Gold Rank (Three Updates Today)

A steady, rock-solid strength rested on his shoulder, carrying warmth that dispelled the chill.

Xia Lin coughed violently and twisted his stiff neck to look behind him.

A young man stood there, right behind him, as though he had been there all along.

His short brown hair was neatly trimmed without a single strand out of place. His face was sharply defined, like a work painstakingly polished by a sculptor.

A relaxed smile hung at the corner of his lips, and his eyes were clear, carrying a composure utterly at odds with this battlefield strewn with corpses and thick with blood. He did not look like someone who had just crossed a land of slaughter, but rather like he had strolled into the pavilion of his own garden.

The chainmail shirt he wore reflected a delicate, gentle magical sheen beneath the last rays of the setting sun. Every link fit perfectly together; it was clearly the work of a master.

The longsword at his waist hung in an ancient yet ornate scabbard inlaid with tiny gemstones, while the pommel bore a lifelike carving of a dragon spreading its wings in flight.

Most eye-catching of all was the badge on his chest—glittering beneath the sunlight, a pure-gold eagle hammered and carved into shape, its gaze keen and its wings poised to take flight.

Golden Eagle...

"You're badly hurt." The young man released his hand. His gaze swept over the crisscrossing wounds on Xia Lin's body and the longsword twisted like a pretzel, and he frowned slightly.

He turned his head and casually called toward somewhere behind him, "Liana! Stop dawdling and get over here! This friend needs some help."

"Yeah..."

A lazy female voice dripping with impatience came from not far away. The drawl stretched long, as though she had just been dragged out of a deeply satisfying nap, thick with waking irritation.

Following the sound, Xia Lin saw a young woman slowly sauntering over.

She wore a plain white cloth robe so simple it was nearly shabby. It had been washed until it was somewhat faded, and faint wear could even be seen along the edges.

The same Golden Eagle badge was pinned to her robe, but it was coated in a thin layer of dust, its shine dull, as if its owner could not be bothered to wipe it clean.

Her messy shoulder-length black hair, like a bird's nest, hung loose around her. Several unruly strands fell over her eyes, which were utterly lifeless, like two salted fish that had just lost their dreams.

Her entire being radiated a listless air of, "Ugh, what a hassle. Even if the world ends, don't disturb my sleep," forming a sharp contrast with the sunny, cheerful companion beside her.

The brown-haired man paid Xia Lin no further attention. He did not even spare another glance for the Orcs baring their fangs and roaring as they charged.

He simply walked forward, his steps as leisurely as if he were taking a stroll through his own backyard.

"Roar!" The nearest Orc could no longer hold back. Wielding a battle axe covered in chips, it brought it crashing down at the man's head with a vicious gust of wind!

The man did not even raise an eyelid.

Ssh!

An exceedingly faint sound rang out, like cloth being torn apart by an invisible blade.

The charging Orc abruptly froze, the savage expression on its face instantly solidifying.

The next moment, its ugly green head shot skyward without warning, as though an invisible hand had twisted it off.

Scalding green blood gushed wildly from its severed neck, splattering across the grass.

The headless body swayed twice before crashing heavily to the ground.

The remaining Orcs were also stunned by the bizarre sight, their steps unconsciously halting.

But before they could even let out cries of terror, they followed in their companion's footsteps.

Ssh! Ssh! Ssh!

Their bodies stiffened in place as though struck by Hold Person. Then lines of blood burst across their necks, and round heads rolled to the ground like ripe watermelons.

The entire process was so swift it seemed like an illusion. In a flash, the Orcs who had been so ferocious moments ago had become several headless corpses twitching on the ground.

And from beginning to end, the brown-haired man's steps had not paused even once.

He walked over to the unconscious Sera and crouched to examine her. "Mm, this one's still alive too. One arm's broken, and she's unconscious."

Xia Lin's heart gave a violent leap.

He remembered! Deep within the Adventurer's Guild hall, on the notice board that only veteran adventurers were qualified to view, hung the insignias and codenames of the few adventurers who had reached the pinnacle of the kingdom—even the continent.

Among them, the "Golden Eagle" was the badge representing an individual's strength, or a party's overall strength, having reached Gold rank!

Gold rank! That was already strategic-level power capable of affecting the course of battle across an entire province, treated as honored guests by rulers! No wonder... no wonder they could be so... effortless.

"My lord! Hero! You've finally come!" Bolin, the merchant who had been playing dead all along, scrambled and crawled toward the brown-haired man like a dog whose tail had been stepped on. He forced a fawning smile onto his face, spittle flying everywhere. "I knew it! Someone as great as you—"

The brown-haired man frowned, apparently hating such noise. He casually waved a hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force swept over him.

"Urgh!" Bolin rolled his eyes back and crumpled limply to the ground. This time, he had truly fainted.

The man did not look at him again. Surveying the devastation around them, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by deep sorrow. "Sigh... another meaningless slaughter."

The black-haired woman called Liana walked over to Xia Lin.

She crouched down and inspected Xia Lin up and down with those dead-fish eyes, her tone as flat as if she were picking potatoes at a market. "Tsk. Multiple muscle tears, three broken ribs, a crack in the bone of the right shoulder, internal bleeding... excessive blood loss, plus mana exhaustion and potion backlash... Strictly speaking, with injuries like these, you can be carried straight to the graveyard and pick a sunny spot."

Xia Lin nearly failed to catch his breath.

The brown-haired man had clearly heard as well, and spoke with some helplessness. "Liana, help him out. He fought very bravely."

"Help him?" Liana raised her dead-fish eyes and glanced at the man. "Sure. Then you have to treat me to Sweet Kiss's new Rainbow Ice Pop. The biggest cup."

"...Deal." The man's face twitched with pain, but he agreed at once.

"Deal." The corners of Liana's mouth seemed to curve upward, though the arc was so slight it was almost imperceptible.

Divine arts—one of the most mysterious powers in this world.

Priests and Paladins communicated with the gods through devout faith, borrowing divine power to perform miracles.

Low-tier divine arts might require only simple prayers and a holy emblem, but the more powerful the divine art, the deeper the connection required between caster and deity—and a price might even have to be paid.

"What a hassle..." Liana muttered, extending a fair hand and pressing it against Xia Lin's chest.

She closed her eyes. Her lashes trembled faintly, and her lips moved soundlessly, as though whispering a plea to some unseen existence.

A pure, warm Life Energy, vast as the Sea of Stars, suddenly surged from her palm.

That warm current instantly swept through Xia Lin's entire body! He could clearly hear his broken bones crackling as they reset and healed on their own; his torn muscles felt as though they had been immersed in a hot spring, the soreness rapidly fading; the old injury in his right shoulder melted away like ice and snow, while even his depleted strength swiftly returned!

"All done." Liana withdrew her hand and yawned. There wasn't the slightest emotional ripple in those dead-fish eyes of hers. "You really got a bargain. My [Healing Art] usually costs 200 gold coins—and that's already the friendship price."

After saying that, she walked over to the unconscious Sera. With a casual point at her broken arm, a soft green light flashed, followed by the sound of bone knitting together.

Having finished all that, she simply wandered off to the side and kicked an Orc head that had rolled onto the ground, studying it with keen interest as though it were some novel toy.

"Alas, why is it always like this..." The brown-haired man looked at the corpses on the ground and began lamenting again. "The strong devour the weak, slaughter without end... Shouldn't the meaning of adventurers be to bring hope...?"

Liana rolled her eyes, clearly long immune to his words.

The man collected himself and walked up to Xia Lin, the sunny smile returning to his face. "My friend, thank you for your bravery earlier. I'm Leon, and she's Liana."

"Xia Lin Toremo." Xia Lin rose to his feet and flexed his body. He felt unbelievably good. Looking at this young man whose strength was unfathomably great and yet who was filled with such naive idealism, Xia Lin did not know what to say for a moment.

He could only stand up, brush the dust from himself, and offer a somewhat formulaic thanks. "Thank you both for saving my life."

"It was nothing." Leon smiled. Then he walked toward the scattered, intact cargo wagons.

With a sweep of his arm, the heavy four-wheeled wagons were lifted as easily as weightless building blocks, then swiftly and precisely stacked atop one another like an acrobatic tower, solid and steady.

Once he was done, Leon walked before the pile of wagons, which now resembled a small mountain, and grabbed the shaft of the bottommost cart with one hand...

Amid the groaning squeeze of wood, Leon's shoulder dipped slightly. Then that mountain-like pile of several heavily laden wagons was forcibly hoisted up and steadily balanced on his right shoulder!

He did not even take a rough breath, as though he had merely picked up a bundle of firewood.

"Alright, I need to take these back and report in." With the wagon pile on his shoulder, Leon tucked the unconscious merchant Bolin beneath his other arm as easily as carrying a chicken, an apologetic smile still on his face.

After taking two steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Xia Lin. "Oh, right, Mr. Toremo. This place... isn't in very good condition. Could you help... bury these unfortunate people? Let them rest in the earth."

Bury the bodies? Xia Lin's inner abacus immediately began clicking away. Before burying them, he would have to check their "belongings," right? Those Orcs, as well as the guards and adventurers—there might be some spoils to pick up.

"Huh? Oh! Of course! I will!" Xia Lin agreed at once, his tone carrying an eagerness even he himself had not noticed, as though this were some immensely honorable and sacred duty.

"Wonderful! I knew Mr. Toremo was a kind-hearted good man!" Leon beamed with boundless relief and gratitude.

At those words, Liana's shoulders gave an almost imperceptible shake. She quickly turned her face away, seemingly struggling not to break.

"Then farewell, Mr. Toremo. I hope we'll have another chance to meet," Leon said.

"Bye." Liana gave a lazy wave as well.

The instant her words fell—

BOOM!!

A dull blast, like distant thunder exploding, suddenly rang out. It had not appeared from nowhere; it sounded more like the echo of something tearing through the air at a terrifying speed.

A violent shockwave abruptly spread from where the two had been standing, fiercely sweeping dust and bloodstains across the ground outward and forcing Xia Lin to nearly shut his eyes against the gale.

The branches and leaves of the surrounding woods shook violently as though struck by a sudden tempest, rustling and crashing.

When Xia Lin barely steadied himself and raised his head against the rushing air, Leon and Liana had already vanished without a trace.

Xia Lin fell silent for a moment, then picked up the sword from the ground, bent so badly it was barely recognizable, and flexed his limbs.

"Time to work."