Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Probing

"Come here~ my little darlings~"

Dave whispered in an unnaturally suppressed tone, the mist in his hand spreading completely, as if acting as a medium that caused his murmur to echo madly across the clearing at a shockingly high frequency...

It sounded like thousands of people whispering simultaneously, yet strangely in unison, without becoming noisy or jarring.

The two Red Ridge Beasts simultaneously stepped forward, lowering themselves to lie motionless just inches in front of Dave.

"Excellent~" The Temporary Paladin smiled faintly, gripping his Holy Silver Greatsword with both hands and raising it high above his head, laughing wildly: "You are joyful! You are happy!"

With a sharp gust of wind, the greatsword imbued with holy power howled as it cleaved through the air, viciously shattering the forelimb of one monster. Then, with a horizontal sweep, it severed several bone spurs from the other's back.

"Serene you are! Obedient you are!"

Splattering blood landed on Dave but was repelled by the invisible force emanating from his silver armor. Meanwhile, as he channeled that unknown power, the radiance upon him, like a deity's blessing, grew even stronger.

He murmured softly while his blade danced wildly, destroying—or rather, torturing—the two Red Ridge Beasts. Yet the latter remained eerily serene, even as blood gushed from their wounds and the injuries Dave inflicted upon them were horrifically severe. They stayed crouched in place, as if asleep.

If one looked closely, they might even notice that the beasts seemed to be enjoying something, which was deeply unsettling.

"You sing praises! You give glory!"

The greatsword in his hand felt as light as nothing as it flew up and down, continuously hacking at the two Red Ridge Beasts. Dave was already no weakling, and with the seemingly effective temporary enhancement, he felt as if he had taken some supercharged fertilizer. Soon, the two monsters, showing no signs of resistance, were tortured to the brink of death.

Yet even so, they still showed no will to fight back, remaining peacefully at his mercy.

"You are devout in heart! You bow in submission!" Dave leaped into the air, swinging his sword downward from an inverted position. At that moment, a Holy Radiance appeared behind him—the holy symbol of the God of Courage and Justice, the deity he 'worshipped'!

Two massive monster heads rolled to the ground. Dave reversed his grip and thrust the greatsword into the ground beside him, his eyes clouded and intoxicated. He spread his arms and groaned hoarsely: "We, with devout hearts..."

And then, he exploded.

Well, to be precise, half of Dave's armor shattered with a loud bang. Following that, numerous gruesome wounds erupted across his body. Even the greatsword, which had remained pristine except for the bloodstains, was now covered in countless scratches.

In the blink of an eye, Dave was severely wounded, looking as if he might breathe his last at any moment.

Yet there was no pain on his face; instead, he appeared radiant and spirited.

"Well, it'd be better if it were more severe." Dave examined his battered body and shattered armor for a moment, then suddenly frowned and raised his intact left arm.

"My arm's about to break..."

Bang!!

As if struck by an invisible warhammer, Dave's previously unharmed arm was instantly twisted into a grotesque angle, and even his shoulder guard and arm armor were dented in several places.

It looked exactly like he'd been hit by some tremendous force.

"That should do it." Dave nodded with satisfaction, used his still-good hand to pull the heavy sword from its sheath and insert it into the scabbard on his back, then stepped forward, bent down, and hoisted the head of one of the Red Ridge Beasts, turning to leave.

But unexpectedly...

"Is there really such a rush?"

A flippant voice came from not far away. Dave spun around abruptly, only to see a figure shrouded in a gray robe slowly emerge from behind a tree, nodding slightly in greeting.

By now, everyone has probably guessed: after over twelve hundred words since the start of this chapter, the main character has finally appeared.

But Dave, lacking God's Perspective, was completely stunned. He eyed the stranger who had seemingly come out of nowhere with suspicion and uncertainty. "Who are you?"

"Does it really matter who I am?" Mo Tan shrugged. "I think what matters more to you is what I've seen and know, and how much of it."

Sweat beaded on Dave's forehead, but he forced himself to stay calm and snorted coldly. "Looks like you know quite a bit, huh?"

"Not that much~" Mo Tan spread his hands. "I just learned what kind of person you are from someone I happened to save, and I saw some interesting things just now. Hardly enough to warrant being silenced."

Are you kidding me?! That's not enough to warrant being silenced?!

Whether Dave actually thought that or not, his expression was certainly grim.

"Relax, those two kids were already on their last legs when I found them." Mo Tan casually lied, speaking with perfect composure. "Besides, they won't have the strength to crawl back to town and expose you anytime soon, so don't be so tense~"

Dave's expression improved considerably after hearing that. He forced an ugly smile. "Is... is that so? I'm sure there's been some misunderstanding here. Actually, I..."

"Misunderstanding?" Mo Tan raised an eyebrow, exasperated. "That's a bit unexpected. You're not... really only this capable, are you?"

By now, Dave had set down the Red Ridge Beast's head and quietly moved his right hand behind his back, forcing a dry laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"A mind and cunning nearly on par with a single-celled organism..." Mo Tan sighed softly, then shook his head at the other man. "Fine. Now, for the second test."

In a place where Mo Tan couldn't see, Dave's injuries were visibly healing at a noticeable rate. His face pale, he asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I saw you take down those two monsters." Mo Tan pointed at the two headless Red Ridge Beasts lying dead not far away and shrugged. "So I'm curious how you did it. If it's for some interesting reason, I think I can give you a hand, but only if you satisfy my curiosity..."

Dave immediately put on a devout expression. "That was the power bestowed upon me by the God of Courage and Justice. He allowed me to, in the process of avenging my comrades..."

"Enough." Mo Tan interrupted him roughly, his voice suddenly turning cold. "I think I'm wasting my time. So, one last confirmation..."

"You!"

"Let's have a moment of silence..."

Skill activated—【Tempt】!

Dave fell silent. He didn't know why he suddenly quieted down, but he felt that the other person absolutely wouldn't mean him harm and was only looking out for him...

This strange silence between them lasted nearly a full minute!

Then Dave suddenly snapped out of it and exclaimed, "What did you do?!"

"Ah... nothing much..." Mo Tan's voice sounded a bit listless. "I just found out just how pitiful your intelligence really is."

Let's recall the effect of the 【Tempt】 skill:

【Tempt a target, making them regard you as a friendly unit. Success rate and duration depend on the target's mental state and the intelligence of both parties. Cooldown: 1 hour.】

Everything was left unsaid...

"You cannot resist!!" Dave suddenly roared, charging at Mo Tan. The greatsword on his back was drawn in an instant, sweeping toward the latter with a silvery-white arc.

An overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over Mo Tan. For some reason, he suddenly felt that this battered man before him seemed invincible, incredibly strong!

But so what?

"I never thought I could beat you anyway~" Mo Tan rolled his eyes, pulling a dagger from his waist and holding it before him. He said in a low voice, "But your power seems quite interesting~"

Reverse Spin Stab!

Clang!

A harsh clash of metal erupted. Mo Tan, who had lost nearly a quarter of his health in an instant, spun around and traced a cold gleam, thrusting his short dagger straight at Dave's left eye.

"Your struggle is futile!" Dave saw that Mo Tan was all bark and no bite, but instead of dodging, he simply murmured this phrase.

Mo Tan's dagger slid strangely past his cheek. What should have been a strike piercing the eye only left a faint bloody scratch on Dave's face.

"Interesting!"

Mo Tan was still a bit faster than the armored knight. He ducked low and darted behind Dave, his dagger flipping in an arc as he slashed at Dave's throat.

【Cut Throat】

Guile School Active Skill

Mastery Requirements: Guile School Level 1

Cost/Restrictions: 20 Acuity Points, equipped with a bladed short weapon

Effect: Performs a quick slash at the target's throat, benefiting from the Weak Point Strike bonus. Has a certain chance to inflict 2 seconds of Silence. If attacking from behind, Silence is guaranteed and causes a Bleeding effect. Cooldown: 2 minutes.

[Note: There are many ways to shut someone up, and the simplest and most direct one is to give their trachea a good, hard slash.]

Blood splattered, but it had no real effect. The gash on his throat didn't affect him much, after all, the gap in strength between the two was still too large. In fact, let alone Dave, Mo Tan probably couldn't even beat Cole at this point.

But he had never intended to kill Dave here anyway; he just wanted to confirm a few things...

The moment Dave turned around, two daggers were already viciously stabbed into his shoulders!

[Swift Stab]

Guile School Active Skill

Mastery Requirements: Guile School Level 4, 10 Dexterity

Cost/Restrictions: 60 Acuity Points

Effect: Perform a rapid thrust toward a target within a 5-meter radius, dealing moderate damage, and immediately return to your original position. During this process, you have a 100% chance to successfully dodge any physical attack that is not theoretically guaranteed to hit. Cooldown: 1 hour.

[Note: A long, long time ago, the word 'fast' was still something people said to praise each other, not to mock.]

This strike allowed Mo Tan to dodge the sword swing Dave made as he turned around, and successfully dealt some damage to his opponent.

And...

[So it's useless under the Silence state, I see~]

After the strike, Mo Tan immediately retreated, simultaneously activating the escape skill that had always allowed him to act with impunity.

Mo Tan's figure flickered in place, and he vanished directly from Dave's field of vision. Only a burst of hysterical laughter echoed through the air~

"Haha... hahaha! Tremble! Shudder! Fear! The 'Hero' favored by the gods, return to your fragile and cheap stage, ring the final death knell for yourself, and open your arms to embrace the true glory!!"

[Escape]

Guile School Active Skill

Mastery Requirements: Guile School Level 5

Cost/Restrictions: 50% of current Health Points Cap

Effect: Conceal all of your aura, raising your Hide level to maximum for 10 seconds. During this time, your movement speed is increased by 150%. Casting a skill or making any attack will cancel this effect. After the Escape duration ends, your Stamina Points, Acuity Points cap, and movement speed will become 10% of normal, recovering at a rate of 5% per minute. Cooldown: 12 hours.

[Note: If you're going to run, focus on it. Worrying about what happens after you're caught is just asking for trouble.]

...

[Your mental connection has been detected. Synchronizing personal information.]

[Connection complete. Loading character information.]

[Welcome back, Lawful Good Mo. About to load into Innocent Realm. Good night.]

When Mo Tan appeared at No. 11 Scented Avenue in Anka Market, the in-game time had just reached noon. The earthy fragrance wafting from the front yard, coupled with the warm sunlight, made him feel drowsy...

Wait...

Earthy fragrance?!

Recalling the scene that seemed like a riot of demons before his character was kicked offline, Mo Tan immediately gasped and quickly looked up...

"Huh?"

In Mo Tan's memory, the giant man-eating grass that two orcs holding hands couldn't even wrap their arms around, the thorny vines with barbs and fangs, and countless other unnamed plants—all of them had vanished!

[Looks like someone else already completed this quest...]

He sighed at the barren yard, deeply feeling his own lack of strength, then turned and left.

Mo Tan planned to head back to the Adventurer's Guild first. Too many unexpected situations had arisen recently, and his original plans had gone far off course. Not only had he failed to complete a single quest, but his strength had also seen absolutely zero improvement.

Really disheartening...

Yet just over ten minutes later, the moment he stepped into the main hall of the Adventurer's Guild, something even more disheartening happened!

"It's him!!!"

A joyful shout came from somewhere, and Mo Tan was immediately swarmed by the crowd.

Amid the chaos, he heard several remarks...

"Is it his dog?!"

"Yeah, yeah! I saw them together!"

"Whoa, they finally found Lady Molly and the Gulo family's victim!"

"I heard Madam Molly is about to lose her mind."

"Well, if you opened your door and found half your house torn down, you'd lose it too."

"A half-dragon and a dog—no doubt about it!"

"Hold him down!"

Mo Tan: "???"

Chapter 35: End