Devouring Magic Blade

"You have killed a Corpse Demon"

"You have gained 20 XP"

"You have gained 37 Xia Yin Value"

"Acquiring Extermination Order reward..."

"You have acquired the Feat - Mana Growth from the Corpse Demon; after a check, this Feat is invalid. Do you wish to convert it into a valid Feat?"

"Hmm? The Extermination Order's effect is to steal the Feats of the defeated?"

Roger was slightly surprised.

Mana Growth was a very good Feat, as it increased a spellcaster's mana.

However, the Hidden Hero class didn't even have a mana bar, so it was naturally invalid.

Therefore, he decisively chose "Yes"! ...

"You have acquired the new Feat - Devouring Magic Blade"

"Devouring Magic Blade (2nd Ring Feat): You can designate a weapon, granting it the 'Magic Devouring Weapon' characteristic in close combat."

"Magic Devouring Weapon: Each attack has a 1% chance to permanently steal and store the enemy's mana. Once the mana is full, you can activate 'Magic Explosion Strike' (Magic Explosion Strike has a higher chance of damaging the weapon itself)."

"Permanently draining mana, this is too targeted."

"This Feat absolutely cannot be known by anyone else!"

Upon seeing this Feat, Roger's first reaction was not joy but vigilance!

Just like 100% Magic Resistance, the existence of the Devouring Magic Blade would also cause panic and hostility among the mage community.

Once exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable!

After much consideration, he still chose to designate Red Moon as his "Devouring Magic Blade."

The reason was simple.

Generally, when Red Moon was used, it meant that things had reached an irreversible point.

At that time, Roger only needed to consider how to kill the enemy.

Thinking back now, the messages on the message board hadn't lied to him.

The Hidden Hero class was indeed designed to counter mages.

Coincidentally, Mystra had a terrifying number of mages.

Even seven or eight out of ten monsters rampant in the wilderness were magic-based.

Roger felt like he was in his element.

"We succeeded!"

The moment Roger severed the Corpse Demon's head, its magic array failed.

The Pool of Corruption automatically dissolved, all the Skeleton Soldiers were banished back to the Netherworld, and the battlefield, which had been slightly crowded, suddenly became empty.

Dorothy immediately dropped her shield and sword and ran over, hugging Roger tightly.

"Thank you!"

"We finally avenged Kane, sob sob sob..."

At first, her words were clear, but gradually they were replaced by choked sobs.

Roger gently stroked her hair, remaining silent.

The other adventurers also hugged each other in celebration.

Finally, they gathered around Roger and waited quietly.

Dorothy's crying gradually subsided.

"Don't try to throw me into the sky."

Roger warned.

The young people exchanged glances. One of them, a fatty, reacted quickly and immediately laughed heartily:

"Then it's okay to throw Dorothy, right?"

Dorothy wiped away her tears, her expression returning to normal, though her eyes were still red and swollen.

She glared at them, regaining her composure as the captain.

"No laughing and joking."

"We are very close to the Land of Buried Bones, and dangerous monsters might appear at night. We need to find a safe campsite immediately."

"We need to prepare for the return journey!"

The young people shook their heads in disappointment.

However, they also knew Dorothy was right.

Just because the Corpse Demon was dead didn't mean the area was completely safe.

"Don't worry, I've already found a campsite."

Terry chimed in with a smile, smoothing things over. "I had the scout team keep an extra eye out earlier."

"Less than an hour's walk from here, there's an abandoned safe house that a Lord's Manor set up for the mine. We can camp there tonight."

Dorothy nodded. Uncle Terry was reliable.

The group then quickly cleaned up the battlefield and prepared to head back.

But just then, Roger stopped them. "We're just leaving like this? Aren't you going to take the Corpse Demon's spoils?"

"Spoils?"

Dorothy looked around. "Where are the spoils?"

"Wouldn't the Corpse Demon's belongings be in its lair?"

Before she could finish, she realized it herself. "No, if it was migrating, it must have taken all its belongings with it."

"But we didn't find any place to hide things!"

This was also something that puzzled everyone else.

They had even scouted the tunnel, only to find a burrowing worm that had died a long time ago. The Corpse Demon had used the "Absolute Domination Curse" on it, causing the worm to perish along with the demon when it was annihilated.

As for the rest of the battlefield, it looked even less like a place where things could be hidden.

Roger didn't keep them in suspense. He pointed to the dark silhouette not far away.

"Later, pick a few people to drag that thing away."

"I bet it'll give you a surprise when we get to where we're camping."

Everyone looked over.

It was the Flesh Golem that the Corpse Demon had inhabited.

The night wind blew.

The belly of the Flesh Golem's corpse pulsed. Suddenly, something with a silver sheen fell out.

Two hours later, near a safe house at the southern mine.

The blazing bonfire illuminated everyone's faces, which were filled with joy.

While the successful hunt was an important reason, the spoils found in the Flesh Golem's belly were the catalyst that ignited the atmosphere.

The Corpse Demon was truly cunning.

This Flesh Golem was not only its dwelling but also its little treasure chest.

Roger had plundered a large amount of spoils from the Flesh Golem's belly.

First were the currency.

The Corpse Demon had once been a mage in Gem City. Although it had been living in the wilderness all these years, it still had quite a bit of wealth.

Roger counted and found 58 Silver Horns and over 6000 Copper Coins!

Converting at the rate of approximately 1 Silver Horn to 100 Copper Coins, this was equivalent to 11,800 Copper Coins.

This was indeed a astronomical sum.

After discussing with everyone, Roger and the group finally decided on a three-seven split.

Roger would get seven, and the rest would get three.

Actually, he hadn't intended to take that much.

But Dorothy and Terry unanimously insisted that a three-seven split was the bottom line.

Because everyone knew very well that without Roger, they wouldn't have had a chance to defeat the Corpse Demon—they might not even have been able to force it to reveal its true form.

"This distribution is actually taking advantage of you!"

Since Dorothy had said so, Roger no longer refused.

In fact, the others had also played a significant role in his victory over the Corpse Demon.

The Hidden Hero's specialty was in solo combat. The characteristic of "Ten Years, One Sword" meant that the Hidden Hero who didn't act was the most powerful.

If the others hadn't risked their lives to clear Roger's obstacles, he might not have been able to reserve his first three moves for the Corpse Demon.

In that case, the power of "Eye Cut" would have been greatly diminished.

This battle was, in essence, a mutual achievement.

Next were the magic scrolls and spellbooks.

The distribution plan remained a 30/70 split.

Considering their upcoming journey, Roger decided to give up some cash to take all the scrolls and books.

These items were highly valuable, but it was difficult to get a good price for them in Tongma Town.

In contrast, Gem City reportedly had a very mature market for magical items, so he might be able to make a small profit.

Since Roger had asked, the others were naturally happy to do him a favor.

Soon.

After paying 2700 Copper Coins, Roger's pack was once again stuffed full. It contained 7 magic scrolls and 4 spellbooks.

"Huh?"

As Roger was organizing his pack, he accidentally found a gilded letter tucked into a hidden pocket of a spellbook.

It was an invitation.

There were only two lines of elegant script on it:

"We sincerely invite you to visit my potion garden, September 14th, Star Dome Platform. Please do come!"

What made Roger's emotions surge was the signature at the bottom—

"Grand Lord Vilan of Lubei County."

"Vilan... Mage Vilan."

"It really is him."

Roger's emotions were a bit complex.

He was somewhat shocked, yet also somewhat relieved.

At this moment, he finally understood why the name and vertical pupils on the cover of the "Book of Extreme Evil" looked familiar.

Velenus was Vilan.

And Mage Lord Vilan.

Was the final boss who had tormented Roger for nearly a week before his transmigration! (Note 1)

Note 1: See 001 164250 Magic Explosion Frogs.