Chapter 133: Summer Crown
"Give me the Shield."
Lance turned his head and extended his right hand toward the stunned Toby.
Toby obediently handed over the metal Shield in his hands as if by reflex.
"Mister, this Shield, I just spent..."
Before he could finish lamenting the cost of the rust-proof paint, his eyes widened in terror.
He watched with his own eyes as Lance, treating the heavy Shield like a toy frisbee, swung his arm in a full circle and hurled it viciously at the Raider in the distance.
The heavy Shield spun rapidly in mid-air, and the powerful gust of wind it generated was strong enough to mess up Toby’s hair.
"Oh my god! Great Goddess Aretia! What kind of monster did I just see?"
With a piercing whistle, the metal Shield slammed squarely into the massive Raider’s waist, sending it flying.
Lance narrowed his eyes, observing.
’It’s not dead?’
’Looks like this Gnoll’s Constitution has probably reached the level of an Ordinary person’s Attribute Lock, around ten points.’
Lance loosened his wrists and walked with a steady gait toward the struggling Gnoll Raider on the ground.
"My god, is that a Shield or a battering ram?!"
Toby ran over, his heart pounding, and picked up his now slightly bent and deformed Shield, hissing in pain at the sight.
But after witnessing that scene, he was now utterly certain that the hooded figure before him was a genuine Professional.
’If he weren’t a Professional boosted by Source Material, it would be impossible for anyone at an Ordinary person’s level to unleash such terrifying Burst Power using sheer physical strength alone.’
However, Toby was a little confused.
He’d heard from a senior adventurer who often bought supplies from his family that Professionals should all be busy forming parties to raid the Underground City around this time.
’Isn’t the Summer Crown about to begin?’
’This is the best chance for Professionals to earn titles of honor. Why would a professional-level combatant be out here in the outer forest slaughtering Low Level Demons?’
While Toby’s mind was racing, Fibi had already put away her Longbow and run to their side.
"Are you two okay?" Fibi asked with concern.
Beside them, Finn shyly shook his head, indicating he had only suffered minor injuries.
"We’re saved! This hooded man must be a Professional Level Adventurer! A dozen-odd Gnolls are no match for a powerful Professional Level Adventurer!"
Toby pumped his fist excitedly, then lowered his voice and suggested:
"I think we should pool some money to buy him a drink when we get back. It just so happens I’ve got two Silver Coins of pocket money stashed in my boot..."
Before he could finish, Fibi unceremoniously grabbed him by the ear.
Toby immediately howled in pain.
"You idiot, hurry up and help!"
Fibi let go with a cold snort, then immediately turned and raised her Longbow, trying to use her arrows to draw aggro and slow the advance of the surrounding Gnolls.
Then, the three of them witnessed a shocking scene they would never forget.
Lance had actually chosen to fight the dozen or so red-eyed Gnolls with his bare hands.
The monsters’ sharp claws raked frantically at his arms, yet they couldn’t even leave a white mark.
But every blow Lance landed on a Gnoll was met with the sharp, piercing crack of breaking bones and the monster’s despairing howl.
This was the terrifying dominance of a pure stat monster.
It took almost no effort for the entire menacing squad of Gnolls to be turned into a field of cold corpses.
Lance expressionlessly tossed aside the Gnoll corpse in his hand, its neck already snapped.
At the same time, he glanced at the Biological Research panel that appeared on his retina.
[Illustrated Guide: Demon · Gnoll]
[Current Research Progress: Level 2 (14/50)]
Before running into Toby’s group, Lance had already killed quite a few Gnolls in the forest to test his strength.
His ability to kill those dozen-plus monsters so cleanly was, of course, thanks to the help of his special Trait, Weakness Insight.
’He had originally planned to find a camp and kill some Goblins today to farm a Talent.’
’But after reaching the Linxi area where Gnolls were active, he suddenly remembered that Goblins were part of the Gnoll diet.’
’No wonder when he had scanned the entire area with enhanced vision from the trees, he couldn’t find a single trace of a Goblin in this open space.’
’Still, killing this group of Gnolls on the side was worth it.’
Lance calculated in his mind.
’Next, he could see if there was a chance to grind the Gnoll Research Progress to Level 3 first. After getting the new Trait reward, he could take a detour on the way back to make up for the number of Goblin kills.’
At that moment, Toby and the other two, having narrowly escaped death, walked over while supporting one another.
"This part of the forest is much deeper than you think. The smell of blood from the fight will soon attract more troublesome carnivorous Demons."
Lance stopped his thoughts and turned to kindly remind the three terrified young people.
"Your gear doesn’t look like you’re local Adventurers from Gray Rock Town. You should leave now, before it gets dark."
Lance’s gaze was sharp.
He could tell from the craftsmanship of the Armor the three were wearing.
’In an Adventurer Town, the basic gear mostly comes from a few specific Blacksmiths, and their forging techniques each have distinct characteristics.’
’The Leather Armor and Shield worn by the three before him clearly did not match the manufacturing style of Gray Rock Town.’
"M-mister! Thank you so much!"
Toby stammered.
At that moment, Lance was covered in foul-smelling blood. It dripped, drop by drop, from the fingertips of the hand he had just used to pierce through a monster’s torso.
The oppressive visual impact was so shocking that it made Toby’s speech falter.
Toby forced himself to swallow and boldly introduced his party.
"My name is Toby! This is my fiancée, Fibi, and next to her is the quiet one, Finn."
"Thank you for saving our lives today."
His face was filled with gratitude. If this man hadn’t intervened, the Gnolls would have devoured them, leaving not even bones behind.
"Mister, if you ever come to our Baihua Town, just mention my name, Toby!"
Toby pounded his chest and loudly promised.
"My family runs a slaughterhouse, we specialize in Iron-skinned Wild Boar meat! From now on, all your meat is on me, absolutely free!"
Lance quickly searched his memory for information on Baihua Town.
The town was very close to Gray Rock Town, reachable in less than half a day by carriage.
However, its location was closer to Shanglu, making it more of a commercial town with far fewer resident Adventurers than Gray Rock Town.
’Iron-skinned Wild Boar meat?’
Hearing this particular term, Lance’s eyes, hidden beneath his hood, lit up slightly.