The battle between Xia Nan and Ingram entered a state of total white-heat after Xia Nan hurled the fire-oil bombs into the swarm.
The fire spreading rapidly through the woods, the violently pounding heart, and the short, urgent breaths...
It was as if his very will had been ignited. Having gradually gauged each other's strength through continuous clashes, the two of them had long since abandoned their initial caution and wariness.
Once a fight reached this stage, facing a powerful enemy, pursuing "zero damage" was no longer realistic.
One had to give everything, using every means possible—even at the cost of severe injury—to drive the opponent to their death.
The line between life and death was but a hair's breadth.
*Whoosh—*
Searing winds brushed past his cheeks, and the crimson scenery of swirling flames retreated rapidly on either side.
Golden holy light reflected in his pitch-black eyes. Xia Nan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly; the blood-stained, iron-gray blade flashed with a sharp, cold glint under the reflection of the fire.
*Squelch.*
Leveraging the length advantage of the executioner's longsword, the tip first pierced the gap between the Magistrate's chestplate and neck—a void where there was absolutely no defense against a sharp blade.
The relatively thick fabric was instantly punctured, followed by skin, muscle, and cartilage...
Simultaneously, as the distance between them closed and their positions overlapped diagonally, Xia Nan himself entered Ingram's attack range.
A one-handed flanged mace, flickering with blinding golden light and brimming with the power of searing holy light, swung diagonally upward, aiming for Xia Nan's unprotected abdomen, which was exposed as he exerted force for his own attack.
The originally loose sleeves of the uniform had been torn open by the blood-engorged, swelling muscles of Ingram's arm.
The air was torn asunder, emitting a chilling, shrill wail.
Even with chainmail protection, it was hardly necessary to imagine the agonizing result of such a terrifying blow landing on the softest part of the human body.
Trading a severe injury for the enemy's death was merely the ideal outcome.
The greater possibility was mutual destruction.
Teeth clenched!
In his heart, Xia Nan had already prepared himself to forcibly tank the damage using his constitution and feats.
Suddenly, however, the sound of a lute string snapping echoed in his ears.
*Twang!*
Despite being in a state of high mental concentration, with his entire focus poured into the battle, he heard it with strange clarity.
Coming from the other side of the field, it was a faint yet distinct sound—the light clinking of a coin spinning and flipping through the air.
In the corner of his eye, he saw a silver-white robin flying through the treetops and the shimmering glow on the surface of a coin.
It felt as if some invisible thread, accompanying the flip of the coin, had instantaneously linked his body to that silver-white light.
That was...
The gaze of the Goddess of Luck, [Tymora].
This powerful deity, who sat high above in her divine kingdom, had cast her downward glance toward the material plane, using a holy symbol and a token as mediums in response to the prayers of her most devout believer.
It required no consumption of divine power, nor the descent of a saintly avatar.
With a half-share of the "Fate" portfolio and the mysterious authority over the domain of "Luck," this kind, fickle, bright, and interesting lady had simply blinked with a light smile.
The scales of fate tilted silently to one side.
A nearly non-existent, minuscule probability was quietly elevated, turning the "impossible" into the "possible," and falsehood into reality.
As his thoughts raced, Xia Nan suddenly felt a hard, thick sensation across his body, as if an invisible barrier had been applied to the surface of his skin.
No explanation was needed; the thought flashed through his mind like an instinct.
—[Iron Bones]: 0.5% chance to immunize against received physical damage.
In the next second, the flanged mace, flickering with brilliant golden light and carrying the full strength of Ingram's body, slammed violently into his abdomen amidst a whistling gale.
The metal hammer face collided fiercely with the armor composed of chainmail links...
There was no sound.
Despite being delivered with full force, the mace merely "tapped" against him with swiftness.
It was as if all the power had been transferred and dissipated in an instant by that invisible film on the surface of Xia Nan's skin.
It was a sensation of extreme contrast that induced dizziness and nausea.
He could clearly see the brief flash of surprise and bewilderment on Ingram's face, which was flushed red from excessive exertion.
Immediately after, the holy light accumulated on the surface of the hammer suddenly exploded!
Xia Nan felt a surge of searing pain in his abdomen, and the brilliant light erupting below his line of sight forced him to squint.
Enduring the indescribable agony, he leaned his body forward sharply, gripping the sword hilt tightly, as if pressing his entire center of gravity onto the blade.
Step, thrust!
*Bang-squelch!*
Wood chips flew!
The iron-gray tip of the sword, having pierced through flesh and stained with blood, drove straight into the wood fibers.
The metal plate armor slammed into the rough bark of the tree with a dull thud.
The executioner's longsword passed through the base of the neck.
It pinned Ingram entirely to the tree trunk.
*Crackle—*
Raging flames devoured the shrubs and long grass of the forest, and sparks and ash permeated the murky air.
Above, the silver-white robin flew leisurely by, disappearing into the clouds of the horizon.
In his abdomen, the brilliant golden holy light gradually weakened as its master died, finally vanishing completely as the mace—now reduced to just a handle—fell to the ground.
Xia Nan still held the hilt of the sword, his arms trembling slightly from the aftereffects of the battle.
Familiar semi-transparent characters flashed before his eyes
...
[Light-Bathed] Category: Feat Effect: Radiance Resistance +5% Description: Under the gaze of the Goddess of Fate, you, who fought a grueling battle against divine radiance, have luckily gained a slight resistance to radiance damage. Note: "Light is the shadow of darkness." — Oathbreaker, Defiler of Light, Prince of Gloomfire, Leticia.
...
Xia Nan only glanced at it briefly; before he could process it, the intense searing pain surging from his abdomen caused his attention to scatter.
The panel faded and dissolved into the air.
He collapsed onto the ground.
Looking down, he saw that the chainmail on his abdomen was heavily reddened, showing signs of melting.
And the flesh beneath the armor was pulsing with waves of burning pain.
Sweat covered his forehead as he sat on the ground, panting heavily.
In his mind, he recalled the [Adventurer's Handbook] regarding the treatment techniques for such injuries.
At the same time, he judged the specific severity of his current wound.
If it really didn't work, he feared that the last half-bottle of healing potion would not be saveable after all.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Compared to the somewhat disheveled Xia Nan after the fight, Alton hadn't suffered any injuries.
Only his pant legs had been singed by the fire, leaving some scorch marks on the surface.
Taking small, quick steps, he trotted over with a light posture.
His gaze scanned Xia Nan's body, seemingly assessing the injury.
Then he leaned down, his fingers gripping the bottom edge of the chainmail.
He yanked it up with force!
*Ssss—*
Under the high-temperature burn, the flesh at the wound had almost fused with the metal armor.
The sharp, acidic pain of the forced separation made Xia Nan gasp.
He had to grit his teeth to endure it, otherwise, he likely would have cried out in pain on the spot.
Alton didn't look at Xia Nan's expression. After helping him strip off the damaged chainmail shirt, he turned around and rummaged through his waist pouch for a while.
He then took out a small bottle of greenish ointment.
Dabbing a few clumps with his fingertips, he applied it forcefully to the wound.
Xia Nan strained to keep his expression neutral, his pale lips pressed tight, his eyes becoming vacant due to the intense pain.
Fortunately, soon after the ointment was spread evenly, its medicinal effect began to take hold.
A cool current, so cold it was almost chilling, swallowed most of the searing pain and coiled around the burned flesh.
The halfling was efficient, pulling out a roll of bandages and skillfully wrapping the wound.
Xia Nan gazed at the small figure before him, recalling the silver-white light that had flashed in the corner of his eye during the battle and the coin in the other's hand.
With some caution, he asked tentatively
"Just now... were you praying to the Goddess?"
After all, the damage immunity effect of [Iron Bones] had a trigger probability of only 0.5%.
Since he had acquired this feat, it had never triggered once.
Its instability was so high that it couldn't be called a trump card.
He didn't rely on it during normal battles, treating it only as a possible surprise.
But unexpectedly, it had triggered at the most critical moment of his fight with the Magistrate.
Connecting this to the halfling's strange movements during the battle and his own actual experience...
He couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"Yep!" Alton had no intention of hiding it. As soon as Xia Nan finished speaking, he nodded in confirmation.
"The Lady takes great care of me! Last night I was even sharing my experiences of Karanfor with her, but then you woke me up, so I only got halfway through."
The halfling's face was beaming with a smile, as if he were chatting about mundane household matters.
Hearing this, Xia Nan's heart skipped a beat, and his tone became even more cautious
"She... isn't angry, is she?"
"Of course not!" The halfling didn't look up, the bandages in his hand winding round and round Xia Nan's waist.
"I told you just now, the Lady is very kind."
"If she were really angry, she wouldn't have helped you just now!"
As he spoke, he raised his head and winked at him jokingly.
"Don't worry. Even if she has a little mood, I can just head to the casino again, right?"
The image of the halfling's wild and aggressive posture at the card table flashed through Xia Nan's mind.
Xia Nan couldn't help but smack his lips.
At the same time, he subconsciously considered how many times his savings of over a hundred gold coins would allow him to go all-in at a tavern.
"All done!" The halfling bit through the bandage with his teeth, stood up with hands on hips, and nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the wrapped wound.
With a rather proud smile, he shook the small bottle in his hand toward the other.
"Luckily I brought the burn ointment Auntie Marie forced on me before I left; it turned out to be just the right time to use it."
Before Xia Nan could respond, the surrounding flames seemed to remind him of something.
His triumphant expression suddenly changed, and he shouted in alarm
"My lute!"
Then he turned around hurriedly and ran back in the direction they had come.
Gently touching the bandage and feeling the cool aura surging beneath it, Xia Nan's eyes fell into thought.
With Alton's help, the damage immunity effect triggered by [Iron Bones] had immunized him against a powerful blunt strike that should have critically wounded him.
Otherwise, given the force Ingram used just now, he would have been severely injured even if he hadn't died—the kind of injury that would only be barely alleviated by drinking a healing potion.
Now, having only to endure the holy light damage, the injuries he sustained were undoubtedly much lighter.
With his constitution, plus the halfling's burn ointment, he would likely recover in about ten days.
Propping himself up with his right hand, Xia Nan struggled to stand while clutching his wound.
He slipped the still-warm chainmail back on, looking down at the various melt marks on the surface of the armor.
"50 gold..."
He muttered to himself, the heartache visible on his face.
"I wonder if the Rock Hammer shop can fix it; I might have to buy a new set."
Then he drew the wooden sword [Green Pine] from his back and, facing the skeleton in the center of the forest—which was already stained with undead aura and trembling violently within the magic circle—he hacked and stabbed it into powder.
He then used his foot to completely destroy the array lines carved into the ground.
Only when those shattered bones ceased to move did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
In his current state, he could not withstand another high-intensity battle.
Turning back to where the fight had ended, he endured the stinging pain in his abdomen and exerted force with his arm to pull the executioner's longsword out of the tree trunk.
He examined the surface of the blade briefly, and seeing no obvious cracks, he sheathed the sword.
Before him, the Magistrate who had been pinned to the tree by the longsword lay face down on the muddy ground.
Motionless, he had clearly died completely.
Xia Nan squatted down, flipped the corpse over, and stripped off the light plate armor.
Hmm... there were a few obvious scratches on the surface, but it didn't matter; it was perfectly usable.
Although it was standard-issue armor provided for the Magistrate position, the specific style wasn't particularly distinct, making it difficult to identify a person's identity solely through the equipment itself.
He would take it back to lay low for a while; after some time, bringing the armor out should be no problem.
To be safe, he could perhaps find a blacksmith to modify the look of the plate armor.
The one-handed hammer was a pity.
The final explosion of holy light had almost melted and dissolved the entire hammer head, leaving only a bare handle.
It wouldn't fetch a good price.
Without any distaste, Xia Nan meticulously searched the corpse with both hands, looking for potential loot.
Unfortunately, aside from a coin purse containing 12 gold, 6 silver, and 2 copper, he found nothing.
It made sense; even he knew to deposit most of his gold in the bank.
Since the man wasn't a caster who possessed storage-type spells, a common Magistrate in a frontier town—even with a church background—certainly couldn't afford storage-type magic items.
Naturally, he couldn't carry his entire net worth on his person.
Footsteps sounded in his ears.
"Good, good, it didn't get burned."
The halfling's smiling face carried a hint of relief, clutching his lute with a broken string in his arms.
"How are you? Any gains?"
"Just these two." Xia Nan showed the other the plate armor and the coin purse, shrugging.
"Heehee, I told you, luck is conserved!"
"Oh, right!"
Alton slung the lute back over his shoulder and looked at Xia Nan.
"You'll probably still be staying in Rivervalley Town after this, right?"
Xia Nan nodded in confusion.
"Then we probably won't see each other for a long time." The halfling shook his head lightly, his right hand grabbing something from his waist pouch and tossing it toward him.
"A parting gift!"
Xia Nan reached out to catch it, feeling a cold, hard sensation in his palm.
Looking down, what met his eyes was precisely that brass coin engraved with the blurred face of the Goddess.
"You..." He suddenly looked up, only to see the halfling produce another identical copper coin from somewhere.
He tossed it up and down in his hand.
"Luck favors the brave." A bright smile radiated from Alton's face, the coin reflecting the firelight. "The Lady told me so herself."
Subconsciously looking down, Xia Nan gazed at the copper coin in his hand.
Suddenly,
Unexpectedly, a long string of semi-transparent characters emerged in his vision.
Among them, the most eye-catching were a few words he had never seen before, yet which caused his breath to freeze in an instant
—[Grade]: Epic (Pink).