Rather than depending on objects, it was always much more reliable to depend on yourself – this was the vivid lesson that Han Jin gave to the Ogre Shamans, which would also be their last lesson.

 Buck was also killed. As the Ogre Shamans had lost their protector, they lost the courage to continue chasing down the mercenaries. Instead, they turned around and fled into the forest. However, Han Jin did not want to let them go. With speed so great that it made his figure flash like a ghost, he appeared behind a big tree and waved out a fire charm, setting another Shaman ablaze.

 The Shamans were able to manipulate large groups of thunderbirds, making Winston and the others flee in fright, but none of their tricks had worked on Han Jin. Every time Han Jin leaped out of the ground, he instantly killed a Shaman before he returned underground. With his speed, even if there were thousands of Thunderbirds in the sky, it was impossible for any of them to harm him.

 After several leaps, only three Shamans remained. Unexpectedly, they were able to think on their feet and came up with a strategy to flee in three directions, with the thunderbirds in the sky dividing into three groups.

 This time, Han Jin did not rush to kill the Shamans. Instead, after each of the thunderbirds had fled away, he finally got up out of the ground. The speed of his Earthmeld skill was very fast; he did not believe that the Shamans could escape out of his palms.

 Han Jin’s fingers quickly gestured in the air. His Faked Earth Corpse spell had been broken, and he needed to re bless himself with the skill. It’s more important to protect yourself rather than chasing the enemy, at all times.

 In the distance, Yalina and the others had returned to the fight after seeing they had gotten rid of the thunderbirds’ entanglement. However, since Han Jin solemnly told them not to interfere in his battle, they did not rush to look for him. There were still members of the Twilight Mercenary Corps who had escaped. For Winston, he was satisfied as long as there were still targets for him to fight, he still had too much anger to vent.

 Suddenly, the set of charms had disappeared into Han Jin’s body, as he took a long breath. By this time, the Ogre Shamans had escaped, but the thunderbirds flying in the sky had exposed their positions. After predicting in his mind, Han Jin released his Earthmeld skill.

 The three remaining Ogre Shamans continued fleeing like a flock of startled birds, they did not even notice that the Iron Skin effect they had previously cast upon themselves had already disappeared, the only thing they knew was to keep on running.

 The more you are afraid that something would happen, the greater chance there was of it occurring. One of the three Shamans continued praying to the Gods in hopes that Han Jin would look for his companions first, but to his dismay, Han Jin suddenly appeared straight ahead.

 The Shaman’s eyes showed a look of despair, but Han Jin was never the kind of person who would be kind to his enemies just because of their emotions. His green radiance flashed, and a fountain of blood burst out from the Shaman’s neck. Out of habit, Han Jin wanted to return to the ground immediately, but he suddenly saw a strange and shiny thing hanging on the Shaman’s chest. He hurriedly extended his left hand and grabbed the string before his body sank back into the ground. In terms of saving his vital energy, Han Jin was a real miser. He would not release a single Taoist Art when he could resolve something by force. Since the Shamans had lost the protection of Iron Skin, he of course wanted to save his fire charms.

 The corpse of the Ogre Shaman fell to the ground, but the Gale Wolf under his crotch did not stop, rushing into the depths of the woods, disappearing in the blink of an eye. This time, the thunderbirds in the sky did not release a single thunderbolt, still circling around in the sky.

 Han Jin leaped out from the ground again and observed the thunderbirds quietly. His eyes flashed with a thoughtful look. Moments later, he cast a thunder charm, and a gleam of thunder fell from the sky, striking one of the thunderbirds. However, the thunder charm was made by Han Jin years back and thus had pitiful effects, it failed to cause any damage to the thunderbird.

 Han Jin then waved the green radiance at the thunderbirds, shouting loudly at them. Although the intelligence of the thunderbirds was even worse than that of the giant man, they could still tell that the enemy was taunting them. With several long sharp whistles, the thunderbirds flapped their wings and dived straight down towards Han Jin.

 As the distance between Han Jin and the birds shrunk, Han Jin could clearly make out the shape of the thunderbirds’ bodies. Their feathers were a dazzling golden-yellow color, but their pupils were like silver-white gemstones. Their beaks appeared to be razor-sharp, shaded black, yet gleaming under the sunlight. The thunderbirds were bigger than the Human-faced Eagles he had seen before, and if they landed on the ground, they would definitely be taller than Han Jin.

 Twenty meters … Ten meters … He could already feel the vibrations caused by the wings of the thunderbirds flapping through the air, but none of the thunderbirds were releasing any thunderbolts. It seemed as though they wanted to make it a physical fight.

 At that moment, Han Jin came upon a realization. Ever since the thunderbirds had begun to attack Winston, each thunderbird should have already released over twenty thunderbolts. This fact meant that the thunderbirds must have been nearly out of energy!

 Five meters … The thunderbirds flying at the forefront broke through the leaves and the branches blocking their path, speeding towards Han Jin. Strong gusts of wind began forming near the ground, causing sand and stones to flutter up from below. In the meantime, Han Jin had already released the Earthmeld technique, disappearing underground.

 The speed of the Gale Wolf was far slower than Han Jin’s Earthmeld technique. Moments later, Han Jin had already killed another Shaman as he began chasing after the last enemy.

 The last remaining Shaman was frantic with terror, as he continued diving into the lush foliage, not realizing that his actions would actually delay his speed instead. If he was acting in order to cover his trail, it was even more unnecessary. Even if he could drill underground like Han Jin, just by scanning the hovering thunderbirds in the sky, Han Jin could still pin-point his location accurately.

 Faced with the last opponent, Han Jin did not even bother to use the green radiance. When he jumped out of the ground, he fired his fist towards the Shaman’s chest, and the blow sent the Shaman flying far into the air. Immediately, he hid himself back underground. The thunderbirds in the sky had completely lost contact with the Ogre Shaman. They continued to hover in the sky for a long while, before they finally flew in the direction of Thunder Valley.

 Waiting patiently for a moment to strike, Han Jin rose from the ground. He walked slowly towards the Ogre Shaman and carefully tested his breathing. The Shaman was still alive. Han Jin had not used much force in his attack as he needed one of them alive to talk.

 Han Jin then ripped off a branch and whipped wildly on the Ogre Shaman’s face. Not long after, the Ogre Shaman suddenly opened his eyes and jumped up from the ground, roaring in anger, waving his cane at Han Jin.

 To be honest, these kinds of attacks meant nothing to Han Jin and he could completely ignore them. However, when the Ogre Shaman roared, he ejected an intolerable ‘bad breath whirlwind’. Most cultivators appreciated cleanliness, and Han Jin was no exception. In addition, the prerequisite for cultivation was to decontaminate the body from impurities. As for the legendary sloppy old beggars that appeared in many tales, it might be possible for them to become supreme martial art masters, but they could never have anything to do with cultivation.

 Han Jin could not help but hold his breath and take a few steps back. The Ogre Shaman missed his target, so he raised his cane and pounced on Han Jin.

 Han Jin raised his left hand as a long black whip appeared in his palm. The whip instantly lashed through the air, making a piercing screech, and striking the Shaman’s chest. The animal skin that the Shaman wore was torn in half, and a deep wound remained on his chest. After taking dozens of steps back, the Shaman sat on the ground and began to howl.

 Han Jin originally intended to interrogate the Shaman, but when he saw the widely opened mouth, he quickly dismissed the idea. He wanted to leave such a task for Reg! His whip then extended out like a snake and wrapped around the Shaman’s neck. Just like walking a dog, Han Jin strode out of the forest.

 Yalina and the others were already waiting on the top of the mountain. They had killed a few escaped enemies, but the forest was too big and there were hiding places everywhere. It was virtually impossible for them to scout out every single enemy. Not to mention Han Jin had the most important task and they needed to wait for a message from him.

 Seeing Han Jin dragging an Ogre Shaman out of the forest, Yalina and the others hurried towards him. Saxon held out a long sword, walking straight toward the Shaman. Han Jin then coughed, “This is already the last Shaman… ”

 Saxon froze for a long while, then he slowly released his grip, and the long sword dropped onto the ground. Following his sword, he also sat his body onto the ground, covering his face with his hands, attempting to stop the streaming tears from his eyes. However, he did not make a single sobbing sound.

 “Why are you crying!” Winston shouted, “Can’t you behave like a man?!”

 The gazes of Yalina, Gibran, and the others all focused upon Han Jin. Compared to Winston and Saxon who were both immersed in grief, their expressions were much more complicated. While waiting for Han Jin, they roughly figured out the situation. Killing Ogre Shamans under the protection of dozens of thunderbirds was a nearly impossible task. At least, it was impossible for any one person. It would still be impossible even if they all worked together. However, Han Jin succeeded, alone!

 If it were any other person who liked to pick holes, they would definitely come to the conclusion that if they were to master the same kinds of spells as Han Jin, they could do the same, or even better. However, Yalina and others were very open-minded and did not think that respecting or admiring someone would belittle themselves.

 “Winston, why didn’t you use the space scroll to return to Isolated Cliff City?” Gibran asked in a low voice, “Did you think you could beat those thunderbirds? You could at least spare a few minutes during the fight to activate the scroll, couldn’t you?”

 “The space scroll has no effect! Understand?” Saxon jumped up suddenly and began screaming at the top of his lungs, his eyes turned red with rage, “No effect at all, it’s just a piece of wasted paper! Wasted paper!”

 “It’s fake?” Han Jin was astonished.

 “Mhmm …” Winston nodded slowly and continued in a trembling voice, “They’re… so cruel!”

 Gibran and Julia glanced at each other. It was extremely difficult for anyone to buy over an alchemist of the Mercenary Association, because once the matter broke out, the alchemist would be hunted down by various parties. Even if all the victims were killed and there was no longer anyone who would avenge the alchemist, the Mercenary Association would not let go of anyone who had broken the rules.

 Han Jin stopped speaking as he suddenly realized something. He had met Keylee, then later, Keylee became a wanted criminal; he met Cessacioun, and the bard whose greatest passion was to travel through the beautiful mountains and waters was involved in numerous crises; he met Sylner, and then Sylner’s house was confiscated; he met Gibran, and then Julia lost her beloved sister forever, and both Hayden and Charles were killed; he met Winston, and as a result, there were only two men left in the Reaper Mercenary Team. Was he the God of Misfortune? Why did every person who he met become so unlucky?

 “You did not keep anyone alive?” Han Jin asked Gibran.

 “No, we killed them all.”

 “Go and interrogate this guy.” Han Jin flicked his wrist, and the Ogre Shaman rolled over involuntarily.

 “Okay.” Without further ado, Gibran took over the whip and headed to the side.

 “Then … what shall we do now?” Yalina asked in a low voice.

 “Let’s go back to Isolated Cliff City.” Cain said, “Don’t forget, there is an alchemist that we have to deal with.”

 “No.” Winston shook his head slowly but firmly.

 “Why?”

 “I have to complete this mission!” Winston sighed, “I know, this turned out to be a trap, but … the Reaper Mercenary Team was created by every single member. After returning to the city, I will go to the Mercenary Association to cancel the registration for our mercenary team. But before that, I hope to draw an end to this, by myself, I don’t want to leave any loose ends. ”

 “Winston, I know you are in a bad mood, but …” Cain hesitated, “Don’t be too impulsive! There may still be Ogre Shamans roaming in the Thunder Valley. Do you think we can complete the mission?”

 “I know.” Winston’s eyes fell upon Han Jin, “Would you help me? I know my requests may be unreasonable, but …”

 “Alright then.” Han Jin said decisively.

 “Raphael, are you insane?!” Yalina said anxiously. There was a degree of compatibility in magic. For instance, if a fire magician encountered a fire elf that was immune to flame attacks, with no companions or ways to escape, then the magician would be in a lot of trouble. Even if she was an eleventh-grade magus, since she specialized in lightning magic, the power of her attacks would be greatly reduced when facing the thunderbirds that could manipulate lightning. If she could choose so, she would much rather challenge the Tyrant of the Flames than fight against the thunderbirds.

 “It will be fine.” Han Jin said.

 “Thank you.” Winston forced a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

 Yalina, Cain, and the others no longer objected. It was not the first time that they fought side by side with Han Jin. Han Jin was a person who could accomplish many impossible things. Since he assured everyone it will be alright, they had no reason to continue doubting him.

 　　* * *

 No matter what happened, they had to eat to regain their energy. However, both Winston and Saxon had no appetite whatsoever. They both only ate half a loaf of bread before they left to the hillside and sat side by side, staring at the forest down in the valley silently. At that time, consoling them was a useless act. It was already depressing enough knowing their companions were killed one by one in the battle below. Even worse, they could not find the bodies of their companions to bury them. Even such a simple request became an extravagant hope.

 Gibran’s appetite had worsened. He never managed to get any useful information from the mouth of the Ogre Shaman, but he was almost strangled to death by the stench. In honesty, Han Jin was not the only one who liked cleanliness. However, the art of interrogation was quite fastidious. Penalty alone was far from enough. The expressions in one’s eyes, the oppressive demeanour, and way of speech would all put pressure on the prisoner, making the prisoner’s mental defenses collapse quickly. He did not expect to get any useful information by hiding from a distance and scaring the Shaman.

 “Look, what is this?” Han Jin took out something from the space ring and threw it to the others.

 It was a metal plate, half the size of his palm, round in shape with a holy animal carved on it. The shape of the holy animal was a little strange, at least for Han Jin. Overall, the body and the legs of the holy animal resembled a gorilla, but its head was similar to a T-rex in the ancient Mesozoic era. It had two rows of extremely long and pointed teeth that were impossible to forget. In the pattern, it was standing upright, its hands reached all the way down to its knees, and its nails extended up until the ground. They were very long!

 “This is a Behemoth.” Gibran took the metal plate and examined it closely, “It looks like … it looks like a family emblem.”

 “A Behemoth?” Han Jin was stunned. He was no longer as experienced as he was when he first came to this world. He knew that the Behemoth was a superior grade creature that was comparable to a dragon.

 “Mhm.”

 “Do you think this thing is valuable?” Han Jin asked.

 “I don’t know.” Gibran shook his head.

 “Let me have a look.” Yalina leaned in.

 Gibran handed the metal plate to Yalina, who observed it for a long while, then she looked up and asked Han Jin, “Where did you get it from?”

 “Found it on an Ogre Shaman.”

 “Why don’t you ask the guy over there then?” Yalina stood up and walked towards the Shaman curling up in the distance.

 “Yalina.” Gibran hurriedly yelled.

“Why?”

 “I’ll ask.” Gibran stood up with a wry smile.

 “Does it matter who asks?” Yalina ignored Gibran and began walking towards the Shaman.

 Since Yalina had the courage to sacrifice herself for the rest of the group, Gibran had nothing else to say. Han Jin then stood up and walked to the other side of the hillside.

 “Raphael, where are you going?”

 “Anyway, there was nothing else for me to do now. I shall find a place and meditate for a while.”

 “I’ll go with you.” Cain said, “Maybe there are still people of the Twilight Mercenary Corps hiding in the dark, it’s not safe yet.”

 “Okay.”

 On the way to the forest, Han Jin had been thinking. As the saying goes, failure is the mother of success, meaning that people can learn valuable lessons from their failures. However, for a person who was good at introspecting, one could also gain valuable lessons from one’s success.

 After the battle with Caroline and Betty, Han Jin’s mindset took a big turn. Facts had proved that his transformation was the right choice. The key to the battle was not the power of his attacks, but releasing appropriate attacks at the right time.

 In the battle, he released dozens of Earthmeld techniques and casted a dozen Three True Flame charms. He used lots of charms that he had previously saved up, but he maintained his vital energy at its peak state, and even managed to win a great victory! If he remained using his previous fighting style, he could have been killed.

 The consumption of the charms meant nothing to Han Jin. Nowadays, he could absorb lots of energy and elements each day, and then use them to make the charms. Within a few days, he would be able to restock all his consumptions, or even make more than before.

 Previously, he always wanted to overlay numerous large spells on the green radiance to increase its power. Now, it seemed that there was nothing more suitable than the Air Manipulation Spell, which would make his fighting style more varied.

 The Twilight Mercenary Corps had been annihilated, so there was nothing to do for the time being. It was not yet the right time to attack the Thunder Valley, at least not for a month. He wanted to use his free time to complete his Air Manipulation Spell.

 Flying had been his dream. In contrast, refining the Immortal-Binding Rope could be delayed. In a month’s time, the thunderbirds would become his main opponents. If he could not fight in the air, his plan could not be fully realized. Previously, he killed a thunderbird with Yalina and harvested a ninth-grade lightning element magic crystal. Yalina seemed extremely happy. Of course, any magicians specialising in the lightning element could not do without the help of the lightning element magic crystals. What if he were able to kill dozens of Thunderbirds all in one go? How happy would Yalina be? Thinking of the possibility, the corners of Han Jin’s mouth lifted into a faint smile.