Having suffered a blow beyond imagination, Incest felt as if her very soul had been hammered out of her body. She must be dead; otherwise, why would her late father be kneeling before her, calling her name incessantly? Her father, whose face was blurred, still wore the full plate armor that symbolized his honor. She couldn't help but want to question her most revered father—why had he sent her away?
"Father, why did you send me to the Zann Esu clan to study? You clearly knew that what I longed for was the Path of the Knight."
"Incest, Incest! What's wrong? What nonsense are you talking about?" After defeating Corpsefire, Leo had quickly finished off the remaining Zombies one by one. Seeing that Incest showed no sign of waking up, he crouched down to check if this "true mage" was actually alright.
Why has father's voice become so young? Sensing something was wrong, Incest suddenly sat up, pushed Leo away, and awkwardly turned her head to the side. "Thank you for saving my life."
"We are essentially one party; there's no need for words of thanks." Leo felt she was mostly fine and stood up to silently consider his party's shortcomings. Based on the "5v5 happy gaming" logic of his past life, they now had a tank, support, and magic DPS; they lacked an explosive warrior or assassin, as well as long-range physical damage.
This time, they were fortunate to have Incest. Although she had walked a narrow path for a Sorceress, her combat skills were superb. If she hadn't gone to assassinate the enemy's backline, the party might have been wiped out here. Thinking of this, Leo gave his sister a meaningful look.
Majesty rolled her eyes and turned her head away, completely ignoring her brother. This woman was not only ice-cold, but she also gave off a bad vibe; joining the party would surely lead to trouble. Moreover, why was her brother acting a bit like a lapdog toward this woman?
Seeing his sister ignore him, Leo had no choice but to turn a pleading gaze toward Gerdie.
Gerdie shivered, her heart a whirlwind of emotions. After composing herself, she spoke softly, "Miss Incest, it is truly inconvenient for a lady to venture alone in such a dangerous world. Our party has several female class members, and through this cooperation, you have gained some understanding of us. If possible, how about joining our squad to adventure together?"
Beautiful! As expected of the seasoned veteran Gerdie—her words were airtight. Leo was delighted.
Incest lowered her head. "Thank you for your kindness, but I am used to being alone."
It seemed she had no intention of joining a party. Leo felt a twinge of regret at losing such an excellent assassin.
Sensing Leo's regretful look, Gerdie decided to try one last time. "The enemies this time clearly possess intelligence; future enemies will likely only get stronger. Being alone will surely bring many inconveniences. Miss Incest, won't you reconsider?"
Incest felt a bit irritable. Usually, few people continued to persist after she expressed a refusal. Considering the other party was her lifesaver, she endured it a bit longer. "I will keep your life-saving grace in my heart. If there is a need, please leave a message for Teacher Cain; I will certainly put forth my life's strength to repay you all in the future."
Having said that, Incest stood up. "I will not take a single bit of the monster drops this time. Farewell."
Watching Incest depart, Gerdie wanted to say more, but Leo raised his hand to stop her. "Everyone has their own path; we are simply not destined to walk together."
He then turned toward the receding figure and shouted loudly, "The Path of the Knight! What matters is the cultivation of the heart—don't worry too much about the outward form of expression!"
After speaking, Leo shook his head with a bitter smile. It wasn't that he didn't understand the principle of "not speaking deeply to casual acquaintances," but only a saint can achieve the perfect unity of knowledge and action.
Majesty made a face at Leo. "Good riddance. That ice-cold woman felt really annoying. And stupid brother is also very annoying."
Seeing Incest leave, Gerdie breathed a sigh of relief. Witnessing Majesty's playful antics, she burst out laughing.
Leo was bewildered, having no idea what had gotten into the two women. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it; there was a ground full of treasures waiting for his favor.
Walking to the remains of "Corpse-chill," the first-kill drops were indeed powerful: a Unique longbow. Wait, why is there another Set item?
Gerdie, seeing Leo standing by Corpsefire's body picking up loot, acted on an unknown whim and directly activated Find Item, which she had leveled up to 6, giving her a 35% success rate.
After casting the skill, Gerdie acted as if nothing had happened, turning away with a smile to clear the battlefield.
"Pffft!" Majesty burst into laughter and skipped over to help Gerdie tidy up.
A pile of items, accompanied by splashing foul blood, drenched Leo from head to toe.
Leo's face was a giant question mark as he looked at the newly dropped Unique gear. Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
This was not how he imagined things. His subordinates had already formed a little clique; his position as Captain was about to become precarious. Leo's heart felt as cold as the "Corpse-chill" on the ground.
In this cold, harsh world, only this unique gold-colored light offered a sliver of warmth. He tore open the Identify Scrolls, and two soft glows of unique light shone forth.
> Raven Claw (Long Bow)
> * Two-Hand Damage: 5-17
> * Required Level: 15
> * Required Strength: 22
> * Required Dexterity: 19
> * Base Weapon Speed: Fast
> * +70% Enhanced Damage
> * Fires Explosive Arrows [Level 3]
> * 50% Bonus to Attack Rating
> * +3 to Dexterity
> * +3 to Strength
>
> Tarnhelm (Skull Cap)
> * Defense: 11
> * Required Level: 15
> * Required Strength: 15
> * Durability: 18
> * +1 to All Skills
> * +50% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
> * +75% Extra Gold from Monsters
>
These attributes didn't seem quite right for him. Leo's gaze drifted to the Set item. He numbly tore open the Identify Scroll. Green is a light that makes you panic.
> Sigon's Guard (Tower Shield)
> * Defense: 25
> * Chance to Block: 74%
> * Smite Damage: 1-5
> * Required Level: 6
> * Required Strength: 75
> * Durability: 60
> * +1 to All Skills
> * +20% Increased Chance of Blocking
>
Leo's mouth twitched. The only heavy shield among Normal-grade equipment, and also the shield with the highest block rate. Although it was a Set item, and although using a heavy shield reduced movement speed by 10%—wasn't it "fragrant"?
Silently wiping his face, Leo joined the team in clearing the battlefield. They hit the jackpot this time: besides the two Uniques and one Set item, there were three Rare items, a dozen Magic items, about thirty Normal items, as well as some loose gems and potions.
He handed the Tarnhelm to Majesty, who relied on skills for DPS, and the Raven Claw to Gerdie. Tearing open Identify Scrolls, he identified all the gear. The trio picked out upgrades to equip, intending to take the rest back to sell. Now, the group had only a small amount of blue Magic gear; instead, the glows of Unique, Set, and Rare items flashed alternately.
The trio continued to explore in the direction of the hellish aura. After three days of slaughter, the number of monsters had drastically decreased. Now that they had all been gathered by Corpsefire to be sacrificed, the three successfully reached the deepest part of the cave.