Chapter 30
The two continued forward and soon arrived before the final boss.
At this moment, Pei Sen was in a foul mood. He didn’t recognize this boss either and just wanted to finish the fight quickly and return; otherwise, who knew how wildly the rumors would spread.
“It’s Palta, son of Mayor Soan of Archi Town,” Eagle suddenly spoke up. “I’ve seen him once.”
The final boss of this dungeon was a young swordsman with slightly curly brown hair. Though his appearance was ordinary, he carried an air of noticeable pride.
Pei Sen took a glance; this Palta was a genuine Level 3 Swordsman, unlike Vago, who was essentially a “nerfed version,” with an injured leg significantly hampering his strength.
However, the difference lay in the fact that before his injury, Vago possessed formidable power, surpassing Palta’s. Palta belonged to the weaker end of Level 3 Swordsmen, likely due to a lack of training opportunities and limited combat experience.
After all, as the mayor’s son, he had no need to endure life-or-death battles.
No matter how anxious Pei Sen felt, he remained sufficiently cautious when facing the BOSS. He knew that if anything happened to him, relying solely on Eagle and that craven cat would make clearing the dungeon impossible. His goal was the first clear, and he could not afford to stumble at this critical moment.
Eagle stood behind him, raising his hand to see a faint white light flicker across his palm before quickly fading away.
After fighting for so long, Eagle had realized that apprentice-level spells were not very effective. Even though both were ice blades, the初级 ice blade cast at the apprentice level differed significantly from the one Pei Sen unleashed. Unless it was for finishing off an enemy, engaging in combat alone proved difficult.
For instance, right now, as Pei Sen strained to slow Palta down with a freezing spell before inflicting damage with ice arrows and ice blades, Eagle’s ability to assist remained quite limited, especially given that Palta was clad in armor.
Mastering magic and achieving the precision required to hit targets both demanded considerable practice.
Eagle’s time spent studying magic was still far too short.
“I have to help Pei Sen…”
Watching Partha’s sword energy carve a deep wound into Pei Sen, Eagle anxiously racked his brain, trying to recall the contents of the theology books he had secretly brought back.
Unlike magic, many Holy Light arts were actually written openly within those very theology texts.
Mages might guard their spellbooks jealously, but clerics, priests, and pastors of the Church do not. The issue lies in the fundamental difference between divine magic and arcane magic: those unable to draw near the Holy Light will make no progress in studying divine arts, no matter how long they devote their lives to it.
Arcane magic requires innate magical talent; such aptitude is born, not made.
Divine magic differs. According to Artwell, many clerics, priests, and pastors of the Church of Light drew closer to the Holy Light and strengthened their divine arts step by step through unwavering faith.
Although it also demands a certain gift, this aptitude is fundamentally different from magical talent and, crucially, is not immutable.
The Church relies on this very point to lure new believers, while never hesitating to teach the contents of divine spells within theological texts or during sermons in the cathedral.
Of course, the vast majority of believers will never learn a single divine spell in their entire lives.
That threshold, ethereal yet undeniably real, is even more elusive than magical aptitude.
Eagle had read theological books but never attempted to cast a divine spell. Upon discovering that casting such spells required faith in the God of Light, he disappointedly gave up, for he simply did not believe in the God of Light, even though Atwell often tried to preach to him.
Yet at this moment, Eagle was astonished to discover that he seemed able to touch the holy light required to cast divine spells.
Even he himself was somewhat confused; hadn’t Artwell and those priests said that mastering divine spells required unwavering faith?
But I have no faith, so why can I still touch the holy light?
“Never mind that, as long as I can help Pei Sen!”
A gentle and pure healing spell fell upon Pei Sen, his wounds visibly knitting together before their eyes—this was a standard divine art of the God of Light!
Pei Sen was startled and glanced toward Eagle, nearly getting slashed by Pelta’s sword.
“Young Master…”
This is divine magic! Not the arcane spells he previously taught Eagle to learn!
Magic requires step-by-step progression, yet divine arts seem inherently varied in strength. Take the Healing Spell, for instance: there are no distinctions like “Basic Healing,” “Advanced Healing,” or “Greater Healing.” A Healing Spell is simply a Healing Spell. However, the difference between one cast by an ordinary priest and another by a high-ranking cleric is as vast as heaven and earth.
Same name, yet they might as well be two entirely different things.
Eagle’s Healing Spell… it’s quite powerful. No, it’s overwhelmingly strong!
Pei Sen felt utterly shocked. Before his transmigration, he had encountered priest players in the game as rare as pandas. These extremely precious healers were almost exclusively sponsored by major guilds. In truth, Bix Cube was a game that, in many situations, didn’t really require healers. Even within dungeons, most players were accustomed to dealing with their own injuries while fighting—whether by applying bandages, consuming magical alchemy potions, or even drinking holy potions produced by the church. Healers? We weren’t that luxurious; we couldn’t afford to sponsor one!
As for wild clerics? Forget it. Such a rare existence, even rarer than wild pandas, has never been seen by the vast majority of players.
Of course, having one is better than not; as long as they can become true clerics, these players can basically walk sideways through the game world without challenge.
But to be honest, players who manage to become clerics seem to be somewhat mentally unstable.
Healing Spell is the most common divine ability used by clerics. Pei Sen has experienced its embrace before, but in his opinion, that level 80-plus little cleric, pampered by a major guild, was nowhere near as effective as the Healing Spell currently being cast by Eagle.
With a single healing spell, all of Pei Sen’s injuries vanished without a trace!
Such prowess was so formidable it bordered on terrifying!
Eagle, however, was overjoyed. “It really works, Pei Sen! I can cast divine spells! Rest assured, I didn’t let Atwell find out. I know it would seem suspicious if I suddenly showed interest in the Church, given my previous lack of concern. So I secretly borrowed the book from a priest; I guarantee no one noticed it was missing!”
Some theological books in the manor were not guarded closely by the priests. Since some of the male and female servants could read, these priests were often eager to spread their teachings among them. However, these noble household servants had limited interest in the Church of Light. Nevertheless, as most lacked access to reading materials, those theological texts were occasionally taken for perusal.
Pei Sen: “…”
This isn’t the issue, Young Master. You don’t even believe in the God of Light, so how can you cast divine spells? This defies all logic!
No, divine spells were never meant to follow logic in the first place.
In the original timeline of Bix Cube, Eagle would later become the Son of Light of the Church of Light, also known as the Divine Child. However, by that time, he had already gone blind, and his personality was completely different from what it is now.
Pei Sen’s original guess was that something happened at the Golden Rose Manor later on; perhaps Eagle was rescued by Atwell and taken into the Church of Light.
In this scenario, it was highly likely that the young master, originally innocent and unaware of life’s hardships, began to worship the God of Light, thereby mastering powerful divine spells. Due to his extraordinary talent, he became the Son of Light.
However, it now seemed otherwise. Pei Sen glanced at Eagle’s jubilant face.
It appeared that the young master could naturally wield divine spells, even without having pledged faith to the God of Light.
With a healer providing abundant healing support, Pei Sen’s pace in challenging Palta immediately accelerated. Within just a few minutes, Palta fell to the ground unwillingly, leaving behind a metal treasure chest.
It has to be said, having a healer around is truly a blessing.
“Ding! Player ‘Full-Power Mage’ has successfully cleared the dungeon ‘Slave Trader’s Cave’ for the first time, receiving +2000 EXP and one First-Clear Treasure Chest.”
This was an announcement received by all players. Indeed, in order to avoid exposing his identity as a player, Pei Sen had used a Name Change Card. Bix Cube didn’t have an in-game shop, but the game always anticipated that players would want to redo their character creation or change their IDs. This was because, during the initial character creation phase, many players ended up designing faces that were utterly hideous—something they failed to realize until actually entering the game and seeing their bizarre appearances. Consequently, Bix Cube gifted every existing account at the time one Name Change Card and one Face Reshape Card.
That’s right; the card for redoing character creation was called the “Face Reshape Card.” Players couldn’t help but complain, “Plastic surgery changes lives—who would’ve thought it applies even in games? One ID, two cards, each given separately. However, unlike most other games, these two items can be traded…”
The appearance change card on Pei Sen’s alternate account has been successfully sold, but the name change card hasn’t fared as well; after all, ugliness is hard to tolerate, whereas an ID is less of an issue.
Fortunately, there was still one name change card left.
However, Pei Sen also realized that the name change card could only be used on the player panel; his NPC panel name remained unchanged, still displaying “Pei Sen” as his name.
After seeing the announcement, players were greatly surprised, and this surprise manifested in two distinct ways.
“Huh, this game actually has dungeons!” This was the reaction of players like Claude, who were completely unaware that dungeons existed in the game. Although they had seen posts on the forums about other players searching for dungeons, since none had been found yet, they hadn’t paid much attention to the matter at all.
“Ah, someone beat us to it.” This was the genuine regret felt by players like Braised Spicy Strips and Designer, who knew about the dungeons, were actively searching for them, and had hoped to secure the first clear.
Designer gazed thoughtfully at the announcement. “This notice is quite interesting.”
“This player’s ID is quite intriguing too,” TuTu HuaHua chuckled. “There aren’t any mage players right now, yet he chose to call himself ‘Full-Force Mage’.”
The architect asked in confusion, “Could it be that this game’s dungeon is so simple one person can clear it alone?”
After all, only this single ID appeared in the announcement.
The designer, however, smiled. “Haven’t you noticed? This full-power mage seems unfamiliar to most of us. Many threads on the forum are asking who he is. If he isn’t the type of player who deliberately avoids attention, then he must be a complete lone wolf who never teams up with other players.”
“Then which type do you think he is?”
“The second type.”
Because even the most inconspicuous player wouldn’t go unnoticed to the extent that, after being discussed at length on the forums, no one would have any recollection of them.
“In other words, this is a player who hasn’t participated in any of the standard quests. They’re likely undertaking missions through alternative means and have simultaneously discovered the existence of the dungeon,” the designer analyzed rationally.
Tu Tu Hua Hua showed great interest. “That’s quite fascinating. After all, this game offers tremendous freedom.”
“That’s true.” The designer glanced around the scenery. In their search for the young earl and his personal butler, they had already left the boundaries of Kai West City and the Golden Rose Manor. Though they hadn’t found them yet, they spotted a brand-new city in the distance. “Actually, I’ve been thinking: this game doesn’t seem to require loading maps at all, or perhaps it simply hides the loading process. If so, just how vast is its map?”
He didn’t even want to stay here any longer completing quests or following the storyline. He wanted to journey far away, exploring this game whose map seemed to have no discernible boundaries.
The only problem was that, for now, the game had opened only one respawn point in Kai West City. If he ventured too far and unfortunately died, he’d have to start all over again, which would surely be infuriating.
“Never mind, it’s not the right time yet. I should level up first.” The designer decisively abandoned the idea. Judging from Kai West City, the game world was far from safe. Since he didn’t know much about this game world yet, he might get killed before traveling even a short distance, which would truly be a waste of time.
The other players had originally been searching for Pei Sen and Eagle, but now everyone’s attention shifted to the dungeon, with nearly all of them buzzing with discussion.
“Where is the dungeon?”
“I want to run the dungeon; I want to level up!”
“The dungeon might drop equipment, skill books, and things like that, right? I’ve been in the game this long, and I still haven’t learned a single new skill.”
“Yes, those NPCs are too difficult to deal with.”
“Exactly. I pestered Kemis for a whole month, and he still wouldn’t teach me any skills.”
“…”
If Kemis were here, he’d probably be ranting furiously: This is just too hard for me…
At this moment, Pei Sen and Eagle had been teleported out of the dungeon. With the dungeon fully cleared, the phantom crystals shattered, leaving the two standing unharmed just outside Archi Town, right where they had entered the dungeon.
Pei Sen turned his head and saw a cluster of dungeon phantom crystals slowly drifting and dancing in the air.
“Let’s hurry back, young master.”
“Mm.”
The two did not enter Arqi Town; Pei Sen merely spotted some players wandering nearby from afar and guided Eagle to avoid them, taking a slight detour. However, they hadn’t gone far before encountering a large group of estate guards rushing toward them, led by Sardin, whose face was dark with gloom.
Pei Sen didn’t react at first, then suddenly realized something and looked down at Pex, who was obediently following along.
Pex blinked innocently and blankly.
Why look at the cat? The cat hasn’t done anything wrong; it’s been walking diligently all this time without even asking you to carry it.
As Eagle’s pet cat, although not many people had seen Pex, the number wasn’t small either.
Not to mention the expensive collar made of demon beast sinew around Peks’ neck, adorned with a small pure gold bell—though the bell has no clapper and thus cannot ring, its design is utterly adorable, clearly indicating its immense value.
Pei Sen and Eagle were indeed wearing hooded cloaks that concealed their faces, yet this foolish cat stubbornly refused to enter the pet inventory slot, instantly exposing their whereabouts.
In the blink of an eye, Sardin had already surrounded them with a large contingent of guards, making Pei Sen feel his heartbeat begin to accelerate.
Some players had already been secretly following the manor’s guards; upon noticing that the guards seemed to have found someone, they immediately reported the situation on the forum, prompting a massive crowd of players to start converging on this location.
Pei Sen’s little heart beat even faster…
He had truly been caught red-handed.
Eagle, however, remained calm. He stepped forward, pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing a head of brilliant golden hair that sparkled under the sun. Among the players who had already gathered, someone let out an amazed “Wow.” “No matter how many times I see it, the young count’s beauty is still astonishing…”
Sardin looked at Eagle and said, “Young master, you are being too willful.”
Eagle merely smiled softly. “Being willful, are we?”
“Leaving the manor so casually like this—”
“Sartin, let me ask you something,” Eagle said, looking up at Sartin, who remained mounted on his horse without even dismounting. “Are you the lord of this land?”
Sartin furrowed his brow.
“I thought I was the lord, but it seems I’m not. You’re the true lord of Langno, aren’t you, Sardin? That’s why I must look up to you, obey your orders, and seek your permission before going anywhere.” Eagle’s words dripped with sarcasm. “Sardin, I’m fifteen now. I’ve come of age.”
Hearing his words, Sardin finally dismounted. “Young master, I—”
“Don’t tell me it’s for my own good, or for my safety,” Eagle laughed. “I merely came to inspect my own territory, yet looking at you, one would think you intend to capture me like an escaped prisoner.”
Sardin offered a bitter smile. “Young master, that’s not what I meant.”
“What does that mean?” Eagle pointed to Archi Town in the distance. “Look, that’s Archi Town within my domain, yet I don’t even recognize it anymore. I heard Soan has been in poor health, so he hasn’t come to see me for several years. The taxes Archi Town submits to me annually remain at the level from years ago. Ah, in my heart, it was still a poor and backward little village. If I hadn’t asked Pei Sen to bring me out this time, if I hadn’t insisted on personally inspecting my domain, I恐怕 would never have known it had changed like this.”
Complete silence fell all around; not a sound could be heard. Even the players turned to look in astonishment. Uh, the atmosphere suddenly felt somewhat off.
“Sardin, don’t tell me you were unaware of the changes in Archi,” Eagle said softly. “You must have known. After all, you are more like the true lord of Lanno Domain than I am. There is nothing on this land that you do not know. They dared to conceal things from me, but they would never dare deceive you.”
Sardin remained silent. Indeed, he had known, but apart from matters concerning Eagle, Sardin rarely concerned himself with anything else. Such affairs simply never mattered to him.
Eagle sighed. “If I asked to inspect the territory, would you agree? You wouldn’t. You’d say it’s too dangerous outside, and that the only place I’m allowed to go is Kaixi City; anywhere else is simply out of reach, no matter how much I might wish to go.”
The guards who had arrived with Sardin were numerous; they glanced uneasily at the Chief Steward. It wasn’t something one usually noticed, but now, thinking about it, Chief Steward Sardin indeed seemed more like the true lord than the young master himself.
“I am the lord of Lanno Territory, yet how many here truly heed my words? They obey your commands, Sardin; they listen to Kesso; they even follow Mary’s lead. As for me, while they never openly defy me, in truth, they have never taken my words to heart.” Eagle smiled faintly. “Sardin, you all have done remarkably well over these years.”
Suddenly, Eagle lowered his head and removed the pair of exquisite, costly shoes from his feet.
These boots, crafted from the hide of some magical beast, boast a lavish appearance and considerable value, making them the favorite footwear among the nobility of Asmia. However, their material is excessively stiff, offering little comfort when worn; they consistently chafe the feet, especially while walking.
The nobles, however, pay no heed to this discomfort. They rarely walk any significant distance, relying on carriages whenever they venture out. At most, they stroll a few steps within their gardens before returning indoors to change into comfortable soft-soled shoes.
Among Eagle’s outdoor footwear, this particular pair of boots was already relatively well-fitted.
Yet, after merely a day and a half of traversing such distances, these very boots had left his feet battered and blistered.
Those feet, once fair and delicate, were now covered in blisters rubbed raw until they burst, with patches of skin worn away to reveal vivid red flesh beneath.
“What you gave me is like this pair of boots,” Eagle said calmly, standing barefoot on the grass. “They are magnificent and exquisite, yet within this cage, I can only remain motionless; any slight movement leads to nothing but bleeding pain.”
That manor was merely a beautiful, luxurious cage, no different from these costly, finely crafted boots.
Wearing such shoes, he could only sit obediently and quietly; walking even a little further would bring unbearable agony.
It wasn’t that he was being delicate; he could certainly endure pain. For instance, right now, having taken off his shoes, Eagle felt quite content.
His feet still hurt, but it didn’t matter; he felt comfortable.
However, the very existence of the Golden Rose Manor, along with Sardin and these guards, meant they would never allow him to remove those shoes.
Sardin couldn’t help but speak up, “Young Master, if you insist on going out for inspection, I can personally accompany you.”
“And then, what will I see?” Eagle said. “Will I see a decrepit Soan or a desolate Alqi?” His eyes were nothing like their usual innocence. “Or do you dare let me see Vago, whom you set free?” By the end, his voice had risen sharply.
Sartin froze. “Vago?” He genuinely knew nothing about this.
“Yes, how amusing. Vago, who participated in the assassination plot and whom I ordered to be secretly executed, is still very much alive, mingling with those human traffickers. Isn’t that fascinating, Sartin?”
Sartin was so cornered he couldn’t utter a single word.
Eagle stepped forward toward the carriage waiting to take him back, waving his hand. “Pei Sen, come along. As a prisoner, you should act like one. Since we’ve been caught, let’s just go quietly.”
His tone remained calm, yet Sardin’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Originally, it was Sardin who had come to arrest them, but Eagle’s preemptive move left him utterly speechless.
As Eagle boarded the carriage and Pei Sen was about to follow, Sardin fixed him with a stern gaze. “You shouldn’t have taken the young master outside. It’s far too dangerous out there. With your abilities, you’re completely incapable of protecting him.”
Pei Sen sneered inwardly. Unable to best the young master, so now you’re coming after me? Do you think I’m an easy target?
“I am not like any of you,” Pei Sen said, casting a contemptuous glance at all the guards present, including Sading. “For me, no one is more important than the young master. Whatever he says, I do; his commands I naturally obey. Dangerous? Isn’t the manor itself dangerous? This time, you must have captured quite a few of Viscount Frey’s men from within the estate. Whether the Golden Rose Manor is truly a sanctuary or merely a gilded cage, you know perfectly well in your heart.”
“You guards are no different. In your minds, the orders of Steward Sading, Vice-Steward Keso, and Manager Ichabod all carry more weight than anything the young master says.”
“As for me, I have only one master.”
“Count Eagle Langno.”
Inside the carriage, Eagle leaned against the door, a smile playing on his lips.
Those emerald eyes shimmered with a soft tenderness.