Dink dropped his hands from behind his head while casually kicking a stone back the way he came. It clattered through the illusion without disturbing it. The woman in front of him flinched, causing him to mischievously grin at her distress as he turned to face her. He licked his lips before inspecting her from head to toe.

She was a stunning blonde-haired Human woman who appeared to be in her late teens. Her supple skin was an exotic golden hue. Her most striking feature was her pouting lips, currently anxiously quivering. The girl was wearing an excessively revealing white linen dress made of sheer fabric with an extremely low neckline. Dink’s brows wrinkled in confusion as his eyes drifted down to her barely concealed breasts.

This isn’t right. That dress leaves very little to the imagination. Mercy’s a jealous God. He doesn’t allow his followers to be put on display for anyone other than him. That’s even stranger than the illusion blocking the entrance.

Noticing his gaze, the girl screamed in alarm and crossed both arms in front of her chest. She had a slim figure, the involuntary motion had the unintended effect of enticingly pressing her breasts together. He glimpsed the tip of her ears poking through her blonde hair.

“Half Wood-Elf,” Dink observed to himself.

“G-g-Goblin!” the girl exclaimed almost as if in response to him. She cautiously backed away while preventing him from getting any closer. Dink snorted in amusement while inspecting the dirt under his fingernails, remaining in place.

“Settle down, girl. I’m not here to rape and pillage. We have someone in need of healing. On that note, what’s taking them so long?” Dink asked, turning to investigate the intact wall behind him.

“The barrier prevents them… How did you break through it?” she tentatively replied.

“Barrier? That’s clearly only an illusion,” Dink said, scrunching his face in bewilderment. The girl silently shook her head in response. Dink reached up to touch the dragon sword hilt on his back. “Sigh, I believe you. Let them in before I have to.”

The girl didn’t want to leave anything to chance, she turned and fled the moment he finished speaking. She screamed how they were under attack by monsters. Dink merely snorted and shook his head, fluidly unhitching the sword from his back. He faced the realistic illusion of a gate while warming up his shoulders.

Lifting the surprisingly lightweight sword in front of him, Dink started to strangely whistle. Initially, nothing happened. He adjusted the whistle’s pitch until the blade resonated with it. Satisfied, he stopped whistling and closed his eyes, focusing inward. He ignored the slumbering dragon inside his consciousness to take command of his mana pool. The wild strands of mana slowly filled his draconic tattoos.

I’m not satisfied with this level of mana activation, it’s pathetic. Tsk, I refuse to fail. Now I have basic control, it’s time to use some forbidden techniques and take advantage of this near-infinite vitality. If I’m one day forced to pay the price, I may even be able to rival my previous peak.

Dink’s expression turned sombre, his lips pressing tightly together. Waves of mana started to visibly rotate around his body in chaotic circles, gaining in speed. Slowly opening his eyes, light escaped through his eyelids. Immediately after they completely opened, the mana surrounding him abruptly came to a halt.

Grinning victoriously, Dink resumed his eerie whistling. This time, the mana reacted to the sound, aggressively drilling through the outer layer of his skin, leaving the air empty. The mana carved lines of light across the surface of his body from his spine toward his hands.

The moment his mana touched the sword in his hands, a burst of blue light bloomed from the blade, forming an aurora around him. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he continued to grin despite the blood leaking from the corners of his mouth.

“Hahahaha, this I can use!” Dink exclaimed, the sclera of his eyes were completely exposed in madness.

He raised the great sword vertically above his head, adjusting his stance to allow the flat of the blade to rest vibrating against his shoulder. The blue aurora was beginning to fade after his whistling stopped. He swung forward with all his might, simultaneously emitting a sudden shrill whistle.

A focused pulse identical to the sonic beam from the wurm erupted from the blade. It immediately struck the illusion. A ripple travelled through the barrier, followed by an explosion of debris. Before the wreckage trickled to the ground, it transformed into sparks of beautiful light raining down on the revealed cart and its occupants.

Axion stared at Dink with mouth agape in stunned silence, still harnessed to the cart. Dink winked at him before casually strapping the sword to his back. Turning away, he started guiding the way into the Sisterhood of Mercy. Axion lightly slapped himself to clear his head before following after him.

A sheer cliff face lined their path with a bend in the road up ahead. After walking a short distance, the faint aroma of flowers appeared. Quickening into a jog, Dink rounded the bend. He stopped dead in his tracks after a flash jolted his mind.

For a brief instant, I thought I saw something entirely different to what’s in front of me now.

What he saw now was only a large, sprawling monastery carved from white marble with jade-coloured roof tiles jutting from the rock face. Flowering purple wisteria vines climbed the walls of the multi-story building. Axion pulled the cart up beside Dink, flexing his imposing muscles in the harness to relieve the pressure. He looked at Dink curiously before opening his mouth to speak. Before any sound came out, he was interrupted by a feminine voice ahead.

“What monster dares invade the sanctity of the Sisterhood of Mercy?” A mature woman said. She was leading a group of females from a multitude of different races dressed identically to the sentry at the gate, leaving just as little to the imagination. Dink frowned before replying.

“I seek aid and I will not be denied. You will either offer it voluntarily or I’ll take it by force. Those are your options,” Dink declared, adjusting the sword on his back for easier reach.