Chapter 54: Chapter 054: An Invitation from Henrik
The ritual was complete, and a faint red light shot up into the sky.
“The guy who launched the ritual is already dead. All we have to do now is deal with the few beasts that have been contaminated, and this mission will be thoroughly completed,”
Henrik pulled out a pistol and waited quietly.
“Will there be many?”
“Five people, corresponding to five beasts. Each time a beast is killed, some of the dead person’s soul is extracted by the power of the ritual and merges with the beast’s soul, then absorbed by the spellcaster.”
“After this power is absorbed, the corresponding beast will also die.”
“Now that two people have been killed by beasts, if I’m not mistaken, there should be three left.”
“Three?” Roger muttered softly.
“He killed two himself, doesn’t that mean…?”
Soon after, seeing the beasts approaching alone, Henrik’s old face turned red, “Maybe they were killed by other animals or hunters.”
Even he felt the excuse was far-fetched. He leaned casually against a large tree, the muzzle shifted, and a flash of gunfire emerged.
A clump of blood blossomed on the forehead of the wolf, and it fell to the ground with a thud.
“Resolved,” Henrik said nonchalantly as he blew on the gun’s muzzle.
“You called me over in the middle of the night just to see you fire this shot?”
Roger looked at Henrik with a bemused expression.
“Could I have my knife back?”
Henrik reached out his hand.
As a joke, Roger prudently shut his mouth.
Henrik cleared his throat. Roger knew the words to follow were probably the real purpose of this guy’s antics.
From last night until now, Henrik’s attitude toward him was a bit strange, somewhat overly warm and attentive.
It felt as if both men needed something from the other but couldn’t speak openly due to various reasons.
According to Henrik’s original plan, there should have been at least three beasts. He could have spared one to test Roger’s abilities a bit.
In fact, last night’s incident had greatly improved his impression of Roger, but what came next…
“You can see some ghosts, right?”
Without waiting for Roger to answer, Henrik continued, “Many years ago, traditional Demon Hunters were not only powerful warriors but also qualified Spirit Mediums. They might not have been very strong, but they could handle some simple ghosts and Monster Spirits.”
“However, in recent years, Demon Hunters with the corresponding talents have become increasingly scarce, and gradually, operations have moved to group units.”
“A standard Demonic Hunter team requires at least one Demon Hunter and one Spirit Medium—the former responsible for frontal combat, the latter for gathering information and detecting ghosts, and then providing assistance at critical moments.”
Henrik spread his hands in resignation.
“It’s terrible, I don’t have the necessary talent, so… I can’t complete some tasks that involve ghosts and Evil Spirits.”
Henrik gave Roger a look.
Roger pretended not to notice Henrik’s glance, “The Hunters Guild is so destitute that they didn’t even provide you with an important combat partner?”
“Everyone knows that there is a very large proportion of female Spirit Mediums. Some girls even fought over the chance to apply to work with me; sigh… I didn’t want this.”
“But there’s no choice, an attractive mature man is like strong liquor, always making young girls accidentally drunk.”
Watching Henrik flaunt his self-satisfaction, Roger couldn’t help but purse his lips.
This guy didn’t seem like he had a good reputation at all.
“You want me to join you?”
“No, no, no!” Henrik shook his head.
“You’re not qualified for that yet. At most, you could be a temporary assistant for me until the real Spirit Medium sent by the guild arrives,”
“You want me to help you for free?”
“How can that be?” Henrik chuckled.
“I’ll take a part of my salary, with this money, you can buy lots of new clothes for your red-haired little girlfriend.”
As he spoke, he gave Roger an ambiguous look.
After a brief consideration, Roger made up his mind, “Ensure my safety, then get me something else, and I’ll agree to your terms.”
“A longsword, a longsword suitable for a Demon Hunter’s use!”
Henrik frowned, “That’s not an easy item to procure, can you settle for something else?”
As a qualified Demon Hunter, you should carry at least two swords, right?
One on the back, and one at the side.
Although Roger’s main method of attack was the elven dagger technique, in actuality, Universal Sword Techniques conferred the greatest enhancement to physical abilities.
Only by raising his swordsmanship to a higher level as quickly as possible could he begin the next phase of his training, reach his physical limit, and prepare for the Green Grass Trial.
Only after enduring the Green Grass Trial would he truly qualify as a Demon Hunter, and by then, he should also be able to use many Dharma Seals.
“Alright, I’ll try my best to find one for you.”
In the end, Henrik agreed to it.
“This weekend then, there happens to be some unusual situations in the nearby town that need checking out.”
“I must declare beforehand, I can only see ghosts, as for the medium abilities you mentioned, I don’t know anything about them.”
Roger made a clarification.
“Right, that ghost face you controlled before…”
This issue had been nagging at him.
“What was that exactly?”
Henrik took out a pocket watch from inside his coat.
“Just a small trick.”
“Its only functions are to survey simple environments and… detect lies.”
“That was exactly why I used it on Adeline that day.”
Roger’s eyes flickered imperceptibly as he took the pocket watch from Henrik, and a new notification appeared on the notice board in Hunter’s Cabin in his perception.
The pocket watch with the residing remnant soul: A casting object with weak energy, fashioned through special means to encase a frail soul within. Adding it to the cabin can slightly increase the overall value of the house.
Roger was slightly startled.
Could it be that the last upgrade of Hunter’s Cabin wasn’t due to his own loot from battle but due to the addition of such loot that increased the value of the cabin?
That means, besides battle loot, other similar objects can also enhance the cabin’s level?
Roger felt he had stumbled upon a new channel for advancement.
“Could there be any other methods?”
He knew that his current Hunter’s Cabin, apart from a bed and a bookshelf, had nothing else of use.
“I knew it, having a house is far from enough. If not fully furnished, it should at least be minimally functional…”
Roger felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
From now on, he really needed to be mindful during missions of things like bloodstained combs, soul-binding mirrors, and the like.
Since the mission had been a short one, upon his return, Roger meditated until sunrise.
The next morning, not long after he left his house, Roger heard explosive news.
The murderer of Sherman had been caught!