Just what level of undead could it be to leave even the personnel from the Church, who specialized in purification, completely helpless?
There was likely more to the story.
He read the commission details again word by word, committing them to memory. Then, he picked up the commission sheet and turned to walk back to the front desk.
The young clerk was looking down, organizing documents. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw it was Bai Xuan, his gaze landing on the commission sheet in his hand.
“You want to accept this Iron Rank commission?” his tone carried a hint of surprise.
“Is the Hammerfall team planning to take this?” Bai Xuan didn't answer his question, asking directly instead.
The clerk blinked, thinking for a moment before saying, “They have come to ask about it several times. Normally, an average team wouldn't dare touch a mission like this.”
“The difficulty is high, so the reward is naturally high, but the risk is too great. They seem… quite anxious to take on missions lately. I’m not sure about the specific reason.”
Bai Xuan asked in a flat tone, “What is the Hammerfall team’s reputation like?”
“It’s decent,” the clerk thought for a bit. “They aren't exactly a top-tier powerhouse team, but the clients’ reviews for the commissions they’ve completed are all quite good. I’ve never heard of them cheating anyone or abandoning a contract halfway.”
Bai Xuan nodded and turned to leave, but his footsteps suddenly paused as if he had remembered something.
“By the way,” he turned back to the clerk, “do you know of a group called the Nightshade team?”
The clerk looked up, his brow furrowing slightly as he clearly tried to recall the name.
“Nightshade… that sounds familiar.”
He spoke slowly, “They took a few commissions before, but their completion rate wasn't high. Then they suddenly went quiet.”
He paused, lowering his voice to add, “I heard they offended someone powerful, and their reputation in the adventurer circle is terrible.”
“After that… no one saw any trace of them. They probably disbanded completely, or something happened to them.”
Bai Xuan remained expressionless and didn't respond; his face showed no trace of emotion.
“Why? Do you know them?” the clerk asked.
“I don't,” Bai Xuan placed the commission sheet back on the counter. “I’ve just heard of them.”
With that, he didn't linger, turning and walking out of the Adventurer’s Guild.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened, and the evening glow had long since faded.
Standing on the steps at the guild entrance, Bai Xuan slowly reached into his coat and pulled out the Paper Rank badge he was supposed to replace tomorrow.
It was a crude circular iron plate with rough edges, and the adventurer crest patterns printed on the surface had long since been worn blurry.
He looked down at it for two seconds before casually tucking the badge back into his coat.
When Bai Xuan ducked into the blacksmith shop, the owner was busy closing up.
The forge fire in the shop had mostly dimmed, with only a few faint red glows flickering in the bottom of the coal pit, pulsing in the darkness.
The owner was hanging several repaired short blades back on the wall one by one, only turning around when he heard footsteps.
Seeing it was Bai Xuan, his gaze naturally dropped, fixing onto the short spear in Bai Xuan’s hand.
“Broken?” the owner asked bluntly.
Bai Xuan placed the short spear on the counter and looked up. “Can it be fixed?”
The owner put down the short blade in his hand, walked over quickly to pick up the spear, and turned to hold it under the oil lamp by the wall, rotating it repeatedly to inspect it.
Most of the hardwood on the outer layer of the spear shaft had already peeled away, with large sections of wood skin curling up at the edges.
The twisted iron core beneath was exposed, bent in several places; one could imagine the intensity of the battle.
Though the triangular pyramid shape of the spearhead remained, the edges were covered in nicks, and the very tip had long since been blunted, losing its former sharpness.
The owner only looked for five or six seconds before casually placing the spear back on the counter, his tone blunt.
“It’s not worth repairing.” He paused, adding, “The wood skin is stripped like this, and the iron core is severely fatigued. The money for the repair would be enough for you to buy a new one.”
Bai Xuan nodded calmly; he had expected this result.
“Then, do you have a short spear sturdier than this one?” he asked again.
The owner shook his head, gesturing with his chin toward several weapons hanging on the wall. “That was the last one of its kind; I already sold it to you.”
“If you want something better, I can forge one with good materials, but the cost will be higher, and you’ll have to wait a few days.”
Bai Xuan fell silent for a moment.
This short spear had been a weapon he specifically chose for stripping monster shells; its thrusts were precise, making it perfect for prying joints and attacking weak points.
But now that he had reached Bronze Rank, he no longer needed to revolve around material commissions. The next things he had to deal with were the undead, not soft-shelled bugs.
Against the undead, there was no need to deliberately preserve their integrity. What he truly needed was something he could swing with reckless abandon.
He would have to pick up the iron rod he bought from Mora again; he hadn't used that thing since leaving the Grand Duke’s tomb.
That iron rod was much heavier than the short spear and far sturdier; it was also more comfortable to swing.
“Never mind.” Bai Xuan pulled back his thoughts and said flatly, “You can buy this one back. How much?”
The owner picked up the short spear again for a glance and casually quoted a number: “15 silver coins.”
The price wasn't high, but it was better than throwing it away for nothing.
Bai Xuan nodded, took the silver coins, and walked out of the blacksmith shop.
By the time Bai Xuan returned to the White Lion Inn, the first-floor lobby was already empty.
The oil lamp behind the counter glowed solitary, but the owner was nowhere to be seen.
He didn't linger, heading straight upstairs and pushing open the familiar small door.
The room was the same as always: a narrow bed, a crooked wooden shelf, and a high window with glass that was nearly shattered, everything exuding simplicity.
He set his belongings down, sat on the edge of the bed, and with a thought, summoned his panel.
【Class: Redeemer Lv. 4 (18%)】
【Current Pleasure: 415, Draws Available * 20】
The experience bar for Level 4 was growing much slower than at Level 3. He glanced at it and didn't pay much attention, his gaze quickly falling on the “Draws Available * 20.”
A full twenty draw opportunities.
The last ten-draw had been nothing but white-tier rewards. With twenty chances this time, he should be able to pull something useful, right? Bai Xuan thought to himself.
Without much hesitation, he chose to draw directly.
In the next second, light effects rippled in the center of his vision, beginning to rotate rapidly.
The first white light bloomed—it was Skill EXP (Medium). The second was still white light, Skill EXP (Small)… one after another, they were all familiar white lights.
Bai Xuan leaned against the headboard, his eyes flat as he watched the white lights drift out from the effects one by one.
Before he knew it, ten draws were over, and there were still no surprises.
He shifted his body, finding a more comfortable position, his brow furrowing slightly.
If all twenty draws were EXP, it wouldn't be a loss, as EXP could tangibly improve his strength, but it would still be a bit disappointing.
He continued the draw. Five more went by, and the result remained unchanged—all various types of EXP.
Bai Xuan’s brow furrowed deeper as he murmured under his breath, “No way.”
Just as he was about to lose hope, the eighteenth light effect finally showed a change.
The white light faded, replaced by an unremarkable gray light effect.
A gray card manifested and slowly fell into his hand. On the card was a drawing of a seemingly perfectly intact wooden chair.
The armrests were curved, and the back was carved; it looked exquisite, like something from a noble’s dining room.
【A Chair that Collapses at a Touch: Summons a seemingly intact wooden chair. Any unit that sits on it will cause it to shatter instantly.】
Bai Xuan stared at the description, falling silent for two seconds.
“What the hell is this?”
He subconsciously flipped the card over; the back was completely blank.
Flipping it back to the front, there was still only that one simple line of description.
Then, he suddenly remembered the Broken Compass that Always Points North.
When he first pulled it at the church, he had also thought it was a useless piece of junk, but in the Spatial Labyrinth, that compass had helped him distinguish directions and successfully find the exit.
Thinking of this, Bai Xuan put away his disdain and stored the chair card.
In case one day this seemingly useless thing could be of great use.
The nineteenth draw, as expected, was Class EXP (Medium).
Finally, it was the twentieth draw—the last one.
The light effect changed again. This time, it wasn't white or gray, but a rainbow-colored light he had never seen before.
The light was like the sheen of oil spreading on water, bright and translucent, instantly capturing all of Bai Xuan’s attention.
His relaxed body slowly sat upright, his eyes fixed intensely on the iridescent light effect, his expression unable to hide his curiosity.
The iridescent light gradually converged, and the card phantom slowly solidified, finally landing in his palm.
The patterns on this card were more complex than any he had pulled before.
In the center of the card were two overlapping semicircles, and within them were runes he couldn't understand. Those runes were still slowly rotating, exuding a mysterious aura.
Bai Xuan took a deep breath, his gaze falling on the card’s description, reading it carefully.
【Subordinate Contract: Can only be used on high-intelligence targets. Once the contract is successful, any malice the subordinate has toward the holder will result in extreme weakness or even near-death. The holder gains Pleasure when the subordinate kills or heals. The subordinate gains the ability to level up through kills, and both parties gain EXP simultaneously when either kills a monster. The target must have complete trust and zero resistance, otherwise the contract will fail.】
Bai Xuan’s breathing gradually quickened, his fingers tightening slightly around the card.
He couldn't believe it, re-reading the description twice, his gaze locked onto the key sentences.
When the subordinate killed or healed, he would also gain EXP and Pleasure.
This meant he no longer needed to do everything personally.
It meant someone could grind monsters and do chores for him, while he only had to wait in a safe place to reap the rewards.
It also meant that when acting together, the kill efficiency would directly double, and the leveling speed could be significantly increased.
Most importantly, the subordinate would also have the ability to gain EXP and level up, meaning they could keep up with his pace and wouldn't be a burden.
Bai Xuan stared at the rainbow card, the joy in his eyes irrepressible, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up slightly.
But this joy didn't last long. When his gaze moved further down to the conditions at the end, he froze.
The target must have complete trust and zero resistance, otherwise the contract will fail.
This sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing all his joy.
Complete trust, zero resistance, and a high-intelligence target—these three conditions stacked together almost blocked all possibilities of a forced contract.
This meant the other party had to be willing, unreservedly placing their life in his hands.
But in this world, what high-intelligence creature would be willing to do that?
Bai Xuan leaned against the headboard, his mind racing.
High-tier monsters had enough intelligence, but as high-tier beings, why would they trust a weak human?
If it were a human, it would be even harder. Who would be willing to hand their life over to someone else so easily?
At that moment, a dwarf’s face suddenly surfaced in his mind—Barend.
If he had to pick one person, perhaps Barend was the one closest to the conditions.
That guy was honest, straightforward, and never beat around the bush; he was also fairly friendly toward him.
But even so, there was still a massive distance between him and complete trust.
Bai Xuan gripped the card, his fingers tightening and loosening as his expression turned complex.
He flipped the card over again, staring at the description, his heart full of frustration.
If he could truly find a target that met the conditions…
But on second thought, he slowly shook his head, forcibly suppressing that unrealistic thought.
Forget it, I’ll set it aside for now.
The most important thing right now is to complete the Iron Rank commission. As for the contract, perhaps I’ll encounter someone suitable in the future.
He pulled back his thoughts and carefully stored the rainbow card into his Space Ring.
In the ring, the number of things with unknown uses had increased by one.
After putting away the card, Bai Xuan shifted his attention to the EXP he had pulled.
The twenty-draw just now had yielded many EXP cards of various sizes. Combined with the two Class EXP cards left over from the last ten-draw, it was enough to give his strength a boost.
He didn't hesitate, first clicking on the Class EXP cards to use them.
【EXP: 18% → 37%】
The experience bar ticked up all the way, finally stopping at just over one-third. The increase was fairly substantial.
Bai Xuan glanced at it and didn't pay much attention; it was normal for class levels to rise slowly.
It had only been a few days since he rose from Level 3 to Level 4, which was already much faster than expected.
After finishing the Class EXP cards, next were the Skill EXP cards.
He stared at the skills on his panel, hesitating.
He had quite a few skills, and with only this much EXP, he had to choose the most suitable ones to prioritize.
Bai Xuan’s gaze swept back and forth between several core skills, quickly weighing the pros and cons.
First was Redemption Strike; this was his most commonly used offensive skill.
He had used it all the way from the church to now; whether smashing bugs or undead, it was very handy. Upgrading it was definitely the right move.
Then there was Purifying Severance. He didn't use this skill often, but the upcoming Iron Rank commission required purifying a contaminated mine.
In case he encountered some un-dispersible source of pollution, this skill would be key. Upgrading it would provide an extra layer of security.
As for the other skills, there would be chances to upgrade them slowly later. He would raise these two first.
Having made his decision, Bai Xuan no longer hesitated.
With a flick of his finger, he consumed all the Skill EXP cards to upgrade Redemption Strike and Purifying Severance.
Rate on N.U.
