Nightfall

Bai Xuan ignored the chaos in front of him, closing his eyes instead to carefully replay every detail of the battle in his mind.

【Penetrating Thrust: Throw the tail of the staff toward the enemy, wrapping the shaft in mana to deal massive piercing damage to all enemies in a straight line.】

This was clearly not a skill he should possess at his current rank. Its consumption was immense—a full 150 points of mana, which had nearly drained him dry.

He had already used many skills and consumed a significant amount of mana beforehand.

Had his mana reserves not far exceeded those of his peers, he wouldn't have been able to execute this strike at all.

But this power was indeed worthy of such a massive cost.

After all, that was an ogre enhanced to near the Transcendent Rank, yet it had been directly pierced through by this single strike, completely defenseless.

This skill can serve as a trump card in the future, Bai Xuan thought to himself. I must never use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

With his mind made up, he stepped toward the depths of the dense forest, his figure gradually disappearing behind the cover of branches and leaves.

Only after a long while did someone at the entrance of the post house dare to speak in a low voice.

“Where... where did he go?”

“Probably... to look for that staff. He threw it so far away.”

“That move he just did... what kind of skill was that? It was terrifying!”

“No idea...”

Several adventurers nearby stood in place, exchanging bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Before long, Bai Xuan walked slowly back out of the forest, carrying the Staff of Guidance.

By the time he returned to the entrance of the post house, the guards were still standing in the exact same spots, barely having changed their postures.

The archer on the roof dropped his arrow, which clattered sharply against the tiles, but he was completely oblivious, his eyes still fixed on Bai Xuan.

Ignoring everyone's stares, Bai Xuan walked straight to the chair he had sat in earlier and slowly sat down.

“Pack up my loot.” He looked up at the post house boss, his tone completely flat.

The boss nodded repeatedly in a hurry, then seemed to suddenly remember something.

He quickly ran back to the counter, rummaged around to find five gold coins, and presented them to Bai Xuan with both hands, his voice still trembling slightly.

“Th-this is your reward, five gold coins. Please take it.”

Bai Xuan glanced at the five glittering gold coins, shook his head slightly, and reached out to take only two.

“We agreed on two, so I will only take two.”

The boss froze, clearly not expecting him to refuse.

“You... you helped us so much and saved everyone's lives. Five gold coins is really not that much...”

“I do not like going back on my word.”

Bai Xuan slipped the two gold coins into his robes, leaned back against the chair, and slowly closed his eyes, looking as if he didn't want to say another word.

The boss stood there, looking at Bai Xuan and then at the three remaining gold coins.

Ultimately, he said nothing more, turning around to call the guards and workers to quickly clean up the battlefield.

The light of the torches flickered, illuminating the bloody mess scattered all over the ground.

The guards went to work, rummaging through the monster corpses to carefully harvest valuable materials and gather them together.

Some of them couldn't help but huddle together, whispering in hushed voices that carried an unmistakable awe, their hands slowing down as they sorted through the materials.

A young guard with dust still on his face scratched the back of his head, his gaze subconsciously drifting toward Bai Xuan.

“Do you guys remember? When he first arrived half a month ago, he looked just like a common Healer. Who could have thought...”

An older guard next to him reached out and smacked the back of his head.

“A common Healer? You must have been scared out of your mind by those monsters! Could a common Healer pierce through an ogre in one blow? Don't make me laugh!”

A post house worker nearby, clutching a blood-stained rag in his hand, quickly chimed in.

“Could... could he be a noble from a Great City traveling in disguise, visiting our little post house for experience? Look at him, he doesn't have the bearing of an ordinary person at all.”

“A noble?” Another guard scoffed, bending down to pick up a sharp monster fang and shaking his head.

“Have you ever seen a noble who would stay alone in a rundown post house like this and eat simple meals? If he were really a noble, he would have a massive entourage trailing after him.”

The worker who had guessed Bai Xuan was a noble was left speechless, scratching his cheek.

He turned his head back to look at Bai Xuan, who was resting with his eyes closed against the back of the chair.

“Then who do you think he is? He's not a noble, and he doesn't look very old, so how could he have such terrifying strength?”

The older guard set down the materials in his hands and sighed softly, a trace of bewilderment flickering in his eyes.

The chatter gradually died down, shifting to discussions about the monsters.

Someone shouted, “There's another corpse over here!” followed by a flurry of low murmurs.

Bai Xuan remained in his chair with his eyes closed. He seemed to be resting, but a subtle trace of contemplation was hidden between his brows.

He reached into his robes and pulled out the item he had found on the ogre, giving it a light twirl between his fingertips.

It was a dark seed with intricate patterns carved on its surface. When held in his palm, a faint, cool sensation seeped through his fingertips.

A Magic Soul Seed.

Combined with the one he had found inside the Heavy Armored Skeleton in the mining area earlier, this was already the second time he had come into contact with such an object.

They were both creations of the Demon Race, capable of strengthening monsters, and both were inextricably linked to Zane Cross.

Bai Xuan put the seed back into his robes and stored it safely inside his Space Ring.

He didn't know the exact purpose of this item for now, but keeping it couldn't hurt. At the very least, it might give him a chance to better understand Zane's methods.

Shifting his thoughts slightly, he recalled the battle just now.

This fight made him realize once again that acting entirely alone was ultimately somewhat inconvenient.

When encountering enemies who were not weaker than him, there was no one to cover for him.

There was no one to block the enemy's retreat during a pursuit, and he even had to personally retrieve the staff he threw during battle.

If he had a companion whose strength did not lag behind his own to cooperate with, his combat efficiency would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Actually, on the way to the post house, he had tried to use a Subordinate Contract on the Chocobo.

But the contract had shown no reaction. Although the bird was docile and obedient, it was ultimately just a dumb bird, falling far short of the minimum standards required by the contract.

It seemed that if he wanted to find a helper, he still had to look for an intelligent creature capable of normal communication.

Once he arrived in Calais Town, perhaps he could try to recruit a teammate.

Having made up his mind, Bai Xuan opened his eyes and waved to someone not far away.

The post house boss immediately jogged over, an obsequious smile plastered across his face.

“Is the room I stayed in last time still vacant?” Bai Xuan got straight to the point.

“It is, it is!” The boss hastily unclipped a key from his waist and handed it over. “It's still the same room you stayed in before. We haven't assigned anyone else to it.”

Bai Xuan took the key, pointed at the battlefield outside, and calmly instructed, “Send my loot upstairs later.”

“Of course, of course! I will arrange it immediately!” the boss agreed repeatedly.

Bai Xuan picked up the remaining piece of bread on the table and finished it in a few bites. Then, carrying his staff, he turned and headed upstairs.

The stairs were just as they had been before, the wooden planks creaking beneath his feet. Familiar with the way, he walked to the recognizable door and pushed it open with a light nudge.

The room was exactly the same as it had been half a month ago—a tiny single room that could only fit a bed and a table.

The walls were pieced together from rough logs, with mottled bark still exposed in some spots.

The bed was covered with a coarse linen sheet, and the pillow was rock-hard, leaving a deep indentation when pressed.

Just as he sat down by the edge of the bed, a post house worker walked in carrying a basin of hot water.

Bai Xuan took the basin, wetted a towel, and carefully wiped away the dirt and bloodstains from his face and hands.

Looking down, he noticed that his white robe was torn in several more places.

The battle had been too sudden for him to take off the white robe beforehand. It was now a tattered mess, marked by monster bites, scratches from branches, and tears from where the ogre's club had grazed him.

What a pity; he had only worn this white robe for a short while.

Bai Xuan took off the damaged white robe and tossed it aside. Changing into a clean undershirt, he leaned against the headboard and summoned his status panel with a thought.

First, he scanned the gains from this battle.

Riding the Chocobo along the way, he had slain quite a few scattered monsters and accumulated a decent amount of experience.

But tonight's monster tide had yielded a massive harvest, especially that final Penetrating Thrust.

Every single monster in a straight line had been shredded, causing the experience points and Pleasure on his status panel to tick upward almost non-stop.

【Current Pleasure: 338, Available Draws *16】

Sixteen drawing opportunities.

Looking at the numbers on the panel, Bai Xuan did not hold too much expectation.

Having drawn so many times, he knew that whether he could get anything good depended entirely on luck. Still, no matter what he pulled, it would ultimately enhance his strength.

Even if he drew nothing but experience cards, the sheer quantity of sixteen draws would be enough to push his level up by a decent margin.

If luck wasn't enough, he would just make up for it with hard work.

Once he finished dealing with the information at hand, he planned to take on some commissions in Calais Town to level up. If necessary, he would also explore the dungeons again.

With his mind made up, he began drawing.

The light orb on the panel spun slowly as streaks of white light bloomed one after another. Expressionless, Bai Xuan watched as he drew card after card.

On the fifteenth draw, a gray card slowly floated up, printed with the pattern of an envelope.

【Faded Noble Invitation: Cannot be used for any official occasions, but it might be able to fool a guard with exceptionally poor eyesight.】

Bai Xuan paused for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle softly.

This thing seemed slightly more useful than the "A Chair that Collapses at a Touch" he had drawn before.

At least it was a usable item. At a critical moment, it might actually help him bluff his way through.

However, after his experience with that broken compass, he now held a "just in case it comes in handy" attitude toward any strange items, so he simply put it away.

Having stored the invitation, the final card was also drawn.

Bai Xuan took stock of his gains. Aside from that peculiar invitation, there was also a Skill EXP (Large).

He pondered for a moment, first investing a portion of the experience points into Concussive Field.

【Skill upgraded! Concussive Field Lv.1→ Lv.2! Current proficiency: 8%】

【Skill effect enhanced! Mana consumption increased: 10 points → 20 points】

【Health: 830/1080→ 830/1100】

【Mana: 60/445→ 60/450】

【Awakened basic attributes have been enhanced!】

Next, he turned his gaze to Strength Enhancement, a passive skill that had already accumulated quite a bit of experience.

He simply dumped all the remaining experience, along with that Skill EXP (Large), straight into it.

【Skill upgraded! Strength Enhancement Lv.1→ Lv.3! Current proficiency: 2%】

【Strength significantly increased!】

Bai Xuan clenched his fist, clearly feeling the surging power within his body.

Level 3 Strength Enhancement was a massive upgrade compared to before.

If he were to encounter that ogre from earlier again, he wouldn't need to wear it down through bloodletting anymore. Relying solely on frontal strength, he could easily smash it to the ground.

After handling the skill experience, he used up all the remaining Class EXP.

As for Penetrating Thrust, he planned to hold off on upgrading it for now.

The mana consumption of this skill had already reached 150 points.

If he upgraded it by another level and the mana cost happened to exceed his current maximum limit, it would be equivalent to temporarily sealing the skill.

It would be better to wait until his level increased and his mana reserves were sufficient before considering an upgrade.

He took one last serious look at the updated panel:

【Class: Redeemer Lv.5 (33%)】

【Health: 1100/1100】

【Mana: 450/450】

【Trait: Digitalization】

Support Skills:

【Holy Light Catalyst Lv.2 (8%): Tap a wound to quickly stop bleeding and stimulate muscle healing through vibration.】

【Purifying Severance Lv.2 (11%): Purify ongoing damage energies such as toxins, corrosion, and curses, while temporarily increasing the target's status resistance.】

【Pain Empowerment Lv.2 (7%): Slightly amplifies all attributes of the recipient while magnifying their emotional reactions. Can convert the pain felt by the recipient into additional empowering force, further enhancing the skill's buff effects and duration.】

Basic Combat Skills:

【Redemption Strike Lv.2 (19%): A powerful, heavy blow.】

【Concussive Field Lv.2 (8%): Centered on the point of weapon impact, unleashes a circular shockwave that forcibly repels enemies within range, inflicting intimidation, stun, and minor damage.】

【Arcing Strike Lv.2 (6%): A heavy strike that carries an armor-penetrating effect.】

Intermediate Combat Skills:

【Penetrating Thrust Lv.0 (1%) Effect: Throw the tail of the staff toward the enemy, wrapping it in mana to deal massive piercing damage to all enemies in a straight line.】

Passive Skills:

【Strength Enhancement Lv.3 (2%)】

【Healing Ascent Lv.1 (48%)】

【Elemental Resistance Lv.1 (40%)】

Class Features:

【Sacred Martial Radiance: Passive. Attack power and healing power are mutually linked; 20% of one's own attack power is directly added as extra healing power, while 20% of healing power is directly added as extra attack power.】

【Current Pleasure: 18, Available Draws *0】

【Assets: 22 gold coins, 619 silver coins, 55 copper coins】

【Items: (Omitted)】

The chatter outside the window gradually faded, with only the occasional guard speaking in hushed, muffled tones that were impossible to make out clearly.

The faint glow of the torches flickered through the cracks of the window, casting a dim, swaying light upon the ceiling.

Bai Xuan lay down. The pillow was still hard enough to hurt his neck, but he was in no mood to fuss over it right now.

The exhaustion from the battle surged over him like a tide. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his consciousness slowly drifted away.

The sounds outside the window grew more and more distant, finally dissolving completely into the night.