The latter half of the patrol somewhat mellowed, but they still encountered a few sporadic monsters. These creatures, all Shadow Forms, were bizarrely shaped and extremely weak, easily disposed of.
According to Reslin, these were Grey Level monsters, the lowest grade creatures born from the Black Fog. They were like battlefield cinders, dust that could be wiped away with a mere hand, never considered significant in battle.
Even ordinary people, if brave and armed, could defeat them.
In areas far from the Holy Fire, it was common to encounter them during nighttime patrols. Generally, they posed no threat as they feared light. As long as the Spirit Lamp wasn't extinguished, they generally did not invade residences.
However, if not dealt with over time, they could mutate in the black fog, cannibalize each other, or build nests, gradually growing into deadly threats. The black fog would gather here, and more monsters would appear, lurking in the darkness, launching terrifying attacks on all living, warm, brightly glowing beings.
At that time, the Investigation Legion would collaborate with the corresponding legions or combat groups, forming Hunting Squads to clean up.
"Of course, this is impossible within the Royal City."
"Except for the sewers," Karamon added.
"Why?" Rod asked curiously.
"Because the sewers are too extensive, constantly cleaning them is exhausting. We only clean the surface, ensuring no monsters come up, and unless there is a special situation, no one goes into the middle and deeper layers of the sewers."
"Why make them so big?"
"I don't know. It's said that Trolian Royal City used to be Giant City; maybe giants have particularly large feces?"
The conversation ended there.
Later, they handled a special incident: a fully formed Cerberus had shattered a Spirit Lamp and invaded a residence. The residents rang the Summoning Bell. From over a thousand meters away, Rod saw strange ripples in the air and told Reslin. The four of them turned and sprinted, finally killing the monster at the last moment and saving a family of four.
The man in the house was severely wounded, his intestines bitten out. Rod initially thought he was beyond saving, but Karamon simply stuffed them back in and, with a flicker of pale blue water ripples on his hand, pressed it against the man's stomach. The wound began to heal at a visible rate. The man's complexion was still pale, but his breathing gradually stabilized.
The woman clung to Karamon's legs, sobbing uncontrollably, thanking them endlessly. She said they had no money; the Summoning Bell they had bought was the cheapest and barely audible. The Guardians often failed to notice it, but her husband had believed they were lucky that no monsters would attack as long as the Spirit Lamp was lit. Unfortunately, disaster had struck anyway.
Their two daughters also hugged their mother, crying, saying they had already despaired but were surprisingly rescued. All four uncle saviors were their heroes.
Karamon, somewhat embarrassed, explained, "Give thanks to this uncle here. He saw the ripples from the Summoning Bell; otherwise, we wouldn't have known."
Reslin spoke gravely, "You were truly lucky this time. If it weren't for Uncle Rod's exceptional Spiritual Vision, you would be corpses now. The Summoning Bell is a life-saving necessity for every household, no matter how poor, this expense cannot be spared."
The two daughters wiped each other's tears away, turned their pretty, tear-streaked faces towards Rod, and said crisply, "Thank you, Big Brother Rod."
——
Back at the Defense Department in Iron Cross District, Karamon was still seething:
"Why am I the uncle, and he's the big brother?"
Reslin and Egger laughed uncontrollably, with Egger tapping Karamon's knee:
"Look at Rod's smooth and tender face. Isn't he much more handsome and youthful than you? If you looked like him, why would Donna have left you?"
Karamon was fuming, "Shut up, you dwarf!"
"Are you blind? I'm five foot seven! Not much shorter than you!"
Before their patrol mission concluded, they met the true Guardian of the area, a figure wearing a half Iron Mask, his expression stern, uttering not a word.
According to Reslin, the official Guardians were combatants of Seventh Level and above, significantly stronger than them, the real backbone of an area meant to handle situations that patrolmen couldn't manage. Rod had a Spirit Whistle and flares specifically for summoning him.
However, this individual had no intention of interacting with them. He passed by them coldly, going to report to the head of defense.
It seemed tonight's mission had gone extremely smoothly, the Head of Defense in Iron Cross District couldn't stop grinning, even the large scar on his face seeming friendlier as he continuously praised them.
"Great, just great, you young men did splendidly, I knew you were the best. Reed, you were fantastic, and so were you, Casey. Of course, the most outstanding was our Lulu, oh… and as for Rod, I can only say that as a special trainee, he delivered a perfect performance. The Tracy family will remember you for a lifetime. I'll detail my review, and your teachers will be proud of you."
Rod felt a bit embarrassed. Apart from the last incident, he had almost played no role; the encountered monsters were too weak, not even requiring his warning. Even the final patrol report was written by Reslin, who was the real leg-clinger, yet the Head of Defense treated him as if he were the Captain.
However, Reslin and the others didn't mind.
On their double-decker Spirit Car ride back to Jinworth Academy, they all expressed great satisfaction with their partnership with Rod. His super-strong Spiritual Vision compensated for their collective deficiency in Stone Wood Cores, and his jokes were so lively, vivid, and exciting that they eagerly anticipated tomorrow's mission.
This finally put Rod at ease; it seemed he had successfully attached himself to these three sturdy legs.
Indeed, saucy jokes are the fastest way to make friends among men.
Back at the dorm, Rod finally had time to tally up the gains from this trip.
Overall, this patrol mission was very successful, and he had preliminarily achieved his goals, collecting over ninety spirit-like souls.
However, even with all of them added, "Frost Blue" remained in a "Weak Burning" state, its strength increasing only from two to three.
Considering that when Rod first ignited it, its strength was thirteen.
Perhaps it was because these monsters were too weak; the souls obtained were also very weak.
The word "dust" aptly described this.
"I need to quickly obtain more and stronger souls, ideally reaching the 'Dark Devourer's' 'Constant Burning' state," Rod thought.
But...
He looked slightly worriedly at the bullets in his spirit gun, only five of the fifty true silver bullets were left.
He still owed the merchant three hundred and fifty silver coins.
Moreover, Kashan was still holding onto two hundred silver coins for the water tower fee, and she hadn't said it didn't need to be repaid.
Not a penny had been saved, and his external debt had already reached five hundred and fifty.
Money had become an issue now.
He could only think of borrowing some for the time being.
As long as he could get the Goldenworth Star, he would have ten thousand silver coins, and repaying the money would not be a problem at all.
Once his mind was set, Rod lay down on the bed, thinking of resting well, but he felt as if he was shaken awake just as he closed his eyes.
"Class is starting! Lazybones!"
Very unwillingly, Rod opened his eyes to see Kashan's bright light blue eyes and her golden hair swaying beside her pretty cheeks.
This girl was becoming less and less discreet, barging through his room door every time, no matter what he was doing.
Perhaps it was because he had expended too much spiritual energy last night, but Rod had a splitting headache and was extremely sleepy, and said,
"Why don't you go? I want to sleep a bit more."
Kashan's eyebrows shot up immediately, and she yanked Rod out of bed, personally put on his shoes, and dragged him out of the room.
The students of Group Ten were already waiting outside, nearly everyone looking at the drowsy Rod with a gaze of reverence—such disrespectful words, they dared not utter in front of Kashan. Likewise, no one but Rod enjoyed such treatment; Kashan would wake anyone else up with her fist.
—She was the only one in the group who had mastered using the Fire Spark abilities, "Steel Giant Strength" and "Iron Hardening," both formidable physical abilities, and not even all of Group Ten together was a match for her.
This not only made her a symbol of Group Ten and an idol to the students, but also a nightmare for male students like Wayne and the green-haired ones.
Along the way, Kashan kept emphasizing the importance of this class, stating that the academy had specially adjusted the curriculum for them and that it was very useful for their upcoming patrols and duties. She also warned them that the group evaluation had started and everyone needed to be fully alert and strive to get Group Ten recognized as an excellent group.
This was not just about honor; there were also many rewards involved, especially the Dragon Hand Herb Essential Oil and Seven-Colored Spore Powder, which were very effective in awakening their spiritual energy and developing their abilities.
The last point was of great interest to everyone.
No one didn't want to awaken their spiritual energy and use their soul Fire Spark abilities.
Yet, up until now, nearly half of Group Ten had still not awakened their spiritual energy, and the only person able to use their Fire Spark ability was Kashan.
This performance couldn't be considered excellent; among the ten groups in the ten departments, their ranking was the lowest, and they were hardly noticeable in the entire three academies.
As a result, Kashan had also become increasingly impatient recently; no one dared defy her.
Of course, except Rod.
He was the most promising person in Group Ten besides Kashan and had a great chance of being named the "Goldenworth Star," which would also earn Group Ten quite a few points.
Therefore, Kashan was particularly lenient towards him.
But Wayne and the green-haired boys did not envy him any longer. Being married to such a wife would mean no good days ahead.
---
In the classroom, Rod still forced himself to wake up, regardless, he had to obtain the "Goldenworth Star" medal.
Being first in his class was his goal, and free entry to the academy was not only the cornerstone of his series of actions but also his hope for survival.
This class was on "Common Monster Habits and Characteristics," a major subject.
The teacher was a somewhat neurotic old man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles; one of his eyes was blind, and his right leg was a prosthetic.
"Be vigilant!"
As soon as he entered the classroom, he shouted, startling everyone.