Ethan drew his own sword, let out a short shout, and dashed towards Jonathan.
Ethan's swordsmanship was lightning-fast, transforming into a blur in a blink.
In no time, he was beside Jonathan, aiming his sword towards Jonathan's abdomen.
This move was devoid of any fancy techniques or aesthetics, because Ethan was completely relying on his robust basic attributes.
"Bring it on!" Jonathan too, drew his sword.
He swung it in the air, generating two invisible wind blades that halted Ethan's momentum.
He then swiftly closed the gap with Ethan, his sword dancing in the air, creating a flurry of strokes, completely enveloping Ethan.
Jonathan's swordplay was air-tight, creating a great sense of pressure - his strength was a testament to his confidence.
Ethan calmly took a step forward, directly plunging into Jonathan's sword whirl, and jabbed his sword straight at him.
Ethan's strategy was simple - no matter how fancy the opponent's moves were, as long as Jonathan himself was threatened, it would all be in vain.
A straightforward stab, Ethan pierced through Jonathan's sword play and instantly arrived at his chest.
Jonathan grunted, blocking Ethan's attack.
His eyes were no longer mocking.
His sword wriggled around Ethan's blade like a snake, attacking Ethan's wrist.
Ethan seized the opportunity and with a powerful flip, tossed Jonathan into the air.
He then took a step forward and aimed another stab at Jonathan's abdomen.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them exchanged dozens of moves. In the end, Jonathan landed gracefully, smiling as he saluted Ethan. "Ethan's swordsmanship is truly pure and unadorned. Our little bout is enough... Welcome to our team, Ethan." Jonathan spoke while subtly moving his right hand behind his back. Despite the outward appearance of a gentle and modest gentleman, he was inwardly cursing up a storm.
Ethan's swordsmanship had no skills to speak of, relying purely on speed and brute strength. But, every clash of swords had sent jolts through his hand, causing it to go slightly numb. Jonathan feared he would make a fool of himself if they continued, so he chose to back down in time.
"What a spectacle! Both of your swordsmanship skills are evenly matched. Our team has gained another strong member. Completing this quest is within our grasp now!" Sean exclaimed, clapping his hands. He didn't understand swordsmanship, but it was clear to him that the match ended in a draw, proving that he had not misjudged Ethan.
"You're too kind." Ethan smiled and returned the salute, having gained a precise estimate of Jonathan's strength. Even if he had only used half of his power, Jonathan would not have been able to take a single hit from him.
"Humph, just a fluke. His swordsmanship is nothing compared to my Jonathan's," the girl who had been sitting next to Jonathan earlier couldn't help but comment again.
"Miss Ling, you can't view your beloved Jonathan through rose-colored glasses." A towering hunk replied with a laugh, giving Ethan a nod.
The spectators with their professional eyes had no doubt about Ethan's strength.
With their keen vision, they could tell that Ethan had no knowledge of swordsmanship... he was simply relying on his remarkable physical strength to combat Jonathan.
Despite this, they ended up in a tie.
If Ethan had used his preferred methods or skills, the winner would have been clear by now.
"My name is Henry Richardson. Welcome to the team, Ethan. These are my brothers." Henry gestured to the hulking men beside him.
"We are all Heroes from the Black Jackal. I'm a Rank A, this is my brother Aaron, a Rank B Hero, Charles, a Rank B Hero, and Frank, a Rank B Hero."
Upon hearing the term "Black Jackal," a short burst of discussion arose in the camp.
Sean began to explain quietly, "There are three famous Hero guilds in the Blackstone Dwarf Kingdom, all are Rank A."
"You've already been introduced to Snow Mountain, Jonathan is from there.
The Black Jackal ranks just below Snow Mountain in terms of power.
These guys love a good fight.
They've killed the most Dark Lords and often get into conflicts with other Heroes.
Their high casualty rate, however, means they're not as powerful as Snow Mountain."
Sean pointed to a group of people in the corner, young men in wizard's robes with frail bodies.
"Those mages over there are from the third major guild, the Dark Core. A bunch of guys with a few screws loose... Supposedly, they found some weird book while exploring, and after studying it, they all turned out like this. It's best to keep your distance from them unless it's necessary."
After everyone finished lunch, they began to assemble into teams.
Finally, Sean did a quick headcount.
A total of 157 people were participating in this quest, all of them strong and capable, with hardly any weak links. This was the largest quest team to date.
Once fully equipped, the group, laden with plentiful supplies, arrived at an abandoned mine at the base of the Blackstone Volcano.
"So then, folks, best of luck to all of you!" Sean gave a brief word of encouragement at the entrance of the mine and then made his exit. Well aware of the risks involved in this quest, he wouldn't dare join the squad on their descent.
Jonathan assumed the mantle of the leader, leading the group into the mine.
This mine was deemed to be the safest among the few known paths, but with no illumination, torches were their only source of light.
The party made their way down, halting from time to time. Ethan made a quick estimate; they must have descended about a kilometer into the earth.
"It doesn't seem that dangerous in here..." A dwarf Hero muttered, unable to resist expressing his thoughts.
Unlike other Heroes, Dwarf Heroes are more readily accepted by the Dwarf Kingdom.
They wouldn't be willing to stick their necks out for this if not for the strong lineup that Sean put together.
Like the three major guilds, Dwarf Heroes also formed a closed clique, often gathering together in whispers.
Jonathan ignored the dwarf Hero's grumbling and continued leading the team forward.
Unexpectedly, the journey was smooth sailing without any hiccups.
As they moved through a narrow passage, a glow suddenly appeared ahead, and the sound of "sloshing" reached their ears.
Initially, Ethan thought it was the sound of underground water.
However, as they got closer, they realized it was the sound of flowing magma underground.
A heat wave hit them in the face.
The hair of the Heroes who were too close curled from the heat, giving off a burnt smell.
"Let's rest for a bit, hydrate ourselves, and then move forward again... The furthest exploration record is 1500 meters. We're close to it now. But no Heroes who have reached this distance have ever returned alive...
"We must all be on our toes."
The group found a slightly cooler rock wall to rest.
Ethan just took a few sips of water.
Feeling somewhat tired, he closed his eyes to rest for a while, and unknowingly fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, his view was engulfed by layers of dense black fog.
"Something's not right." Ethan slowly got up, his eyes becoming serious.
The fact that he felt tired and fell asleep without any signs, was terrifying.
His mental attributes far exceeded those of an ordinary Rank S, yet he was still influenced by some peculiar power.
"Where are you guys? Anyone there?"
"Jonathan, bro, you there?"
"Henry, Henry, I'm over here!"
"Help... Help, I don't want to die!"
Suddenly, shadows were moving in the black fog.
It was clear that everyone else also noticed the fog engulfing the cave.
They had all fallen asleep due to some mysterious reason.
After waking up and noticing their surroundings, everyone started panicking.
"Everybody, stay calm. This must be the work of the mysterious creature mentioned in the quest report. Don't be afraid. We're near a lava stream; you guys wouldn't want to take a bath in there. Try to stay put, don't move around. Just call out your positions!"
"All Rank A heroes, gather people around you first. Let's retreat a bit and see if we can get out of this black fog. It's too disadvantageous for us to fight in this environment." Jonathan issued orders with a calm and composed voice.
The leading Rank A big shots followed the sounds around them, searching for their comrades.
Ethan's impressive mental prowess proved useful, as he swiftly located several Heroes, and led them towards the direction where the other Rank A Heroes were signaling from.
The group laboriously assembled.
The visibility in the black fog was less than a meter, so they could only see each other's hazy silhouettes.
Jonathan did a headcount and found that the sudden onset of the black fog had caused them to lose a whopping fifty members.
At this moment, Henry was equally serious.
He turned to the group of mages from Dark Core, saying, "Folks from Dark Core, do us a favor and cast a Float spell on everyone. I don't think any of us want to unceremoniously drop into the lava and get burned to a crisp."
"Enemies... something's coming!"
No sooner had Henry spoken than leaping black shadows began to appear in the black fog.
These creatures were as black as ink with long, slender bodies, presenting an eerily uncanny sight!
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