah... Ah... "

Canary didn't reply to Rhode's words, but her body trembled more and more. Rhode's words stirred a feeling of fear and excitement in her heart. She knew what would happen if the other mercenaries saw her like this, though surely, Rhode would never do such a thing. But the mere thought of the dangers and possibilities of this uncertainty made her even more sensitive. The intense tension of being afraid of being discovered for doing bad things had stimulated her body and made her tremble. However, Rhode was already too intoxicated and didn't notice it. He kept moving his body while sprawling his tongue to lick Canary's neck and earlobe, then continued to whisper. There was a touch of wickedness and coldness in his voice.

"If they see you, then what are you going to do? Lovely, respectable little lady? "

"Ah... Ah... Aaah! Aah! "

By this time, Canary could no longer contain herself. She put her arms around Rhode and moaned while lifting her head up high. At the same time, Rhode had also reached his limit.

Marlene dozed off as she listened to the Canary's unstoppable screams, and the intense movement on her fingertips suddenly stopped. Marlene felt a warm heat flow out her body. She seemed to have lost strength and fell to the ground.

"What am I..."

Marlene leaned against the wall and looked at the sky blankly, her eyes out of focus. She softly panted and lowered her head to look at her left hand, on which a transparent fluid could be seen.

The wet feeling underneath made Marlene sober up a lot.

I-I can't believe I did this in a place like this!

At the very thought of it, Marlene flushed. She quickly got up and quietly turned around. Marlene tidied up her clothes in panic and walked down the stairs without looking back.

Only after she left the third floor was she able to calm down. All she could think about was that scene... Marlene was shocked that the girl who was always smiling so gently could do such things and have such a look on her face. She seemed to have found out about Canary's secret. Then, when I did it with Mr. Rhode... was it also the same? Did I show the same expression as Miss Canary? Or is it the same with other women?

Had to say, the sex education in this world was very problematic. Although as a noblewoman, Marlene had also received a certain degree of education since childhood, but learning was different from experiencing it. Even though those fairytale love stories sounded romantic, it was hard to say what actually happened. Not to mention, what Rhode and Canary were doing now left a very strong stimulation in her. After all, Marlene was a first-timer, and such a high hurdle was too much for her.

Just as Marlene fell into a daze, suddenly, a lively voice echoed in her ear.

"Ah, Sister Marlene, what's wrong?"

"Aaa!!"

Marlene, who had fallen in deep thought did not expect anyone to speak to her, so she subconsciously screamed and looked up. After seeing Anne's puzzled expression, she deeply sighed. Luckily, there was no one else around, and the rest of the clerics were still 'training' under Mini Bubblegum. Shauna, who was on patrol, also hadn't returned yet. Anne was the only one who was on the second floor. It was good news for Marlene. If too many people saw the current her, she wouldn't know what to do.

"Oh, it's Anne! What's the matter?"

"Ah? It's nothing; Anne is here to look at the scenery, but saw you look very red. Anne decided to come over to ask... Sister Marlene, are you sick? "

"No, no, I just..."

Although there was no mirror, Marlene was sure that her current face must be burning red, and she unconsciously touched her face and shook her head.

"No, I'm just feeling a bit under the weather. I'll just have some rest..."

"Um...?"

Upon hearing Marlene's reply, Anne tilted her head curiously. Marlene saw that Anne subconsciously looked down...

"Sister Marlene? Aren't you too old to wet your pants? "

"Eh?"

Upon hearing Anne's inquiry, Marlene remained silent for a moment, then looked down and dozed off.

Right now, under Marlene's robe, in between her legs, a translucent liquid was spreading down. Marlene was stupefied as she saw it, and subsequently, her face immediately flushed.

"It's, it's, it's not, Anne, it's not like that, it's... Well... This.. I fell, yes, that's right, I accidentally fall into the pool, so..."

Marlene stammered as she quickly turned around.

"Well, I must go and change now. Goodbye!"

"Well, Sister Marlene, take care..."

Before Anne had finished speaking, Marlene already rushed into her room like a gust of wind. Seeing that Marlene heavily slammed the door, Anne tilted her head curiously.

"What on earth was Sister Marlene thinking?"

Anne turned around as she muttered to herself. Then, she walked to the windowsill and lifted her hands high, stretching herself against the passing breeze.

"Um... such a good weather, I should find somewhere comfortable to sleep."

Chapter 378: Forest Trail

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Summer rays spilled through the dense forest, forming a picturesque scene intertwined with lights and shadows. A refreshing breeze rustled the leaves and obstructed the heat waves. From time to time, warbles could be heard from the tranquil, serene forest. The uneven hills were covered in different layers of eye-pleasing green.

Rhode turned his attention from the landscape onto the map on his hand and drew a circle.

It had been two days since they left Deep Stone City. Within this period of time, their schedules were successfully carried out. The 25 mercenaries who had finally completed their hellish training after one and a half months had joined Rhode and his 30 men in the forest trail.

Although it seemed to be a very tough task to open up a path in Land of Atonement, Rhode didn't think so. He was very clear of the situation in Land of Atonement. That place used to be considered as the frontline of the Fortress. However, it was abandoned entirely after a few hundred years of battles. But it would be too exaggerating to treat the Land of Atonement as impoverished because of this. It had become a vast stretch of ruins after years of neglect and Rhode knew that the Fortress on the higher altitude in Land of Atonement still maintained a certain extent of its structure. As long as Rhode could break through the periphery and enter the Fortress, he could modify and repair the Fortress after triggering the Construction System. Then, he would be able to build the Summon Gate to link up between the stronghold in Deep Stone City and Land of Atonement using a Plane of Existence spatial tunnel.

Once the tunnel was established, Starlight with the stabilized rear assistance could clean up and reorganize the surrounding area. By then, it wouldn't be difficult to repair the connecting business roads and controlling this region.

Without a doubt, it was impossible to solely rely on this group of mercenaries to develop this region. However, Rhode also knew that there were many gathering spots of wanderers. Although their population wasn't much, they would still form an objective number together. If Rhode could obtain the help of these natives, the future developments would be favorable.

But, before that...

"Leader."

Randolf's voice sounded beside Rhode. Rhode shifted his attention from the map and turned towards the Ranger standing before him. After the battles in the midsummer festival, these newbies had finally matured. Furthermore, the generous rewards that Rhode had distributed to them allowed them to upgrade their equipment by leaps and bounds. Unlike in the past, now Randolf was equipped with a magical leather armor with a large camo cloak covering his body. A pitch-black, giant wooden bow hung behind his back diagonally — the quiver was stocked fully with magical arrows made by Lapis. Matching with two daggers hanging by his waist and a circle of knives hanging obliquely on him, Randolf seemed like a Ranger Master. However, his respectful, yet somewhat uneasy gaze sold out his identity.

"What's wrong?"

Rhode glanced at Randolf and asked. Right before their eyes was Deep Creek Village as according to plan and it was the final resting spot for Rhode and his group before entering the forest trail. But now...

"Leader. There seems to be something wrong ahead. We have investigated and realized that there's smoke rising from the village. I think that they are in a battle right now and I have sent Joey and the others to check out the situation. Should I get the others to ready themselves?"

"Go take a look."

Rhode kept the map into a fold in his clothes before gesturing to the back. The mercenaries behind Rhode got into preparations instantly as they gathered towards him.

Deep Creek Village was located by the edge of the Twilight Forest. This area was also considered as the civilization border area of Paphield. As soon as Rhode arrived at the mountainside, he saw billows of black smoke and sparks from flames.

Deep Creek Village was shrouded in thick smoke. Gazing vaguely from far, there were some people surrounding the perimeter of the village with weapons in hand while confronting the villagers. Perhaps the village might have fallen into the enemies' hands if it was an ordinary village. However, as a place of human settlement on the border of civilization, the defenses of Deep Creek Village were considerably in place. Tall, solid wall piled up by logs defended against the external threats. At least for now, they seemed to be safe.

The people who were attacking the village seemed very strange. Apart from the few of them, most weren't dressed in clothes. They were only covered by a few pieces of hide, exposing their bare feet and arms while brandishing weapons such as wooden clubs and machetes. They shouted from the outside as though they were primitives of the Stone Age. Behind the walls, there were a few hunters standing on the tower shooting arrows from their bows, trying to disperse the enemies surrounding their village. However, their manpower was limited, and the 'primitives' seemed to be experienced. Even though the guards were working very hard, they weren't effective.

"It's the Barbarians."

A senior mercenary said as he touched his beard and showed a look of disgust. Not only him, the other mercenaries were showing loathe and seriousness one after another. Rhode nodded and it was obvious that he knew the history of these people.

These 'primitives' didn't come from the Stone Age. As a matter of fact, they came from the outside the civilized border. Without a doubt, these people weren't nice. 80% of them were once criminals and even felons. After they had escaped from prison and execution grounds, they began to wander aimlessly. In order to avoid capture, almost all of them chose to head towards the outside of the civilized border where there were no law and order. This place served as a paradise of freedom for these criminals.

However, they lost everything when they achieved freedom. Outside the civilized border, there were no food, no water, and no clothes. In order to survive, these criminals began to gather and used the forest as their sanctuary to rob surrounding businesses, villages, and towns. The activity circle of these people was huge and they were extremely familiar with the terrain. Therefore, gradually, many merchants stopped passing through this route. Only the black market dealers who were peddling illegal goods would still take the risk in choosing this path.

But this didn't discourage the criminals. Instead, they turned their attention towards the villages since they weren't able to get supplies from the merchants. In fact, almost every village by the border had been plundered by these criminals. Sometimes, they would even snatch women in the village to satisfy their desires and reproduce further their lineage. Because of the remoteness of these places, the garrison troops were too far away to help and they couldn't prevent such crimes. Due to various reasons, these natives were unable to leave their hometown and they could only rely on themselves.

Therefore, these wandering criminals were named Barbarians by many mercenaries. Although these Barbarians had led an arduous life, the toughness which they endured outside the civilized border had given them strength and physique which exceeded ordinary humans. Even for many mercenaries, these Barbarians had become strong enemies.

Suddenly, the bushes beside Rhode began to tremble. Shortly after, Joey in a full black leather armor emerged quietly. Four other Thieves followed closely behind him.

"It's the Barbarians, Boss. There's many of them and they are ruthless..."

"How many of them in total?"

Rhode frowned and asked while Joey scratched his head before answering.

"About a hundred of them. They have almost surrounded the entire village. Although the villagers are still fending them off, I think they can't hold much longer... Boss, what should we do?"

"What should we do?"

Rhode swept a glance towards Joey as though he was looking at an idiot.

"We have to get rid of them, of course. Didn't you train hard for a moment like this?"

"Argh..."

Joey revealed an awkward smile. He knew what he should do, but there were just too many enemies. Although Joey had been through long hours of training and reached the standards of in-game players, a newbie was still a newbie. His heart pounded instantly at the sight of the sea of enemies.

However, this wasn't the issue for Rhode. In the semi-Plane of Existence, he had simulated battles in the mountains for more than once. Furthermore, the battle experiences of the mercenaries were very rich. Although the Barbarians were overwhelming in forces, Rhode knew clearly that they wouldn't stand a chance against his mercenaries.

Rhode had decided on his decision.

"Randolf, lead your men to occupy the right side of the high ground. Start attacking once you see my signal and I want you to crush them! Joey, I want you to send someone to wipe out those on the outside. Don't let them discover our presence here. You have three minutes!"

"Okay, Leader."

"Understood, Boss"

Both of them nodded quickly and scattered. Rhode turned towards everyone else.

"Follow me."

Rhode ordered.

Chapter 379: Lightning Ambush

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Finish those group of bastards!"

A big man wearing a leather hide brandished the chopper on his hand as he gazed and shouted excitedly at the village that was consumed by billows of smoke. He stared at the sturdy, large wooden gate, waiting for it to be broken down so they could enter the village and plunder everything that they want.

Tasty food, wine... and women...

The big man licked his lips at the thought. Damn it, ever since he played a little girl to death, he had never touched a woman for half a month. This time, he had to get his hands on the most tender and lustrous woman — Luckily, Boss didn't like young children. If not, he would snatch the best away from me!

"Alright, you bastards, stop lazing around. Go! Burn down their kennel!"

The big man commanded his men to charge forward. All the men stood behind him revealed cunning smiles as they threw flame torches towards the wooden palisades. Some of the flame torches were blocked and some flew over by luck. Shortly after, billows of black smoke began to rise from within.

"Damn it!"

Huddling in the watchtower, Vinny squinted his teary, swollen eyes that were caught up in the smoke. However, even so, Vinny continued to stay at his post and narrowed his eyes through the gap to observe the attackers. Those damned Barbarians were like a mischief of mice surrounding the village — these bastards came prepared, knowing that our Village Chief and hunters were out hunting. Although the entire Deep Creek Village had a population of more than a hundred, most of them were feeble women and children and there were less than 30 who could really fight! How could they retaliate now?

Vinny lifted his head towards the green hills nearby, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Village head and his group of men. However, he saw no one, and he was clear that it was impossible for the Village Head to return right now. But... Is this bunch of bastards crazy? Why would they choose to attack at this time?

"Vinny!"

As Vinny forced off a Barbarian that was trying to climb over the wooden palisade, a militia gasped for breath and arrived beside him.

"Damn it. We had sent out signals but Village Head didn't respond and we don't know where they are now... There is fire everywhere in the village and we can't extinguish them in time! Those bastards..."

The militia lifted his head and scanned the surroundings. Then, he stood up with widened eyes.

"God. That's Old John's house! Those bastards...!"

"Damn it, squat down you idiot!"

Vinny turned pale with fright as the militia stood on his feet. Before Vinny could finish his words, a flying hatchet hacked into the militia's skull. The sharp blade sliced the poor militia's head into two and before he could react, his body convulsed a few times and fell off the watchtower.

"You bastards!!"

Vinny was infuriated at the death of his companion. He stood up hurriedly and retorted with his arrow attacks. However, those well-prepared bastards instantly retreated as soon as they noticed his actions. Not only that, when Vinny was drawing an arrow from the quiver, a few more hatchets were thrown towards him in the air. Vinny had no choice but to give up his attack and hide behind the fences of the watchtower.

However, at this moment, this young militia squad captain heard something snapped below him suddenly.

"What happened?"

Vinny looked down frightenedly and widened his eyes — The devastating flames had spread to the supporting frame of the watchtower and its bottom had been burned pitch-black. Then, Vinny realized that this strong watchtower was slowly tilting forward!

Sh*t!

That was the last thought that came to Vinny's mind. He wasn't able to jump out of the watchtower because its pillar had been burned down and it couldn't maintain its balance anymore. The watchtower was like a dying patient, falling forward as it let out ear-deafening groans.

Bam. A violent crash sounded. Vinny opened his eyes and shook off the grogginess in his head. Even though his body hurt everywhere, this militia squad captain gritted his teeth and turned back. In his blurry line of sight, there was a large hole in the sturdy wall and the remains of the watchtower below him had become a bridge that linked between the inner and outer wooden wall!

Sh*t...

He turned around and saw black figures slowly creeping in. Flames devastated the place as he tried to get back on his feet dizzily. Those black figures were revealing disgusting smiles as they surrounded him — Are they trying to finish him off? I won't let them!

Vinny reached out for his waist but there was nothing.

Damn it, where's my sword?

Before Vinny could think of a solution, one of the Barbarians trampled on his chest and the poor young man groaned painfully. He rolled on the ground for a few rounds before finally stopping. Wounds scattered across his body and his strength slowly leaked from his body like a stream. Although Vinny wasn't about to give up, he couldn't bring out the strength to shift his finger anymore.

Then, a bald Barbarian appeared in his vision. He was laughing nastily while lifting the hatchet on his hand.

Is this the end?

Vinny stared blankly at the highly raised hatchet. He clenched his teeth and embraced his fate... There was nothing he could do anymore.

The hatchet swung downwards.

At this moment, there was a golden flash.

Clang. The hatchet struck onto a golden barrier and deflected.

"What's going on?"

All the Barbarians were stunned by the sudden appearance of this golden barrier. Vinny widened his eyes and couldn't believe what he witnessed. The bald Barbarian trembled and fell stiffly beside him — an arrow had struck between his eyes.

"Enemy! We have been attacked!"

This ambush instantly roused the Barbarians who were immersed in their killings and fightings as they didn't anticipate an attack would come from their backs. However, before they could prepare themselves, a rain of arrows descended from skies. The Barbarians were defenseless, and in a blink of an eye, a dozen of them collapsed. The others finally reacted as they swiftly changed their direction and tried to evacuate from both sides. Most of them scattered towards the left and tried to avoid the arrow attacks.

"Change your arrows!"

Randolf stood on the high ground gave a command calmly. He drew a deep blue arrow from the quiver and shot it instantly at the escaping Barbarians.

Bam! The second wave of arrows was released and countless bolts of lightning erupted as they struck the ground, forming a large entwined web and devour the Barbarians that didn't escape on time entirely. The unlucky Barbarians caught in the trap were instantly charred by the bolts of lightning.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

The big man gulped at the sight of the lightning whirlpool.

Did those villagers return? When did they have such powers? Forget it. Damn it, I gotta run — what are those useless bastards doing out there? Why didn't anyone trigger the alarm?

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The big man completely gave up the idea of raiding the village. He swung his arms and ordered his men to retreat towards the other end of the forest. This forest was the most familiar place to him and as long as he could stay within it, no one would stand a chance against him!

As the big man decided to leave, a shadow darted by his eyes and phased through the crowd like an agile, flexible viper. A bright red light flashed and circled the crowd with a burning straight line. Then a young man dressed in black noble clothing appeared before them silently. He quietly gazed at the Barbarians while the sharp blade on his hand reflected the dazzling sun rays. The Barbarians who were escaping in all directions seemed to lose their hope as they dropped to the ground one by one.

"Who are you!?"

The big man lifted his sword and pointed towards the young man. Suddenly, along with flashing light shields, human figures started emerging on both sides of the bushes one by one. They held weapons in their hands and pointed them towards the Barbarians.

A chill went down the spine of the big man. Although the enemies were much lesser than his forces, deep in his heart, he only had one thought.

We're doomed.