Lance naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Taking heavy but determined strides, he brandished his sword and charged, colliding with the Collector before it could react further.
Strength was all that mattered, not sharpness. The various collected objects making up the Collector's bloated body were no match for the greatsword that pierced right through.
Under the force built up during the charge, this strike could pierce the stars!
Even the hefty body of a Pigman Knight couldn't withstand a regular longsword, let alone the exaggerated form and length of the greatsword, which was more than many could handle.
The Collector's skeletal head nearly shattered against its visor. The pale blue glow on its body flickered unevenly and even seed to dim, while the lting artifacts on its body showed signs of disintegration.
Lance didn't know what this ant, but he was aware it certainly wasn't anything good. He couldn't afford any more delays.
Flexing his arms, he used the greatsword that had pierced the Collector's body to drag it down from midair, then thrust the greatsword into the ground, pinning the Collector.
Discarding his greatsword, he rushed directly to the Collector's head, raised his musket to its forehead, and fired instantly.
At such close range and with no armor, even a creature with a skull as tough as iron wouldn't stand a chance. Puzzlingly, however, under the pale blue glow, the bullet was actually stopped, failing to shatter the skeleton.
But the massive impact still left the Collector dizzy, causing it to lose control over its body.
Lance, not caring for anything else, pulled out an axe and hacked toward its neck. The sensation upon impact was not that of hard bone, but rather sowhat soft, as if it were so kind of flesh.
This awoke the Collector. Its neck stretched out several tentacles of varied sizes in a sneaky attempt to strike back, but Lance had already cut through one before, right down to their core, so how could he not be prepared?
His axe didn't stop; instead, it increased in speed and force. In just a few strikes, he killed the true core of the Collector: a brain-like creature with strange tentacles protruding from it.
Finally, all was silent. The artifacts that had been entangled with Boudica and the others fell to the ground as if they'd lost all power.
Only then did Lance take a breath of relief as he looked at the Collector, which had ceased all reaction.
He had thought it would be an easy fight, but it proved to take a bit of effort. Indeed, different Collectors varied in strength.
But all that was no longer in Lance's thoughts. One thing filled his mind.
The previous Collector had given him a core piece of equipnt, so what might this stronger one drop? A larger Showroom?
Too impatient to wait for Boudica and the others, Lance imdiately perford the "Sacrifice" ritual on the Collector's corpse.
The twisted and grotesque body of the Collector was devoured by the Void. However, instead of returning Spiritual Essence imdiately—which was, unexpectedly, a good thing for Lance—it made him even more expectant.
Soon, a gift erged from the Void. An indescribable force was directly bestowed upon the "Collector's Showroom" ring on his hand.
He could see an additional, tiny tentacle winding around the vertebrae constituting the ring; it wasn't obvious unless examined closely.
He also noticed a significant expansion of the storage space within the Showroom. It had more than doubled in size and was now filled with nurous disorderly items difficult to distinguish quickly.
It felt as if he had assimilated this Collector's own Showroom.
With this, Lance finally relaxed completely. Nothing was more practical than this. Spiritual Essence can be replenished elsewhere; if worse cos to worst, I can venture into the Beast Lair for a "pork al." But storage space wasn't sothing one could simply trade for with ordinary flesh and blood.
"Boss, what's up?"
"It's nothing. The battle may have drawn so unwanted attention. We'd better leave here first."
Boudica's call brought Lance back to his senses. He casually tossed the various items into the Showroom to quickly tidy up, then led the team straight back to Hamlet.
They didn't stop at all on the way, moving rapidly. Fortunately, as the wilderness developnt progressed, many pathways had been cleared, so they were able to catch a cart carrying supplies to an outpost and quickly returned to Hamlet...
"Phew, finally alive again." Lance took several deep breaths, grateful to no longer sll that sickening odor.
Upon returning, Lance had thought about taking the team to the newly opened bathhouse to experience a proper bath.
However, he had miscalculated one thing: the bathhouse wouldn't open until evening.
So the first thing he'd offered to placate his companions was already problematic.
Lance didn't waste any words. He compensated them with a Gold Coin each, letting them solve their own issues with bathing, eating, and sleeping.
Tadiff, who hadn't paid much attention to what was said at the ti, was surprised that their employer actually ant it and even offered compensation.
Dismas and Tadiff slipped away to who-knows-where to goof off, but Lance dragged Boudica back.
"Go on, it's your turn now. Rember to wash up well, especially your hair." Lance looked at Boudica, who was sitting on the stone steps, hugging her War Halberd and looking lost in thought.
"Oh..." Boudica stood up with a long sigh, seeming a bit downcast.
"I'm not out ssing around with them either, so don't be like that," Lance teased with a smile.
He knew well what Boudica was thinking. Wasn't she just looking for a chance to have a drink? A promise to abstain from alcohol for a month must be kept; disobedience would an severe punishnt.
However, she had been through life-and-death situations with him without a single complaint, and Lance didn't want to be overly harsh regarding her small indulgence. So, he quickly added,
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