Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 9 Load Personal Entries

As consciousness sank, an invisible spiritual force emerged from the depths of Rhodes' mind.

This time, there was no excruciating pain of a splitting skull.

Stripping away the inferior attributes from someone who has no ability to resist would be a negligible drain on Rhodes's current mental strength.

"Hmm!"

Avira's one eye suddenly widened, and her remaining limbs instantly straightened on the moldy wooden board.

The previous burns were a continuous burning pain, but now it felt like a rusty, blunt scraper was scraping away her flesh inch by inch, the blade repeatedly pulling at the surface of her bones.

But this is not an illusion.

In Rhodes's vision, the two gray entries representing injuries were being forcibly torn away by his mental power.

In reality, under the dim candlelight, the charred scabs on Avira's shoulder cracked and peeled off in patches, revealing the bright red and moist raw flesh underneath.

Driven by the drug's effects, the newly formed granulation tissue wriggled and filled those fatal gaps.

A suppressed groan escaped from Avira's clenched teeth.

She gripped the rotten wooden bed frame beneath her tightly, her fingernails digging deep into the wood grain, causing them to crack and bleed again.

Cold sweat soaked through her remaining blonde hair, and her damp, cold linen clothes clung to her bony ribs.

The pain pierced through my very bones.

However, the knight's pride supported her.

She bit her lip until it bled, and the rusty-tasting blood filled her mouth, but she didn't scream in pain.

Avira's muffled groan made Rhodes frown slightly. His modern soul stirred a pang of pity in him, but he did not stop there. Instead, he increased the frequency of his mental energy output.

Rod pressed his hands down on her shoulders to hold her in place, and piece by piece of charred dead skin was forcibly torn off by an invisible hand.

With the removal of the [infection] entry, the previously red and swollen wound quickly subsided.

Although it was still a bloody mess, the fluid flowing out was now a healthy, bright red liquid.

Ten minutes later.

Rod withdrew his hand and exhaled a long breath.

Although the burden of removing gray-label terms is small, it adds up over time.

His mental energy was depleted again, and he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his temples.

Avira lay limp on the bed, her entire body soaked in sweat. Her chest heaved rapidly, each breath causing her new skin to tremble.

Avira stared at her shoulder, astonishment flashing in her eyes. The charred skin had faded, and new, pink skin was slowly scabbing over.

It's simply a miracle.

In her understanding, only the divine magic of the Holy Light Church or master-level alchemical potions could create such a healing speed.

That bowl of foul-smelling, even earthy-smelling ointment possessed such power.

"A total of three doses of the drug catalyst were used, plus my surgical losses."

Rod pulled the creased parchment from his pocket.

He flipped it over and used a charcoal pencil to draw a heavy horizontal line at the bottom of several exorbitant bills.

"An additional 600 Orimes will be added to the treatment cost. The current total debt is 1,400 Orimes." Rhodes closed the ledger, revealing a standard smile used in business negotiations. "Now, you are my private property. Lie down and rest; I don't want my assets to depreciate because of a torn wound."

Avira's lips moved.

Upon hearing the term "private property," her pride as a noble knight instinctively made her want to refute it, even angrily correct Rhodes—she was a knight to whom she was loyal, not a slave to be bought and sold.

But when she felt the new skin on her shoulder scabbing over, and the injury that could have left an ordinary person permanently disabled was miraculously improving, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

In the end, she simply closed her eyes and silently calculated the heavy debt in her mind.

Fourteen hundred orim...

This is not just a number, but a vow she must repay with her sword.

Although being called an "asset" humiliated Avira, she was willing to endure the offense as long as she could regain her fighting ability and fulfill her contract.

Rod turned and walked to another corner of the warehouse, where the supplies he had just brought back were piled up.

The night was deep, and rats outside the warehouse were gnawing on withered grass roots. Exhausted, Avira fell into a deep sleep.

Rhodes sat cross-legged on the ground, his consciousness sinking into his mind.

In that void, several faint orbs of light floated, two of which, a blue light, emitted a strong attraction.

[Basic Swordsmanship Mastery (Blue, Excellent)]

[Swift Steps (Blue, Excellent)]

This is Kyle's most precious legacy.

As a logistics soldier, Rhodes' past battles relied entirely on entrenching tools, shovels, and shoddy traps.

He lacks the hard power to confront opponents head-on.

But now, everything is about to change.

Even if he leaves the adventurer's group, Rhodes will still have basic combat skills, be qualified to take on commissions, and be self-reliant.

"Loading entries, the target is myself."

Rhodes took a deep breath and used the last bit of his mental energy to touch the blue light.

The ball of light shattered instantly, turning into billions of streams of light that flowed into Rhodes' entire body along invisible pathways.

This is the first time Rhodes has added an entry for himself.

A strange tingling sensation erupted in the deep muscles, as if countless tiny electric currents were coursing through the tendon fibers.

His calf muscles tightened during a spasm, revealing a well-trained, taut physique.

A slight clicking sound came from his wrist and finger bones, as his skeletal structure adjusted, having undergone hundreds of monotonous sword-swinging practices in an instant.

Fragments of memory about the center of gravity, footwork distance, and blocking angle were forcibly embedded into the brain and muscles in an instant.

Rhodes opened his eyes.

He pulled out a sharp boning knife hidden in his boot.

The heavy sense of distance he used to feel when holding the knife had disappeared; the hilt was no longer an external object, but an extension of his fingertips.

Rod flicked his wrist slightly.

The boning knife traced a cold arc in the dim light.

This strike was devoid of unnecessary embellishment; its trajectory was the shortest path designed to sever the trachea, leaving an afterimage in the stagnant air with the blade's tip.

A moth happened to fly by and was cleanly and neatly cut in half, its tiny remains falling onto the dusty floor.

This is professional-level killing technique.

Immediately afterward, Rod stood up, landing only on the balls of his feet, his center of gravity shifting erratically in the narrow gap, [Swift Steps] allowing his steps to avoid all the dry wood chips.

Even the shelves piled high with miscellaneous items couldn't stop him from moving around.

He didn't touch anything and eventually stood silently in front of Avira's bed.

Even in her sleep, the knight's instincts made Avira furrow her brow slightly.

She sensed the approaching murderous intent.

Rhodes sheathed his sword, feeling the unfamiliar power surging within him.

In the past, he needed to expend a great deal of physical strength, striking the skull of a black-toothed rat several times with an entrenching tool.

Now, even when facing unmutated forest wolves, he dares to swing his sword and slash at their spines.

This is just the beginning.

Rod's gaze shifted to the pile of sorted materials.

He sensed something deep within his consciousness, radiating scorching, violent energy.

[The Fragmented Blood of the Red Dragon].

That was the true foundation that enabled him to transcend social classes and become a chess player.

Rhodes picked up the charcoal pencil again and tried to write down his next plan on the edge of the parchment.

In this desolate wasteland abandoned by the gods, only meticulous planning can save one's life.

Rod looked at the unconscious Avira.

As a high-value combat asset, she requires more investment to generate greater returns.