Chapter 36: Instant Kill

Chapter 36 Instant Kill

Seeing Dias in peril, Li Wei knew he could no longer wait idly by.

He raised his staff.

Kunan watched Dias anxiously, desperate to help yet bound to protect Li Wei.

Suddenly, a flash of red flickered at the edge of his vision.

Whoosh!

A small fireball shot forth.

Kunan’s heart leapt—Li Wei, the mage, had finally acted. Surely now, Dias would be freed from his plight.

Yet the fireball did not burn away the web ensnaring Dias.

Its target was never him to begin with.

Whoosh!

The fireball arced over Dias’s head, tracing a curved path toward the approaching cave spider.

The creature darted sideways, attempting to evade.

But Li Wei triggered the explosion mid-flight.

Boom!

A violent detonation erupted, flames engulfing half the spider’s body.

The shockwave hurled its mangled corpse several meters through the air.

Li Wei stared, stunned.

He hadn’t expected the fireball’s power to surge so dramatically with the aid of his staff.

Manual detonation—the ability to explode a fireball at will—was only attainable upon reaching minor mastery in spellcraft.

And yet, on his first attempt, the result surpassed all expectations.

That moment, the cave spider had still stood a chance to escape.

But the sudden blast trapped it within the fireball’s radius.

Lanya heard the explosion and glanced back—only to see Li Wei felling a cave spider with a single strike.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

With two spiders left, Lanya suddenly felt hope reignite.

She whirled around to rejoin the fight.

“Lisha!” she shouted. “Hold off the other spider! Buy time for Mage Li Wei to cast!”

“Got it!”

Li Wei glanced at Dias, then said to Kunan, “Go help him. I don’t need your protection.”

Kunan hesitated, then nodded. “Understood, Mage. Stay safe.”

Drawing his longsword, Kunan rushed to Dias’s side, hacking at the magical web.

Fire magic could easily dissolve it—but Li Wei had no time to spare.

He had spiders to kill.

Kunan understood, and so resorted to steel, striving to free Dias as quickly as possible.

Li Wei assessed the positions of the remaining two spiders, raised his staff, and launched a second fireball—this one aimed at the closer target.

Whoosh!

The blazing orb streaked forward.

Lanya saw it fly and blinked in astonishment.

Li Wei’s casting speed far exceeded her expectations.

Boom!

The spider was thrown backward, wounded and reeling.

Lanya lunged, swung her greatsword—and delivered the killing blow.

Less than ten seconds had passed. Two cave spiders already dead.

Lanya stood dazed. Too fast…

Thwip!

An arrow zipped toward the last spider—

but it vanished into the trees, the shot missing.

Li Wei swept his gaze across the surroundings, searching for the camouflaged beast.

“Gone?”

He turned in a slow circle—no trace.

“Could it have fled?”

Minutes passed in tense vigilance. Still nothing. The group began to lower their guard.

Lanya returned, three broken fangs in hand. The others continued cutting the web from Dias.

Seeing this, Li Wei lifted his staff. At its tip, a tiny fireball formed—

no larger than a thumb, barely a third the size of a normal one.

Whoosh!

It struck the web near Dias’s feet. Sssss!

The magical strands burned away in an instant under the elemental flame.

Dias scrambled free, slapping out embers clinging to his clothes.

Lisha exhaled sharply, patting her chest. “That was close! I thought we were done for!”

She turned to Li Wei, eyes wide. “Thank the stars you stepped in—wait! Behind you—!”

Li Wei instinctively spun.

Boom!

The long-hidden cave spider dropped from above, crashing down upon him.

It had lain in wait among the branches, perfectly disguised—

and struck the moment Li Wei released his miniature fireball.

Razor-sharp legs scraped across Li Wei’s body, screeching against something unseen.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The spider lunged to bite—only to meet an invisible armor, repelled by an unseen barrier.

Lanya and the others froze, blood draining from their faces.

Quickly grabbed their weapons, eager to save him.

But Li Wei shouted, “Don’t come closer!”

A fireball swelled rapidly between him and the cave spider.

Boom!

Flames erupted skyward; the cave spider exploded into a rain of shredded flesh.

Li Wei stood unharmed, rising from the ground and brushing dust from his clothes.

The invisible armor had blocked both the blast and the dust—yet he brushed instinctively, then stopped when his hands found no fabric to grasp.

Seeing that Li Wei was unscathed, everyone exhaled in profound relief.

Then came overwhelming curiosity—how was this possible?

They had clearly seen the cave spider knock him down. Why was he completely unharmed?

Lanya hurried over and asked anxiously, “Mage Li Wei, are you injured?”

Li Wei shook his head. “I’m fine.”

“Pity,” he added. “The cave spider was blown apart. We won’t find its right fang now.”

Lanya said, “As long as you’re safe, losing one fang doesn’t matter much.”

Each right fang represented a slain cave spider.

Rewards were calculated by how many fangs they brought back—thirty silver coins per fang.

It was a shame to lose one.

Li Wei would receive a share too, which was why he cared.

Lisa ran up, her eyes scanning Li Wei with concern. Seeing he was unharmed, she sighed in relief.

“You scared me half to death! I didn’t expect that spider hadn’t fled—it hid in the tree and ambushed you. When I saw it attack, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. Thank goodness you’re alright.”

Li Wei looked at her and smiled. “Thank you for your warning earlier.”

Their eyes met briefly. Lisa blushed, quickly turning away and waving her hand. “No need to thank me.”

Then remembering something, she rushed to the nearby bushes and began searching.

Finding nothing, she stood, disappointed.

Looking up, she suddenly spotted what she sought embedded in the tree trunk.

She yanked the cave spider’s right fang free and held it up with a bright smile.

“Look—I found it.”

Li Wei smiled back. “Your eyes are sharp.”

Lisa handed the fang to Lanya, grinning proudly. “Of course! I’m a marksman after all!”

Dias and Kunan approached.

Kunan lowered his head. “I’m sorry. If I’d stayed by your side, you wouldn’t have been in danger.”

Li Wei shook his head. “No need to apologize. I told you to go.”

Still, Kunan felt responsible.

After all, a knight’s duty was to protect his companions.

Li Wei changed the subject. “Since we’re all safe, let’s continue the mission. Maybe we can make it back in time for lunch.”

Hearing this, everyone grew excited.

From his tone—they realized—Li Wei intended to take action himself.

(End of Chapter)