Frostheart

It was accompanied by a deafening sound.

The Mining Car slowly came to a stop on an empty platform.

The driver yawned and kicked the car door open.

He was just about to call the newcomer to unload the goods.

To everyone's surprise, the second carriage was now completely empty.

The driver rubbed his eyes.

After a while, he rolled up his sleeves, grumbling and cursing.

The Death Omen Village.

Amidst the undulating hills, terrifying tentacles stand tall.

Even the most ruthless bandits would silently choose to avoid these tentacles.

Among the scattered barracks.

There are some guard posts set up.

A burly bandit with a menacing face yawned and left his post.

Taking advantage of the absence of the inspecting officer.

He secretly ran into the woods to the left of the barracks.

He quickly pulled a crudely made cigarette from his waistband, put it in his mouth with a satisfied look, and then skillfully lit the cigarette with a flint.

call.

He blew out a smoke ring.

I feel much more comfortable overall.

A rustling sound came from the woods behind us.

He turned around and saw a member wearing "Fierce Dragon Group" uniform.

"Good bro, excuse me for a cigarette."

The man had a wide smile on his face.

"Roll..."

The impatient reprimand hadn't even been uttered yet.

An excruciating pain shot through his groin! A piece of burlap was skillfully stuffed into his mouth.

His eyes instantly became bloodshot—

The branches outside the bushes trembled rapidly for a moment, then fell silent.

A short while later.

A bandit dressed in a "Raven Group" uniform swaggered out of the bushes and headed towards the barracks.

When passing the sentry post.

One of the guards glanced at him, then looked away.

Roger breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It quickened the pace of progress.

After entering the Death Omen Village.

Roger then took the opportunity to leave the Mining Car.

From a time perspective

More than a day has passed since he single-handedly destroyed Capone Manor's stronghold.

Continuing to mingle with the Red Sleeve Brotherhood, given the uncertainty surrounding their intelligence transmission efficiency, could be risky.

Moreover, according to his observations...

The defenses of Death Omen Village were typically strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Barracks dotted the hills.

There were about three or four hundred bandits coming and going, so it wouldn't be difficult for them to take advantage of the chaos.

His current goal is to become the second leader of the Red Sleeve Brotherhood.

He is the leader of the "Raven Group".

A spellcaster named "Capella".

After interrogating several lone bandits, Roger confirmed two very important pieces of information.

Article 1.

The headquarters of Death Omen Village is currently unaware of what happened at the Capone Manor.

This means that Roger's letter of recommendation and the identity of the female assassin "Vicky" are still useful.

Article 2.

The Red Sleeve Brotherhood is at war with the Gray Dwarf.

It's said they've been fighting for several months.

The battle line was extended from the Underground City in the eastern part of the Great Wetland to the surface in the northwestern part of the Hall Countryside.

One week ago.

The Gray Dwarf ' attack suddenly became fierce.

The Brotherhood leader had to go to the front lines to oversee the battle.

Therefore, the current leader of Death Omen Village is the Second Leader Capella.

in other words.

If Capella is killed, Death Omen Village will be leaderless! That's exactly what Roger wanted to see.

evening.

Raven Group barracks area.

In the northernmost barracks.

A serious-looking middle-aged man was rapidly copying a scroll by candlelight.

Under the quill pen, the blood is shockingly vivid.

Although the smell of blood had been diluted considerably by several spices deliberately sprayed in the barracks.

But the buckets of human blood displayed next to the desk still silently testify to this person's evil deeds.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Capella raised an eyebrow in displeasure.

"What's up?"

His expression was cold and sinister, as if he would punish the other party severely if they couldn't give a coherent explanation.

"My lord, a brother says he has a treasure to offer you!"

A servant's strong voice came from outside the door.

This suggests that he believes Capella would definitely love this treasure.

"Let him in."

Capella became somewhat interested.

A short while later.

A slick-looking robber walked in carrying a dark object.

"Look, sir!"

"I found what you previously offered a reward for!"

The man looked excited.

"Gargoyle Statue?"

Capella's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly shouted in a cold voice:

"Don't move!"

The robber looked bewildered, but he wisely stood still and slowly raised the Gargoyle Statue above his head.

Capella calmly opened the drawer and took out an appraisal scroll.

With a cracking sound.

The scroll was torn open.

A pale yellow Arcane Runes flashed by.

Capella immediately breathed a sigh of relief and his face lit up with joy, "Let me see it!"

The man handed over the statue without saying a word.

Capella accepted the statue with a smile.

The next second.

The gargoyle's wings twitched slightly.

Capella's heart sank.

It's difficult to say the order in which "feeling pain" and "losing consciousness" occur.

Roger's "Knee Strike" and the gargoyle's "Tao Gang" landed on him almost simultaneously! The poor mage slowly slumped down.

The smell of blood in the barracks grew a little stronger.

"You killed Capella (Human Mage/Elite)"

You have gained 36 XP points.

"You have gained 44 Xia Yin Value."

"You have obtained 9 Agility Shard (quest item)"

"Rewards for the Extermination Order are being collected..."

"You have acquired the feat from Capella — Quick Casting; this feat has been determined to be invalid. Would you like to convert it to a valid feat?"

Roger chose "yes" without hesitation.

"You have acquired a new specialization - Elements Nullification"

"A similar perk (Devouring Magic Blade) has been detected. Merge?"

"Hmm, similar expertise can be combined?"

After a moment's thought, Roger still chose to confirm.

After the merger, the attributes of the Devouring Magic Blade quietly changed.

"Devouring Magic Blade (3rd Ring Feat): You can designate a weapon to gain the ' Magic Devouring Weapon ' trait in melee combat; Magic Devouring Weapon (New): Each attack has a 3% chance to permanently steal and store the enemy's mana. Once the mana is full, you can unleash ' Magic Explosion Strike ' (Magic Explosion Strike significant damage to the weapon itself)."

Each attack causes passivation of elements in the target area. The longer the time, the more severe the passivation becomes. The maximum Elements Nullification in the same area is 33%.

The improvement is quite significant.

The improvement in mana drain effect to 3% is already a significant step forward.

The effect of "Elements Nullification" particularly impressed Roger.

This thing can significantly reduce a mage's casting speed.

Reducing the elemental load by 33% means that to gather the elements at the original level, the caster needs to increase the casting power by 50%.

It's a pity.

The Devouring Magic Blade doesn't quite fit Roger's current fighting style.

He doesn't seem to be suited for a protracted war.

Based on Roger's current understanding of combat methods.

Only the Martial Artist system can barely complement the effect of the Devouring Magic Blade.

"If we can withstand the negative effects of ' Irritable Gauntlets,' this weapon would be an excellent vehicle for the Devouring Magic Blade."

Roger thought with some regret.

The fact that he easily defeated Capella was certainly a result of both intentional and unintentional tactics.

But the existence of gargoyles also played a significant role.

Actually, just now when Capella took out the appraisal scroll...

Roger was almost ready to upgrade.

Who knew that the gargoyle would withstand the effects of the appraisal spell?

It's estimated that what Capella saw was something like "Gargoyle Statue (Forbidden Item) (Unsealed)".

This made Roger look at the gargoyles in a different light.

After repeatedly examining it using the Qi Divination Technique.

He then discovered this guy's hidden nature.

That's the gargoyle's third trait!

Trait 3: A talent for learning

"Learning ability: Elite Gargoyle possess an extremely strong learning ability, especially good at imitation; they can also gain experience in battle and form new skills."

Skills already mastered: Disguise, Beast-mimicry combat tactics

"The disguise points are quite high; it actually passed the identification."

"But... what's with the 'good at imitation' thing?"

Roger's expression was somewhat complicated.

Seeing these data always gives the impression that the gargoyle's love of Tao Gang is directed at him.

However, I only saw the last line.

Roger breathed a sigh of relief.

Tao Gang was classified as a "beast-mimicking combat tactic" by the system.

This indicates that the other party has a different teacher.

It wasn't Roger's fault.

After defeating Capella, the advanced quest is mostly complete.

As is customary, Roger conducted a thorough search of the barracks.

Anyway, no one will dare to come in for the time being.

The thing Roger found most on Capella was a blood-red scroll.

The ability to detect certain Qi Divination Technique is rare and cannot be determined.

It's probably not something legitimate.

Roger chose to accept it all.

Secondly, there's money.

Roger found currency worth about one Gold Disc in the barracks.

Immediately afterwards.

He found an identical Gargoyle Statue on Capella's bookshelf.

The Qi Divination Technique shows that it is not unlocked.

It seems that Capella is quite cautious.

"Huh? What's this?"

Roger curiously picked up a deep blue stone that was placed next to the statue.

"Frostheart (Construct Core)"

"Description: Can improve the quality of constructs/magical beasts"

Roger glanced at it.

The gargoyle obediently lay down to one side, its eyes filled with longing.

Roger silently tossed the gem over.

The latter instinctively swallowed the "Frostheart".

A few seconds later.

It flapped its wings and flew over.

With its mouth open and tongue sticking out, it actually spat out the gem!

Roger smiled.

He patted the gargoyle's bald head with satisfaction.

"Eat."

He urged, "We're in a hurry."

The gargoyle then swallowed the Frostheart with peace of mind.

A chilling aura emanated from it.

It returned to normal in a short while.

"Your servant, the Elite Gargoyle, has been upgraded in quality."

"Frostheart Gargoyle LV35 Magical Beast/Elite"

Sorry I'm late. Writing 3K is just too difficult, it's too long for me!