Along the southern coast of the Old Continent.
Other than the Silver Ring Hospital, the birthplace of modern medicine founded by the Vissari School of Thought, the Tramore Duchy was only a small place with a weak presence.
Due to its proximity to the Southwind Duchy, it acted as a buffer zone between the faiths of different true gods. Even the power of the Church was weak. Or rather, it was because of the coexistence of multiple faiths that no one could dominate.
However, there was a well-known ancient legend (from a mortal's perspective) about the titular monster, the Stinking Wriggler.
In a certain dark forest of the Duchy, there was an extremely deep cave. Within it lived a terrifying creature that mortals could not peek into. The creature was extremely strange, extremely strange, extremely evil, and extremely evil. Anyone who saw it would go crazy.
Not only that, but in tombs, forests, ravines, dry wells … In those cursed places, dead thoughts would gain new life and strange bodies. Those pitiful bodies had no brains, but evil thoughts lived in them.
Wise elders said that a tomb without the bodies of wizards (or Extraordinaires) lying on the ground was bliss, and a city without the ashes of wizards was also bliss.
In the ancient stories passed down from generation to generation in this country, the souls of those who befriended demons would not leave the corpses in the tombs soon after they died. They would only begin to rot when large white maggots started to gnaw on the corpses.
At that time, terrifying monsters would be born from the rotting corpses.
The slow-witted maggots would become cunning, causing trouble for the land. They would swell and distort to a terrifying extent, causing the land to suffer. They would no longer be able to crawl, but would start to learn … to walk like a human!
That was the filthiest and most terrifying evil monster, the Wriggler.
Many residents of the duchy had heard of their legends. Even if one randomly grabbed a person on the streets of the Tramore Duchy, one could hear all kinds of strange stories from them.
If one was "lucky" and met some bards who relied on their eloquence to make a living, they might even be pulled to a close and mysteriously tell you, "I know of a town where all the humans living there have been eaten by maggots, but they are unaware and have been reproducing normally …"
Hiss —!
Every outsider couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines.
But in reality, there were very few confirmed sightings of that kind of monster. Of course, it was more likely that there were very few people who could return alive after seeing them.
In addition, the members of the "Vissari School" were often labeled by the Church of True God as corpse thieves, heretics, blood-sucking demons, messengers of death, and so on. This small country that was already somewhat isolated was really not liked by others.
However, it turned out that legends were not just legends.
Two suspicious figures dressed in black robes drifted through a small path in a forest that was covered in weeds and thorns as if their feet were not touching the ground. Whispers that sounded like flies came from under their dirty robes.
"The target this time around is … That person. According to the records, he has already killed two level four experts. Moreover, both of them were opponents who were of a higher level. Even among the Conferred Knights from the various countries, there shouldn't be many who have such battle results, right?
Other than the pope, our "Church of Evangelism" only has one Tier 4 combat power, the [Rotten Stinking Creep]. Isn't the decision of the higher-ups too risky? "
"It is said that the believers of the evil True God found us. We don't care what kind of deal the higher-ups of the church made with them. We only need to be responsible for carrying out the orders.
Besides, if being stronger means that we are invincible, how can we survive in the Old Continent that is ruled by many True Gods? When it comes to conspiracies, infiltration, sabotage, and subversion, who is better than us? Ah, we are here! "
As they spoke, the two people had already arrived at a dark and damp cave in the middle of the forest.
For some reason, the nearby trees and flowers were especially lush. The leaves were almost green to the point of turning black. However, even the flowers could not cover the lingering stench of rotting corpses.
It was obvious that they did not want to stay here any longer.
The two black-robed people let out a faint buzzing sound as they threw an iron holy emblem carved with a rotten fly into the cave. Then, they ran away without looking back.
Obviously, even the believers of the "God of Rotten Flies" did not want to see the terrifying appearance of the God's Chosen.
After a long time, there was a rustling sound in the darkness of the cave.
After a while, thousands of shrill voices formed a single word:
"New … Continent … Eat …"
Everyone was happy to see the Overlord Shilius's strength weaken, but the Eye of Wealth did not want to see Faletis, who was also an enemy, eat until he was full of oil.
If you are fine, then what?
After the Battle of Dirben Castle, no matter how low-key Elvin was, he could no longer hide. As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. Naturally, he fell into the eyes of some malicious people.
Moreover, if they were to take action in the New Continent where the True Gods and the church were not strong, they would have fewer scruples, and their methods could be more ruthless!
Even if they could not kill Shilius himself, they could not give him the chance to relax and cause trouble for the Lowland Republic, which was at the most critical moment in history.
Therefore, the Eye of Wealth, who had been secretly accumulating power, backstabbed Faletis and Elvin faster than Shilius, who had suffered a great loss!
.....
On St. Domingo Island in the Golden Sea, it was already the morning of the second day.
However, the bright sunshine of early spring did not come as expected. Instead, a layer of dark clouds gradually covered the sun, and it was getting thicker and thicker.
The first spring rain of 190 of the Sea Origin Calendar was about to fall.
At the same time, the water-type "Upper Sea Emperor Dragon" Anita and the thunder-type "Branded Swordsman" Elvin, the huge energy that the siblings had been waiting for was also brewing in the dark clouds.
Both of them were on the orthodox path of Transcendence that was based on Knight.
A Grade 3 Knight's will was enough to crush steel and arrows. If a knight's will was strong enough to achieve a miracle that could not be achieved no matter how much manpower and time was spent, then he would be a Titled Knight who could fight against a dragon!
The core symbol of this ability was the ability to allow one's consciousness to interfere with reality on a large scale and achieve miraculous power — the "Heart".
The "essence" of this promotion was the qualitative change of the Qi of Transcendence. The "root" was the Knight's will, and the "symbol" of success was the condensation of an exclusive [Title]. At this point, one's reputation and Legendary Level could be linked to one's strength.
This included the "name-bearing monster" and the wizard's [True Name]. They all had something in common.
It was the same for Elvin's promotion to Grade 3 [Branded Swordsman].
Firstly, Transcendence energy had to break through a certain limit. Secondly, he had to obtain a symbolic "Title" or something of the same level.
Therefore, in order to achieve the qualitative change of a [Branded Swordsman], the root was to strengthen [Divine Aura], or to put it in other words, the powerful body that produced [Divine Aura]. The so-called "Title" or other existence was no obstacle for the current Elvin.
His original plan was to use the [Creator's Blood] to greatly strengthen his body and even adjust the genetic sequence of the "mitochondria" to surpass the limit of Grade 3 Transcendence.
However, in the battle with the "Death Messenger", Elvin had already realized that he had already completed the qualitative change of his life form. He no longer needed to deliberately modify his body. The original form of a "Primo" was actually the most perfect form.
In addition to the [World's Favor] that he had obtained from the exploration of the volcano group that he named "Moon Bay Archipelago", Elvin's inspiration exploded as if he had received a gift from the heavens. He had completely straightened out a path of Transcendence tailored for himself.
It was a superior profession that completely surpassed Grade 3 [Branded Swordsman] — the Grade 4 physical-type Transcendence [Heraldic Knight]!
Today, he would press forward with an indomitable heart and completely break through the barrier before Grade 4.
"Rumble …"
Suddenly, a low rumble of thunder came from the dark clouds. It was as if a ten-thousand-ton boulder had been thrown into the hearts of the two people who had been sitting quietly for a day. It also caused huge ripples.
Elvin and Anita opened their eyes at the same time. Faint lightning was reflected in their pupils.
It was as if they saw each other across the dozens of kilometers of mountains on Saint-Domingue Island. After looking at each other with a smile, they completely retracted their attention and looked at the pitch-black sky.
Standing up on this iron-rich mountain peak, Elvin walked barefoot step by step to the center of the ritual that had already been completed. He completely released the instincts of his body. With every step he took, his body changed. Horns, vines, fur, four hooves … gradually appeared on his body.
"Buzz buzz buzz …"
When he walked to the center of the ritual, Elvin had completely changed into a different appearance. It was impossible to define him purely as a creature.
If one had to describe it, it was somewhat like a "mythical form" that represented the essence of a god. However, it didn't have the terrifying power that couldn't be observed or sensed and could make mortals go crazy.
"Da … Da … Da …"
His lower body turned into an extremely strong white stag. The surface of his body was faintly covered with shiny silver scales and fluorescent vine-like runes. Four pairs of small white wings grew out of his four golden hooves.
His upper body was still in the form of a burly male human. The muscles on his arms, chest, and abdomen were distinct and filled with explosive power. The surface of his skin seemed to faintly appear with silver natural runes. His short brown hair turned into long vines that drooped down.
The face that was so perfect that it didn't look human was still Elvin's own face. However, there were huge forked coral-like horns on his forehead. They faintly formed the shape of a "mountain" crown that stood tall in the middle and slightly shorter on both sides.
In the past, it wasn't the existence of the physical body that limited him. It was Elvin's cognition that limited him.
He didn't have to adhere to the form and identity of a human. He also didn't have to follow the original plan to adjust his mitochondrial genes. He easily broke through the limit of a third-order human.
Constitution 16, Strength 16, Agility 16, far exceeding the third-order human limit by 10!
"Drip … Drip … Splash …"
In the sudden torrential rain, Elvin raised his head to look at the sky and let out a clear and long howl. The ritual where he stood was operating rapidly, resonating with the huge energy in the sky.
"Kaboom!"
In the next second, a dazzling lightning pillar fell from the sky and completely enveloped him.
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