Choosing the Difficulty

"This is outrageous... This is absolutely outrageous... Gods above...!"

Gazing at the ravaged town before her, the pastor, her voice trembling and her face ashen, whispered. Although the bodies had been dragged away and buried, the scene of blood mingling with the black earth was still nauseating. Upon receiving the report, Catherine had ordered the evacuation of everyone in the town and deployed numerous soldiers to guard its perimeter, preventing anyone from entering freely until Geligao Li and Li Lin arrived. Because of this, much of the town remained in the chaotic state it was in when the attack occurred.

Geligao Li also frowned, but he wasn't as sentimental as the priestess. He slowly walked into the ruins and examined them, then came to the wall, looked at the faint bloodstains on it, and shook his head.

"Now is not the time for sentimentality; we should find the problems as soon as possible and draw conclusions."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the female pastor.

"So, was this the work of an undead creature?"

"It looks very similar, but I can't be sure until I see the body."

The female priest was very cautious. She could sense the lingering aura of the dead, but she still couldn't be sure. After all, five or six days had passed since they set off until they arrived in this town, even though they had tried their best to speed things up. The aura of the dead was already very faint, and it felt more like the resentment left behind by the dead souls, which could easily confuse their judgment. Moreover, the carcasses of the slain wolves had disappeared after sunrise, so there was currently no way to verify anything.

The eyewitness testimonies were chaotic; almost all the survivors were incoherent due to the extreme shock. Only a few soldiers could barely manage to say that the other party was driving a pack of wolves, and even assured that such beasts were difficult to kill. However, they couldn't be sure whether it was an undead creature. After all, most people's understanding of the undead was limited to zombies and ghosts, and they would never imagine that someone would control an animal's corpse.

"We currently have very little information available."

Geligao Li searched the ruins carefully, but found nothing except a severed hand. Even so, he learned quite a bit about the situation.

"The opponent appears to have emerged from the mountains to the north; their attack and retreat were both remarkably swift, making them a formidable foe."

As Geligao Li spoke, he pointed to the ruins before him.

"It's obvious that something must have happened before that, otherwise, so many people couldn't have died in the streets. After all, the attack happened in the middle of the night. If that were the case, most people should have been asleep. Unless the attackers used fire to force these people out of their rooms, but clearly, there are no signs of fire here."

Undead creatures are very afraid of fire.

The female pastor clearly understood the meaning behind Geligao Li's words.

"But I still don't understand why these people don't stay in their rooms? Normally, when people sense danger, their first reaction should be to stay indoors, right?"

"It's quite possible that what they initially discovered wasn't danger... Perhaps people were curious and came out of their homes to see. But by the time they realized it was dangerous, it was too late to escape... Of course, these are all just speculations."

Even so, it's not far from the truth.

Standing leisurely to the side, Li Lin was clearly aware of the situation. He had learned the details of the attack from Angela, so he understood the events better than the others. However, Li Lin was somewhat surprised that Geligao Li could make such a deduction. It seemed this man was not simple, and dealing with him smoothly would not be an easy task. On the other hand, Li Lin was quite satisfied, because if this man were incompetent, he would also be an obstacle to his plans.

"Mr. Li Lin, what are your thoughts?"

After exchanging his views with the female pastor, Geligao Li looked up at Li Lin and asked a question, to which Li Lin shrugged.

"I'd rather see corpses than these boring ruins. Seeing is believing. No matter how close my deductions are to reality, without evidence, it's not reality."

"However, those bodies have already been buried."

The female pastor was clearly disgusted by Li Lin's opinion.

"Desecrating a corpse is not a good thing; we can find other ways..."

"Rules also depend on the occasion and place. If what that saintess said is true, there will be many more corpses that don't need to be buried in the future... If we can prevent this from happening, then what does it matter if we examine one or two corpses?"

"But..."

The pastor was about to say something more, but Geligao Li pressed down on her shoulder, interrupting her.

"I agree with Mr. Li Lin, Miss Pastor. Now is not the time to get bogged down in details. If we can thoroughly understand the enemy's strength and characteristics through these measures, it will be more beneficial for us to deal with these enemies whose true identities are still unclear. Moreover, I believe that the dead are gone, and the best way to mourn them is to better protect the living."

"... All right."

Although the pastor disliked the decision, she was a reasonable person, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally nodded in agreement to their request.

The victims' remains had been buried in the nearest cemetery three days prior. The three men found the soldiers guarding the cemetery and, after some effort, finally persuaded them to exhume a few bodies for examination. To their surprise, the soldiers seemed flustered by this request. However, after digging into the graves, they understood the soldiers' panic—the bodies hadn't been placed in coffins at all; they had been thrown directly into the ground and buried. The money allocated for buying coffins had clearly been embezzled by these men.

"It looks like the marks of a large wild animal tearing at something."

However, at the moment, no one was in the mood to investigate the corruption of these low-ranking soldiers. For them, the wounds on the corpses were the most important thing.

Look here.

As he spoke, Geligao Li pointed to a wound that ran from his chest down to his abdomen.

"The wound is so rough; it's less like it was cut open and more like it was ripped open. Clearly, he was attacked by a wild animal."

"Could it be an elf?"

Li Lin frowned.

"They live in the mountains and forests, and they know how to command wild beasts. Besides—the relationship between elves and humans has never been very good."

There are no reports of elves appearing here.

The pastor shook her head in denial.

"Moreover, the blackening on this wound doesn't look like natural decay; I can sense the dark power emanating from it... Clearly, this must have been the work of an undead creature."

After seeing the object with their own eyes, the three finally confirmed their objective. For Li Lin, this was a natural outcome; he didn't want to waste time running around searching for clues and then spending a lot of time deducing. Besides, their task wasn't finished yet. If it were merely a matter of confirming it was the work of an undead creature, Catherine wouldn't have needed to send the three of them to this remote town. Their mission was far more important than a simple investigation.

After speaking with the soldiers guarding the nearby camp, they obtained no useful information. According to them, no one had attacked the camp in recent days. The previous raid seemed to have been a fleeting incident, and there were no other valuable clues. Therefore, their only option was to follow the trail into the deep mountains to track down the undead creatures. Whether they came alone or, as Catherine suspected, were the work of a neighboring country, they needed to find clues and evidence to determine their next course of action.

Although it was already the dead of winter, the cold wind was not their enemy. Li Lin's magical body was almost immune to some elemental damage, so he naturally wouldn't react to the mere cold wind. Moreover, the female priest had specially cast a spell to protect them from the cold, ensuring that their bodies could move freely and flexibly at any time, instead of freezing to death.

The mountains and forests in the depths of winter are not easy to traverse. Although clear footprints are left in the snow, it is still quite difficult for everyone to wade through the deep snow with each step.

"Mr. Li Lin, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Even so, Geligao Li did not seem to intend to remain silent; on the contrary, he seemed more concerned with other things.

You mean these undead creatures?

Li Lin, who was walking at the front, answered without turning his head, while gently shaking aside the branches beside him.

"I don't think I have much to say. I need to find these guys quickly, take care of them, complete the mission... so I can get back on the road as soon as possible and continue my journey."

"Your relationship with Her Highness seems to be quite good."

Geligao Li asked, his eyes warily watching Li Lin's retreating figure, a cunning glint in them.

"To be personally appointed by Her Highness the Saintess is a great honor."

"Don't joke with me, Mr. Geligao Li."

Li Lin feigned helplessness and sighed.

"I don't associate with these royalty because I enjoy it. As a wandering swordsman, I prefer the freedom of travel to sitting in an artificial garden with noble ladies, drinking tea and exchanging polite conversation about the weather. I really don't understand the difference between 'the weather is nice today' and 'the weather is wonderful today.'"

"I wholeheartedly agree with this."

Upon hearing this, Geligao Li smiled slightly, the doubt in his eyes lessening somewhat, but not completely disappearing.

"However, our mission this time is no simple matter; undead creatures are not easy to deal with..."

"I'm not entirely confident in my own abilities either, Mr. Geligao Li."

Li Lin's fingers, intentionally or unintentionally, landed on the hilt of the sword at his waist, tapping it lightly.

"However, I'm a wandering swordsman. Perhaps one day I'll be taken down by a bunch of goblins, dragged into their cave, and roasted and eaten by those nasty creatures. Compared to dying an obscure death, dying in Her Highness's quest would at least leave some kind of remembrance. At least my name might appear on a tombstone, instead of some adventurer discovering my remains in a pile of rotting bones in a goblin cave a hundred and eighty years later."

"That's true."

Upon hearing Li Lin's words, Geligao Li showed a thoughtful expression, and then slowly nodded.

The priestess felt somewhat bewildered by their conversation. As Geligao Li's companion, she could sense his strong wariness of Li Lin Geligao Li, but on the other hand, this swordsman recommended by the saint was rather enigmatic. He seemed like a highly skilled swordsman, but that was all. The priestess didn't find Li Lin particularly suspicious, but she also didn't believe her companion's suspicions were unfounded. However, given the current situation, the priestess could only swallow her questions and wait for the right opportunity to ask.

After walking through the mountains for a whole day without encountering any danger, they finally stopped as dusk approached. Li Lin searched for firewood to start a fire, while the other two set up tents and campsites nearby. Only then did the female pastor hesitantly ask a question.

"Geligao Li, you seem quite wary of that Mr. Li Lin? Why?"

It's always good to be careful in everything you do.

As Geligao Li watched Li Lin leave through the woods, he did not stop what he was doing.

"We don't know anything about this Mr. Li Lin's background. He has such good skills, but he doesn't seem to be famous, which is strange. How could I have never heard of a swordsman like him who wanders around and doesn't bother to hide himself? For his age, to have such skills and yet remain unknown is strange in itself."

"But Mr. Li Lin was recommended by Saint Catherine."

The female pastor frowned.

"The Holy Maiden should know his situation very well; otherwise, she wouldn't have recommended this man to join us."

"It may be impolite to say this, but I have a feeling... something's not quite right."

Geligao Li frowned.

"Moreover, this man also appeared suddenly before Her Highness Catherine transformed into an angel..."

"Geligao Li, you are blaspheming!"

The pastor's expression changed, and she immediately interrupted Geligao Li.

"Are you implying that this man transformed Lady Catherine into a saint? Such a thought is blasphemous! Who but the great God of Justice possesses such power! I can pretend I didn't hear your words, but you are not allowed to mention it again. After all, the saint is a true angel, and I have already sensed the holy, sacred power within her. That cannot be faked!"

"Okay, okay... I understand, I was just saying that."

Seeing that the female pastor was truly angry, Geligao Li quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Furthermore, I'm worried... that this man might be trying to use Her Majesty the Saintess, or has some other ulterior motive... I don't know why, but I can never trust him."

"... Then we can keep an eye on him until the mission is over."

The female pastor thought for a moment, then gave her answer.

"However, I don't want any unexpected events to occur."

Me too.

After a brief conversation, the two resumed their work, completely unaware that their conversation had already been overheard by Angela and Li Lin deep in the forest.

"It doesn't seem so foolish after all, Master."

Angela sat in Li Lin's lap, swinging her legs.

"That's what makes it fun. I'm getting tired of bullying those idiots who are as stupid as pigs every day."

"Be careful not to go too far. These two guys are still very useful to my plan."

"Don't worry, Master, I know what to do."

As she spoke, Angela jumped out of Li Lin's arms and twirled lightly in front of him.

"So, Master, what difficulty level of dungeon would you like to enter? Normal? Or Heroic? Depending on your choice, I can change the difficulty level, you know?"

"... I've always wanted to say this, but you play way too many games."

"What can we do? This is one of the few forms of entertainment that I can appreciate. Although it's not mature yet, it's better than nothing, isn't it?"

With a helpless pat on Angela's head, Li Lin gave his answer.

"Then, let's go with the most difficult level. Remember, don't let them relax too much. We need to see clearly what kind of power these guys possess. The task Catherine gave them isn't simple, but these two have taken it on without even flinching. It's definitely not just because of the Saintess's orders. Now is the perfect opportunity to squeeze them dry. Don't let it slip by. The Temple will become our enemy in the future, so observing their fighting methods during this time is also a good choice."

"Understood, Master."

After receiving Li Lin's answer, Angela narrowed her eyes with delight, then revealed a strange smile. She carefully examined Li Lin's leather armor and weapons from head to toe before asking a question.

"Master, are you sure there's nothing wrong with this equipment?"

When Angela asked him a question, Li Lin responded with a confident smile.

Don't worry, there won't be any problems.