Chapter 44. Why Is He So Weak?
Fulan did not have a weapon in hand, so she could not simply draw a blade and slash at her opponent.
Therefore, she chose to throw a spell first, avoiding revealing that she also possessed close-combat skills.
Rogerne, on the other hand, was extremely pleased.
First, he had been wandering around this trial ground for quite some time and had finally found another Spirit Realm explorer.
This trial ground had not just appeared. It had already existed for two months. As for the first hint, many people had already brought information back from the Spirit Realm.
This so-called “companion” referred to another person performing a Spirit Realm excursion. As long as one killed them, a piece of jade would appear after their body vanished.
That would be the first jade.
Second, the person he had found was a spellcaster, and he was already very close to her. With just a few more steps, he would be able to strike.
For professionals who had not yet reached the official rank, once a spellcasting profession was approached by a melee profession, there was usually only one possible response.
Unless the spellcaster could unleash a powerful spell directly at the opponent’s face and kill them instantly, there was essentially no way to deal with a melee fighter at close range.
Fulan threw a Wind Blade.
Rogerne had been guarding against exactly this.
He knew that at this distance, a skilled spellcaster could still release a spell, so he remained cautious.
He leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming Wind Blade.
“Hiss!”
He felt something graze his waist. The Wind Blade had clipped him, leaving a shallow wound.
The area of effect of that Wind Blade was huge. Even though he had made such a wide evasive move, he had still been struck.
However, the remaining distance would not allow the opposing spellcaster to cast another spell.
He saw that only four steps remained between him and Fulan.
He noticed that she had stopped moving.
Ha! Did she believe that she could no longer cast spells at this distance and had already given up resisting?
With a victorious grin, Rogerne thrust the short sword in his hand toward Fulan’s chest.
But in the next instant—
He first felt the wrist holding his sword being gripped tightly, as if caught in the claws of a bear.
Then he felt something trip his legs.
His body crashed heavily to the ground from the momentum. His face slammed directly against the stone floor, and the impact between his teeth and the rock sent waves of pain through him.
“Ah! Damn!”
Fulan held the short sword she had just snatched from Rogerne and pressed the blade horizontally against his neck.
“Why did you attack me directly?”
Only after hearing her voice did Rogerne realize his miscalculation.
He had never expected that she would possess such strong close-combat ability.
No… perhaps she had been disguising herself all along.
She must have deliberately worn a robe to pretend to be a spellcaster, secretly wearing armor underneath. How devious!
That Wind Blade earlier was probably released using some kind of magical item.
No wonder a “spellcaster” had dared to wander around such rugged terrain.
Rogerne cursed inwardly. If he had encountered a spellcaster on open ground, he would have run immediately. Spellcasters generally could not outrun him.
“Just kill me,” Rogerne said.
“If you kill me, you will get a piece of jade.”
“But remember this—once I return, I will tell everyone that you disguised yourself as a spellcaster. Don’t think you can keep fooling people with this trick.”
“Damn you, you liar…!”
Rogerne was not surprised that Fulan did not understand this rule.
Not everyone looked up the information left by previous explorers before entering a Spirit Realm trial.
Usually, such information cost money. And even if one searched for it, it was not always available. Many people simply went in without any knowledge.
Rogerne knew that if he invented some other excuse, he might be able to stall Fulan for a while.
But he had no interest in that.
For people like them who had not yet reached the official rank, dying here simply meant being expelled from the Spirit Realm and returning a few hours later. It was not a big deal.
Why bother dragging things out?
Fulan did not quite understand why Rogerne kept calling her a liar.
However, from what he had said, she understood that killing him would yield the jade.
Listening to Rogerne continue cursing her as a fraud, she could only act.
With a swift motion, she drove the short sword directly into Rogerne’s neck.
His body instantly went limp.
No blood flowed.
Fulan watched as the corpse gradually became translucent. Then a red piece of jade appeared where the body had been.
She picked it up and opened the tattered book.
As expected, a new line had appeared.
[Red Jade has been obtained.]
“That was easy.”
Fulan scratched her head. Everything that had just happened felt strangely sudden.
The other party had suddenly rushed toward her, and the next moment she had already knocked him down.
And judging from his strength…
He actually felt slightly weaker than Mars, the first opponent she had ever fought.
Not only were his physical abilities inferior, but his reaction speed was also slow. He had only reacted after he had already fallen.
“Still, at least he gave me a piece of equipment…”
She looked at the short sword in her hand.
Everything else the man had carried had vanished along with his body, except for the weapon she had already seized.
To be honest, the weapon looked quite beautiful.
The blade resembled purple crystal, faintly glowing, while the body of the sword was white and translucent. The hilt was decorated with intricate patterns.
The only drawback was the lack of proper enchantments.
Even her own sword had three runes engraved on it, yet this short sword had none.
---
Rogerne suddenly woke up inside a specialized Spirit Realm excursion room.
What had just happened filled him with fury.
He slammed his fist heavily against the wall before finishing gathering his belongings, opening the door, and walking out.
“Hey, Rogerne. About what just happened… are you alright?”
The speaker was Rogerne’s friend.
He had originally intended to ask about Rogerne’s experience in the Spirit Realm, but seeing the expression on his face, he changed his tone.
Rogerne seized the opportunity to vent his frustration.
“Do you know what happened? I was participating in a trial in the Jade Corridors. I saw someone wearing a robe and thought she was a spellcaster, so I rushed straight at her.”
“But she was disguised! She grabbed me and killed me. It makes me so angry! Who pretends to be a spellcaster like that?!”
Rogerne’s friend nodded in agreement.
“That really is too much. How can someone do something like that?”
He also felt that people should fight openly in the Spirit Realm. Who would trick others by disguising themselves?
“Oh right, where’s your purple blade? Didn’t you bring it with you this time?”
Rogerne’s friend asked curiously.
He knew Rogerne loved that short sword and used it constantly. It was strange not to see it now.
Rogerne’s face instantly turned pale.
He quickly patted his body several times before speaking with a trembling voice.
“That’s not right… The Guide of the Spirit Realm that person used… it must have had a plundering attribute…”
“My short sword is gone.”
“What?!”
Rogerne clenched his teeth in fury.
“I’m going to expose that robed person in the newspapers!!!”