How Could He Be So Weak?

Fran had no weapon on hand, so she couldn't draw one and cut him down with a single slash.

So she chose to cast a spell first, without revealing that she could fight in close combat too.

Roger was overjoyed. For one thing, after wandering around this trial ground for ages, he had finally found someone else who was a Spirit Realm Traveler.

This trial ground hadn't just appeared. It had been around for two months, and many people had already brought information back from the Spirit Realm about the first clue.

The so-called companion referred to someone traveling through the Spirit Realm alongside you. If you killed them, a piece of jade would appear after their body vanished. That was the first one.

For another thing, the person he'd found was a spellcaster, and he was very close to her. He only had to run a few steps to attack her.

For Professionals who hadn't reached Formal Rank yet, spellcasters were especially helpless once a melee fighter got close. Aside from throwing a powerful spell right in the fighter's face and killing him outright,

there was no way for them to deal with a melee fighter.

Fran sent a Wind Blade flying, and Roger had been expecting it. He knew a spellcaster with a decent range could cast a spell from this distance, so he'd been on his guard.

He jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the Wind Blade coming straight at him.

"Pss!" He felt the Wind Blade graze his flank, leaving a shallow cut.

That Wind Blade had a huge range. He'd dodged so widely, yet it had still managed to hit him.

But now the distance was too short for the spellcaster to cast again. He saw that he was only four steps away from Fran.

He saw that she had stopped moving. Ha! Had she given up resisting because she thought she couldn't cast a spell from this close?

With a victorious grin, Roger thrust the short sword at Fran's front.

But then he felt his sword hand being squeezed tight, as if a bear had grabbed his wrist. A moment later, something tripped his legs.

His body pitched forward with all its momentum. His face slammed into the ground, and the impact of his teeth against the stone made him writhe in pain.

"Ah! S-s!"

Fran held the short sword she'd just taken from Roger and pressed it against his neck.

"Why did you attack me?"

Only when Roger heard her voice did he realize how badly he'd misjudged her. He hadn't expected her to be so good at close combat too.

No, maybe she was in disguise. She'd put on a robe to pose as a spellcaster, while secretly wearing armor underneath. What a sneaky trick!

Maybe she'd used some kind of item to cast that Wind Blade. No wonder a spellcaster would dare wander around a place this rugged.

Roger thought bitterly that if he ever saw a spellcaster out on open ground, he'd run immediately. Spellcasters usually couldn't outrun him.

"Just kill me. If you do, you'll get a piece of jade."

"But remember, when I get back, I'll tell everyone you were pretending to be a spellcaster. Don't think you can trick anyone with that again."

"Damn it! You liar..."

Roger wasn't surprised that Fran didn't know about this rule. Not everyone looked for information left behind by those who'd come before them before entering the Spirit Realm trial.

Usually, that kind of information cost money, and it wasn't always available even if you went looking for it. Often, you couldn't find any at all, so many people didn't make a habit of checking.

Roger knew he might be able to stall Fran for a while if he made up another excuse, but he just couldn't be bothered.

None of them had reached Formal Rank. If they died, they'd be back in a few hours, and it wouldn't make any difference. So why bother stalling?

Fran didn't understand why Roger had suddenly accused her of lying, but from what he'd said, she realized that killing him would give her a piece of jade.

As Roger kept calling her a liar, she could only raise her hand and bring it down, stabbing the short sword into his neck.

Roger's body went still at once, and no blood came out.

Fran watched the corpse grow hazy, then a red piece of jade appeared where it had been.

Fran picked it up, then opened the tattered book. Sure enough, she saw a new entry.

[Red piece of jade found.]

"That was easy!"

Fran scratched her head. Everything that had just happened felt bizarre. The other person had suddenly charged at her, and then she'd suddenly knocked him to the ground...

She also sensed his strength. He seemed a little weaker than Mars, the first person she'd fought. His physical abilities were weaker, and his reactions were slow too. He hadn't reacted until after he fell.

"But at least he left me a piece of equipment..."

She looked at the short sword in her hand. Everything Roger had been carrying had vanished along with him, except for the weapon she was still holding.

She had to admit, it was a rather pretty weapon. Its blade was like purple crystal, its body was bright white and translucent, and there were patterns on the hilt.

It just didn't have any good enchantments. Fran's own sword had three runes on it, while this short sword had none.

Roger jolted awake in the special Spirit Realm Traveler chamber. What had just happened infuriated him. He slammed a fist against the wall, tidied up the things around him, then opened the door and walked out.

"Hey, Roger, about what just happened... are you okay?"

The speaker was Roger's friend. When he saw Roger come out, he'd meant to ask what had happened to him in the Spirit Realm, but when he saw Roger's expression, he changed the subject.

Roger seized the chance to vent some of his anger on his friend.

"You know, I just took part in a trial at the Jade Corridor. I saw someone wearing a robe and thought she was a spellcaster, so I charged right at her."

"Turns out she was pretending. She grabbed me and killed me. I'm furious! Who disguises themselves as a spellcaster?!"

Roger's friend chimed in:

"Exactly! That's way out of line. What kind of person does that?"

He also thought it was great when everyone fought openly in the Spirit Realm. Why would anyone pretend to be someone else just to lure people in?

"By the way, where's your Purple Edge? Didn't you bring it into the Spirit Realm this time?"

Roger's friend asked in confusion. He knew Roger was always fond of using that short sword, so it was strange not to see it.

Roger's face turned deathly pale. He fumbled over himself, then said in a trembling voice:

"Wait, that person in the robe used a Spirit Realm Guide with a plunder effect... I lost my short sword."

"What?!"

Roger clenched his teeth and said furiously:

"I'll expose that robed liar in the papers!!!"