Chapter 36: Probing
“Come here~ my darlings~”
Dave whispered in an unnaturally suppressed voice, the mist in his hands had completely spread, as if it were some kind of medium, making his whispers echo madly in the clearing, at an astonishingly high frequency…
It was as if thousands of people were murmuring at the same time, yet strangely in tune, not sounding noisy or irritating.
The two Red Ridge Beasts simultaneously took two steps forward, crouching down and lying motionless just inches in front of Dave.
“Very good~” The temporary Holy Knight smiled slightly, gripping the Holy Silver Greatsword with both hands, raising it high above his head, and cackled, “You are joyful! Happy!”
Accompanied by a gust of wind, the greatsword, imbued with divine power, whistled through the air and cleaved down, fiercely shattering the foreleg of one of the monsters. Then, with a horizontal sweep, it sliced off several bone spurs from the back of the other.
“You are peaceful! You are obedient!”
Splattered blood landed on Dave, but it was blocked by the invisible force emanating from his silver armor. At the same time, as he wielded that unknown power, the divine grace-like radiance on Dave’s body grew even stronger.
He murmured softly while his dancing blade wildly ravaged the two Red Ridge Beasts… or rather, tormented them. Yet, the latter maintained a strange serenity. Even though blood flowed profusely from their bodies, and the injuries Dave inflicted looked unimaginably gruesome, they remained prostrate, as if asleep.
If one looked closely, they might even find that they seemed to be enjoying something at this moment, which was extremely peculiar.
“You sing praises! You glorify!”
The greatsword in his hand flew up and down as if weightless, continuously hacking and chiseling at the two Red Ridge Beasts. Dave’s strength was already formidable, and now, with that seemingly effective temporary buff, he was like a man who had eaten a Golden Kalas. He quickly tormented the two Red Ridge Beasts, who showed no signs of resistance, until they were on their last breath.
But even so, they still had no will to resist, remaining peacefully at his mercy.
“You are devout! You bow your heads in submission!” Dave leaped up from his spot, inverted, and swung his sword down from mid-air. In that instant, a holy radiance even appeared behind him—the holy radiance of the God of Courage and Justice, whom he ‘believed’ in!
Two massive monster heads rolled to the ground. Dave backhandedly plunged his greatsword into the ground beside him, his eyes filled with turbidity and ecstasy. He spread his arms, groaning hoarsely, “We, with devout hearts…”
Then, he exploded.
Well, to be precise, half of Dave’s armor completely shattered, and then numerous gruesome and terrifying wounds began to appear on his body. Even the greatsword by his hand, which was perfectly intact except for being covered in blood, showed countless scratches.
In the blink of an eye, Dave was severely wounded, looking as if he could pass out at any moment.
But there was no pain on his face; instead, he looked radiant.
“Hmm, it’s best if it’s a bit more severe.” Dave examined his bruised body and incomplete armor for a while, then suddenly frowned and raised his intact left arm.
“My arm is going to break…”
Bang!!
As if struck hard by an invisible warhammer, Dave’s previously unharmed arm was instantly twisted into a strange angle, even causing several dents to appear on his shoulder guard and arm gauntlet.
It looked exactly as if it had been violently struck by something with immense force.
“That’s about right.” Dave nodded contentedly, used his still-intact hand to pull out the greatsword and sheath it on his back, then walked forward, leaned down, and picked up the head of one of the Red Ridge Beasts, turning to leave.
But unexpectedly…
“Is there a need to be so hasty?”
A frivolous voice came from not far away. Dave turned around abruptly, only to see a figure completely hidden in a gray robe slowly emerging from behind a tree, even nodding slightly in greeting to him.
At this point, everyone has guessed it. After more than twelve hundred words since the beginning of this chapter, the main character finally made his appearance.
However, Dave, who did not have an omniscient perspective, was completely stunned, looking at this guy who appeared out of nowhere with surprise and uncertainty: “Who are you?”
“Is who I am important?” Mo Tan shrugged, “I think for you, what I saw and knew, how much I saw and knew, is more important.”
Sweat beaded on Dave’s forehead, but he desperately forced himself to calm down, snorting coldly: “It seems you know quite a lot, then?”
“Not that much~” Mo Tan spread his hands, “It’s probably just knowing what kind of person you are from someone I accidentally saved, and incidentally seeing some interesting things just now. It’s far from being enough to warrant being silenced.”
Are you kidding me?! And this isn't enough to warrant being silenced?!
Anyway, whether Dave truly thought that or not, his expression was very ugly right now…
“Don’t worry, those two little fellows were already on their last legs when I found them.” Mo Tan casually spun a lie, saying calmly, “And they don’t have the energy to crawl back to the city to expose you for a while, so don’t be so nervous~”
Dave’s expression immediately improved significantly after hearing that. He managed to force out an unattractive smile: “Is… is that so? I think there must be some misunderstanding here, actually I…”
“Misunderstanding?” Mo Tan raised an eyebrow, helplessly saying, “This is truly somewhat unexpected. You wouldn’t… really only be at this level, would you?”
Dave had already put down the Red Ridge Beast’s head he was holding, quietly put his right hand behind his back, and chuckled dryly, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“A mind and cunning almost like a single-celled organism…” Mo Tan sighed softly, then shook his head at the other party: “Alright, then, now for the second test.”
In a place Mo Tan couldn’t see, Dave’s injuries were recovering at a visible rate. He asked with a pale face, “What exactly do you want to say?”
“I saw you take down those two monsters.” Mo Tan pointed to the two headless Red Ridge Beasts that were already dead not far away, shrugging, “So I’m very curious how you did it. If it’s for some very interesting reason, I think I can help you, provided you satisfy my curiosity…”
Dave immediately looked devout: “That is the power granted to me by the God of Courage and Justice. He allowed me to have… in the process of avenging my companions…”
“Enough.” Mo Tan rudely interrupted him, his voice suddenly turning cold: “I think I’m wasting my time. So, one last confirmation…”
“You!”
“Let us be quiet for a while…”
Skill activated—【Bewitch】!
Dave stopped talking. He didn’t know why he suddenly fell silent, but he felt that the other party would definitely not want to harm him, but rather wanted what was best for him…
This strange silence between the two actually lasted for nearly a minute!
Then Dave suddenly came to his senses and exclaimed, “What did you do?!”
“Ah… nothing much…” Mo Tan’s voice sounded a bit listless: “Just found out how truly pitiful your intelligence is.”
Let’s recall the effect of the skill 【Bewitch】:
【Bewitch a target, making them perceive 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 self-explanatory…
“You are powerless to resist!!” Dave suddenly roared, charging towards Mo Tan. The greatsword on his back instantly unsheathed, sweeping horizontally towards Mo Tan with a bright silver trail.
A strong sense of powerlessness washed over Mo Tan. For some reason, he suddenly felt that this heavily wounded man in front of him seemed invincible, very, very strong!
But what good would that do?
“I never thought I could beat you anyway~” Mo Tan rolled his eyes, backhandedly drew a dagger from his waist, held it horizontally in front of him, and whispered, “But your power seems very interesting~”
Backhand Spin Stab!
Clang!
A piercing clang exploded. Mo Tan, who lost a quarter of his health in an instant, turned around and flashed a cold light, thrusting the short dagger straight at Dave’s left eye.
“Your struggles are in vain!” Dave, seeing Mo Tan’s apparent bravado, did not dodge or evade, but suddenly whispered this sentence.
Mo Tan’s dagger strangely slid past his cheek. The strike that should have pierced the opponent’s eyeball only left a trace of blood on Dave’s face.
“Interesting!”
Mo Tan was ultimately a few points faster than the armored knight. He ducked down and darted behind Dave, his dagger dancing as it slashed at Dave’s neck.
【Throat Slit】
Cunning School Active Skill
Mastery Requirements: Cunning School Level 1
Cost/Restriction: 20 Acuity, equipped with a bladed short weapon
Effect: Perform a quick cut to the target’s throat, benefits from Weak Point Strike effects. Has a chance to cause 2 seconds of Silence. When attacking from behind, Silence is guaranteed and causes a Bleeding effect. Cooldown: 2 minutes.
【Note: There are many ways to shut someone up, the simplest and most direct is a good hard slash to the windpipe.】
Blood splattered, but there was no substantial effect. The cut on his throat did not affect him. After all, the power gap between the two was still too large. Not to mention Dave, Mo Tan at this moment probably couldn't even beat Cole.
But he never had any intention of taking down Dave here anyway; he just wanted to confirm a few things…
Just as Dave turned around, two daggers were already plunged fiercely into his shoulders!
【Swift Stab】
Cunning School Active Skill
Mastery Requirements: Cunning School Level 4, 10 Dexterity
Cost/Restriction: 60 Acuity
Effect: Perform a rapid lunge at a target within a five-meter radius, dealing moderate damage, and immediately return to the original position. During this process, you are 100% successful in dodging any physical attacks that are theoretically not guaranteed to hit. Cooldown: 1 hour.
【Note: A long, long time ago, the word ‘fast’ was used to praise each other, not as an insult.】
This strike allowed Mo Tan to dodge Dave’s returning sword slash and successfully inflict some damage on the opponent.
And…
【It’s useless in a silenced state, so that’s how it is~】
Mo Tan immediately retreated after one strike, simultaneously activating the Escape skill that had always given him confidence.
Mo Tan’s figure flickered in place, then disappeared directly from Dave’s sight. Only a hysterical cackle echoed in the air~
“Haha… Hahaha! Tremble! Quiver! Fear! Sir ‘Hero’ blessed by the gods, return quickly to your fragile and cheap stage, ring your final death knell, then open your arms to embrace true glory!!”
【Escape】
Cunning School Active Skill
Mastery Requirements: Cunning School Level 5
Cost/Restriction: 50% of current Health
Effect: Conceal all your aura, Stealth level increases to maximum, lasts for 10 seconds. During this period, your movement speed increases by 150%. Casting skills or making any attack will cause this effect to disappear. After the Escape duration ends, your Stamina, Acuity Upper limit, and movement speed will become 10% of normal, and will recover at a rate of 5%/minute. Cooldown: 12 hours.
【Note: If you’re going to run, please focus. Thinking about what happens after you’re caught only adds to your troubles.】
…
【Your mental connection has been detected. Personal information is being synchronized.】
【Connection complete. Character information is being read.】
【Welcome back, lawful good Mo. Innocent World will now load. Good night.】
When Mo Tan appeared at 11 Incense Avenue in Anka Market, it was precisely noon in the game. The earthy fragrance and warm sunlight from the courtyard in front of him made him feel a bit sleepy…
Wait a minute…
Earthy fragrance?!
Recalling the chaotic scene in his memory just before this character was kicked offline, Mo Tan immediately gasped, then quickly looked up…
“Huh?”
All the giant man-eating plants that Mo Tan remembered, which two orcs holding hands couldn’t even hug, the thorny and fanged vines, and many other unnamed plants, were all gone!
【I guess this quest has already been done by someone else…】
He sighed, looking at the bare courtyard, deeply feeling his lack of power, then turned and left.
Mo Tan planned to return to the Adventurers' Guild first. Too many unexpected situations had occurred during this period. The original plan had gone far beyond scope. Not only had he not completed a single quest, but his strength had also seen absolutely no improvement.
He was truly disheartened…
Then, just over ten minutes later, the moment he stepped into the first-floor hall of the Adventurers' Guild, something even more disheartening happened!
“It’s him!!!”
A shout of exultation came from somewhere, and Mo Tan was immediately swamped by the crowd.
In the midst of the Chaos, he heard several phrases…
“Is that his dog?!”
“Yes, yes, yes! I saw them together!”
“Oh my, Madam Molly and the victim from the Guluo family finally found him!”
“Lady Molly is said to be almost insane.”
“Of course, if you open your door and find half your house torn down, you’d go insane too.”
“A Half-Dragon, a dog, no doubt about it!”
“Hold him down!”
Mo Tan: “???”
Chapter Thirty-Five: End