BANG!

With a dull thud, the upper body of the Winged Dogman slid slowly along the bloody gash, the cross-section of the wound as smooth as a mirror.

Just like with the Bloodscale Dogman before, the gushing blood transformed into a raging Flame mid-air before it could even hit the ground.

Tongues of fire curled inward, devouring the creature. In the blink of an eye, the ferocious Demon was reduced to a pile of ash.

The white object it had been clutching in its left claw fell, rolling to a stop at Roland’s feet.

A small, bright red Crystal glinted faintly, half-hidden in the ashes.

But Roland had no time to examine them now.

Although he had practiced repeatedly at the manor and no longer collapsed from exhaustion after using Flowing Slash like the first time, a powerful wave of weakness still washed over him.

But as he watched the Executioner in the distance—the one who cut down human and Demon alike without distinction—Roland forced himself not to show any sign of fatigue.

He discreetly plunged his Iron Sword into the ground for support, steadying his trembling hands on the hilt as he slowly exhaled a shaky breath.

"Are you all right?"

"Me?"

The Executioner’s sapphire-blue pupils trembled slightly, a lingering shock still visible in their gaze.

Although his previous clash with the Winged Dogman had been brief, the monster’s impenetrable Scale Armor, its strength that far surpassed a human’s, and the terrifying speed and mobility granted by its single wing had made one thing deeply clear to him.

That was no opponent an ordinary human could ever hope to face.

Yet the man before him had done it.

The Executioner’s gaze slowly shifted to Roland’s face.

His handsome features still held a touch of youthfulness; he was clearly not very old.

And although that last strike had been incredibly sharp, it did not possess the Power of an Extraordinary Powerhouse.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

He coughed lightly a few times, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood. He then slowly wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and pushed himself up from the ground.

"What you just used... that was a Combat Skill, wasn’t it?"

This was the first time Roland had heard the Executioner speak.

Compared to his mysterious appearance and ruthless methods, his voice was surprisingly clear, even possessing a softness unique to women.

’Wait a minute...’

’A woman?’

Looking at the slender figure beneath the black robe, Roland spoke tentatively.

"And how should I address you... miss?"

"Teresa Hernandez. Just call me Teresa..."

Teresa lifted her mask, her long, silver hair fluttering in the wind.

Within her calm, sapphire-blue eyes lay a hidden sharpness.

She had a high, straight nose that gave her face a dashing, heroic air, yet her lips were soft and delicate.

The corners of her lips were pressed together, like a sharp, drawn sword.

Elegant, deadly, and possessing an edge that was impossible to ignore.

But Roland wasn’t mesmerized by her beauty.

Instead, as she slowly approached, he unconsciously tightened his grip on his sword hilt, his gaze falling, intentionally or not, on her pale neck.

Although he was somewhat exhausted, the woman named Teresa had clearly sustained more serious injuries in the previous fight.

If she dared to draw her sword, Roland was confident he could kill her in a single blow.

"Don’t be nervous..."

Seeing his reaction, Teresa stopped about three paces away from Roland.

Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, her eyes fixed on something behind Roland, as if something was there.

After a moment of silence, her clear, level voice slowly rang out.

"Roland... oh... both parents deceased. Your past is quite tragic. Other than that..."

Teresa’s brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

"The rest of your information is shrouded in mist, impossible to see clearly... How strange..."

Roland’s pupils contracted sharply. His brow furrowed deeply as he scrutinized Teresa’s face.

He was certain he had never met this mysterious woman before.

’How could she know all this about me?’

Seeing Roland’s expression grow more solemn, Teresa simply shook her head.

"Rest assured, you’re not like that scum. You’re someone trustworthy. I won’t attack you. As for why I know so much about you..."

With a slightly trembling arm, Teresa sheathed her Foil.

"You can think of it as a great power bestowed upon me by the Gods."

’The Gods?’

Upon hearing that word, Roland’s brow twitched uncontrollably.

On the surface, however, he remained calm and composed.

He surreptitiously recovered his stamina while speaking in a slow, steady tone.

"In that case, Miss Teresa..."

Roland narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a smile.

"For fairness’s sake, shouldn’t you also introduce yourself?"

"My apologies..."

Teresa nodded slightly. She lifted a corner of her torn black robe with her left hand, placed her right hand over her chest, and bowed in a standard formal greeting.

"Teresa Hernandez, formerly a member of the Truth Church."

’The Truth Church?’

’It must be one of the many Churches that Bronson mentioned have been popping up like weeds in recent years.’

As he understood, Roland also keenly picked up on a key word.

"Formerly?"

"Yes."

Teresa straightened up, her already pale face looking even more wan.

"I have already left the Truth Church. Now, I am just a free-roaming Adventurer."

"I just didn’t expect that the first stop on my journey..."

As if thinking of the greedy desperados in Songmu Town, a trace of disgust flashed in Teresa’s eyes.

"...would be a place even more squalid than the Truth Church."

Before he could ask any more questions, Teresa bowed again and said softly.

"Thank you for your help just now. I will be sure to repay this favor in the future."

"I have urgent business to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. We’ll meet again, Mr. Roland."

Before Roland could respond, she turned and left.

Her steps were still composed and elegant.

Although she stumbled slightly, her speed was astonishing.

In the blink of an eye, she vanished from Roland’s sight.

"Hooo..."

Gazing in the direction where Teresa had disappeared, Roland let out a long breath, a lingering doubt still troubling his mind.

’Was what she said true? A great power bestowed by the Gods...’

Shaking his head, he temporarily pushed these impenetrable questions to the back of his mind.

Roland bent down, placed the small red Crystal into his pouch, and then reached for the white object that had rolled to his feet.

But the moment his fingertips touched its surface, his pupils contracted violently.

Relying on his [Heart of the Furnace] Trait, he could now clearly perceive a thrumming deep within the white object.

It was the unique emotional ripple of a Flame.

Faint, yet vivid, like the last spark dancing in the embers.

Suppressing the astonishment welling up inside him, Roland held the white object up to his eyes to examine it closely.

It was stained with traces of dirt, clearly having been dug out of the ground not long ago.

Its smooth, jade-like surface concealed a hard interior, and its hollow, cylindrical structure resembled an exquisitely carved bracer.

"A bone structure?"

Connecting this to recent events, an astonishing theory surfaced in his mind.

"Could this... be a fragment of the giant skeleton that caused the bloody battle between the Fiery Sun Church and the goblins?"

At this thought, Roland’s knuckles tightened unconsciously, and the object in his palm suddenly seemed to grow scorching hot.

The image of the Demons frantically fighting over the skeleton during the battle he’d observed in the forest was still fresh in his mind.

Not to mention the involvement of an unknown faction like the Fiery Sun Church.

Thinking of this, he quickly stowed the bone fragment in the pouch at his waist.

Just then, an unnatural rustling sound came from the canopy above.

Roland looked toward the sound and saw a line of Demons emerging one by one from the forest’s Shadows.

After quickly scanning the battlefield and confirming there were no troublesome Alien Demons among them, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Feeling that most of his stamina had already returned, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift into a slight smile.

SHING!

He yanked his Longsword from the ground, flinging up several clods of damp earth.

The sharp blade refracted a chilling light under the dappled sunlight.

As his sword danced through the air, the shrill wails of Demons rose and fell, and the foul-smelling blood drew arcs through the air.

In the process, a line of text seemed to flash across his Professional Panel.

But Roland didn’t examine it closely at first, merely glancing at the information about becoming a Warrior.

[Requires: Power 9, Agility 6, Five Full Level Combat Skills 4/5, 100/100 hostile creatures killed]

Seeing that he had met the requirement of hunting hostile Demons to change his Profession to Warrior, he flicked his wrist, shaking the sticky blood from his blade.

The thought that the bone fragment in his pouch could attract difficult prey like the Winged Dogman at any moment spurred him on, and he dared not linger.

He passed through the last patch of shrubbery, and the sunlight at the edge of the forest opened up before him.

A sharp whistle echoed through the woods, and a familiar clopping sound grew closer.

Black Wind arrived like a bolt of black lightning, its glossy mane fluttering in the wind.

"Good boy."

Roland gently ruffled the black horse’s mane and swung himself deftly onto its back.

With a soft click of his tongue, the man and his horse galloped toward Songmu Town, leaving only a trail of fading hoofbeats on the forest path.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The journey was peaceful, and he encountered no trouble along the way.

When the tall watchtower on the north side of Songmu Town came into view, Roland’s tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

He dismounted, passed through the Guard’s routine inspection without issue, and then headed straight for the Adventurer’s Guild.

He pushed open the rather heavy wooden doors. The guild hall was surprisingly quiet, not a single soul in the empty main hall.

It was only when his eyes landed on the black-robed figure at the counter that Roland suddenly understood why.

He slowly approached the counter and found the bartender looking as lazy as ever. Even when faced with Teresa, who bore the title "Executioner," his expression didn’t flicker in the slightest.

A glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that the parchment in the bartender’s hand was none other than the commission to investigate the strange Demon movements.

’So she was the one who took this commission...’

Noticing the movement beside her, Teresa glanced over. Seeing it was Roland, she gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment.

"The reward is two silver and fifteen copper coins in total."

The bartender casually tossed a heavy coin pouch onto the counter with a dull thud.

"You can count it if you want."

"No need."

Teresa neatly tucked the coin pouch away and then said flatly to Roland.

"Farewell."

Before the words had even faded, she had already turned to leave. With a swirl of her black robe, her figure quickly disappeared out the door.

Roland had no interest in investigating this inscrutable woman. In fact, her mention of the "Gods" had put him on guard, and he subconsciously kept his distance from her.

Therefore, he simply responded to her farewell with a slight nod, then untied the pouch from his waist and placed it securely on the counter, along with the copy of the commission from his coat. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Whoa! So it was you, the new guy... It’s a miracle you made it back alive..."

The bartender squinted, recognizing Roland, his tone tinged with a bit of teasing.

He expertly counted the spoils in the pouch and let out a sharp whistle.

"A full sixty goblin ears! Nice work! Didn’t think you had it in you, kid."

The crisp clinking of coins came from under the counter as the bartender deftly counted out the reward and pushed a heavy coin pouch in front of Roland.

"According to the rules, one goblin ear is worth Eight Copper Coins. The total is four silver and eighty copper coins."

Roland hefted the coin pouch, an unconscious smile tugging at his lips.

Including the loot he had plundered from the goblin camp, he had earned nearly Nine Silver Coins from this adventure of less than ten days.

That was more than he had earned in half a year as a Blacksmith Apprentice!

’This line of work pays way too fast!’

’And besides that...’

Feeling the weight of the bone fragment in the pouch on his left hip, Roland felt an even more urgent desire to return to the manor.