Although I don't know much about science, the power of that electromagnetic cannon in Dell's hands is definitely not small. With just one shot, it sent the two of us flying. The person who tried to block the attack was instantly blown away and crashed into the forest.
And the attack power of this thing is unbelievable. Even with such a large level difference between Dell and the swordsman, that single shot directly reduced the latter's health by half and paralyzed him.
Luoise charged towards the enemy and with a scream, the opponent's health dropped to zero.
...Seriously, I didn't even finish reading his title, and he just died like that?
The low-level bandits around us looked at us like they were looking at monsters, then turned around and started running away. While Luoise chased after them, shouting "Don't run," Dell took out another electromagnetic cannon from his ring and began firing at the fleeing guys.
If you're going to rob, you should be prepared to be killed, right? Well, I'm too lazy to bother.
I'm more interested in this masked person over here. Other characters just charged at us, but this person is wearing a mask, which is really intriguing.
There must be some hidden story behind this!
I took a few steps towards the person, and noticed that his throat had been stabbed by a sword, probably Luoise's doing. The armor on his chest was charred, indicating that it was unusable, but the mask was still intact. I removed the mask and suddenly froze.
"Huh? This guy..."
Although I couldn't remember right away, I had a feeling that I had seen this guy's face somewhere before.
I quickly searched through his belongings, as looting corpses is a necessary thing in RPGs. Unfortunately, besides some letters and a storage ring, there was nothing else on him. Inside the storage ring, aside from 5000 gold coins, a map, and some change of clothes, there were only identification documents.
"Searphis Lan, registered citizen of the Ais Empire? But this identification says he is an executor of the Searphis Project, codenamed 'Blue,' affiliated with the Tombstone Family? Interesting, so apart from humanoids, this family is also involved in something called the Searphis Project?"
I suddenly remembered that in the photos I obtained from the Tombstone Family, there was a package of pictures that included this guy's face!
...Strange, could it be that this guy established the project? Or...forget it, I'll investigate later.
After collecting these items, I opened the letter.
"...Hmm, hmm, hmm. The third car?"
I looked around and realized that we were currently in the ninth car. The location of the third car...from afar, I could see that there was a fierce battle going on. It seems both sides know that something important is there. I bet those five A-rank mercenaries are there.
Should I send Oyado to take a look? No, it's too dangerous. Although Oyado is powerful, there is still a level gap...I'll wait and decide later.
After removing the cloak from this person, I used bandages to stop the bleeding and put everything into the storage ring. I don't want all this guy's blood inside my ring.
As for the body...I should try that Undead Transformation ability later. After all, this corpse has a high level.
After finishing these tasks, I ran to the compartment where Oyado was hiding and knocked on it.
"Oyado, are you still in there?"
"Yes, yes, Brother, I'm here. There are all kinds of food in this compartment, but at the bottom, there's a humanoid corpse."
"Humanoid?"
"Yes, but it's not the Tombstone Family's model. I've never seen this kind of humanoid before."
"...Can you describe it?"
"It's a doll-like humanoid...no, maybe a puppet is a more accurate description because it's a girl with long hair, and she's wearing clothes I've never seen before."
"...Is the belt thick, and the clothes like a robe?"
"Yes, that's right~"
The Tombstone Family made Western dolls, but this humanoid...is an Eastern doll. What side is this place on?
It's getting more and more interesting. It seems like there's a chance to go to the Eastern Continent~
I looked around, and it seemed like there was no one else around.
"Oyado, how did you get in?"
"There was a window above the carriage."
I jumped onto the carriage and indeed, there was a small opening like a sunroof. I walked over, pushed it open, and climbed in.
Inside the carriage was dimly lit, just as Oyado described, with various kinds of food piled around.
Only in the middle of the compartment, there was a humanoid figure, exquisitely crafted, except for the completely cold body.
But I quickly put it into my ring. How could I not collect something like this? Although it's unlikely that collecting 10 of these would get me a artifact, it still looked interesting enough to keep.
At this moment, I looked up and saw someone approaching us!
Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the merchant! Did he notice that I took this thing?
"Oyado, hold on to me tightly!"
"Okay!"
Without any hesitation, Oyado hugged me tightly.
"I just said hold on tight... Oh well, it works too. Blink!"
The next second, we appeared in the surrounding forest. After drinking a bottle of magic potion, we hid in the bushes and watched the merchant.
He sneaked over, looked around, and then checked the locks on the carriage. Once he confirmed everything was fine, he took out a key and opened the door.
"How is this possible?!"
After a while, he panicked and walked out, checked the surroundings again, and ran back in the direction he came from.
"Brother, what should we do next?"
"... It's too dangerous ahead. Let's go after those fleeing people."
"Okay, brother."
--------------------------loading--------------------------------
Ten minutes later, the attackers either fled or died. In short, the battle was over.
Besides the bodies of the enemies scattered around, there were also many corpses of our mercenaries, mostly D or E rank, with a few C ranks. A and B ranks were considered more experienced, so they wouldn't easily die here. As for F ranks, it was only us, so there were none.
However, a person in the A rank died, and the reason was... he was an enemy!
Finnov, the trusted supporter of the Sima family, suddenly turned and attacked his teammate during the battle. Another great swordsman couldn't dodge in time and was stabbed in the chest. But at that moment, Gabriel quickly healed him and helped them kill that guy.
Along with a few guys in their thirties.
I couldn't help but imagine how much memory-switching interference Gabriel caused to the opponents during the battle, making them lose focus and get killed instantly.
In short, this battle went quite smoothly.
Battle Results:
Enemies eliminated: 0
Teammate assists experience: 12 x 200 = 2400
Team battle experience: 107 x 50 = 5350
Experience gained: 7750
Level up: LV20
Teammates' level up:
Dale's level up: LV19
Oyado's level up: LV7
Oyado's level up: LV8
Oyado's level up: LV9
...
Oyado's level up: LV17
I don't understand why Oyado's level increased so much just by hiding in the carriage. Although I don't know how many enemies she killed in the end, since we split up to pursue them later, but...
Anyway, the one who was watching us is already dead, so it doesn't matter anymore.
But this time, we lost 98 people in battle. Only 47 remained, and the elimination rate was heart-wrenching.
Abdu expressed that he would provide more money and asked everyone to continue the journey, but we all understood that the increase in funds was only because there were fewer people to split it among.
In any case, the journey must go on.
