Chapter 203

Although I was mentally prepared, one of Ark's characteristics is that he is not easy for others to remember.

Unless there is a very deep bond or a significant event that connects to him, this effect is difficult to activate.

Or rather, powerful enough. As long as one possesses sufficient magical or holy power, this ability will have no effect.

Conversely, if someone has a deep relationship with him, and many things he experiences in his life are related to this guy.

However, if the opponent is truly weak, this passive ability will still activate.

This is the state that Denos is currently experiencing: there will always be a missing piece in his memory.

There is a very important person in my memory, but he has become blurred, so blurred that only a shadow remains in my memory.

He could recall many, many details of that memory, but not a single fragment of that guy. He was like the part of a photograph standing in water, already blurred.

This feeling is really unpleasant, as if someone I used to know is a ghost, someone I can see and touch, but I just can't remember.

Perhaps after this guy dies, everyone will forget that he ever existed.

It's as if such a person has never existed in this world. In just a moment, he will be forgotten by this world.

So cruel, so tragic. And yet so fortunate, he didn't have to feel bound by others' affection for him. His life belonged only to himself, so selfish.

Denos fell asleep at some point, and when he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.

He stared at the shattered glass before him, the sunlight streaming in through the window, and the distant cawing of crows.

The glass shattered by the impact has never been repaired. It still looks dilapidated, and looking out from here, the ruins and the newly built town are both bathed in the sunlight.

It's so reassuring.

He smelled the fragrance, paused for a moment, and then propped himself up to sit up in bed.

"If you're awake, get ready for dinner," Nina's voice came through. Denos looked at the closed wooden door and sighed helplessly.

They live in houses built of wood and stone, with the exterior made of hard stone to protect against impacts, while the interior is best made of wood.

Because there are many sorcerers here, simple damage can be repaired with sorcery.

This simple technique allows the houses here to last a long time, and occasionally Denos would also work as a construction worker.

He rubbed his head; he hadn't slept well last night, but he really should be awake now.

He got dressed, got out of bed, and tidied himself up briefly.

Since getting a fiancée, he's started paying more attention to his appearance and is no longer sloppy. At least he looks like someone his age. He's still young and shouldn't look so tired.

He felt a bit sore all over; the backlash from using the spell yesterday would cause him pain all day. But thankfully, he was used to it.

He pushed open the door and looked at the food laid out on the table.

Although the food was not plentiful, the fare was certainly luxurious. Pure silver cutlery and plates held... a plate of scrambled eggs, perfectly cooked, topped with green peppers and cilantro for seasoning.

In such a world, to have such a sumptuous breakfast, not to mention the warm coffee beside it, is truly remarkable.

Absolutely perfect.

Denos couldn't recall ever eating so well before. But now the resources here were relatively plentiful, so there was no need to be overly frugal. At least for eggs and... why coffee? They don't grow it here.

“The apology from those guys yesterday.” Nina knew what he wanted to ask, and pointed to a glass jar not far away, filled with coffee and sealed with a cork: “So they gave it to the local church. Those guys said we needed a reward for working overtime yesterday, so in the end it was our turn.”

"That's wonderful! I was just wondering when a coffee merchant would come along. I really miss it." Denos was in a good mood, taking small sips.

“Those guys’ airships supposedly have lemons and tea,” Nina paused and said. “Are you interested in going to take a look later? I do have some things I want to buy.”

“I’ve made a lot of money, please feel free to do as you please,” Denos said.

This wasn't arrogance; his income was definitely not low. He was certainly well-off in this city. It's just that a lot of food was rationed, and money couldn't buy it.

He looked at the airship that had crashed to the ground outside and hesitated for a moment.

“So that was for commercial use,” Denos said softly. “It looks much better than our carriages.”

“Indeed, they can carry a lot of things, and they fly in the sky, so they are much safer than horse-drawn carriages,” Nina said. “They brought a lot of goods, and although I don’t know where they came from, they don’t seem to be very expensive.”

"I'm more curious about how you knew that."

“You got up too late. Carl went door-to-door this morning to inform everyone about this. There’s also a simple price list.” Nina pointed to the papers next to her: “Take a look?”

“It’s much more conscientious than what we sell,” Denos said with certainty after one glance.

......

Twelve sat in a chair, looking at the sun.

This stuff makes people feel uncomfortable all over when exposed to the sun.

"Perhaps you should consider helping him out. There are far more people buying things than you think," Yan said casually, sitting next to him. Then he patted him on the shoulder, took a piece of candy from his bag, and handed it to him.

"I'm not young." Even though she said that, Twelve still took the candy and put it in her mouth.

He almost wanted to keep this kind of thing that brings him joy and pleasure for himself; it would be such a waste to sell it.

"How should we leave?" Yan ignored his previous statement and asked another question.

“The damage to this thing isn’t as severe as it looks; it’s just that the metal on it is a bit broken.” Twelve paused and said, “I’ll plug it up with some material and then fill it with the appropriate magic array to make it fly.”

"I already know we can leave, just tell me how long it will take?"

"At the latest, it will take two weeks; if you're in a hurry, it will take four days. I need one day to repair it, and it will take three days to fill it with gas."

"This thing isn't even as efficient as you."

“I’m far more capable than you seem.” Twelve looked at him with a hint of displeasure: “You underestimate me in this matter.”

"Haha, I hope so." Yan scratched his head and looked at the ruins around him.

Beneath them once lay a bustling market, but that's all that's left. Now it's just a charred, burnt-out mess.

Twelve's nose twitched, and suddenly he pressed down on Yan with his lower body.

The short sword grazed his shoulder and pierced the metal behind him. Twelve glanced back at the short sword behind him and was secretly alarmed.

That's a short sword, not an arrow.

It was clearly not meant for throwing; it was for slashing. But one guy managed to throw it like a spear.

Yan then realized an enemy was approaching. He shoved Twelve away, and his entire body burst into scorching flames. His temperature would become extremely high while using his ability, and Twelve was too close; he would definitely get burned if he wasn't careful.

After rolling on the ground, Twelve lay prone and lowered her body, allowing magic to flow through the crystal and permeate her entire body.

Although I'm a little annoyed by this thing on my chest, I have to admit that I would have died long ago without it.

"To the left, about half a palm's width away from the direction of the sun, approximately 120 meters away." Twelve reported the data, turned around, drew his short sword, and sprinted at an imperceptible speed.

He had no suitable weapon at the moment, and the quality of the short sword surprised him. But then it became the most handy thing he could find.

"Aren't we recognized for doing business here?" Yan shouted, both asking Twelve and giving a hint to the hidden guy.

If it doesn't know it's a merchant, it could easily mistake it for an evil spirit, so it's best to have a channel of communication.

But no one responded; Twelve had already rushed into the ruins.

Where?

Twelve rushed in and closed his eyes. There were too many things blocking his vision, so he should trust his ears more now.

Then, almost instinctively and subjectively, it gave a warning. It put its hands in front of its chest, and the house next to it was instantly pierced by something. A hammer hit its arms and then smashed through several dilapidated houses.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

Twelve groaned and collapsed into the ruins. But no one gave him time to catch his breath, so as he rolled over and leaped up, he grabbed the hammer from the ground.

It took the combination of the short sword and the hammer to block the central strike.

It was a slender weapon, gleaming with a cold light. The simplest and most basic one-handed slash in swordsmanship.

However, when this guy swung it, the pressure from his arms instantly cracked the bones that were still holding on and undamaged.

Twelve, wincing in pain, released his grip, and the two weapons fell to the ground. At the same time, a long sword was already pressed against his neck.

They were just an inch away from severing his head, and even now, a bright red wound remains.

He struggled to open his eyes and finally saw the guy's full appearance.

This was a woman wearing a thick, flowing robe. Her face didn't look old; she looked like a young girl. She held a long sword in one hand, and carried a rack on her back, filled with weapons, both horizontally and vertically.

Scorching flames sizzled from the side; Yan's attack had finally arrived.

But she simply swung her long sword horizontally in front of her, splitting the flames in two and reigniting the already charred houses around her.

Twelve collapsed to the ground in agony, his neck severed in half by a knife, blood gushing from the wound. Breathing and speaking became incredibly difficult and painful.

"Monster, stop pretending to be human. Who are you trying to fool with this pathetic act?" Her voice remained cold: "I'm going to settle the score for the things you did to my house."

As she spoke, she suddenly plunged the knife in her hand into the ground, then reached behind her and grabbed a thin stick.

Then, in the next moment, an exaggerated hammer suddenly appeared in front of her, and she smashed it directly on the ground. With a roar, the gust of wind generated by the shockwave kept everyone away.

Looking at position number twelve, there was no one there anymore.

“Swordsmiths, they’re just merchants,” Karl said softly, his hand near Twelve’s neck, holy magic rapidly healing his wounds.

As Twelve watched this guy's back, old psychological trauma was triggered.

This guy easily defeated me with his bare hands, even though I had maintained my peak condition with blessings and various buffs. I tried my best but couldn't even cause him any real damage.

When we were enemies, I really found this guy incredibly annoying. The only reason the entire city was safe was because there were two high-ranking priests in the city.

But when I was actually behind him, I found that I felt truly at ease.

Before things were over, a spear pierced his stomach again, and the excruciating pain made him feel like he was going through a revolving lantern.

"Get out of the way, I'm going to kill him!" The swordsmith's veins bulged on his forehead.

"Why?" The spear had pierced through Karl as well, and the pain made his voice low.

The knife maker didn't say much, but silently pulled down a little of his clothes.

Below her neck, a piece of iron embedded in her skin was a horrifying sight, and the surrounding skin was burned red.

“This airship crushed my forging workshop. I was crushed by tens of tons of stuff all night.” Her voice trembled with anger. “And my weapons, which were nearing completion, are in the same state.”

Is it possible to survive being crushed by something that big all night?

The 12th person asked themselves, wondering whether they should apologize first or compliment her body.

She ripped the metal, along with a large chunk of flesh, from her body and threw it on the ground. Her skin and muscles regenerated at a visible speed. She pulled up her clothes, and a long spear appeared in her hand.

The excruciating pain made Twelve want to faint again, but Karl pulled out the spear that had pierced through both of them and swung it to block the thrust.

Then he punched the hammerhead.

The resulting shockwave blew away the bewildered Twelve, who crashed into the still-burning Flame. The two of them fell to the ground and watched the gods fight.

After Karl forced her back with a knee strike, he staggered back two steps. His hand, which had taken the blow, was limp, and the bones in his entire arm were completely shattered.

Even so, he stood ramrod straight, and then, just a few seconds later, he gripped his bloodied arm tightly once more. The wound and the protruding bone spur vanished simultaneously, and he stood before the swordsmith, spear in hand.

Meanwhile, the knifesmith was weighing the hammer in his hand, his expression twitching.

She was furious. The weapon, which was almost finished, was destroyed at the most crucial moment, and she had to suffer such pain.

It would be impossible to quell my hatred without killing this guy.