Black Hand!

After leaving Zane Dungeon, Si Telan clenched her fists, feeling that it all seemed a little unreal.

She had sat by a bonfire, not only fully restoring her condition but actually leveling up?

She had just tapped that strange-looking panel with her finger a few times, and she had gotten stronger so easily?

Although the souls used for leveling had been earned through her own hard-fought battles against monsters, it still felt somewhat unreal.

Elves had an average lifespan of around three hundred years. With a little exercise or some health-preserving magic, they could easily live to four hundred—four times longer than humans.

There had always been an enduring question throughout history: Why had the long-lived elves not replaced humans as the strongest race?

There were two answers. First, elves had a low chance of conception. Even "working" tirelessly for years might not result in pregnancy.

Second, elves were less enthusiastic about learning than humans.

It was as though the Creator had deliberately balanced the Elf Race's strengths. Corresponding to their long lives, elves needed more time than humans to learn any given skill.

There was nothing wrong with elves' intelligence, and their comprehension was perfectly normal, but some unseen force simply kept them from mastering an entirely unfamiliar skill in a short time.

The same applied to cultivation. It took the Elf Race longer than humans to raise their class level by a rank.

But in Zane Dungeon, that situation had undergone a complete transformation!

Si Telan could feel that the few levels of strength she had gained in the dungeon would probably have taken one or two years of training in the outside world.

One day was worth an entire year.

She sucked in a breath. Terrifying.

She absolutely had to call her fellow elves over too!

But before that—

She looked at the sky. It was still early, so it was time to visit a weapon shop.

The Greatshield and Lance Gong Qiying had lent her had vanished along with him when he disappeared, but Shield Poke had already been deeply etched into her heart.

If she went even a minute without raising a shield, her hands itched.

Spears were easy enough to buy. She quickly purchased a spear that suited her hand. Its tip was forged from the horn of a high-level magical beast and set with a poison-element magic gem. Even a light scrape could poison an enemy.

The shop owner said that the spear had never sold. Though it was high quality, no one liked poison-element weapons. Everyone pursued fast-paced combat, and few had the patience to wait for their prey to slowly weaken from poison.

So when he learned that Si Telan wanted to buy it, the owner was deeply moved and voluntarily gave her a twenty percent discount.

Si Telan examined the spear in her hand. The poison-element gem covered its tip in a sinister dark green sheen. She had originally wanted to buy a fire- or lightning-element weapon, but upon seeing this spear, she suddenly thought—

Shield Poke's weakness was its low damage and the time it took. Couldn't she just poison them?

I'm a genius. She secretly rejoiced, thinking that she had to show it off to Ma Lei Da the next time she saw him.

But a Greatshield was harder to buy. She ran through several weapon shops before finding one that was barely acceptable. It worked, but it did not feel as good in her hands as the one Gong Qiying had lent her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Long Ears. What are you doing buying weapons?"

Just as Si Telan hugged her shield and prepared to head home, several unwelcome guests appeared.

"Don't tell me the dungeon monsters beat you so badly you cried for your parents, and you even lost your weapons while running for your life?"

Her face immediately darkened.

The newcomers were three young human men, all dressed like classic thugs—scrawny, gaunt-looking wannabes.

Si Telan knew them. They were notorious racists in the area and had clashed with quite a few nonhuman races. Still, they only bullied ordinary people. This was the first time they had come to trouble Silver Rank Si Telan.

Did they get stronger? she wondered, continuing onward as though they did not exist.

"My big brother is talking to you!"

One of the thugs reached out to grab Si Telan. Her eyes narrowed, and she was about to strike, but the man called Big Brother stopped his lackey.

"Didn't we agree that today was my turn to get some practice?"

Big Brother glared at the lackey, who retreated resentfully.

"My name is Morgan, the boss of this street. I heard that you long-eared lot are adventurers, so today I came to find you—hey, hey, stop right there!"

While he was talking, Si Telan had already walked several meters away.

"Ya Yi, Ya Er, stop her!"

"Got it, Big Brother!" x2

Seeing that the commotion had drawn the attention of passersby, Si Telan helplessly turned around and said:

"Get lost."

"Oh? You've got some temper." Morgan grinned. "Just listen to what I have to say. Don't be so unwilling."

"What exactly do you want?" She felt like she was humoring a lunatic.

"Lately, I've had this feeling that something good was about to happen. Then, while working as a guard for some rich guy, I caught the eye of an expert who taught me a Weapon Skill. Hehe."

Morgan excitedly removed his gloves, revealing a pair of glossy black hands.

"This is the Weapon Skill that expert taught me. It's called Black Hand! I've been wanting to find someone to test it on for ages, so you aliens can come see it for yourselves!"

"Uh..."

It was obvious that this Thug was randomly picking a fight. Even if he had not picked Si Telan, he would have found some other long-eared person, or perhaps a short one or someone furry.

If I beat him half to death, he won't be able to go bother anyone else, she thought as she raised her shield.

But the moment Morgan saw the shield, he stopped.

"What are you doing?" Si Telan had just assumed the stance for Shield Poke and was thoroughly confused.

"Not fair, not fair! I'm empty-handed, but you're holding a Greatshield. How am I supposed to fight?"

Si Telan was so angry she laughed. "You picked a fight with me, and now you want to dictate how I fight back?"

"This isn't picking a fight. This is a sacred duel." Morgan put on a righteous expression. "Want me to throw my gloves in front of you as part of the ceremony?"

"You're seriously sick." Si Telan ignored him and thrust out with her spear. To her surprise, the kid moved rather quickly and actually dodged it.

As he dodged, he shouted, "If you've got the guts, throw away that shield! What kind of hero hides behind a shield?"

"Yeah, yeah! Coward hiding behind a shield!" x2 The two lackeys shouted enthusiastically as well.

Veins bulged on Si Telan's forehead. She suddenly hurled her spear, which flew past Morgan's scalp and instantly shaved off a huge patch of his hair.

The entire scene fell silent.

With a boom, she threw the heavy Greatshield onto the ground. Clenching her fists, she bared her teeth in a vicious grin. "Come on. I can beat you up even bare-handed."

"Hehe."

Morgan broke out in a cold sweat, but he still forced out a laugh. "Good. Straightforward!"

Haha, this stupid elf took the bait!

He happily charged forward, his black hands gleaming. This Weapon Skill could strengthen his power. How could a slender elf possibly withstand it?

He had been looking for a target for a long time. A burly beastman? Pass. A muscular dwarf? Pass.

When he saw Si Telan, thin and small-looking, clearly lacking in strength, his eyes had lit up.

"Ha ha, get him, Big Brother!" x2

"Take this, Black—"

Crack!

Morgan was sent flying.

Thank you, everyone, for the monthly tickets and recommendation votes! And please keep following!