Chapter 45: The Thorn Beast

"You!" Land could hardly believe it—Rowling had acted so suddenly, and even more shocking was that he, a third-level warrior, had his weapon seized by a mere third-level mage. Though it was a surprise attack, it was nonetheless a humiliation of the highest order.

At that moment, Captain Bob's eyes flashed keenly. Without any visible movement, he was suddenly in front of Rowling like a phantom. A finger enveloped in powerful battle energy struck toward Rowling’s lower abdomen.

Rowling saw only a blur before Bob appeared right in front of him, and the finger jabbed straight at him. With such a lightning-fast move, Rowling had no time to dodge. At that critical instant, a white bone shield materialized before him. Bob’s finger struck hard, piercing the shield and shattering it with his battle energy. Taking advantage of the slight pause in his opponent’s attack, Rowling activated his lightning speed, leapt backward, and silently recited a spell, preparing for combat.

But Bob waved his hand at him and laughed heartily, "Don’t misunderstand, Brother Rowling! That was just a test. You’re quite impressive. I hereby allow you to join our team—welcome!"

"Captain, we can’t let him join!" Land protested loudly, his humiliation at Rowling's hands turning into deep resentment. He had no desire to let Rowling join their ranks.

"Enough! I’ve made my decision. From this moment forward, Rowling is a member of our squad!" Bob’s face grew stern.

Seeing the captain’s resolute stance, Land had no choice but to glare at Rowling in anger and fall silent.

Rowling’s heart was still pounding fiercely. Bob’s casual strike just now had nearly caught him off guard; his respect for the warriors’ prowess rose even higher. Their speed and close-quarters attacks were truly formidable—he would have to be extremely careful when facing warriors in battle.

"Ha! Rowling, I didn’t expect you to be so fast. Looks like our team has gained another strong ally. Welcome!" Menley hurried over, casting a proud glance at Land. With his fellow countryman performing so brilliantly, he felt a surge of pride.

Rowling nodded to Menley and Bob, saying little, and tossed the short dagger back to Land.

Bob waved his hand grandly, "Alright, the team is complete. Let’s set out!"

Menley immediately took Rowling along, following the captain, with Little Black trotting leisurely by their side.

Land cast a resentful look at Rowling, sheathed his dagger, and with a low grunt, followed them into the mountain pass.

No one could say how long the trees of the Maya Mountains had lived. After a few miles, colossal trees appeared, so vast that two or three people could not encircle them with their arms. Moving further ahead, these giant trees grew even denser, blocking out the sky and shrouding the surroundings in dim light.

Along the way, the group encountered no formidable magical beasts—only a few first-level Red-Tailed Scorpions barred their path, which Land and Menley, both third-level warriors, dispatched swiftly and efficiently. After traversing forty to fifty miles into the magical beast mountain range, night fell.

Captain Bob instructed everyone to stop, rest, and eat some provisions.

"Hey, you all be careful. Don’t start a fire here, whatever you do!" Bob reminded them.

Menley chuckled, "We know, Captain. You warned us several times before we left. Lighting a fire in the Maya Mountains at night is like painting a target on ourselves for every magical beast in the area."

"Good. In a place as dangerous as this, caution is never amiss."

Kuss emerged from the white stone, praising, "Hmm, Bob has quite a bit of experience here. But nighttime is when most magical beasts are active, so you must be extra vigilant. I’m only a spirit here and can’t help much; you’ll have to rely on yourself!"

Rowling nodded, then took a small bundle from Little Black’s neck, tossing several large pieces of roasted meat to the wolf, and then sat with Bob and the others in a circle on the ground, eating dry rations and drinking water.

This bundle was something Kuss had told Rowling to prepare before entering the mountains, to avoid exposing the existence of his necromancer’s space and attracting unwanted attention—a careless moment in the peril-filled Maya Mountains could spell disaster.

As they ate and chatted quietly, Rowling suddenly fell silent and signaled the others to do the same.

None of the others noticed it, but around Rowling was a ring of nearly invisible darkness extending ten meters out, blending perfectly with the night. From that distance, a slight disturbance transmitted along the darkness straight to Rowling.

Dark-type auxiliary magic—Dark Perception—could only be cast by a third-level mage or higher. Following Kuss’s advice, Rowling had not been idle during their meal; he had secretly activated Dark Perception. Night was the favorite environment for dark mages, and Rowling’s skill with this spell was exceptional—even Bob, a fourth-level warrior, failed to notice anything.

After a moment with no further movement, Land scoffed, "Hmph, Rowling, stop scaring yourself. Captain Bob didn’t notice anything, and you’re making a fuss for nothing, making me—"

Before he could finish, Bob raised his hand to silence him, signaling everyone to stand and prepare.

Land was puzzled—was there really danger?

Looking in the direction of Bob’s gaze, he was shocked to see two eerie green lights ‘floating’ not far from them, slowly approaching!

"Ah!" Land cried out in alarm.

His shout startled whatever was lurking in the grass, which froze in place instead of advancing.

Bob glared at him fiercely, and Land, realizing his mistake, dared not say another word.

At that moment, a sudden rustling came from the grass, and a black creature leapt straight at them.

"Careful!" Bob’s muscular arm, wrapped in battle energy, rose to meet the threat. With a loud "bang," the creature was knocked to the ground, rolling several times before it righted itself.

By the faint moonlight, the group saw it clearly—a green-black beast with a lizard-like form, covered in sharp spines, with short limbs ending in razor-sharp claws.

"Whoa, scared me! It’s just a second-level Thorn Beast. Captain, watch me!" Land drew his short dagger and rushed toward it.

The Thorn Beast, seeing the group was difficult to deal with, tried to retreat, but Land blocked its escape. Cornered, the beast’s wild instincts flared—it lunged at Land with its jaws wide and fangs bared.

Land dodged nimbly, evading the attack, then raised his blade for a strike at the beast’s neck. The Thorn Beast quickly raised its claw to block, but Land switched from a slash to a thrust, driving the dagger along the edge of the claw straight into its abdomen.

With a howl, the Thorn Beast collapsed, motionless.

Indeed, Land’s movements were sharp and efficient, leaving no room for hesitation.

"Ha ha, see that, Captain? A little Thorn Beast is nothing!" He shot a challenging look at Rowling and was about to retrieve the beast’s magic crystal core with his dagger.

Suddenly, Bob shouted, "Get back!"

Before Land could react, another black shadow flew at him. In a rush, he managed to dodge aside, avoiding a fatal blow, but the creature’s claw grazed his arm.

With a tearing sound, the sharp claws ripped his sleeve and gashed his skin, leaving a deep bloody mark on his arm.

Land cried out in pain, retreating to Bob and the others. But before he could continue lamenting, he was stunned to see countless eerie green lights flickering in the darkness just ten meters ahead.