Chapter 320 Losses and Gains

Bloodstained off-white bandages were wound tightly around her stomach, arms, and thighs. Her freshly cleaned longsword rested in its sheath within easy reach.

Margaret huddled by the campfire, both hands cupping a fragrant brew with leaves floating on its surface. Steam rose against her face—still dotted with mud and dried blood—only deepening her dazed expression.

In this moment, she looked nothing like the authoritative squad captain who always kept her cool, acting as if every situation were firmly under her control.

She was just an ordinary adventurer who had narrowly escaped death, managing to survive the claws and fangs of ferocious monsters.

Even now, she still lacked any real sense of what had just happened.

It was supposed to be a standard investigation, yet it had cost the lives of two precious teammates. Worse still, their enemy had been completely unexpected—a great devil suspected to hail from the Baator Nine Hells.

The entity hadn't even needed to strike personally. Just the so-called "grunts" it summoned had dragged her squad into a deadly quagmire.

Even now, with the battle over and plenty of time to sit and think clearly, she could not imagine any scenario where they could have turned the tables.

Closing her eyes and waiting for death had seemed to be all she could do, praying her soul would evade the devil's search and find peace, rather than being forged into a Soul Coin and condemned to circulate forever across the infernal wastelands.

Yet right in the depths of that utter, lightless despair, a turning point had emerged—from an unimaginable corner and in a truly unbelievable manner.

Even years from now—whether she safely retired and handed the Oathkeeper Blackwood squad over to a reliable successor, or found herself bleeding out in another dark, damp cave—she would never forget that fleeting, breathless moment.

Sparks drifting down like snow, a mournful aura of crimson flames, molten sword light, and a pair of pitch-black eyes like a solar eclipse...

Bathed in the firelight, the devils were beheaded.

And the source of this miracle—the very reason she was still sitting here breathing, the reason the Blackwood Squad's legacy could survive—

Margaret snapped her head up, looking across the campfire.

Her gaze landed on a black-haired young man utterly engrossed in devouring a chunk of crab meat.

The fatal piercing wound in the center of his chest had already healed. Only a hole in his black shirt remained, revealing the smooth skin and faint muscle contours beneath.

Minor burn marks marred his shoulders, waist, and abdomen, but the Bone Armor on his legs and the Pitch-Black Arm Shield on his forearm remained completely intact, showing no signs of damage.

Physically, he was in far better shape than she and Thordin were.

Mentally, it was much the same. Margaret had been in this line of work for over a decade and had seen almost every type of adventurer there was.

Yet even the most cheerful and carefree veterans would struggle to relax so quickly right after a bitter, near-wipeout battle.

At best, they might crack a joke with a teammate and choke down some dry rations, needing a couple of days to shake off the adrenaline. Celebrating was strictly reserved for the safety of town.

But right now, the sheer bliss on the black-haired young man's face as he chewed and swallowed couldn't be faked.

It added an indescribably odd twist to the swordswoman's already complicated expression.

As if sensing her gaze, the young adventurer named Xia Nan swallowed his food and raised a piece of crab meat toward her in an open invitation.

Declining somewhat awkwardly, Margaret looked away and took a sip of her tea.

Warmth and fragrance surged over her palate, leaving a lingering sweetness on her tongue. The pain and exhaustion wracking her body seemed to melt away beneath the soothing aroma.

Margaret shivered in sheer comfort and sighed, "This tea really is incredible."

"Right?" Finding a kindred spirit in culinary taste made Xia Nan raise an eyebrow. "I went out of my way to ask the receptionist lady at the Association for it."

"If you want to buy some, you can check with Lady Edwina. I think she still has a little stock left in her shop."

Margaret nodded repeatedly in agreement. She turned her head and exchanged a look with the dwarf, Thordin, who sat nearby wrapped in a blanket, warming his hands by the fire.

She gave a subtle nod.

With the battle over, the group had naturally exchanged names and objectives.

She and Thordin now knew Xia Nan's quest was to clear out this Goblin Lair, while Xia Nan learned they had followed a devil's trail down into the depths.

By a twist of fate, their paths had crossed at the perfect moment, culminating in that desperate fight.

Margaret was no saint, and her life as an adventurer meant she was far from soft-hearted.

She evaluated every situation strictly through the lens of profit and safety.

The current dynamic was crystal clear.

Morally, Xia Nan had rescued the two of them from the devils, saving what remained of the Blackwood Squad;

practically, the sheer power Xia Nan had just unleashed meant that even if she and Thordin were at their absolute peak, they wouldn't stand a chance against him.

To a certain extent, whether they lived or died was entirely at his mercy.

Operating on that premise, Margaret leaned on her wealth of adventurer experience and acted extremely "sensibly."

She didn't even wait for Xia Nan to speak before proactively raising the most sensitive topic among adventurers: the distribution of spoils.

"Thank you again for your help. Honestly, we barely contributed to taking down those devils. We won't be taking any share of the loot."

"Also, as I mentioned earlier, our squad's quest was to investigate devil traces within the Petrification Lizard Lair. Under the circumstances, we can safely consider that done."

"The exact payout depends on how the Association evaluates our completion rate. Thordin and I already discussed it, and we're planning to convert a portion of our rewarded points into gold to pass on to you."

"Please, don't refuse. If not for your help, we certainly wouldn't be sitting here drinking tea right now."

"Of course, the exact sum will have to wait until we turn in the quest back at Rivervale Town, but it shouldn't be a small amount, considering..."

Margaret trailed off, shooting a glance at the devil corpses scattered around them.

Such a decision fully showcased her experience as a veteran adventurer.

On one hand, explicitly yielding all rights to the battlefield loot the moment the battle ended minimized the odds of suspicion or misunderstanding sparking an unnecessary fight.

On the other hand, she pointed out the quest reward they would only receive upon returning to town, promising to give Xia Nan a substantial portion of it.

This established that she and Thordin still held active value to him, ensuring they wouldn't just end up decapitated on the road like those devils once their temporary alliance dissolved.

It might even leave a good enough impression to open the door for future cooperation.

Xia Nan naturally had no intention of declining.

He had personally slaughtered every devil on the field after triggering [Ember Echoes] and entering "Stage 2". The loot naturally belonged to him.

The Blackwood Squad had certainly paid a heavy price with their teammates' lives, and they had managed to hold out against the devil siege for a short while.

But they weren't his squad, nor were they even his friends. They were complete strangers.

They had only become temporary allies because of a suddenly appearing common enemy.

And the moment the battle ended, that relationship naturally dissolved.

Truth be told, when all three parties first crossed paths inside the lair—before Abi signed that devil's contract—he had actually been warned off by them in a threatening tone.

If he were a slightly more extreme adventurer, the two heads sitting in front of him would have already parted ways with their shoulders. There wouldn't be any cozy tea by the fire.

But since the swordswoman named Margaret was being so sensible and offering a cut of the Association quest reward, Xia Nan, who desperately needed money to cover his weapon reforging deficit, naturally wouldn't strike.

Plus, with so much loot scattered across the field, he really did need a few helpers to carry it all back to town for him.

Xia Nan had suffered no small loss in this battle.

His Plate-Chain Composite Armor—a piece of gear he replaced even more frequently than he consumed maintenance tools—had once again met its most familiar fate.

Completely totaled, it was reduced to a heavy, twisted lump of iron.

His Custom Two-Handed Greatsword, another transition weapon from the Rockhammer Smithy that cost nearly three digits, had also been notched in the battle with the Barbed Devil. Influenced by "Ember," it had become pitted and deformed after shearing off the devils' heads in a molten state. Utterly stripped of its nature as a weapon, it was currently being used by Xia Nan as a tool to pry open crab shells.

He could already foresee the look on Barn's face when he returned to the Rockhammer Smithy.

Between the two, his losses amounted to three digits.

That was practically a full year's income for those bottom-tier adventurers.

His heart ached just thinking about it.

What troubled Xia Nan even more was whether the Ember erupting after triggering [Ember Echoes] would spread to his weapon, causing it to enter a molten state and thus damaging the weapon itself after combat.

Did that mean he had to prepare a disposable backup weapon exclusively for use in the "Ember" state?

Perhaps it wouldn't be that much trouble.

After all, the Decapitating Longsword—which should have finished forging by now and was sitting in the Rockhammer Smithy—had been reforged using a [Molten Ash Silver Ingot] scorched by a Flame Crystal, as well as the grip material from the [Ember Training Cane]. Both originated from the exact same secret realm as [Ember Echoes].

There was a chance it would be compatible with Ember, which would save him a lot of expenses.

Of course, the specifics would have to wait until he returned to Rivervale Town and got his hands on the new weapon.

Losses aside, Xia Nan's gains from this quest were equally substantial.

First was the Association quest reward for clearing the Goblin Lair, along with the promised cut from the Blackwood Squad.

This represented the absolute bulk of his gold coin income.

The several hundred gold from these two alone should easily wipe out his longsword reforging deficit, and might even be enough to buy another decent quality set of armor.

Second was his loot.

Because he had two extra people on the return trip, Xia Nan should be able to carry a few more things back.

There were the loose gold coins scavenged from the Goblin Lair, the body materials of the Armored Lurker and the Spined Devils, the four steel pitchforks left behind by the Imps, and that Barbed Devil Longblade that had notched his longsword.

Having no experience selling similar items, he wasn't sure of their exact value.

But according to Margaret, these devils' weapons were all forged from Purgatory ore, specialties originating from outside the Material Plane, from the Baator Nine Hells.

Even if sold as second-hand goods, the various smithies in town would offer quite decent prices.

With this, his small treasury—completely hollowed out by the longsword reforging—should recover a bit, ensuring he wouldn't be reduced to being unable to afford even cream of mushroom soup after paying the final balance.

Finally, there was the most crucial and important gain of all.

Naturally, it was that powerful combat technique with its exaggerated effects, resembling a game boss entering Stage 2.

Xia Nan stared into the void and summoned his Attribute Panel.

[Ember Echoes] Level 1: (5/100)

Yes. After the battle, its proficiency had increased directly by 4 points, going from "1/100" when he had just reached Novice, to "5/100" now.

This greatly exceeded Xia Nan's expectations.

After all, prior to this, [Gravity Etching], which had a relatively fast proficiency acquisition rate, had only increased by 1 point per practice session when he had just reached Novice.

[Ember Echoes] obviously belonged to a remarkably high-quality category among combat techniques. Grinding its proficiency should have been extremely slow, yet...

Oh, he almost forgot.

Its cooldown time was thirty days.

Even if he used it once a month, that would only be a little under 50 proficiency points a year.

Two years to level up once—was that really fast?

Bear in mind, this was even excluding the fact that the difficulty of acquiring proficiency would gradually increase alongside the skill level later on.

Moreover, as a critical life-saving skill—his most important trump card second only to the [Fate Coin]—Xia Nan couldn't possibly use it the moment the cooldown ended just for a bit of proficiency. Not unless he was willing to stay shut inside the town for the entire following month.

He definitely needed to keep it ready in reserve, to use as the key to turning the tables when he encountered dangerous situations like today's.

So, in reality, he could never achieve the ideal proficiency acquisition speed of 48 points a year.

'I wonder if there are any other methods to gain proficiency,' he thought.

'[Dream Weaving Corridor] counts as one, but I still have no clue where to look for the encryption keys. I can't pin all my hopes on it.'

'Or—'

He recalled the training method he tried a few days ago after returning from Ash Valley, back when he first brought [Ember Echoes] to Novice.

'That method from the cane's Flame Crystal, controlling the Ember energy inside my body to flow along specific pathways... I can try that when I have free time. It might just help me gain proficiency.'

'If I do that, I'll need to revise my daily training schedule as well.'