Dylan was feeling tremendous pressure right now.
In the literal, physical sense.
The noble knight had merely brought his sword down in an ordinary strike, yet Dylan could barely withstand it, nearly being pressed into a half-kneeling position.
Seizing the opening when the knight raised his sword again, Dylan rolled away in an undignified tumble.
"With just this little skill, you dare play the hero?"
After that brief exchange, the noble knight had already gauged the adventurer's strength.
Weak!
Apart from being slightly faster, there was nothing noteworthy about him.
"Are you ready to die?"
[Phantom Clone]
[Ice Spike Technique]
Dylan clearly recognized the gap between them. During the noble knight's taunting, he decisively activated both pieces of equipment simultaneously.
Three Dylans formed a fan-shaped encirclement around the noble knight, each Dylan conjuring three ice spikes before him.
"Skill equipment? What a bag of tricks!"
The sudden counterattack didn't fluster the noble knight. He thrust his sword into the ground and kicked up a spray of dirt forward.
As the soil particles swept through, though they didn't dispel the phantoms, they passed right through them.
The noble knight's eyes instantly locked onto the three genuine ice spikes flying from the left.
[Block LV6]
The sound of ice shattering against the knight's sword rang out twice in succession. Time was too tight—he still couldn't block them all.
The final ice spike struck his chest, causing the noble knight to stagger back three steps before regaining his footing.
The ice spike fell powerlessly to the ground, breaking into several pieces, while an ugly dent remained on the knight's previously pristine breastplate.
The noble knight's expression darkened, his grip on the sword tightening, veins bulging on his neck as visible anger consumed him.
So angry he stopped trash-talking entirely.
[Charge LV5]
[Whirling Slash LV6]
He seamlessly chained these two skills together. In his haste, Dylan only managed to activate [Block].
Immediately after, both man and sword were sent tumbling backward twice.
When he climbed to his feet again, he had become a greenish mycelial humanoid.
"A freak?" This actually made the noble knight pause momentarily.
"No, a demon spy."
Whatever Dylan was, chopping off that head and reporting to his superiors that he'd slain a demon spy would suffice. Free merit for the taking.
Facing the knight's relentless advance, Dylan showed no fear whatsoever.
In the local network:
"Boss?"
"Boss, help me out here!"
The knight charged forward with great strides, bringing his sword down.
"Die!"
A backpack strap shot out from behind Dylan, slicing across the knight's right hand and drawing a thin line of blood in the air.
The knight's sword crashed into the ground. The big man looked down to see his right hand's tendons had been severed.
Without his armor, he might have lost the entire hand.
But he couldn't see clearly what had attacked him.
The adventurer was still the same adventurer, looking as fragile as ever.
But somehow, his... backpack was now standing on the ground.
Huh?
The backpack strap struck again. The knight hurriedly blocked.
However, two fists couldn't match four hands, let alone when he now only had one functional hand. Wounds continued accumulating on his body.
This couldn't continue—he'd be worn down to death!
Stopping his retreat, he kicked forward instead.
[Charge LV5]
The prepared Scout bent down low.
[Puffshroom Cannon LV8]
The knight was sent flying backward, his entire breastplate shattering, his chest a bloody mess.
Crashing to the ground, he barely seemed to be breathing.
"Boss, why didn't you step in earlier?"
Scout came behind Dylan with a small hop, jumping back onto his shoulders as the mycelial tendrils mimicking backpack straps automatically fastened themselves.
"You were so brave, I thought you could handle it yourself."
Dylan laughed awkwardly twice in embarrassment.
"Oh right, that girl!"
Looking back, there was no trace of the young woman at the original spot.
???
"No need to look. She's smarter than you—the moment you two started fighting, she quietly slipped away. Probably already reached the village by now.
The problem now is..."
Dylan looked toward the knight who still had a breath left in him. The knight also looked back at him.
That gaze seemed to be pleading?
Mycelial tendrils shot out and, under the knight's terrified stare, sliced open his throat in one swift motion.
Lin Jun¹ continued: "The problem now is how to dispose of this corpse."
Looking at this "corpse" that was still struggling, Dylan was also troubled.
If it had been him—Dylan, an ordinary adventurer—who died, most likely no one would care about the matter.
But the one on the ground was a noble's knight. Not disposing of the body would probably cause considerable trouble.
"Boss, can't you just make some mushrooms grow on him and make him disappear like that?"
"What are you thinking? This isn't a dungeon.
Growing mushrooms is possible, but natural decomposition would take at least ten-plus days.
Wouldn't being discovered early just leave more clues?"
Dylan thought it over and over, seeming to have no choice but to dump the body in the forest—at least not leave it in such an obvious place by the roadside.
With effort, he dragged the knight into the forest and threw him into a dense thicket, considering the matter handled.
But before leaving...
Dylan crouched down and began expertly searching the now-motionless knight's body.
Soon a money pouch, a small package, and a pendant were retrieved by Dylan.
The pendant hadn't broken even after being hit by the puffshroom cannon, only getting stuck in the chest's bloody flesh—it must be something valuable.
The money pouch contained 18 gold coins and some small change, which Dylan gladly pocketed.
As for the package...
Dylan pulled out an elaborately decorated letter bearing a wax seal.
"Take a look?" Boss immediately suggested.
Dylan nodded and reached to tear open the envelope.
"So hot!"
The moment a corner of the envelope was torn, flames erupted from within. Before Dylan could react, only charred fragments floating in mid-air remained.
"Oh ho, so you killed a secret message courier. You're finished, Dylan!"
"Ah? Wasn't it you who killed him, Boss? You delivered the finishing blow too!"
"Well, go tell that to others! Tell them the backpack did the killing, it has nothing to do with you! I'm sure the just nobles will totally believe your nonsense."
"Damn it..."
But Boss wasn't finished with the psychological torture:
"Without their secret courier, they'll definitely search with full force and eventually find this village.
Then the little girl you saved will sell you out for a single gold coin.
Next, your wanted posters will cover every street and alley. When you return from the archipelago, you'll be surrounded the moment you disembark.
Finally, on the execution platform, the righteous Dylan and his magical backpack will be beheaded together.
Congratulations on achieving the Good Samaritan Ending!"
*Gulp—*
Dylan desperately wanted to argue, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed...
"Actually, there is another way."
Boss's tone was sinister, but this undoubtedly rekindled Dylan's hope.
"What is it?"
"You return to the village now, and we'll go *chop-chop* everyone who's seen you. Then no one can report you!"
Dylan looked back at his backpack in horror: "Boss, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm joking.
That's too much trouble—might as well just hide back in the dungeon right now.
Trust me, Dylan. I have a way to make even your daughter not recognize you!"
"..."
Dylan didn't think this counted as any kind of good solution.
He looked up at the sky.
How did it come to this?
All he did was save a girl...
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