Chapter 106: Attack

Chapter 106: The Attack

"Come, come! I've brought meat for everyone."

Everyone pulled out their daggers and small knives, slicing the meat and roasting it over the fire.

In the wild, beasts were never in short supply.

To ordinary people, beasts meant danger.

To those with extraordinary abilities, beasts were merely food.

"Hello, I noticed you haven't eaten. Here's some roasted meat for you."

Bred approached with a friendly greeting.

Li Wei was slightly taken aback. He stood up and accepted the meat. "Thank you."

Bred smiled. "I'm Bred, leader of the Radiant Mercenary Corps."

"My name is Timo," Li Wei replied. "A summoner who wanders the world."

Bred glanced at the brown bear and asked curiously, "Is that your summoned beast?"

Li Wei nodded. "Yes. Tamed it not long ago."

The bear lifted its head, cast a glance at Bred, then lowered it again, closing its eyes to sleep.

Bred chatted with Li Wei for a while, exchanging insights and experiences.

Li Wei, having read countless books, casually wove fragments from his readings into fabricated tales of adventure—each one drawing astonished admiration from Bred.

"You've truly lived an extraordinary life," Bred laughed. "Listening to you makes me want to wander the world myself."

"It's getting late. You should rest. Want to team up tomorrow? I'd love to see a summoner in action."

Li Wei replied apologetically, "Ah, sorry—I'm not very skilled in combat. I wouldn't want to hold you back, Captain Bred."

Bred looked disappointed. "That’s truly a shame."

Seeing the refusal, he didn’t press further.

After bidding farewell, Bred returned to his group.

Li Wei sat down, watching Bred’s retreating figure, eyes clouded in thought.

"What does Bred want? It seems he’s probing the identity of every person in this camp."

Logically, as a mercenary captain, Bred shouldn’t be personally approaching strangers.

Such tasks should be left to subordinates.

Yet Bred had sought Li Wei out himself, subtly testing his origins throughout their conversation.

And it wasn’t just Bred. Li Wei noticed that members of the Radiant Mercenary Corps all seemed to be gathering information about the other adventurers in camp.

He handed the roasted meat to the bear, letting it eat—just in case the meat had been tampered with.

Leaning against the bear’s thick fur, feeling the warmth radiating from its body, he found the night far from cold.

"Something might happen tonight."

A premonition stirred within him.

Softly, he murmured, "Shadow Attendant, stay alert."

The bear grunted softly—an acknowledgment.

Wrapped in his cloak, curled beside the beast, Li Wei feigned sleep, conserving his strength.

After waiting a while and detecting no disturbance in the camp, he decided not to waste more time.

"Shadow Attendant, wake me immediately if anything happens."

With that, he activated the Great Dreamwalking Art, slipping into the dream realm to train his magic without delay.

Fleeing the camp was certainly an option.

But if danger loomed, staying near Guze and Rota would be safer.

They were surrounded by full and apprentice mages from other mage towers.

Together, their combined strength rivaled that of the Radiant Mercenary Corps.

Moreover, Li Wei was concerned for Guze’s safety.

Remaining in camp allowed him to intervene swiftly if needed.

Within the dream, he stayed inside his sanctuary, practicing spells without stepping out.

Always ready to retreat instantly.

He focused on refining Illusory Form, sharpening his control—lest he accidentally reveal his true nature in battle.

Late into the night, most had fallen asleep. Only the night watch remained awake.

The camp was quiet save for the crackling of burning twigs and hushed whispers between guards.

Then—a scream pierced the silence.

"Ahh! My stomach—it hurts! It hurts!"

Like a signal, more screams soon followed.

Nearly a quarter of the camp woke in agony.

Others were jolted awake by the cries.

The bear stirred, nudging Li Wei.

Seconds later, Li Wei emerged from the dream, eyes snapping open.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Grrr… grrr…"

The bear growled low, restrained but tense.

Under Shadow Attendant’s control, the bear rolled onto its side, pawing at its belly.

One look, and Li Wei understood.

Even the bear had stomach pain.

In that instant, he remembered—the piece of meat it had eaten.

"Damn it. The meat was poisoned!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, the camp erupted in chaos.

Li Wei saw black-clad figures storming in, slaughtering adventurers writhing in pain, helpless and defenseless.

The Radiant Mercenary Corps charged out, clashing swords with the intruders.

The others quickly snapped back to their senses and rushed to confront the black-clad assailants.

Li Wei watched as Brad saved someone, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Isn't he the murderer?"

The bear had eaten meat given by Brad.

After a moment’s thought, Li Wei recalled something far more crucial.

Though Brad had handed out the meat, it was roasted wild boar.

Brad was innocent.

The real culprit was the soldier who had served everyone the wild boar meat—he was the true killer!

Li Wei swept his gaze across the crowd and noticed that nearly everyone lying on the ground had eaten some of that roasted meat.

Thankfully, he had been cautious and hadn’t touched it.

Hsssh!

A shadow materialized behind Li Wei.

A glint of cold steel flashed toward his neck.

The assassin struck from behind.

Clang!

The dagger bounced off an invisible armor.

The assassin froze for a second—“What in hell is this?”

Li Wei’s eyes narrowed as he turned.

The brown bear leapt straight at the attacker.

"Shadow Claw!"

Its claws turned pitch-black, radiating thick waves of shadow energy.

The assassin stared in shock—what kind of monster was this?

He pushed his agility and reflexes to the limit, dodging left and right, evading the bear’s furious assault.

"Shadow Tendrils!"

Silent tendrils emerged from the darkness, coiling around the assassin’s passing leg.

When he tried to move, he realized something had seized him.

The Shadow Servant lunged forward.

"Shadow Claw!"

Riiip!

The shadow claws tore through the assassin’s body—he died instantly.

The others hadn’t seen the shadow tendrils; they only witnessed the bear killing the assassin.

They all assumed Li Wei’s summoned creature was simply powerful.

Li Wei turned toward the rest.

The tent where the mages had rested remained silent.

A knot of worry tightened in his chest—had they all been assassinated?

He moved toward the tent when suddenly, the bear approached, holding a dagger and a coin pouch in its jaws, offering them to Li Wei.

He took them quietly, tucking them into the inner pocket of his invisibility cloak.

"Let’s see what’s going on."

Just as he stepped forward, the tent flaps opened, and a group of mages walked out.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Brilliant arcs of magical light erupted into the air.

Seeing this, the black-clad attackers shouted, “Retreat!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Spells exploded outward—fireballs, wind blades, earth spikes, lightning bolts, wooden spears, waves of flame…

The attackers fled, leaving over a dozen corpses behind.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Moments later, soldiers arrived.

“What happened?”

Lena rode into camp on her warhorse.

Li Wei silently retreated into the shadows of the crowd.

Another chapter at noon.

(End of Chapter)