Chapter Thirteen: The Gap

For the Evil Fire Puppet, the battle was already over. From start to finish, Neo hadn’t even touched it once, yet it had indeed been defeated by Neo.
Perhaps, if it weren’t for Dantestine’s forced orders, the Evil Fire Puppet’s own intelligence could have been better utilized; perhaps, if it had been an ordinary Black Butcher this time, it could have at least doubled Neo’s injuries.
Unfortunately, such “what ifs” are meaningless after the fact. Dantestine, the mastermind behind this, didn’t even consider such a trivial matter. She was now basking in the glory of darkness—the defiling of the glorious churches in Solis City was in its final stages. The sacred crosses were overturned, and a milky, semi-transparent, oily substance flowed out, spreading across the ground, mixing with dust, and turning black on the corroded floors…
“Father God, this is the life you cherish. They have betrayed what they should never betray—their faith. They have no true faith at all. That’s the real reason for their humility…”
As a witch, Dantestine wasn’t even worthy of speaking such words—that was a right reserved for a few dark rulers. Still, she threw out one last remark: “Humans… not worth caring about!”
“Damn it!” Neo cursed under his breath, carefully wrapping a strip of cloth torn from his pack around his thigh wound. The frostbite and leg injury had been greatly alleviated after he activated his innate ability, “Wolf Bloodline,” but that didn’t mean his condition was good. Lost blood couldn’t be replaced, and his leg injury was only barely serious—far from healed. He could even imagine that even with the wound wrapped, any slight movement could cause it to reopen. If possible, he’d better find a needle and thread to sew it up.
What troubled Neo the most was the impact of Dantestine’s “Evil Soul Curse,” especially now that he had used a lot of mental energy to heal his wounds. The curse’s effects were like a raging flood. If it weren’t for the slight benefits from the large-scale life healing spell earlier, Neo would likely have fallen into a coma again.
“Hey! Warrior!” Vinnie waved awkwardly, greeting Neo, with Matt trying to stay calm beside him and Eric shrinking back in fear.
Neo had already noticed the presence of these three during his fight against the Evil Fire Puppet. At first, he thought they were dark cultists, but after hearing their conversation, he confirmed their identities. Seeing them again now didn’t surprise him at all.
“I’m not really a warrior. Just call me Neo.” Neo wasn’t the kind of person who was rigid or self-centered. He knew very well what the slightly excited glint in those three novices’ eyes meant.
“You should believe now that I at least won’t side with the dark forces, right? So, considering we share an enemy, could you do me a small favor?” Neo got straight to the point. He really didn’t have much time to waste—the power of the Evil Soul Curse was constantly draining his remaining energy. Neo could feel that another coma was inevitable.

Having witnessed Neo fight wits and strength against the powerful Evil Fire Puppet, Vini and the other two felt a slight admiration for him. Now that Neo was taking the initiative to get close to them, they were all a bit flattered. “Of course, it’s an honor for us to assist warriors who dare to fight against demons,” Vini said, clearing her throat slightly before adopting a formal tone, creating an atmosphere akin to a high-level meeting in a formal setting.

Neo smiled. Though they were around the same age, their experiences had been vastly different. Compared to them, the three of them were more typical of their age in terms of mindset and intelligence—he could be considered a soldier, even an experienced one. Prematurity likely meant more misfortune during his upbringing.

After a brief self-introduction, Neo asked Matt and the others to shatter the Evil Fire Puppet. Such puppets were incredibly durable when fueled with enough energy; even if injured, they could heal through molten fire. But once deprived of energy, they would crumble into nothing more than rubble, still maintaining their imposing shape—probably thanks to the power of ice.

As Neo predicted, Matt and Eric used the balanced cones on the hilt of their swords to strike the puppet with force. The massive creature instantly shattered, its limbs falling onto the hard ice slope, scattering glass-like fragments everywhere.

“We found it!” Vini exclaimed joyfully as she picked up a triangular crystal-like object. Inside it were dense strands of magic threads, and on each of its four sides was an intricate magic pattern connected to these threads. The craftsmanship was extremely complex and delicate. It was the source of intelligence for the Evil Fire Puppet—the Thought Crystal.

“The energy core is here,” Matt added, cheering in delight.

“Remember not to touch it with your hands—be careful of any residual evil energy,” Neo reminded them once again.

The energy core was a round bead, transparent like a large glass marble. It had four symmetrical channels leading to its center, where there was a smaller circular space. At the tips of the four symmetrical cones sat stones about half the size of a thumbnail, green in color and extremely clear. Vini and the others had never seen such a transparent magic stone before.

“It’s so beautiful…” Stars sparkled in Vini’s eyes.

“This tiny magic stone is the true energy core of the Evil Fire Puppet. The outer layer is just a substance that amplifies energy. Even if the magic stone’s energy is completely depleted, it’s still beyond our reach. Touching it could result in serious illness due to the evil energy.”

Matt and Eric stuck out their tongues. For a moment, they had indeed thought about using wire or something similar to touch the core to see if it was water-based, given its brilliance.

“Neo, you know so much!” Vini was even more fascinated by these magic objects and the stories behind them. She had resolved to become a magician like her cousin. Yet talent was sometimes strange—excellent genes often shone brightly in certain individuals every few generations, not because their parents were magicians meant their children would inherit that talent, though pure-blooded exceptions existed.

Neo no longer had the energy to engage in conversation. Seeing the important items in hand, he forced a smile at Vini and then asked Matt and Eric to help him leave.

Vinnie and the others also realized that such a loud battle not long ago would inevitably attract the Dark Cultists. In such a dangerous place, it was best to leave quickly. So Matt and Eric supported Neo on either side, while Vinnie carefully carried the bag containing the thought crystals and energy cores, leading the way ahead.

Not long after they left, a cold wind blew, and a young woman with a deathly pale face landed where Neo had stood before, her dress fluttering in the wind. She strode gracefully over to the Evil Fire Puppet, examined it carefully, then leaped lightly onto the ice. Reaching out with her hand, which was emitting black light and whose nails were rapidly growing longer and sharper, she simply pierced the ice, causing shards to fly as the solid ice was broken.

Taking out a piece of ice with bloodstains on it, she began to chew on it noisily. At the same time, like a nimble fairy, she wandered briefly around the area where Neo had fought the Evil Fire Puppet. Then she jumped into the air, twisted her body, and her dress transformed into wing membranes. In the form of a large bat, she flew into the night.

Neo opened his eyes again and found himself in a small dungeon. The walls showed exposed bricks, there were rough wooden shelves, and dusty clutter was piled haphazardly on and around them. The only bright spot seemed to be a small fireplace in the dungeon, which now had a fire going in it, along with a kettle already steaming.

His head throbbed painfully, and his leg injuries also stung intensely, but his consciousness was much clearer now. Neo sat up and found himself lying on a makeshift bed made of wooden planks, covered with a thick velvet blanket.

“How long have I been asleep?”

Neo suddenly spoke, startling Eric, who nearly dropped the wooden jar he was holding. “W-How did you wake up so quietly…?”

Neo lifted the blanket and found himself completely naked below the waist. During his fight with the Evil Fire Puppet, his clothes had gotten wet in the Sun Wheel Fountain and Moon Wheel River. Apparently, Matt and the others had helped remove his wet clothes while he was unconscious. Two sets of clothes were lying nearby by the fireplace.

“It’s already past 1 a.m.,” Eric said hesitantly.

Neo examined his leg wounds, which had been rebandaged roughly but with medical gauze and medicine applied.

Unwrapping it, he bandaged it again. “Where are Vinnie and Matt?” he asked.

“Vinnie said she’s going to get some food. You need to eat, and we’re hungry too,” Eric replied, less nervous now.

Neo sniffed. “They’ve been gone for over 20 minutes?”

“Mm… about that,” Eric replied after calculating. He added, “How did you know? Oh, right, your nose—your sense of smell!”

Neo smiled slightly. “You’re smart.”

Using some of his physical strength and mental energy, Neo awakened the power of his ‘Wolf Bloodline’ to perform a moderate healing treatment on his wounds. This ability was clearly superior to that of his kin, already showing characteristics of active skills, which was related to his family heritage and bloodline.

His clothes were almost dry. As he got dressed, he asked, “Where is this?”

“The Morris family’s basement,” Eric replied casually, probably realizing that Neo knew nothing about Iris or Morris, so he added, “Third Avenue, in the middle of the West District.”
Putting on his pants, Neo used bandages on his wounds this time, all to prevent them from splitting as much as possible.
“Who helped me open the shackles on my wrist?” Neo had already fastened his greaves and was now putting on his arm and hand guards.
“Hehe, I…” Eric scratched his head awkwardly. “I’m an apprentice locksmith.”
“That kind of lock isn’t easy to open. When moving the small springs inside, you need steady, even force—and precision,” Neo continued chatting.
When it came to his expertise, Eric’s eyes lit up. “You too?” He shrugged. “How is that possible?”
“I’m a blacksmith, skilled in intricate crafting. We should have a lot in common. Oh, right—given your strengths, a militia short sword isn’t suitable. If you’re interested in fighting, you should go for a fine sword, using techniques like thrusting, stabbing, slashing, and cutting. With a bit of effort, you’ll see noticeable results.”
“Really?” Eric’s eyes shone again. He was thin and weak, often the weakest link in their trio, with the worst performance in militia training. Coupled with his personality, he had always lacked confidence. Hearing Neo say this made him excited.
Neo smiled slightly and patted Eric’s thin shoulder encouragingly. “Just like you’re good at unlocking, work hard and use your strengths—you can do it.”
Vinnie and the other two had helped Neo, and he wanted to return the favor. Instead of just saying thank you, he gave Eric what he lacked most: confidence.
“It’s been a while. I’m going to go check on Vinnie and Matt. Do you want to come?”
“Sure!” Eric agreed eagerly. He wasn’t someone who acted on impulse easily, but what Neo said sounded reliable. “Maybe Neo can give me some advice when he’s free. Maybe I can really find a path that suits me.” A glimmer of hope made Eric look forward to the future.