Universe Infinite Canteen

The purple-haired girl's offensive was like a tide, each slice chopping down on the hard rind of the Demon Grinder Pumpkin, sending fragments flying all around.

However, her own health was also dropping quickly. Besides using Bite Quadruple Strike, the demon pumpkin also cast a curse on the Hellhound, instantly reducing the purple-haired girl's defensive power by 10 points.

Fortunately, the Bliss Bird's immunity skill came quickly, removing the curse from the Hellhound. It then began casting a recovery spell, healing the purple-haired girl once more.

Meanwhile, Ma Lu was not idle. Seeing the Hellhound in danger and her health sliding down too quickly, he would step in to take some of the attacks for her.

But after blocking a few times, he had no choice but to retreat.

The armor provided by the Church worked very well against lower-star Energized Plants, almost never breaking defense. However, it was somewhat inadequate when facing Energized Plants of 4 stars and above.

Ma Lu had only taken five hits before alarm bells sounded in his ears, and the durability of his armor was almost gone, so he had to retreat to the spectator seats.

This significantly increased the pressure on the Hellhound, and her health began to roller coaster until the Ouroboros Serpent summoned Water Elementals to share her damage, stabilizing the situation once more.

However, these Water Elementals didn't last very long in front of the Demon Grinder Pumpkin. With their attributes countered, they could hardly resist more than a few hits before disappearing, forcing the Ouroboros Serpent to constantly replenish them.

It was only because her Sin Value limit was double that of a normal Mage, plus the formation's bonuses, that she could sustain such consumption.

As time ticked by, the Demon Grinder Pumpkin's HP had already decreased by more than half, and the Hellhound, whose passive had been activated, became increasingly ferocious and bloodthirsty.

Less than half a minute later, the Demon Grinder Pumpkin was down to its last 900 HP, but at that moment, it suddenly changed its attack method. It no longer targeted the purple-haired girl.

Instead, it used its pumpkin head to launch a direct charge into the Hellhound, toppling her with a stumble.

The Demon Grinder Pumpkin then abandoned the purple-haired girl and went straight for the Bliss Bird in the back.

Seeing the Demon Grinder Pumpkin charging at her with full strength, even the normally unflappable Bliss Bird's eyes showed a rare hint of nervousness.

That hit from the Demon Grinder Pumpkin against the Hellhound had just taken off 52 HP, and that was with a countered attribute. If someone else had taken that hit, they likely would have lost over a hundred HP.

But the Demon Grinder Pumpkin had only taken two steps towards her when its speed visibly slowed down, reduced to less than half of its original speed.

—Slow Trap. This was the Virtual Item that Ma Lu had recently acquired, and it now came into play.

Faced with the suddenly slowed Demon Grinder Pumpkin, even a magic-based class like the Bliss Bird could easily dodge it.

The Hellhound, knocked back earlier, also rushed over, activating her skill again, and began a new round of offense against the Demon Grinder Pumpkin, quickly chopping off another 500 HP.

Now, the Demon Grinder Pumpkin was left with just over 300 HP.

The witches focused their fire and finally, before the effect of the Slow Trap ended, they also cleared away the remaining health bar.

They won!!!

Looking at the Demon Grinder Pumpkin lying at her feet, Yun Que still couldn't quite believe her eyes.

Such a powerful Energized Plant had been killed by their joint efforts.

And Ma Lu, looking at the estimated reward of 1,200,000 Holy Silver Coins and 13,000 Atonement Points from the mission system, also showed a satisfied expression on his face.

The battle was indeed a bit precarious, and had any part of their cooperation faltered, they likely would have suffered casualties.

Actually, halfway through the battle, Ma Lu somewhat regretted initiating the challenge so rashly.

Even with prior knowledge of the Demon Grinder Pumpkin's attributes and attack patterns before the fight, the oppressive feeling of facing a 5-star ingredient was still very strong in an actual combat situation.

If it were not for his previous hunting experience in another plane, Ma Lu reckoned he would have been completely flustered.

Thankfully, based on the results, this operation was undoubtedly a great success.

Aside from the anticipated mission rewards, the Demon Grinder Pumpkin had allowed him to level up twice, bringing his Knight Level from Level 13 to Level 15.

Ma Lu also received a new Virtual Item and a new formation.

The name of the Virtual Item was—Spare Power Battery (7/7).n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Its function was to repair Knight's Armor, restoring the armor's durability to 100 points.

Ma Lu looked at his own armor, which only had 6 points of durability left, and did not use the Spare Power Battery.

This item, unlike the previous Virtual Items, had a limited number of uses—it would count down with each use.

Having just engaged in battle, Ma Lu and the few Witches under his command were basically nearing their limits.

Considering they were going to return to the city anyway, it was of course preferable to freeload off the Church's complimentary repairs rather than doing it themselves.

After a brief preparation, Ma Lu mounted his warhorse and set off for the return trip to Holy Temple City.

Upon landing, he first went to report to Li Wei.

Li Wei showed a trace of surprise on his face when he heard Ma Lu had taken down a Demon Grinder Pumpkin.

This Energized Plant had a threat level of B in the Sacred Order of Knights' combat manual, classified as a formidable enemy that even experienced veterans preferred to avoid.

And yet, Ma Lu, a newcomer to the Order of Knights, had managed to defeat such a level of adversary.

Li Wei then flipped through Ma Lu's previous achievements. For tasks of this low level, he usually didn't pay much attention, only having a general impression of them.

However, he was shocked when he actually looked into it.

Only then did Li Wei realize that Ma Lu had unconsciously dealt with so many Energized Plants.

While none were as formidable as the Demon Grinder Pumpkin, there were some among them with quite impressive strength.

Considering that other newcomers of Ma Lu's level were still cautiously struggling to survive outside the city, these accomplishments were even more astonishing.

Add to that the fact that Ma Lu had just recently passed the Church's test, proving his loyalty, Li Wei's gaze towards Ma Lu couldn't help but be filled with a hint of appreciation.

The vice-commander of the Sacred Order of Knights preferred competent and diligent people above all else.

However, earning his trust wasn't easy, and Li Wei planned to further assess the young man before him.

After thinking it over, he said to Ma Lu, "You've done well, and next, I have a special mission for you."

"A special mission?"

"Yes, it concerns the hunting of Fallen Witches," said Li Wei. "I just received information on the location of a Fallen Witch, and I want you to bring her back to me."

Upon hearing this, Ma Lu's face showed a hesitant expression.

"What, you don't want to go?" Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

"It's not that, it's just that I plan to meditate in quietude for the next two weeks," said Ma Lu. "I'm afraid I might delay your important matters."

"Why another meditation session?"

"I've made a vow, and I've also completed the number of missions I promised you for this month."

Li Wei looked at Ma Lu with a bit of frustration but ultimately could only say, "Fine, then. I'll find someone else. You may leave."

"Alright then."