"White-Clad Ah Feng?" Anyone with even a slight understanding of the mercenary world knew this name. In the hall of the Traveler's Guild, every mercenary recalled the legendary descriptions of this figure in the "Spirit of War Rankings."
"When anyone sees him for the first time, they don't think he's anything special; 'he looks like a scholar or a noble!' That's what everyone thinks. 'Isn't that nice?' He smiles gently, and those who know him find it hard to imagine that such a great man could be so unassuming. 'Everything happening in the world has its cause and effect. I don't want to judge right and wrong based on my own selfish interests,' he smiles and shakes his head, continuing with his trivial tasks. 'Understanding the principles of swordsmanship isn't something remarkable; I'm just a mortal who wants to enjoy the pleasures of being human.' Has he regressed? Of course not. On the contrary, he has fully grasped the essence of swordsmanship. In moments of choice, he has chosen to remain true to himself, seeing through the whirlpool of worldly affairs and transcending the dichotomy of good and evil. What allows him to break free from the bounds of a swordsman and become such a great swordmaster? Perhaps it is this calmness."
The legendary White-Clad Ah Feng hailed from a family of mages in the Amy Empire and was originally a first-level mage. However, due to his deep love for the sword, he trained in both swordsmanship and magic, eventually becoming one of the most remarkable swordsmen of his time. At the peak of his swordsmanship, this elite swordsman suddenly left the Mage Association and the imperial court, becoming surprisingly humble and unassuming. From him, one could no longer sense even a hint of magic; however, his swordsmanship transcended reason, entering an ineffable state. Without magical powers, Ah Feng could no longer cast spells, but his sword energy became more elusive and lethal. Breaking free from the limits of magic allowed him to unleash the sword's power to the fullest, enhancing his resistance to spells. As a grand swordmaster wielding a mere iron sword, he could unleash passion surpassing that of magic, boldly cutting ties with the mundane.
White-Clad Ah Feng was undoubtedly a name that inspired awe among countless new mercenaries.
A berserker not in a frenzy could still reason, especially under immense pressure.
"Retreat!" With a furious roar from the large berserker, the other two berserkers helped their injured comrade move aside.
"That's for the best; we're all mercenary brothers here. We can sit down and talk things over," Ah Feng said with a friendly smile and polite words. "I think we're all here to complete this special mission. It's best if we can discuss together how to proceed! The task is so dangerous, and the reward is so great. Wouldn't it be better to complete it together instead of charging in alone and ending up dead with nothing to show for it?"
"Ah Feng, count my old head and my partner in," the old dwarf said, speaking up for the third time. "I'm Old Locke from the A-Class mercenary group 'Silver Snow Wolves,' the task team 'Wolf Spirit' division; I'm an A-Class mercenary. My partners include A-Class mercenary and snow wolf knight Land, B-Class mercenary and magic archer Ryan, A-Class mercenary and grand mage Jess, and B-Class mercenary and elven grand mage Leslin."
"Buzz…" Upon hearing "Silver Snow Wolves," the small room erupted with chatter.
"Buzz…" When "Wolf Spirit" was mentioned, the noise grew even louder. As one of the five major mercenary groups, "Silver Snow Wolves" was said to have three top core teams at the organizational level: "Wolf Soul," responsible for large-scale warfare; "Wolf Spirit," handling assassination tasks; and the current group, "Wolf Spirit," responsible for exploration missions. Routine tasks were completed by regular members, but when a situation arose that was particularly dangerous, it required deploying these top-tier teams.
"Buzz…" After listening to Old Locke's introduction of the team, especially hearing that this small group had three A-Class mercenaries, two B-Class mercenaries, and an elven grand mage, nearly everyone felt hope for completing the mission soar like a bird taking flight.
"An elite exploration team sent by the Silver Snow Wolves was completely wiped out in this mission, which included two A-Class mercenaries. Therefore, this task is extremely dangerous—I, representing the 'Silver Snow Wolves,' state that we do not oppose any mercenary friends joining this mission, and we are willing to work together with everyone to complete it."
"Brother Ah Feng, count us in," interrupted a young man fully clad in wolf-rider leather armor, clearly a member of the Hamir people. "I'm Hesra from the Hamir Iron Wolf Mercenary Corps, C-Class. My partner As and I are wolf knights, B-Class; and we have two mages, both C-Class. The one with the white beard is Kek, a first-level mage, and the beardless one is Kek's apprentice, a second-level mage and junior priest."
"Berserker Mercenary Corps," a large berserker stood up, his voice still filled with anger. "We're a B-Class mercenary group, all B-Class berserkers. I'm Dru, and these are my brothers: Deyue, Dehai, Deshan, and Depai. We're a big organization, with a total of 300 members. The captain sent us here to complete this mission."
"Hold on, all of you are from big organizations. Ah Feng has 500 mercenary brothers, and I believe the Hamir Iron Wolves have over 100 members too," Old Locke chimed in. Legendary tales often said that the two dwarf races and the two elven races were natural enemies, so it was surprising that Old Locke seemed to harbor strong biases against the berserker clan.
"Ha, hello, big brothers! We're the 'Little Mercenary Corps,' F-Class. I'm Amy, and my partner is Big Qingshan. We just completed seven missions, and as I mentioned, we're G-Class," Amy said proudly, standing up and greeting everyone present.
"Damn it, since this is a double-S mission, no mercenary would oppose having better and stronger partners to assist in completing the task. However, no one wants useless people coming in to eat for free," Dru was the first to jump up in opposition.
"How do you know they are worse than you?" the old dwarf grinned. "Why don't you try? Heh heh, you might end up the one crying."
"You…" Dru was about to charge at the old dwarf, clutching his long battle axe.
"What's the matter? You want to see whose axe is bigger?" The old dwarf leaped off his chair, picking up a huge axe. This axe was completely different from the berserker's long battle axe; its blade was nearly a meter square and not much shorter than the dwarf, but the handle was very short, just long enough for the dwarf to grip it with both hands while leaving some space to swing.
"Enough, old man. You must be around a thousand years old; don't argue with the young ones," Ah Feng said politely, placing a hand on the old dwarf's raised battle axe.
"Let's test them after all. This task is too dangerous; without certain strength, going in is just asking for death and could end up harming them," interjected A-Class mercenary and snow wolf knight Land.
"Ha, that sounds best! Thank you all for giving me a chance to perform," Amy immediately jumped up from her chair. "One opponent isn't enough; big guy, you and one of your brothers come up, and I'll take you both on."
"Hmph." Dru grunted, and he and one of his brothers lifted their battle axes from the sides, closing in.
"Wait!" Amy reached out to stop them.
"What? Afraid of dying?" Dru glared with bloodshot eyes, fearing Amy might back down.
"Of course not! How could I be afraid of such an exciting match? But I'm just a G-Class mercenary going up against you two B-Class mercenaries; the level difference is so great, isn't there anyone who thinks this is unfair? Even if no one objects, isn't anyone willing to place a bet? I'll wager 10 gold coins that I can beat these two big oafs. Who wants to bet against me?"
"Little brother, well done! I love to gamble on life and death," the old dwarf said, pulling out a money pouch and pouring out 10 purple gold coins. "I bet you'll win—10 purple gold coins." One purple gold coin equaled ten gold coins, so it seemed the old dwarf was going against the berserkers.
"I bet I'll win! Dehai, bring out 100 gold coins," Dru declared, and a pile of coins clinked down on the table.
"I bet the berserkers will win—100 gold coins!" Hesra from the Hamir Iron Wolf Mercenary Corps also pulled out 100 gold coins.
"My brother and I don't really gamble, so don't count on us," Ah Feng said quietly. "Let's just see who wins; let's not take lives. You two should show some mercy."
"Ha, this is a great opportunity to make a fortune," Amy patted Big Qingshan on the shoulder. Big Qingshan looked worried and said, "This is our life savings! If we lose, we'll have to find somewhere else to live!"
"Ha, don't worry; just count to 100, and I'll wrap this up," Amy slashed her longsword through the air. Of course, she hoped these two weren't high-level berserkers. "Come on!"
"Kid, die!" Dru roared, his anger boiling over after several setbacks. His knight's battle axe stirred the air as it swung down in a powerful horizontal chop. In the wake of his axe's arc, the flickering candlelight swayed in the wind, and suddenly, the bright wick dimmed—the handle of another axe shot silently toward Amy's waist.
No one could have imagined that the brutish berserkers, known for their straightforwardness, would employ such a treacherous tactical maneuver in a 2-on-1 situation.
The weight of a berserker's axe is at least 56 pounds, while a knight's long axe typically exceeds 80 pounds. Dru's axe was probably over 100 pounds, and he wielded it like a straw. Those who hadn't faced such an axe wouldn't comprehend the speed at which it could strike.
With the Ice Blade, Amy spun into action, meeting the long axe at the moment of contact. Utilizing the axe's force, she swiftly glided backward. The axe, propelled by its own momentum, carved a small arc upward before coming down again; the handle, like a striking snake, aimed for her midsection, but Amy dodged, revealing the massive blade lurking behind it that slashed from Dru's axe's opposite side with a sinister grin.
The faces of the onlookers grew serious—such a masterful attack, executed with blinding speed, left no room or time for a counterattack. Even an A-Class mercenary would be flustered; a G-Class child…
The battlefield atmosphere shifted suddenly.
Seizing a brief opportunity, Amy swiftly summoned frost with her longsword. "Ice Blade—" she shouted, unleashing countless icy shards that flew toward the berserkers like a tempest. It was clear that this attack wouldn't inflict any real harm; the berserkers merely shielded their eyes, as the icy debris was insufficient to damage their weathered skin.
However, this momentary distraction had served Amy's purpose. "Urr hehr!" A golden lightning bolt struck down from the heavens, hitting Dru's brother squarely on the head. The damage was minimal, but it could paralyze one's nerves, leaving the victim unable to move for a few minutes. Amy rolled on the ground, closing the distance to Dru's brother before he noticed, then sprang into the air, bringing her sword down heavily on the paralyzed man's neck. "Ha, you're dead."
"Boom!" One berserker fell.
"Ugh—" Realizing Amy's intent, Dru reacted swiftly. As Amy was airborne, Dru's massive battle axe swung toward her legs. Amy quickly raised her legs, deflecting the axe handle with her sword, but still bore the full brunt of the strike, sending her crashing onto a table.
In that moment, the benefits of "Pool Han Feng's Devil Training" became evident. Amy adjusted her body mid-air, landing without injury despite the table shattering beneath her. She rolled smoothly off the side of the table onto the ground.
The axe showed no signs of stopping; it followed through, aiming directly for Amy's head while she was still on the ground.