"Tiya," she sternly called out.

The younger sister glanced at her older sister in surprise, understood her meaning, and shut her mouth aggrievedly.

Ben was taken aback. He couldn't help but think of Char. Sometimes it was really hard to believe that these beings with their own judgment, memory, and emotions were summoned from a card. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

But he then smiled bitterly. Did he appear to be a cold and heartless lord? Although he was a bit stern with the mercenaries, it was just his nature. Was it really such a big misunderstanding?

He turned back and saw Antitina obviously suppressing a laugh, and Romantically also smiling at him as if watching a good show. "I say, am I still your lord? Your attitude isn't quite proper!" Ben mentally complained, but he still forced a smile on his face.

"Don't mind it..."

he replied with a dry laugh.

...

Fourteen Magic Arrows were quickly handed over to him. Actually, judging by Ben's peak level, he estimated he would only need half that amount. However, it was different now, and he was no longer the Level 130 warrior he used to be. So, if he could prepare more, he did.

After all, the two Elemental Mages of the Black Iron Lower rank in the upcoming battle wouldn't be of much help.

He inserted the crossbow bolts one by one into the loops of his belt for easy access. Then he looked up and saw that the mercenaries in the forest were also in their positions. This made him feel a little relieved. But just as he relaxed slightly, he became annoyed again by the sight of the weathered face of the middle-aged man next to him.

"I told you, it's fine, Captain Hu Que."

Ben sighed. No matter how much he explained, this guy Hu Que still wouldn't be reassured. The reason this middle-aged mercenary captain gave was simple: like Char, he was aware of their relationship with Ben and naturally wouldn't let him take risks alone.

"No problem, my lord. Let me stay anyway. I can resurrect if I die, so just think of me as someone to block a blade," Hu Que replied calmly.

Why did that sound so familiar? But while resurrection was possible, it would have to wait until the next morning and require an additional maintenance fee, Hu Que!

Ben felt both angry and amused listening to Hu Que's reasons. He looked around the forest and, seeing Romantically and the noble daughter had gone far, finally asked, "They've all left. Do only you among the twelve mercenaries understand this?"

Hu Que nodded without denying, "Each summoning-type Destiny Card has a core, also called the leader. The rest are called derivatives. In this card, I am the core. The core is considered the travel mage's deputy, helping manage the derivatives generated by the card or any attached cards or spells."

"Is there such a setting?" Ben was taken aback and then realized something: "Does that mean each core has different knowledge?"

"Of course, related to the card itself," Hu Que answered.

"What do you know? Do you know how to retrieve a card from the graveyard?" he jokingly asked.

"Black cards are mysterious and volatile, and life and death can change places. If you want to use graveyard tactics, you'll need to collect a Dark Element Land Card first. These cards are generally generated in swamps, graveyards, and places with concentrations of undead creatures," Hu Que explained.

Ben nodded, taking a deep breath and looking ahead. He lifted his heavy crossbow, "Then stay here, just don't cause any trouble." His gaze swept over a lonely temple standing in the clearing under the cold moonlight—

Since the Erueins left here, it had probably been two centuries, and no intelligent being had entered that ruined temple since.

He thought about these irrelevant things while calculating the time. In the past game, leading monsters was a skilled activity. A true expert could make their opponents appear at the planned location along a planned route.

For low-level AI, just remembering the opponent's judgment was enough. For high-level monsters, it was a mental battle.

Ben hadn't forgotten any of these skills. Although he wasn't specifically a monster-leading hunter, general teams weren't so well-equipped. As a warrior, this was often one of his side roles.

Eight, seven…

Ben softly counted. The mercenary captain clearly didn't understand what he was counting. After all, the way the natives fought was completely different from how players fought.

For players, no matter how realistic this world was, everything was digitized. Everything spoke with data, and Ben was no different. Their mindset inevitably surpassed the game, recording every change in the numbers like a precision machine.

Everything was systematic.

He calculated the time and then pulled the trigger. The first bolt loaded in the crossbow was a hollow Sound Arrow. It immediately emitted a sharp whistling as it flew out. The hollow arrow cluster etched white trails on both sides as it pierced into the temple's shadows in an arc.

Six, five…

The sharp sound alerted the hostile undead. The glowing knight quickly appeared on one side of the temple. It was coming. Hu Que's hand rested on the handle of his Flying Axe, his whole body tensed.

But as Ben immediately discarded the heavy crossbow, he took out his own short bow from his waist—he had bought this bow after the Highland Followers card went to the graveyard. Although it wasn't as good as the constructed bow of Char, it was better than nothing.

Ben made a hand signal to Hu Que.

Retreat, immediately! (To be continued, for more, please visit www.qidian.com, support the author, support original reading!)

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