"Mokhe…" Amy murmured a low incantation.
Dru's massive battle axe howled as it sliced through the air, but in that moment, Amy vanished into thin air along with her spell.
"Coward, don't go invisible!" Dru shouted, waving his massive axe in the empty space, hoping to hit his unseen enemy. With his other hand, he rummaged in his pocket for something.
"Urr hehr…" A deadly spell echoed from the corner, and golden lightning flashed once more. With a "whoosh," the sound of sword energy slicing through the air pierced the stillness. Amy suddenly appeared beside Dru, her Ice Blade radiating a white glow before disappearing behind the berserker. Dru stumbled forward, rolling twice before crashing heavily to the ground. He had dropped a scroll from his hand, which depicted a blue eye—something every mercenary recognized as a vision-enhancing scroll, allowing the user to see invisible foes.
"Ah—" Amy raised her right hand high, spinning around in place to thank the surrounding mercenaries for her victory before collecting her 200 gold coins.
"Thank you, old man. It's been a pleasure working together. Here's 150 gold coins for you," Amy said respectfully as she handed the coins to the old dwarf.
"Hehe, it's good to see a young person with such manners. A second-level mage and swordsman like you can undoubtedly become a reliable companion. I don't think we need further discussion," the old dwarf replied, taking the coins with one hand while raising a huge goblet filled with a blue liquid that emanated an enticing aroma. "To our young friend, and to the success of our collaboration—cheers!"
"Cheers!" Almost everyone raised their cups in unison.
"To ensure the successful completion of our mission, we need to reorganize our teams," the dwarf said seriously. "All the Snow Wolf Knights will form the first team, led by Land. You are more familiar with the forest and will be responsible for scouting ahead. The berserkers will form the second team, led by Dru, responsible for combat. The rest will be the third team, with warriors and knights protecting the mages and priests. Anyone who disagrees is free to withdraw."
"Everyone should rest early. We need to set out early tomorrow," Afeng said politely.
After leaving the last lodging, they truly ventured deep into the Ice and Snow Forest.
As per their initial agreement, three wolf knights led the way, with five berserkers trailing twenty meters behind. It soon became apparent that Dru was not just any berserker; he was a knight berserker, mounted on a giant ground dragon that stood two meters tall, while the others followed another twenty meters back.
Progress through the forest was painfully slow; making ten kilometers in a day was considered excellent.
During their journey, several mercenaries noticed something peculiar about Amy and Daqingshan: both of them moved through the forest almost silently. As one foot barely touched the ground, the other was already lifted, allowing their bodies to weave effortlessly between branches, seemingly evading them as if the branches themselves were trying to dodge their movements.
That night, a roaring campfire crackled to life, and the straightforward old dwarf posed everyone's lingering question.
"Ha, how should I put this?" Amy scratched her head. "You all know, our master strictly forbids the transmission of this skill."
Disappointment flickered across the faces of the crowd—no one could force another to reveal their secrets.
"Um…" Amy's hesitant tone sparked a glimmer of hope among them. "If everyone is willing to pay, maybe I could teach it to you. Not too much, just 100 gold coins per person. Ha, think about it; this skill is incredibly helpful. It allows you to remain undetected by enemies, and in chaotic environments, you can fight as gracefully as on stage."
"Alright, stop joking," Daqingshan interjected, seeing everyone's wide-eyed expressions. "It's quite simple. Just strip down and run through the dense forest every day for a year, and you'll start to see results. If you're willing, you can also practice running at night to become more agile in the dark, while also training your night vision."
"Ha, both of you are good brothers. Thank you for the excellent advice. It seems I can widely apply this method when training young mercenaries in the future," Afeng laughed from the side.
On the continent, sword-wielding warriors were quite rare, which is why Amy and Daqingshan had formed a close bond with Afeng's Purple Heart Mercenary Group. As they traveled, they discussed various sword techniques.
"My partners and I love swords," Afeng said, raising his greatsword above the roaring fire, the flames dancing along its blade. "You see, among all weapons, only swords are so straightforward. On the surface, they seem so flimsy, as if they couldn't withstand the strike of a heavy object—legend has it that swords are humanity's first weapons. There's a saying: 'The sword is the ancestor of all weapons.' Through countless years of refinement, from the hilt to the grip, the blade, and finally the edge, every part is undoubtedly the result of many masters' craftsmanship. Later, more weapons appeared, and professions evolved, with many choosing to abandon swords for other arms. But this does not diminish the sword's inherent power. It is said that the creator god wielded a giant red sword—Liu Ying." Afeng's eyes revealed his sincere passion for the long sword. "Why do all true knights carry swords? What could symbolize a person's character better than a sword?"
"Amy, Daqingshan, did you know? Humanity has wielded swords for so long that they carry something that other weapons lack—elves," Afeng's companion, a young man named Qianli Xue who had previously prevented Amy and Daqingshan from helping, chimed in. According to Afeng, he was Qianli Xue, a fellow student of magic, a B-Class mercenary, who loved swords but didn't want to give up magic. He was a first-level mage and swordsman.
"Elves?" Amy and Daqingshan exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, Amy, it's like communicating with wind elves. Just slowly feel if there's something flowing in your sword," Qianli Xue instructed.
Amy grasped the sword blade with one hand and gently touched it to her face, using her hand, face, and ears to sense it. "Wow, there really is something flowing! It's cold, jumping, and laughing—could it really be the spirit of the sword?"
"Yes, your senses are excellent. Both Brother Afeng and I are mages, and we stumbled upon this secret during an unexpected incident. Look at the blade; when forging a sword, layers are tempered, forming tiny scales invisible to the naked eye. The sword's spirit hides within them. Later, we tried using the sword as a magical artifact…" Qianli Xue's words were interrupted.
"Is that possible?" Amy's face lit up with hope. "I've always wanted to speed up my casting using a magical artifact, but I didn't know how to use a sword for casting."
"Of course. However, you need to embed a crystal in the hilt. If you only want to cast Ice Strike, then it's unnecessary. Your sword already carries magic; from my judgment, it must be enchanted with at least level three magic," Qianli Xue explained.
"Yeah, I can currently summon level three magic, but I've heard it can reach level five…" Qianli Xue raised a hand to stop Amy. "Let's not discuss this any further. It's best not to reveal this secret. A weapon enhanced with high-level magic would make countless people envious, and those with treasures become prime targets for attack."
Afeng shot a reproachful glance at Amy. "Eventually, I gave up magic and focused on finding the secrets of sword construction, utilizing the speed and agility of the sword. I discovered that if the sword strikes at high speed, it can trigger sword energy from one's body, and as the speed increases, multiple sword energies can be unleashed in an instant. Snow, on the other hand, couldn't let go of magic, so he constantly summoned the spirit of the sword through his magical power. By merging with its spirit, he grasped the commonalities between spells and sword techniques, allowing him to freely invoke the wild dance of the spirit while resonating with all his heart and soul, producing immense damage."
"Amy, we can't tell you more; you need to slowly experience it. Daqingshan, you also need to understand the secrets of the sword. You aren't a mage, so you can't emit sword energy, but once you better understand the sword's structure, you will find it becomes your friend." Qianli Xue patted Daqingshan on the shoulder.
That night, both Amy and Daqingshan struggled to sleep, constantly feeling their sword blades, hoping to sense that mysterious power within.
The next morning, Amy jumped up, ready to practice swordsmanship—but to her surprise, the forest she had seen the night before had vanished, replaced by a swirling milky-white fog.
"Daqingshan?" Amy nudged Daqingshan beside her.
It was clear that more mercenaries were now rising for their morning exercises, with shadowy figures moving everywhere. More and more people noticed the drastic changes around them. The mounts, such as snow wolves and ground dragons, emitted strange roars.
"Ah—Swamp—Help!" A berserker's scream echoed from afar!
"Brother—" Dru cried hoarsely.
"Everyone, don't panic. We're in a dangerous situation, so don't move around," Afeng's calm voice pierced through the thick white fog.
"The mages will cast Floating spells for everyone," the old dwarf's steady voice rang out. "It seems we're surrounded by swamps. Everyone tie yourselves and your partners together with ropes, so if the Floating spell wears off, you won't fall directly into the swamp."
"Earth spirit, release your prisoners." Amy cast the Floating spell on both herself and Daqingshan.
Mages nearby began to cast the Floating spell.
Following the cries, the mercenaries gathered at Dru and his brothers' campsite. Dru and his brothers crouched on the ground, staring in horror at a bubbling mire.
"Enemies, enemies are coming!"
In the distance, the white mist swayed and gradually solidified, revealing leaping white spirits that emerged from the fog, hissing and laughing as they began to attack the nearby crowd.
Afeng's companions rushed forward, four long swords forming a net of blades. The first few spirits were swiftly torn apart. However, more and more spirits appeared from behind; the shredded spirits detached from the range of the swords, re-solidifying and surging toward them in groups.
---
Mirage:
Legend has it that the mythical jiao can create mirages.
The serene waves of the heron make the mirage of a city seem real. — Yang Juyuan, "Offering the Mage of Certainty Returning to Annan"
Just like a mirage (the ancient term for a structure created from the mist), mirage gas appears as illusions on calm seas, created by light refraction. The ancients mistakenly believed it was gas emitted by jiao.
— *Advanced Chinese Dictionary*