A Gold Coin

A suit of golden armor materialized on Ye Chuan's body, shimmering with a sacred radiance even in the darkness of night. With a single punch, he sent the two figures before him flying backward.

"It's actually a Magic Artifact!" The two slender men—Dark and Shadow—retreated swiftly, stopping at a safe distance as they narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing Ye Chuan's armor.

"Magic Artifact?" Though Ye Chuan wasn't entirely sure what the term meant, he could roughly guess it referred to some kind of wearable armor-like equipment.

Crack! A sharp sound rang out, and Ye Chuan noticed a fissure running along the armor on his forearm.

Their attacks are that strong?

The armor he wore was at the Golden Core level, matching his current cultivation stage. Yet, it had already sustained damage after just one exchange. Clearly, these two were at a higher level than him.

"Whatever. I’ll just upgrade it with some in-game currency later. It’s starting to lag behind my progress," Ye Chuan muttered, shaking his arm dismissively. After all, the armor was just a tool to enhance his defense.

"Hah, seems like it's only a mid-tier Magic Artifact," Dark sneered, his sharp eyes immediately catching the crack in Ye Chuan's armor. His initial wariness faded significantly.

"Mr. Ye! They’re the royal twin assassins—Shadowstrike! Both are fifth-tier assassins!" Irena urgently warned Ye Chuan.

Her only hope now rested on him, but since he hadn’t gained the upper hand in their first clash, she quickly relayed everything she knew.

"Fifth-tier? No wonder," Ye Chuan mused.

"Power Blessing." A crimson glow enveloped his body.

Dark and Shadow weren’t about to let him finish casting. They lunged forward, their daggers gleaming coldly in the dark as one blade pierced straight through Ye Chuan’s throat!

"M-Mr. Ye?!" Irena’s face turned deathly pale as she watched the blade impale him.

It’s over.

"Wait—!" Dark’s expression twisted as he yanked his dagger back—only to find no blood.

In fact, stabbing Ye Chuan had felt like slicing through air.

Wasn’t he wearing armor?!

"Defense Blessing. Crit Boost. Luck Enhancement. Berserk Amplification. Strength Surge…" Ye Chuan stood still, his body semi-transparent as he rapidly stacked buffs, his form flickering like a strobe light.

Dark and Shadow froze for a split second, utterly baffled by the sight.

"My turn." Shadow sensed danger and unsheathed his sword, channeling energy until it pulsed with violet light. "Demonblade Slash!"

A devastating purple arc tore through the air, swallowing Ye Chuan whole before carving a thousand-meter-long trench into the forest behind him.

As the light faded, Shadow calmly declared,

"It’s over."

But then, a voice cut through the smoke, making Shadow’s body jolt.

"Over? That’s all you got? One-hit wonder?"

Ye Chuan remained standing, completely unscathed.

"You—"

Before Shadow could react, Ye Chuan teleported in front of him and threw a single punch.

"Take this buffet of buffs."

The air compressed with a deafening boom, and in the blink of an eye, Shadow was reduced to a mist of blood.

Instant annihilation.

The crimson droplets splattered onto Ye Chuan’s armor, only to evaporate instantly under its golden glow. He turned his head, the red visor of his helmet gleaming ominously as he locked onto Dark.

"Sh-Shadow?!" Dark stood frozen, unable to process his brother’s sudden demise. Then, with a burst of terror, he turned and fled in a streak of black light.

"Shadowmeld!"

His body dissolved into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.

The fear of death gripped his heart as he sprinted through the shadowy forest.

I have to warn the master!

"Tch. Trying to run?" A voice echoed as if from the void. Dark glanced back—just in time to see a beam of light hurtling toward him.

BOOM!

The light consumed him, erasing even his soul.

Ye Chuan lowered his hand, the energy blast dissipating. With a casual wave, he summoned a soul banner and absorbed the remnants. Waste not, want not.

[Fifth-tier soul absorbed. Artifact boosts host attributes by +10%.]

He dismissed his armor with a flick of his wrist.

"Mediocre." Stretching lightly, he turned toward Irena—

"M-Mr. Ye…" Irena was stunned. She had never imagined Ye Chuan would obliterate Shadowstrike so effortlessly. Her mind reeled before she suddenly remembered—

"Torres!" She stumbled toward him, her voice breaking.

Torres lay motionless, his body drenched in blood, his breathing faint. He was barely clinging to life.

"Your Highness…" His eyelids fluttered weakly, consciousness slipping away.

"Hold on! Hold on! I’ll heal you!" Her hands trembled as she frantically poured potions over his wounds, but the blood kept flowing.

"No, no, no! Stop the bleeding!" She pressed down on his injuries, desperate.

His once-beige clothes were now a dark crimson, his body temperature plummeting.

"It’s… no use…" Torres forced a weak smile.

"Your Highness… listen…"

"You… must… live…"

"The empire’s… future…"

"And…"

"These days… fleeing with you… were… happy…" His hand twitched, reaching to wipe her tears, but it fell limp before he could.

"TORRES!!!!!!"

Irena clutched his hand, sobbing uncontrollably. "NO!!!!!!"

"Full Restoration." A voice cut through her grief. A surge of green energy enveloped Torres, and his body convulsed violently.

"OOOOHHHHHHHHH YEEEEAAAAHHHH OOOOOHHH!!!"

When the light faded, Torres sat up, dazed, patting his chest in disbelief.

His wounds… gone?

"One gold coin." Ye Chuan crossed his arms, deadpan. "Escort missions don’t include free healing."

Torres sniffed. "…?"

Irena, still on her knees, sniffed too. "…?"

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