Chapter 68: Peerless Infiltration! Assassin-Style Mage!

Chapter 68: Wu Shuang Infiltrates! The Assassin Mage!

Li Wei gazed at the Codex of the Arcane Web, a new thought stirring in his mind.

Earlier, he had worried that Fireball might be exposed, drawing unwanted trouble.

But if he possessed the Codex of the Arcane Web, this problem would vanish entirely.

If questioned—why, he simply learned it from within the Weave itself.

No need to implicate Alan the Mage any longer.

And far safer, too.

Thus, at least for now, he needn’t fear exposure of his spells.

Once his strength grew, who would dare question where he’d learned his magic?

Only now, while his wings were still unfledged, must he tread carefully.

“The Codex of the Arcane Web must be mine!”

Just as Li Wei stepped out of the quartermaster’s office, he encountered a familiar face on the training grounds.

“Oh! Mage Li Wei, you’re here too?”

Lisha called out in surprise, her eyes brightening with delight.

Lanya turned her head and, seeing Li Wei, also showed a flicker of joy.

Hearing the voice, Li Wei turned—and saw the four members of Grass Fox Squad standing together.

His gaze fell upon Kuna and Dias, both looking utterly drained.

He wondered why they hadn’t appeared in his dream the night before.

Ah—right. They had already been slain by a second-tier nightmare.

“You all look unwell,” Li Wei said. “Rest properly. Don’t rush into taking missions.”

Lanya nodded. “Thank you for the advice, Mage Li Wei. We’ll take care.”

Seeing this, he said no more—just a passing reminder, spoken out of courtesy.

If they chose not to listen, it was no concern of his.

Lisha asked eagerly, “Mage Li Wei, would you like to join us on a mission?”

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I already have a partner.”

Lisha’s face fell. “I see…”

He wasn’t lying. His partner was Shadow Servant.

After parting ways with Lanya and the others, Li Wei left Hansha City carrying a recording crystal.

The crystal was a magical item provided by the camp after he accepted his mission—

meant to document proof of completion.

For instance, after destroying an outpost, he could use the crystal to record the ruins as evidence.

Li Wei had officially taken one mission.

The other two were public tasks, open to all.

Leaving Hansha City, he waited until no one was near, then activated his cloak of invisibility—vanishing into thin air.

“Shadow Servant, scout the path ahead.”

His voice was low, barely a whisper.

From the shadow beneath his feet, a dark shape emerged, slithering forward like liquid night.

Beyond the city lay a desolate expanse.

Influenced by the orcs, no ordinary person dared venture outside.

Even merchants who once traveled between towns now chose caution, hiding within the walls.

Only the most reckless dared leave, hoping to profit from war.

Under the orc siege, Hansha City had been nearly severed from the outside world.

Only supply convoys guarded by troops from Mapleleaf City ever broke through the encirclement.

And even then, the risk remained immense.

The orcs surrounded Hansha, using outposts built in a ring to trap its people.

Their armies relied on intelligence from these posts to swiftly hunt down anyone who left—forming a tight, deadly blockade.

Oren wished to destroy these outposts, shattering the orcish grip.

These outposts were small, lacking even basic fortifications.

Yet sending in soldiers to crush them outright proved futile.

The orc warriors were cunning—if they spotted too many enemies, they’d abandon the post and flee.

Only after the threat passed would they return.

Back and forth, the army could do nothing.

Such foes were best dealt with by professionals.

Guided by Shadow Servant, Li Wei soon reached a hillside east of Hansha City.

There, nestled among large boulders, stood a crude orc outpost.

At the foot of the slope lay a human village—now empty.

Some had fled; others hid. All feared the orcs prowling nearby.

Li Wei remained hidden over a hundred meters away, cloaked in invisibility.

“Shadow Servant, locate the orcs—position and number.”

“Yes, master.”

The shadow flowed across the ground like spilled ink, creeping toward the distant outpost.

No one noticed a shifting patch of darkness.

Li Wei waited silently, peering cautiously at the orc camp.

Not even a sentry stood guard.

An orc stepped out, walked behind a rock,

stood there a moment, then turned and left—leaving behind a damp streak on the stone.

“So careless?”

Li Wei mused.

Soon, Shadow Servant returned.

“Eight enemies. Six inside, two outside.”

Shadow Servant extended his hand, the arm dissolving into mist that coiled into a crude map, marking the positions of eight figures.

Li Wei understood at once.

“If only there were a spell to share senses—whatever Shadow Servant sees, I could see too.”

After brief contemplation, Li Wei devised his strategy.

“Six in plain sight, two hidden. Eliminate the two sentries first.”

He glanced again, finally spotting the beastman soldiers lying concealed on the ground.

Had Shadow Servant not detected them, any direct move would have been discovered instantly.

He approached one silently.

“Shadow Tendril!”

A tendril of darkness lashed out from the shadows, coiling around the beastman like a giant serpent.

By the time the soldier sensed danger, the tendril had already tightened with brutal force.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Bones shattered. The beastman died on the spot.

Though the Shadow Tendril’s offensive power was modest among first-tier spells, it was more than sufficient against beastmen who hadn’t even reached the first tier.

With one sentry dead, Li Wei swiftly closed in on the second.

“Shadow Tendril!”

“Shadow Servant, possess his body.”

The shadow slipped into the beastman now bound by the dark tendril.

The soldier thrashed, trying to cry out—but the tendril stuffed his mouth, silencing him completely.

“Mmm! Mmm!”

After a moment, the struggle ceased. The beastman’s eyes turned toward Li Wei’s direction.

“Master.”

Li Wei smiled. “If the beastmen discover me casting spells later, hold them back.”

“Yes, Master.”

Li Wei estimated the distance—within range for spell attacks.

He began casting Fireball, gathering energy.

At full power, he could no longer sustain the Invisibility Cloak.

The fireball swelled rapidly before him, sending ripples of chaotic magical energy through the air.

Ordinary people couldn’t sense such fluctuations, but just in case, Li Wei had Shadow Servant standing by as backup.

Inside the outpost, a beastman squad leader rose abruptly, a sudden unease prickling his mind.

“Go check what’s happening outside.”

Seeing this, Shadow Servant guided the possessed beastman toward the outpost.

Spotting the sentry approaching, the squad leader paused. “Anything unusual out there?”

Shadow Servant replied in a hollow voice: “Nothing. All normal.”

Hearing that, the leader exhaled, relaxing as he sat back down.

Moments later, he shot upright again, something feeling wrong.

“What are you doing out here anyway?”

Whoosh!

A fireball nearly a meter in diameter hurtled toward the outpost.

When the beastman squad leader saw it, his eyes widened—disbelief, dread, and despair flooding his face.

A human mage had been casting right beside them—and no one had noticed?

Boom!

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(End of Chapter)