My monster cards can evolve infinitely.

The burly man asked in surprise, leaving the surrounding travelers feeling bewildered.

The scene resembled a reversal of roles between the robber and the victim.

You're the ones trying to rob us, not us.

Since you're even asking that question, it seems you didn't do any research before leaving home!

That's so unprofessional!

Xiuqi didn't answer, but instead began to move his limbs and neck, as if he was warming up.

The languor on his face had vanished, and his eyes had become focused.

"If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened."

His voice was calm as he made a final effort for peace.

"A charlatan who pretends to be a fortune teller!"

The shrewd man seemed to be the leader of the group; his expression changed several times, but in the end, only a ruthless look remained.

"Let's all go at him together and kill this brat first!"

The moment the words were spoken, the tall, burly man was the first to lose his composure.

Seemingly having endured for a long time, the burly man's face, a mixture of astonishment and anger, glared fiercely, and he let out a roar.

He charged at Xiuqi like a raging bull, raising his great axe high.

Its tall, sturdy body trod on the meadow in the forest, its heavy feet crushing the damp, decaying leaves and grass with a muffled "plop," leaving a deep pit in the soft soil.

He may seem clumsy, but when he charges, he exudes a fierce and ruthless aura.

The rust-stripped axe, carrying a gust of wind with a musty metallic smell, swung straight toward Xiuqi's neck like a deadly arc!

The huge axe blade is bigger than a person's head. If it hits the target, it could save a lunch.

"Watch out!" the official-looking man exclaimed in alarm.

The pretty woman next to him had already covered her eyes, seemingly unable to look any longer.

Only the veiled woman's expression remained unchanged, and her right hand, which had been hidden behind her back, returned to the front.

Indeed, in such situations, language is the least persuasive method.

Even the ancient sage Thoris once said:

"When the other person starts rolling up their sleeves, save your flowery language!"

Now I'm experiencing it firsthand.

Xiuqi, who had been standing still, adjusted his posture.

Like a compass, the left leg is fixed, while the right leg moves vertically backward.

Just as the giant axe cleaved down vertically, he completed a perfect transition from frontal to sideways movement.

A gust of wind carrying the smell of rust whistled past his nose, causing a few strands of hair at his temples to sway in the wind.

Undeterred by its loss of target, the iron axe, carrying immense power with nowhere to vent, caused the burly man gripping the axe handle to stagger forward.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment: the runaway giant axe, the staggering body, and the rough, astonished face looking back in surprise.

Xiu Qi smiled slightly.

He moved.

Xiuqi's movements were extremely skillful, as if he had practiced them thousands of times.

His right leg was like a spring compressed to its limit.

Suddenly lifted up;

A swift knee strike, like a cannonball, landed precisely and heavily on the strong man's unprotected, soft abdomen.

what--

The burly man's eyes bulged instantly, filled with terrifying bloodshot veins.

His tall frame seemed to have all its bones removed, and he collapsed to his knees, limp and weak.

The huge iron axe, having lost its grip, fell vertically onto the meadow with a loud thud, sending a flurry of dry leaves and grass clippings flying.

His face took a sharp turn for the worse, from its initial flush to a deathly pale color, and finally to a bloodless ashen gray.

Clutching her lower abdomen with both hands, her body curled up like a shrimp, leaving only endless painful spasms and groans.

"ah!!!!!"

The heart-wrenching screams pierced through the forest, swirling and echoing in the air like the final lament of a male beast, lingering for a long time.

At the same time, a slender figure quietly left his previous position while everyone's attention was focused on the battle.

The thin man, expressionless, silently circled around to Xiuqi's back.

Just as he was preparing to launch a surprise attack, a short, lean figure blocked his way.

A goblin, entirely silver-gray yet exceptionally clean, wore a well-fitting brown leather armor and held a thick wooden club in its hand.

"A strange goblin?"

"The equipment is pretty good... but it's too small..."

The thin man glanced at his patched old cloth armor, then looked at the other man's leather armor.

He's no novice; he's encountered goblins quite a few times already.

If it were a group of goblins, they might hesitate a little.

But if even a single goblin stood before him, he would look down on himself if he took even half a step back.

It's important to know that the individual combat power of an ordinary goblin is less than that of a peasant woman wielding a pitchfork.

"Even if you just stripped off this leather armor and turned it into a little vest, it would be quite nice!"

The thin man was a man of action; he would do whatever came to mind.

Before he could finish thinking, the short knife in his hand had already transformed into a streak of white light and swung forward.

The sharp blade traced an eerie arc, leaving behind a mournful whistling sound.

The refined blade sliced ​​through the goblin as if it were cutting through thin air, without the slightest resistance.

"Success!" he thought with elation.

The gaunt man only noticed something amiss when the entire blade had penetrated the other man's body.

He has some experience when it comes to killing people.

Even the sharpest blade cannot be completely without any resistance.

The force transmitted from the hilt felt like cutting through thin air, as if there was nothing there.

The princess's figure blurred like ripples on water and suddenly disappeared from the spot!

The gaunt man's short knife still held its power, propelling him forward.

His face was filled with astonishment and confusion, as if he didn't understand what had happened.

"Behind you!"

He heard his boss's angry warning, but it was too late.

next moment,

A pair of slender, thin hands appeared like a ghost behind him, and a thick wooden stick covered in hard knots stood at an absolutely vertical angle between heaven and earth...

Then, with great force and speed, it swung vertically down towards the soft spot on the back of his head...

"boom--"

The thin man suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, as if he had been hit by a huge rock.

Like a tough guy, he didn't utter a sound, and fell straight to the ground with his body bent over.

The "princess" blinked, her long, pointed ears stood up, kicked the fallen attacker, and then hoisted the big stick onto her slender shoulder.

It silently guarded Xiuqi's rear.

At this moment, the bandit leader's face was extremely ugly, and his eyes held a complex expression of surprise and fear.

He clearly did not expect that today would be a major test in his career.

The seemingly ordinary young man before them not only possessed extremely skillful combat techniques, but also had a very strange contracted creature.

If he had known it would be this kind of luck, he wouldn't have gone out today.

"You...you're actually...a mage?!" His voice was bitter, and the longsword in his hand seemed to tremble slightly.

Xiu Qi did not answer, but slowly turned around and stared intently at the other person.

Now that we've rolled up our sleeves, there's no need for further idle chatter.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting dappled shadows on his calm face.

His gaze was calm, his feet slightly apart, his body turned slightly to the side, and his right hand loosely clenched.

As if wielding a knight's longsword, he assumed the perfect starting stance for knightly swordsmanship—

[Draw sword and thrust]

That's the standard sword stance for a royal knight!

The movement was fluid and natural, carrying a rhythmic quality that had been honed through countless repetitions.

For Xiu Qi, this familiar and ordinary move was as natural as drinking water.

This is muscle memory etched into the very bones; whether it's the bending of the knee or the range of motion of the elbow, it's always exactly the same, without any mistakes.

However... this time is different.

The hand holding the sword didn't feel any roughness; it was as if it were holding air.

In a flash, he seemed to remember something.

Quickly look down to check your waist.

All that could be seen where the right hand was clenched was... nothing at all!

really,

He couldn't help but rub his forehead—

I forgot to bring my sword!