Sudden Change

'Pfft~'

The smooth short sword pierced through the wound at the back of the Azure Wolf's neck, stabbed into the back of its head, and twisted once. The Azure Wolf that had pounced on Jack then spasmed and stopped struggling.

The calf-sized body toppled to the side with a thud~

"Good job! As expected of Jack the Dismemberer. I'll go help Uncle Luo Luoji deal with the other one. Get some proper rest!"

After successfully landing a blow and turning the tide, Xuan Ye encouraged Jack, who was covered in blood and looking feeble, while running toward Luo Luoji. He did not even have time to absorb much of the scattered Essence.

Seeing that Luo Luoji was still locked in a stalemate with the Azure Wolf, yet was clearly beginning to lose the upper hand from excessive blood loss, Xuan Ye was filled with lingering fear.

If their side had lost—no, once Luo Luoji could no longer suppress it after they delayed any longer and the Azure Wolf broke free, it would unquestionably have been a catastrophe for them!

But now, he would absolutely not give it that chance!

'Pfft~'

By the third dismemberment, the movement had become completely effortless. Xuan Ye easily freed Luo Luoji, but the burly man, over two meters tall, was clearly in terrible condition after absorbing attacks from three wolves in succession and finally wrestling one of them to the ground.

After releasing his strength and relaxing, he staggered badly. Fortunately, some of the Essence released by the Azure Wolf that had died on top of him provided a little recovery. Although, as they were both at the Professional Rank, its effect was certainly nowhere near as great as it was for Xuan Ye, who was almost cramping nearby. Combined with the Qi and Blood in his Inner Palace, it barely stopped most of the bleeding.

"Cough~, retch~, whew. We were pretty lucky. None of them had mastered the ability to burn their Magic Cores."

After staggering two steps, Luo Luoji's eyes were filled with deep exhaustion. Hidden beneath it was also a trace of sorrow. They had all been old comrades who had joined the team right after it was formed. He had never expected them to perish here.

He then refused his companions' support and swayed toward Jack, who was still lying on the ground.

Having sensed that the surrounding Essence had completely dispersed, Xuan Ye followed as well, his body brimming with Essence in every corner. The Essence left behind by three Predator Rank Azure Wolves had truly been excessive for him.

Even though the battle had been too intense for him to absorb all the most concentrated Essence in the first few seconds from the first two wolves, it had still nearly pushed him to the peak of an Eighth Grade Knight Attendant.

The modified Breathing Scroll's speed of absorbing and digesting Essence was simply terrifying!

After all, he had relied on the first Azure Wolf's Essence to break through to the eighth grade!

This showed just how nourishing Predator Rank magical beasts were to unranked Knight Attendants.

However, this sudden increase in strength could easily lead to an unstable foundation. He would need to properly regulate himself later.

But considering how tragic this battle had been, it was truly too difficult for unranked people to absorb Predator Rank Essence. If too many people worked together, there would not be enough Essence to divide among them. Besides, ordinary people's absorption efficiency should also be inferior to that of his Improved Breathing Technique.

If one only calculated by value, exchanging the death of a Senior Knight Attendant for the result before them was unquestionably worthwhile. But even though Xuan Ye had not been particularly familiar with the dead Knight Attendant, he still felt a tightness in his chest.

As someone who had lived in a peaceful era, he had been too excited during the battle to react much. Only after everything ended did he truly feel that indescribably strange heaviness.

Moreover, Jack's condition was terrible. He lay on the ground, constantly convulsing even as Luo Luoji pressed a hand against him. Worse still, blood was continually bursting from his body. Most of his wounds had exploded outward from within rather than being left by the Azure Wolf!

At the beginning, when he had hurried to free Luo Luoji, he had not noticed anything amiss. Looking back now, however, he realized that something was very wrong.

"Hey, Jack, what's wrong? Don't scare us. You're Jack the Dismemberer, after all! What a domineering nickname. Once that Mage Lord has his hands free, he'll definitely be able to save you. Oh, right, that Paladin lady should know healing spells too. Magic, I mean."

Xuan Ye looked nervously at Jack, then rambled on, seemingly wanting to keep talking to him and draw his attention so he could maintain his focus.

'Bang~'

A huge wolf corpse flew over and landed not far from them. Looking up, they saw that Ye Man and Aide had also finished off their three opponents!

They were Three-Star Warrior and Guardian, respectively, and were both elites from Dream Island. They certainly had killing moves and trump cards at their disposal. Against Wolf Guards no higher than Two-Star, with a Mage Apprentice providing simple cover with minor spells, they truly only needed to spend some time.

Even their clothes were merely splashed with wolf blood and had not been damaged. Compared with this side, their battle had been far too easy!

Perhaps they lacked Aitiya's special ability to cripple a Three-Star Alpha Wolf and a Two-Star Wolf Guard right from the start with an explosive attack. But the Guardian's defense combined with the Warrior's explosive strength made them even stronger at prolonged combat!

"Oh~ Your combat strength is a little beyond my expectations. You actually achieved this result at the cost of only two attendants."

Aide, who had just dealt with the last opponent, first glanced up at the Paladin girl still battling fiercely with the male Alpha Wolf, then turned around and spoke in a somewhat surprised tone.

He had deliberately dragged things out, never expecting those third-rate scavengers to defeat their targets—or even to be faster than the two of them. The frustration forced him to vent aloud.

"Hey, what do you mean? If you've eaten shit, then shut up."

Xuan Ye glared furiously at the blue-haired Aide. What did he mean by "only"? Besides, Jack was still alive, wasn't he? In this magical world, they would definitely be able to save him.

"Aide, say a little less. Can't you tell what kind of situation this is? They've helped us so much, yet you're still making sarcastic remarks."

Dean, whose face was even paler and whose expression looked extremely weak, also scolded Aide. He had nearly exhausted himself by using a powerful move at the start, then had barely managed to use two more minor restraining tricks afterward. Now, aside from sitting on the Magic Carpet, he could not even stand.

"Hey, I didn't say anything wrong. Even someone with eighth-grade strength has a certain chance of suffering discomfort and negative effects after taking a Baptismal Potion. Yet he actually swallowed a Magic Core directly. Is he imitating the ancients? Among the sages of the Middle Ages, even those who tempered themselves to the peak of the ninth grade had a survival rate of less than one in ten after taking a Magic Core. There are even fewer successful examples in modern times."

After Aide had been disgusted for a long while by Xuan Ye's insult about feeding him excrement to his face, he put on that nauseating expression again and spoke as casually as he could. His words made Xuan Ye's heart jolt.

Swallowing a Magic Core raw? Jack? No wonder. No wonder he had managed to block the Azure Wolf's pounce!

So he had actually made that choice! No wonder he had looked irrational and been so eager to provoke it. Was he worried that he was about to lose control?

Swallowing a Magic Core raw was the ancient method of condensing a Professional Core before Professional Baptism Potions appeared—the cruel method used by the ancient Human Race sages as they carved their way through the wilderness! Even if one failed to change professions after taking a Professional Baptism Potion, it could still strengthen the body and rarely caused side effects. But directly swallowing a violently energetic Magic Core...

"B-Boss, I can't go on. G-Give me a quick death. Pfft~"

Jack, who was constantly bleeding from his mouth and nose, barely opened his swollen, bloodshot eyes. His blurred voice suggested that he could hardly see anymore, as though he were enduring tremendous pain.

"Don't..."

Xuan Ye had just raised a hand to say something, but before he could finish, Luo Luoji reached out with his fan-sized palm and pressed down on Jack's neck. With a crack, he made the convulsions stop.

"You..."

Xuan Ye looked at Luo Luoji, who expressionlessly closed Jack's eyes and slowly stood up. He wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. In truth, the two who had spent the most time with Jack and had the closest relationship with him were probably suffering the most.

And they still had to bear the sin of personally killing their teammate? In fact, compared with someone like himself, who only knew how to talk from the sidelines without understanding the pain, they were far more decisive and realistic.

"A wise choice."

Aide seemed to whistle as he continued mocking them. Seeing their expressions gave him a faint sense of satisfaction. Hmph, they were nothing but a group of lowly commoners. Did they really expect him to regard them as companions? What a pipe dream!

It was a pity that the most irritating fellow had actually survived through sheer dumb luck!

"Enough, Aide. Do you want me to report you to the mentor?"

Dean also seemed saddened by the scene. He turned and glared viciously at Aide as he threatened him.

"Exactly. I can't stand watching this either. You have the chance, so why aren't you going to help your goddess? Don't force me to chop you."

Ye Man, who was cleaning up the battlefield, spoke with an equally indignant expression.

As if reminded by Ye Man, Aide recalled that Aitiya was still locked in a bitter battle. He immediately turned and said,

"I can't be bothered to argue with you. I'll go help—Pfft! Ye Man, have you gone mad?!"

Aide had only gotten halfway through his sentence. Just as he turned around, Ye Man swung an axe from behind him. Even as the class with the strongest defense, a Guardian would be heavily wounded if he took such a blow without any preparation!

A terrifying gash deep enough to expose his internal organs opened across Aide's back, sending him limp to the ground.

The sudden change left Xuan Ye and the others dumbfounded.

He really struck him?

Although Ye Man was a bit of a clown normally, he should not have been this much of a clown, right? Still, it was incredibly satisfying to watch!

They might even have done the same if they had the ability, but the one who struck him should not have been his own companion, Ye Man.

"Oh? You can still talk? You've been deceiving me all along. Your Bloodline has already awakened."

Ye Man looked somewhat surprised when he saw Aide still struggling and cursing on the ground.

"I told you that I'd chop you if you kept talking. Why didn't you believe me?"

After saying that, Ye Man continued swinging his axe down at Aide. However, halfway through the strike, a dense white light suddenly emerged from Aide's body. A moment later, he vanished from where he stood.

"Oh my, you really hid it deeply. A triggered Random Teleportation Scroll—only the Island Lord can make one, right? How extravagant. Still, with injuries like those, unless he teleported somewhere extremely lucky, he won't survive."

Ye Man shook his head with a sigh, sounding somewhat regretful. Only then did he turn back and grin at Xuan Ye and the others.

"How is it? Aren't you grateful to me?"

"Ye Man! You!"

Dean seemed unable to believe the change before his eyes and shouted furiously.

"Uh, you're not thinking of reporting me, are you?"

As though Dean had brought him back to reality, Ye Man scratched his head and asked with an honest, foolish grin.

"You!"

Dean then raised his axe. It flashed past, and a head flew into the air, its face filled with disbelief.

"To prevent you from reporting me, you should just die."

He still wore that honest, foolish grin. It formed a stark contrast with the headless corpse that fell to the ground together with the Small Carpet, leaving Xuan Ye with an utterly shocked and disbelieving expression...