107 Test of Resolve

The first rays of sunlight arrived and struck the slumbering Dan who slowly awakened from his slumber. The commotion brought by the morning market could be heard behind the window as Dan slowly stood up. Staring at the surroundings, he could see Grace asleep beside him.

The young woman looked gentle and graceful when she was sleeping, void of the shrewdness and sharpness that she possessed when she was awake. Dan stared at her cheeks that looked rosy and plump to the touch.

Suppressing his surging desires, Dan lifted his right hand and stretched his index finger out before poking her left cheek. Dan could hear an imaginary bouncy sound reverberating inside his mind. As someone who appreciated the aesthetic value of thick women, Dan couldn't help but repeatedly poke her until she woke up.

The first scene she saw when she awakened from her slumber was Dan with his index finger touching her cheeks. Dan's expression looked somewhat sweaty and he turned pale when he realized that her eyes had snapped open.

"Eh?"

A queer cry came from Grace's mouth as Dan moved his hands in a speed that could be considered as fast as lightning. Turning around, he gave a dry cough and said,

"So you finally woke up? I'll go downstairs first, you also come with me after you fix yourself..." Dan retreated in a hurry. Grace who was left behind at the room could help but cup her chin with both of her hands. Her expression looked somewhat glazed with a hint of confusion.

On the first floor of the Inn, breakfast was served, buffet style. Carrying a plate with him, Dan took numerous dishes that looked unfamiliar to him such as Pan Fried Slimes and some exotic foods that a normal Earthling would find it hard to eat.

Taking a seat near a window, Dan ate as he collected information from the surroundings.

"Damn, the new Town Mayor, Gilmesh is as awesome as the previous Mayor when it comes to governance, to think that he solved most of our domestic problems with just a few orders."

"Yeah, it seems like the waters run deep within the City Hall. They easily solved the matter of supply deficiency with just a wave of their hands. Towards this new leader of ours, I don't really have any complaints..."

Dan revealed a small smile when he saw the Town Mayor's death, he felt quite certain that an upheaval will definitely happen in this small Merchant Town. After all, a group without a leader was like a fly without a head. It could wander endlessly but its end will definitely be certain.

Shaking his head, he gave a light chuckle.

From being someone that didn't have anything on him other than ten golds, Dan now possessed a tremendous wealth and even acquired three subordinates that he would train in the future. After all, one of his dream goals in this world was to establish his own Sect.

A Sect without a pillar of trustworthiness and power would crumble. So to establish a firm foundation for his own organization. One of his current goals was to gather friends and comrades that would aid him in his quest.

"Oh, come here, let's eat for a moment..." Dan waved his hand and Grace turned towards him. Carrying a huge platter of food, she sat before him.

"I didn't expect it from your figure, but you really could eat..." Dan leaked a small smile, the food that Grace brought could feed an entire family of three. Grace became somewhat embarrassed upon hearing his words. But when she stared at the line-up of gourmet dishes before her, a thin thread that glistened under light leaked from her lips.

"Hey, just eat it already, don't be embarrassed! Look, you're drooling..." Dan pointed it out and Grace hurriedly wiped her lips before nodding her head. Without even taking a utensil, she stuffed it in her mouth, painting a scene which vastly contrasted her graceful appearance.

Dan couldn't help but inwardly cringe upon witnessing her vulgar table manner. Facing his palm on his forehead, Dan shook his head and disregarded the gazes of the spectators around them. Taking a fork and a spoon, he proceeded on his meal.

In the late afternoon after Dan returned his Bronze Badge towards the Adventurer's Guild. He brought a carriage and hired a coachman towards his journey to return back at the Imperial City.

Standing at the western gate of the Merchant Town, Dan couldn't help but feel somewhat saddened upon his departure, he became used to the way of living in this small town. Turning his figure away, Grace approached him from behind.

"Young master, it is time for our departure, we'll be going at the Plains of Azer at night so that we can reach the Great Forest of Manzur at dawn..." Dan nodded his head and glanced at his coachman. The latter looked amiable and gentle looking, he also had a cultivation at the Organ Tempering Realm and could double as a fighter in case of a battle.

The coachman named as Jordan nodded his head as Dan and Grace entered the carriage. The carriage that Dan ordered look lavish and luxurious. It even had furniture and a bed where the two of them could sleep. And when it moved, it also didn't shake too much so everything was comfortable and Grace couldn't complain.

However, her eyebrows knitted when she stared at Dan, just what is he planning? She thought.

"Buying such an eye-catchy carriage, with wheels even painted in deep sea gold, just what is he thinking?" Dan saw her stealing glances at his figure and couldn't help but give a small chuckle, staring towards the roof, he calmly crossed his hands below his head and relaxed.

Walking with deep sea gold amidst the dark was like carrying a beacon of light that attracted bandits. Grace looked tense as ever, ruffling the curtains, she would glance around in a furtive manner.

"What's wrong with you? Can you just relax and enjoy the ride? It's not every day that we can board such a comfortable carriage..." Dan said as he stretched his body. Of course, most of the carriage in this world was uncomfortable and shaky. If not for the fact that he ordered this customized version, it would've been a shaky ride.

Grace turned speechless, seeing his relaxed expression and his calm bearing, she couldn't help but think that Dan didn't know about the dangers of what he just did which in turn, intensified her apprehension.

Meanwhile, at the front side of the carriage, the coachman, Jordan could be seen with a small smile on his face. Clenching within his palm was a small crystal that shone in an eerie light of crimson. Crushing it into dust, he sprinkled it in the air as his smile turned vicious.

"It seems like I would get quite a harvest this time..." He mumbled as his eyes shone in a light of anticipation.

The veil of the night covered the entire planet of Azure Sky. On the Plains of Azer where the night reigned as the absolute sovereign. A speck of brilliant light could be seen moving across it.

One of the characteristics of deep-sea gold was its eternal brilliance. Wherever it was, it would always shine in a brilliant golden light which depicted the height of beauty and was fancied upon by nobles.

Inside the carriage, Dan could be seen casually eating some fruits atop a plate. Before him, was Grace who looked nervous and anxious.

Dan understood the origin of her apprehension, but he feigned ignorance as he said, "Come here and eat, don't worry about anything, we have quite a powerful bodyguard, you know?" His voice rang loud and clear, reaching Jordan whose lips lifted into an ambiguous smile.

"Really, I can't understand why you're so calm." Grace shook her head before taking a bunch of grapes and stuffing it into her mouth.

Outside the carriage, a cold wind swept past the carriage, bringing with it a faint smell of blood. Numerous crimson red eyes shone in the dark and Dan who casually ate some fruits inside the carriage suddenly shook as a satisfied smile lifted on his lips.

"It looks like our guest has arrived..." He stood up and at the same time, Jordan's nervous voice echoed at the front.

"Young master! People are blocking our way, claiming that they want to meet you!"

Dan nodded his head and Grace gripped his arm, "What's going on here?"

Turning towards Grace, he said, "What do you mean what's going on? Of course, we're being robbed by these bandits..." Dan rolled his eyes, how could a swindler like her became so stupid that she was unable to determine their current situation.

Grace looked vexed, Of course, I know what's going on! What I want to know is your plan! She inwardly screamed as Dan handed her a dagger that glistened in a cold light.

"Hide this in your dress and follow me outside," He said as he opened the doors of the carriage and exited along with Grace who looked pale and terrified.

The leader of the bandit group Night Wolves, Sammuel could be seen with his arms crossed together and his lips lifted in a confident smile. Paired with his huge physique, he depicted a terrifying sight of dominance which shook Grace's body and soul.

Witnessing the young woman's panic, Sammuel licked his lips, 'It seems like this will be easy...' He had lived his life robbing people's possessions, particularly those nobles whom he despised. Knitting his eyebrows, he went forward and said, "Surrender everything that you have and we will consider sparing your life..."

His words echoed out loud and his comrades sneered. Grace hid behind Dan and glanced at Jordan whose expression knitted into a frown.

"Jordan! Get them for us, protect us!" She said and Jordan swept his gaze over the two. One looked terrified while the other looked anxious. It could be said that his job was over and there was no need to hide his identity anymore.

Taking a dagger from his wrist, Jordan rotated his cultivation base and leaped at Grace's figure. His dagger aimed at her knee in an effort to cut her tendons!

"You..." Grace exclaimed in shock. The suddenness of the attack left her with no way to dodge his assault. But at the critical moment, a pair of hands shoved her to the ground as Jordan's attack struck nothing but air.

"It seems like you're finally willing to reveal yourself." Dan crossed his arms together, his expression looked sarcastic with a hint of mocking on it.

Jordan gave a small smile in derision, "You can't really blame me with this, young master, people live and die because of wealth and benefits, you can just consider yourself as unlucky for meeting me on your journey..."

Dan lightly chuckled, "Do you really think that I didn't see through your plan from the start? When we recruited you, you're the only one who offered the lowest price among the Organ Tempering Realm Cultivators, and also your clothes, do you really think that just because you wore long-sleeves, you could hide your weapons from my sight?" He shook his head in disdain and Jordan was taken aback.

Wasn't he supposed to be an arrogant and prodigal young master? How could he see through my plans? He inwardly panicked but when he saw that they completely surrounded him and Grace, he calmed himself down and replied,

"Yeah, so what? Do you really think that you can escape our grasp now that we've completely surrounded, you?" Jordan sneered, regaining his confidence. Lifting his hand, he shouted, "Men, kill the bastard, but spare the woman!"

Upon his signal, the twenty or so bandits that surrounded them started running towards their direction. Dan took a dagger from his Virtual Inventory and glanced at Grace before saying, "Kill or be killed, what is your choice?" He left these words before his figure blurred, dancing across the battlefield with his dagger reaping lives after lives.

Miserable shrieks echoed out and Grace's figure trembled. Her expression didn't have the hint of dominance and gracefulness that she previously had, for now. She was just a frail, mortal woman.

The bandit group, Night Wolves only had Jordan and their leader as cultivators and most of them were mortals that didn't have any other choice but to steal to live. Because of this, Dan didn't find it hard to kill them and he didn't even break a sweat as at least twelve corpses decorated the ground around him.

Jordan clicked his tongue, rotating his cultivation base, he glanced at his leader and the two of them simultaneously nodded their heads. They understood that if they want to acquire victory. They had to get rid of this threat.

Jordan closed in while Sammuel took his bow and started shooting from a distance. Infused with his Spiritual Qi, all of his arrows had a sharpness that could pierce through heavy armor.

Lifting his dagger in the air, Jordan and Dan clashed in mid-air as sparks flew, illuminating the darkness. Both figures danced while Sammuel supported Jordan from afar.

The two fighters showcased their techniques because of the lack of experience, Dan looked overwhelmed and Jordan became increasingly confident. His movements turned fluid while Dan's defenses turned brittle.

Sammuel who stood at the distance sneered, "How could a youngster like you, contend against someone who was named as the Wind Ranger?" He mumbled as arrows after arrows flew from his bow, repeatedly disrupting Dan's rhythm.

Dan knitted his eyebrows, in each time he adjusted his rhythm, the bastard from the distance would interrupt him and in each time he assumed his defenses, Jordan would deny him.

With no other choice, Dan leaped backward and couldn't help but praise them out loud, "With an excellent fighter at close-combat and a precise archer at the distance, is this the reason why your group remained undefeated?"

Jordan stopped for a moment, a small smile decorated his lips when he saw Dan's disarrayed breathing pattern and the slight shivering of his body due to exhaustion.

"We normally don't speak anything about this, but since you're going to die anyway, I'll enlighten you so that you won't become an indignant ghost..." Jordan shook his head before continuing, "Indeed, this is the reason why we remained undefeated..."

Dan nodded his head in satisfaction, "Hmmm," He fell into deep contemplation before mumbling, "I wonder if Natalie is willing to support me from the backlines since we both have the same Divine Art it could be said that we're pretty compatible when it comes to battle..."

"What the hell are you mumbling about?!" Sammuel shouted from the back, his expression looked dark when he noticed that his prey wasn't even paying attention to them.

Jordan also looked the same, his eyebrows locked and his eyes started shining in a light of killing intent.

"Oh?" Dan retreated away from his soliloquy. Lifting his head, he swept his gaze over the two before saying, "Yeah, I am sorry, I completely forgot that the two of you were there..." Clapping his hands together, he walked towards them and said, "I'm starting to get tired already, how about we end this now?"

Jordan stared at him in disdain, "Are you surrendering?"

Dan shook his head, "Why would I surrender? What I mean is I am going to end this now since the two of you are quite boring..."

"What did you say?" Sammuel's visage darkened while Jordan's face reddened in anger. Wielding his dagger, he leaped towards Dan's direction as the latter took a strange weapon from his pocket and pointed it at his forehead.

"What are you?" Jordan subconsciously mumbled as a deafening roar shook the entire battlefield. Jordan's figure stiffened, his forehead was pierced through with his blood decorating the ground along with brain matter. With a dull thud, his lifeless body fell to the ground.

Sammuel's figure froze and his expression turned pale as he hurriedly took his bow and aimed. But when he realized it, Dan was already behind him as sharp pain struck his throat.

Slice!

A deep gash destroyed a crucial artery on his neck. He couldn't even cry out for help as the life inside his body, rapidly disappeared into nothingness.

"Wheew~" Dan cleaned his dagger and stretched his body, turning his head towards Grace's direction, he found that the young maiden was surrounded by three men. But he didn't help. Instead, he stared at her with a light of anticipation within his eyes.

"Don't come near me!" Grace lifted her dagger and waved it around, threatening the three men who were oblivious to the fact that their comrades were already annihilated by Dan.

The three men were completely engulfed by their lust and had even stripped themselves of their clothes.

"It's fine, It's fine, don't be so anxious, we will make you ascend to heaven, soon..." The eldest of the three, whose figure looked like a mountain of flesh approached Grace whose expression looked pale and terrified. She glanced at the distant battlefield and found that Dan only stared at her with a small smile on his face.

Biting her lips until they bled, she tightened the grip of her dagger and thought about the words that Dan told her, earlier. "Kill or be killed, what is your choice?" She didn't mind his words earlier because of her fright but now that she looked into it, she found his words as completely logical.

Staring at the three lascivious men before her. She gritted her teeth and fueled her body with strength.

Puchi!

Her dagger pierced the abdomen of the fatty bandit. The hot blood that splashed from the wound drenched her wet as the bandit's eyes widened in shock and fear. His two brothers stared at Grace in shock. They didn't expect that such a gentle-looking woman that looked like a terrified rabbit, earlier actually had the guts to kill someone, right before their eyes.

Bam!

With a resonating boom, their Eldest Brother fell on the ground as Grace staggered backward as she withdrew her dagger from the fatty's abdomen. At this moment, her gentle-looking figure drenched in blood looked horrifying.

Paired with the bloodied dagger that she lifted towards the air, the two men gritted their teeth and simultaneously attacked. Though they do not want to kill her because of her body. After witnessing their brother's death, they had no other choice but to kill her as revenge.

Bang! Bang!

Two gunshots resonated and the two men fell on the ground before they could even swing their daggers towards Grace's figure. Upon realizing that her enemies were dead. The strong smell of blood and the scene of carnage before her made her sick as her consciousness, dissipated from her body.

"It seems like this young woman really lived all this while by swindling people of their money, to think that she would collapse by the sight of blood and gore..." Dan heaved a sigh. Carrying her back to the carriage, he inwardly thought,

"Now, I just hope that she wouldn't have a grudge against me...After all, this is all for her own good..." He mumbled as he continued his walk amidst the strewn corpses and the scene of utter destruction.