In the dim warehouse.
Only a few strands of cold moonlight seeped through the skylight, casting chilly patches on the floor.
A pair of legs dangled from the window at the edge of the ceiling.
The legs swayed in the air a few times, as if trying to jump down, but he failed.
“I’m stuck!”
Derek cursed under his breath, bracing his hands on the window edge, trying to pull himself out and find a new angle to enter.
But reality wasn’t as ideal as he thought.
His lower body felt clamped in a giant vise, immovable no matter how hard he struggled.
He was stuck: neither able to get in nor out.
His thighs and butt hung inside the warehouse while his upper body remained outside.
“Forget it, I’ll do what I must.”
Derek gritted his teeth, raised his longsword, and stabbed viciously at the window edge.
Creak, creak, creak.
He was like a diligent carpenter, reshaping the warehouse window until he had carved out a large hole.
All his movements were clearly visible to Nolan below.
Nolan blinked, his eyes full of confusion.
“What is he doing? Why not use the door instead of the window? The heretics’ way of thinking is truly beyond normal comprehension.”
He shook his head with a wry smile and muttered quietly.
DUANG!
Someone’s butt made intimate contact with the ground, producing a loud thud that echoed through the warehouse.
Even Nolan, who was watching from the side, couldn’t help drawing a sharp breath for him.
“Sigh… Looks like that was a hard fall…”
This bizarre sequence made Nolan laugh.
At the same time, he was thinking about the identity of the person before him.
‘This place, this time, there are only four known people.’
‘Marco and Big Tail Rat for the transaction, plus himself and Vivian.’
‘Big Tail Rat already sold out Marco, so the deal is off—she wouldn’t come here.’
‘As for Vivian, this person doesn’t look like her; he’s too tall.’
‘Most importantly, my wife Vivian couldn’t be this stupid!’
‘Excluding these, there’s only one answer.’
‘This is the Blood Mage—Marco!’
Nolan’s eyes turned a bit more serious, and he suppressed his aura to the maximum.
He treated himself like a withered blade of grass, lying quietly in the haystack, blending in with the surroundings.
He silently observed the black-robed person’s next moves.
“Damn it! Where’s my sword?”
The black-robed person frantically fumbled on the ground, muttering something.
After a moment, he looked up toward the ceiling.
Nolan followed his gaze and saw a longsword stuck in the edge of the window hole.
His weapon had slipped!
But it wasn’t time yet; he had to wait until the enemy’s guard was weakest.
The black-robed person froze, then immediately turned and walked toward the door.
Suddenly, a cow’s bellow came from a dark corner, echoing through the hay warehouse.
Moo~
A giant beast twice a man’s height charged out from the corner, barreling straight toward the black-robed person.
“What the—!”
Caught off guard, the black-robed person was solidly struck by the beast and sent flying.
Good opportunity!
Nolan’s eyes flashed with a glint of gold.
The longsword in his hand had been ready for a long time, emitting a faint trembling hum.
He rushed out of the haystack like a beast unleashed, reaching directly below the black-robed person in an instant.
Nolan raised his sword above his head, golden light bursting from the blade’s tip like a golden lightning bolt descending from heaven.
The entire warehouse was illuminated as bright as day, leaving only his elongated shadow behind him.
Holy Strike!
This is the most representative move of a Paladin, and its strongest blow.
He swung down fiercely.
The trajectory of the sword left a golden arc in the air.
The arc erupted with violent sword energy, slashing toward the black-robed person in midair, determined to kill him in one hit.
The black-robed person’s face, illuminated by the holy light, showed an expression of utter shock.
His mouth gaped open, his eyes staring blankly at the holy sword energy rushing toward him.
“What is that? Am I drunk?”
But his tone was completely different from his expression, utterly calm, like a drunkard murmuring as he wakes from a dream.
BOOM!
The warehouse roof was torn open, revealing a starry night sky.
A golden beam shot out from the warehouse, as if to cleave the darkness in two.
Even from the distant forest, this blow that pierced the night sky could be seen.
Nolan knelt on one knee, his hands gripping the sword trembling slightly, fingertips pale from exertion.
He gasped for breath, using the sword to support himself to keep from falling.
“Was it still too much to use this move with my current strength…”
Nolan stared blankly at the night sky and sighed quietly.
The residual golden light on the sword slowly faded, changing from dazzling platinum to a dull silver-white.
Moo~
A coaxing bellow came from behind, bringing Nolan’s attention back.
“Good work, buddy.”
Nolan patted the great horned cow’s head, then moved to the haystack.
He carefully picked a handful of the best hay and fed it to this invaluable partner.
The cow’s emerald green eyes instantly curved into crescent moons, showing a human-like expression of joy.
Then it buried its head and enjoyed its reward.
—
In the forest.
Having seen the light, Vivian and Feilin were sprinting toward it.
Smack.
A black figure fell from the sky, landing with a smack right in front of them.
“What the hell!!”
Feilin, like a hissing cat, instantly flattened her ears and bristled all over.
She darted backward, shrinking entirely behind Vivian, looking from a distance like Vivian had grown a big tail.
“What are you hiding for? Go check it out.”
Vivian grabbed her big ears and hauled Feilin out from behind.
Then she unceremoniously kicked her on the little butt, sending her stumbling toward the fallen figure.
“Don’t do that, Vivian, I’m scared.”
“What if he’s some man-eating demon? I have zero combat power right now.”
Feilin quickly hugged her tail and curled into a ball, rolling back like a frightened armadillo.
“Useless thing.”
“What’s there to fear? You’re not even human anymore. What’s a vampire afraid of death?”
Vivian kicked her over again.
‘Aren’t you a vampire too? Why don’t you go yourself!’
Feilin cursed in her heart, but didn’t dare say it out loud.
Otherwise, her little head would be crushed by Vivian again.
She could only pick up a branch from the roadside and cautiously approach the black-robed person.
Poke, poke, poke~
Feilin crouched in front of the black-robed person and poked him a few times with the branch.
The black-robed person’s arm suddenly twitched.
“Eep!”
Feilin let out a strange cry, dropped the branch, and scrambled back behind Vivian on all fours.
“He’s alive!”
She poked her head out and pointed at the black-robed person on the ground.
“From now on, don’t call yourself Big Tail Rat. Just call yourself Scaredy Rat.”
Vivian complained helplessly, and too lazy to bother with the coward, she walked toward the black-robed person.
Unexpectedly, the black-robed person quickly turned over and scrambled to his feet.
“Good evening, you two beautiful ladies.”
He pushed back his hood, revealing a face everyone recognized.
“Derek?!”
Vivian looked closely and recognized him.
This was Marco’s only priest, Derek.
“How did you old man fall from the sky to here?”
She couldn’t help asking.