Zul's Blessing

The three of them successfully wiped out all the Dark Creatures in the Den of Evil, then took the opportunity to clear out the area around the cave as well. They did not return to the camp until the evening of the fourth day.

There were only a few days left before Yinsen had to leave this world. After giving it some thought, he decided to continue with the two mages and eliminate Blood Raven.

Blood Raven Moreina was the female archer players could choose in Diablo 1, a hero who had once defeated Diablo and saved the world.

Unfortunately, after destroying Diablo, this former idol of all Rogues gradually fell into darkness. When the Dark Energy surged, Blood Raven completely succumbed, becoming Andariel's enforcer and being sent to fight her former comrades.

"For this hero, the only thing we can do is free her from the control of the Dark Energy."

How could she be saved? Everyone knew there was only one way.

After resting for a night, the two mages and one apprentice once again set out on a journey to fight the darkness. This time, however, it was nowhere near as easy as before.

Blood Raven had been a powerful hero to begin with. After her fall, not only had she become even stronger, but she had also gained the ability to control Undead Creatures. A sea of Skeleton Soldiers surrounded Blood Raven completely. Protected by layer upon layer of defenses, she could fully display the prowess of a top-tier Rogue archer.

Yinsen performed miserably in this "campaign against Blood Raven." Though he suffered no major injuries under the protection of the two powerful mages, he lost the Magic Item he had personally made—the Bracers. After all the arrows on them had been fired, their greatest use was blocking the skeletons' attacks at critical moments.

One time, after his shield was damaged, Yinsen hurriedly used them to block a Skeleton Soldier's slash. It had to be said that Charsi was an outstanding blacksmith and had not cut corners, so that strike did not chop off Yinsen's hand. Still, it completely destroyed the already fragile Magic Array on the Bracers.

The other time came when Yinsen was caught in the melee and noticed by Blood Raven from afar. She suddenly loosed an arrow, intending to kill him outright.

At that critical moment, a warning suddenly rose in Yinsen's heart. With his Mental Power intensely focused, his ability to make everything seem slower was pushed to its limit, allowing him to accurately block the arrow with his Bracers.

Compared to the previous blow, which had merely numbed his wrist, this injury was far more serious. Blood Raven's arrow pierced straight through both his wrist and the Bracers. Even after passing through his entire wrist and both layers of the Bracers, the arrow did not lose momentum. Fortunately, Yinsen tilted his head in time and swung his wrist to alter the arrow's course, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike.

After that, Yinsen spent the entire battle watching the two mages display their might. His only contribution to the battle had been clearing out some minor enemies at the beginning.

I need to keep getting stronger!

They treated his wounds and cleaned up the battlefield.

Once everything was taken care of, Yinsen looked at Zul and Isendra as they returned to him and smiled helplessly. "Looks like I can only accompany you this far."

Just as they had not refused Yinsen when he first joined them, the two mages did not try to make him stay. They merely smiled and nodded. "Though it was only a short time, I will remember these days forever."

Isendra asked, "Do you plan to remain in the Rogue Encampment after this?"

With Yinsen's strength, he could no longer continue fighting Dark Creatures alongside them. Blood Raven was already the limit of how far he could go. If he continued and encountered stronger demons, his death would be almost inevitable—and Yinsen could not do much damage to demons anyway, making such a sacrifice meaningless.

If he remained at the Rogue Encampment, Yinsen could still do many things. He could help Akara gather herbs or even make Magic Potions, help the Rogues with basic treatment and bandaging—skills he had learned from the sisters—and even assist in patrolling the surrounding area and clearing out Dark Creatures. Given Yinsen's current strength, the Dark Creatures in the Blood Moor no longer posed much of a threat to him, as long as he remained cautious.

As for going home? Yinsen had previously said he came from the east, but the fortress leading east was now occupied by Andariel. If Yinsen wanted to return home, he would likely have to wait until he and Zul destroyed or sealed Andariel away, allowing the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye to reclaim the fortress at the Eastern Gate.

She could not possibly know that Yinsen had only two days left in this world. Even if he were strong enough, he could not continue fighting Diablo alongside the two of them.

For the past few days, he had been thinking of a suitable excuse. Now was the perfect time to say it.

"Actually, my teacher has located me through a special spell. Within the next couple of days, he will use Teleportation Magic to bring me back."

Isendra's eyes widened instantly. Yinsen swore that ever since meeting this female mage, he had never imagined her eyes could open that wide.

"Someone can actually do something like that? Your teacher... truly is a powerful mage."

Neither mage doubted Yinsen's words. In truth, as many mages advanced in their studies, they gradually discovered that their understanding of mysterious powers was merely superficial. Therefore, they would not easily dismiss many things that sounded absurd.

Of course, some mages believed their understanding of mysterious powers had already reached its peak, so they denied anything they could not accomplish themselves.

Fortunately, neither Zul nor Isendra was that kind of arrogant fool. They readily believed Yinsen.

Even if they did not believe him, Yinsen would not have cared. In two days, once the Space-Time Magic Array sent him back to that ocean right before their eyes, they would have no choice but to believe him.

After packing up, the three of them returned to the Rogue Encampment once more.

The news that Yinsen was about to leave was not kept from the people in the camp. Both Akara and Kashya knew he would be leaving, and before he went, they came to bid him farewell.

"Thank you for everything you have done for us during this time. You will always be a friend of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye. If you have the chance, I hope you will return as our guest."

Akara gave Yinsen some herbs. They had all undergone simple processing, and most had been ground into powder, making them easy to carry.

Kashya gave Yinsen a finely crafted longsword. It could be used with one hand or two. The hilt and guard were plain, without any decorative patterns. It looked like an ordinary longsword, but after Yinsen drew it and gave it a few swings, he noticed faint magical fluctuations emanating from it.

"Magic Equipment?"

Kashya smiled and nodded. "This longsword has no special abilities. It has simply been reinforced with magic, making it much sturdier than an ordinary longsword."

Hearing such a simple "special effect," Yinsen was not disappointed. Instead, he was even happier. The greatest nuisance with many weapons was maintenance and poor durability. Bladed weapons like this were especially likely to be ruined after a single intense battle. In the end, it all came down to not being sturdy enough. Therefore, this simple magical effect was far more practical than fireballs, frost, lightning, or anything like that.

Kashya had prepared more than that. She knew that although Yinsen had learned basic close-quarters combat and could now use weapons like short swords with some proficiency, he knew little about weapons such as longswords. So, she also gave him a notebook.

"This contains basic swordsmanship movements and training methods, along with some of my personal understanding and experience in swordsmanship. I hope it will help you."

Yinsen accepted the notebook, then solemnly thanked Kashya. This was exactly what he needed. He had never expected Kashya to give him something like this. Moreover, he was neither a Rogue nor Kashya's disciple. In this world, such things were not casually given away.

Even Akara, whom he had spent more time with, had only given him herbal powders. She had not offered him a notebook containing experience in making Magic Potions.

Maybe... it was because many of my actions indirectly saved more Rogues?

Afterward, the other people in the camp gradually came to bid Yinsen farewell as well. However, Isendra and Zul were nowhere to be seen. Yinsen assumed they were busy with something, or perhaps they would appear tomorrow when he left.

But things did not go as Yinsen expected. Early the next morning, Yinsen packed his belongings and carried them to an open area, quietly waiting for the time when the Teleportation Magic would activate.

At that moment, Isendra and Zul finally appeared. Charsi, the camp's blacksmith, came with them.

"I thought you weren't going to see me off."

"How could we not? You suddenly decided to leave, so I needed some time to prepare a gift. Luckily, I made it in time." Zul spoke first, then opened his hand to reveal an utterly unremarkable Copper Ring in his palm.

Seeing this scene, Yinsen suddenly wanted to make a snarky remark. Yet for a moment, he did not know where to begin, so he could only force himself to hold it back. "What is this?"

He did not think Zul would casually give him an ordinary Copper Ring. Guessing would be a waste of time, so he might as well ask directly.

"This is a ring, Yinsen." Zul wore a teasing smile. "I just enchanted it with a curse."

Yinsen withdrew the hand he had just extended and stared at Zul with an expression that said, You're actually trying to harm me?! In return, Zul gave him a speechless look.

"It is an Active Spell that you can cast using your own Mental Power to help you deal with enemies."

Zul stopped joking with Yinsen and introduced the ring in detail. Just as he had said, its function was straightforward, and it was simple to use. Yinsen could use his Mental Power to control the mana stored in the ring, then actively cast a Weaken curse on his enemies.

Weaken: a curse that reduced the target's strength, agility, and endurance. Its specific effects depended on the target's own condition. It was the most basic curse spell used by priests of the Rathma Cult.

However, considering Yinsen's Mental Power and his current lack of magic power, this level of curse was the most suitable for him.

In addition, the ring could automatically draw Primal Magic Power from its surroundings, so Yinsen did not need to provide it with energy himself. Its only flaw was that it could not store much magic power. It could only be cast three times in a row before it needed time to recover. In fact, automatically drawing in and storing Primal Magic Power was the most difficult part of making this little item.

"Not a bad item. Does it have a name?"

Zul nodded. "I came up with one last night. It's called Zul's Blessing! Isn't that fitting?"

"..."