My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 160 - 135: A Clue to a Spatial Item! Have I Gotten Stronger?

Fang Zhen looked at Dalia. He felt she was a rather strong-willed woman—at least more so than her brother, Matthew.

"I can understand your apprehension, and I'm willing to make a fair deal. However, there are some details that Father Matthew may not have fully discussed with you. I can go over them with you now," he said.

"Go on." Dalia put on an expression of rapt attention.

"I want Extraordinary Items, and they must have specific uses," Fang Zhen said. "I need at least two. One must be a defensive Extraordinary Item that can protect against magical attacks on the mind or Spirit. The other must be a spatial item that can store things. Can you provide them?"

"A spatial item?" A look of surprise appeared on Dalia's face.

"Where did you hear about such an Extraordinary Item?" Dalia asked.

"Never mind that. I have my sources. Do you have one or not?" Fang Zhen said.

Dalia shook her head.

"I have one Extraordinary Item for mental or spiritual defense, but I don't have a spatial item. I've rarely even heard the term," Dalia said, shaking her head. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Fang Zhen sighed softly. "That's a real shame."

"No, don't refuse just yet. I have a lead on what you're looking for," Dalia said.

Fang Zhen raised an eyebrow and looked at Dalia.

"Every noble family has an heirloom passed down through the generations. I've heard that Baron von Kleist's heirloom might be related to the spatial item you mentioned," Dalia said.

"Oh? Tell me more." Fang Zhen immediately perked up.

Dalia said, "I've heard that Von Klei has an Extraordinary Item that allows him to pull a wine cup and clean water out of thin air."

"I am certain this isn't a personal ability of Baron von Kleist's; it must come from the power of an Extraordinary Item. However, I'm not sure if it's the spatial item you're looking for."

Fang Zhen thought for a moment.

'If Von Klei can do that, he must carry the Extraordinary Item with him.'

'The clearing conditions for the Fallen Knight instance aren't explicitly stated, but I'd guess it involves annihilating all the knights inside who have completed the Evil Descent Ceremony.'

'Sooner or later, I'll have to fight Baron von Kleist.'

'Dalia was probably telling the truth. This Countess might not know Magic, but she had a way to activate Extraordinary Items.'

'He possessed the Ruby Three-leaf Clover Pendant, so he knew that if an Extraordinary Item was used well, briefly surpassing the combat power of a Knight wasn't just talk—it was truly possible.'

'Putting aside the fact that she was a woman and just considering her combat potential, bringing Dalia along would be like having a high-burst-damage Mage. Escorting her through Baron von Klei's Territory was doable.'

"Alright, I agree to your deal."

"Two Extraordinary Items, with at least one being for mental or spiritual defense, will be my payment. In return, I will escort you to Viscount Perrington's Territory."

Fang Zhen stated.

"And me," Matthew suddenly said.

Seeing Fang Zhen's gaze fall upon him, Matthew coughed and said, "Baron von Kleist is in league with the devils of Hell. I must deliver this news to the Holy See."

"My own life and safety are trivial matters, but I cannot tolerate evil forces taking root in the lands of the Kingdom."

"I will get this message out, even if it costs me my life."

Fang Zhen pursed his lips.

'This priest, Matthew, has a habit of grandstanding, turning everything into some momentous cause.'

'And he did it so perfectly that it was hard to tell if he genuinely believed it or was just cleverly looking out for himself.'

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the tavern. A sharp whistle blew, and someone began ringing the town's bronze bell, its chimes coming in rapid, urgent succession, calling the townspeople to gather.

Matthew's expression changed instantly.

"This is bad! Routed soldiers have come to town!" Matthew's face was pale.

"I'll go take a look." Fang Zhen picked up his gear and turned to head outside.

Dalia watched Fang Zhen leave, then turned and said, "Open the window. I want to see Fang Zhen's strength for myself—to see if he has what it takes to face a Knight head-on."

The one-eyed Female Warrior walked over and propped open the wooden window.

Fang Zhen came down from the second floor. The people in the tavern were in a slight panic.

Several of the individual patrons in the tavern were actually armed, and a closer look revealed their weapons were the same types found in the Dogman Mine. Meanwhile, townspeople were continuously emerging from their homes and quickly gathering at the town entrance.

Ande was flustered, but he visibly calmed down a lot after seeing Fang Zhen.

"It's routed soldiers!"

"Fast-legged Ethan and Leon were on watch. They saw soldiers heading this way and blew their whistles, and someone in town sounded the alarm bell," Ande said.

Fang Zhen nodded. At that moment, Quade also ran over.

"Sir, let me help you carry some of that gear!" Quade shouted.

"Alright!"

Fang Zhen handed his compound bow and equipment pack to Quade.

'If it's just routed soldiers, it's not worth wasting arrows. A long spear will be enough.'

He gripped his long spear and walked briskly toward the south side of town.

At the southern entrance of the town, more than twenty armed townspeople had already gathered.

The townspeople were equipped with armor and weapons from the Dogman Tribe. Having no training, they wore the armor crookedly, and some pieces didn't fit well, but it was still much better than being unarmed.

Seeing Fang Zhen arrive, the townspeople spontaneously cleared a path for him.

Fang Zhen walked to the front. Quade and Ande followed.

As the Town Mayor, Ande had no battlefield experience and appeared very nervous, but the fact that he could follow along at all showed he had courage.

Fang Zhen observed the enemies coming down the mountain from the direction of the Dark Path and frowned slightly.

Charging down were seven or eight routed soldiers. Wielding shields and shortswords, most of them clad in leather armor, they advanced quickly on Redstone Town.

What made Fang Zhen frown wasn't the routed soldiers, but another group of a dozen or so soldiers on the slope at the exit of the Dark Path.

This squad was clearly better equipped. Most of them wore iron armor and carried weapons like flails, battle-axes, and longswords. He could even see two "tin cans"—soldiers completely encased in plate mail.

Seeing that squad on the slope, Fang Zhen immediately understood the situation.

'The routed soldiers belong to Viscount Ashton, while the fully-armed, well-rested squad on the slope must be Viscount Montagu's men.'

'A classic case of driving the tiger to devour the wolf.'

'Viscount Montagu's soldiers had chased these routed troops all the way to Redstone Town. Upon discovering the town, they've positioned themselves leisurely on the hillside to watch the routed soldiers charge in and test Redstone Town's defenses.'

'If the town proves to be an easy target, the soldiers on the slope will likely charge down and pillage it.'

Ande also figured out the situation.

"Sir, this is bad. Those men behind them must be Montagu's men. We're in danger!" Ande said, his face grim.

Fang Zhen, however, didn't feel much pressure.

'Previously, encountering an enemy force like this, I might have considered hiding. But now, my strength is different, and so is my mindset.'

He said nothing, but instead walked forward with his long spear, heading toward the routed soldiers.

Using the compound bow to shoot them would have been more certain and far less risky, but Fang Zhen's purpose right now was to test his own martial skill, not necessarily to pursue the most efficient kills.

He watched as the routed soldiers charged over, close enough now that he could even see their bloodshot eyes.

"Get out of the way!"

The leader of the routed soldiers, a warrior in leather armor with a shortsword as long as his forearm, cursed when he saw Fang Zhen blocking the way and charged forward, swinging his blade.

Fang Zhen spun the long spear once over his head, then followed with a horizontal sweep.

The shortsword-wielding soldier's skills were average; he didn't even manage a proper dodge before the long spear swept across his neck.

THWACK!

It was a muffled impact. Fang Zhen had held back; after all, they were all human, and there was no need to kill them on sight.

He had swept with the long spear, using the shaft to strike the soldier's neck. The man instantly went rigid, then fell straight to the ground like a wooden post, his arms twitching before he lost consciousness.

The leather-armored soldier was now enjoying a sleep as peaceful as a baby's.

Fang Zhen pulled the spear back, gripping the end of the shaft with his right hand and loosely guiding it with his left. Using his waist as a pivot for leverage, he lunged forward with a powerful thrust.

The spear shot out like a flash of cold light, so fast the enemy had no time to react.

The spearhead pierced the right shoulder of an onrushing soldier who was carrying a shield.

The shield fell to the ground. The soldier, his right shoulder impaled by the spearhead, let out a pained scream and began to struggle.

Fang Zhen retracted the spear, and the shield-bearing soldier collapsed, writhing on the ground and clutching his shoulder, no longer a threat.

On the long spear, the Hong Ying behind the blade absorbed the blood, preventing it from running down the shaft and making it slippery.

Fang Zhen hadn't originally attached the Hong Ying, but he'd later discovered how practical it was. Besides distracting an opponent's line of sight, it also absorbed blood, so he had put it back on.

A soldier with a short axe charged forward. This one was a bit cunning; when he was still three meters from Fang Zhen, he suddenly swung his axe.

The axe left his hand, flying and spinning toward Fang Zhen.

Completely unfazed, Fang Zhen flicked his long spear in a sharp arc, batting the spinning axe aside.

He took a quick step forward, closing the distance with the soldier.

Now unarmed, the soldier's face was filled with terror.

The spear jabbed down from above, piercing the soldier's thigh.

The soldier screamed, falling to the ground and rolling while clutching his thigh.

The gleaming long spear was pulled free.

In just a few seconds, three of the seven routed soldiers were down.

The other four were scared out of their wits, realizing they had run into a tough opponent.

Two of them let out strange cries, one after the other, and actually turned to flee, no longer daring to face Fang Zhen.

Fang Zhen wasn't in a hurry. He took a single step forward and brought his spear down in a vertical strike on the skull of a soldier who hadn't yet reacted, knocking another one unconscious. He immediately followed with a sweep that sent a shortsword flying from another soldier's hand, then thrust his spear into the man's left shoulder. The blade pierced through, disabling another one.

Of the seven routed soldiers, two had fled, and the other five had all been taken down by Fang Zhen.

Seeing how capable Fang Zhen was, the morale of Redstone Town's armed citizens soared.

The townspeople roared and yelled as they charged forward. Some began beating the soldiers who were already down, striking at the struggling men on the ground, while others chased after the two who had fled.

Fang Zhen withdrew his spear and stood holding it at his side.

He hadn't felt any pressure at all.

'I haven't even warmed up, and these few soldiers are already broken.'

'Were the opponents too weak?'

'No.' Fang Zhen had a realization.

'It's not that the opponents were too weak, but that I've gotten stronger.'

'Back during the Dogman instance, facing seven or eight armed human soldiers wouldn't have been this effortless.'

'I've definitely gotten stronger.'

'After all, I killed two Abnormal Ghosts by myself. Coming back to the Nameless World and fighting multiple human soldiers feels much easier by comparison.'

'If they're all at this level of strength, I might even be able to take on an entire corps of Fallen Knights by myself,' Fang Zhen thought.

He raised his head and looked toward the soldiers of Montagu watching from the hillside.