"It may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I sincerely hope you can join us."
Beethoven said sincerely.
"Forget it, I don't want to have anything to do with the Church."
Liu Zheng shook his head.
If he wants to join the Church, why doesn't he join the Church of Pain? They even want him to be pope.
Although there were only two followers in total, even the saint's remains were stolen.
"Young man, you may have some misunderstandings about the Church. In fact, the Church has always been working hard to cure the illnesses and Beastification Disease of the inhabitants of Yate, and High Priestess Amelia is a kind and noble leader."
Beethoven attempted to change Liu Zheng's impression of the Church.
"Further words are pointless. Let's finish the fight first. If you can't beat me, then there's no point in talking about taking me on as a disciple."
Liu Zheng shook his head.
"It's a good thing for young people to have confidence."
Beethoven couldn't help but laugh.
"However, don't underestimate us old folks."
He raised the greatsword again, gripping it with his left hand below the hilt and his other hand crossed over the end of the hilt.
The sword was held diagonally upwards, its tip pointing towards Liu Zheng's throat.
This is the standard starting stance of the Moonlight Swordsmanship, a style that Beethoven refined through countless battles, drawing upon his family's swordsmanship and the swordsmanship he learned from other hunters.
This style is called the Upper-String Stance.
"Come on, young man, attack me with all your might!"
Beethoven said with a relaxed expression.
"My full strength?"
Liu Zheng raised an eyebrow.
If he were to use his full power, it's questionable whether Yate could even exist.
After all, if you push him too far, he might just summon the Gospel.
Even without summoning the Gospel, Liu Zheng still has a bunch of amazing and wonderful gadgets.
You could take it, but there's no need.
However, there are still some things we can take out and use.
With a flick of his right hoof, he surged forward once more.
At the same time, a bone staff appeared on his left tentacle.
The Human-Bone Scepter was arguably the first item Liu Zheng acquired, and a key reason why he successfully completed his first order.
Although he rarely used it afterward due to his changing style and rapidly increasing strength, that doesn't mean the item was impractical.
Percentage-based upgrades to equipment will never go out of style.
With the 10% speed boost, Liu Zheng's momentum increased even further.
Almost at the same moment he swung his knife, the Cleaver was already in front of Beethoven.
There were no techniques, no moves; it was just a simple swing of the knife, like a primitive man picking up a twig and waving it at a wild animal—primitive and violent.
In a daze, Beethoven seemed to see his former companions.
Using all sorts of weapons and shouting all sorts of slogans, they launched a fearless attack on those bizarre monsters.
Some of them were soldiers, some were merchants, and some were blacksmiths.
Similarly, they all possess what is most precious to humankind.
courage.
"I really miss those days."
Beethoven let out a sigh, then raised his greatsword.
The silver blade reflected the pale moonlight, and the sword tip, pointing towards the sky, stung the eyes of the onlookers.
Beethoven deflected the sword, and a focused beam of moonlight shone into Liu Zheng's eyes.
He subconsciously squinted.
The next second, a thunderous roar rang out.
"Hey!"
Beethoven swung his sword faster than he shouted.
His raised hands fell like two pillars of heaven, while the greatsword that cleaved down heavily was like the sky collapsing.
Liu Zheng's pupils widened; he felt as if he were once again facing the heavy hooves of Cow-Horse.
Although he knew it was just an illusion, and the person in front of him could not possibly compare to the Restaurant's three-time Outstanding Employee.
The fact that he could associate Beethoven with Cow-Horse is proof enough of his talent.
"As expected of the head instructor of 800,000 hunters."
As Liu Zheng pondered this, he swung his knife.
While tentacles are not as flexible as fingers, they possess a suppleness that human hands cannot match.
His tentacles twisted like braids, and the original vertical slash immediately turned into a horizontal one.
The blade clashed with the sword, and two equally explosive forces erupted, creating the loudest sound in the night sky.
Not only did the " Holy Sword " hunters on both sides look uncomfortable, but even the Beastification residents in the distance showed fear and then scattered and fled.
Becoming a beast doesn't mean losing your biological instincts; on the contrary, your sense of danger becomes even more acute.
Several wounds burst open on the tentacle gripping the knife hilt, spraying blood onto the ground in specks.
But Beethoven's greatsword also deflected under the heavy blow, slicing past Liu Zheng's side.
Beethoven smiled slightly, twisted his wrist, and sent his greatsword soaring into the sky in a semi-circle.
Sure enough, Liu Zheng's Cleaver slashed down again, colliding head-on with the greatsword.
Another loud bang, and the two of them took a step back in unison.
Beethoven looked at the web of his hand, where the skin was slightly cracked from the repeated blows.
"It's been a long time since I've encountered an opponent who can rival my strength. You haven't even received Blood Therapy."
He looked at Liu Zheng, and the more he looked, the more he liked him.
He couldn't even imagine how strong the young man would become after receiving his careful training, given that he could fight him to such a high level based solely on his physical abilities and fighting instincts.
He will probably surpass him, surpass Maria, surpass all the hunters of his time.
Even surpassing that First Hunter, Gehrman.
"Young man, can you tell me how you obtained such great power?"
Beethoven couldn't help but ask.
Are you sure you want to listen?
Liu Zheng said with a strange expression.
"Of course, if you're willing to talk."
Beethoven spoke gently, like a kind elder.
"First, you have to eat a bucket of the eyeballs of a live Black Goat's Young."
"Secondly, you have to jump into the esophagus of a giant snake that's longer than this street, and then detonate the bomb."
"Then, you have to go down into the Sewer and eat lots of shit."
And then...
"There are many things I don't know whether I can say or not."
As Liu Zheng recounted his experiences after entering the dungeon, his face contorted with embarrassment.
He hadn't realized how outrageous his actions were while struggling to survive in the Metropolis, but now that he's out, he understands just how utterly absurd they were.
Xia Kai, who was listening, gaped. He had thought his experience in prison was bad enough, but compared to Liu Zheng's, it was like a vacation.
To have your intestines eaten alive—who wouldn't go crazy in that situation?
This player truly lives up to their reputation; no wonder they're this strong even before the beginner dungeons are released.
If it were Xia Kai entering that instance, he wouldn't even have the confidence to survive the first day.
"The outside world is scary too."
After listening, Beethoven said sincerely.
He originally thought that the Yate people were suffering from the Beastification Disease, were already having a hard time, but he didn't expect that the people outside were living in even worse conditions.
"In that case, don't go back to that Bloodstained Restaurant. Stay in Yate and join the Church."
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one can take you away."
Beethoven looked at Liu Zheng with pity.