As more and more monsters broke through the defense line, the post house guards gradually grew exhausted.
Gaps began to appear in the once tight defensive line, and everyone's face was filled with exhaustion and anxiety.
The two archers on the roof dared not rest for even a second, their arrows whistling out like rain, accurately striking the monsters that were about to pounce on the guards.
A goblin had just raised its scimitar when an arrow pierced its head, sending it crashing straight down.
Another Shadow Cat, attempting to ambush a guard under the cover of darkness, was also pinned firmly to the ground by an arrow.
But there were simply too many monsters. The moment one was shot down, three or even more would surge forward, and the pressure on the defensive line did not lessen in the slightest.
In the chaos, a guard was violently struck in the chest by the thick branch of a rotting treant.
He flew backward like a spring, crashing heavily onto the ground.
He struggled to climb back up, but before he could support himself, a goblin pounced in front of him with a sneer, raising its blood-stained scythe high.
Death was close at hand.
At that very moment, Bai Xuan raised the Staff of Guidance in his hand.
Two beams of soft yet powerful golden light lit up one after another.
The first landed on the guard's wound, and the gruesome bloody gash healed instantly, without leaving even a trace of a scar.
The second golden light followed closely behind, completely enveloping the guard's entire body.
The guard shuddered, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes before a scalding power swept through his entire body.
The sharp pain in his chest vanished instantly, replaced by a continuous stream of power surging from deep within the wound and rushing to every corner of his body.
He leaped up, his longsword carrying a fierce momentum as it slashed ruthlessly at the goblin in front of him.
The blade pierced through the goblin's shoulder, slicing diagonally across most of its body. Dark brown, filthy blood splattered all over his face, but he was completely oblivious to it.
Without pausing for a second, he charged into the swarm of monsters with his longsword in hand.
With a single slash, he cut down a leaping Shadow Cat, then kicked away another clawing goblin.
His movements were more than twice as fast as usual, and every strike carried an unstoppable force, as if venting all his built-up rage.
The archer on the roof caught a glimpse of him in a brief moment of respite and widened his eyes in shock.
The guard who had been miserably knocked to the ground just a moment ago now seemed like a completely different person, his combat strength skyrocketing.
“Is that guy crazy?” the archer on the roof couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Bai Xuan's gaze swept over the archer indifferently. He didn't say anything, but silently began to count the time in his heart.
He wanted to test the specific effects of this enhancement magic.
The first guard wasn't heavily injured, only struck in the chest by a branch. How long could the enhancement effect last?
One minute and twenty seconds.
During this time, the guard fought freely within the monster horde, slaying more than twenty monsters in succession.
The moment the enhancement faded, the guard's body went limp, his footsteps faltering as he nearly collapsed.
His mind was in utter chaos, filled with confusion and bewilderment.
He stared blankly at his own hands, then at the monster corpses scattered all over the ground. Fragmented memories of him slaughtering his way through the horde rushed into his mind.
The residual feeling of abundant power and reckless frenzy still lingered, but physical exhaustion overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
He vaguely recalled how his combat strength had surged and how he had slaughtered the monsters, but he couldn't comprehend where this sudden power had come from. He only felt sore all over, lacking even the strength to raise his hand.
After a brief daze, he immediately snapped out of it. While he still had some strength left, he staggered back behind the wooden fence.
Just as this guard retreated, another situation arose on the other side.
A guard was surrounded by two goblins from the front and back. A deep, bone-deep gash had been sliced across his left arm, blood gushing out. He was clearly on the verge of collapsing.
Bai Xuan raised his hand, and two golden lights shot out once more, landing precisely on him.
The moment the wound healed, the guard's temperament transformed as well.
His eyes turned bloodshot, and his breathing grew heavy, like an wild beast out of control.
He swung his axe, splitting open the skull of the goblin in front of him, and then cleaved another goblin in half with a horizontal sweep.
After catching his breath slightly, he turned and lunged at another group of monsters, his combat power remaining astonishing.
“W-What kind of magic is this?” The boss standing at the entrance of the post house watched in dumbfounded shock, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor, his voice filled with astonishment.
Bai Xuan completely ignored the boss's shock, continuing to count the time. A judgment slowly formed in his mind.
This guard was more severely injured, and the enhancement duration was also longer.
One minute and forty seconds later, the enhancement faded. He slumped by the fence, completely drained of strength, unable to even hold his axe steadily. He panted heavily, lacking even the strength to lift his arm.
The archer on the roof exerted himself again, firing an arrow through a Shadow Cat that was trying to ambush a guard. He barely managed to save the guard, but the man's leg was still gashed.
Almost simultaneously, Bai Xuan's golden light followed in a timely manner, enveloping him.
The third guard was successfully enhanced. This time, the duration was one minute and thirty seconds, which perfectly confirmed Bai Xuan's hypothesis.
Throughout the battle, guards fell one after another, only to be awakened once more by Bai Xuan's magic.
Once enhanced, they charged through the monster horde like meat grinders.
As the enhancement effects faded one by one, the guards retreated behind the fence. The moment they stepped back, they sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Looking at the scene, Bai Xuan nodded secretly, having completely grasped the characteristics of his enhancement magic.
The enhancement duration lasted between one minute and twenty seconds and one minute and fifty seconds, directly correlating with the severity of the injury.
Their combat power could be increased by more than double, which was roughly the same effect as Lily's previous instance.
However, the side effects were also very obvious: significant emotional fluctuations and heavy physical consumption.
Putting his thoughts away, he slowly raised his head and cast his gaze deep into the forest behind the monster tide.
The commotion there was growing louder, and heavy footsteps could be faintly heard.
The monsters that had been charging frantically actually halted their steps and subconsciously parted to both sides.
It was as if they were fearing something, or perhaps making way for a powerful existence.
Yet the enhanced guards did not stop because of this. Instead, seeing that the monsters were no longer as frenzied, their killing efficiency actually improved.
The guard captain in particular fought his way in and out repeatedly, completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
Thump, thump—thump, thump—
Heavy footsteps approached from the distance. With each step, the ground vibrated violently.
Even the soil beneath their feet trembled slightly, and an oppressive atmosphere gradually enveloped the entire post house.
The guards' faces instantly turned pale, and their already exhausted bodies trembled uncontrollably.
The guards who had just retreated struggled to stand, but their legs could only slowly prop them up.
The boss stared intently at the pitch-black forest, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single coherent sentence.
Finally, a massive dark shadow slowly emerged from the depths of the forest, instantly drawing everyone's gaze.
It towered over the surrounding monsters, its build incredibly massive, shaking the ground with every step it took.
As it stepped into the light of the torches, its hideous and terrifying face was fully revealed.
Its rough, grayish-brown skin was covered in wrinkles, its protruding lower jaw dripped with saliva, and its turbid eyes glowed with a bloodthirsty red light.
In its hand, it gripped a thick wooden club covered in dried, dark-brown blood, emitting a sickening, foul stench.
Bai Xuan's gaze suddenly froze, and the aura around him grew cold.
An ogre.
Images of the ruined Klara Village flashed rapidly through his mind.
Back then, when he watched this creature approach the church, he was merely a weakling with no power to resist, barely escaping with his life through sheer luck.
At that time, this ogre was only Level 6, and he didn't even have the qualification to face it head-on.
But now, it was Level 7.
Bai Xuan stared intently at it, and the other party's attribute panel instantly surfaced before his eyes:
【Ogre Lv.7 (Practitioner)】
【Status: Furious, Curse Augmentation】
【Health: 1500/1500】
【Mana: 180/180】
【Potential: 2-Star (Squire)】
【Magic Soul Seed (Fragment): A seed manufactured by the Demon Race. With only a small fragment remaining, it can gather the power of the undead to generate a curse, and can also serve as a consumable medium to access the Demon Continent.】
A Magic Soul Seed. It was this thing again.
Bai Xuan's brow furrowed slightly, a chill rising in his heart.
Looking at the description, this item was clearly related to the Demon Race.
Moreover, it was identical to the Magic Soul Seed inside the Heavy Armored Skeleton from before, which was obviously Zane's doing.
It seemed the Cross family had manufactured far more than just one monster.
At this moment, the “special method to increase strength” that Harvey had once mentioned suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Half a month ago in Klara Village, this ogre was only Level 6, but now it had reached Level 7.
Combined with the boost from the curse, its actual combat power had likely already touched the threshold of a Transcendent.
This speed of improvement was by no means normal.
The answer was already glaringly obvious.
The “genius” Harvey spoke of, as well as that so-called “special method,” were likely intricately connected to the Demon Race.
The worst-case scenario was that he had already reached some unspeakable agreement with the Demon Race.
If Zane were to obtain that so-called Gemstone as well, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Bai Xuan's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his staff, a cold glint passing through his eyes.
Right at that moment, the ogre moved.
It took massive, heavy strides, charging frantically toward the post house. Seeing this, the surviving monsters scrambled to the sides in terror, dreading being trampled by this colossal creature.
The guards instinctively wanted to step forward to block it, but the moment they raised their weapons, they were intimidated by the ogre's overwhelming size and retreated repeatedly. No one dared to take a single step forward.
Only one person did not retreat in the slightest.
It was the guard captain.
Having been enhanced by Bai Xuan earlier, he had already gone completely wild with bloodlust.
Dozens of monsters had fallen under his blade. That sudden, immense power had given him the illusion of being omnipotent.
Now, seeing the ogre charging at him, instead of dodging, he gripped his longsword tightly and rushed straight toward the massive figure.
“Captain! Don't do it!” the guards behind him cried out in panic, their voices filled with anxiety.
But the captain, immersed in the pleasure of power, didn't hear them at all.
His eyes held only that massive figure, and only one thought occupied his mind: to cleave it in two with his sword.
The ogre slowly lowered its head, casting a glance at the tiny thing rushing toward it. Then, taking a deep breath, it slowly opened its mouth.
“Roar—!”
A deafening roar suddenly erupted. This was by no means an ordinary howl, but a skill carrying a bizarre power.
Soundwaves rippled outward like physical shockwaves. Wherever they passed, everyone was instantly frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.
The archers on the roof lay flat on the tiles, their fingers locked tightly on their bowstrings, yet they could not move even a fraction of an inch.
The boss at the entrance clung tightly to the doorframe, his legs shaking like sieves, his face as pale as paper. The guards who had just retreated stared with wide eyes filled with absolute terror.
Even the monsters were subdued by this roar, freezing stiffly in place.
As for the guard captain, who bore the brunt of the soundwave's impact, his entire body was like a block of ice, completely stiff, with only his eyes barely able to move.
It was precisely this roar that snapped him back to his senses.
The rage and frenzy that had clouded his mind after being enhanced by Bai Xuan vanished instantly under the force of the soundwaves.
Following his return to clarity, a bone-deep despair took over, and the deepest fears of his life surged into his heart like a tidal wave.
Scenes of nearly being torn apart by wild beasts in his childhood, the faces of his deceased comrades, and his own unfinished business flashed rapidly through his mind.
He watched helplessly as the ogre slowly raised a wooden club thicker than his own body and approached him step by step, each footfall feeling like a heavy stamp on his heart.
The club descended ruthlessly, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.
The guard captain closed his eyes in despair, waiting for death to claim him.
“Boom—!”
A massive explosion erupted, and dust instantly billowed, completely shrouding both of their figures.
Everyone around believed that the captain was undoubtedly dead.
Some guards turned their heads away, unable to bear watching such a gruesome sight.
The boss's hand on the doorframe suddenly lost its strength, and his body staggered as he nearly slipped to the ground.
As the dust gradually cleared, the scene inside was revealed.
The guard captain lay prone on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably. His eyes were still tightly shut, still waiting for the anticipated, excruciating pain.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The expected death never came.
He opened his eyes hesitantly, and what met his sight was a tall, upright back clad in white.
The white robe appeared exceptionally dazzling under the reflection of the firelight.
With both hands, Bai Xuan held up a uniquely shaped staff, forcefully blocking that heavy wooden club.
His legs were slightly bent, and the ground beneath his feet had been cracked into two distinct fissures by the immense force.
It was the Healer who had been sitting on the chair at the post house entrance just moments ago!
“What are you standing there for?” Bai Xuan's voice came from ahead, calm yet urgent. “Run.”
Only then did the guard captain completely snap out of it. Driven by his survival instincts, he scrambled and crawled backward.
His legs were as soft as noodles, and he slipped several times, nearly falling to the ground.
The onlookers had long been dumbfounded, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
“Is... is that the Healer from just now?” a guard gasped, his voice full of astonishment.
“He actually blocked the ogre's club?”
Another guard rubbed his eyes vigorously, as if unable to believe the scene before him.
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