“Please.”
Blake bowed to his opponent with great courtesy.
Applying the etiquette of a human knight to an Orc warrior felt somewhat jarring.
The burly man across from him blanked for a moment before returning the greeting with extreme lack of practice. His posture was exceptionally awkward, falling short of even Blake’s standard. Clearly, he was unfamiliar with such formalities.
The battle began.
The man wasted no more time on pleasantries, stepping forward and charging at Blake. He gripped his hilt tightly, delivering a heavy vertical slash aimed directly at Blake’s shoulder.
Blake neither dodged nor moved; he simply maintained his stance. With a *clang*, he chose to take the blow head-on.
Blake’s shoulder dipped slightly, but his expression remained calm. He slowly extended a hand clad in a heavy gauntlet and grabbed the curved blade resting on his shoulder.
The man’s veins pulsed in his arm as he tried to pull the long blade back. Unexpectedly, he could not move it an inch. Instead, he was jerked forward by a massive force, his body leaning uncontrollably. A thin layer of sweat immediately broke out on his forehead as he suddenly stumbled.
“Not enough force,” Blake said.
With a single palm strike, Blake hit the man’s chest. A trail of blood arced through the air. The man flew backward like a kite with a broken string. He soared past the mage and landed right in front of Vivian.
Vivian quickly dodged to the side.
*Thud.*
The man slammed heavily onto the stone floor. He turned his head, his state of life or death unknown.
‘Blake went too far. I hope he didn’t kill him…’
Startled, Vivian quickly knelt down to check the man’s condition.
‘Good, good. He’s still breathing…’
“Don’t worry, I know how to restrain myself.” Blake sheathed the long blade and walked over to Vivian.
He pulled a coin pouch from his waist and tossed it into Vivian’s lap.
“This is the fee. Please treat him.”
Vivian’s face lit up with joy. This guy certainly knew how to handle things.
In truth, even if Blake hadn’t paid her, Vivian would have saved the unlucky man. She hated seeing innocent people die, especially right in front of her. But since there was money involved, she naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Vivian weighed the pouch in her hand for a moment. Her expression changed, and a playful smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“The price has gone up, Blake! Today’s treatment fee is 500 copper coins!”
Vivian remembered the time she was overcharged for bread at his shop yesterday.
‘If you raise your prices, I’ll raise mine.’
Though it was a bit like taking advantage of someone’s misfortune, Vivian wouldn’t hesitate for a second if she saw a chance for revenge.
Hearing this, Blake didn’t bargain with her. He simply said, “Fine. Keep a tab. You can collect it from my shop in a while.”
He then turned to the mage. “Your turn, Master Mage. Let me see your magic.”
Blake walked toward the edge of the clearing, proactively distancing himself from the mage to give him enough space to cast.
The mage’s face was hidden under a black hood, masking his expression. He pulled a gnarled, withered wooden staff from his robes. It had no decorations. It looked quite crude, like a dead branch picked up from the side of the road.
The battle began.
The mage chanted an obscure incantation in a low voice. A fireball the size of a fist condensed out of thin air at the tip of the staff. He pointed the staff forward, and the fireball hissed toward Blake.
Blake still chose not to dodge, charging straight at the mage. His attacks always seemed to take the shortest route. He would rather pay a price to close the distance between them.
*Boom!*
A massive explosion rang out in the clearing before the bakery. Scorchingly hot flames erupted, engulfing Blake.
The next second, Blake’s figure charged out of the smoke and ash. His eyes glowed red, and sparks trailed from his armor. In an instant, he was in front of the mage.
Panic seized the mage, and he hurriedly condensed a mana shield.
*Crack.*
A crisp shattering sound echoed. The shield summoned by the mage was like wet paper; it shattered the moment Blake’s thick arm plunged through it.
Blake’s straight punch zoomed toward the mage’s face, stopping barely a fist’s distance away. The gust from the punch blew back the mage’s hood, revealing the face of a young boy with a terrifying scar stretching across half of his face. He looked terrified, his hand trembling as he held the staff.
“Your spell intensity is insufficient, and your self-defense is lacking. Demons won’t show mercy,” Blake said, withdrawing his fist. “It’s a pity. You may leave.”
He shrugged, his expression somewhat disappointed.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Applause rang out as the butler walked onto the field, clapping his hands.
“That was spectacular, Mr. Blake. You are truly the strongest warrior of the Arand Tribe. I must return and report to the Lord. I hope you find suitable companions.”
With that, the butler left with his guards. Blake looked at the few people remaining and sighed.
‘I won’t be finding teammates for the demon subjugation this morning…’
He would have to visit the Church in the afternoon to see the knight who defeated the Gluttony Demon. He wanted to see if the knight truly possessed the power to kill a demon in one blow, as the rumors suggested.
The Orc warrior Blake turned around, preparing to return to his shop to re-evaluate his subjugation plan. However, a soft voice interrupted him.
“Hey, wait! Blake, what about me?”
Vivian shouted from behind him. Seeing Blake finish with the other two and then completely ignore her made her feel slighted. It was quite irritating.
‘Don’t you dare look down on me, you jerk!’
“Yes, I know. Come to the shop to collect your treatment fee. Of course, if you’re here to buy bread, please come back in a few days. The bakery is closed today.”
Blake stopped, his tone somewhat helpless. Vivian came to his shop almost every other day. It was clear that she really liked their Orcish Puck Bread. But today, there truly was no bread to sell.
“My money can wait, and I’m not here for bread today. I’m here for the bounty, just like those two.”
Vivian pointed at the burly man on the ground and the young mage who was about to leave.
“But aren’t you a doctor?”
Blake tilted his head, pointing at the small wooden badge on Vivian’s chest with confusion.
Vivian chuckled. “Oh, this?”
She casually flipped the wooden badge over, revealing the words “Off Duty” on the back. Then, she folded her black parasol, exposing herself completely to the scorching sun.
Vivian tossed her twin tails, her pitch-black hair shimmering in the sunlight. She stepped forward until she was in front of Blake’s tall frame. Vivian’s gaze sharpened, and a faint current of air swirled around her, lifting her black hair and the hem of her dress.
“Not anymore.”
The sunlight pouring from the sky hit her pale skin, which looked as ghastly white as a corpse. Yet, Vivian no longer felt the burning sensation from before. The blood in her veins flowed steadily under the push of her mana, unaffected.
This was because Vivian had applied a special vampire sunscreen before leaving today.
It was an accidental discovery made by mages during their alchemy research. When a vampire applied this ointment to their exposed skin, they could bypass the sun’s effects and move about freely during the day.
Though being in the sunlight was still somewhat uncomfortable and her power was slightly weakened, it was better than nothing.
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