Chapter 162: Counter-Kill and Harvest

Chapter 162: Counterattack and Spoils

Li Wei descended from the air.

Milus and Weeks, seeing him unharmed, both wore expressions of shock.

"This is impossible!"

A dark shadow appeared soundlessly behind Weeks.

"Shadow Claw!"

Crack!

Blue light burst across Weeks’ body as his defensive magical artifacts shattered.

Horror flashed in his eyes.

"What's happening?"

He twisted his head around frantically.

Suddenly, a swirl of black mist enveloped his head.

The Shadow Servant revealed itself, slipping into Weeks’ body through his nose, mouth, and ears.

Witnessing Weeks’ fate, Milus turned pale with terror.

"Damn it—you're a Black Cleric!"

Whoosh!

A blazing fireball, dazzling and searing, plummeted from the sky.

Instinctively, Milus thought of the fireball that had obliterated the lava giant.

He dared not endure such a terrifying attack.

Even a third-stage advanced lava giant had been blown to pieces—how could he possibly survive?

Even if he gambled every last defensive artifact, he couldn’t guarantee survival.

Milus tore open a scroll. Silver light shimmered over his body.

"Space Teleportation Scroll."

Whoosh!

Milus vanished from the spot.

The radiant fireball slowly descended, drifting like a balloon, utterly powerless.

A hundred meters away, Milus reappeared. Seeing the fireball was fake, he became so enraged he nearly spat blood.

"Damn it all!"

Suddenly, he sensed an overwhelming surge of magical energy.

Fear gripped his face as he looked up.

A fireball, bright as the sun, fell from the heavens.

So the ultimate fireball truly existed.

It had lingered in the sky all along, hidden beneath the sun’s brilliance.

Li Wei had used illusion magic to create a false fireball, tricking Milus into revealing his trump card.

Now, Milus had no teleportation scroll left.

"Wind Spirit’s Protection!"

Milus roared, as if begging the true wind spirit for salvation.

Boom!

The super fireball struck.

The explosion unleashed blinding light, dimming even the sun above.

A mushroom cloud rose slowly into the sky.

A devastating shockwave swept outward in all directions.

Weeks, already struggling with the Shadow Servant for control of his body, was hurled backward, crashing violently into the ground.

He nearly passed out.

Li Wei narrowed his eyes, watching the epicenter of the blast.

Truthfully, he hoped Milus survived.

Otherwise, all the spoils would be reduced to ashes.

Whoosh!

Wind swept across the deep crater left by the explosion.

Dust settled.

The scene within was revealed.

Li Wei exhaled in relief.

Milus had survived—but barely, grievously wounded.

His body was charred black, lying motionless on the ground.

Yet Li Wei could sense it—he was still alive.

Milus’ spiritual force was extremely weak.

But not gone. That meant he still lived.

Li Wei clenched his hand in midair.

Arcane power formed a massive blue mage’s hand, lifting Milus from the scorched crater.

Thud!

Milus was thrown onto the ground, his last breath extinguished.

Thud!

Weeks was tossed down beside him, already conquered by the Shadow Servant.

"Shadow Servant, clean the battlefield."

Li Wei glanced at the deep crater left by the explosion, pondering.

"Perhaps I should learn an earth-element spell. Otherwise, after every battle, leaving behind a massive crater—won’t that easily expose my identity?"

"Better to use earth magic appropriately, alter the scene, conceal traces."

The Shadow Servant gathered all valuable items from the two corpses.

Li Wei set a fire, burning the two corpses to ashes.

Erasing all traces.

Milus had a spatial ring; Wickes did not. Everything he owned was in a small pouch carried on his person.

Ignoring the clutter, Li Wei searched for the most valuable items on their bodies.

Inside Milus’s spatial ring were three spellbooks—

all of them wind magic.

First-tier wind spell: *Wind Cut*.

Second-tier wind spell: *Assaulting Storm*.

Third-tier wind spell: *Thousand-Ridge Tempest*.

A smile tugged at Li Wei’s lips. Though they were wind spells, this was still a rich haul.

At the very least, knowing more spells could never be a disadvantage.

If only he had mastered a few more back when he faced the lava serpent and the fire elemental sprite—he wouldn’t have been so helpless.

The balance and clash between elemental attributes truly mattered.

Wickes carried nothing of value.

Yet in his hand lay something that brought Li Wei an unexpected delight.

He found a blueprint—an artifact crafting diagram.

No one knew where Wickes had obtained it.

*Diagram for Crafting the Sourceheart Necklace*: required materials—300 grams of mithril, one element crystal brimming with mana, 50 grams of sourcegold…

The Sourceheart Necklace stored magical energy, swiftly restoring a mage’s spent power when needed.

For Li Wei, this was immensely valuable.

Moreover, he possessed something even better than an element crystal for crafting the necklace.

After securing his loot, Li Wei quickly distanced himself from the scene.

Clink, clink!

He slipped the final gold coin into his spatial ring.

Now he had 297 gold coins in total.

The two men hadn’t carried much money—likely spent all on magical materials.

Milus’s spatial ring overflowed with arcane components. Who knew what he’d been planning with such a stockpile?

By evening, Li Wei returned to Maple City.

His shadow attendant vanished into concealment as Li Wei strode toward the city wall.

He stretched lazily as he walked, loosening stiff limbs.

Holding the same posture all day had left him aching.

Snap, crackle!

His joints popped loudly with the stretch.

“Mmm… much better.”

Clop, clop, clop!

A fine steed approached, its rider even more striking.

“Li Wei! Haven’t seen you in days—where’ve you been?”

Leina spotted him and greeted with a smile.

Li Wei returned the smile. “Attended a mage exchange in Blossom City.”

“I heard you’ve become a full-fledged mage,” Leina said. “Your progress is astonishing!”

Li Wei smiled faintly, thinking: *If only you knew I’ve already reached second tier, you’d probably faint.*

“Yes,” he replied. “I broke through not long ago.”

Leina nodded. “You’re the youngest official mage in Maple City’s history. Your future shines bright. I hope one day we’ll fight side by side.”

Li Wei laughed softly. “That day will come.”

“I’m off now—duty calls.”

“Alright. Farewell.”

“Goodbye.”

Leina waved and rode off, her horse fading into the distance.

Li Wei watched her go, a flicker of curiosity crossing his mind.

It was nearly nightfall—why would Leina be leaving the city now?

At night, beasts grew fiercer.

Nocturnal monsters unseen during daylight prowled beyond the walls.

Outside the city became far more dangerous.

Even seasoned warriors rarely ventured out after dark.

Li Wei shook his head, dismissing the thought.

He turned and headed toward the direction of the Mage Tower.

Back at the tower, he didn’t return to his room.

Instead, he went straight to the third floor.

He had intended to visit the library, searching for second- or third-tier spells suited to him.

But no sooner had he arrived on the third level than a voice echoed in his ears.

“Come up.”

Li Wei froze, then walked toward the golden door.

(End of Chapter)