Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

"Enough, all of you, quiet down! Since we've decided to go through with this, don't take it lightly!" barked the burly man who'd been holding a brass monocular.

Then, he turned to a gaunt man beside him, who was holding a heavy crossbow and had only one eye left, and said, "One-Eyed, take a few crossbowmen and start with a volley to test the waters, see what they're made of."

'One-Eyed' had the strength of a formal Knight and was a bowman. Amongst their group, he was considered a powerful asset.

The man known as 'One-Eyed' nodded slightly. Without uttering a word, he immediately began loading his crossbow.

The crossbow arrow he was fitting flashed with a pale green glint—it was obvious that the arrow was poisoned.

Indeed, silent people are often the most ruthless!

After loading, One-Eyed waved his hand to signal the other crossbowmen to cautiously step forward, positioning themselves within the maximum range of their weapons, directly encompassing Rein who wasn't too far away.

The rest of the team were readying their weapons, grinning viciously and poised to strike.

As soon as their crossbowmen injured the 'young Knight,' they would swarm him, outnumbering him!

This tactic was meant for dealing with slightly stronger teams or masters. They had practiced it to perfection!

Subconsciously, they believed that this time, like before, the victory would come easily.

By then, One-Eyed and the other crossbowmen had found their positions and were raising their heavy crossbows to aim.

Suddenly, the young Knight who had been polishing his greatsword just a second before vanished from their sights.

Huh?

Where did he go?

Including One-Eyed, the crossbowmen all wore expressions of astonishment or bewilderment. They immediately lowered their crossbows and began looking around.

The next second, the leader of the group, the robust man, turned pale and shouted, "Watch out!"

Before he could finish speaking—

"Pfft!"

One-Eyed suddenly felt the world spinning around him.

He wondered why he was flying through the air, but almost immediately, he saw a familiar headless torso. From the smooth cut on the neck, blood was spouting like a fountain!

That's my body, isn't it?

One-Eyed was horrified!

But the next second, a deep weariness began to assail his consciousness...

Yet, before he lost consciousness completely,

One-Eyed heard cries of agony rising all around him. He knew these voices well.

But what was the high-speed slicing noise, that 'sss-sss-sss' sound all about?

He wanted to lift his head and see what was happening!

But his eyelids were so heavy... he wanted to sleep...

As 'One-Eyed's' eyelids slowly closed, the scene around him had become a picture of chaos.

Some were luckier, merely decapitated at the neck.

The less fortunate suffered a worse fate, cut into several pieces, limbs and body parts scattered everywhere, probably too difficult to piece back together...

Meanwhile, the robust man who'd been holding the brass monocular now had his eyes wide in terror, staring at Rein. He desperately clutched at his neck, attempting to stop the gushing red blood.

But it was futile, for the wound was too deep. Almost half his neck was sliced open, and any deeper would have meant instant beheading.

"Thump!"

The robust man knelt down, falling face up as his sturdy body convulsed, his strong life force not yet ready to give in.

Sometimes, a strong life force isn't a blessing, as it only prolongs the suffering!

With his dying thoughts, the burly man couldn't comprehend how the situation, which had started as their ambush, had turned against them so swiftly.

It seemed the other side had detected them in advance and charged without warning. In the blink of an eye, crossing the forty or fifty meters, they were upon them, swinging that greatsword.

That greatsword... with its strange cold glow... so sharp...

...

Rein shook his greatsword, wiping the blood off the blade, and mumbled to himself:

"A familiar scent! How interesting, Bask just warned me to be wary of the rebels, and here they are!"

"But really, their strength is just too pathetic!"

Rein found that the effect of Sharpness lv2 was quite useful.

When he slashed through the chainmail and thick leather of Zaral's rebels, it felt as if he was tearing through paper. Find your next read on empire

Even the knight's plate armor worn by the last robust man cracked open without much effort once Rein targeted the weak joint between the helmet and breastplate.

Had it been before, it would not have been so effortless.

Of course, the effect of Accuracy lv2 was also indispensable.

Or perhaps, it should be said that the combined effect of Accuracy and Sharpness made killing these mediocre 'trash fish' too easy!

After some thought, instead of resting, Rein mounted his black horse and started towards Rachmond Fishing Port Town, where Hass was.

On horseback, Rein switched his weapon. Now, he was toying with a mace in his hand.

"What effect would the Force have if applied to the mace?"

-----------------

At the same time, in Meister County Prison, within an office,

a middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of the prison guard captain furrowed his brow in deep thought.

However, his morose expression was enough to indicate his mood was anything but pleasant.