Chapter 66: The Lightning Sword of the Evil Breaker

Inside the watchtower of Flat-top Peak, a banquet was underway.

The dwarves had brought out all the supplies and liquor from the watchtower, arranging them in the plaza outside.

Many of the dwarves still bore pustules on their bodies, but the stench had dissipated significantly, and they no longer vomited from the pestilence brought by the sores.

Kana looked at the food laid out on the low tables before him.

He had to admit that the dwarves' food did not actually look crude; it was remarkably hearty.

Chunks of meat the size of human heads were simply butchered, roasted, and cooked.

Various unknown animal limbs, complete with skin and bone, were dusted with special dwarf seasonings and roasted over charcoal until oil sizzled and spat, hissing loudly.

The pure aroma of roasted meat permeated the entire banquet, awakening everyone's appetite.

At that moment, Ghetari raised his wooden mug high, standing directly upon a stool, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Let us raise a toast to the warrior! Cheers to the Evil-Bane!"

"To the Evil-Bane!"

"Hahaha, a toast to this admirable mountain warrior!"

"Cheers for the warrior!"

The dwarves raised their mugs one after another, roaring toward Kana's direction.

Kana could only smile, lift his mug, and join them.

"We are all warriors fighting against those evil monsters. Come, a toast to the Gray Mountains!"

Following Kana's shout, he gulped down the ale in his mouth.

All the dwarves chimed in, roaring in unison.

"To the Gray Mountains!"

"To the Gray Mountains!"

Young George was infected by the atmosphere, holding his mug high and shouting wildly.

As the fine food and ale went down, Kana noticed that the pustules on many dwarves' bodies began to recede.

Looking at the ale in his hand, it seemed these drinks had been blessed with some form of purification.

The pustules on everyone's bodies had almost completely lost the power of the "Lord of Rot."

Without the beacon of vital believers, the power of the Outer Gods was apparently easily cleansed by the world automatically.

A simple, purified drink was enough to eradicate the lingering power within them.

It seemed this banquet had indeed been quite necessary.

It also allowed Kana and his companions to relax their previously tense emotions, and they quickly blended into the dwarves' celebration.

Perhaps because they were still inside the watchtower, and with yesterday's painful lesson fresh in their minds, even when these dwarves drank, they exercised extreme restraint.

Whenever some dwarves could barely resist wanting to drink a bit more, the dwarves beside them would curse loudly, clearly still haunted by yesterday's battle.

Retaink's betrayal was something they would remember forever.

Suddenly, some dwarf slammed his hand onto the wine table.

A simple, melodious rhythm arose along with the slapping sound.

Hearing this, Ghetari hurriedly leaped off his stool and rushed into the watchtower.

A moment later, he dashed back out, holding a round drum whose origin was unknown.

He reached out and beat the drum.

Everyone's rhythm began to unify with the sound of the drum.

Under this guidance, they began slapping the wine tables in time.

"We are in the mountains, striking the rock, digging the shafts!
A melodious sound! Resounding in the mine!
Mountain picks striking! Mountain picks striking!"

The pleasant melody, paired with the dwarves' singing, prompted all the dwarves to join in.

"What are they singing?" Alirise asked, tearing into a massive meat leg in her hand.

George wiped his mouth, feeling somewhat curious as well.

The song sounded pretty good.

"The dwarves' singing. I seem to remember it's called 'Children of the Mountains,'" Popott recalled from the side.

At this moment, Kana listened to the melody and likewise began drumming on the table, his rhythm merging seamlessly with the dwarves' song.

"We are the children of the mountains!
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Wielding the iron hammer!
Furnace fires burning! Iron hammers swinging!
..."

Amidst the dwarves' singing, the banquet reached its climax.

Even though the supply of alcohol was restricted this time and the dwarves showed extreme restraint, several of them still got drunk and began talking nonsense.

Keeping dwarves from getting drunk at a banquet was simply too difficult; it was practically suppressing the nature of their race.

The other dwarves were also slightly tipsy.

As for Kana's group, their alcohol tolerance could not compare to the dwarves'.

After all, dwarves grew up drinking ale like water, and to them, beer was merely hydration.

George was already drunk, crouching slightly with his arms over the dwarves' shoulders, singing wildly.

He swayed and danced haphazardly with them.

Popott, being a scholar and spell apprentice, exercised strict self-control after drinking just a tiny bit.

Alirise refused to let herself get drunk; she too stopped after a small sip, though she kept eating the entire time.

The dwarf-style barbecue was truly exceptional, possessing a unique flavor that never felt greasy no matter how much one ate.

In the game, Kana had always longed to taste these seemingly delicious foods, and now he could finally savor their flavors.

Right now, however...

Kana was reaching his limit. Because of his fame among these dwarves, they kept trying to toast him.

The equation in a dwarf's heart:
Warrior = High Alcohol Tolerance = Kana.

Someone so brave must have an unbeatable capacity for liquor; they simply had to drink properly with him.

Just as Kana was about to give up, Rurick, who had not attended the banquet until now, approached from somewhere.

"All right, you gluttons, stop pestering Kana! And those damn drunkards, throw them into the ice-water. Allowing you to drink and hold a banquet is already my greatest grace; don't force me to lose my temper!"

Rurick's authority made the dwarves instantly straighten up, nearly sobering them on the spot.

With Rurick's arrival, the banquet drew to a close, and the dwarves began cleaning up.

Rurick walked over to Kana, holding none other than a sword.

"Come, take a look at this."

Seeing the sword, Kana instantly sobered up and hurriedly took it.

He noticed the original scabbard had been replaced by one constructed from silver and an unknown material.

It had become understated and simple, yet it still bore understated patterns.

Touching the scabbard, Kana could feel that even the sheath had been infused with a certain kind of magic, seemingly capable of providing regular maintenance to the blade.

Holding the hilt, he slowly drew the sword.

Accompanied by the sound of the blade leaving the scabbard, Kana gazed at the prince's ceremonial sword in his hand.

At this moment, the blade's shape had not changed much from before; it still featured a hollowed-out design in the center.

There was truly no way to alter this part, or the blade could no longer be used unless it was melted down and remade.

However, the blade had clearly undergone some technical plating, and its original metallic color had completely transformed into a silvery white.

Furthermore, it was a matte silvery white, possessing a remarkable texture.

On the crossguard, aside from the previously embedded tiny gems, a thumb-sized sapphire was now set right in the middle, with electric currents seemingly surging within it.

Fine runes were faintly engraved around it.

Both its visual texture and tactile feel had been elevated to a new level, making it much more comfortable to hold.

The only change was that this blade apparently needed to be digitized anew.

Magic power surged into it.

This time, it did not consume 10 points; it only required 5 points of mana.

Why?

This was undoubtedly an enchanted, magical-quality weapon.

Could it be that the power from the previous digitization still lingered within, so it only required 5 additional points to digitize the newly added enchantment as well?

That was entirely possible.

Kana looked at his brand-new weapon.

【Lightning of the Evil-Bane】
【One-Handed Sword—Silver Sword—Magic】
【Attributes: Sharp, Lightweight, Mana-Conducting】
【Effects: Perfect Exclusive, Blade of the Evil-Bane, Lightning Entanglement】
【Perfect Exclusive: When wielded by Kana—Strength increased, Agility increased (Strength +, Agility +)】
【Blade of the Evil-Bane: When wielded by an Evil-Bane—Evil Shattered (Evil-Bane +), Evil individuals will feel fear】
【Lightning Entanglement: When the wielder executes a weapon attack, additional lightning damage is inflicted.】
【Evaluation: A gorgeous decorative sword infused with a master's forging, sublimated by master craftsmanship. Now, it is a magnificent blade of the Evil-Bane. Come! Make the wicked weep!】

It was an extremely powerful weapon, worthy of being called the pinnacle of the magical weapon tier.

It was only slightly inferior to the Sword of the Mountain Warrior in his other hand.

Yet that couldn't be helped, considering the foundation of the weapon itself was ordinary.

Feeling the power radiating from the blade, a smile involuntarily surfaced on Kana's face.

With his current level, his skills, and these two formidable weapons of the current stage, Kana's combat capability now completely surpassed his actual Level 4 status.

Even against Level 5 opponents, Kana had the confidence to take them down. If it was an opponent he was familiar with, he could make the battle even easier.

A player's combat capability stemmed from three aspects:
Their own level, the equipment they possessed, and the skills they utilized.

Only when these three converged did a player achieve true combat power.

And Kana right now, save for his level, had already exceeded his tier in every other aspect.

Standing nearby, Rurick watched. He witnessed with his own eyes how the sword began to change the moment Kana grasped the blade he had personally sublimated.

It was an indescribable sensation.

Yet Rurick was a rune smith after all, a master among smiths, and this sword had been sublimated by his own hands.

Thus, this indescribable sensation was perceived by him: just as Kana had said, the weapon truly became different in his hands.

He could not help sighing, "No wonder you use such a weapon in battle. In your hands, it has changed... it has become stronger."

Kana smiled without explanation and slid the blade back into its scabbard.

"Thank you. This is definitely a fine weapon; I love it and am thoroughly satisfied."

Rurick burst into hearty laughter and said, "Haha, for a weapon to be wielded by a warrior, by the strong, is its honor and the reason for its existence. For a weapon forged and sublimated by my hands to be wielded by a warrior is likewise my honor."

Rurick's smile came from the bottom of his heart; he was genuinely happy. He was a sage, but he was also a blacksmith.

A blacksmith's duty was to forge the perfect weapon and hand it over to someone worthy.

That was the true meaning of being a smith.

After putting away his weapon, Kana prepared to take his leave.

"Sage, I must depart. I must return to the camp; they still need me there."

Hearing this, Rurick, who roughly understood the situation in Safro, did not stop him. Instead, he gave Kana a look, nodded, and spoke in a solemn, serious tone.

"If—if you have any need for our help, call out directly. I believe whether it is I, the warriors here, or the dwarves of Grayfurnace Keep, we would all be more than willing to assist you. So, if there is anything you need help with, be sure to let us know."

Listening to Rurick's earnest words, Kana nodded, "If assistance is required, I certainly will."

"That is good. Then I shall not detain you further; you have your own homeland to save."

Kana nodded.

Accompanied by Alirise and the others, amidst the reluctant gazes and waving hands of the dwarves, he left Flat-top Peak.

Led by a few dwarf warriors and battle rams, they traveled all the way back to the watchtower they had previously occupied.

Arriving at the tunnel entrance, the escorting dwarf said, "We shall take our leave here, warrior."

"Thank you for the escort."

The group re-entered the tunnel, began walking downward, and swiftly made their way back down the mountain.

Passing the stinky pool, it had not yet been cleared, but having lost its power, it was already beginning to dry up.

They hurried toward the exit.

Although the stench inside the cave had decreased considerably, the smell remained nauseating.

Running all the way, they finally emerged from the cave.

Looking up at the sky, dusk was approaching, and night was about to fall.

"Let's quicken our pace. It's getting dark; let's return to camp before nightfall."

Alirise and the others nodded, moving swiftly through the forest.

At this point, the attire of the three had changed slightly.

Alirise now held a brand-new knight's sword.

Her previous blade had never been digitized, having been brought all the way from Lake-Watch City.

In just over half a month, after multiple battles, it was already covered in notches.

The dwarves had simply replaced it for Alirise; dwarf weapons were famously master-forged.

Coupled with Kana and his companions' selfless assistance, these weapons were top-tier goods.

Alirise was thoroughly satisfied with this sword.

George's back now bore a brand-new powerful bow, with a one-handed crossbow and a short sword tucked at his waist.

These were all gifts from the dwarves.

As for Popott, she had simply picked up a dagger casually.

After all, she relied on tricks and spells.

Finally, shortly after nightfall, they spotted the distant lights of the camp.

Before they even reached the camp perimeter, however, they were spotted by the sentries in the watchtower.

"Don't shoot, it's me!"

Kana shouted loudly. Hearing the familiar voice, the soldiers holding torches swarmed around them. Only after confirming it was Kana did they eagerly escort him into the camp.

Entering the camp, Kana immediately spotted Blake and his two companions, who had arrived at the camp at some point.

Nodding briefly, Kana looked at the dwarf warriors and said, "Thank you for your help. The problem with the outpost is resolved, and the sick children are already beginning to recover."

"Is that so? That's wonderful!" the dwarf captain cheered happily.

"Then can we head back now?" asked one dwarf anxiously.

He probably had some relatives among the sick dwarves.

Kana nodded, "Of course. Thank you once again for your help."

The dwarves nodded and hurried away into the night. Nighttime was not all that dangerous for dwarves, as they possessed a certain degree of dark vision.

Moreover, Kana's group had just traveled back along the path, proving there were no major threats on the road.

Watching the dwarves leave, Kana turned his gaze to Blake and his two companions.

"Why have you all come here?"

Without waiting for an answer, Kana led them directly back into the central command tent.

By the way, he also called the two shipwrights inside.

Blake spoke first: "The situation at the front lines is extremely grim. The route from Gray Mountain Fortress near the Gray Mountains into Koen has been cut off by those vampires. If we continue to hold Lake-Watch City to the death, there is a strong chance we will be surrounded, so the Earl has already led his troops to fall back toward this area. They will likely reach Riverbend Town by tomorrow midnight or the day after tomorrow morning."

Hearing this news, everyone's expression turned grim, except for Kana's.

Popott also frowned slightly. While she did not understand the full scope of the problem, she now understood Kana's capability.

The fact that Kana had constantly been preparing for this crisis was proof enough that the vampire army was certainly formidable to deal with.

Things were unfolding exactly as Kana had anticipated.

The tent fell silent, and everyone looked at Kana.

Kana, however, was reminiscing about the past.

Recalling his very first encounter with this game.

Back then, he had been fortunate enough to win a three-day closed beta test slot.

And those three days of closed beta were precisely the Battle of Riverbend Town.

Also known as the Battle of Bloody Tears.

Though it had been a long time since he recalled it, Kana felt he could never forget it in this lifetime.

During the three-day test, their identity back then had been reserve soldiers of Riverbend Town.

Day one involved familiarizing oneself with the game mechanics and running errands for the town, mostly helping transport logistics supplies and the like.

Day two saw the Earl's troops return to the town, and their tasks began to relate to the soldiers, helping transport the wounded and escort supplies.

Day three featured the vampire vanguard charging around the town in a massive battle. In the end, the Earl's forces paid the price of a pyrrhic victory, barely holding off the vanguard.

Then they began retreating with the remaining soldiers and townspeople, fleeing toward Koen through the dangerous wilderness east of the Gray Mountains.

Time was pressing; there were at most three days left.