Category: The Azure Longsword

Chapter 33: Taking Initiative

“Thira, Arcane Mage.” Asker introduced everyone to Hood one by one.

“Hello.” Hood responded.

A masked girl, her voice sounds young, probably a quirky one… the boy labeled her in his mind.

“Eleanor, the team’s main tank and DPS, responsible for drawing enemy fire.” Asker continued the introductions.

Imposing, seems very rigid, a righteous knight big sister? Hood thought.

“Nuo, you’ve met her, the team’s healer.”

“Hi there.” Nuo smiled and winked at him.

Angel big sister! The embodiment of everything good in the world!

Hood immediately returned a smile, his heart filled with grief and indignation.

Such a good cabbage, ruined by a pig!

“Miel, the team’s sniper, long-range fire suppression.”

“Mm.” Miel nodded slightly.

An emotionless little girl? That character type isn’t popular anymore, okay?

Hood complained wildly in his mind, but nodded on the surface. “Hello.”

“Mia, the team’s scout, thief.”

“You don’t look that old either.” Mia put her hands on her hips and stared at him aggressively. “Call me Big Sis, got it? I can protect you.”

With your A-cups? Hood thought speechlessly, I’m not interested in little girls, okay?

“Peggy, the team’s damage dealer, agile warrior.”

Peggy looked at him coldly, making Hood’s hair stand on end.

This one… looks like a yandere, as if she’ll draw her sword and stab someone at any moment.

“Sidlipha, the team’s armor-piercing DPS, strength-based warrior.”

“Yeah, work hard.” Sidlipha patted his head.

Hood shrank his neck like a small animal, wondering whether this one was male or female? Androgynous!

“Finally, Medea, the psychic.”

Psychic? A dark, domineering older sister? Wait a minute…

Hood suddenly shuddered and heard Medea say with a smile:

“It’s not polite to label people the first time you meet them, little brother.”

She! Can! Read! My! Mind!

Hood’s mind went completely blank.

He didn’t envy Asker at all now. Being with a mind-reading woman was simply torture, wasn’t it? How could he endure it until now?

Because I’m open and honest, I don’t have messy and dirty thoughts like you, Medea’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Get out of my head!” Hood roared inwardly, then added another sentence. “Please.”

“Hehe.” Medea chuckled.

“This is Hood,” Asker introduced him to the girls. “A level 2 Mechanic, he has mastered the ‘Mechanic’ and ‘Energy’ Sequences. He’ll be working for us temporarily, responsible for making and repairing everyone’s equipment.”

The girls applauded.

“There’s something wrong with my gun; you can take a look at it for me.” Miel said. “Lately, it always feels a bit stuck when I reload.”

“It might be that bullet casing fragments are blocking the locking mechanism.” Hood took the Slaughter-III rifle from her hand and skillfully disassembled it.

“Interesting design.” He pointed to the rotating barrel. “The designer, in order to combine a sniper rifle and an assault rifle, used a rotating pin-pulling structure. However, the explosion of bullets in the chamber always produces tiny metal fragments, which fall into the rotating mechanism during rotation, preventing the cylinder from resetting perfectly, so there is a sense of blockage when loading bullets.”

“I’ll take the cylinder apart and polish it with sandpaper.” He squatted down and took out his toolbox.

“Not bad.” Medea watched him work intently, squatting on the ground, and asked Asker, “Where did you dig up this kid?”

“Just a chance encounter.” Asker replied.

“This kid has potential.” Medea commented.

“It’s a pity he’s unwilling to join us.” Asker said. “He’s just working here temporarily and might leave at any time.”

“Should I manipulate him a little?” Medea asked.

“No. He’s not interested, why force him?” Asker said.

“Asker,” Nuo walked over and asked, her face still a little red, “do we still need to purchase team supplies?”

“Of course.” Asker then remembered the purpose of the team coming to Olympia: to buy the remaining potion materials and see if there were any Sequence II formulas.

“Let Eleanor go with you.” He said after some thought.

So Nuo went out shopping with Thira, Eleanor, and the others.

Asker left the room, came to the corridor outside, leaned against the railing boredly, and looked out the window.

Looking out from the window at an altitude of over 3,000 meters, he could clearly see the city of Thessaloniki in the distance, the port of the Aegean Sea, and the rolling mountains.

“What are you thinking about here alone?” Medea’s laughter came from behind. “Thinking about your first kiss?”

“Do you really only have Mind I?” Asker asked. “Why do I feel like you have a high-sequence Mind ability, able to read my thoughts anytime, anywhere?”

“Why don’t you tell me how you feel first, what do you think of Nuo?” Medea asked curiously.

“Would you believe me if I said I have no opinion?” Asker asked rhetorically.

“Then what about Peggy?” Medea asked.

“Why are you asking this?” Asker suddenly had a bad feeling.

“I only recently discovered that she seems to have some feelings for you too.” Medea said leisurely. “Asker, that boy was right about you, you really are a sinful man.”

“I’ll go talk to her.” Asker said, rubbing his forehead.

“Talk about what? Did she confess to you?” Medea sneered.

Asker: …

“You’ve already broken one person’s heart, don’t hurt a second one. It’s good for you, for others, and for the whole team.” Medea said, “Isn’t it good this way? At least the team has something else besides profit to hold everyone together.”

Asker was silent, then suddenly seemed to realize something and asked suspiciously:

“Medea, could it be that you…”

“It wasn’t entirely me.” Medea said, “I can only amplify desires, not implant them out of thin air, understand?”

“If Peggy didn’t have any feelings for you at all, there’s nothing I could do.”

“Can I interpret this as you playing a role in fueling the flames?” Asker asked coldly. “You manipulated her desires?”

“I did do that, but it was all for the team, there was no personal gain for me.” Medea stared into his eyes and said.

“I reminded you long ago, since people come together for profit, they will eventually part ways for profit, it’s better to replace it with emotional bonds…”

She let out a short “ah” because Asker had grabbed her collar, roughly lifted her up, and pressed her against the railing by the window.

“Don’t do this.” Asker stared at her coldly. “Don’t play with other people’s feelings.”

“Aren’t you the one playing with other people’s feelings?” Medea sneered. “Neither accepting nor rejecting, just dragging it on, as if all problems will be solved by dragging it on until the end of the world!”

“You should know very well.” Asker said after a long silence. “I’m not from the same world as you.”

“I will eventually go back.”

“If that’s the case, then why don’t you reject Nuo?” Medea scoffed. “Just tell her directly that you will leave one day, let her give up, and let her pursue her own true love?”

“Or are you afraid that after rejecting her, she will really give up and leave your team completely? Then who will replace her as the healer?”

Asker didn’t speak.

After a long time, he just let go.

Medea sat on the railing and said faintly:

“Asker.”

“You’re a good person.”

“Some things are not suitable for you to do.”

“Leave those dirty tricks to me.”

“I will help you maintain this team.”

The door slammed shut, Asker had already left through the stairwell.

Without leaving a single word.

Medea grabbed the railing and turned to look at the sky.

After a while, she spoke as if to herself:

“Not from the same world… ?”

“Eventually going back?”

“For such a… ridiculous reason…”

Medea closed her eyes and let out a long breath, the corners of her mouth twisting as if in a spasm:

“Don’t even dream of it.”

Chapter 32: The Outsourcing Contract

“Asker!” Another figure rushed in from outside, it was Nuo, crying her eyes out.

She rushed to the bedside, stared at the wound on Asker’s abdomen, and tears started falling again.

“Why did you send me away back then!” She sobbed, her voice distorted. “If you died, what would I do?”

“You couldn’t defeat the White-Clad Assassin.” Asker said. “What was the point of staying there?”

“Don’t think I don’t know, you passed out after killing him!” Nuo said, crying. “If you hadn’t been found, you might have bled to death from this wound…”

She sobbed and couldn’t continue.

Asker really wanted to say that he had applied hemostatic herbs before passing out, okay?

But even with his low EQ, he wouldn’t say such insensitive things at this time. He could only force a gentle smile:

“Don’t worry, I’m fine now.”

Nuo placed her hand on his wound and activated Healing Touch.

Asker immediately felt an itch in his abdomen, and the wound quickly healed.

Any injury, no matter how severe, could be healed. This was the power of the Life Sequence.

Nuo was still crying, her expression showing that she had been very worried. Asker took a tissue from the side and handed it to her.

Taking the tissue, Nuo wiped her tears vigorously and stared at Asker with a slightly resentful look.

Then she pounced on him.

“Ouch, my eyes!” The boy quickly covered his eyes.

Nuo hurriedly straightened up and realized there was another person in the room, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Asker touched his lips expressionlessly.

His first kiss was gone.

“This is…” Nuo asked in a low voice.

“The guy who saved me.” Asker turned to the boy and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Hood.” The boy said. “Hood Timlick.”

“Hood.” Asker nodded, indicating that he had remembered. “I’m Asker Lepidus Achilles. This is our mercenary group’s healer, Miss Nuo.”

“Hello.” Nuo looked at him apologetically, giving him a gentle smile, as if saying “Sorry for scaring you.”

“Hello, hello.” Hood was a little flattered, then looked at Asker.

“Although Hood is not yet an adult, he is a mechanic.” Asker said to Nuo. “Well, I’m considering offering him a contract. After all, he was just fired by his boss, and our team could use someone to maintain our equipment.”

“A mechanic?” Nuo said meekly. “Sure, our team’s finances are very healthy, we can offer this position.”

Hood silently looked at Nuo. This young lady with brown hair, delicate features, a pure appearance, and a gentle temperament was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, even more stunning than the stars on TV.

Asker, you bastard, go to hell!

For some reason, this thought popped into his mind.

“Since my injury has healed, let’s go back.” Asker got out of bed and asked Hood, “So, are you going to join us?”

Hood really wanted to say no, but he had just lost his job. If he refused Asker’s invitation, how would he support himself?

After thinking for a long time, he could only say sullenly:

“I won’t be a mercenary, it’s a matter of principle. But I can temporarily work for you, and the payment will be based on piecework. I reserve the right to leave at any time.”

“That’s fine too.” Asker said, “Come and sign the contract.”

Nuo looked at Asker curiously as he took out another contract. This time, it wasn’t the employment contract she had signed at the beginning, but an outsourcing agreement… God knows why Asker carried so many contracts with him.

Compared to a formal contract, the terms of the outsourcing agreement were much harsher.

The monthly salary was still 2 pounds, but he couldn’t use the team funds, and Furnace Island probably wouldn’t be open to him either.

If the outsourced worker needed to, they could terminate the contract and leave the team at any time.

Hood readily signed. A monthly salary of 2 pounds was already very high. As for what team funds were? He didn’t care, ignorance is bliss.

After signing the contract, the three prepared to leave.

Hood began to pack his things, such as his usual tools, research manuscripts, comic books, and figures.

Nuo went outside for some fresh air. Asker sat boredly on a chair, waiting, when he suddenly heard Hood ask:

“That woman, is she your wife?”

“No.” Asker said.

“Lover? Girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Don’t tell me she’s just unrequitedly in love with you?” Hood asked incredulously.

Asker didn’t speak.

“Oh my God, Asker, go to hell, you sinful man!” Hood exclaimed angrily.

Asker: ???

“Did I do something to offend you?” Asker asked.

“Because I’m on the female college student’s side.” Hood said.

Asker: …

“Miss Nuo, if I’m not mistaken, she should still be a college student, right?” Hood muttered to himself. “Young and beautiful, full of energy, the secret crush of all the boys in school, a super goddess who receives more than thirty love letters every semester!”

“If I were lucky enough to meet such a national treasure female college student, I would hold her hand every day, take her for walks, watch movies with her, feed her, buy her beautiful clothes and skirts, bathe her, play airplane with her, and hug her to sleep! Cherishing beautiful women is what a real man does!”

No, that’s just being a pervert.

Hood screamed as if he was going crazy. After a long time, he pointed at Asker and said angrily, panting:

“Why did she end up with you?!”

“Do you like her?” Asker asked.

“This is not liking, this is longing, a longing for the beautiful things in the world.” Hood said, “A sinful harem king like you can’t tell the difference between possessiveness and longing.”

“Have you been reading too many comics?” Asker said with a speechless expression. “Young people should read fewer comics. Immersing yourself too much in a fantasy world will make you unable to distinguish between illusion and reality.”

He suddenly felt a little melancholy. Wasn’t he the same? Was this world… a real different world? Or a highly realistic game world?

If it was a game world, why was everything so real? If it was a real different world, why was it exactly the same as the game in his previous life? Was there really such an amazing coincidence?

Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly, was it Zhuangzi who dreamed of the butterfly, or the butterfly who dreamed of becoming Zhuangzi?

“I’m done packing.” Hood zipped up his backpack, seemingly not wanting to talk to him.

“Oh, then let’s go.” Asker stood up.

Even if he himself was just a brain in a vat, and this world was a false world created by signals input into his brain, it seemed that he didn’t have any way to deal with it.

Let’s just continue according to the current plan.

Chapter 31: The Mechanic

Asker opened his eyes, his whole body aching.

So brutal, to actually encounter a higher-sequence opponent… he thought self-deprecatingly.

A higher-sequence opponent referred to an enemy whose Sequence abilities were similar to yours, but whose level or rank was higher.

In other words, they had all the supernatural abilities you had, you couldn’t outsmart them, and you couldn’t beat them in a head-on fight, which was naturally very frustrating.

Assassins were one of the few professions that could be considered similar to the Weapon Master Sequence. Although he could still fight with the Celestial Ninefold Strike, the price he paid wasn’t small.

Even the narrow victory of finally counter-killing the opponent was achieved by relying on the environment, as well as his awareness and cāozuò (techniques, micro-management, referring to precise control and execution in gaming) as a professional player, and exchanging blows with the opponent until one of them fell.

“You’re still very weak.” The boy walked in with a medical kit. “Don’t move, you might get an infection.”

“Is this your room?” Asker looked around.

The walls were covered with various mechanical manuscripts, including three-view drawings of hydraulic components and circuit diagrams with various symbols. There was a computer on the table, the kind with a bulky box monitor, and a thick stack of manuscripts next to it.

“This is the subway maintenance room.” The boy said, “But I’m currently the only maintenance worker, so it’s fine to call it my bedroom.”

“What about that White-Clad Assassin?” Asker asked.

“He was dragged away by the people sent from above.” The boy said, “A fusion battery explosion, that kind of accident can’t be hidden from anyone. If you hadn’t killed him quickly, we might have been exposed.”

“We weren’t discovered?” Asker said.

“My powered armor was discovered!” The boy gritted his teeth.

“Why did you have a set of powered armor in the warehouse?” Asker asked.

“Because my lifelong dream is to build the strongest powered armor in the world! But powered armor is military equipment, I could only get it through smuggling.” The boy cried, “I waited six years to secretly get one, and now it’s been destroyed by you!”

“You can go to the Holy Solomon Empire to buy it.” Asker suggested. “It’s legal to buy and sell powered armor there, it only costs about 200 pounds.”

“Where would I get 200 pounds!” The boy said tearfully. “My current annual salary is only 10 pounds!”

“Well, it seems you’re of the Mechanic bloodline, right?” Asker asked. “Why not make transcendental items for others to earn money?”

“How did you know?” The boy asked curiously.

“You have the Mechanic I formula posted on the wall.” Asker said.

“Ahem.” The boy covered his face in embarrassment. “Olympia has a Craftsmen’s Association, and big clients would rather choose formal craftsmen. Clients worry about production failures or embezzlement of materials with independent craftsmen like me.”

“Are the entry requirements for the Craftsmen’s Association very high?” Asker asked.

“No, the Craftsmen’s Association only recruits adults…” the boy said.

“Have you considered becoming a mercenary?” Asker asked casually. “Mercenaries make money faster.”

“Am I crazy? I’m a perfectly good mechanic, why would I become a mercenary?” The boy said disdainfully, then seemed to realize something. “Wait, you mean, you’re a mercenary?”

“I’m the leader of a mercenary group.” Asker said.

“Then you must have the money to compensate me for the powered armor!” The boy clenched his fists excitedly.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t compensate you.” Asker said, “I just have a suggestion, after all, it’s not a solution for you to save money like this. We have a military nun in our group, but she’s currently our main healer, and mechanical repair is just a side job for her.”

“I think we can offer a mechanic position… Wait, you’re a man, right?”

“Which eye of yours sees me as a girl? Do you need to go to the hospital and see an ophthalmologist?” The boy said scornfully.

“That’s great.” Asker sighed, recalling his painful experience of mistaking Sidlipha’s gender.

Although she eventually proved to be a qualified armor-piercing DPS.

“What’s so great about being a man…” The boy subconsciously said, then seemed to realize something, and the look in his eyes changed.

“Two pounds a month, including room and board, travel with the group, how about that?” Asker invited him. “If there are any gains, there will also be a commission. I estimate that in four or five years at most, you’ll be able to save enough money to buy a powered armor.”

“Although the price is high, I can’t sell my ass.” The boy shook his head resolutely.

Asker looked at him strangely and said with a smile:

“Don’t misunderstand, my sexual orientation is normal… It’s just that there are more girls in our group, so I’m confirming your gender first.”

“More girls?” The boy was a little surprised. “Aren’t you running a mercenary group? Shouldn’t mercenary groups be full of burly men?”

“Sigh.” Asker felt a little embarrassed. “That’s all an accident, let’s not talk about it.”

“How many people are in your team? How many women are there?” The boy asked.

“Currently, including me, there are about nine people. As for women, excluding me, there are about eight.” Asker said euphemistically.

The boy was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with admiration:

“You’re amazing!” He exclaimed sincerely. “Hanging out with eight women, those who know you call you Captain, those who don’t know you might as well call you President.”

“President?”

“The boss of an entertainment company!” The boy said, “Which mercenary group would recruit so many women!”

Asker: …

“Stop talking nonsense.” He said impatiently. “Are you going to join or not?”

“No.” The boy said, “Who wants to be a mercenary? It’s not as comfortable as being my subway maintenance worker.”

“I’m afraid you can’t do this job anymore.” Asker said leisurely.

Before the boy could understand, the door was pushed open, and a large group of people crowded into the room.

“Mr. Asker.” Quintus, the noble officer who came in last, confirmed his appearance and smiled. “We’ve been looking for you.”

“No way, I was unconscious for a while after the battle and was saved by this kid.” Asker pointed to the boy.

The boy: ???

He looked at Asker, then at Quintus, stunned and speechless.

“Thank you for killing that Ilanian White-Clad Assassin.” Quintus said with a smile. “Otherwise, the dignitaries in the city would be on edge again.”

“I see.” Asker nodded.

“Anyway, since I’ve found you, I can go back and reply to the Spartans.” Quintus waved his hand, his gaze falling on the boy. “You saved him?”

“Yes, sir!” The boy immediately became excited. He recognized this man as Quintus, the chief of security of Olympia, the city lord’s son, a very rich man.

Was he going to reward him? Could he ask for a powered armor?

“You acted bravely to save someone, and you should be rewarded.” Quintus said slowly, “But you privately purchased smuggled military powered armor, violating the ‘Olympia City Security Law,’ so your merits and demerits cancel each other out, and you won’t be punished.”

The boy’s excited face immediately fell.

“Who’s in charge of this subway line? Manager Turin?” Quintus turned and asked.

“I’m here, sir!” A fat man squeezed out of the crowd, nodding and smiling obsequiously.

“There’s a set of powered armor in the subway maintenance warehouse, and you didn’t know? If it wasn’t powered armor, but high-quality explosives, would you have to wait until the subway was blown up before your people discovered the problem?”

“Sir, this was my mistake…” The fat man hurriedly pressed his hand to his chest, lowered his head humbly, and said nothing.

Quintus waved his hand again. Punishing a small figure like the subway manager didn’t require his personal involvement, the people below would naturally handle it.

He looked at Asker again, suddenly losing interest.

“Then that’s it.” Quintus turned around and said, “Mr. Asker, your companions are looking for you, I’ve already asked them to come over.”

“Thank you.” Asker said.

The group left in a flurry, the fat manager bowing and scraping behind them, not even glancing at the boy.

The latter was dejected and pale – he knew that his job was definitely gone.

Chapter 30: The White-Clad Assassin

An Ilanian White-Clad Assassin!

Asker immediately averted his gaze, looking elsewhere.

However, the assassin quickly turned his head, his gaze locking onto Asker.

Discovered… Asker thought helplessly.

Ilanian Assassins had the “Intuition” Sequence in their bloodline. At lower levels, they could sense impending danger, and at higher levels, they could even sense the gazes of others.

This White-Clad Assassin seemed to possess a high-level Intuition ability (or a corresponding supernatural item), so much so that even Asker’s fleeting glance was noticed by him.

“Thira, take Nuo back first.” Asker said gently.

“Huh?” Thira was a little puzzled, but Asker quickly winked at her.

So she obediently took Nuo and left.

Asker watched the White-Clad Assassin approaching through the crowd, one hand on his sword, the other gripping the pistol at his waist.

This would probably be his toughest battle since transmigrating.

The magic tide level cap was 5. If a high-level Transcendental used a supernatural ability above level 5, they would lose control due to spiritual damage.

However, physically-oriented bloodlines could circumvent this limit, such as “Weapon Master,” and “Assassin.”

The potions in their bloodlines didn’t grant the Transcendents themselves various incredible abilities, but directly increased their physical qualities and combat experience.

In other words, these were passive buffs, not active abilities.

Passive buffs naturally didn’t consume mana, so they didn’t need to consume spirituality, and there was no need to worry about the magic tide cap. They could be fully utilized.

Most of the current White-Clad Assassins in Ilania were high-level Transcendents left over from the last magic tide. Since this one was sent to Olympia on a mission, his level wouldn’t be too high, estimated to be around level 8-10.

(Higher-level White-Clad Assassins were basically all carrying out missions in major cities in the Western countries.)

However, even if there was only a difference of 4-5 levels, wouldn’t he be suppressed in all aspects, whether it was explosive power or reaction speed?

It’s best not to fight… Asker turned and left, heading in the opposite direction from Thira and the others.

Coming to a deserted alley, Asker turned around and saw the White-Clad Assassin standing at the entrance of the alley, his face hidden by his hood.

“I’m just a passerby.” Asker said sincerely. “I don’t intend to get involved in anything.”

The assassin spread his hands, two daggers popping out from his sleeves, which he gripped.

“Why bother?” Asker sighed.

With a loud bang, the entire brick wall collapsed. Asker’s figure was sent flying, landing on the ground and rolling a few times.

The assassin looked at his daggers, his face expressionless.

In that split second, he had already swung his daggers three times, all of which were blocked and deflected by the opponent.

Even the last kick, it was more like the opponent deliberately let him hit him, just to create displacement and distance.

Asker bounced up and said, “You can’t kill me anyway, so why not stop here? Don’t you still have your mission target?”

“Is it worth exposing yourself just to chase me?”

The assassin responded with a shot from a wrist crossbow, which Asker deflected with his sword.

Asker turned and fled.

The assassin quickly chased after him.

The two chased each other closely in the alley. Asker didn’t intend to run to a crowded area, and neither did the White-Clad Assassin.

Because once they were discovered by the crowd, the White-Clad Assassin would immediately give up the chase and conceal himself.

Then Azure Longsword would have to be wary of endless assassinations from him, such as a stray arrow, a poisonous snake, or a bomb planted under the bed.

Therefore, both of them chose to flee to remote areas.

Arriving at the stairwell between the 60th and 61st floors, there was a secluded maintenance warehouse, its door half open.

Asker flashed inside and saw a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy looking at him in terror, dropping the drill in his hand.

“You!” He exclaimed.

“Don’t shout!” Asker rushed in and pulled him behind a shelf.

A few seconds later, the White-Clad Assassin kicked open the door and coldly scanned the room.

His intuition told him that the person was in this room.

The two hiding behind the shelf held their breath.

The White-Clad Assassin looked at the wall where a set of powered armor was placed.

There were obvious signs of modification. At least in the Eastern Solomon Empire, it was illegal for civilians to privately modify powered armor.

The White-Clad Assassin wiped the paint on it with his little finger and brought it to his nose to sniff.

A moist trace, the user shouldn’t be far away.

In other words, there were two people in the room.

He took out a dagger from his sleeve and casually scratched the armor.

An unsightly scratch appeared on the painted surface.

The boy immediately showed intense emotions, wanting to rush out and fight the White-Clad Assassin to the death. Asker held him back tightly.

Although he held him back, there was still a slight sound. The White-Clad Assassin turned around and looked in the direction where Asker and the boy were hiding.

Then he saw a muzzle suddenly emerge from among the clutter on the shelf.

The White-Clad Assassin instantly sidestepped. The gun fired.

It didn’t hit the White-Clad Assassin.

But it hit the single-phase nuclear fusion battery placed on the windowsill.

From the White-Clad Assassin’s perspective, the miniature fusion battery was just blocked by the powered armor, so he hadn’t noticed this deadly explosive.

A huge explosion wave spread in all directions, instantly filling the entire warehouse with black smoke and a strong pungent smell.

Behind the collapsed shelf, the boy who had been pulled back sat, collapsed on the ground in a daze. He knew that it must have been his powered armor that exploded.

A figure rushed out of the black smoke, a dagger in his hand stabbing fiercely towards Asker.

Asker grabbed his dagger with his left hand and fired three shots in a row with his pistol in his right hand.

The White-Clad Assassin, still alive after being hit by three bullets, fought Asker with his dagger again.

The two clashed blades several times in a split second, with the intense momentum of not stopping until one of them was dead. The black smoke in the warehouse was filled with the crisp clanging of metal.

Asker’s sword, using Sharp Break, bypassed the White-Clad Assassin’s block and pierced directly into his chest.

At the same time, the White-Clad Assassin’s dagger also stabbed into his abdomen.

Then both of them let go at the same time. The White-Clad Assassin swayed a few times and collapsed to the ground.

Asker then noticed that his entire back had been blown to pieces by the fusion battery explosion.

Blood pooled beneath him, forming a lake. At this rate of blood loss, he should have been dead long ago.

This White-Clad Assassin was truly strong, even more Spartan than the Spartans. If he hadn’t used the environment and the blind spot of vision, he probably wouldn’t have been able to kill him so quickly.

Asker walked over unsteadily and began to loot the body.

Wrist crossbow, poison, smoke bomb… He fumbled for a bunch of things, stuffing them all into his bag without even looking.

Finally, he found a small bag of chewed hemostatic herbs, mixed with a small amount of anesthetic.

Pulling out the dagger from his abdomen, Asker lifted his damaged chainmail and cloth armor and pressed the herbs firmly against the wound.

The pain stopped, and he leaned against the wall and sat down, feeling drowsy.

However, a childish voice woke him up.

Asker opened his eyes with difficulty and saw the boy’s expression, half pain, half anger.

“You’ll pay for my powered armor!” He roared through gritted teeth.

Chapter 29: Grandfather

“It’s not a matter of weakness.” Quintus said with a wry smile. “Given a suitable venue, one mage can be worth a heavy weapons company.”

“The problem is that with assassinations, there’s no way to prepare in advance, and in emergencies, mages are no match for assassins.”

“Spartans can provide close protection.” Rudashius said.

“With the help of Weapon Masters, I think these mages should be able to calm down a bit.” Quintus sighed. “More than thirty mage towers have already announced their closure, and the Mages Union has put a lot of political pressure on my father.”

“We Spartans alone are not enough.” Rudashius said. “We must recruit more mercenaries.”

“Mercenaries are unstable factors.” Quintus looked troubled. “Not all mercenaries value honor and discipline as much as Spartans do.”

“Spartans are not pureblood supremacists either, the era of closed city-states is over.” Rudashius replied. “I was once a Cypriot mercenary until I came to the city-state of Sparta.”

“We hope to hold a martial arts competition to select the strongest warriors among the mercenaries and incorporate them into the city defense forces.”

“We will use Spartan iron-blooded discipline to train them and forge them into Spartan warriors capable of rivaling the Latins.”

“But this is, after all, for the defense of Olympia.”

“Understood. Regarding funding, I need to discuss this matter with my father.” Quintus nodded. “Please rest in the city barracks first.”

Rudashius nodded coldly and led the group onto the subway.

Quintus watched the Spartans leave, his gaze suddenly stopping on a petite figure.

Huh, this guy… A slight feeling stirred within him, but the subway had already started, carrying the group away and disappearing from his sight.

It must be my imagination.

…

Because it was built inside a tree, the subway in Olympia was vertical.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a high-speed elevator.

The entire city of Olympia was divided into 106 floors, connected by more than 30 elevators. Some elevators only stopped at odd-numbered floors, some only stopped at the bottom 10 floors, and so on, as complex as a network.

The one Rudashius and the others were riding was a military-only elevator, leading directly to the 80th floor.

Although Olympia was very wealthy, profiting greatly from the trade of transcendental materials, the living conditions in the barracks still maintained the simple and unadorned style of the Siris people.

The Spartans were assigned a large dormitory-style room, sharing it with the Olympia city guards.

The members of the Azure Longsword mercenary group were fortunate enough to get a separate room, which was originally the officers’ bedroom.

Thanks to the frequent assassinations in the city, the Olympia barracks had also been attacked several times, so the noble officers had all gone home to sleep.

This bedroom wasn’t large and could only accommodate four beds, but it wasn’t a problem for the group who had Furnace Island.

Mia pressed her hands against the French window, looked at the sea of clouds and the earth below, and exclaimed:

“Asker, come and see, how high up are we?!”

“Be careful, the window might not be sturdy enough, you might fall.” Asker joked.

Mia was startled and quickly moved away from the French window.

“Asker.” Someone was tugging at his sleeve.

Asker turned around and saw Princess Thira.

“I want to talk to you privately.” Thira said.

“What’s up?” Thinking of the recent series of events, Asker asked curiously, “Did you happen to learn a new supernatural sword technique? Or did you suddenly discover that you have a split personality?”

Thira: ???

“No.” Thira seemed to find it difficult to speak. “It’s about my family.”

The two teleported to Furnace Island and found a secluded place.

“Tell me.” Asker said.

“The city lord of Olympia is the imperial noble Appius.” Thira took off her mask, revealing her perfect face, her expression a little troubled. “He’s my grandfather.”

Asker pondered.

“So the noble officer named Quintus just now…”

“Is my uncle.” Thira sighed. “He comes to Constantinople every few years to visit Zoe and me.”

“So what are you planning to do?” Asker asked casually. “Reunite with your family?”

“No.” Thira shook her head. “Once my identity is exposed, they will definitely send me to Athens for protection, they won’t allow me to stay on the front lines.”

“Olympia has a special status in the empire and even in the Siris province. The formula for Wisdom X requires the sap of the Eden Tree, which only the Olympus Tree can provide. And besides that, almost any Arcane Sequence formula, transcendental material, or knowledge can be found in Olympia.”

“This is a city of mages, the holy land and cornerstone of the empire’s transcendental world, just like the significance of the Church to the scientific community.”

“I have already failed Constantinople’s trust. I am no longer the Empress, but I at least hope to save Olympia, to prevent this pearl of the empire from falling into the hands of the Western Crusaders.”

“Hmm.” Asker pondered. “Olympia should be fine.”

“If it were the Seljuks attacking, there might be a possibility of the city falling. But this time, the opponent is the Latin Empire.”

“The Latin Empire is facing the threat of the Seljuks in Asia Minor from both front and back, they can’t afford to attack Olympia with all their might. As long as we make them pay a sufficient price, they will naturally retreat and go plunder elsewhere.”

“The Seljuks also saw this, so they frequently sent Iranian assassins to cause trouble in the city, aiming to make the Latin Empire think they have an opportunity, and thus suffer heavy losses in the siege against Siris.”

“I see.” Thira clearly relaxed.

She also felt that Olympia would probably be fine, otherwise, Asker, such a shrewd and cunning guy, wouldn’t have brought the team to Olympia.

Now, getting confirmation from Asker, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“That…” Thira thought for a moment and then said, “I want to buy the transcendental materials for ‘Meteor I,’ can you accompany me?”

“Of course.” Asker said, “Call Nuo, let’s buy everything we need together.”

So the two returned to reality, called Nuo, and the three took the elevator and left the barracks.

The 60th floor of Olympia, with a height of 20 meters, was the famous “Transcendental Market.” All kinds of transcendental materials were openly sold here, with various stalls, shops, and auction houses.

Almost all Sequence I formulas could be found here, and there were also quite a few Sequence II formulas. As Thira said, as the only “transcendental goods distribution center” in the world, Olympia’s status was unmatched by other cities.

It naturally attracted Transcendents and resources from the entire empire, then amplified them through the cluster effect.

Through the commodity circulation channels within, it distributed various formulas and resources to the corresponding Sequence Transcendents, essentially acting as an upgrade accelerator for the entire empire’s transcendental world.

In the game of his previous life, it was also a trading paradise for RMB warriors and studios.

If it were the original game world, Asker wouldn’t believe that the game officials would let Olympia fall – otherwise, the RMB warriors would explode on the spot.

But in this other world, anything was possible.

He was thinking this when he suddenly noticed a figure in front of him.

That guy’s walking posture was a little strange.

Chapter 28: Entering the City

Three consecutive defeats.

The Spartans were silent.

If they had only lost once, the Spartans might have been angry, considering losing to women a great shame.

However, three consecutive defeats could no longer be explained by mistakes, it could only mean that there was a huge gap in strength between the two sides.

The Spartans respected the strong, and they looked at Asker with awe.

What kind of monsters are in your mercenary group (gender doesn’t matter anymore)!

Being able to lead these monsters, how terrifying is this team leader’s skill?!

“Is that enough?” Asker asked with a smile. “If you want to try again, we only have mages, gunmen, thieves, and doctors left, all non-melee professions.”

Spartans: …

They did want to test the strength of the others, but not to assess them or save face, but to see how powerful the other monsters were.

However, since Asker had said so, the Spartan warriors couldn’t just point at a doctor and say “I want to duel you.” That would be too embarrassing.

So the Azure Longsword group smoothly joined the Spartan mercenary company and boarded the bus to Olympia as foreign aid.

“Actually, we are here to aid Olympia.” On the bus, Rudashius explained to Asker and the others. “Constantinople has fallen, and the Franks have established the Latin Empire there, crowning Baldwin, Count of Flanders, as Emperor.”

“But after the siege, on the one hand, the industry in the Golden Horn has been completely destroyed, and on the other hand, the Seljuks are also wreaking havoc in Asia Minor, so this Latin empire has no financial support at all.”

“So they have occupied Thrace, next is Macedonia, and their ultimate goal must be to plunder the wealthy Siris.”

“In the foreseeable future, the city of Thessaloniki should not be able to hold out. But we can help defend Olympia, like a nail driven into the Franks’ marching route.”

“If they want to go south to conquer Siris, we will attack their rear and cut off their logistical supplies. If they want to attack by force, we will repel them on Mount Olympus.”

“Just like our ancestors led 300 warriors and repelled the Iranian army at Thermopylae!”

“Roar!” The Spartans on the bus roared in unison.

Asker pondered.

This plot didn’t exist in his previous life. It seemed that because there were no players in this world, the butterfly effect had already changed many plot points.

In the game of his previous life, after the players repelled the Franks, the Seljuks occupied Constantinople.

Then, in the first version, they began to attack Siris.

First, they attacked Crete. This island originally belonged to the Eastern Solomon Empire and was sold to Venice after the fall of the capital. This was the so-called “Battle of Crete” dungeon.

In the end, the Seljuks won, capturing the island from the Venetians, and then using it as a springboard to attack Siris from the northeast and southeast.

The Spartans defended the Peloponnese Peninsula, which was the landing point of the Seljuk forces in the southeast. Olympia defended against the Seljuk army from the northeast.

These two forces jointly defended Siris, but they never intersected on the same battlefield.

And in this world, because the Franks had captured Constantinople first and established the Latin Empire, Venice had also destroyed Constantinople and obtained Crete as a trading hub, so they had no interest in Siris.

Therefore, the Spartans had the extra capacity to go north and support Olympia.

Of course, the enemy of Olympia this time was also different from his previous life.

The Seljuk enemies in his previous life were mainly composed of Transcendental troops, that is, Transcendents with levels, controlling a massive army of ordinary people without levels, and a large number of devils and supernatural creatures to attack.

As Arcane Mages with AOE damage, they weren’t afraid of these massive enemies.

And this time, the Latin Empire’s army was composed of a large number of knights, knight squires, and conscripts. The characteristic of these Frankish poor people was that they all had supernatural power, and their attributes were biased towards physical strength, with high defense, high HP, and high endurance.

So relying solely on damage output suppression wasn’t realistic.

Arcane Mages, who specialized in mental strength, were very vulnerable when approached by enemies. Even Alexander’s corpse controlled by a demigod, with its level 5 Meteor Shower suppressing the entire field, couldn’t escape being taken down by Asker after he got close.

Therefore, the Spartans’ support was a timely help for Olympia.

It was also understandable that even with the free passage blocked, these Spartans could still take special vehicles to Olympia.

The city of Olympia was built on the towering Mount Olympus. There was a giant Eden Tree on the mountain, more than a thousand meters tall, its name Olympus…

Since these Siris names were all related, let’s just call them Mount Olympus, the Olympus Tree, and the city of Olympia for now.

The city of Olympia was built inside the trunk of the Olympus Tree, a veritable “city within a tree.”

The original purpose of the Siris people building a city here was to obtain the flowers and fruits of the Olympus Tree, namely the “Flower of the Eden Tree” and the “Fruit of the Eden Tree,” which were potion materials for many sequences such as Life and Steal.

In fact, the Olympus Tree itself was a giant supernatural creature. Due to its huge size and weight, its lower trunk had long been unable to bear the burden, and the ducts around the bark were almost all crushed and deformed.

The Siris people who built the city here hollowed out a huge cavity around the bottom of the trunk and built a city inside. At the same time, they helped support the cavity with high-strength materials, and incidentally protected the ducts, ensuring that water from the roots could be continuously transported to the branches and leaves above.

Therefore, the Olympus Tree could grow so large. It and the Siris people living inside it formed a strange and harmonious symbiotic relationship.

The bus drove up the mountain road, and the road gradually extended onto the tree roots. These tree roots were so huge that everyone initially mistook them for rocks.

Then the bus entered a tunnel, and only the faint lights on the tunnel ceiling remained.

Suddenly, the bus stopped.

“We’re here.” Rudashius said, leading the way out of the car.

The Azure Longsword members also followed the Spartans out of the car and saw a military fortress at the end of the tunnel, guarded by heavily armed soldiers.

A noble-looking officer was waiting there and shook hands firmly with Rudashius.

“Quintus Appius.” The noble officer introduced himself. “Welcome to Olympia, Spartans.”

“For the Empire.” Rudashius saluted.

Quintus looked behind him, his gaze falling on the members of Azure Longsword.

There was no way around it, the Spartans’ attire was too distinctive: forged plate armor, heavy infantry helmets, steel greaves, and red cloaks behind them (used to wrap corpses after death).

In comparison, the members of Azure Longsword had full body armor, half body armor, chainmail, plate armor, cloth armor, leather armor, all kinds of equipment, looking like a motley mercenary troop from nowhere.

“Foreign aid.” Rudashius simply said these two words, without further explanation.

“Very well, Olympia needs more fighting power.” Quintus didn’t ask further questions, partly because he was already familiar with the Spartans’ laconic speech style, and partly because he trusted the Spartans’ judgment.

Not everyone was worthy of the Spartans’ recognition. These guys were powerful in battle and arrogant, countless times in history refusing to fight alongside the Siris people, on the grounds that “the Siris people are too weak.”

It was not until they were conquered by the militarily stronger Solomons that these Spartans began to pledge allegiance to the Empire and were willing to be incorporated into the army along with other ethnic groups.

“We are the last group of Spartan mercenaries.” Rudashius said directly. “Has the city’s security level increased again?”

“There was another assassination a few days ago.” Quintus said, “Councilor Aristo of the Mages Union was assassinated. The assassins were two Iranian black-clad assassins. Four or five of my men died before the two assassins were cut down in a pool of blood.”

“Mages are too weak.” Rudashius said.

Chapter 27: Extreme Combat

The Spartans fell silent.

To be fair, Bitias hadn’t made any mistakes; it could only be said that the opponent was indeed an evenly matched adversary.

This Northern woman was undoubtedly an explosive strength-based warrior, and Bitias’ chosen tactic of focusing on defense was precisely countered by her.

He should have attacked from the beginning, striving to seize the initiative in the fight, while looking for opportunities for a fatal blow.

No, wait. The bald, muscular man suddenly thought of something: Bitias’ last downward strike with the hilt of his sword.

At his swinging speed, he should have been able to hit the target simultaneously with the opponent’s wooden sword.

However, in the end, Bitias missed, and the opponent’s wooden sword hit his abdomen first.

Could it be…

The bald man finally remembered.

When this Northern woman charged and swung her sword, before Bitias struck downwards with the hilt of his sword, she had made a distinct lowering motion.

Was her original target his chest? But if that were the case, she would have suffered a mutual defeat with Bitias (if they were using real swords).

So she chose to strike the lower abdomen, lowering her height at the same time, thus hitting him first?

This woman, if she could control such details in such a wild attack…

Then even if he had attacked her from the beginning, he might not have gained any advantage!

“How was it?” Sidlipha, triumphant, asked Asker proudly.

“You fought well.” Asker said, “But what the hell was that throwing knife at the end?”

“Huh? That was to lure him to raise his sword, and then I would take the opportunity to slash!” Sidlipha defended herself.

“If you wanted to lure him to raise his sword, why didn’t you use a downward Lion’s Fang with your left hand, forcing him to parry, and then use a Tiger Cut with your right hand?” Asker asked.

“Your throwing knife was easily deflected by him, and he still had the strength to strike downwards with the hilt of his sword while facing your right-hand slash. If it were Lion’s Fang, his wooden sword would have to maintain an upward block, and he wouldn’t be able to defend against the Tiger Cut from your other hand, right?”

“Uh…” Sidlipha’s expression faltered. “I didn’t think that much at the time.”

“Go back and think about it carefully.” Asker said. “The battlefield situation changes rapidly, there’s indeed no time for you to think. However, every choice you make must be the optimal choice under the circumstances, and this can be optimized through post-battle analysis.”

“If you don’t know how to do post-battle analysis, ask Eleanor.”

“Oh.” Sidlipha said dejectedly.

What are they doing? The bald man looked at Asker instructing Sidlipha, a suspicious look on his face.

These guys didn’t seem to be simple characters.

“I’ll be the next one.” The bald man stepped forward.

“Rudashius? You’re coming personally?” A Spartan handed him a wooden greatsword.

“Yes.” Rudashius, the leader of the Spartan envoy, nodded.

“Peggy, how’s your practice of that sword technique coming along?” Asker asked.

“Not yet.” Peggy shook her head. “But I can now steal other people’s thoughts and anticipate their actions in advance.”

“That’s good enough, you’re up.” Asker said.

So Peggy stepped forward and picked up a wooden short sword from the side.

“You’re not an adult yet, little girl?” Rudashius frowned, his greatsword dragging casually on the ground.

“Don’t call me little girl.” Peggy said coldly. “You’ll regret it.”

“How do you want me to regret it?” Rudashius asked mockingly. “Punch me in the chest?”

Peggy sneered, her figure suddenly bursting forward.

“So fast!” Rudashius’s expression changed drastically.

He really hadn’t expected such explosive speed from such a petite girl.

Rudashius swung his greatsword horizontally, slashing at the charging figure.

Peggy, as if she had anticipated it, sidestepped the slash and instantly moved behind him with a swift step.

Backstab.

However, Rudashius simply turned agilely and swung his greatsword in a backhand slash.

Following Slash.

Peggy swiftly jumped back twice, perfectly dodging the sweep of the wooden greatsword. The moment the blade swept past, she charged into the attack range again.

“Extreme combat?” Eleanor said in surprise from the sidelines.

“Extreme?” Sidlipha asked.

“What Asker taught us last time, have you forgotten?” Eleanor stared at the fight and explained:

“Assuming the opponent’s arm length plus sword length, their attack range is 3 meters. Then, if you want to dodge the attack, you just need to retreat beyond 3 meters, whether it’s 4 meters or 5 meters.”

“However, in reality, the further you retreat, the longer it will take to get close again for a counterattack. Therefore, the so-called extreme combat is dodging just outside the opponent’s attack range.”

“If the opponent’s attack range is 3 meters, you retreat 3 meters. After dodging, you only need to move forward a little to re-enter the counterattack range, which is a few tenths of a second faster than retreating 4-5 meters and then counterattacking.”

“Dodging at the very edge of their range?” Sidlipha pondered. “Isn’t that…”

“Yes, extreme combat has a very low fault tolerance rate.” Eleanor said seriously. “If the enemy deliberately hides their attack range, then extreme combat can easily be exploited in reverse, causing you to be hit by attacks that you could have dodged.”

“But according to Asker, the opponents we encounter at this stage basically don’t have the ability to perfectly hide their attack range.”

“What do you mean by ‘at this stage’?” Sidlipha smiled. “Does that mean we will encounter stronger enemies in the future?”

“Yes.” Eleanor nodded slightly.

So fast! Rudashius on the field realized for the first time what it meant to be “like a shadow.”

The opponent was too close, almost always moving within a distance of 0.5 to 1 meter around him, fully utilizing the close-range advantage of the short sword.

As a result, the large greatsword he was wielding, because it wasn’t as flexible as the opponent’s, became a disadvantage at such a close attack range.

Rudashius held his breath and gritted his teeth, once again using Moon Slash, sweeping a 360-degree circle around him. Peggy retreated half a step just in time, dodging just outside the range of Moon Slash, not an inch more.

Now! Rudashius shifted his body slightly, turned, and swung his sword. At the same time, he suddenly stepped to the left, the circle of his sword instantly enveloping Peggy’s position.

I hit her! He roared inwardly.

However, there was no force on his sword. Peggy, once again as if she had anticipated it, jumped back and dodged the suddenly expanded sword circle.

The moment the greatsword swept past, she landed from her jump and kicked off the ground, her body charging forward, her short sword thrusting forward sharply!

Dodging? No! Only then did Rudashius realize that, in order to hide his attack range and expand the sword circle, his body was currently in a tilted posture.

It was impossible to retract the already swung greatsword to block. However, to dodge left or right, he had to first stabilize his tilted body, and with the opponent’s thrusting speed, he simply didn’t have time to complete these actions.

His heart sank, and he suddenly dropped his weapon, grabbing towards Peggy’s wooden short sword with both hands.

If it were a real sword, the opponent could easily cut off all ten of his fingers with a light slash.

However, it was a wooden sword. For the sake of victory, Rudashius didn’t care anymore.

Empty-Hand Disarmament!

The short sword suddenly stopped during its thrust. Rudashius’ hands grabbed at the air. He looked up with a shocked expression and saw that Peggy’s short sword had stopped right between his eyes, at his forehead.

“You lose.” Peggy said lightly, threw the wooden short sword aside, and left on her own.

Chapter 26: A Double Duel

The Spartan warrior, Tullius, held the training stick horizontally in front of his chest with both hands.

Then, a straight thrust.

The thrust was swift and fierce, almost exceeding the limit of what the naked eye could see.

Eleanor raised her shield to intercept. The stick and shield collided, and the force of the impact made her left hand numb.

A word popped into her mind.

Rigidity.

“Two ways to create rigidity,” Asker’s voice echoed from the memory of their daily training on Furnace Island. “One is parrying, the other is blocking. The state of rigidity is the best time to counterattack.”

“But, according to what you said, when the enemy’s weapon hits my shield, because force is reciprocal, both of our arms will enter rigidity, so how can we counterattack?”

“Idiot!” Asker knocked her on the head with the hilt of his sword. “He’s holding the weapon with his right hand, and you’re holding the shield with your left hand. Trade your left hand’s rigidity for his right hand’s rigidity, and then your right hand can attack with a weapon.”

Seize the rigidity, counterattack.

Eleanor’s right hand thrust out, the training stick aiming straight at Tullius’ chest.

With his arms in rigidity, he couldn’t block, he could only take the hit!

“If you judge that the opponent can only take the hit, then you have to consider how to turn the opening move into a combo.” Asker’s voice seemed to echo in her ears.

“A normal attack will cause flinching, but flinching is different from rigidity, it doesn’t directly affect the arms.”

“Therefore, the enemy can still make defensive actions. If they successfully parry or block, then your first-mover advantage is wasted.”

“Don’t think about damage, think more about using control skills. Of course, the enemy will also anticipate this.”

“So you have to vary your moves, deceive your opponent, and your thinking must be flexible!”

Tullius’ pupils constricted, staring at the stick thrusting towards him.

The timing was too perfect. His arms were still numb from the impact of the block, unable to raise the training stick to parry the attack.

So, dodge or take the hit?

If he dodged, the opponent would definitely pursue.

How could he end the fight quickly then? And in the eyes of the onlookers, it would look like he was being pressured!

He couldn’t dodge! As a woman, the opponent’s strength must be limited.

He could withstand multiple hits from her, but as long as he hit her once, the fight would be over!

Tullius didn’t dodge or block, but just took half a step back, preparing to take the hit.

And counterattack.

The opponent’s training stick had already reached his chest, and his arms had also recovered from the numbness.

It was too late to dodge. He swung the stick horizontally with both arms, aiming for the opponent’s fair neck.

As long as he hit, with his strength, he would definitely knock the opponent unconscious…

No!

The stick reached his lower chest and suddenly seemed to transform into a spear.

Eleanor twisted her wrist slightly and lifted the spear upwards.

Dragon Spear!

A sharp pain spread from his abdomen throughout his body, and Tullius was lifted into the air by the force of the stick.

This pain wasn’t fatal to him, but the danger was that he had been lifted into the air, his feet off the ground.

While airborne, he couldn’t exert the strength of his waist and abdomen, and the force of his counterattack would be greatly reduced!

Wait a minute!

His expression instantly changed because Eleanor had already dropped the shield in her left hand and taken a step forward with the stick in both hands.

She dragged the training stick to her right side, twisted her waist and abdomen, and swung her weapon forcefully.

Iron Cutter!

Tullius in mid-air couldn’t dodge, he could only hurriedly block with his stick horizontally.

This Iron Cutter swung a 90-degree arc and directly hit Tullius’ block.

With a bang, both training sticks instantly broke in two under the powerful impact.

The broken ends of the sticks then hit Tullius hard in the abdomen, sending him flying backwards.

The surrounding Spartan warriors immediately erupted, even the bald, muscular man who had been sitting motionless behind the recruitment table suddenly stood up.

Tullius flew seven or eight meters before landing, rolling on the ground awkwardly to dissipate the force, and then stood up unsteadily.

His abdomen was covered with bloody marks from the broken stick, although it looked terrifying, he wasn’t actually seriously injured.

But in the eyes of the onlookers, in this exchange that lasted less than five breaths, Tullius had lost completely.

“Tullius, are you alright?” The bald, muscular man asked coldly.

Tullius’ face turned red.

It was just a hit from a broken stick, what could happen? The bald man asking him this question was clearly mocking him.

Spartans despised the weak. Tullius, who had lost to a woman, was undoubtedly labeled as weak.

“This lady, your combat strength has passed our approval.” The bald man said with a straight face. “Next, Bitias, you’re up.”

Bitias stepped forward and picked up a wooden sword from the side.

“Sidlipha, it’s your turn.” Asker said.

“Okay!” Sidlipha stepped forward excitedly, looked at the wooden sword in the other party’s hand, and said, “Since you’re not using a real sword, I’ll also switch to a wooden sword, so as not to be accused of bullying you southerners.”

Northerner? Bitias stared at her light golden hair, narrowed his eyes, and said nothing.

Sidlipha picked up two wooden swords from the side. Just as she straightened up, Bitias had already rushed to her, his wooden sword slashing down heavily.

“Aha!” Sidlipha shouted, her right-hand wooden sword already swinging out in a backhand slash.

The swords collided, Bitias retreated to dissipate the force, and saw Sidlipha’s left-hand wooden sword slashing again.

Bitias immediately raised his wooden sword to block. His arms went numb for a moment, and just as he was about to counterattack, the opponent’s right-hand wooden sword swung again.

“Something’s not right.” The bald man watching suddenly said.

“Suppressed?” Another Spartan asked.

“No, he’s been tricked.” The bald man shook his head.

“Tullius, facing the spear and shield warrior before, chose to take the opponent’s thrust attack head-on. As a result, the opponent temporarily changed their move, catching him off guard, lifting and throwing him.”

“This gave Bitias the illusion that this northern woman might also be a skilled warrior, so he focused too much on defense, not giving the opponent any chance to change their moves.”

“Focusing on defense is not a problem.” The Spartan warrior said, “As long as her attacks can’t break through his defense, the attacker will undoubtedly consume more stamina. Plus she’s a woman, she will eventually be at a disadvantage against Bitias.”

“What if the opponent’s stamina is stronger?” The bald man said coldly. “What if this northerner’s physical strength is higher than Bitias’?”

If their stamina couldn’t compare to the opponent’s, and they were still blindly maintaining a defensive posture… the Spartans’ hearts sank.

Wouldn’t that be being suppressed to death?

“Why don’t you attack?” Sidlipha asked, slashing down with her double swords.

This is a trap to lure the enemy… Bitias thought to himself, focusing even more on blocking and defending, looking for opportunities to counterattack.

“If you don’t attack, I’m going to speed up!” Sidlipha said.

Speed up? What, she can still speed up?

Bitias was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt the frequency of impacts on his sword double.

Mantis Cut!

Sidlipha attacked alternately with her left and right swords, the rhythm completely staggered, forming an attack speed twice the normal rate under the high-frequency strikes.

Bitias felt his hands aching, his wooden sword trembling constantly under the storm-like attacks, as if it would break in the next second.

“Whirlwind Slash!” Sidlipha roared, her waist twisting, driving her arms, and her wooden swords spinning at high speed.

Bitias hurriedly jumped back, dodging out of her attack range.

Sidlipha suddenly stopped spinning, her left wooden sword already thrown forcefully, whistling towards Bitias.

The latter lifted his wooden sword, deflecting the thrown wooden sword. Sidlipha had already rushed to him, slashing at his lower abdomen.

Bitias could only hurriedly strike downwards with the hilt of his sword. Before he could hit the opponent’s head, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, his entire stomach seeming to spasm.

He involuntarily dropped his wooden sword, clutched his abdomen, and vomited a mouthful of sour water.

Chapter 25: The Match

Before the group could move away, a heavily armored warrior walked towards them.

This guy was clad in heavy ringmail, a broadsword at his waist, and a sleeveless linen shirt under the armor, revealing strong, powerful arms.

“You,” the warrior said, staring at Asker, “are strong.”

“I know.” Asker was a little surprised.

Was this a hidden strength check?

“You should join us.” The warrior said.

“Join you, and I can enter Olympia, right?” Asker confirmed.

“Of course.” The Spartan warrior said, “As a member of the Spartan envoy, you have the right to enter the city with us.”

“Actually, I’m currently the leader of a mercenary group.” Asker gestured to the girls behind him. “Can my people enter the city with me?”

The Spartan warrior’s cold gaze swept over the girls, lingering on each of them for a moment before returning to Asker.

“Why are they all women?” the Spartan warrior asked.

Asker: …

“It’s an accident.” Asker said helplessly. “Our mercenary group recruits based on potential, not gender.”

“What potential do women have?” The Spartan warrior continued to ask.

“Hey!” Sidlipha shouted in dissatisfaction. “That’s too much! I’ll cut you!”

“A chick with eagle feathers is still a chick.” The Spartan warrior said.

More Spartan warriors walked over, looking at the girls with strange gazes.

“Women should stay at home.” One Spartan said.

“Weaving.”

“Preparing food.”

“Serving your man.”

“Bearing and raising children.”

The Spartans said expressionlessly, as if playing a word game.

“We are not defenseless women.” Eleanor retorted. “If you have any doubts, we can spar.”

“We don’t spar with women.” The Spartan warrior said.

Uh. Eleanor facepalmed, then heard Thira say:

“It’s useless.”

“These Spartans are creatures whose sense of honor is greater than the sky.”

“Making them spar with women they look down on is more difficult than killing them.”

Asker also sighed. He had experienced the stubbornness of these Spartans in the game in his previous life.

However, he seemed to remember a female player who had found a way, right?

He beckoned Medea over and whispered a few words in her ear.

“Okay.” Medea smirked. “I’m best at dealing with these big oafs.”

She then went to find Eleanor and quietly communicated with her.

“This isn’t good, is it?” Eleanor said with difficulty.

“What’s wrong with it?” Medea said disapprovingly. “Or do you have a better way?”

So Eleanor also sighed and stepped forward, saying:

“I challenge you.”

The challenged Spartan warrior looked at her as if she were an idiot, his expression showing complete disdain.

“Or is it that, since you were defeated by the Amazons last time, you don’t even dare to respond to a woman’s challenge?” Eleanor asked seriously.

As soon as she said this, the Spartans’ expressions immediately changed.

“Defeated by the Amazons” was a historical setting in the game. It was about two hundred years ago, when the famous Spartan warrior Dadasos encountered the Amazons while traveling in Anatolia.

Like the Spartans, the Amazons were also a nation of warriors, but they revered women and discriminated against men, which was the opposite of the Spartans.

The two sides exchanged a few words, but they couldn’t agree, and ended up fighting.

The unexpected result was that Dadasos was defeated by the Amazonian woman and even taken back as her husband.

When the Spartans learned of this and sent an envoy to the Amazons’ territory, Dadasos’s wife was already pregnant.

Then it was even more impossible to let him go.

So the envoy and the Amazons got into a brawl. Although the Spartans were brave and skilled in battle, this was the Amazons’ territory, and they had a hunting tradition and didn’t care about honor. Seventy or eighty of them surrounded the six-person envoy and captured them all, taking them back and distributing them to the unmarried Amazonian girls.

Although players, after a series of investigations, speculated that these Spartans deliberately lost, because at that time, there were more women than men in the Amazon tribe, and the hunting nation didn’t have much of a concept of marriage, so…

However, this incident had always been considered a great shame by the Spartans, so much so that if you mentioned it in front of a Spartan, the only way to resolve it would be with iron and blood.

“I accept, lady.” The challenged Spartan warrior said coldly, his expression devoid of anger. “However, this is not a challenge, but to regain honor.”

“Whatever, it’s all the same to me.” Eleanor said.

The girls all laughed because this was Asker’s classic line. Every time he encouraged them to spar with him for real, he would use this sentence to coax them into not holding back.

Of course, even if the girls used real weapons, they couldn’t really hurt Asker, but being beaten up was inevitable.

“As a foreigner, and a woman, I won’t use iron swords against you.” The Spartan warrior said coldly, taking a training stick from the side. “When you’re lying in bed recovering, think carefully about why you shouldn’t provoke a Spartan.”

The training stick was a stick used by the Spartans to train their boy soldiers. It was 1.7 meters long and as thick as a forearm. Hitting someone with full force could immediately cause a bruise.

“In that case, I won’t take advantage of weapons either.” Eleanor put down her adamantine spear and took the wooden training stick and shield from the Spartan.

The two stood facing each other with sticks in their hands, and soon a clear space formed on the platform, the surrounding pedestrians moving away with fear on their faces.

“Ten breaths.” The bald, muscular man sitting behind the recruitment table said indifferently with his arms crossed. “If the fight is not over within ten breaths, Tullius, remember to receive twenty lashes after the battle.”

“Five breaths at most, otherwise thirty lashes.” The Spartan warrior named Tullius stood on the field, holding the stick horizontally in front of him with both hands, his muscles tense.

“Will she be okay?” Nuo asked worriedly from the side.

“The opponent is at most a level 3 Transcendental, she doesn’t have a disadvantage in strength, so it should be over within ten breaths.” Asker said, “Of course, I mean defeating the opponent.”

“After all, she’s been training under me for so long.” He said with a smile.

Seeing Asker’s confident expression, Nuo couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Since he said so, Eleanor…

Should be fine, right?

Chapter 24: Sparta

Level 4.

After taking the “Blunt Weapon I” potion, Asker’s level had reached level 4.

Through the potion, he naturally mastered the techniques of using blunt weapons, as well as a wealth of experience in smashing and armor piercing.

His mastery of the second form of the Celestial Ninefold Strike, “Heavy Break,” was also greatly enhanced.

However, the risk of losing control this time was also greatly increased, and he even lost consciousness several times during the process.

The Weapon Master bloodline path had eight different sequences, a veritable “dangerous path.”

From the current situation, the degree of loss of control when advancing to level 5 was probably beyond the capacity of his spirituality.

This wasn’t without solutions. For example, Nuo’s next potion was “Spirit I.” Its corresponding supernatural ability could smooth out the violent fluctuations of spirituality during the process of losing control.

After all, the “Singer of Life” had a nickname in the forums of his previous life: “All-Purpose Healer.”

Its three constituent sequences were “Life,” “Spirit,” and “Mind.” Therefore, whether you were physically injured, spiritually damaged, or mentally split, she could easily heal you.

He had to raise Nuo’s level. Now, healing was almost the team’s weakness.

Asker rubbed his brows.

Currently, he was the only one in the team at level 4.

At level 3 were Eleanor (MT), Mia (Scout), and Medea (Control). At level 2 were Miel (Sniper DPS), Peggy (Agility DPS), and Theodora (Magic DPS).

At level 1 were Nuo (Healer) and Sidlipha (Armor-piercing DPS).

It could be seen that the DPS’ levels were generally lower in the team. With this team composition, they should have encountered situations where their damage output was insufficient and healing couldn’t keep up during dungeon runs.

However, they hadn’t. Why?

Asker pondered for a moment and then realized that he had been carrying the DPS…

When they couldn’t beat the Black Knight boss, he personally stepped in; when they couldn’t beat the Ghoul boss, he personally stepped in again.

Doing this wouldn’t help train the team at all!!!

Asker threw his sword on the ground.

This couldn’t go on.

Hmm, next, I’m going to take it easy and focus on being a commander.

“Asker! Asker!” Peggy teleported in from outside, calling him hurriedly.

“What’s the matter?” Asker said indifferently. “If it’s just some ordinary mobs, you can deal with them yourselves.”

“No, it’s not!” Peggy said urgently. “It’s a big tree!”

“Oh, a treant.” Asker said. “Don’t fight it head-on, just circle around it and let Medea burn it with fire.”

“It’s not a treant!” Peggy stamped her foot anxiously. “It’s a big tree, a big tree growing on the mountain!”

A big tree growing on the mountain? Asker was stunned for a moment and then went out with Peggy.

On the rain-washed road, the off-road vehicle was parked by the roadside. The girls who had gotten out of the car stared blankly into the distance, their faces full of disbelief.

Asker pushed open the car door and followed their line of sight. He saw a giant tree growing on the continuous snow-capped mountains in the distance.

The tree was so huge that its trunk was almost as thick as the mountain peak, and its huge umbrella-shaped crown covered the entire mountain peak in its shade.

“That’s the city of Olympia.” Asker said.

“Olympia?” The girls turned their heads.

“Olympia is a city built on a tree.” Thira explained. “It’s the highest free city in the entire Siris region, and also a holy land for Transcendents and Arcane Mages.”

“The Church and the city lord have some kind of secret agreement here, they won’t interfere with the development of supernatural forces here. Therefore, mages can openly conduct experiments, trade transcendental materials, and even keep supernatural creatures here.”

Sounds pretty good? The girls thought to themselves.

“In that case, let’s stay in Olympia for a few days.” Asker said. “Just in time to purchase the missing materials for our formulas.”

…

To go to the city of Olympia on the mountain, they had to pass through the town of Olympia at the foot of the mountain.

It was said that this was also the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and the sacred flame of each opening ceremony was lit here. However, since the East-West Schism, the Western Church hadn’t been very enthusiastic about these games (after all, they were always initiated by the Eastern Orthodox Church).

Therefore, the worldwide Olympic Games had been suspended until now.

The group found a motel near the town, rented a parking space, parked the car, and entered the town.

The buildings in this town were built along the foot of the mountain, mostly still in the Orthodox style of white bricks and red tiles.

The Siris people seemed to be particularly fond of the colors red and white, just like the ancient Solomons were particularly fond of public baths paved with colorful mosaic tiles. This warm color combination was called the “Mediterranean style.”

In fact, the climate here was indeed influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, with warm and humid sea breezes blowing all year round. After walking up the sloping road for more than ten minutes, everyone started to sweat.

They arrived at the central square of the town.

The city of Olympia had another name, the “Palace of the Gods.” To go up the mountain and enter the city, they had to take a designated vehicle at the foot of the mountain.

“The free passage is closed.” In the station platform, the ticket seller looked at the group and said, “Currently, only official residents of Olympia can enter and exit.”

“Closed?” Asker asked.

He didn’t remember any similar plot in his previous life.

“Yes, due to some safety concerns, it’s temporarily closed to the public.” The ticket seller said with a polite apologetic smile. “If you really want to enter the city, you can choose a special channel.”

“What are the special channels?” Asker asked.

“The Mages Guild is hiring apprentices. If you have similar supernatural abilities, you can try applying. If you’re successful, you can get a green pass to Olympia.” The ticket seller introduced.

“Also, the Spartans are currently visiting Olympia and need to recruit some warriors to join their ranks. If you are confident in your combat abilities, you can try signing up. The Spartans will handle the entry procedures.”

“I understand.” Asker nodded. In short, they had to complete two quests to enter the city.

Let’s go find the Spartans first.

In front of the station in the central square, they saw a group of Spartan heavy armored warriors standing on the platform, setting up poster stands on the ground.

On the pure white background of the posters, four lines were written in Siris, Latin, Frankish, and other languages:

Enlist!
Join the Spartan mercenary company!
Kill the heretics!
Fight for the Empire!

Everyone: …

Hey! This recruitment poster is too simple! At least hire a graphic designer! What’s with the white background and black text?!

In the middle of the posters, there was a simple recruitment office. A muscular man with a shiny bald head sat behind the table, his upper body bare, revealing knotted muscles like tree roots, his eyes scanning the surrounding pedestrians like a bear.

The pedestrians consciously avoided them.

“They are Spartans.” Thira said with a hint of helplessness in her voice.

“Asker, let’s stay away from those weirdos.” Nuo suggested.