Gargoyle Heart

"Mr. Rhode! We found it!"

Hearing this voice, Rhode immediately turned back to look. He saw Mace standing at the church entrance, face full of surprise, holding a delicate little statue high in his hand. It was carved in the shape of a curled-up gargoyle, and its two eyes, made from ruby shards, were faintly emitting a dark red glow. That was the Gargoyle Control Hub!

Mace's shout also drew the attention of the gargoyles. As alchemical creatures, they naturally knew what he was holding. Very quickly, the two gargoyles shifted their focus and charged toward Mace.

"Whoa!"

Seeing the two terrifying monsters rushing at him, Mace couldn't help but let out a strange cry. He instinctively wanted to turn and run, but at that moment, Rhode's voice reached him.

"Throw it here!"

Although looking at these two fierce, menacing monsters gave Mace the illusion that he would be torn to shreds the next instant, he still gritted his teeth and threw the black, exquisitely crafted statue.

It must be said that the fat merchant's aim was truly subpar. The object he threw traced an arc in the air, but it veered crookedly off its original trajectory. It didn't fly anywhere near Rhode; instead, it flew straight toward the two gargoyles. If an uninformed person had seen this scene, they might have thought the fat merchant was in league with the gargoyles. Faced with the gift delivered to their doorstep, the gargoyles were also stunned, but one still instinctively reached out its claws, attempting to grasp the small statue.

However, the moment it was about to succeed, a breeze flew beneath it. The Soul Bird, having almost lost its physical form, carried a series of translucent ripples through the air and snatched the statue away by force.

This was Rhode's final burst of strength. Exhausted, he had to put away his longsword, simultaneously raising his right hand and snapping his fingers.

Accompanying the sound, the Soul Bird gracefully streaked through the air and flew toward Rhode. The two gargoyles immediately stopped mid-stride and shifted their direction once more.

"Swish!!"

The gargoyle running on the ground flipped its body, its thick, long tail lashing out violently. It struck the Soul Bird heavily; although it didn't cause much damage, the cyan wind elements swirling around the bird were thrown into disarray, causing the bird's form to tilt.

The Blue Bird did not give up its advance. It continued to flap its wings with effort, skimming rapidly across the ground, struggling to fly toward its master.

But it did not reach its destination as hoped.

A giant stone claw descended from the sky, piercing through the body of the Blue Bird. The turbulent wind elements could no longer maintain the power to hold the form together, and it instantly dissipated into its most primitive state. The black statue originally held in the bird's beak flew out as a result, but soon, two pitch-black figures chased after it. They extended their sharp claws and opened their maws, reaching for the statue—until it landed quietly and steadily into Rhode's hand.

[Gargoyle Control Hub obtained, identification complete]

[Command---]

"Halt."

Rhode's voice was not loud, even somewhat low. But the black shadows that had been attacking underwent a change—their bodies, which had been glowing, dimmed in the blink of an eye. Their limbs, extended in mid-air, stopped as if frozen, and the eerie red light burning on the gargoyles' faces vanished instantly.

Following that, the two black shadows brushed past Rhode and slammed heavily onto the ground behind him.

"Boom!!!"

Accompanying the sound of the impact, the power-depleted gargoyles reverted to their original statue forms. They maintained the posture of their forward lunge, now lying quietly on the ground not far behind Rhode. However, having lost the support of magic, they were no longer as hard as before. Under this impact, both gargoyles fell apart, turning from artistic sculptures into worthless trash.

"Hoo..."

Only then did Rhode let out a sigh of relief. He felt his entire body go limp; the excessive consumption of soul power made his legs feel weak, and he couldn't even muster the strength in his right hand holding the statue. On the surface, however, Rhode maintained a calm expression. He stood silently in place, only putting the statue into his pocket after a moment.

"Mr. Rhode!"

At that moment, Lize and Mace ran up to him, looking at him with worry and anxiety.

"Are you alright!?"

"I'm fine."

Rhode took a deep breath. He really wanted to sit down and rest for a while now. Although in the game, excessive consumption of soul power had various manifestations, experiencing it himself was still more than he could handle. But he could not collapse now.

Fortunately, the figures of the wraiths could no longer be seen in the surrounding thick fog. It seemed that after being unable to get close, they finally chose to give up and moved away from this forbidden area.

Although this didn't mean they had given up, it was at least a good thing for the moment. Rhode didn't show much, a habit he had maintained since becoming a leader. A team commander must remain calm at all times and cannot panic over minor matters. If one were to shout and scream at the slightest difficulty or become so excited after defeating a strong enemy that they forgot themselves, it would certainly not have a positive influence on their subordinates. Although Rhode was no longer the guild leader who commanded tens of thousands of players, this habit still influenced him.

It must be said, however, that seeing his calm demeanor made the somewhat nervous Lize and Mace breathe a sigh of relief. After all, they had been worried about the situation outside while searching. Lize had been very diligent, but Mace was clearly superior when it came to identifying items, and he finally discovered this small statue in a little corner. Their luck was truly good; if they had been a moment later, the situation might have been completely different.

Rhode's original plan was to cross the Mist Ruins at top speed, but the appearance of the two gargoyles forced him to change his mind. After all, these two gargoyles had almost completely exhausted his strength; if he didn't rest and recover properly, the upcoming battles would be even more dangerous. Thus, Rhode ultimately decided to rest in the church for the night and continue the next day. He wasn't worried about any accidents here; in the game's dungeons, this church was also a place where many players rested and sorted their loot, so there shouldn't be any major issues.

Although Mace's legs trembled when he looked at the pitch-black church and those hair-raising decorations, unfortunately, as always... he had no say in opposing Rhode's decision.

The sky gradually darkened.

Dense fog lingered outside the church. Looking through the windows, nothing could be seen except for a vast expanse of white. The three sat in the center of the church. The abandoned, rotting pews and tables became firewood, exerting their final bit of warmth in the burning campfire. The cold wind blew in from the gaps in the broken windows and cracks in the walls, carrying a hint of chill.

Lize carefully reached out her hand to unwrap the bandage on Rhode's left chest, then her beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

"It's split open again, Mr. Rhode."

"I know."

Rhode nodded without saying much. In fact, this wasn't the first time. After all, throughout the journey, it was Rhode who fought at the front. Although he had tried his best to avoid using his left hand considering the wound on his chest, he couldn't help it when encountering particularly annoying trouble. This caused his wound to split open from time to time. According to Lize, a wound that should have healed in two or three days with rest might not recover for ten days or more at this rate.

However, the young girl had no way to complain. After all, this was all for them, so the only thing Lize could do was help Rhode change into clean bandages every day to avoid infection. Fortunately, before leaving the Airship, as a Spirit Master, she had brought plenty of these supplies.

After the bandage was removed, the wound reflected in the firelight made everyone gasp. Mace even touched his own chest with lingering fear, looking at Rhode's chest with some trepidation. There, three black claw marks as thick as a forearm appeared on Rhode's chest, covered in black scabs formed by dried blood. Because of the intense battle with the gargoyles earlier, many of the scabs had been torn open, with bright red blood seeping out and mixing with the already blackened blood clots. Just looking at it made one feel a chill in their heart.

Lize took out a handkerchief, poured some clean water from a canteen, and pressed it against Rhode's chest. This caused the latter's body to twitch instinctively, and even Mace showed an unbearable expression, turning his head away, not wanting to look anymore.

"I-I'm sorry, does it hurt?"

"It's fine."

Facing Lize's panicked inquiry, Rhode shook his head. Although it did hurt, it hadn't reached a level he couldn't endure.

Hearing Rhode's answer, Lize breathed a sigh of relief and continued to wipe the wounds on Rhode's body. At the same time, the young girl began to secretly size up the young man in front of her, who was slightly older than herself.

To be honest, when they first met, the impression Rhode left on Lize was very average. Because he was very handsome and his skin was very fair, Lize instinctively took him for one of those aristocratic youths. However, because Rhode's attitude wasn't as arrogant as the noble youths Lize had seen before, she was able to accept it. But at that time, she didn't take him too seriously; after all, a man who looked like a woman usually gave people a first impression of being weak.

But subsequently, Lize's perspective slowly changed.

Unlike those noble scions who couldn't even wring a chicken, this young man possessed considerable strength, not inferior even to his own captain. Moreover, his personality was very steady, and being by his side made one feel very secure, not panicking even when facing danger. And contrary to his appearance, he was a very strong man.

Lize knew how painful such injuries were. As a Spirit Master, she had treated many people. Many tough men who wouldn't flinch on the battlefield would cry out in pain when their wounds were treated, but Rhode hadn't even grunted once from beginning to end, let alone stood at the front fighting with such severe injuries...

Lize's hands paused.

What was she thinking? It was so messy.

The girl shook her head, casting aside the strange thoughts in her mind, and then continued her work.

Rhode didn't notice the girl's strangeness beside him. At this moment, his attention was focused on his right hand. In the center of his palm lay two gems emitting a dark red glow.

That was one of the spoils of war Rhode had obtained from this battle, the Gargoyle Heart.