Old Lev

Chapter 32: Old Lev

As the words fell, figures emerged from behind walls and from alley corners. Each held a weapon, their expressions hostile, surrounding Karl in the center.

Including the stall owner, there were six of them.

"I didn't expect that girl Aya could actually find help?"

The speaker was bare-chested, revealing his muscular physique, his large saber held diagonally, dragging on the ground.

As he strode forward, the sharp blade left a shallow mark on the frozen earth.

An invisible pressure descended.

This person must be their leader.

"Help?"

Karl frowned at the words.

"It seems there's some misunderstanding between us."

"Misunderstanding?" The stall owner sneered.

"Now that we're out of the marketplace, what misunderstanding could there be?"

"Even if you're not that girl's helper, we brothers can't have worked for nothing. Hand over your belongings!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Karl.

He was thin and gaunt, but surprisingly fast. While speaking, he was still among the group, and by the time his last word fell, he was already in front of Karl.

Moreover, his grab used a subtle force. His fingers faintly gleamed with a cold light, wearing sharp finger guards.

If they had landed on him, they could have easily torn off a piece of flesh.

In Black City, surviving wasn't easy. Robbery and murder were commonplace for them.

Hmph!

Karl snorted coldly.

He was no longer the ordinary person without any foundation. Even surrounded by several people, he remained completely unfazed.

Facing the attacking claws, he slightly flipped his palm, avoiding the finger guards and striking out.

Clang!

Palm met claw.

The stall owner felt a massive force surge up his arm. His body instantly lost balance, and his expression changed.

"Knight's attendant..."

"Whoosh!"

The low whistle of his broadsword cutting through the air interrupted his shout. Immediately after, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and was sent flying backward.

"How dare you!"

"Kill him!"

"All of you, attack!"

The stall owner was blown away the moment they made contact. The others hadn't even had time to react.

Amidst the angry roars, the group charged forward together.

Karl raised his left hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

Light Spell!

Instantly.

A blinding light illuminated the entire area.

For those who had lived in darkness for years, light was their nemesis.

Especially since they were staring intently at Karl's movements, they had no way to avoid it. In an instant, they all lost their vision, and panic appeared on their faces.

This is bad!

The leader's heart pounded, but instead of retreating, he advanced.

"Argh!"

He roared and, relying on his memory, charged madly in Karl's direction, wildly swinging his saber.

The saber tore through the air, its blade vibrating rapidly. It was clearly a combat skill.

Screech...

It felt like cutting through thick mucus. An invisible resistance appeared out of nowhere, startling the leader.

What is this?

Zero-ring Witchcraft—Lesser Force Field!

Karl cast two sorceries in quick succession. While the others were still too slow to react, the broadsword flashed repeatedly.

"Pfft!"

"Pfft pfft!"

In the blink of an eye, two men fell to the ground.

However, the boss's greatsword was already upon him, forcing him to swing his own sword to intercept, the blade held horizontally in front of him.

"Clang..."

What immense strength!

This boss's strength was probably a notch above the red-haired man from before, but his combat skill was rather sloppy.

Furious Strike!

Plough Stance!

Fool's Stance!

Karl swung his broadsword, Gale Swordplay unleashing a rapid series of slashes, the clang of metal on metal erupting like a sudden downpour.

"Argh!"

The boss roared to the sky, his immense strength surging, forcefully pushing back the onslaught. His vision was also gradually clearing.

As long as he could see!

As long as his vision returned!

He...

"Swish!"

Several afterimages materialized out of thin air.

Combat skill—Gale Slash!

Under the influence of the Lesser Force Field, Karl's burst of power at this moment was comparable to a peak-level Knight Squire.

The opponent couldn't even discern the direction of the attacks.

"Pfft!"

The sword's shadow sliced across the boss's waist and thighs, opening deep, bone-revealing gashes and causing his body to lose balance.

One wrong step, and every step thereafter is wrong.

Karl, wielding his broadsword, pressed his advantage relentlessly, his sword's shadow raining down. Despair began to creep onto the boss's face.

Even though he had regained his sight, it was too late to change anything.

"Argh!"

With a scream, the boss's burly body crashed to the ground.

Karl turned, about to pursue the remaining two, but his eyes narrowed slightly, and he stopped.

As the two were about to escape, over a dozen arrows suddenly shot out from the darkness, riddling the unprepared men like sieves.

Let's check everything one last time!

"Uncle!"

Xiao Nan, holding a heavy crossbow, leaped out, waving excitedly at Karl:

"We're here too."

Figures emerged from the darkness, including Aya, who wore a look of pleasant surprise. Behind her stood an elder.

Looking at Karl, the elder tapped his cane lightly:

"Karl, Aya's honored friend, we finally meet."

*

*

*

Black City, the place with the most abandoned houses.

Brushing away the dust, they all found seats in the hall.

Aya gestured to the elder:

"Uncle Karl, this is Grandpa Lev. Both Xiao Nan and I owe Grandpa our lives for taking care of us all these years; otherwise, we would have died long ago."

"This..."

She looked at the woman behind the elder and said:

"Is Sister Eve, a helper I specifically invited."

Karl nodded.

Aya had brought quite a few people this time, but they were almost all ordinary folk. Only Eve possessed a certain level of strength.

To be honest.

If it weren't for him, it's debatable whether Aya's people alone could have repelled the attackers.

"Eve. Dorn."

Looking at Karl, Eve's eyes were wary:

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Karl smiled, then looked at Aya:

"I didn't expect you to find so many people to help."

Unknowingly, so many people had gathered around Aya, forming a considerable force. She was no longer the struggling stall owner who used to go hungry.

"They're all old friends." Aya replied:

"When they heard my stall was robbed, they all came to help."

"Speaking of which, we have to thank Uncle for his goods. Thanks to him, we're not suffering too much this Month of Severe Winter."

"Karl."

Old Lev spoke slowly:

"Aya is just a girl, easily bullied. Like this time, someone wanted to forcibly buy her stall in the market. If you hadn't intervened, we don't know what the outcome would have been."

"Hmm..."

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. We'll do whatever we can."

"Please, don't be polite."

As he spoke, Old Lev stood up and bowed shakily towards Karl, his attitude respectful, even bordering on fawning. The others' eyes flickered, but none of them stopped him.

They knew very well.

Aya's current success, and the fact that everyone could eat and stay warm, was all thanks to Karl providing goods from behind the scenes.

Furthermore, after witnessing Karl's strength today, they were filled with awe. If they could attach themselves to him, their future prospects would be brighter.

The reason they gathered here wasn't because Old Lev was highly respected, nor because Aya possessed a unique charm, but because of Karl.

"You're too kind, old sir."

Karl shook his head:

"I just happened to be passing by. It's nothing. You're an elder, please sit down, sit and talk."

He didn't agree to anything.

Black City was vast, but Aya was too weak.

Looking around the crowd, they were all old, weak, sick, or disabled. They couldn't provide him with enough help and would only be a burden. Trading was fine, but it was best not to be tied together.

Old Lev clearly understood this, and his expression couldn't help but change. He then said, "Aya mentioned you're collecting Breathing Techniques?"

"That's right." Karl's eyes lit up. "Do you have any Breathing Techniques?"

"I do, but... the Breathing Technique I have cannot be passed on." Old Lev looked troubled. "However, I do have a Martial Skill I can teach you."

Martial Skill?

Karl frowned.

He was interested in Martial Skills, of course, but not very much, to be honest.

Especially after entering the world of Wizards, even Breathing Techniques seemed less important, and Martial Skills were even more dispensable.

Seeing Karl's expression change, Old Lev gritted his teeth and said, "Besides Martial Skills, I also have some knowledge of Magic Seals."

Magic Seals!

Karl's eyes lit up.