Marcy was so stung by these words that he suddenly grabbed William Ford by the collar, panting like an enraged bull. However, William Ford met his gaze without the slightest fear. Marcy took a deep breath, looked up at the sky, and sighed, “You’re right.”

At that moment, William Ford felt a heat in his chest as the Nightmare Mark proactively gave a prompt: “Hidden quest activated: Marcy’s Rescue. Quest difficulty: Medium (C level). Quest objective: Help Marcy meet Marina. Time limit: 8 hours.”

Entry: The World of the Round Table Knights

Chapter 7: Skill Mutation

The two hurriedly crossed the chaotic town and set out together, only to see that after making a special trip home, Marcy had not donned armor or taken up weapons. Instead, he held a shovel in his hand. Only after the villagers who had followed out of curiosity dispersed did this burly man look at William Ford sincerely and say, “Lauren, can you keep a secret for me?”

Hearing the word “secret,” William Ford was inwardly stirred, but on the surface he pondered, “That depends on what it is. If it’s something that could endanger the town, I can’t promise.”

“It’s not that,” Marcy said anxiously. “My love for this town is even greater than my love for Marina! I just hope you won’t tell anyone what you’re about to see.”

Only then did William Ford reluctantly nod. Marcy led him to the woods outside the village and began digging under a large tree. Soon, he unearthed a set of pitch-black full-body armor. After putting it on, the burly Marcy donned a black helmet with bull horns, took a small round shield in his left hand, and wielded a spiked iron hammer as his weapon! His entire body was protected by heavy iron armor, making him look like a low, solid steel fortress!

This appearance seemed very familiar to William Ford. After thinking carefully, he immediately realized—wasn’t this the short, stocky apprentice knight with the horned helmet (buster·s) who only appeared in the second act?

Seeing William Ford’s gaze lingering on him, Marcy sighed, “Actually, I used to be a member of the evil Duke Galipodi’s army. But after being seriously wounded, my horse panicked and carried me away from the battlefield, bringing me here. It was Marina who saved me and helped me hide my identity. Since then, I changed my faith and only wished to live a peaceful life here.”

He suddenly looked up, speaking resolutely:

“I don’t want anyone to destroy it! Not even Galipodi’s army!”

William Ford nodded, deliberately sighed, and patted him on the shoulder. Yet as he turned away, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. In his estimation, Marcy’s strength was at most equivalent to a heavy swordsman, but now it seemed he was far stronger than he had assumed!

The two hurried along the main road toward the place where Marina had been taken. Soon, they encountered a refugee who told them that the evil Duke Galipodi’s army had split into three groups and begun pillaging defenseless villages nearby. In fact, they hardly needed his directions—the thick black smoke rising on the distant horizon already pointed the way for William Ford and Marcy.

The closer they got to the pillaged area, the more unbearable the scenes became. Some children had been smashed to death, some women were naked with their breasts cut off. Witnessing all this, William Ford outwardly showed a look of shock, while Marcy’s face was hidden beneath his heavy iron helmet, making it impossible to see his expression. Only his rough, heavy breathing betrayed his inner rage!

Up ahead, masked thralls began to appear, their pale purple sleeves stained with blood standing out starkly. These people were chasing and slaughtering fleeing civilians. Perhaps because Marcy’s appearance was so familiar to them, several masked thralls approached without any guard, dragging a young, crying girl by the hair—likely intending to offer her as tribute to show their respect.

What greeted them was a massive, barbed iron hammer.

Following behind Marcy, William Ford was secretly astonished. Watching this burly giant rampage and slaughter among the masked thralls like a mad tiger, he even saw one terrified thrall get struck head-on by Marcy’s small, thick iron shield, sent flying over three meters high with a scream, crashing through the wall of a nearby house—after which there was only silence.

Not until Marcy stopped his charge, panting heavily, did William Ford realize in surprise that within several hundred meters, not a single living invader or victim remained. Their blood had all flowed together on the ground, and the iron hammer was now stained bright red, even bearing clumps of hair and flesh. Faced with such a scene of carnage, William Ford felt a slight chill, but then noticed faint glows beginning to appear on some of the masked thralls’ corpses. Delighted, he hurried over to search the bodies for keys, ultimately collecting more than a dozen wooden chests. However, after opening them one by one, he found nothing of value—just some inferior recovery items and low-grade equipment.