Outside Dawn Town, within the eerily quiet Dark Forest.
Two figures cloaked in Darkness moved silently through the woods.
Their movements were swift, yet even in their rapid advance, they made little noise.
Their purpose was clear; their deep scarlet pupils beneath their cloaks were fixed on one direction—the nearest town, Dawn Town, which was also their destination.
“Morris…”
A low voice came from the cloaked figure on the left, asking, “Do you think that ‘deserter’ named Intis is really in this town?”
“...You overstepped, Fuld.”
The person called Morris responded sharply:
“You shouldn’t doubt the Lord’s judgment...If the Lord says she is there, then she is there.”
“...” Fuld was speechless for a moment. Suddenly, a slightly fishy wind brushed past his ears, and an old, blurred voice entered their ears.
“Do not doubt...do not doubt...
You are my eyes, you are my sharp blades...
Cast aside your distracting thoughts, go find, and bring back the two-faced puppet stolen by the traitor...”
Upon hearing this voice, Morris and Fuld’s expressions changed. Under the pale moonlight, their eye color became even deeper scarlet.
“We obey your will...”
The two spoke in fearful tones, and after a phrase rolled from their throats, they continued to hurry towards Dawn Town.
...
At night, in Dawn Town, the pale moonlight spilled onto the eaves, casting deep shadows on the ground, adding a strange, eerie atmosphere to the night.
And right at the edge of the town—beneath a ruined wall near the Dark Forest—a young man dressed in a dark cleric’s robe was crouching behind the dilapidated wall.
In this corner, untouched by the pale moonlight, the Darkness was the best camouflage.
Luo Xiu knew the location of the nearest Blood of Thorns stronghold and remembered the first murder scene caused by a Blood Disciple invasion, from which he could roughly determine the two Blood Disciples’ invasion route and direction of movement.
Looking at the poorly made ‘judge’ flintlock, already loaded with ammunition, that he tightly clutched in his hand, Luo Xiu’s heart was tense as he waited for the Blood Disciples to arrive.
“I hope I guessed the route correctly...” Luo Xiu thought to himself, “If the Blood Disciples don’t take this route, the next Blood of Thorns invasion will be even more troublesome...”
He prayed silently, praying for the pillar god of Radiance, the “Sun Forger,” to protect him. Suddenly, Luo Xiu felt that he should also pray to the pillar god of the abyss, the “Abyssal Lord”...
Many disrespectful thoughts arose in his mind. Luo Xiu shook his head mockingly, casting these thoughts aside for now, and focused on waiting.
...
At midnight.
Luo Xiu, crouching in the corner of the wall, suddenly noticed something amiss.
The distant scenery began to change; four red dots flickered into view, steadily approaching his position.
These red dots moved extremely fast, and he gradually began to smell their beast-like stench.
An invisible hand squeezed Luo Xiu’s heart tightly.
Under the cover of the night wind, Luo Xiu could clearly hear his heart pounding like a drum. He cautiously peeked out from the ruined wall and clearly saw the four increasingly conspicuous red dots.
They were two figures, cloaked in black, with blurred faces and eyes as scarlet as Blood.
Blood Disciples!
Luo Xiu, who had often dealt with these cultists in his previous life, could confirm almost at a glance—they were two Blood Disciple invaders from the Blood of Thorns!
As they approached Dawn Town, the scarlet Radiance in the two Blood Disciples’ eyes gradually dimmed, but their strong, beast-like aura remained intense.
Like wild men who had lived in the mountains for a long time, they gave off a primal, bloody, and savage intuition, as if they consumed raw meat and Blood.
It wasn't until they entered the outskirts of the town that this beast-like aura gradually receded, and they began to disguise themselves as normal people.
By this time, the Blood Disciples had arrived very close to Luo Xiu’s hiding place.
Luo Xiu held his breath and concentrated, carefully observing the two invaders from the cracks in the ruined wall.
Through his player panel, Luo Xiu cast a detection spell on one of the Blood Disciples and quickly received feedback.
【Morris Landwich (lv.13, Normal NPC)】
【Race: ?】
【Rank: Over Transcendent】
【HP: 110/110, MP: 24/24】
【Physical Attack: ?, Magic Attack: 8, Defense Reduction: 6】
【Attributes: Strength ?, Constitution 11, Agility ?, Intelligence 4, Divinity 8, Perception 3, Resistance 6, Luck 6】
【First Path: Red Lotus Path (Second Fate)】
【Main Profession: Blood Disciple】
【Path Skills (?/?): ?】
【Professional Skills (?/?): ?】
【...】
For this Blood Disciple named Morris Landwich, his Strength and Agility attributes could not be detected. According to Luo Xiu’s understanding of the panel detection logic, these should be Morris’s two highest attributes.
Furthermore, Morris’s techniques and skills could not be viewed. Luo Xiu, who had not yet advanced to Over Transcendent, could only see partial information about a Second Fate Over Transcendent, but this was already enough.
Terrifying...his third-highest “Constitution” is more than double mine, which means this guy has twice my HP...Luo Xiu thought, while also casting detection on the other Blood Disciple.
The other Blood Disciple was named Fuld Ster, level lv.11. His visible attribute values were slightly lower than Morris’s, but his HP was also over a hundred.
Luo Xiu, crouching behind the ruined wall, noticed the two Blood Disciples beginning to converse and leaned in to listen.
“...We can’t go in together, one person must stay here to guard.”
This was Morris’s voice, with a slightly sharp tone:
“So, you go in alone...If you die, or if you don’t return by dawn, I will report your death to the Lord.”
The Blood Disciple named Fuld was clearly stunned for a moment, then protested in a low voice: “Why! Why me! What if I really run into Intis, you’re sending me to my death!”
“...This is the rule set by the Lord, Fuld. Do you want to defy the Lord’s will? Or do you want to take my place?”
Morris said in a low voice:
“For this operation, I am the ‘Thorn’ personally appointed by the Lord. If you don’t go, I will kill you now.
I have the ability and the authority, ha ha ha...
Besides, you don’t need to fight Intis. You just need to find her, yes, find her, and lure her here, and we can deal with her together...”
Intis? That name sounds familiar...
Luo Xiu’s mind raced, trying to retrieve the source of that name from his memory, while continuing to eavesdrop on the two Blood Disciples’ conversation.
Fuld was silent for a while, then nodded very reluctantly.
“Alright, I’ll go in...”
Fuld gritted his teeth and said, “But if I’m discovered, I’ll prioritize my own safety...”
“Okay.”
Morris nodded, then handed Fuld a bone whistle, “If anything happens, blow this bone whistle, and I will lend you my power...”
Fuld took the bone whistle, then pulled down his cloak and turned to merge into the shadows of Dawn Town.
Watching Fuld’s figure gradually disappear, Morris seemed to feel quite relaxed. After looking around for a while, he walked in the direction away from Dawn Town.
What Morris didn’t know was that at this very moment, a black gun barrel was already aimed at his head.