Carl carefully picked up the ring from the ground, examining it closely only after moving a safe distance away from the Forgotten City.
The ring lay quietly in his palm.
It had no embellishments; its surface was smooth and cool to the touch. The design was simple yet elegant, with flowing lines.
Though it appeared to be an ordinary plain band, it seemed to possess a special magic power that made it difficult to look away.
A few inconspicuous small characters were engraved on the inner band.
Carl whispered softly, "Gu...na..."
These two syllables seemed to trigger some switch. The ring suddenly trembled and slipped onto Carl’s finger by itself.
It chose the ring finger of his left hand.
The ring tightened around his finger. Carl felt a brief, sharp pain, then everything returned to normal.
Upon closer inspection, traces of blood were visible on the inner band of the ring, seeping into it. The ring itself also seemed to be undergoing some wondrous change.
Inspiration struck him, and Carl spoke again, "Guna!"
The ring suddenly flared with a bright light.
Within the light, items materialized out of thin air, arranged in an orderly fashion like soldiers awaiting their general’s command.
There were seven items in total.
They were a helmet, cuirass, elbow guards, gauntlets, tassets, knee guards, and sabatons—a complete suit of armor.
Following an instinct, Carl made a grasping motion with one hand.
The armor floating around him suddenly converged, rushing towards his body.
Each piece found its designated spot and fitted itself to him, encasing Carl completely.
With a final sharp sound, a warrior clad in dark armor stood revealed.
The armor stood tall and imposing, like a majestic mountain, emanating a solemn, chilling, and deadly aura.
Every component, every plate, seemed to have been burnished by the ages, gleaming with a cold, metallic luster.
Its design was quite plain, without overly intricate patterns or adornments.
Yet, while ensuring the wearer’s flexibility, it maximized defensive capabilities against attacks.
What truly astonished Carl was not the armor itself, but the capabilities it had just displayed.
Void Storage? Automatic Assembly!
Automatic Assembly was a One-Circle Witchcraft that allowed magical items to automatically adapt to the Caster’s body size. Void Storage was a Second Circle Magic, similar to the storage spaces Carl remembered reading about, capable of holding items within.
This ring was inscribed with two types of witchcraft, and one of them was even a Second Circle Magic!
One had to understand, it was unknown if the entire Gando Kingdom even possessed any Second Circle Wizards.
This was clearly a Demonized Item, and one of a Tier higher than Second Circle at that!
To possess such an item, its owner in life must have been incredibly powerful. Yet, they had been reduced to a pile of dry bones before the Forgotten City. This reinforced Carl’s conviction that the city must be avoided at all costs.
Carl lifted his hand. Beneath the gauntlet formed of intricate metal plates, the ring named Guna shimmered with a faint light.
Unfortunately, the seemingly indestructible armor was, in fact, severely damaged. Perhaps it was due to the erosion of time, or perhaps from injuries sustained in past battles.
In any case, this Demonized Item no longer possessed its former might.
Carl’s eyes glinted. His broad sword sang as it was drawn from its sheath, the blade arcing through the air towards his own shoulder.
Sparks flew. Carl staggered slightly, an involuntary smile touching his lips.
As a nobleman, he had seen many suits of armor in the collections of the influential and wealthy. This armor’s defensive power surpassed any he had ever encountered.
Unless a true Knight struck with full force, he would have little chance of being injured while wearing this armor.
Faint sounds came from behind him.
Carl’s eyes flickered. The armor on his body immediately transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the ring.
Turning around, he headed back the way he had come.
By the time Carl returned, the others had already been roused. Three City Guard soldiers were loudly ordering people to carry the bodies of the pathfinders to the rear.
At the same time, they were rummaging through several of the corpses, pocketing anything valuable they found.
No wonder they hadn’t confiscated anything from Carl and the others at the beginning; they simply weren’t in any hurry.
After all, no one here could escape, so it was much easier to take things from them once they were dead.
"Get up, quick!" one of the soldiers shouted, kicking at Xiao Nan, who was slow to react. "Useless trash! It’s taken this long and you still haven’t found the end? Hurry up and continue scouting ahead!"
Xiao Nan grunted in pain, struggling to his feet. He wanted to say that he had just arrived and that not finding the end had nothing to do with him. However, speaking up would only invite more abuse, so he chose to remain silent.
"S-Sir," someone in the crowd stammered at that moment, shakily raising a hand. "I have something to report."
"Oh?" The soldier turned, looking interested. "What is it? Speak up."
"Someone is trying to escape." The man swallowed, suppressing his fear of the soldier, and pointed at Carl. "It’s him!"
Hmm? Carl’s expression darkened. Xiao Nan and Leon’s faces changed drastically; they tensed instinctively, gripping the weapons beside them.
"Oh?" The soldier turned back, a sneer on his face. "Is that so?"
"It’s true!" the informer asserted, nodding vigorously. "I personally heard him say he wanted to leave this place and ask others if they knew a way out."
"I’m asking you!" The soldier strode up to Carl and jabbed his shoulder with the pommel of his sword. "Is it true?"
He held his head high, looking down on Carl as if he were a disgusting insect. His every action reeked of contempt.
Carl pursed his lips. "Yes."
"Such audacity!" The soldier’s eyes widened, his anger flaring. He swung his arm to slap Carl. "I’ll teach you to ask!"
The slap never landed. A sword blade had pierced the soldier’s throat, emerging from the back of his neck, freezing his motion in place.
Carl slowly withdrew his longsword, letting the soldier’s body slump in front of him. His face was devoid of emotion.
His actions had been too swift, too sudden, and utterly unexpected. For a moment, everyone present was stunned into silence, unable to react.
Until a furious roar shattered the deathly quiet. "AHH!"
The other two soldiers’ expressions changed drastically. Drawing their longswords, they roared and charged.
Furthermore, some of those carrying the bodies screamed in hushed tones, scrambling upwards and shouting something.
The ground trembled slightly. Carl’s figure vanished instantly, then reappeared, lunging forward with the ferocity of a pouncing tiger or a bear on the hunt.
The three of them collided heavily. The soldiers, though armored and powerful, seemed like fragile clay dolls before Carl, shattering on impact.
A series of sword flashes. Carl, wielding his broad sword, reappeared several meters away. In mid-air, the heads of the two soldiers had already been severed from their bodies.
The headless corpses thudded to the ground one after another, blood gushing from their necks.
"I asked," he said, turning to face the informer, his voice icy. "So what?"
"You... you..." The informer’s face was deathly pale. He stumbled backward, pointing at Carl and shouting, "The City Guard won’t let you get away with this!"
"Hmph!" Xiao Nan snorted, raising his shield and charging. "We’re all going to die anyway! Might as well fight them to the death!"
"Yeah!" Leon chimed in. "Let’s fight them!"
The two of them surrounded the informer, punching and kicking him.
The others watched with indifference, showing no solidarity. Instead, they all retreated further.
Jacqueline, Mengde, Dunlop... all wore expressions of cold detachment, looking at Carl as if he were already a dead man.
Just then, a fierce Gale suddenly swept through the area. A powerful wind howled from the passage behind them, and a figure promptly appeared.
"Someone still dares to resist?" The newcomer scanned the scene, his gaze landing on Carl, his eyes turning frigid. "Courting death!"
Before his voice faded, flashes of a blade’s light appeared.