The Importance of Finishing Blows

"Something might have happened up ahead."

John glanced toward the distant firelight, then strode in that direction on his long legs.

"Come on, let's go take a look."

"Oh!"

Parr tightened the bundle on his back, gripped the Black Short Sword with both free hands, and followed closely behind John.

"Someone's coming!"

Two men in black were hidden atop a tree beside the road ahead. Kalan had stationed them there to prevent anyone else, or a merchant caravan traveling through the night, from coming by and ruining his plan.

Thus, Kalan's orders to the two men were simple: if one person or a small group came, deal with them. If it was a merchant caravan traveling overnight—though that possibility was slim—delay them as much as possible if it really happened.

Make no mistake, two trained archers could absolutely accomplish that in the darkness.

So, upon spotting John and Parr, the two men raised their bows, nocked arrows, and each took aim at one of them.

"You take the big one. I'll take the little one."

"Mm."

After a brief confirmation, the two archers released their fingers, and their crude feathered arrows shot forth.

Whoosh! Whoosh!...

"Hm?"

Parr, following behind John, felt his heart tighten as Danger Prediction activated. Without thinking, he stopped and shifted his body slightly. An arrow nearly grazed his head, followed immediately by John's large hand clamping tightly around the arrow's shaft.

Clang~ The other arrow was blocked by the Dark Knight One-Handed Sword John raised.

Phew...

Seeing that Parr was unharmed, John let out a long breath. He tossed aside the arrow in his hand and turned toward the two archers. Anger rose in his red eyes. That was too close. If the little guy hadn't been lucky, that arrow would have killed him. Looks like I've let my guard down lately!

John did not know that Parr possessed the Talent of Danger Prediction. He simply thought Parr had been lucky. His past experiences had made him particularly protective of the Knight Apprentices under his care, so he was furious. Not just anyone could bear the wrath of an Advanced Bronze Knight.

Bang! Without another word, red Battle Qi appeared across John's body as he took a huge step forward.

"Charge!"

In an instant, John transformed into a red blur and rushed toward the two archers at incredible speed.

"Damn it! A Bronze-level Knight!"

The two archers, who were only Advanced Knight Apprentices, widened their eyes in shock upon seeing the red Battle Qi surrounding John. Their reactions were completely different. One nocked and fired arrow after arrow, shooting five feathered arrows in just three seconds. The other turned and ran, intending to report what had happened to Kalan. It was not that they were unwilling to try—it was just that they had run into a damn Bronze-level Knight.

Clang, clang, clang~ John's sword moved slightly as he continued forward, knocking away three feathered arrows. The remaining two missed him entirely.

"Blood Moon Slash!"

Once he reached attacking range, red light flashed across the Dark Knight One-Handed Sword. John swung his blade, unleashing a ranged attack as a blood-red crescent shot forth.

"Argh!"

The archer who had remained behind to buy time screamed as he and his bow were cut cleanly in half. John followed close behind the bloody crescent, tapping the dimming crescent with his sword and sending it flying toward the archer who had run farther away. In the end, due to the distance, the weakened bloody crescent only cut off one of the archer's arms.

"Argh!"

The entire battle had unfolded in a flash. John ended it in less than five seconds. Remembering that Parr was behind him, he did not give chase, allowing that archer to escape for the moment.

"So awesome! Is this the true strength of a Bronze-level Knight?"

John's series of moves had dazzled Parr. He only came back to his senses after it was all over, then ran up to John and asked, "Uncle John, why do I feel like you were much stronger just now than you were that night?"

That night was the night the cultists attacked Haystack Village. John understood what Parr meant. He spun his sword in a graceful flourish and sheathed it, then rolled his eyes in irritation.

"If I hadn't used most of my Battle Qi on traveling that night, I could've smashed that cultist to death!"

With that, John turned and walked in the direction the archer had fled, warning as he went, "Little guy, stay close. It might be even more dangerous up ahead!"

"Mm."

Parr continued after him. As he passed the archer's corpse, he gave it a regretful glance, wondering how many Energy Points he would have gotten if he had killed the archer himself.

Rustle, rustle...

John and Parr entered the Deep Forest, following the archer's blood trail until they found him in a clearing among the trees.

The one-armed archer leaned against a large tree with his head lowered. His faintly heaving chest proved that he was still alive.

Two people stood beside the archer: the pale-faced Kalan and the seemingly honest middle-aged man.

"..."

The moment John and Parr spotted Kalan's group, Kalan's group spotted them as well.

The middle-aged man immediately hid behind a tree, trembling as he poked his head out to look at John and Parr.

Kalan narrowed his eyes, then gave a standard noble's bow.

"Greetings, adventurers."

"You're a noble?"

John pursed his lips before asking. If the other party was a noble, it would be difficult for him to make a move.

"No, but my grandfather was a noble. I'm working hard to restore my family's glory." Kalan shook his head in denial. Impersonating a noble was a serious crime in the Wind Wolf Kingdom, one he could not bear.

"In that case, can you hand that person over to me?" John drew his sword and pointed it at the One-Armed Archer.

"If I hand him over, will you leave immediately?" Kalan asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, I'll leave. That merchant caravan over there seems to have run into bandits, and as an adventurer, I won't pass up an opportunity to make money."

John nodded readily, but his words did not go as Kalan wished.

"I mean leave immediately and stop meddling in other people's business."

Kalan emphasized his intentions. If possible, he did not want to clash with John. He had only just entered the Bronze level and was no match for him at all.

"That won't do."

John shook his head and stepped toward Kalan. A dense layer of Battle Qi covered his sword, clearly meant to make Kalan back down.

However, Kalan would not retreat. He had staked everything on this plan. If he left now, his reputation would be ruined, and that woman would definitely retaliate. By then...

In short, Kalan would not back down. Since he could not beat John and did not want to fight him either, the only option was to make John retreat on his own.

How could he make John leave voluntarily?

Kalan's gaze shifted toward Parr, who had stood in place since arriving, watching everything as though he were watching a show.

The One-Armed Archer had already explained the situation. After some thought, Kalan came up with a solution. Though it would offend John, he had no choice but to do it. At worst, after returning, he could spend a fortune to hire assassins to get rid of John.

And Kalan's solution was the cold-faced man in black hidden nearby. That man was a Peak Knight Apprentice, Kalan's strongest subordinate. He was skilled with a bow and at hiding, a true killer in the Deep Forest. There should be no problem sending him to abduct a child, right?...

"A dumb-looking little kid, and they actually want someone on the verge of becoming Bronze-level to make a move? What a waste of talent. Good thing no one else knows, or I'd lose all face. I..."

The cold-faced man in black was nothing like his expressionless face on the inside. His thoughts were lively, and talking to himself was a common habit. In other words, he was the brooding type.

Rustle, rustle...

Accompanied by nearly inaudible sounds, the cold-faced man in black crept onto a tree behind Parr. After adjusting his position, he even stretched out his hands to gauge the distance. Once he was certain he could seize Parr in one motion, he kicked off the branch and leaped down.

Crash!

As the branches swayed, the cold-faced man in black jumped down—only to be met by a flash of sword light.

"Upward Flick!"

Parr instantly turned and drew his sword. With Dark Vision, he had noticed the cold-faced man in black long ago, and he had also seen through his intentions from his movements.

So Parr had simply played along, pretending to watch the show while focusing his attention to the utmost. The instant Danger Prediction activated, he turned and drew a deadly strike.

"I'll dodge!"

The cold-faced man in black widened his eyes. Though surprised, he was no amateur. He instantly kicked off the tree trunk and performed a backflip, flipping over Parr's head. He barely avoided Parr's attack as he turned through the air, though his pants were slightly cut.

"That's all you've got!"

But just as the cold-faced man in black let out a breath of relief, Parr changed the direction of his sword and spun with it, slicing off the top of his skull.

"Horizontal Slash!"

"How could—"

Bang! The cold-faced man in black's corpse plunged headfirst into the ground. Brain matter splattered, and even his eyeballs popped out.

"..."

Hearing the commotion, John glanced back, then raised his sword to block Kalan's direct thrust.

"Good. Very good!"

John turned back toward Kalan, who was retreating again and again after his failed sneak attack. A dangerous curve rose at the corner of his mouth.

"Still trying to run?"

"A misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!"

Kalan had already thrown his plan out of his mind. When he saw the cold-faced man in black killed by Parr, he froze for a moment. Then, when John turned his head, his mind went blank and he thrust his sword at him, thinking he could take the chance to kill John. But he failed. Now, sensing the increasingly dangerous aura around John, he hurriedly waved his hands and tried to explain.

"A misunderstanding, it really was a misunderstanding! Sir, listen to me..."

"Listen to what? Die!"

The red Battle Qi around John exploded outward. Against Kalan, whose level was below his, he unleashed a crushing Battle Qi assault.

"Urgh..."

Kalan, covered in blood, lay on the ground with lifeless eyes fixed on the sky. His teeth moved slightly as a pill hidden behind his molars dissolved into a warm current that flowed into his stomach. Its medicinal power spread through his body, preserving his life.

Outwardly, Kalan closed his eyes and lost all signs of life. This was his trump card: a Magic Potion that allowed him to fake his death. It successfully fooled John.

"Couldn't even take a beating!"

John kicked Kalan. After confirming that he was dead, he walked toward the middle-aged man behind the tree, who had already wet himself in fright. As he passed the unconscious archer, he casually finished him with one stroke, then grabbed the middle-aged man by the neck and dragged him toward the caravan.

"Little guy, keep up!"

"I'm coming!"

As the footsteps gradually faded, Kalan, who was playing dead, breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had escaped this disaster. He hurriedly began gathering the little Battle Qi he had left, intending to take the opportunity to flee. However, when he opened his eyes, he saw...

Parr had not left at all. He was squatting right in front of Kalan, staring at him with large dark eyes that gave off a faint glow.

"White Face, why hasn't the Battle Qi on your body dispersed yet? Can you explain that?"

As Kalan opened his eyes, Parr asked his question while plunging the Black Short Sword into Kalan's heart.

"Urgh..."

This time, Kalan really died. He had been finished off by an Elementary Knight Apprentice. This experience taught Parr the importance of finishing blows.