Chapter 8: Friend, You Look Quite Familiar
BOOM——————!!!
Like a thunderclap, accompanied by a wild roar, frenzied power was unleashed.
Joshua's slash tore through the air, white airwaves surging and distorting the atmosphere, ring-shaped shockwaves rapidly expanding, the tremendous boom shattering all nearby windows, while crimson Battle Qi transformed into a gale-force beam, piercing through the enemy's formation.
The first few spearmen were blasted away by the sudden, immense force. Amidst the crisp sound of breaking bones, these men crashed into all their comrades behind them before rolling over a dozen meters away. Their weapons shattered into pieces, shields were flung aside, countless cracks appeared in their armor, blood gushed out, and the breath of life was severed. Yet the gale still did not cease; countless dust and debris flew wildly, shrouding the entire block.
These soldiers were all clad in heavy armor, holding shields and long spears, forming a formation for a charge. Even against a cavalry charge, they could hold their own. They were an army that ordinary people could not face head-on, a meat grinder on the battlefield.
But! For Joshua, for this [Ultimate Essence Strengthened Slash] unleashed by a former Legendary Warrior, it was precisely because they chose to charge head-on that they were—fragile and utterly defenseless!
The bewildering gray mist fell, revealing the covered street.
The originally flat road was shattered and twisted beyond recognition by the force of this slash. Broken bricks, severed spears, and countless fragments of shields and glass were scattered around, like the remnants chewed and spat out by some monster. The remaining spearmen stood frozen in fear, dumbfounded, not daring to advance further.
With just one strike, Joshua had completely halted the charge of the heavy-armored spear phalanx. Everyone looked at each other, not daring to make a move.
"Pity, the weapon wasn't good enough."
Letting out a slow breath, Joshua tossed aside the already shattered longsword in his hand, somewhat dissatisfied. "It broke midway."
In his expectation, under a skill attack with at least five times the power of an ordinary Strengthened Slash, this squad of spearmen would have had a row completely cleaved through from head to tail. But unfortunately, midway through the swing, the weapon in his hand couldn't bear the strain and completely shattered. The gathered Battle Qi couldn't be unleashed and could only turn into an ordinary shockwave.
But it didn't matter, as long as the goal was achieved.
"Listen." Taking a step forward, Joshua stood before the soldiers, who had completely lost their will to fight and were filled with terror, and said in a deep voice, "Now, I ask, and you answer."
"Please speak, sir!" After exchanging glances, one who seemed to be the leader said in a trembling tone, "We'll tell you everything!"
They were merely soldiers, not knights. Ordinary combat was one thing, but facing this warrior who was utterly unbeatable and could easily slaughter them, they naturally had no loyalty to their nominal master.
"Who is your leader?" Joshua didn't want to waste too much time. The commotion from his fight was very loud, and it wouldn't be long before more enemies surrounded him. "Where is he?"
"Our employer is the merchant Dania. He should be at the Lord's Manor in the city center now. The other squad leaders should be patrolling various parts of the city, but they'll come immediately upon hearing the alarm."
The answering soldier was very cooperative, showing no integrity as a private soldier. That was normal. After that one strike, they had five dead and twelve wounded, losing a third of their force. If they still didn't know their place and angered this gentleman before them, they would surely be finished off in two moves.
"Lord's Manor?" Joshua frowned, a grim smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "So eager to move into my home, it seems you've completely forgotten I exist."
The soldiers dared not answer. They all threw their weapons to the ground and, following tradition, very skillfully knelt in a surrender posture.
Joshua had no interest in the soldiers. He had more important things to do.
Picking up a long spear from the ground, and after taking a well-crafted protective short knife from a pained-looking squad leader, Joshua headed straight for the city center.
After a while, when even Joshua's shadow was no longer visible, the surrendered soldiers straightened up and let out a relieved sigh.
Wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads, they said:
"I could barely breathe."
"Why were we sent to fight an enemy like this..."
Similar laments were heard everywhere. They roughly gathered the bodies of the fallen, and amidst a wave of sorrow, someone wiped the cold sweat from their head and complained, "Didn't the higher-ups say the target was at most Mid-Silver Rank? But his strength looks like Silver Peak no matter how you see it, and he's only a step away from Gold!"
"After all these years as mercenaries, you still believe what the higher-ups say? If everyone knew the target was really that strong, who would dare charge at him?" An old soldier seemed to know the tricks of the trade well. "You have to upgrade the strength they mention by at least one rank—but this time it's too much. Silver Peak, almost reaching Gold, and they said it was just Mid-Silver?"
After speaking, he sighed. "Big trouble. He knows the master's location now. I wonder if the guards can stop him."
"Indeed, it's troublesome."
Suddenly, a voice echoed in the old soldier's mind, making him tremble involuntarily. The voice continued, "Looks like they couldn't stop him at all. How tragic."
With a secret psychic communication, a figure clad in full armor silently appeared before the spearmen. This person stood before the old soldier, his face hidden by the helmet, expression unreadable. "How did he defeat you?"
"One strike!" The old soldier reacted much faster than the others, who were still stunned. He recognized this wandering warrior as a high-ranking figure who could freely enter and exit the Lord's Manor, so he didn't hide anything and answered briefly, "One Strengthened Slash, with the power of a goblin cannon blast."
"Which direction?"
"Lord's Manor, straight line."
Ending the inquiry, the silent one stood still, his body motionless, but his mind racing.
"Judging by the marks on the ground, he didn't lie to me." He mused inwardly, somewhat hesitant. "I could also defeat these soldiers, but not so cleanly."
"Dania didn't say he was this strong, nor did he send for reinforcements from the Black Forest Fortress. Instead, he came straight to the main city. It's completely different from the plan... But that master will be here soon. Silver-rank strength is nothing." As he thought, the silent one's figure merged into the shadows by the wall. He confirmed his course of action. "I can't let him cause destruction either. I'll follow and see the situation first."
Then, his figure vanished, as silently as he had arrived.
In a corner, Elson's chest heaved. Stunned by Joshua's extraordinary combat power, he had only just reacted.
"The Silent One, one of the strongest mercenaries in the Northern Lands... The enemy actually hired him." He muttered to himself. "A mismatched combination of professions like Psychic Warrior and Shadow Assassin, and he still reached Silver High-rank. If he had chosen only one path, with his talent, he would surely have advanced to Gold by now."
As he spoke, his gaze hardened. "No, staying here won't help Young Master Joshua. I need to return quickly and inform the fortress to send troops!"
With that, Elson surveyed the surroundings, found no one watching the city gate, and quickly led his horse out of the city.
At the same time, Joshua was moving swiftly toward the Lord's Manor. The empty streets had no obstacles. As he advanced rapidly, he pondered some obviously unreasonable matters.
"It's not the first time I've thought this—my uncle is a merchant. Where did he find soldiers and knights? And several squads at that!"
Frowning, Joshua felt something was very wrong. The spearmen he had just defeated were clearly full-time professional soldiers, with an average level of around 12. This wasn't something an ordinary person could afford. Even elite mercenaries needed backing to achieve this.
Taking an adult ordinary goblin as level 1, then as a Black Iron race, an adult human male had level 5 strength. Most people, with just a bit of muscle and coordination training, could easily advance to Black Iron. Ordinary professional soldiers were around level 10. Training them required considerable wealth. Even nobles training private soldiers wouldn't exceed three hundred, and they would only conscript large numbers of militia when needed.
If even the soldiers were like this, then Silver-rank knights above level 15 were even more so. A single set of armor and weapons was worth a piece of land. According to the merchants on the road, his uncle had brought a large group of knights—at least twenty or thirty. This scale was enough to impoverish a not-so-wealthy lord. For an ordinary merchant to have such power was a pipe dream.
"There's probably outside help."
Shaking his head, Joshua couldn't be bothered with such trivial details. Facing the cold wind, he swung the long spear in his hand. The hardwood shaft gave him a strange sense of ease. Having a weapon in hand made the warrior feel incredibly secure. "I'll kill as many as come."
To arrive quickly, Joshua had abandoned the armor and greatsword he used in the army, traveling light with only dry rations and a few supplies. His innate talent [Weapon Mastery], though unremarkable, came in handy at this moment. As long as it was a weapon, even one taken by force, he could wield it skillfully, as if he had trained with it for years.
He could faintly hear the sound of a large group marching not far away. Joshua's expression was calm; he was not in a hurry. He knew that the enemy's main forces would head to the South City Gate, where the alarm had sounded, before returning to the Lord's Manor. Now, to maintain the city's curfew and order, the number of guards at the Lord's Manor would certainly be small. This was his chance.
Joshua was confident that as long as there were no more than twenty Silver-rank guards, he could force his way in, kill his cheap uncle, and break out. No matter what, he was a former Legendary Warrior, rich in experience, with a challenge rating of 29 and a leader template.
For ordinary people, Joshua was a boss-level figure. A challenge rating of 29 meant that a well-prepared, fully armed five-man adventurer team averaging level 29 would have only a 50% chance of defeating him with a thorough plan. The leader template meant even greater difficulty; under the same conditions, the team would need at least twenty-five people to take him down in a direct confrontation.
In the game, he would definitely be the nightmare monster that ordinary players would take a detour to avoid.
The sound of marching grew closer. It was early morning, the sun had not yet fully risen, and the roads were empty with no cover. If they met, as long as the enemy wasn't blind, they would see him. Joshua wasn't afraid of fighting, but he didn't want to waste time. Relying on his familiarity with his hometown, he quickly found an alley and ducked into it.
However, just as Joshua was weaving through several alleys, about to take a shortcut, he suddenly stopped.
Because he saw a person.
A familiar person.