Chapter 121: Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

Chapter 121: Three Monks, No Water to Drink

Veld and Rayan turned to look at Levi.

Before them lay the mithril ore—within reach.

Whether they could claim it now depended entirely on Levi.

No one else here had the power to tunnel through over a hundred meters of mountain rock.

Levi hesitated for a moment, then said, “No problem. Leave it to me.”

Veld exhaled in relief. “That’s truly wonderful. Once we have the mithril, we can discuss how to divide it.”

Rayan slapped his chest solemnly. “Timothy, don’t worry—I’ll protect you with my life.”

Levi glanced at him and said, “Thank you.”

Veld stepped back.

The golden anteater widened the entrance, slipped inside, and began digging.

The pace was slow—painfully so.

Yet everyone waited with quiet patience.

After all, treasure lay just ahead.

Within grasp!

Levi subtly cast a glance toward Veld and Rayan, watching their expressions.

Veld stared at the golden anteater, lost in thought.

Rayan scanned the surroundings from time to time, silently taking on the role of lookout.

Unnoticed, the golden anteater had already tunneled halfway through.

But Veld still hadn’t brought up how they would split the mithril.

Doubt stirred in Levi’s heart—he suspected Veld intended to keep it all.

Otherwise, wouldn’t he have mentioned it by now?

Wouldn’t it be better to talk first?

Yet if Veld stayed silent, Levi wouldn’t push.

And seeing both men quiet, Rayan also remained silent.

Each man’s thoughts ran down separate paths.

Suddenly, Levi spoke. “Mage Veld, are you close with Mage Allen?”

Veld paused, startled. “We’re… fairly familiar. We spent nearly half a year together. I’d say we understand each other well enough.”

“Mage Allen heard you were in danger,” Levi said, “and rushed headlong to save you.”

Veld looked surprised. “Is that so?”

Rayan nodded. “Yes. Archmage Allen ordered everyone to come down—just to ensure your safe return.”

A flicker of genuine astonishment crossed Veld’s face.

Then, slowly, he understood.

Allen’s concern couldn’t stem merely from friendship.

They weren’t that close.

Levi turned to Rayan. “Did Archmage Allen come down himself?”

Rayan shook his head. “Not sure. When I descended, he was still above. Whether he followed later—I don’t know.”

The three exchanged idle words, passing the time.

Then, faintly, Levi sensed a ripple—a whisper of shadow energy.

He didn’t turn around.

Others had arrived, though they hadn’t revealed themselves.

Discovery was inevitable; Levi didn’t fret.

The golden anteater’s digging made too much noise—bound to draw attention.

At last, after endless waiting, the beast broke through the mountain wall.

Boom!

Soil rained down. Plop!

Splash!

A subterranean river surged beneath, sweeping away fallen stones and earth in an instant.

The golden anteater crawled out, clinging to the cliffside.

The three approached the edge of the opening.

There—wedged in a crack across the chasm—the mithril ore sat untouched by the dark river below.

Now came the dilemma: how to cross?

None of them could fly.

“I happen to have a magic scroll—Wings of the Wind Spirit,” Veld said. “I can fly across and retrieve the ore.”

As he spoke, he looked to the others for agreement.

Levi waved a hand. “Don’t look at me. I can’t cross.”

“The anteater’s tongue isn’t long enough. Even if it were, it couldn’t carry such a heavy chunk of ore.”

Rayan said, “Then leave it to Mage Veld. The two of us will stay here.”

Veld smiled. “Don’t worry—I won’t take it all.”

With that, he unrolled the scroll.

Azure wind elements swirled behind him, forming delicate wings of air.

Veld lifted into the sky, gliding toward the opposite bank.

Halfway across, a sudden, heavy sound tore through the air from behind.

Boom!

Veld twisted around just in time to see a dark shadow hurtling toward him.

He had no time to react—struck full force, sent spinning backward.

His magical shield flared with light, barely deflecting the blow.

In midair, his body tumbled, teetering on the brink of plunging into the underground river below.

His foot plunged into the water before he finally steadied himself and took flight once more.

“Damn it! Rayan!”

Splash!

The sound of falling water drew Wilde’s gaze downward.

He saw a dark shadow plummet from the opening, swallowed by the underground river’s raging current—vanishing without a trace.

Only Rayan remained at the mouth of the cave.

A cold glint flashed in Wilde’s eyes.

Timoth had fallen into the subterranean river—his fate now grim, likely beyond salvation.

That man was too foolish.

A summoner who didn’t keep his summoned beast close, yet trusted a stranger?

His death was no loss.

“Rayan, where is your knightly honor?” Wilde demanded.

He sneered, mocking, “Is this how you repay one who saved your life? By killing him with your own hand?”

Rayan grinned. “Don’t worry. You’re next.”

Even as he spoke, he spun and slashed his sword into the darkness behind him.

“You—”

A voice trembled in shock from the shadows.

The hidden assassin hadn’t expected to be discovered.

None of them had shown any sign—how could they have known?

Thrust!

Rayan’s strength surpassed the assassin’s expectations. Within moments, the killer lay dead at his feet.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Outside the cavern, the golden anteater went berserk.

Its long tongue lashed wildly, striking at Wilde hovering in midair.

Wilde’s expression darkened. Timoth had lied through his teeth.

All that talk about its tongue being too short to lift ore—

utter falsehoods.

Crack!

After several evasions, Wilde was finally struck, sent flying by the whip-like blow.

Yet even then, he managed to cast his spell.

“Mire Trap!”

The wall beneath the golden anteater turned to thick mud.

Under gravity’s pull, the entire section collapsed, sliding into the underground river below.

Deprived of footing, the beast scrambled wildly, claws clawing at empty air, desperate for purchase.

Splash!

The golden anteater plunged into the churning waters.

The cavern entrance, destabilized as the cliff face turned to mire, crumbled shut, buried beneath debris.

Rayan stared at the collapsed opening, brow furrowed.

He shifted his sword to his left hand, gathered aura in his right, and drove his fist forward.

Boom!

Soil exploded outward from the sealed passage, raining down into the river.

Rayan stepped out.

And saw Wilde already standing beside the mithril ore.

Wilde tried to take the entire chunk—but it was too large, wouldn’t fit in his spatial ring.

Hearing movement behind him, he knew Rayan had broken free.

Frantically, he cast his spell to split the ore.

“Wind Slash!”

A piece of mithril dropped into his palm. He swiftly stashed it in his ring.

Boom!

Rayan leapt—soaring across the twenty-meter-wide underground river, launching himself toward Wilde in midair.

Wilde glanced back—and a flicker of triumph lit his eyes.

“Perfect chance!”

A ring on his finger flared. Instantly, a fireball coalesced and shot toward Rayan mid-leap.

Rayan faltered, startled. He swung his blade to deflect the flame.

He’d meant to cross the river during Wilde’s casting window—

but using a magic ring to unleash spells instantly? That threw him off balance, caught between advance and retreat.

At the edge of the underground river, Li Wei stood atop his Shadow Servant, cloaked in invisibility, gazing upward at the clash above.

The figure that had fallen into the river earlier—was merely a stone.

(End of Chapter)