Blood-colored Pit

Ghost Guard LV8 Health 20 Defense MAX (Physical Immunity) Weak to Thunder

Trait: Psionic Sense LV2

Psionic Sense: Ghost Guards can perceive all traces of life within their detection range. Detection radius is (Ghost Guard level - 3) * 0.2 (unit: 100 meters).

"Such detailed information."

Roger figured his Qi Divination Technique was close to leveling up.

By that formula, an LV8 Ghost Guard had a detection radius of roughly 100 meters.

This position was extremely dangerous!

If he failed to retreat in time, he could very easily be exposed.

But Roger was using Concealment rather than stealth. Once he left the Tongma Tree's cover, any hasty movement would also carry a high chance of being discovered.

Even more troublesome was this.

The Inferior Dwarf Demon's corpse was still burning. Though only a small cluster of sparks remained, Ghost Guards were extremely sensitive to flames.

As long as it flew this way, it would definitely notice something unusual! Unfortunately—

That Ghost Guard really was flying toward him.

"I can only give it a try."

Roger glanced back and vaguely saw several figures on the hillside.

"Dorothy should be able to see it, right?"

He was not certain about that.

It was daytime now, and his vision had been weakened. He could not see them clearly, nor did he know whether they could see him.

All he could do was take a chance. He released his Concealment state and made several hand signals toward the mountain.

Then he took off his cloak, drew the Qing Fu Sword, and lightly smeared a dab of paste-like substance onto its tip.

This was "Holy Water."

It was the good stuff Uncle Terry had brought back from Gem City, and it was extremely effective against undead monsters.

Many undead monsters depended on Ghostfire to sustain their lives.

Once the Ghostfire of a low-level monster touched Holy Water, it would immediately vanish into ashes.

Roger had just tested it on Skeleton Soldiers, and it was indeed highly effective.

Unfortunately, there was very little Holy Water, and Roger had only received a tiny amount.

With Holy Water's assistance, he was highly confident he could kill this Ghost Guard.

But whether he could do so without anyone noticing depended entirely on Dorothy.

The Ghost Guard left the tower and slowly drifted toward the riverbank.

At this moment, it was already very close to 100 meters away from Roger.

Roger hid in the canopy, gripping the Qing Fu Sword tightly as his Qi Divination Technique locked onto the Ghost Guard.

The next second.

The Ghost Guard's flying speed abruptly increased!

"It found me."

Roger was not flustered.

The Ghost Guard was bound to discover him, but a low-level monster like this lacked the ability to distinguish between the souls of different living beings.

In other words.

It could only sense that there was a trace of life in the canopy, but it could not determine whether it belonged to a bird, a squirrel, or a person.

To ensure the White Bone Sentry Post's safety, it would definitely come over to investigate.

That would be Roger's opportunity.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them had shrunk to less than thirty meters.

"Ghosts really are fast!"

That was why Roger had not tried using Purple Wisp or Little Finger.

With their naturally high Movement Speed and evasion, ghosts had a high chance of dodging either arrows or slingshot shots.

He had to use the Qing Fu Sword to land a lethal assassination strike.

It was getting closer and closer.

The Ghost Guard passed the Inferior Dwarf Demon's position.

Fortunately, perhaps because it was too focused on the living thing in the canopy, it failed to notice that flame.

Roger's heart was as still as water, fully charged and ready to strike.

Just then, strange cries suddenly rang out from the hillside.

Several black shadows hurriedly ran down, making a huge racket and drawing everyone's attention.

The Ghost Guard was no exception.

It actually stopped beneath the Tongma Tree and looked into the distance.

Roger did not turn around to see what had happened.

He forcefully pushed off the Tongma Tree's branch with both feet.

Ambush activated.

His body moved like lightning.

His sword flashed like a rainbow.

Only when the Qing Fu Sword's tip pierced the Ghost Guard's chest, and the pure white Holy Water extinguished the fiercely burning Ghostfire, did he have the leisure to look back—

A group of Dwarf Demons was fleeing down the hillside in disarray.

They were still making ululating cries.

Roger smiled knowingly.

He gained a little more confidence in this subjugation.

At least his teammates were reliable.

But this was no time to relax.

To divert the attention of the other tower and Ghost Guard, Dorothy and the others had released the captured Dwarf Demons.

That meant alerting the enemy was now inevitable.

So now was the best time to launch an ambush! Roger quickly put on his cloak and, while the Dwarf Demons drew everyone's attention, charged alone toward the nearest tower!

"Roger has already understood our intentions."

On the hillside, Dorothy held a longsword and spoke rapidly. "Uncle Terry, take seven people to capture the eastern tower. The rest of you, come with me to support Roger!"

"We need to move quickly!"

"But stay concealed as well. We'll go down through the northern forest and strike before the Dwarf Demons make contact with the Ghost Guards!"

The main force lowered their voices and answered in unison.

Led by Dorothy and Terry, they descended the mountain along opposite sides of the forest.

But before they had gone far, Dorothy suddenly stopped.

"What is it?"

Someone asked.

"To the east!"

Without another word, Dorothy turned around and left.

"B-But..."

The man looked bewildered, but Dorothy cut him off. "Roger has already taken the western tower."

"Didn't you see that flag?"

"Come on, east."

She spoke without hesitation.

The others could not help widening their eyes as they looked toward the top floor of the western tower.

At some point.

A flag from Tongma Town's Lord's Manor had appeared on its north-facing side.

A breeze passed by, and the flag fluttered lightly.

You killed 1 Ghost Guard
You gained 1 XP
Your sword-drawing speed increased slightly

You killed 1 Skeleton Soldier
You gained 1 XP
Your Fear Resistance increased slightly

Capturing the tower had been extremely easy.

With the Dwarf Demons drawing attention, Roger slipped into the tower without difficulty.

The White Bone Sentry Post's tower had three floors in total.

The first floor contained six loosely arranged Skeleton Soldiers.

Roger had ample time to place Sin Marks on them, then send them to their deaths with the Little Finger Slingshot and pebbles soaked in Holy Water.

The Ghost Guard on the second floor was still watching the Dwarf Demons rushing across the riverbank.

As a result, Roger sent it off with a single sword strike the moment they met.

In truth, when Roger encountered that Ghost Guard, it seemed as though it was idling.

Perhaps too many lifeforms had suddenly appeared within its detection range.

This low-level monster was having trouble processing them all.

In any case, the Subjugation Squad's first assault had been a great success.

Roger watched for a while.

After confirming that Terry and Dorothy could handle the western tower without injury or leaving Traces, he headed to the area between the two towers.

There, he discovered a massive pit.

Using the Qi Divination Technique, he could see vast stretches of Blood Cloud within the pit.

Something extraordinary had to be hidden inside.

Without hesitation, he descended into the cave.

In that instant.

The stench of rot, the smell of blood, and an unknown medicinal odor washed over him.

"Is there a barrier obstructing the flow of air?"

Roger raised an eyebrow.

A barrier.

Meant there was a mage.