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墨書 Inktalez
Blackstone Town is located in the southern part of Yinclan Barony. Due to the poor road conditions, it has never been able to develop significantly. As Black Duncan puts it, it lies in a "barren and petty" middle ground. In simple terms, the local residents are relatively impoverished, while the incoming merchants and Baronial institutions are thriving.
On Black Duncan's recommendation, Garen rented a small house on the relatively prosperous Roland Street for 80 silver coins a month. Of course, the high price came with an equally comfortable living environment.
When sunlight streamed through the attic skylight, the vintage-style room suddenly brightened.
After finishing his daily muscle awakening training, Garen went downstairs to a shop to buy two cans of beef for breakfast. After filling his stomach, he practiced Fighting Spirit for half an hour. It wasn't until 8:23 that Garen finally had time to rest.
Sitting on the soft sofa, Garen suddenly recalled that after the magic circle in Baisaro was dispelled, the Holy War System seemed to have mentioned something. However, due to yesterday's busy schedule, he hadn't had time to check.
"It seemed like a skill..." Garen tore open the copper lid of the beef can while summoning the System Panel.
[Host: Garen]
[Level: Level 4 Fighting Spirit (Low-level Warrior)]
[Ability Skills:
Fatal Strike: First Level skill. Allows the user to dash 20 meters instantly and deal double damage to the target, along with a short-term silence effect.
Courage: First Level skill. Can summon a rune shield that absorbs up to 10% of damage for a duration of 3 minutes.]
[Talent Skill:
Fearless Spirit: When activated, it enhances the host's persuasive power and deeply awakens the courage of listeners.]
【Item: Stormblade (Rank unknown due to being in a dormant state), Watchtower Blueprint (Original Coordinates located a billion light-years away on the Valoran Continent, will be replicated in five days)】
【Physical Evaluation: A novice low-level warrior, lacking proficiency in the use of Fighting Spirit. However, in terms of vitality, recovery, defense, and resilience combined, he is 2.3 times that of an ordinary level 4 warrior.】
It was evident that Garen's new skill was "Courage."
A defensive skill that could withstand 10% of an opponent's attacks. More importantly, considering Garen's already impressive defensive capabilities, it would be difficult for even a level 5 warrior to break through his defenses.
However, after reviewing this new skill several times, Garen did not feel particularly happy.
He pinched the bridge of his nose with force. "Has that old coot Kiran really taken me for a meat shield?"
Finishing the last bite of canned beef, Garen picked up the small town map from the table and began to carefully search for the Coordinates of the “Bounty House.”
On the Godeyas Continent, the currency system is 100 copper coins = 1 silver coin, and 100 silver coins = 1 gold coin. According to Black Duncan, the salary for a mentor at the town academy isn't very high; even with a formal position, it would only be around 20 silver coins per month.
Calculating this out, if he hoped to build a lighthouse costing at least 50,000 gold coins with this salary, Garen would need to work for twenty thousand eight hundred thirty-three years.
Clearly, this was unacceptable for Garen. So after consulting with Black Duncan, he finally found a new direction: the Bounty House. It was said that both local residents and wealthy merchants would post difficult problems as tasks there, and the rewards for completing these tasks were quite substantial.
On the map, the Bounty House was located in the southwest part of the town, not far from Roland Street, just three or four alleys away. After quickly tidying up his gear, Garen hurried off in that direction.
From the outside, the Bounty House was not as glamorous as one might imagine; it could even be described as shabby, resembling a tavern on the brink of closure.
Pushing open the low door, which showed signs of heavy repairs, Garen stepped into a spacious room. In the dim light, seven or eight young men and women were moving about. They glanced at Garen one by one before returning to their own activities—walking back and forth along the walls.
On several walls, notes were pinned up securely with daggers or steel needles.
Garen turned his gaze to the nearest note.
It read:
"Hi, friends visiting the Bounty House! If you can help me retrieve my ancestral ring, I will pay you a handsome reward. By the way, it’s on the finger of Strick, the leader of the Bandits in the Aguillon Mountains!
Reward: 80 silver coins.
Trading address: 120 Rohu Street."
Looking at the yellowed edges of the note, Garen shook his head.
Anyone capable of infiltrating a Bandit stronghold would hardly care for a mere 80 silver coins. Even if Garen was confident in subduing Strick, he wouldn’t recklessly storm into a heavily guarded hideout.
It seemed that finding a suitable task would require some patience.
Garen glanced around at the young men and women before shifting his attention to the next note.
Task Description: My cat has gone missing near Rocco Street. It's a white short-tailed cat. Can you help me find it?
Reward: 5 silver coins.
Address...
At that moment, a short woman suddenly reached out, tore the note down, and stuffed it into her pocket. She looked at Garen warily, as if afraid the task would be snatched away from her, then quickly left the small house.
Garen didn’t pay much attention to it; after all, if he were to accumulate coins through such tasks, he would have to catch thousands of cats just to barely build half a lighthouse.
Eventually, Garen's footsteps stopped in front of the innermost wall.
This wall was covered with many notes, but very few people actually came to look at them. It was clear that the tasks on this wall were far more difficult than those on the other walls.
Task Description: High price paid for scales and fangs of the Striped Serpent.
Reward: 50 gold coins for each fang; serpent scales will be assessed by an appraiser, with a minimum price of 5 silver coins per scale.
Trading Address: 61 Rob Street.
...
Task Description: High price paid for fangs, claws, and fur of the Black Flame Wolf.
Reward...
Compared to the previous tasks, the ones on this wall clearly suited Garen's taste.
However, Garen did not rush to make a choice. He memorized the magical beasts listed in the tasks and then left, heading to a bookstore where he selected a few books about magical beasts. Only after that did he conclude his day and return to Roland Street.
Although Garen was confident in his abilities, as a qualified warrior, he rarely made hasty decisions.
Before truly deciding which type of magical beast resources to collect, he needed to gain a deeper understanding of them, such as their group strength, distribution, and living habits.
By the time he returned to the ground floor of the Rental Apartment, it was already dusk.
As Garen was about to take out his keys, he noticed a little girl squatting at the entrance. She looked around seven or eight years old, her face delicate like a porcelain doll. She was crouched by a small pot of soil, using a tiny shovel to stir the dirt.
"Kailin, are you planting flowers?" Garen squatted down and patted the girl's head.
Kailin was the landlord's youngest daughter. Her sweet demeanor had left a deep impression on Garen when they signed the contract yesterday.
"Yes! Brother Garen!" Kailin wiped her dirty little paws across her face. "Mom said this flower is dying and told me to throw it away... Hmph, I don't believe that!"
Garen paused for a moment before smiling. "Then you must take good care of it!"
"Mm! I will!" Kailin giggled and proudly picked up a small pink watering can beside her.
Garen smiled gently and turned his gaze toward the flower with yellowing petals.
The next morning.
As the first rays of sunlight began to shine down, Garen had already set off with Stormblade, heading towards the Taroloro Mountain Range to the west of Blackstone Town.
According to the records in various books, the Taroloro Mountain Range was the closest Beast Mountain Range to Blackstone Town, covering an area of over one thousand seven hundred hectares. Common magical beasts found there included various Venomous Pythons and low-level Wolf Tribes. The resources from these beasts were highly valuable, often attracting bold hunters.
Some became wealthy because of it, while others found eternal rest.
From the moment he stepped into the mountains, Garen remained on high alert.
After walking for about half an hour, Garen suddenly stopped. He stared at a patch of grass stained with blood ahead and gently touched it with his index finger.
"The beast's blood... still warm. It shouldn't have gone far..."
The blood of magical beasts was usually thicker than that of humans and carried a faint metallic smell.
Garen squinted his eyes and began to carefully observe his surroundings.
Even the most skilled hunters could not dispose of an entire magical beast carcass, indicating that this beast was still alive, and the bloodstain suggested it might have been injured.
As long as he could find more blood trails, he could pinpoint the general location of this beast.
"Is there none?"
Garen searched carefully twice but found no more traces of blood. Just as he was about to begin a third search, a possibility suddenly struck him.
Low-level magical beasts lack intelligence, so they could not actively hide their blood trails unless...
It was nearby!
"Awoo!"
At that moment, a deep growl came from behind him!
Garen immediately turned around, raising his Stormblade across his chest. He heard a loud clash as a massive gray wolf lunged at him. Its sharp claws scraped against the blade, creating sparks!
The gray wolf was covered in fur as hard as steel needles, especially along its back, where vicious barbs protruded, glinting ominously. This was the Steelback Demon Wolf!
Under the full force of this level 5 beast's attack, even Garen was nearly knocked over, stumbling backward several steps. The Steelback Demon Wolf crashed into Stormblade, and its hind legs suddenly kicked out, tearing Garen's clothes and leaving three bloody scratches on his abdomen.
Garen couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, but anger surged in his eyes. With a powerful knee strike fueled by his level 4 Fighting Spirit, he sent the Steelback Demon Wolf flying backward for seven or eight meters with a loud thud.
The Steelback Demon Wolf shakily got back up, looking at Garen with newfound suspicion. In its experience, no human had ever survived its full-force ambush, let alone counterattacked.
Most importantly, that claw strike should have torn open the chest of any level 4 beast, yet it had only left a few scratches on him!
Garen glanced at the wound on his abdomen and frowned slightly. Just then, he heard a rush of footsteps—the Steelback Demon Wolf was actually turning to flee!
"Trying to run?"
Garen's lips curled slightly as his left foot crushed the ground beneath him. In an instant, he transformed into a golden streak, whooshing through the air. The next moment, Garen appeared right in front of the Steelback Demon Wolf.
He held his sword with both hands, the tip of the Greatsword dripping with blood.
Before the Steelback Demon Wolf could even register its fear, a fountain of blood erupted from its neck, and with a thud, it collapsed to the ground.
Under the double attack of Fatal Strike, even a level five beast would struggle to withstand it, especially since this Steelback Demon Wolf was already injured.
"Steelback Demon Wolf..."
Garen gazed at the giant wolf's corpse, recalling briefly, "I think it's part of the mission. Each fang can sell for 20 gold coins."
Two fangs meant 40 gold coins.
Just as Garen was about to deal with his prey, he suddenly halted in his tracks.
A sharp sense of danger washed over him.
Garen swiftly turned around and spotted a figure wearing a ghostly mask standing on a large tree about twenty meters away.
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