“No!”
Although this was a reply to Inanna’s request to go out, Eric’s scrutinizing gaze was fixed firmly on Aiden, who sat on the side as if on pins and needles.
In order to withstand the ferocious assault of the Demon Clan, Duke Alamar had to personally sit in command at Highfort Fortress. All the affairs in the rear territories were entrusted entirely to his most trusted steward, Eric.
Therefore, Fahl’s request concerning the regulation of the Spore Network did not need to trouble the duke, who was far away at the frontlines. All it required was Eric’s nod of approval.
As for Fahl’s request, Eric agreed. Refugees were only one part of it.
The intelligence in his hands far exceeded what Fahl possessed. The Demon Clan’s invasion was overwhelming, and their offensive would not end in the short term. Meanwhile, the elven allies, on whom much hope had been placed, showed an ambiguous attitude. Grain supply had become a huge hidden danger.
Although procurement from the Isles had already begun, it was clearly insufficient to fill the gaps.
Food shortages were likely to develop into a long-term crisis. Bringing such a strategic resource under regulation was entirely reasonable.
As for the resentment of speculators?
The mighty Saint Clair family—how could they possibly care about that!However…
His agreement did not include letting the young lady Inanna personally run off to take risks!
“Why not?!” Inanna stared at Eric unhappily, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
“Too dangerous!” Eric’s voice was unquestionable. “Isn’t that dungeon still on the verge of collapse? How could you go to such a dangerous place?”
“I’m not going into Yafeng(Silentwind) Town! Just to the outer perimeter, near the temporary camp!” Inanna twisted her fingers at her clothes, arguing forcefully.
“The outer perimeter?” Eric’s lips tightened further, his eyes glancing out the window. “That area is now packed with desperate refugees and greedy adventurers, a mix of fish and dragons! Master took most of the elite guards away. Outside the manor, what is there to guarantee your safety?”
“I have him!” Inanna suddenly lifted the knight in her arms high, then quickly pointed at Aiden, who wished he could shrink into the wall. “And Aiden! He will protect me too!”
Suddenly named, Aiden’s body went rigid. He felt as if Eric’s knife-like gaze had pierced straight through him. He forced out a smile uglier than crying, his scalp prickling.
“Oh?” Eric stepped forward a few paces, expressionless as he tidied his sleeve. His voice was calm and even. “In that case… let’s test it.”
“T-test what?” Inanna blinked her large eyes, still not understanding.
Eric enunciated each word: “Test the strength of these two ‘guards’ you rely on. As long as they can land a hit on me, I will acknowledge their ability and stop obstructing you.”
Inanna looked at Eric, then turned to Aiden.
Aiden’s expression had completely stiffened. Right now, he very much wanted to shake his head.
“Alright!” Inanna answered confidently.
Aiden: Not alright!
……
Soon, Aiden and the knight Puji were standing in the duke’s training yard.
The flagstone ground reflected a hard, cold gleam under the afternoon sun. Weapon racks stood on all sides, adding a suffocating air of severity.
Across from them, Eric had taken off his meticulous steward’s attire, changing into a set of deep-gray, practical combat gear. Upon his fists was strapped a pair of dark, heavy metal gauntlets. The protruding ridges at the knuckles radiated a dangerous aura.
“Eric, once it starts, you’re not allowed to hurt Puji!” Inanna, sitting in the stands with her hands cupped around her mouth, voiced a worry that was, in fact, rather unreasonable.
Standing in the field, Aiden very much wanted to say: How about sparing some concern over me getting hurt too…
Inanna waved her hand. “Begin!”
Knight Puji attacked first. Its round body suddenly lowered, and a mushroom cannon far stronger than ordinary Pujis erupted forth! The sturdy ground of the training yard was blasted into a crater instantly!
But in the billowing smoke, Eric’s figure had already vanished from his original spot. His speed was so fast he left only a blur.
He ignored Puji’s threat, charging straight toward Aiden the mage!
Aiden’s figure flickered, splitting into several indistinguishable phantoms. At the same time, each “Aiden” unhesitatingly raised a hand, unleashing sharp wind blades that shrieked through the air, interweaving into a net that slashed toward the rapidly approaching steward.
“Illusion?” Eric gave a low grunt. His forward rush halted, and he suddenly stomped down with his right foot!
A powerful force penetrated into the ground. The earth quaked violently, and countless stones shot out in all directions!
The stones passed cleanly through the illusory images. Only one Aiden instinctively dodged aside!
Eric blocked the wind blades with his arm guard, then, with the gauntlet-wrapped right fist, swung mercilessly at Aiden’s true body!
At the same time, another mushroom cannon fired—but this time, it showed no concern for Aiden, enveloping both of them in its range.
There was no helping it. Lin Jun wasn’t the one controlling right now. Puji’s combat style had always ignored “friendly fire”…
Cursing inwardly, Aiden could only use a gust of wind to fling himself clumsily backward, barely escaping the double threat of gauntlet and cannon.
While still airborne, he flung several more wind blades, trying to cut off Eric’s escape routes.
But Eric simply spun in place and struck his fist at the incoming cannon!
A concentrated fist wind, visible to the naked eye, burst forth and slammed into the flying mushroom cannon!
Boom—!
The cannon was forced to explode midair, the violent shockwave sweeping outward. Eric’s clothes flapped wildly, but he remained steady as a rock.
Just as Aiden landed awkwardly, Eric was already in front of him again. The cold metal gauntlet rapidly filled his vision. He had no time to dodge!
With a “crack,” the illusion shattered, and a broken crystal fell to the ground. Eric’s brow twitched slightly.
Meanwhile, Puji leapt and boosted forward, spinning its body at high speed like a top.
Several sturdy tentacles stretched taut under centrifugal force, forming a shining, airtight bladed wheel that cut toward Eric!
[Blade Storm LV6]
As one of Lin Jun’s favorite melee skills to practice casually, the knight naturally had it.
Eric’s arms blurred into afterimages, his gauntlets colliding fiercely with the sharp tentacle blades. The clash erupted into a harsh chorus of metal ringing against metal.
Through superb blocking technique and sheer power, he withstood the raging storm of slashes. The price: deep gouges carved into his gauntlets, and three of Puji’s tentacles snapped off by brute force!
“Eric! You promised not to hurt the knight!” Inanna cried out in distress from the stands.
Eric sighed inwardly in helplessness. Just as he was about to subdue the reckless Puji completely, he suddenly waved his right hand. A tiny illusory insect perched on his shoulder was crushed flat—it had tried to bite him.
At the same time, Puji unleashed both hallucinogenic spores and [Infrasound Attack].
The sound of a shattering bottle rang from Eric’s waist.
His body swayed slightly, a thin line of red seeping uncontrollably from his lips. Though his robust physique minimized the damage, blood had still been drawn!
The assault ceased.
Eric stood still, no longer pursuing.
He glanced strangely at the Puji that the young lady cuddled every day. Then his eyes turned toward the corner of the training ground—there, the real Aiden sheepishly revealed himself, beads of sweat at his brow.
Eric wiped the blood at his lips, touched the broken bottle at his waist, and said with a blank face: “You do have some skill.”
“We won! I can go now!” Inanna cheered excitedly from the stands.
Eric remained silent for a moment, quickly assessing: a slippery illusionist adept at sowing confusion and cover, paired with a fearless Puji capable of brutal force and strange attacks—indeed, they could provide a considerable degree of protection.
Even so, he did not let his guard down at all.
In the end, Inanna’s travel party included not only Aiden and Knight Puji, but also four golden-ranked guards with sharp, steady eyes, and an arsenal of protective gear.
Before departure, Eric’s gaze locked firmly on Aiden: “I must ask that you and Guildmaster Fahl ensure the young lady’s safety.”
The hidden meaning was crystal clear: If something happens, you’ll suffer for it!—
On the road, Dylan sat wearily atop his horse, the same chestnut steed he’d always ridden. Despite its age, the horse’s endurance was remarkable, keeping pace with the best, so Dylan hadn’t replaced it.
After rushing for days, Dylan had grown gaunt, cheeks sunken, dark circles under his eyes. Only the nearing distance to Yafeng(Silentwind) Town gave a flicker of life back to his gaze.
Just as he forced himself to stay awake against the haze of exhaustion, his peripheral vision caught something—mycelium!
In the woods by the roadside, traces of the Spore Network were visible, creeping among the trees, even crawling onto the road!
But Dylan wasn’t sure if it belonged to the boss.
“Boss?” Dylan tried calling through the fungal net.
Before a reply came, three men with blades suddenly burst from the underbrush ahead, blocking the road. Dylan reined his horse to a sharp halt, the chestnut stamping uneasily.
As he thought of retreating, more figures slipped from behind—two bandits grinning viciously, sealing off the narrow woodland path.
At the same time, hoofbeats rang from the side. Two more, mounted on sorry nags, charged in waving weapons.
Seven against one!
How many times had he been ambushed already along the way?
The roads truly were more dangerous than ever. What now—fight or flee?
The bandit leader, a towering fat man with a rusty spiked mace, rasped with a grating voice: “Old man, be smart! Leave the horse, toss over your coin purse, and we’ll let you live!”
His cohorts twirled their long blades, eyeing Dylan’s gear with greedy malice.
Dylan weighed his options.
Seven against one meant running. But the enemy not only blocked front and back, they even had mounted riders.
Though their horses were poor, his own steed had been exhausted from the journey. It might not outrun them.
All because he’d gotten distracted by the Spore Network. Normally, he’d have spotted trouble early and avoided it.
The bandits exchanged glances, no longer patient. They edged in with weapons drawn.
Just as Dylan prepared to use his ice-spike ring and force a breakout, he noticed the fungal carpet nearby swelling with bulges…
Pop… pop-pop… pop-pop-pop…
A series of sounds erupted from the fungus. When the bandits turned back, what they saw made their scalps crawl: countless round-bodied Pujis rolled out from the forest, surging forward in a tide!
Flooding over the road, hundreds of Pujis quickly surrounded everyone.
One mounted bandit reacted fastest. The incomprehensible sight made him yank his reins in terror, desperate to turn and flee!
But turning a horse took time—and for Pujis, that distance was nothing!
Several Pujis rolled swiftly to his side, their round bodies slamming straight into the horse!
Boom!
A violent explosion sent dirt and flesh spraying skyward. The nag was killed instantly, without even a death cry. Its rider, drenched in blood, screamed as he lost a leg.
“Save me! Help me!” he howled, dragging himself in agony, reaching desperately toward his comrades.
But the other six were frozen, surrounded by rings upon rings of Pujis. Listening to their companion’s dying screams, cold dread shot up their spines. Forget rescuing him—they didn’t even dare to move a step!
They could only watch as another wave of Pujis rolled in at their begging comrade.
Another series of heavy explosions thundered. Dirt flew. The screaming cut off abruptly.
The bandits’ vicious expressions vanished, leaving only terror-stricken faces.
The fat leader clutched his spiked mace, muscles bulging—but he couldn’t muster even a shred of courage to swing at the Pujis nearby. Beads of sweat rolled down his greasy cheeks.
“Th-the dungeon’s Pujis!”
“What’s going on?! What the hell is this?!”
Panic gripped them. They couldn’t comprehend this nightmare. They’d camped in these woods for over ten days—why had this horror appeared only now?
Only Dylan knew the truth. Relief surged through him. His own safety—and the boss’s—were both assured. Warmth and comfort welled up inside.
He gently stroked his horse’s neck, calming the animal, which had been spooked by the blood and blasts.
While the bandits desperately wondered how to escape, the Puji swarm grew agitated. A wrinkled, long-bodied Puji was pushed forward by its companions.
It squirmed toward the fools who had dared covet Puji’s master.
Then, a hideous sound, as if countless voices were crushed and overlapped, issued from within it: “Scream like pigs… then die!”
The Puji horde instantly erupted. Whip-like blades ripped the air, and corrosive acid sprayed like torrential rain!
“Dylan! You’re still alive!”
The boss’s joyous voice rang in his mind. But in reality, the shrieks—so shrill they no longer seemed human—drowned out the forest’s insects. The stench of blood and acid filled the air. And the just-touched Dylan promptly vomited on the spot.