Chapter 381 - 326: A Mysterious Legend (2)

Chapter 381: Chapter 326: A Mysterious Legend (2)

Only after confirming the Land Bird could support his weight did he settle securely onto its back.

"If you’re renting, it’s Ten Silver Coins per day, with a deposit of Ten Gold Coins."

The proprietor came over to Marcus, rubbing his hands together.

"As long as the Land Bird isn’t injured, we won’t unfairly deduct from your deposit."

"And with every Land Bird, we’ll throw in half a bag of carrots and wild greens for feed. The reins and saddle are included for free as well."

"Alright." None of them had any objection to the price.

After paying, the five-person team mounted their Land Birds and set off on the road leading to the entrance of the ruins outside Sengu Town.

It had to be said, having your own mount was incredibly convenient.

The feeling of galloping in the open wind was completely different from being cooped up in a carriage—it was true freedom.

The difference between a Land Bird and a horse was probably like the difference between an electric scooter and a car.

The Land Bird’s gait was more agile and adaptable, making it especially good at navigating complex environments.

Horses, on the other hand, had greater carrying capacity and endurance but were less agile, better suited for steady travel on flat, open roads.

Accompanied by the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of footsteps, the team bobbed along until they reached the entrance to the ruins.

After showing their permits and gaining entry, they continued bobbing along on their Land Birds down into the underground passage.

The underground hall.

It was obvious that the place had expanded in scale compared to a few days ago.

And with that expansion came more ancillary facilities.

There were new temporary taverns, Simple self-service equipment repair stalls, and even a group of so-called "Divination Masters" peddling Lucky Talismans.

They crammed the already crowded hall to the brim.

The number of Adventurers flocking to the area had increased by at least a third, and more tents had been pitched in newly cleared spaces.

Bright fluorescent lamps illuminated the cavern as if it were day, and the air grew increasingly hot and dry.

"I’m telling you, that Decayed on the second level is something else!"

A Dwarf Warrior, fresh from the medical area with his arm still wrapped in bandages, was ranting, spittle flying from his lips.

"My Mountain-Opening Axe hit its Armor, and it was like a fucking tickle—did nothing but kick up a shower of sparks!"

"You’re exaggerating, right? I heard their joints are the weak point."

"Weak point? You go try it! That thing’s Giant Sword is wider than a door!"

"When it swings that thing, the wind itself howls like a banshee! If I hadn’t booked it out of there, they’d be carrying me back today!"

"Our team had it worse... We almost got wiped out by those moving Gargoyles before we even got inside the Ancient Castle... Those things aren’t afraid of blades at all!"

Zelir and his group guided their Land Birds slowly through the crowd, their eyes drawn to the Blacksmith Shop in the distance.

Sure enough, the sight there was nothing short of spectacular.

The various pieces of Armor and weapons waiting to be salvaged were already piled into a small mountain.

Dented Chest Armor, broken sword blades, Shields covered in vicious claw marks...

In the firelight, this discarded equipment glinted with a cold, dark luster.

Several Blacksmith Apprentices were hard at work, sweating profusely as they struggled to sort through the pile for salvageable parts.

Standing nearby were two sharply dressed merchants.

"The price for these plates from the Decayed has dropped again... The way I see it, it’ll fall even more once the next batch of Adventurers enters the second level of the ruins."

A skinny merchant shook his head, his face fraught with worry. "No one’s even willing to take the slightly lower-quality ones now."

"What’s there to be afraid of? When others are fearful, that’s when you make your move!"

The other merchant, a short and stout man, was full of bluster.

"I’ll take as much as they’ve got! We buy it cheap, turn around and sell it inland—we can at least double our money on the price difference!"

"How are you going to make the big bucks if you’re such a coward?"

As they passed the rest area, a large Adventurer was recounting his experiences.

His words made the team members instinctively slow their pace.

The big Adventurer wore a strange expression, his tone secretive.

"Hey... I’ll let you in on a secret. I ran into a mysterious person inside the ruins!"

"Mysterious person? Isn’t everyone who goes in there an adventurer?" a mercenary cleaning his axe sneered.

"No, no, no... this one was a *truly* mysterious person!"

the big Adventurer said earnestly. "He seemed to be a native inhabitant who’s always lived inside the ruins!"

"That’s bullshit, right?" a person nearby said, his face full of disbelief.

"If I’m lying, may my son be born without an asshole!"

the big Adventurer swore.

"The day before yesterday, yeah, the day before yesterday! I was in the Ancient Castle on the second level of the ruins. I’d teamed up with another squad to take down a group of Decayed."

"We were splitting the loot, and then guess what... another fully armed guy just walks up!"

"Just a Decayed. The second level is crawling with them," someone said dismissively.

"No, no, no... it wasn’t a Decayed."

The big Adventurer shook his head repeatedly. "He wasn’t a Demon. He was a living, breathing person... or at least, looked like one."

"This guy was dressed head to toe in black Armor, with a hood that hid his face. And on his back, he was carrying a bunch of weapons... all top-tier stuff! The kind of legendary arms you only hear about!"

"And he could talk!"

The big Adventurer added emphatically, "Even though we couldn’t understand the words he spoke, we could understand his meaning in our minds."

This statement piqued the interest of quite a few people.

’A man in black... with weapons on his back?’

"I get it now. Your future son really isn’t going to have an asshole."

The mercenary who had been cleaning his axe burst out laughing. "You couldn’t even understand what he was saying, but you understood his meaning?"

"There’s no explaining things to a country bumpkin like you!"

The big guy, getting impatient from being challenged, waved his hand dismissively. "It was like telepathy. You know what telepathy is?"

"Ignore him, ignore him."

Someone else who had been listening intently urged him on, "Keep going, man! What happened next? What happened?"

"His meaning was, basically, that he wanted one of us to have a one-on-one, honorable duel with him."

the big Adventurer recalled. "If you won, you would get to take one of his weapons."

"Did you go for it?" someone immediately asked, excited.

"I didn’t have the guts..."

The big Adventurer scratched his head. "But a Middle Level Swordsman from the other squad stepped up!"

"I’d seen him fight before. Even though he didn’t have any Special Attribute Fighting Qi, his Swordsmanship was decent—fast, precise, and ruthless!"

"The mysterious man in black seemed very pleased and readily accepted the challenge."

"Then, the man in black performed a very strange pre-battle ritual and drew a Longsword from among the weapons on his back."

The surrounding crowd held their breath, waiting for the big Adventurer to continue.

At this point, the big Adventurer took a deep breath. His eyes widened as he held up three fingers.

"Three strikes!"

"Can you believe it? In just three strikes, the man in black defeated that Middle Level Swordsman!"

"The first strike destroyed his weapon, the second split open his Leather Armor, and the third came to a stop right at his throat! I was completely stunned just watching from the sidelines!"

HISS... A collective sharp intake of breath was heard across the rest area.

"Did the challenger die?" someone asked nervously.

"He didn’t die."

the big Adventurer said.

"The man in black didn’t deliver a killing blow. After defeating the challenger, he asked again in that strange language if anyone else wanted to try."

"None of us accepted, so he just walked off on his own, like a ghost."

After the story ended, the surrounding area fell into a brief silence.

"If all the weapons on his back are top-tier, and he’s not some human Adventurer, why didn’t you all just swarm him?"

An Assassin-like man broke the silence.

"Take him out, and the weapons would be yours, right?"

"If you’ve got the guts, you go do it."

The big Adventurer rolled his eyes.

"The guy is willing to follow some kind of rule and duel you honorably, and your first thought is to break the agreement."

"What if he decides to forget the duels and just goes on a killing spree? Let’s see if you survive that."

"Tch..."

The Assassin snorted, unconvinced.

"Bunch of cowards... If it were me, I’d follow him secretly and slit his throat when he’s not looking!"