How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 23 Missing

On the outskirts of a dark forest, by a stream.

"Where have I arrived...?"

Kane felt a sharp pain in his foot.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying in the cold stream, with hard rocks beneath him.

His whole body was covered in tiny scratches, his internal organs looked displaced, and there were obviously fractures.

A corpse with a ferocious expression lay beside it.

Who else could it be but the mentor?

Even worse.

Two goblins were feasting on his leg, tearing at the exposed flesh.

Upon seeing him awake, the goblin made a noisy cacophony.

His tiny eyes were full of disdain as he grabbed his weapon.

Kane frowned as he watched the weapon being swung at him.

next moment.

A dagger flew out of thin air!

"Whoosh—"

Blood splattered.

A goblin clutched its throat and collapsed.

The other one was so frightened that it dropped its weapon and fled into the forest in panic.

Kane abandoned his intention to pursue.

He endured the excruciating pain and made a decision.

The granulation tissue at the wound site began to move, and the flesh and blood began to regrow, quickly returning to normal.

However, his right arm was still hanging down in a deformed position.

He stood up and found a tree by the stream.

A sudden, violent impact!

With a "crack," a sharp pain shot through him, and his bone instantly returned to its original position.

"Finally all done, just a bit of a mess."

He looked at his reflection in the stream; his clothes were tattered and torn in countless pieces.

He pondered for a moment, then summoned the control panel, his expression slightly somber.

My main profession, Arcane Apprentice, dropped from level 10 to level 9, my attributes also regressed, and I have very little experience left.

"Suicide in the land of the soul counts as one, jumping off a cliff with your mentor is the second, and drowning in the lower reaches of the river might be the third."

"Although I paid a price, I am completely free."

Kane breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he turned his head and looked at the unrecognizable face beside him.

The mentor's torso had been completely devoured.

Only the head remained.

Frozen in horror and astonishment.

"Dear Master, are you satisfied with this burial ground?"

He ignored the head; the beasts would take care of it for him.

He simply stood up, looked up at the magnificent city in the distance, and began to walk.

A faint glow appeared on the panel.

He opened the task panel, and a notification caught his eye:

Main Quest: Destroy the Demon Cult (Current Progress: 1%)

[Introduction: The Demon Cult is secretly plotting a massive conspiracy across the continent. Stop them and avert disaster.]

[Rewards: Gain a large amount of experience and skill points in stages based on your progress]

"The main quest is finally here."

Kane's eyes narrowed.

Last time, it was a side quest to protect the halfling settlement, and the reward was only 5 skill points.

Now that he has killed the mentor of the branch stronghold and is regarded as the perfect vessel for the demon Orath, he is now locked in a life-or-death struggle with the demon cult.

If it is discovered that he is still alive, he will face a full-scale manhunt by the cult.

Especially that eerie patriarch who looks exactly like the mentor...

"We must complete our career advancement and acquire a secondary profession as soon as possible to resolve future problems."

He gazed towards the distant war-torn city of Shantar.

That is the territory of the Kingdom of Nord.

This means that he has finally stepped into the core territory of human civilization.

The journey was farther than I had imagined.

Two whole days later, he emerged from the forest, his clothes even more tattered.

Fortunately, there were already people living nearby.

He found an empty hunter's house in a small town outside the city and stole a set of old clothes using "Mage's Hand".

Then they would place the deer they hunted along the way at the door as an exchange.

After changing his clothes, he climbed the hillside and looked out over the city.

The magnificent city stretches from the foot of the mountain to the clouds, with seven layers of walls resembling a half-open giant shell, dividing the entire city into seven districts.

The walls are carved with epic tales of dragons and humans, recording the rise and fall of the Nord dragon-blooded royal family.

"I hope Shar has cleared my wanted status."

Kane took a deep breath and walked toward the city gate.

The city was heavily guarded, with soldiers in full armor, only their eyes visible.

Outside the city gate, the line of people queuing to enter the city stretched for hundreds of meters.

There are farmers, hunters, and adventurers of races such as halflings and demi-elves.

Looking at the team, Kane hesitated.

"If you are still wanted, crossing the checkpoint is like walking into a trap."

"Once captured, given my 'immortality,' I'll likely become an excellent experimental subject in the mage tower..."

He assessed how many soldiers he could handle and found the outcome to be less than optimistic.

Just as he hesitated, a sudden and shocking event occurred at the city gate!

A soldier wearing a pointed helmet, holding a piece of parchment, points to an honest-looking man in the ranks who is leading a child:

"Grab him!"

The father and son's expressions changed drastically, and they turned and ran.

The crowd immediately erupted in commotion and screams.

The two were about to run away.

Whoosh!

A giant arrow shot down from the city wall, piercing the man's abdomen precisely and pinning him to the ground.

The blood mist exploded, and the man wailed for a moment before lowering his head.

The child was terrified, knelt down and cried bitterly, and was then tied up and dragged away by the soldiers.

"Second-tier? No, it might even be third-tier..."

Kane's expression was grave.

He was able to break out of the Demon Cult's underground stronghold because it was just one of the cult's many strongholds, where professionals were scarce.

However, the City of War is backed by the Kingdom of Nord and has a huge population base, so the number and level of professionals there are incomparable to those of the other city.

"We can't put all our hopes on Shar; it's too dangerous to go into the city like this."

He turned decisively and headed toward Nilfgaard, the border town he was passing through on the way.

There is a safer way to enter the city there.

……

Meanwhile, in the second district, the core of the war city.

In the plaza in front of the statue, an argument was erupting in the main hall of the Lanternmen's branch.

"Shar! According to regulations, we cannot send a team of professionals across the Dark Forest to rescue people at the mountain outpost! It's not worth it!"

The tall woman, Serena, spoke with a resolute tone.

Shar became emotional:

"But he saved my life! Without him, I would have died at the hands of the devil long ago! Why can't an exception be made?"

"These rules are lessons learned from the blood of our predecessors! To save one person, we may have to sacrifice many more!"

Moreover, it was just a branch outpost with very little strategic value!

Shar stared intently at her for a long time before whispering:

"……I see."

Where are you going?

Serena saw her turn to get her bow and quickly pulled her back.

"Since you can't send a team, I'll go myself."

Shar shook off her hand.

Just then, a white dove fluttered down and landed on the windowsill.

Serena took down the pigeon letter, read it, and her expression became complicated. She called out to Shar, who had already reached the door:

"Wait... there's new information about the Demon Cult."

Shar paused.

Two days ago, he jumped off a cliff with that sorcerer mentor in his arms... The two of them are missing.

The assessment is that he is most likely dead.

Shar froze on the spot, and the longbow fell to the ground with a "thud".

Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears silently streamed down her face.

Serena stepped forward and hugged her, gently patting her back:

"He is a hero, and we will have bards sing his praises..."

...He will live on in people's stories!

Shar lowered her head and burst into tears.

……

At this moment.

The "dead" hero Kane has just arrived at a border town called Nilfgaard.

He found himself facing a new, yet very real, crisis.

"I have no money."