Into the Tiger's Den

Now that Duke's strength had improved, he could handle any magical beast below the level of an Official Knight with ease.

He was not acting recklessly without thought; he was relying on a certain foundation of strength.

Seeing that Duke wanted to continue searching for Wood alone, Zorn did not choose to leave and continued following him.

Duke did not really care whether they followed him, but he could not drive them away either.

To Zorn and the others, Duke was now their temporary commanding officer. What soldier would abandon his commander and leave alone?

If word of this got out, even if Duke did not care, Zorn and the others would still be punished. This was the most basic quality expected of a soldier.

At night, inside a cave, a bonfire burned, casting light across the surrounding stone walls.

Leo was the leader of the Wild Wolf Bandit Group. Sitting beside the fire, he struggled to bite through the tough jerky in his mouth, taking a swig of wine before barely managing to swallow it.

This was their temporary hideout. Some time ago, they had been hunted down by Count Hardy's personal guards, suffering severe losses.

It all began with the incident in Enderland Town. Leo's men had occupied a mine here, and after the town militia reclaimed it, the minor leader Cole had wanted to find an opportunity for revenge.

The original plan had been perfect. Unfortunately, despite having so many men, they had ultimately failed to take the town and were instead captured by the arriving Nightingale.

After that battle, the Wild Wolf Bandit Group was badly weakened. Leo led the remaining men elsewhere in hopes of making some money, but they met setbacks at every turn, and their numbers continued to dwindle.

Recently, defenses throughout Maple Hill County had grown increasingly strong. Leo led the dozen or so men he had left into the deep mountains to recuperate, planning to try their luck elsewhere after some time.

A few days ago, Leo and the others encountered Wood in the mountains while he was pursuing a magical beast.

The two had known each other since long ago and had accumulated plenty of grudges.

When enemies met, their eyes naturally burned with hatred.

Leo was already a High-Level Knight Apprentice, a full level stronger than Wood. Combined with his greater numbers, he quickly captured Wood.

Leo did not rush to kill Wood. Merely killing him could not vent the resentment he had bottled up during this period.

He used every method he could think of to torture Wood, always keeping him barely alive.

Leo planned to finish Wood off when they left. Only then would he truly have vented his anger.

He planned to leave tomorrow and kill Wood on the way out.

At this moment, Wood hung inside the cave, his body covered in wounds and his injuries crusted with dried blood.

All the nails on both his hands had been torn out, and he was barely clinging to life.

Leo viciously bit into the jerky in his hand. Chewing hard, he rose to his feet and walked over to the hanging Wood.

"You've been missing for so long. Why hasn't Count Hardy, whom you worship so much, come to save you? This is what happens when you become a noble's dog!"

Wood smiled but said nothing. Perhaps he no longer had the strength to speak.

Wood's smile enraged Leo. He immediately picked up the whip from the ground and lashed him again, leaving another bloody mark across Wood's body.

Wood showed no reaction, as if he had already grown accustomed to such beatings.

The anger in Leo's heart had yet to be vented. He raised the whip to strike again, but suddenly sensed something and hurriedly dodged aside.

A cold arrow pierced the spot where he had just been standing and buried itself deep in the stone wall.

"Who is it?!" Leo immediately became alert and grabbed the longsword beside him.

"What a pity." Duke emerged gradually from the darkness with his sword in hand, the bonfire illuminating his youthful face.

"Go..." At that moment, Wood suddenly forced out a sound, struggling to utter a single word: "Go."

To say that one word, he had exhausted all the strength in his body.

Duke looked at Wood in the distance, his pupils shrinking slightly. He said softly, "Uncle Wood, endure it a little longer. It'll be over soon."

"So you came to rescue someone. And you're one of Nightingale's men?" Leo recognized the leather armor Duke wore and became somewhat fearless.

They had more than a dozen men here in total, and he himself was a High-Level Knight Apprentice.

Unless Duke was an Official Knight, he could not possibly be their match. He had delivered himself right into their hands.

Duke said nothing. He stomped off the ground and charged forward with his sword, only for Leo's sword to firmly block his longsword.

"A High-Level Knight Apprentice?" Feeling the force transmitted through the blade, Leo roughly judged Duke's strength.

But in truth, Duke had merely swung casually and had not used his full strength.

Leo let out a low roar as the battle qi within him erupted. His strength immediately doubled, and with one slash, he forced Duke back.

A High-Level Knight Apprentice's explosive power under the enhancement of battle qi was indeed formidable.

Duke quickly engaged him in fierce combat, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

He did not use much battle qi, relying mostly on the strength of his own body to fight.

Duke was still only a Mid-Tier Knight Squire. Competing with Leo in battle qi reserves was unwise; he needed to save his battle qi for more crucial moments.

Like Cole, Leo wore a full suit of white armor. It greatly enhanced his defenses, leaving far fewer areas he needed to protect.

Seeing that Duke seemed to have no more to offer, Leo immediately got a clearer sense of things, believing he had roughly figured out Duke's strength.

"Kid, you've got some nerve, charging in here alone. But unfortunately, when you live by the blade, strength is what matters!"

The corners of Duke's mouth lifted. He took a deep breath, and the muscles across his body instantly swelled, pulling the leather armor he wore taut.

Leo was stunned by the sight. "A combat technique?"

He only felt that the Duke before him was somewhat strange. Before he could react, an enormous force came through the longsword in his hand.

Only now did Duke truly unleash the effect of his nine points of strength. With the change in his physique and the eruption of battle qi, he instantly suppressed Leo.

Feeling the tremendous pressure, Leo defended with all his might.

He only assumed that Duke had used some combat technique to drastically increase his strength for a short time, so he wanted to stall until this state passed.

Leo knew that some secret techniques like this existed. They generally came with side effects. As long as he endured, Duke would be at his mercy.

Duke took a deep breath and suddenly thrust his sword forward. It was the most basic forward thrust in Basic Swordsmanship, without any flashy movements.

Leo reacted quickly, hurriedly raising his sword before his face to block the strike.

Just as he thought he had defended against it, a layer of white battle qi suddenly clung to Duke's blade. Then, a section of white sword light extended from its tip, trembling violently.

When Leo saw this, his heart skipped a beat. He was about to retreat when the trembling sword light was already before his eyes, stabbing straight toward his face.

A moment later, the sword light pierced through the back of Leo's head. The sword in his hand fell to the ground, and his entire body went limp as he dropped to his knees.