Chapter 50: Smiling with a Hidden Blade

The fierce battle between Little Black and the Light Wolf leader had left it utterly exhausted. This was its first time engaging in a direct fight with a magical beast of equal rank. Upon recognizing the newcomer as Captain Bob, who had previously traveled with Rollin, Little Black relaxed and flopped onto the ground with a thud, settling down to rest.

With a heavy thump, Bob approached and tossed the massive corpse of a wolf onto the ground. “Oh, Rollin, what a surprise to meet you here! Did you and this donkey kill all these light wolves? And was it the two of you who drove away the Light Wolf leader as well?” He gazed in astonishment at the field strewn with wolf carcasses.

Rollin chuckled, “Captain, fortunately these light wolves were only second-rank. My magical beast, the Windchaser Donkey, held them off for a while, giving me the time to cast my spells and finish them off. As for the Light Wolf leader, it only arrived after most of its pack had been slain—perhaps it’s more timid than the others. Seeing so many of its kin dead, and finding itself outnumbered by me and my beast, it fled with its tail between its legs.”

Out of caution, Rollin had no intention of revealing anything about the Necromancer’s Space or the little skeleton Brian. Thus, he fabricated this explanation; though it was full of holes, he couldn’t be bothered with such details now.

Captain Bob, however, paid the story no mind. He nodded and said, “By the way, Rollin, have you seen where Land and Monley ran off to? I’ve been searching for them for ages but can’t find a trace.”

Rollin shook his head. “When you gave us the order, Captain, we all split up and ran. After that, no one could find anyone else.”

Bob smiled. “True enough. Well then, let me help you extract the magic cores from these light wolves, and afterward we’ll look for the others together.” He gestured at the wolf corpses with his massive blade.

Rollin had no objections to this proposal. Yet, just as he turned to collect the magic cores, Bob suddenly swung his great blade, aiming a vicious blow at Rollin’s head—his face still wearing the same gentle smile as before.

At such close range, even if Rollin had unleashed his lightning-quick movement spell at full force, he’d have stood no chance of evading a full-powered strike from a fourth-rank warrior like Bob. In fact, Rollin didn’t even have time to cast the spell. The attack was perfectly timed, leaving Rollin with no hope of escape—Bob had clearly anticipated this.

Yet, in the face of certain death, Rollin’s expression showed not the slightest hint of panic. His gaze was terrifyingly calm, and he didn’t so much as flinch. Just as the blade was less than half a foot from his head, there was a sudden thunderous crash—a massive boulder, taller than a man, materialized out of thin air and smashed down upon the blade, forcing it to the ground before Bob could react.

Seizing the moment, Rollin sprang backward, casting both Lightning Speed and the Sacred Armor of the Undead in rapid succession, his eyes cold as he faced his adversary.

With a roar, Bob’s battle aura exploded forth as he shattered the boulder with a powerful swing. Though his plot had been thwarted by the sudden appearance of the stone, he showed no anger—on the contrary, a gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes as he stared at the crumbled rock. “Rollin, it seems you don’t just have a spatial ring, but an extraordinary one at that—one capable of storing such a massive stone!”

With those words, Rollin immediately realized why Bob had suddenly turned on him—at some point, Bob must have witnessed him using the Necromancer’s Space to retrieve something, and mistook it for a spatial ring. No wonder, for even the spatial rings possessed by the likes of Chief Marler required the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of gold coins and favors to acquire. The value of Rollin’s “spatial ring” was thus beyond measure.

Here in the perilous Maya Mountains, with no one else around, Bob had seized the perfect opportunity. He could kill Rollin and no one would ever know.

As for how Rollin had anticipated the attack and managed to retrieve the boulder from the Necromancer’s Space in time to block the blow—it was because he had noticed Bob’s evasive gaze while they spoke. Growing up in the slums of Borsang Town, Rollin had dealt with countless two-faced characters like Bob and could spot them instantly.

Such men always said one thing while thinking another, and were never up to any good. Moreover, Bob had been edging closer throughout their conversation—a detail that put Rollin, physically weaker as a mage, on high alert.

Taking a deep breath, Rollin asked, “Bob, how did you know I had a spatial ring?”

Bob chuckled coldly. “Since you’re already a dead man, there’s no harm in telling you. Yesterday, during the battle with the Thorn Beast—your staff!”

“Hmph, I took that staff from a bundle I carry with me!” Rollin recalled that in the heat of last night’s battle, to conserve magical energy and spirit, he had indeed retrieved his staff from the Necromancer’s Space. But he had already anticipated such a problem and had packed a small bundle containing food and other items as a cover.

Bob sneered, “Ha! I’d already checked your bundle—there was no staff inside. Yet during the fight last night, you produced one. And just now, this huge boulder—how do you explain that?”

“So Bob has had his eye on me for some time now…” Rollin thought grimly.

By now, Little Black had already risen and stood protectively at Rollin’s side, glaring furiously at Bob, eager to kick this treacherous attacker to death with its hooves.

Bob, however, paid the donkey no heed. He sneered, “Rollin, if I’m not mistaken, your magical beast is already fourth-rank, isn’t it?”

Rollin was shocked. He’d thought that Little Black’s juvenile size would fool others into believing it was nothing more than a young Windchaser. But Bob had seen right through it.

Bob continued in his unhurried tone, “Rollin, I know you’re stalling for time, trying to recover the magical energy and spirit you spent fighting the light wolves. But it’s pointless. Let me tell you another secret—last night, during the battle with the fused Thorn Beast, I had a breakthrough. I’m now a fifth-rank warrior. Otherwise, how could I have so easily slain that fourth-rank Light Wolf leader just now?”

“Bob, what if I told you I don’t have a spatial ring? That the staff was drawn from a separate space I cultivated myself, and even if you took it, it would be useless to you—would you believe me?” Rollin knew he stood no chance against a fifth-rank warrior, so he tried to reason with him.

Bob laughed derisively. “Do you take me for a three-year-old? Don’t try to trick me—any resistance is futile!” He slowly raised his broad-bladed sword, its edge glinting coldly in the sunlight.

It was no surprise—necromancers were exceedingly rare in the Light Alliance. In over a thousand years since the founding of Potter Academy, only one Thomas had ever emerged. To Bob, Rollin’s explanation was nothing but a fairy tale. Even if Rollin demonstrated the Necromancer’s Space before his eyes, it would be pointless.

Seeing that Bob was entirely unconvinced, Rollin gave up on further explanation. A flash of light passed through his eyes. “Oh? If you think my beast and I can’t defeat you, what if I add a few more?” As he spoke, Rollin swept his arm, and a skeleton materialized at his side. But that was only the beginning. With another movement, Bob watched in horror as the corpses of the light wolves strewn about the ground began to stir and rise, their bodies shuddering with a ghastly, creaking sound as their frozen joints struggled to move.

Even the enormous body of the Light Wolf leader, which Bob himself had hurled to the ground earlier, was now lurching to its feet. Its blackened, congealed wounds glared at Bob like a dreadful accusation.