After a brief discussion, we decided that Thunder Axe would hand over the captain role to me, and I would return to the city alone. Since the Demon Forest and Tai West belong to the same region, we could stay grouped even if I returned. If I could handle the situation myself, there would be no need to trouble them; if not, I could either summon them back or have them summon me and Purple Dress to them.

In Fate, each of the four major classes has a skill they automatically learn upon job change, which doesn't require advancement or consume mana, just has a cooldown. Warriors have Battle Binding, also known as the net; Rogues have Discovery, which can reveal hidden enemies around them; Warlocks have Purify, which can remove negative statuses from teammates; and Mages have Summon, which can summon teammates to their side. Upon specializing in a job at level 50, all but the Wizard class will automatically learn another skill like this. (Some may not understand this advancement... it's suggested to check the settings: the four major classes each advance to specialized jobs at level 50: Warriors to Knights and Champions, Warlocks to Bishops and Priests, Mages to Wizards and Illusionists, and Rogues to Archers and Assassins.)

I crushed the Return to City stone, running madly while comforting the little girl, encouraging her to talk tough to show how awesome I am, hoping to prevent anyone from taking advantage of her.

Honestly, if I hadn't seen that Holy Word also works on players, I wouldn't have returned to the city so arrogantly and happily. Of course, the chance to play the hero and save the beauty was the primary motivation. After all, I'm only human, and the scene of running away with the girl last time was nothing short of humiliating for me. Besides, Purple Dress's temper was incredibly stubborn; she resolutely refused to run and stood at the city gate arguing with a few ruffians until they started making lewd gestures, then she thought of asking me for help.

From a distance, I could hear the beauty's arrogant voice, "You blind idiots, think you can bully me? Just wait..." Then, she messaged me, "Ji, where are you? I'm about to be defiled, hurry up!"

Seriously, is it that exaggerated? I stepped through the city gate and squeezed through the crowd. Sure enough, the beauty was surrounded by a few scoundrels, one of whom was making obscene gestures from a distance, and his companions were laughing lecherously.

"Had enough fun?" I pulled the nearly screaming beauty behind me and stepped forward coldly, glancing at the five players in front of me as my magic shield activated instantly.

"We've been waiting forever, and here comes a high-level player? Haha, pretending to be Zorro!" It was obvious to anyone that my magic shield was only at an intermediate level, just defense enhancement. The mage opposite me had a magic wall up, indicating he was at least level 30.

I coldly eyed these arrogant guys, each wearing a flame-shaped emblem on their chests. Damn, they were from the Hotblooded Guild. No wonder no one around dared to play the hero and save the beauty. People these days are really realistic! I had seen Hotblooded's guild leader, Chu Shiyue, at the first rest stop; he was a level 38 mage at the time, known for his excellent PK skills and undefeated record against level 40 bosses.

"Rumor has it Chu Shiyue's guild has a good reputation at the rest stop. How come there are scumbags and losers like you?" I coldly scanned the Hotblooded members. Though masked, anyone could sense my anger. At this moment, a familiar face flashed through the crowd—Chu Shiyue himself.

"Slap yourselves and drop your weapons." Purple Dress, after joining my team, quickly checked the team status. Seeing four teammates, she became arrogant again, standing behind me to cast a small Courage spell on me.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"With him? Haha! Boss lady, save it!" The rogue with a sleazy appearance pointed at me and laughed, while the mage slowly backed away, knowing the danger of Summon. If I summoned six players, who knows what could happen.

Damn, that's intolerable! I arrived wanting to fight, and seeing Chu Shiyue stay hidden without stopping them, I guessed he wanted to test my skills.

Humph! If we're both mages, let's see if you recognize this! I raised my staff and began chanting, "Holy Spirit of Light, grant me..." The rogue suddenly attacked with his ultimate skill, Shadow Kill. Damn, he was calculating too, probably trying to avoid gaining PK points.

But he never expected that my skill was chant-based. As long as my magic shield wasn't broken, he couldn't interrupt my chant, and if my shield was attacked, it would trigger PK, which surprised him.

After five clinks, my magic shield shattered, and my chant was complete, "Holy Word!"

People can be mistaken. The rogue underestimated my level, didn't stealth, and gave me a perfect target. When the large white light of Holy Word hit him, the rogue couldn't move, no matter how high his agility. (Note: In fantasy settings, targets under Holy Word's attack can't move, and it works on all creatures, unlike in other legends.)

Before everyone's eyes, the rogue, at least level 40, turned into white light under the heavenly chime of Holy Word. Instant kill! The crowd gasped! Although rogues are naturally weak in health, they shouldn't be instant-killed by a player who can only cast intermediate-level magic shields. Moreover, rogues are natural enemies of mages; with high agility and stealth, assassins can easily kill mages of the same level—stealth, then Shadow Kill from afar, followed by close combat to break the shield, and finally assassination... Being instant-killed by an assassin is the fate of every mage.

Humph! While they were stunned, I stayed alert. With the most annoying guy down, my anger lessened a bit. Without a high-agility class on their side, let's pull back from the crowd and fight properly.

Pulling the excited Purple Dress through the crowd, I glanced back at Chu Shiyue hidden among the people, silently mocking him. What now? I was in the right, and if he didn't show up, I wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.

Unfortunately, no one chased us, and the crowd even parted to give the remaining four players a clear path to follow us. The crowd... is really cruel.

Chu Shiyue emerged slowly, followed by a few angry subordinates, probably ordered through the guild channel not to attack when the rogue fell.

I scoffed silently. This guy waited for me to take down one of his lackeys before showing up. Based on my judgment, Chu Shiyue wasn't here to stand up for his lackeys but to resolve the situation.

I secretly swapped rings and cast Appraisal on him—level 46! Impressive, considering he was level 38 a few days ago, according to Arc Light.

"My friend, can we have a word?" Chu Shiyue put away his staff and greeted me with a slight bow. "I'm the leader of Hotblooded Guild. My brothers were out of line just now. I apologize on their behalf." He then scolded his subordinates for their arrogance.

Hmm? Unexpectedly, this guy is so polite. Last time at the rest stop, he wasn't so kind when clashing with Arc Light. Could it be true that his wife cheated with Arc Light, or has he changed or is just pretending?

"So, it's Guild Leader Chu. I've heard a lot about you. Hotblooded Guild is powerful, and Chu the Great Mage is well-known. I'm afraid if I accept your apology, I'll be targeted later." I mimicked Chu Shiyue's tone with sarcasm, glancing at his still-angry subordinates. Damn! Their leader apologized, but they still dare to act up?

Chu Shiyue blushed but quickly regained composure, tapping his staff on his subordinates' heads, probably messaging them.

"Haha, it's really a misunderstanding. I found out the reason just now. The main culprit was taken down by you, and I hope you can let this go as a favor to me?" Chu Shiyue maintained his high stance, speaking kindly.

I had no more arguments. Since he apologized repeatedly as the guild leader, continuing would make me look unreasonable. I glanced at the beauty, signaling for compensation.

"Only one level down, but it's enough. Shall we level up?" Purple Dress was already pleased, her initial plan being for me to argue with them and then escape. Seeing me masked, she was even more convinced.

Sigh! This girl... Why can't she cooperate today? My plan to extort some money was foiled.

However, Chu Shiyue offered, smiling at Purple Dress's acceptance, "To show my sincerity, may I invite you both to a meal at the inn?"

Before I could reply, Purple Dress accepted, "That's more like it. I thought you'd be too stingy to offer a meal."

I was speechless. This was clearly a trap—even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be just a simple meal.