Tears of Holy Light

Hunter's Mark is a common skill for Tier 3 Hunters, obtainable through learning or the blessing of a Saint's Name. Of course, a Hunter's Mark bestowed by a Saint's Name is generally stronger than one learned through skill acquisition; this rule applies to most learnable skills.

Hunter's Mark itself is harmless, but once applied, the target can be clearly sensed by the hunter, no matter where they hide.

"I can't 'dispel' or 'restore to normal'," Gaye the mage said, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. "But it should be fine. The person who cast the mark on you is dead. The mark will disappear on its own by sunrise at the latest."

He thought of something else and added, "They probably don't have advanced stuff like 'magical communion' to share the Hunter's Mark."

Gagnor knew all this, but he had a shadow in his heart and didn't want to use a "restore to normal" spell scroll directly, so he came to ask Gaye.

Since Gaye couldn't help, he dropped the matter.

Just wait for sunrise.

The sun and moon of Falaro's world are magical. Their alternation and changes affect almost all magic. A fragile spell can hardly survive a single exchange between the sun and the moon.

At the same time, a fragile life also seemed unlikely to survive an exchange between the sun and the moon—John's condition was terrible.

When Gagnor came to check on John's injuries again, several priests were already administering Healing Spell.

Unfortunately, the priests were not of high level and didn't know any powerful Healing Spell. John's injuries were so severe that there was no obvious improvement. He was still pale and unconscious.

John was receiving top-notch treatment, after all, he was injured protecting the priests and had earned their universal sympathy.

In contrast, another heavily injured mercenary wasn't so lucky.

He had lost almost all of his intestines. One priest saw this and offered only a token amount of Healing Spell before fast-forwarding directly to end-of-life care.

The mercenary, of course, didn't want to die and begged the priest to save him.

It wasn't that the priest didn't want to save him, but he really couldn't. So, he could only chant scriptures repeatedly, saying things like "The Lord will bless you" or how wonderful heaven was.

But the mercenary didn't seem devout enough, or he didn't think he was qualified to go to heaven, so his face was full of despair, and he gradually died in pain.

Afterward, he and the other mercenaries who died in battle were cremated on the spot, and their ashes were placed in urns. After the mission, they would have the opportunity to return to their hometowns.

The sun rose.

When the sunlight shone on him, that faint, almost imperceptible feeling finally disappeared from Gagnor's body.

[Status Removed: Hunter's Mark (Tier 3)]

Gagnor breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Then he glanced at John beside him.

John was lying unconscious on a stretcher, carried by several people working together. Gagnor was one of the stretcher-bearers.

Compared to last night, John's condition had worsened, and his breathing was very weak.

Hopefully, Presto Fortress has priests who can heal him, Gagnor thought.

The turning point came sooner than he expected.

A few hours later, Gagnor saw a group of people riding towards them in the distance. Several of them wore the Gray Hawk Mercenary Group's shoulder patches and looked somewhat familiar, clearly their own people.

In addition to the Gray Hawk Mercenary, there were many unfamiliar faces in this group, led by a burly bald knight and a nun in white.

The nun's hair was pure black, but her skin was fair and almost flawless. Her temperament was mature, yet she had a pair of watery, childlike eyes, making it difficult to discern her age.

Probably between fifteen and thirty years old—that was Gagnor's judgment.

As soon as Sheldon the Priest saw this nun, he immediately showed a surprised expression and hurried to greet her with several other priests, humbly saying, "Sister Deran, I beg you to heal our brave warrior! He is a Saint Michael's Named, and he was seriously injured protecting me!"

Sister Deran also showed a serious expression.

She dismounted and came to the stretcher, briefly examining John's injuries.

Then, the beautiful nun took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Mosa above, Saint Deran and Saint Michael, please protect this brave warrior..."

During the prayer, a faint golden light shone from her eyes.

Then, to the surprise of many, two golden tears exuding a holy aura slowly flowed down.

"The Crying Sister Deran," Ryan whispered in amazement, "I didn't expect to see Tears of Holy Light here. It seems John is saved."

Two tears that seemed like liquid holy light fell on John's face, melting on contact and sinking into his skin.

Immediately, John's condition improved at a visible rate. His pale skin gradually regained color, and his weak breathing returned to its former strength and stability.

"Is this a blessing ability?" Gagnor asked.

Ryan: "Of course, this is Saint Deran's blessing, much stronger than any Healing Spell."

Tears of Holy Light was indeed powerful. Under the healing of this holy power, John woke up directly in a short while, as if nothing had happened, looking around in confusion.

"What happened?" he couldn't help but ask.

Ryan reminded him, "Quickly thank Sister Deran, she saved your life."

John gradually recalled some of the events of last night and quickly got up to thank her.

The bald knight said, "I am Anthony, the Knight Captain of Presto Fortress. The Earl asked me to come and meet you... You were attacked last night?"

Cassandra nodded: "Yes, Keith of the Wolf Hunt Mercenary Group and his 'Night Raiders'."

"I heard that the Wolf Hunt's 'Night Raiders' all have Magic Rune for dark vision, but I think they are more likely to be Drow Elves's bastards," Anthony said.

After a few words, Cassandra asked, "How is the situation in Presto Fortress?"

Anthony simply said, "At least while the Earl is alive, that bastard Yuris won't dare to do anything."

"I'll take you to Presto Fortress," he said.

Immediately, the Gray Hawk mercenaries followed Anthony towards Presto Fortress.

That evening, they arrived at Presto Fortress without incident.

The name "Presto Fortress" can refer specifically to the castle, or more broadly to the town itself.

After all, Presto Castle, where the Earl resides, is situated on a high point within the town and is integrated into the town's walls.

As a town, Presto Fortress is about the same size as South Sea Town.

However, compared to South Sea Town's low walls, which can barely keep out Goblins, the walls here, though somewhat old, are nearly twenty meters high.

This shows that Presto is not a peaceful place, and never has been.