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墨書 Inktalez
The atmosphere in the forest felt as if it had frozen.
Garen gripped Stormblade tightly in his hand. Years of experience in battle told him that the masked man exuded a dangerous aura, fierce enough to rival that of the Steelback Demon Wolf.
More importantly, he sensed hostility emanating from the other man.
At the same time, the Masked Man was sizing up Garen. Hidden beneath the recesses of his mask, his eyes revealed a hint of surprise. Yes, under the pressure of his level 6 Fighting Spirit, this guy showed no sign of fear; instead, he had the courage to tighten his grip on his weapon…
Strangely, this level 4 individual was making him feel pressured.
After about half a minute of tense standoff, the Masked Man broke the silence first.
"Leave the wolf. You can go," he said, pointing at the Steelback Demon Wolf with a hoarse voice.
Garen frowned and replied, "That is my prey."
"I injured it; you merely picked up the scraps," the Masked Man scoffed.
Garen paused for a moment, recalling the bloodstains he had found earlier in the grass. If that were true, it would complicate matters since Garen was indeed the one who had killed the Steelback Demon Wolf. Moreover, when Garen discovered it, it was in a state of concealment.
"Very well, you've successfully worn down my patience," the Masked Man said with a hint of exasperation.
"Perhaps we can negotiate further..."
Garen lifted his head to speak, but suddenly fell silent.
He noticed that the Masked Man had vanished from where he stood against the thick trunk of the large tree!
A sudden and fierce howl erupted from behind him!
Garen suddenly turned around, only to see the Masked Man had somehow appeared behind him. With a swift motion, he delivered a fierce punch. The sound of impact echoed as Garen felt a sharp pain in his chest, causing him to stagger backward. At the same time, anger surged within him, and he raised his hand to strike back with his Stormblade!
The Masked Man sidestepped just in time, avoiding the blow while delivering a powerful kick that landed precisely on Garen's arm, sending the Stormblade flying several meters away.
However, instead of feeling triumphant, the Masked Man was taken aback. He was well aware of his own strength; those two attacks should have been enough to incapacitate a level 5 warrior. Yet here, against Garen, they had only caused a momentary pause!
As the Masked Man was still processing this surprise, Garen suddenly shouted.
"Courage!"
A surge of level 4 Fighting Spirit poured forth, instantly merging into three golden Runic Shields that shimmered with a faint golden glow!
"Combat skills?" The Masked Man was slightly taken aback. He didn’t give Garen any time to breathe and launched another heavy punch. But at that moment, just as his fist broke through the illusory golden shield, he sensed something was off.
His strength had been reduced by ten percent!
While that might not seem like much, in such an intense battle rhythm, it could make a significant difference. As the Masked Man momentarily lost focus, Garen quickly wrapped his arms around the man's elbow, securing him tightly before forcefully pushing down!
However, the Masked Man was ultimately a level 6 warrior. As his body sank halfway, he managed to hold himself up with his Fighting Spirit. His eyes widened in surprise as his right hand suddenly clenched into a fist and he struck with all his might at Garen's shoulder!
With a loud thud, a wave of powerful Fighting Spirit surged toward Garen. He had no choice but to release his grip on the man's arm and was sent sliding backward several meters by the force, kicking up countless fallen leaves as his feet carved deep grooves into the ground.
"Damn... so tough..." The Masked Man was also pushed back three or four steps. He shook his numbed right hand and looked at Garen with newfound respect.
This man was definitely not an ordinary warrior!
At that moment, Garen picked up the Stormblade that had fallen at his feet and without hesitation unleashed his Fighting Spirit. His body transformed into a golden streak as he charged straight at the Masked Man!
"How fast!" The Masked Man's expression changed dramatically as he quickly drew two daggers from his thigh and crossed them defensively in front of himself.
A sharp screech filled the air as the Stormblade collided with the daggers, creating a shower of dazzling sparks. The two warriors slid over thirty meters in the same direction.
"Silence?!" At the moment their weapons separated, the Masked Man suddenly realized something.
At this moment, Garen's Fighting Spirit had finally run dry, but he was still not ready to back down. He raised his Stormblade and continued to approach the Masked Man.
"Stop! Stop!"
The Masked Man instinctively took two steps back. "Alright, I admit you're strong. But your Fighting Spirit should be nearly exhausted, and I... just need to drag out this silence to defeat you."
Garen did not halt his steps, breathing heavily as he replied, "So?"
The Masked Man helplessly spread his hands. "A draw?"
"What about the Steelback Demon Wolf?" Garen finally stopped.
"Split it?"
Garen paused for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Fine."
...
Half an hour later, Garen returned to Blackstone Town with two fangs in hand, leaving the wolf's steel-like fur for Sharg.
Though Garen was not particularly interested in knowing, the Masked Man insisted on telling him that his name was Sharg.
In his words: There are not many among the human race who can match me, and you, with only a Level 4 Fighting Spirit, need to know my name!
Garen did not understand why Sharg emphasized "human race" and "not many," but he was not interested in asking further.
Not long after Garen left, on a sturdy tree trunk, Sharg crouched down and removed the black ghostly mask.
Beneath the mask was a terrifying face—dark green vertical pupils, a protruding jaw, and sharp, menacing fangs!
It resembled… a wolf!
Sharg pulled a dagger from the outer side of his thigh, holding one in each hand as he looked back and forth a few times before stretching out with a yawn.
"How interesting!"
"I actually feel an urge to befriend him."
"Yes, that warrior… so tough that even I couldn't budge him."
…
…
Upon returning to Blackstone Town, Garen immediately went to the Bounty House to take on the task of acquiring Steelback Demon Wolf Fangs, then headed to the address mentioned on the note.
The door was opened by an elderly butler, who displayed a look of disdain upon seeing Garen's disheveled appearance. However, when Garen produced the two fangs, his expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly invited Garen inside.
The homeowner, Osria, was a middle-aged man who had been trading resources for the Wolf Tribe for many years. At his invitation, Garen enjoyed a lavish afternoon tea in the living room.
When the appraisal results came in confirming that the two fangs were of excellent quality and very intact—classified as A-grade collectibles from the Steelback Demon Wolf—Osria satisfactorily retrieved a money box and counted out 44 gold coins, placing them into a pouch and handing it to Garen. He also urged Garen to bring any good items to him in the future.
After concluding this business, Garen went out to buy two new outfits; after all, he couldn't keep wearing this one that had been torn by the demon wolf. Additionally, Garen wanted to purchase a set of armor; he was finding it quite uncomfortable being unencumbered these past few days.
Unfortunately, the armor in town was astonishingly expensive; even the cheapest set cost 500 gold coins. Thus, Garen had no choice but to temporarily give up on that idea.
Adding Baisaro's 300 gold coins and subtracting the basic expenses from the past two days, Garen's total wealth was approximately 340 gold coins.
As the sun began to set, Garen paused once more at his doorstep.
"Kailin, are you watering the flowers?" Garen pulled a small cake from his shopping bag and handed it to Kailin.
"Thank you, Brother Garen!" Little Kailin seemed to be very fond of Garen, smiling brightly as she said, "Look, Brother Garen, I planted this flower! Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, it truly is a lovely flower."
Garen looked at the cheerful girl and then at the noticeably wilting petals of the fresh flower. He said, "But beautiful things always fade away; fresh flowers will wither too."
The little girl was taken aback, causing the cake to drop with a 'thud' onto the ground.
Kailin snapped back to reality, her adorable smile still intact. "Brother Garen, you're lying! Kailin is not that easily fooled!"
Garen gently patted Kailin's head and then pulled out another small cake from his bag.
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