As they approached the forest, the density of the coniferous trees increased. Towering trees, thick enough for several people to wrap their arms around, rose high into the clouds. The scenery in the forest grew darker, and even in the midday summer sun, the damp, cold atmosphere of the Ice Forest was palpable.
According to the magical map provided for the task, they were still a day's journey away from the designated location. The map indicated that there should be one last inn before entering the forest.
Big Green Mountain looked up, trying to peek through the treetops to see the sun's position and determine the time. The dense foliage made him sigh—what would it matter if he could see it? In the open, at five o'clock, the sun still hung high in the sky, but in the forest, it was already dark by four. By five, they would need to set up camp again. They had to hurry; otherwise, they'd end up camping out for the night again.
The two quickened their pace.
As the sky grew darker, just when Big Green Mountain and Amy were about to give up on finding a place to stay, a faint light filtered through the gaps in the trees.
Guided by the light, Amy and Big Green Mountain finally knocked on the door of the Traveler's Lodge before dinner.
Compared to the chill outside, the warm atmosphere inside the lodge was undoubtedly the main reason countless travelers chose to stay here.
The inn wasn't very large; there was a small courtyard behind it, separating several rooms, while the front had the largest room—the lobby. After dropping off their luggage, Amy and Big Green Mountain joined a server and made their way to the lobby. There were over ten tables in the lobby, all occupied. It was evident that most of the patrons were mercenaries.
Having arrived late, Amy, who was not a beauty, and Big Green Mountain faced quite a few curious glances. The long swords, shields, and the magical rank insignias on their clothing clearly indicated their identities.
"Hey, you newcomers!" a loud voice called from the right side of the room as Amy and Big Green Mountain searched for a place to sit. "Are you just passing through? Or did you take on that double SS task?" All eyes turned toward the corner where a few mercenaries, all warriors, were gathered around a table. Each of them had varying sizes of battle axes beside them, and some even had two. Unlike typical axe-wielding warriors, these individuals wore no heavy armor; even in the frozen continent, their left shoulders were completely bare. If Big Green Mountain wasn't mistaken, these were undoubtedly berserkers—the voice belonged to a large berserker who stood over two meters tall.
"Yeah, we're here to complete that double SS task," Big Green Mountain answered honestly, not hesitating since he thought the man was addressing him.
"Haha, you two kids? What rank are you? Are you from some mercenary group's reserve team?" The big man looked at them with a disdainful expression.
"Ha, what a good point! Thank you for the compliment, big brother!" Amy, noticing the big man's confident demeanor, jumped in to help Big Green Mountain. She forced a bright laugh and steered the conversation away.
"When did I compliment you?" The large berserker clearly didn't get the humor.
"Ha, since ancient times, heroes emerge from youth! Your praise of our youth means you're calling us young heroes," Amy said seriously. "Actually, there's no need to be so polite; we're just two small mercenaries—really just small mercenaries."
A look of contempt crossed the berserker's face. "What's your rank?! Two kids like you can't be hoping to ride our coattails to finish the task and take a share of the reward, right?"
"Hehe, well, let's put it this way. Although we are small mercenaries, as young heroes, we are the future's shining stars, and our rank is quite respectable!" Amy flashed her signature innocent smile.
"Respectable? What do you mean by respectable? You're probably D, E, or F rank at most!" The berserker looked dubious.
"Ha, do you think D, E, or F rank is impressive?"
"Hmm… you can't be C rank already, can you? At such a young age?" The berserkers were known for their simple minds.
"Haha, you're surprisingly clever." Seeing the pride on the berserker's face from being praised, Amy instinctively prepared to surprise him, "But, unfortunately, you guessed wrong."
"Could it be that you're B rank?" The berserker's eyes showed the respect due to a B-rank mercenary.
"Tch, is being B rank really something to be proud of?" Amy scoffed.
"Are you… are you A rank?" Facing the rare A-rank mercenaries, no one could ignore them.
"Is the ranking in the mercenary industry only up to A?" Amy looked up at the towering berserker, continuing her deception.
"What?" The big man and his berserker companions all stood up. "Could it be that you're an S-rank, the legendary top-ranked mercenary?" The eyes of others at the nearby tables also lit up with interest.
"Ha, now we're getting somewhere," Amy said with a satisfied nod.
"Bang!" In another corner of the room, a massive hand slammed down on the table. "Young man, don't take jokes too far. There are only a few S-rank mercenaries left, and they're all over fifty years old." An old dwarf with a thick beard squatted in his chair, glaring intently at Amy.
"Ah, we must have a misunderstanding, old sir," Amy said with an innocent expression. "I didn't say I was S rank. I meant 'almost'—S is the first rank of mercenaries, and my companion and I are just 'almost'—G rank, which is the last rank."
"Dare to mock me, kid? You're asking for death," the large berserker growled. No one dared to joke with a berserker, especially not to provoke their anger. Feeling humiliated like a monkey, the giant mercenary's face turned sour. He grabbed the nearly four-meter-long knight's battle axe at his side, and the other berserkers also gripped their axe handles.
"Everyone, calm down." A gentle male voice came from another table. A man dressed entirely in white stood up and waved to Amy and Big Green Mountain. "There are no other tables available. You two sword-wielding kids can sit over here."
At the table in white sat seven men, all dressed in white and armed with long swords—some wore single-handed swords at their waists, while others carried two-handed greatswords on their backs. The young man speaking was amiable, of medium height, with a greatsword casually leaning against the table. At first glance, he appeared nothing out of the ordinary—like a scholar or a noble, as everyone thought.
The big berserker clearly underestimated the strength of the white-clad mercenary. More specifically, he had already lost his cool after being mocked by these two kids. It would be too humiliating not to teach them a lesson. "Hoo—" Although the Traveler's Lodge was small, the angry berserker skillfully swung his axe twice in the air, creating a small whirlwind. "Those who insult berserkers should be prepared to die!" With a roar, he lunged upward, his two hands swinging the massive axe, leaving heavy shadows in the air as it slashed toward Amy.
Having already faced a berserker twice before, Amy wasn't anxious at all. She mumbled to herself, *This time I won't be so lucky to encounter a high-level berserker who can create four afterimages,* as she slightly stepped back, preparing to draw out her Ice Blade from behind her.
"Clang—" A massive longsword shot out from the side, blocking the berserker's axe strike. The multiple shadows of the axe instantly vanished without a trace.
The berserker realized that getting angry at a kid was beneath his dignity, and seeing this white-clad swordsman stepping in repeatedly only fueled his fury. "Old man won't get mad, but kid, you treat a tiger like a sick cat. You won't see tomorrow's sun! Die!"
His eyes turned from black to white, filled with blood, like a giant bear roused from hibernation. "Ah—" He pulled his long axe back slightly before rapidly swinging it forward.
The white-clad man's longsword also moved with incredible speed, mirroring the axe's motions. He pressured the berserker's axe by occupying the space where the axe could cause great harm. In a moment barely perceptible to the naked eye, the massive axe and the longsword clashed repeatedly with a series of loud "clang, clang, clang…," ringing out four times.
"Brothers, let's take him apart!" Unable to unleash the full power of his axe, the berserker shouted angrily. The four berserkers sitting behind him swung their giant single-handed axes and rushed forward.
The five berserkers were long-time partners who coordinated seamlessly. Without any prior discussion, in the confined space, the six massive axes of various designs moved without colliding, slicing, chopping, and hacking, while the smooth blades—red, black, and silver—reflected the flickering candlelight, casting heavy shadows in the air that screamed in agony.
The axes slashed, and the candlelight flickered; amidst the torrent of axe shadows, the white-clad man stood like a small boat on the crest of a wave, facing the risk of being destroyed.
In this critical moment, Amy gripped her Ice Blade with both hands, unleashing a flash of white lightning toward the giant berserker. Big Green Mountain also drew his black side sword and raised his shield, charging directly at one of the two-handed axe-wielding berserkers, thrusting his sword from beneath his shield.
Suddenly, two streams of invisible sword energy appeared in front of Amy and Big Green Mountain, rotating and shimmering, intercepting their attacks. As the sword energy dissipated, another white-clad man appeared with a smile. "No need for you two to help; he can handle it."
A sudden change occurred in the battle. The white-clad swordsman's longsword shook vigorously, radiating blue light. A blue, invisible sword energy emerged from the blade, like a serpent extending its head, leaving trails of blue sword energy in the air…1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8… In an instant, eight streams of sword energy surged around the white-clad man, intercepting the tangible axes.
"Clang—" The two-handed axe berserker was the first to be struck by the blue sword energy, hitting both arms, blood immediately gushing from his tightly gripped axe. His left arm could no longer support him, and the axe fell to the ground.
"Hey, not bad for a berserker," the old dwarf chimed in again. "When you accepted the double S task, you dared to challenge an A-rank mercenary ranked 73rd on the 'Soul of the Warrior' list, White Robe Ah Feng." The dwarf's sharp words poured cold water on the berserkers, quickly diffusing the hostility in the air.