PFFT!

The goblin in mid-air had no time to process what was happening before a swift flash of a blade bisected it, slicing it in two at the waist!

Its two twitching halves fell to the grass as warm blood drizzled down.

The other three goblins attacked in unison, swinging their clubs and Stone Axes at Zelir’s body.

However, without exception, every attack was blocked by the Fog Flowing Gauze, completely unable to harm Zelir in the slightest.

The goblins felt their understanding of the world begin to warp. ’How could this be happening?’

While they were still trying to comprehend what was going on, Zelir’s counterattack had already begun.

He kicked the goblin right in front of him, knocking it over, then followed up with a Thrust from his Foil, piercing straight through its heart!

Another goblin shrieked and charged, holding a Stone Axe. Zelir didn’t even bother to dodge. After its swing was blocked by the Fog Flowing Gauze, he executed a backhanded upward slash and lopped off the goblin’s head.

A human’s height, Power, and reach far surpassed that of a normal goblin. In a head-on duel of blades, Zelir couldn’t possibly lose, even without the Fog Flowing Gauze.

"Gaaah?!"

The last remaining goblin was scared out of its wits by the scene and began to flee, tripping over itself in terror.

But it didn’t get more than a few steps before a Wind Blade Technique caught up to its neck, slicing it off cleanly. The goblin’s head spun through the air before landing in the bushes.

The clearing in the woods fell silent once more, leaving only the RUSTLE of the wind through the leaves.

Level 9 (92/300) -> Level 9 (237/300).

Zelir performed a Blood Vibration with his sword, then wiped the remaining bloodstains from the blade with a white cloth before sheathing it.

A small Goblin Community, annihilated by him alone!

This mission was a test Zelir had set for himself.

He was very satisfied with the combat performance of his Fog Flowing Gauze. With this Force Field, he was essentially immune to all forms of purely physical attacks.

Coupled with the increased Casting Speed and Magic Power Strength from his promotion to Junior Mage, Zelir could, to some extent, function as a one-man army.

Of course, Zelir knew in his heart that he could only go on such a rampage against Low-Tier Demons.

If he ever ran into a Demon that could use Magic or mix Magic Power into its attacks, he would still have to dodge.

Even so, those Magic attacks would be somewhat weakened when breaking through the Fog Flowing Gauze barrier, which was a form of protection in itself.

After the battle, Zelir began to clean up the battlefield by himself.

He drew his Foil and cut off the goblins’ ears one by one as proof of the kills.

After so many missions, Zelir had grown accustomed to such Bloody scenes.

Still, this kind of dirty work was a hassle, and Zelir got quite filthy in the process.

"Sigh, if only I’d come out with Marcus and the others..." Zelir couldn’t help but mutter.

They usually handled this kind of cleanup work.

After collecting all the proofs of kill and packing up the spoils, Zelir returned to Black Stone Town and went straight to the Adventurer’s Guild to submit his mission report.

The receptionist at the front desk was Eira, as usual. After counting the proofs of kill, she handed Zelir the mission reward of seven gold coins and ninety silver coins.

This mission was a one-star Junior Level quest. Zelir was lucky to get it; goblin subjugation quests of this difficulty were usually snatched up the moment they were posted.

"Mr. Zelir, are you taking on missions by yourself from now on?" Eira asked curiously.

"Not really... I just wanted to test myself this time," Zelir replied casually, putting away his coin pouch.

"Going solo is very risky. Please be careful," Eira reminded him.

"I know, thank you."

"Oh, right..."

Eira seemed to have suddenly remembered something. "Mr. Zelir, did you know? It looks like Marcus is injured."

"Huh?"

Zelir froze as he was about to leave. He turned back, frowning. "Marcus is injured?"

"Yes. On my way to the Adventurer’s Association this morning, I saw Marcus coming out of the clinic wrapped in bandages," Eira said earnestly.

Zelir grew even more confused.

’Marcus... How could he get injured?’

’Did he take on a dangerous mission without telling me?’

...

「Early morning.」

The sun had not yet fully risen. The air was cool, and a thin morning mist enveloped the quiet Forest Area outside Black Stone Town.

In the midst of this tranquility, a powerful figure was repeatedly going through Basic training exercises.

Marcus was bare-chested, revealing a set of solid muscles.

His many years as an Adventurer had left clear marks on his body; all sorts of blade-wounds and scars covered his broad back.

Sweat trickled slowly down the lines of his muscles and dripped onto the grass.

Holding his Battle Saber and Shield, Marcus drilled his moves over and over.

Block!

Marcus sank his body, lowering his center of gravity and planting the Shield firmly before his chest like an immovable hill.

Slash!

His Battle Saber traced simple, powerful arcs, each strike heavy and forceful.

Charge!

Marcus charged with his shield raised, unleashing astonishing force as he crashed straight forward.

Every one of his stances was perfect; there wasn’t a single flaw to be found.

But the expression on Marcus’s face was not one of satisfaction. It was filled with anxiety.

"It’s not working!"

Marcus let out a low roar and slammed his Shield onto the ground.

Not enough, not enough, not enough!

Still not enough!

Marcus was in a terrible mood.

No matter how he focused during training, no matter how he tried to infuse his body with Fighting Qi to enhance his combat strength, it was all useless.

The Heart of Qi within him had been tempered over many years, forged to incredible maturity, yet he just couldn’t take that final step.

Marcus was already thirty-one this year. He had walked the Adventurer’s path, filled with blood and sweat, for over a decade.

Marcus knew his own talent wasn’t outstanding, but he had never given up. Every single day, he repeated his tedious training, honing his skills in battle.

Finally, in recent days, after tempering himself through one high-intensity mission after another, Marcus could feel with increasing clarity that he was getting closer and closer to the threshold of a Middle Level Warrior. It was right within his grasp.

But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t break through that final barrier.

The realm of a Middle Level Warrior was clearly right before his eyes, but all Marcus could do was look on and sigh in frustration.

"What am I still missing..."

"What am I missing...!"

Frustrated, Marcus stabbed his Battle Saber into the dirt and clawed at his buzz-cut hair with both hands.

As a Vanguard-type Warrior, the nature of his Fighting Qi was inherently heavy and solid, making him adept at drawing enemy attacks and strengthening his own body for greater defensive effect.