Chapter 285: Act 64 Mercenary Group (1st Update)

On the battlefield, another person was knocked out in a short period of time. The young man seemed to have taken down three mercenaries in an instant, creating a gap in the crowd. Before anyone could react, he had already broken through that gap. However, the direction he chose made Brand slightly stunned, as the mercenary leader called Caber was waiting in the young man’s path.

The older mercenary held his sword horizontally, leaning forward, lips tightly pressed together—like a beast about to launch an attack.

Brand’s heart skipped a beat. He recognized that this posture came from the swordsmanship of Master Imaria, the Lantoniyan Fencing Skill. Named after the famous Sword Saint, this swordsmanship had spread across the continent in its early years. However, it had declined in this era due to its complexity. Very few people in this world truly mastered and used it in combat.

But those who did were nearly all experts.

Brand remembered in past games that progressing from Level 1 to Level 2 in Imaria’s Fencing Skill required about 133 experience points, sixty percent more than an average intermediate swordsmanship. While it had double the accuracy of military swordsmanship and 1.3 times the damage correction, few players invested their time in this skill.

Because the swordsmanship itself had a market price as high as 1.3 million Thor, and rare versions (which reduced experience required for training) were preserved in the museums of only a few countries.

The young man named Ecco also realized his mistake, but at this critical moment, retreating was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He had no choice but to press forward. Although he had no sword in his hand, his combat moves still revealed a foundation in swordsmanship. He was using Meivak’s Knight Swordsmanship, which Brand identified from the subtle movements of the opponent.

It was interesting that these two mercenaries from the same mercenary group, seemingly well-acquainted with each other, used different sword techniques from all corners of the world. However, this wasn’t particularly rare, and Brand merely noted it subconsciously.

At this moment, the young man on the battlefield was charging towards the mercenary Caber, attempting to alter his advance to evade the trajectory of Caber’s sword. Unfortunately, Caber didn’t disappoint Brand. With two swift strikes, he completely blocked the young man’s path, forcing him to leap aside in desperation.

At this point, Caber needed only to step forward to throw the young man into disarray.

Brand’s current true strength was probably not a match for either of the two on the field, but he was more aware of this situation than anyone present. Sure enough, he saw Caber step exactly onto where Ecco might retreat next, turning his longsword back, ready to finish the young man off with the sword hilt.

But then Brand squinted slightly.

Caber’s movement was a half beat slow. The young man seized his arm in a perilous moment and crashed into him, sending the older mercenary stumbling back five steps. This unexpected turn surprised everyone, even the young man himself, as Brand clearly caught a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

But Ecco quickly shook his head, glanced at the retreating Caber—this took only a moment—then immediately turned and fled into the crowd without looking back.

“Good fellow.”

Brand silently praised, realizing that Caber had deliberately gone easy on the young man. Yet his technique was so subtle that most people wouldn’t have noticed. If it weren’t for his vast experience accumulated from playing the game for over a hundred and forty seasons, he’d likely be kept in the dark as well.

Roughly one hundred ten years of swordsmanship experience, with barely over ten years using other weapons. As a senior warrior who had spent over a hundred forty springs in the game, basic things like this were as easy as eating and drinking for Brand.

His current hard strength was about Black Iron Middle Upper, which might not seem a match for the young man named Ecco. But in real combat, even two Eccos wouldn’t be enough for him. Especially after nearly a month of adventures, Brand’s mercenary level had risen rapidly to Level 16, and his Erune Military Swordsmanship had reached (9+1) level.