anovelconsole Chapter 30 Battle of Wits
Chapter 30 Battle of Wits
"...Okay, if you're asking me, I wouldn't recommend you go to Juventus City right now."
In short, You Che still offered some advice to the businessman and, without revealing that he knew the future direction, analyzed the risks of going there.
The merchant nodded repeatedly as he listened, but whether he truly took it to heart was another matter.
You Che didn't say anything more. He had already hinted enough. If the other party didn't listen, they wouldn't believe him even if he told them the truth.
"In short, you're not in good shape right now, so you should find a village or town to rest as soon as possible."
You Che said to the merchant, "I have urgent business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
Of course, the reason he said it was urgent was that if he didn't leave soon, another wave of Hellfire races would spawn nearby.
The merchant stopped him, saying, "Wait, I haven't given you my thank-you gift yet!"
As he spoke, he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a black headscarf, handing it over.
You Che was slightly taken aback: "Why are you giving me this?"
The merchant said, "Don't underestimate this unassuming headscarf; it's actually an enchanted item that can provide protection against flying projectiles... although it can only block a small portion."
"In addition, this can also... cover up some special marks that might not be suitable to be displayed."
As he spoke, he pointed to his forehead as a gesture.
"Of course! I have no problem with your preferences, but if you're going to other villages or towns, it might be better to cover this up..."
You Che was taken aback at first, then realized that he was referring to the mark on his forehead.
Once he realized what the businessman was trying to say, his face immediately darkened.
Damn it, what do you mean by "my preferences"?
You Che almost couldn't help but curse.
Do you think I kept this thing on my forehead because I wanted to?
In fact, in order not to reveal the mark on his forehead, Youche had already put on the skeleton mage's tattered robe before he appeared.
This tattered robe offers little in terms of defense, but it does have a basic effect of suppressing magical energy fluctuations, which can to some extent conceal the dark energy fluctuations of the mark on his body.
However, it now seems that Yu Che has clearly overlooked something very important.
That is, besides its dark power, it might be better to cover up the mark on the forehead itself.
The reason why is that, after all, this thing is shaped like a lip print...
Realizing this problem he had previously overlooked, You Che's face turned pale and then red.
The merchant noticed the change in his expression, so he gave a friendly, slightly awkward but polite smile, his eyes carrying a hint of meaning, as if to say:
It's okay, bro, I understand!
You don't understand the handle of a halberd at all!
You Che tried very hard to hold back his foul language.
He had initially planned to leave, but after thinking it over, he accepted the headscarf and said through gritted teeth, "Thank you!"
Seeing that the merchant still wanted to say something, You Che stopped wasting time, got up to say goodbye, and turned to leave.
The businessman shouted from behind him, "My name is Irving! Hope to see you again!"
You Che pretended not to hear and left the camp without looking back.
……
Most of the day later.
Wearing a cloak and a headscarf, You Che squatted at the entrance of a secluded valley, watching a fight taking place inside.
The two sides in the fight were a giant, strange terrestrial bird that was more than a person tall when standing, with a beak that was more than a meter long and had sharp edges like knives.
On the other side, there was a peculiar squad consisting of three young men and women with childlike faces, dressed in identical, ornate uniforms, and three mountain bandits with fierce and crude appearances, dressed in a variety of clothes and equipment.
As for how this group of people ended up together, You Che wouldn't have imagined so many twists and turns if he hadn't accidentally witnessed the whole thing.
Simply put, he initially identified his next target—a small group of bandits entrenched in the area—by obtaining intelligence about the surrounding region from merchants.
Bandit strongholds are also randomly spawning resource points in the game, appearing as question marks on the map. Clearing them out will grant you some reputation and specific resources.
But most importantly, in the game, clearing out the bandit's hideout will definitely refresh the file containing "detailed information about the nearby area".
This is exactly why You Che came here.
Compared to slowly searching for resource points and maze locations on your own, it's obviously more convenient and faster to just pick up what's readily available, especially since bandit hideouts themselves also have some resources to collect.
So he followed the direction the merchant had come from and found the valley, where the bandits' stronghold was said to be hidden.
But just as he arrived, he saw a man who looked somewhat like Patch leading three young men and women toward the valley.
Judging from the conversation, it seems that three young people were going into the mountains to collect specific medicinal herbs, so they hired a local guide to lead the way.
Unsurprisingly, the guy who looked like a bad person was indeed a bandit. He led the three young men into a small valley, then called his companions, intending to close the net.
—Hey! You didn't expect that, did you? I'm actually a bandit! Brothers, get me!
The bandits who surrounded them rushed forward with sinister smiles, and the one in the lead was hit by a standard fireball, which blasted him away.
The three young men then revealed the uniforms beneath their cloaks.
—Hey! Sorry, we anticipated your prediction. We're here for you bandits!
One of the five bandits was immediately gone, but the rest did not panic. The man who led the way took out a whistle and blew it, summoning the giant strange bird.
—Wait a minute! You think you've already won? This is our boss's monster bird, LV14! Do you dare disobey me, who owns this monster bird?
The three young people remained calm, and one of the girls raised her staff.
—How naive! It's just a magical beast forcibly controlled by a enslavement collar. I'll remove the magic from it right now!
The bandits panicked upon seeing this.
—What the hell are you doing?! If you deactivate this, we're all doomed... Ah!!
Then, freed from its restraints, the giant bird immediately devoured the unfortunate creature standing next to it, and still not satisfied, it launched an attack on the others.
This guy seems to be starving, and it looks like he's planning to show off to everyone in the valley all at once.
Those bandits were all level 6 or 7 melee fighters, while the three young men were all level 8 mages. On paper, if they all attacked together, they could defeat the giant bird.
Unfortunately, setting aside their actual combat awareness and skills, the current chaotic situation alone makes it difficult for them to achieve the theoretically optimal results.
Fortunately, neither side wanted to die, and in order to escape, they had no choice but to cooperate, which led to the current situation.
Yu Che, who was just observing the whole thing, commented: "Amazing."
In terms of top-level strategic combat.
However, putting aside the somewhat tense battle of wits and courage between these young boys and the bandits, the young leader among the three young men actually had some talent for command.
His personal career inclination is that of a mage, standing at the back, dealing damage while giving commands.
First, he has a clear understanding of his companions' abilities, and he can play a key role in the instructions he gives them.
He didn't leave the bandits alone either, having them harass the giant bird in various ways at opportune moments to create space for his companions to attack.
With his skillful tactical arrangements, the giant bird's health was indeed gradually whittled down to only one-third of its original value.
The boy in charge was also covered in sweat, but his eyes shone with excitement: "Hang in there, everyone! We'll take care of it soon!"
However, he did not notice that a bandit who had previously shouted that he was "seriously injured and could not make it" and hid to the side had quietly slipped behind him at some point, holding a dagger with some rust in his hand.
Seizing the opportunity when the boy was catching his breath after casting his magic, the bandits rushed forward, shouting, "Thanks for your hard work—die!"
juvenile:"!?"
Just then.
"Whoosh—"
A faint sound of wind breaking suddenly came, and an ordinary-looking dagger flew out from nowhere, piercing the bandit's head from the side before he could launch a successful sneak attack!
Everyone: "!!"
Yu Che emerged from behind the bushes where he was hiding, and said as if to himself, "Students of Royal Academy... you're lucky to have met me."