Oath City, Council Hall
In the magnificent council hall, dawn’s light streamed through tall windows, illuminating the entire space.
High Priest Ditas of the Light wore pristine white robes, his golden sacred emblem gleaming faintly on his chest. Duke Brennus was clad in full military regalia, his knuckles unconsciously tapping against the map spread across the table. Lorenzo, the Grand Duke and master of Oath City, sat in the main seat, his brow deeply furrowed.
“Just received urgent news,” Grand Duke Lorenzo’s voice was low and tense. “Angus Port has fallen. The serpent-folk served as the vanguard for a surprise attack, followed by eight Imperial warships forcing their way into the harbor. Count Angus… seeing the situation was hopeless, sent one final message before abandoning the city.”
“With all that espionage activity beforehand, so the main course has finally arrived,” Duke Brennus snorted coldly, then asked with confusion, “Serpent-folk? The Empire has such a race?”
“But the Far North does.”
“What are they plotting by taking Angus Port?” Brennus pressed.
“They likely intend to bypass the natural defenses of the Crimson Ridge Mountains and coordinate with the Empire’s main forces to pincer attack Arama’s highland fortress, creating a flanking maneuver.” Lorenzo’s finger traced a dangerous arc across the map. “Unfortunately, it seems the Empire has been too long without real warfare—they couldn’t even properly disrupt magical crystal communications. The intelligence reached us immediately.”
Lorenzo continued: “Brennus, the heavy responsibility of interception falls to you. If the opportunity arises, you must retake the port while their foothold remains unstable!”
“I don’t mind going,” Brennus nodded, then shifted topics, “but what about provisions? Elvain, how are things on your end?”
All eyes turned to a communication crystal floating in the center of the hall. The crystal flickered with light, and from within came the drowsy voice of Sword Saint Elvain: “My end? The demon race really did send people to intercept the delegation, but unfortunately I got a bit carried away with my blade work—not sure if there were any titled nobles among them.”
“Who asked you about that!” Brennus interrupted irritably. “I’m asking about food! When will the elven provisions arrive!”
“That’s not going so smoothly,” the Sword Saint’s voice carried helplessness. “The elves keep using the excuse that ‘the Ancestor Tree cannot be easily awakened,’ stubbornly refusing to provide more than one-third of the promised quota!”
“What are those long-ears thinking?!” Brennus’s fist struck the table heavily. “If we fall, do they think they can remain untouched?”
“Could it be…” Grand Duke Lorenzo’s gaze slowly shifted toward High Priest Ditas, carrying a trace of suspicion, “that news of the hero summoning ritual has… leaked?”
At these words, Brennus also turned his attention to the High Priest responsible for the matter.
“Absolutely impossible!” High Priest Ditas didn’t even blink, his voice decisive and unwavering!
“How truly strange then.”
“Elvain,” Lorenzo addressed the crystal, “relay the news of Angus Port’s fall and the demon race’s formal invasion to the elves exactly as it happened. This is no longer a small-scale conflict, but full-scale war! According to our alliance, they should contribute their part! Push for provisions with all your might, and request they deploy troops for support.”
He then looked at Brennus: “You depart first. I’ll prioritize supply lines to your position! I’ll also immediately dispatch envoys to the Dwarven Kingdom to persuade them to launch an offensive on the Empire’s eastern border, drawing away those vampires.”
Brennus nodded: “That’s all we can do.”
Grand Duke Lorenzo cast one final glance at the High Priest. Regarding the hero matter, the fewer people who knew the specifics, the better. Now that it was entirely entrusted to the High Priest, he could only trust that there were no oversights.
—
## Silver Sand Bay
The sun had climbed high when Garrison Commander Lord Tanaka finally sauntered out of his mansion, ambling toward the garrison post.
This was his unwavering daily routine: leading a few subordinates on rounds throughout the area, casually collecting some benefits here and there, before ending his “arduous” day at the tavern.
Not far away, a young mother holding her child watched Tanaka’s lazy figure disappear around the street corner.
She tightened her grip on the infant in her arms, her voice extremely low: “How much longer must we keep watch like this? The appraisal results from the high-level investigation scroll—we’ve already made several backup copies with memory crystals and sent them back… When will headquarters send someone to take over? Even if his level isn’t high, this is a genuine hero! Watching him like this every day is dangerous, isn’t it!”
The child in her arms blinked innocent large eyes, alertly surveying the surroundings. After confirming no one was near, he responded in a voice completely contrary to his small appearance—seasoned and sharp: “What are you complaining about, Menya! This is a heaven-sent achievement that countless people would beg for! To deal with a hero naturally requires a Duke-level personage to personally take action. We naturally cannot know the whereabouts of such high-ranking figures! Besides, before such a great lord departs, they must first thoroughly investigate the situation, right? What if it’s another trap like last time?”
Being “hooked” away by humans using a false summoning ritual had cost the demon race a Duke—arguably their most humiliating defeat in nearly a century.
It was simply that no one dared pursue accountability for that matter.
Meanwhile, the now level-24 Tanaka picked his teeth as he emerged from a restaurant, having just conducted a food safety inspection that yielded satisfactory results.
“Where to next?”
Tanaka was content with his current life and clear about what he was doing—abandoning his heroic duties to work as a security captain under a major slave owner.
He felt no burden about this.
In his previous world, it was precisely because he carried too many responsibilities that were difficult to abandon that he had experienced such a miserable, beast-of-burden existence.
Now, having arrived in this strange world with no ties or obligations, why should others’ life and death concern him?
As for the grand cause of defeating the demon race and saving humanity… wasn’t there another beautiful female hero to handle that?
Let the young people have the chance to be heroes. He only wanted to live his own comfortable little life.
Unfortunately, even this wish seemed difficult to realize.
At midnight, Tanaka returned to his residence. He pushed open his bedroom door to find cold moonlight streaming through the open window, illuminating the interior.
A woman with a pale yet extraordinarily beautiful face leaned against the doorframe, a subtle smile playing at her lips: “Welcome home, Lord Hero.”
[Name: Eleanor de Knox]
[Race: Blood Clan]
[Level: 72]
Tanaka’s pupils contracted sharply. After a brief moment of shock, almost instinctively, he raised his finger like lightning!
However, that hand was instantly grasped by Eleanor’s ice-cold grip. The faint light that had just begun to gather at his fingertip was forcibly extinguished in his palm before it could emerge.
*Crack—*
That was the sound of a finger breaking. The vast level difference made resistance impossible for Tanaka, yet his expression showed little change, causing Eleanor to raise an eyebrow slightly.
Eleanor’s voice carried lazy mockery, her red lips parting slightly: “Planning to tamper with big sister’s memories, are we? That’s not very polite.”
“Not killing me directly—what are you planning?” Tanaka asked.
“Come with big sister, and you’ll know everything, won’t you?” Eleanor’s smile deepened, carrying an unquestionable implication.
Knowing she wouldn’t elaborate, Tanaka stopped asking and simply muttered to himself: “Calling yourself ‘big sister’ to a middle-aged man—don’t you find that weird? And while I do prefer pale skin, yours is a bit too pale…”
The next second, Tanaka’s form began to become ethereal and transparent without warning!
“What?!” Eleanor’s smile instantly froze, transforming into shocked suspicion. She lunged forward to grab him, but her five fingers passed through what appeared to be nothingness, penetrating the rapidly dissolving figure!
Without sound, without explosive light, Tanaka’s entire existence dissolved like a drop of ink in clear water—silently spreading, fading, and finally completely dissolving into the quiet air, leaving no trace.
Deathly silence enveloped the room.
Eleanor’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The mocking smile on her pale face completely vanished, replaced by incredulous shock, then consumed by surging fury.
“Dis… disappeared?” Her whispered voice carried barely perceptible trembling, then was replaced by shrill sharpness, “Impossible!”
She wasn’t some inexperienced novice, yet she still couldn’t discern the method behind his disappearance. Even clone techniques couldn’t be so completely traceless!
Not to mention the opponent was only level 24, whose only specialty was [Memory Deletion]—what could he possibly use to cast high-level magic capable of deceiving her!
But the fact was, this level-24 individual had escaped from right under her nose with a completely nonchalant expression!
What utter humiliation!
Crimson energy exploded from around her body, instantly demolishing the entire house!
“Hero! I’ve memorized the scent of your blood!”
The tremendous roar instantly awakened sleeping Silver Sand Bay. Guards rushed over in disheveled clothing, holding torches, staring dumbfounded at the residence that had been nearly razed to the ground.
They looked at each other, completely at a loss.
The next day, the island master’s stern castle overlooking the bay quietly multiplied its sentries several times over…
Meanwhile, on some vast sea far from Silver Sand Bay, a large ship rode the waves.
“Aiyoyo—!”
A cry suppressing immense pain burst from a certain cabin!
Tanaka curled up like a cooked shrimp on the cold floor, clutching his right hand, teeth chattering audibly, large beads of cold sweat soaking his forehead.
“Hiss… if I’d known it would hurt this much, I wouldn’t have put on that act!” His vision darkened from pain as he squeezed out fragmented complaints through gritted teeth.
After a long while, Tanaka finally released his grip in exhaustion, tremblingly wiping the oily sweat mixed with perspiration from his face, crawling back to the hard plank bed where he collapsed, gasping heavily.
[Sin of Sloth (Unique Title): Create a duplicate identical in every way except for this title; can be dismissed at will]
This title had appeared suddenly a month ago. He still couldn’t figure out the specific conditions for obtaining it, but he had thoroughly understood how to use it.
Tanaka had long known there were demons in Silver Sand Bay—they were business partners sanctioned by the island master, and he had no objection to this mutually beneficial arrangement.
But recently, those two demons had been playing COSPLAY around him in various disguises daily, which carried completely different implications!
The demons seemed unaware that he could view status panels, so their disguise abilities couldn’t fool him at all.
Considering his hero identity, he naturally anticipated possible danger. He had used his duplicate to draw attention early on while his real body boarded a ship where no one recognized him, making his escape.
He wanted to live peacefully as a lazy fish, but that seemed rather difficult in this world…
Gazing at the undulating dark blue waves beyond the porthole, Tanaka rubbed his still-aching right wrist, his eyes carrying some confusion: “Where should I go next…?”
—
## Meanwhile
In the waters not too far from Tanaka’s drifting cargo ship, another individual bearing the title of “Hero” was experiencing entirely different predicaments.
The Tidal Sanctuary—though this dungeon was located on the ocean floor, its interior wasn’t entirely filled with water. Instead, it was divided by massive magical air bubbles or dried halls, making it barely accessible to terrestrial races for exploration.
It should have been like that…
In a sealed room, the only exit was the water pool in the center.
Several ugly fishman corpses floated on the water’s surface, dark red blood spreading through the water, emanating a heavy fishy stench.
On the shore, several guards held shields, vigilantly watching the water’s surface.
“Can we still retreat through the path we entered from?” Hero Sophia asked with a trace of hope.
Priest Samuel shook his head: “That passage… was completely sealed with reinforced silt by the fishman spellcaster. Forcing it open isn’t impossible, but it would take considerable time, during which we’d have no energy to guard against that fishman.”
Sophia frowned.
The Tidal Sanctuary’s passages weren’t simple straight lines but labyrinthine in complexity. Theoretically, if one route was blocked, there should be other options.
But the problem was that the opponent clearly knew the terrain better than they did.
That fishman, despite not having particularly high level, used the sanctuary’s various mechanisms and traps with masterful skill, and its subordinate fishmen fought with suicidal determination!
Combined with the suddenly rising water level, they were forced to temporarily retreat to this sealed room, falling into a stalemate.
But this wasn’t a solution either. Through equipment purchased in Silver Sand Bay, they could create magical bubbles for underwater movement, but these weren’t suitable for high-intensity combat.
Yet once they emerged, they’d inevitably face the fishman’s attacks…
“Lady Sophia, the current situation is no longer suitable for training. I suggest you return to the ship via the transfer array first,” Samuel advised.
“But that array can only transport one person at a time and will drain all your magical power!” Sophia immediately objected, her gaze sweeping over each guard beside her. “What about all of you?”
“We’ll fight our way out and rendezvous with you on the ship,” the guard captain replied gravely.
“Rather than have you risk your lives…” Sophia pulled out an unremarkable piece of wood from her bosom that appeared corroded by seawater, “why not give them this! Isn’t this what they’re attacking us for?!”
[Divine Artifact: Ocean Scepter (Fragment)]
Without the flickering panel information, anyone would dismiss this wooden handle as trash.
Called a divine artifact, its current purpose remained unclear.
And what the fishman had communicated telepathically was: “Return the sacred relic!”
Samuel’s lips moved as if he wanted to dissuade this near-surrender action.
Bella, who had been intently gazing upward at the damp ceiling with her silver-white eyes, suddenly spoke uncertainly: “Lady Sophia, there might be a secret passage up there… some traces end there.”
Hearing this, everyone’s gaze turned to the ceiling. Samuel waved his hand, and the guard captain felt a gentle force lift his body, allowing him to cling to the ceiling like a gecko.
He quickly felt around and soon made a discovery: “There is indeed a secret passage, but there’s likely water behind it too!”
“As long as there are no fishmen, that’s not a problem,” Sophia’s spirits lifted as she decisively ordered, “Everyone, prepare magical bubbles!”
Seeing this, Samuel could only nod.
After everyone was enveloped in faintly glowing transparent bubbles, the guard captain took a deep breath and delivered a fierce slash upward at the stone slab!
Debris mixed with surging seawater cascaded down like a waterfall. Samuel was prepared, his staff blazing with light as he lifted everyone, struggling against the violent current to surge upward!
“It’s the outer courtyard!” As soon as they emerged from the breach, Sophia immediately recognized this relatively open area!
However, after water filled the room, the fishmen also swam up through the breach.
The guard captain and a nearby guard exchanged glances. The latter understood, left the group, and swam back toward the breach to intercept the fishmen…
…
…
…
Climbing back onto the deck via the wet rope, Sophia finally felt the embrace of the scorching sun overhead. She took a deep breath: “We made it out successfully!”
However, this brief elation dissolved like foam.
When she habitually surveyed the deck, watching the gradually returning teams and scanning the tired but familiar faces, she suddenly realized someone was missing!
“Where’s Ron?”
After a brief silence, the guard captain’s voice was flat and emotionless: “Ron… he carried out the rear-guard mission.”
“You made him the rear guard?!” Sophia spun around sharply, her voice rising, looking at the guard captain in disbelief.
“Ensuring your safety is the highest priority,” the captain’s words were cold and resolute. “Any sacrifice is acceptable.”
“Acceptable?” Sophia repeated these words, feeling as though she could barely breathe.
Though she rationally understood the significance of such decisions, this was also the first time someone had died for her since arriving in this world.
She opened her mouth but couldn’t make any sound.
After a long moment, Sophia suddenly turned away, no longer looking at anyone, and walked silently toward the cabin.
The heavy cabin door closed behind her, shutting out the sunlight and sea breeze.
Bella’s gaze lingered on the guard captain for a while, then she quickly followed Sophia into the cabin.
Man, the 2 heroes….