"Sword Saint?"
"Just him?" The goblin leader looked at the skeletal figure before him, his face full of disbelief and beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
However, the recent sword strike was undeniably real. Its right hand was not self-amputated.
Recalling that sword strike, the goblin leader's cold sweat increased. A moment ago, the person was seven steps behind, but in the next second, he appeared in front, slicing off one of its hands. If that strike had aimed for the neck...
"Mercy, my lord! I surrender!" With a thud, the goblin leader knelt down, tearfully begging for mercy.
Night Threefold: ...
What about the fearless one from a moment ago?
Nevertheless, it wasn't surprising that the opponent yielded. In a critical moment, Night Threefold remembered that Old Bones had met the upgrade requirement. Out of curiosity, he spent 1 soul energy to upgrade Old Bones.
The result was pleasantly surprising.
[Old Ge] - A loosely structured old skeleton, formerly a retired Sword Saint. (Honorable kills: 13, eligible for upgrade.)
After upgrading, Old Ge struck three with one swing. He and East Dust West Old each killed a goblin spearman, and then he executed a sword technique that Night Threefold couldn't discern, saving him across ten paces.
Indeed, a Sword Saint!
Impressive!
Having East Dust West Old remove the goblin leader's shield and armor, Night Threefold asked sternly, "What are you doing with those wooden logs? Where are you taking them, and what are they for? Are you selling them for money?"
"Replying, my lord, those are Rohanwood, used... used for..." Night Threefold glared at the goblin leader and gestured towards Old Ge behind him.
"They are wanted by the boss inside, but I don't know exactly what they're for..."
"Don't know?" Night Threefold snorted, picked up the wooden shield from the ground, tapped it with his fingers, and then put it on his arm. The goblin leader's pupils shrank when Night Threefold delivered a shield strike, almost knocking it off.
"Now you understand?" The goblin leader's left hand wasn't as strong as the right, but the power of that shield strike was much greater. The secret lay in this inconspicuous wooden shield.
[Simple Rohan Round Shield (Burst)] - A common wooden shield with a magical aura that enhances the user's strength.
With a swollen face, the goblin leader saw its secret exposed. Fearing dire consequences if it continued to hide, it spilled everything it knew.
As it turned out, the transported logs weren't ordinary trees but a magical type called Rohanwood. This wood had the unique ability to preserve magical elements for an extended period, making it an excellent material for magic.
However, Rohanwood had a downside—it grew exceptionally common and slow. It was challenging to distinguish Rohanwood in the dense forest, so few knew about it.
Until one day, a goblin centurion from a much larger force found it and forced the goblin leader to collect Rohanwood. They provided enough logging tools and taught how to identify Rohanwood. They even set a quota.
Refusal meant immediate dismemberment, and failure meant dismemberment too. Thus, the goblin leader had no choice but to drive its subordinates to find the accursed Rohanwood everywhere, even exploiting the elderly and frail goblins.
The round shield was a performance reward from the goblin centurion.
"I've told you everything! Please spare me, my lord! I'm bleeding, and I need to see a doctor..." The goblin leader cried, holding its severed hand.
"Rest assured, you won't bleed anymore soon." Night Threefold waved his hand.
Goblin leader: ???
Puchi!
In the end, East Dust took the leader's head.
"All right, Old Ge, you can sheathe your sword now. You've been in that pose for so long; aren't you tired?"
But Old Ge remained motionless. When Night Threefold took a closer look, he discovered that Old Ge's spine was broken.
Night Threefold: ...
So that's what bone fragility means.
Even the mighty Sword Saint must obediently bow to old age.
Casually tearing off the goblin leader's loincloth from the corpse and using it as a bandage, Night Threefold broke two tree branches and fashioned them into splints to fix Old Ge's spine. Old Ge moved with great difficulty after that.
Night Threefold pondered for a moment, then cut a tree branch from the nearby tree to craft a cane for him. Only then could Old Ge move on his own.
"I remember you took a cane from a goblin yesterday, right? That one is better than mine. Change it when you return." Night Threefold nodded at Old Ge and then turned to East Dust West Old.
As long as the head is not severely damaged, Old Ge's injuries will gradually heal. Night Threefold didn't need to worry about that.
However, after upgrading, Old Ge displayed his former profession and seemed to have recovered some professional skills. This reignited Night Threefold's hope for East Dust and West Old.
"East Dust, upgrade!"
"West Old, upgrade!"
[East Dust] - A skeletal soldier missing his left hand, a former soldier. (Honorable kills: 2)
[West Old] - A skeletal soldier missing his right hand, a former soldier. (Honorable kills: 1)
"Just ordinary soldiers?" Night Threefold was somewhat disappointed, as the psychological gap from Sword Saint to a soldier was quite significant.
However, discovering the goblin's secrets tonight, gaining an additional Sword Saint skeleton, and learning about another function of the system made him quite satisfied. Moreover, he now had hope for East Dust and West Old, the two disabled skeletons.
"East Dust, upgrade!"
"West Old, upgrade!"
[East Dust] - A skeletal soldier missing his left hand, a former soldier. (Honorable kills: 2)
[West Old] - A skeletal soldier missing his right hand, a former soldier. (Honorable kills: 1)
"Still just regular soldiers?" Night Threefold was somewhat disappointed; after all, the psychological difference between a Sword Saint and a soldier was significant.
However, uncovering the goblin's secrets tonight, gaining an additional Sword Saint skeleton, and learning about another system function left him content. Moreover, there was hope for East Dust and West Old, the two disabled skeletons.
"I guess the system arranged those buildings for me here?" Night Threefold suddenly realized.