Hidden Hero's Secret Techniques

In Roger's small courtyard.

Beside the old table and chairs he had picked up from the General Store.

Roger handed Dorothy a cup of freshly brewed Chrysanthemum Tea.

"Thank you."

Looking at the chrysanthemum petals bobbing in the clay mug, Dorothy's eyes held a trace of sorrow.

"In all of Tongma Town, you're the only one who likes to brew tea with chrysanthemums."

"This feeling is so unfamiliar."

"It feels like the last time I visited your home was ten years ago."

Roger poured himself a cup of Chrysanthemum Tea as well. "Correction. It was two years ago."

That was when Kane was still alive.

As Kane's little tagalong, Dorothy naturally followed him wherever he went.

Back then, she had not grown into the long-legged beauty she was now, and she had been extremely shy. Every time they met, she hid behind her brother's back and watched Kane talk with Roger.

Her conversations with Roger usually did not exceed ten sentences.

After Kane died, Dorothy trained herself desperately and gradually lost contact with Roger, the frog hunter who worked regular civil-servant hours.

Dorothy smiled silently.

The warm Chrysanthemum Tea diluted her feelings of longing and sorrow. After gathering her thoughts, the young woman explained why she had come—

The Lord's Manor had officially approved the operation to eliminate the Corpse Demon.

This meant their operation would receive the support of all Tongma Town.

Without question, this was encouraging news.

More importantly, the Lord's Manor had decided to use this opportunity to eliminate the Corpse Demon and reorganize the "Monster Extermination Squad"! Many young Adventurers in town were eagerly asking how they could join.

"The Subjugation Squad, huh."

"Mm, it really is a good time."

Roger responded with a couple of remarks that were not entirely perfunctory.

He did not care much about such matters, but he knew they were important to Dorothy.

Killing the Corpse Demon and rebuilding the Subjugation Squad were Dorothy's wishes.

After all, after Kane's death, the Subjugation Squad, which he had also served as captain of, had disbanded. Tongma Town was left with only a guard unit responsible for daily watch duty.

Anyone who wanted to go out and eliminate monsters would be reprimanded. The reason was that since the Subjugation Squad had disbanded, why provoke those terrifying monsters?

Now, borrowing the lingering prestige of Roger's slaying of the Red Tide Corpse Queen, the Lord's Manor had boldly proposed reorganizing the Subjugation Squad. Naturally, this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The monsters' activity had seriously affected Tongma Town's survival and development.

No ambitious lord would simply sit still and await death.

"The time is certainly good, but that isn't the key."

Dorothy took a sip of tea, crossing her pale thighs.

"The key is whether we can successfully kill the Corpse Demon."

Roger nodded.

Once the Subjugation Squad was reorganized, there would inevitably be some discordant voices in town.

Even if they were suppressed for now, the moment they suffered setbacks during the operation against the Corpse Demon, those voices would quickly rise again.

After all, in every era, there were short-sighted people who cared only about their own little patch of land.

"This is the information on the Corpse Demon provided by the Lord's Manor."

"And this is the list of main participants in the operation."

Dorothy placed two documents on the table.

"The operation is tentatively scheduled for two days from now. I'll notify you of the specific details later."

"The Lord's Manor hopes that you will serve as the..."

Roger grabbed the intelligence report and the list, shaking his head. "No need. You'd make a fine captain."

"Don't worry. I'll cooperate with you."

Dorothy hesitated, but she understood Roger's personality to some extent. After trying to persuade him twice, she gave up.

Roger opened the list of main participants and scanned it.

Most of the Adventurers on the list were familiar faces.

In recent years, fewer and fewer Adventurers had come from the highlands. Tongma Town was actually facing a shortage of fresh blood.

If they did not clear out the surrounding monsters soon, this vicious cycle would likely grow increasingly severe.

One day, the monsters would break into Tongma Town.

After a carnival of blood and fire.

This place would be reduced to ruins.

Such a scenario was not uncommon in Mystra.

"Hm? There's a Second Ring Adventurer?"

Roger was somewhat surprised as he reviewed the main participants' information.

He discovered an Adventurer above level 10!

That was an extremely rare existence in Tongma Town.

"It's Uncle Terry."

Dorothy introduced him. "You've met him. He came from Gem City three years ago, but his strength fell sharply due to his injuries, so he could only recuperate in town."

"Wasn't the Lord's Manor looking for medicine to treat his injuries a while ago? He's recovered now. He's an eleventh-level warrior."

Roger nodded.

"With a Second Ring Adventurer holding the fort, no wonder the Lord's Manor dared to reorganize the Subjugation Squad."

Dorothy suddenly became a little shy. After struggling for a while, she finally said softly, "Actually, there are two..."

Roger raised his eyes, somewhat surprised. "You're Second Ring too?"

He did not have the habit of using the Qi Divination Technique on his friends, so he had not noticed.

Dorothy nodded proudly.

"That's excellent."

Roger praised her.

If Kane knew his little sister had already surpassed him, he would surely be happy. As he thought this, Dorothy asked, "Roger, can I know roughly how strong you are?"

Roger thought for a moment. "A little stronger than you, I suppose."

Dorothy was a little unconvinced.

"Really?"

In her perception, Roger was merely an LV8 Adventurer.

Roger explained seriously.

"Don't worry. Just a little stronger."

After seeing off Dorothy, who had suddenly become competitive, Roger had a good meal before returning to his room to sleep.

Late at night.

A flicker of candlelight lit the tranquil courtyard.

With "Dim Light Vision," Roger could see everything in the courtyard clearly.

At this moment, he held a long, narrow blade in both hands.

A wooden training dummy had long been set up in the center of the courtyard.

The dummy was covered in scars, clearly having been used repeatedly.

Roger held his blade and stood perfectly still.

If one did not look closely, one might mistake him for one of the dummies.

A tongma leaf drifted down.

The Qi Flow sealed within his body suddenly erupted.

Whoosh! A faintly red, crescent-shaped blade light cut through the night.

Pfft! Pfft, pfft, pfft...

A series of dull impacts rang out.

On the ground of the courtyard, besides the scattered tongma leaves, there were now three sections of wood.

"So powerful."

"With one slash, it cut through three dummies. Like cutting tofu—no, like cutting air!"

"There was no resistance at all."

Roger lovingly stroked the Crimson Moon Blade.

The edge was as good as new, and the blade itself was sturdy.

It appeared completely unscathed.

"Using Secret Techniques on training dummies, and even Charging Up, is a bit like bullying them."

"But this move really is powerful."

Roger was still savoring the sensation from earlier.

This move was the first form of "Nineteen Moon Bloom" among the Hidden Hero's Secret Techniques.

The essence of this move was to bring Charge Up into perfect play.

Many times, Charge Up could greatly enhance a Hidden Hero's techniques. Yet in the final collision, its power could be dissipated by various factors, causing the final effect to diminish greatly.

But with this move, that would not happen.

Roger knew that even though it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary accelerated crescent slash, the various enhancements brought by the Hidden Hero's Secret Techniques made it impossible to ignore.

This might be the strongest move he currently possessed!

"No practice cost, and automatic mastery once learned. That's the most incredible thing about Secret Techniques."

Roger felt a little safer inside.