Chapter 24: [Relic - Emblem of the Stars] (Part II)

This left Mo Wen feeling quite troubled.

Not knowing the exact strength of the "Beetle," he naturally wanted to be as strong as possible. Seeing that the "Beetle" in the distance remained motionless, Mo Wen hesitated for a moment before returning to the alley. Without waiting for Hank to speak, he walked to a corner and began practicing his swordsmanship on his own.

Ten points of proficiency—it would only take an hour of practice.

He was going for it!

On the other side, Hank’s mouth, which had been hanging open, slowly closed. He held a crossbow in his hand, his eyes still lingering with a sense of shock that refused to fade. He knew Mr. Mo Wen was a formidable school-trained swordsman, but dispatching five soldier puppets in less than ten minutes still exceeded his imagination.

"Is a school-trained swordsman even human?"

The thought couldn't help but cross Hank’s mind. He gazed at Mr. Mo Wen, who was deep in sword practice, and as if struck by a sudden thought, a complex expression clouded his eyes: "If only I possessed that kind of strength..."

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Mo Wen set down his longsword and let out a long breath. A surge of joy filled his heart as he looked at the display on his interface:

—
[After sword practice... skill level increased!]
[Swordsmanship · Thousand Wind Style - Mastery Lv.1 (100/100) → Swordsmanship · Thousand Wind Style - Mastery Lv.2 (0/200)!]
[Physique +0.3 (Received the bonus of [Half-Puppet Body], originally +0.1)!]
[Swordsmanship · Thousand Wind Style - Mastery Lv.2 (0/200): ...When using sword-type weapons, speed increases by 30% → 35%, and precision increases by 30% → 35%.]
[Attributes]: Physique 2.4 → 2.7
—

Powerful strength surged within his body. New insights into swordsmanship surfaced in his mind. The level-up combined with the skill improvement had increased Mo Wen's physique by a full 0.5 in a short time!

Going from 2.2 to 2.7 in physique wasn't as simple as a 23% increase on paper. Based on Mo Wen's own perception, every 1.0 increase in physique felt like a 1.5-fold growth on top of the previous foundation. In other words, in terms of raw power, a physique of 10.0 was nearly 38.5 times that of a 1.0 physique!

The higher one climbed, the greater the gap!

Not to mention that physique represented far more than just strength; it encompassed stamina, agility, and every other dimension related to physical capability. Combined, the actual disparity was even more exaggerated. Compared to when he fought the five soldier puppets earlier, saying that Mo Wen’s strength had doubled was a conservative estimate.

He did not act immediately. After confirming his improvements, Mo Wen continued to practice his swordsmanship in place. He did this to adapt to his suddenly heightened physique. Only after fifteen minutes, when the sensation of having uncontrollable power faded, did he stop.

"It is time to deal with this 'Beetle'."

He looked at Hank and said in a deep voice, "Hank, provide support when the opportunity arises. Also, if the situation turns sour, run immediately. Do not hesitate."

"Rest assured, I am a school-trained swordsman; I have special means to escape."

He and Furiya were dream entities; even if they died, it was of no consequence, but Hank was different. He was a living, breathing person, and if he died, he died for real. Although Hank didn't understand why Mr. Mo Wen said such things, he nodded earnestly: "I understand."

Mo Wen smiled, holding his longsword in one hand as he stepped out of the alley toward the gate of the old noble warehouse. He stopped only when he was less than fifty meters away from the "Beetle."

Up close, Mo Wen finally saw the "Beetle" in its entirety. It sat on the ground, its back, arms, and legs connected by thick, pitch-black armored plates scarred with age. Atop its head, a reinforced, bifurcated metal horn jutted out. From afar, it truly looked like a giant beetle crouching on the ground. Its massive frame resembled a small compact car; even in a seated position, it reached the height of a man's shoulder. If it stood up, it would likely be nearly three meters tall!

As for its weapon, it was a shield—or perhaps, a "door panel" cast entirely from metal?

Mo Wen frowned slightly, but soon relaxed. He tilted his head to look at the young girl following him.

"I’ll leave the rest to you, Miss Furiya."

"Don't worry, as long as you have a breath left, I can heal you back," Furiya gave Mo Wen a thumbs-up before cautiously hiding behind a nearby cover. She might be ignored by others, but that didn't mean attacks would pass through her if they struck. Perhaps due to her past experiences, Furiya was quite skilled at hiding. This put Mo Wen’s mind at ease.

He turned back, locked his gaze onto the Beetle, and stepped forward.

When the distance between them closed to thirty meters, the Beetle seemed to sense the approaching danger. A sound like the roar of a car engine suddenly erupted from within its chest.

"Vroom! Vroom!"

A "heartbeat" belonging to an industrial hammer shifted from intense to rhythmic. The Beetle slowly stood up, its massive frame casting a long shadow on the ground. It lifted the nearly two-meter-long, one-and-a-half-meter-wide "door shield" with ease, as if it weren't lifting a metal shield weighing hundreds of kilograms, but a light wooden board.

Within its dark, hollow eye sockets, two points of crimson light flickered, as if unstable. Even with the countless scars on its armor, the threat it posed was incomparable to the soldier puppets!

"Second-generation military puppet, Beetle..."

Mo Wen exhaled softly and slowly raised his longsword. The blade was held parallel to the ground as he leaned slightly forward, settling into a combat stance.

He did not attempt a sneak attack. He could see clearly that unlike the ordinary soldier puppets, the Beetle’s chest and back were covered in thick, black metal plating. Under such circumstances, trying to pierce through the armor with a single strike was nearly impossible. There was no room for trickery when defeating such a "monster"!

Mo Wen kept his eyes locked on the Beetle. However, to his surprise, the standing Beetle held the shield in its right hand while keeping its other arm clutched against its chest. It seemed to be holding something like a wooden box?

Furthermore, the Beetle showed no intention of attacking. The red light flickering in its eyes seemed to be struggling.

"What is going on?"

While hesitating, Mo Wen didn't attack, choosing instead to observe closely. Under his gaze, the red light in the Beetle’s eyes stabilized.

The next moment, the Beetle actually spoke!

"...I... cannot hold on... much longer..."

"My kin... in this box... is... hope..."

After those intermittent sentences, the red light in the Beetle’s eyes began to flicker again, this time more violently than before!

"A box? Hope?"

"A puppet calling me kin?"

Filled with suspicion, Mo Wen cast an appraisal spell on the wooden box.

[Seal Box: A box containing the [Relic - Star Emblem]!]

A relic? What was that?

There was no time for Mo Wen to ponder. In the next second, having completely lost its "reason," the Beetle charged toward him like a runaway truck.

—
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