Chapter 11: Ambush

  “Purple Cloud Scorpion, 4-word Learner Devil beast,” Prai takes a deep breath. As he exhaled, his whole body trembled from the pain.

  The group was completely pitiful and devastated. Prai’s arms were blackened by close-range burns. Although Prai’s metallic body made him able to withstand the immense force and lightning to some extent, his internal organs were still severely damaged.

  Fah’s arm hung limply at her side, constantly coughing up blood. Numerous large burn wounds covered her body. Her hair was disheveled and covered in smoke from the severe shock. She slumped against a rock, completely exhausted.

  Arun opened his bag and grabbed a small bottle, handing it to Fah. Inside was a light red liquid with a pleasant scent, emitting a faint energy. Fah poured some onto the large burn wound on her back before drinking the rest. Her breathing gradually calmed down.

  Ratri remained standing, but her face was extremely pale. Blood continued to flow from the wound on her stomach. She sat down on a rock. Her jaw clenched tightly. She leaned forward, pulling up her shirt, revealing a large wound that was now bruising.

  Ratri took out a canteen of clean water and poured it over the wound to clean all the dirt and dust. She reached into her pocket again, this time she grabbed a small wooden tablet that contained a light green paste. She smeared the paste onto her fingertips, took a deep breath, and then applied it to the wound. Large beads of sweat broke out on her face. Eyes tremble from a pain.

  Once the wound was bandaged, she tossed the tablet towards Prai. His eyes widen as he tries to grab it, but he realizes he can't lift his hands anymore.

  Snap!

  Prai caught the container with his mouth just before it fell to the ground. He glared at Ratri, who was smirking and suppressing laughter.

  Although Emerald adventurers like them earned decent money, this small tablet of healing medicine was still expensive.

  Unless the injury was severe, he'd rather endure the pain and use a low-level healing potion like Fah used instead of wasting this expensive medicine.

  “Good catch, just like Kiita!”

  “Woof!”

  Nice Nice!

  “Pass it properly, you idiot! I can’t use my hands!” Prai shouted. Fah, who had already recovered a bit, grabbed the tablet of medicine and applied it to Prai’s hands. A burning sensation immediately shot through him as the medicine touched the wounds.

  “Is anyone seriously injured or unable to stand? I have some pain-relieving herbs,” Injan said to the team members.

  “I’m alright, but I probably can’t fight anymore. I’ll have to leave it to Arun and Nitaan to take over on the way back.” Prai replied. His two blackened hands trembled frighteningly. Prai’s hands were completely numb. If he didn’t receive treatment from a healer soon, he might have to cut off both hands.

  “I can still contribute with some attacks, but I can’t go in for a direct exchange like before,” Fah added. Her arm, which hung limply by her side, was still immobile. Although not disabled, she certainly couldn’t participate in close combat anytime soon.

  “I'm wasted… Can somebody…”

  “Duck!!” Nitaan suddenly appeared beside Ratri with Prai’s shield in his hand.

  An arrow whizzed through the air towards Ratri at high speed. Upon impact with Prai’s shield, a deafening explosion rang out. The iron shield dented dramatically. Nitaan’s face tenses, preparing for another wave of attack.

  “Good reflexes! Is my ambush that bad?” Three men emerged from the forest. The speaker was a man carrying a longbow. Beside him were two obese men, similar in appearance but differing in hairstyle and beard. One carried a giant axe on his back; the other held a pair of axes in his hands.

  “Well, dealing with a Purple Cloud Scorpion is quite an accomplishment,” said the axe-wielding obese man, a cold, sinister smile fixed on Injan. His gaze swept over Injan's expensive jewelry and backpack.

  "Yes, quite impressive," the obese man wielding dual axes sneered, his aggressive gaze radiating murderous intent towards the adventurers who couldn't fight effectively in such a short time.

  Both lunged forward suddenly. The obese man with dual axes charged at the now powerless Ratri, the closest prey.

  The obese man with the giant axe attacked Injan. He sensed that Injan was the weakest in the group.

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  Attacking the weakest was a standard strategy. Even though the other side was just a group of seriously injured adventurers, he wasn't careless. Besides, there were a seemingly wealthy boy and an elderly man who remained calm and unconcerned.

  With 2 Engravers and 1 Learner, they were confident they could handle almost any situation, as long as their opponents weren't at the level of an Enlightened. And to have Enlightened as a guardian was far too extravagant. Only the future heirs of the Four Great Families and the royal family had the opportunity to be treated that way.

  A giant axe, brimming with power, lunged towards Injan. Injan remained unfazed. He pulled a small golden fan from his pocket.

  The fan seemed to be forged from pure gold, its blades intricately engraved with various bizarre shapes. In his other hand, he clutched a glowing red crystal.

  Injan ground the glowing crystal into powder, smeared it onto the golden fan, and plunged it into the ground before him. The golden fan shattered, transforming into a magnificent golden wall made of light.

  The massive golden wall blocked the giant axe of the obese bandits. The attack was completely stopped while the golden wall remained standing undamaged.

  The giant axe bandit grinned cruelly. His hands glowed brightly. Under the light, black characters began to form from nothingness, appearing on the backs of his hands as if directly etched into the skin. These characters were written in the language of an unknown civilization, a single, solitary symbol. Though no one had ever seen this symbol, its meaning was instantly understood upon gazing at it.

  Bend

  With another swing of the giant axe, the golden wall that had easily withstood the attack now warped violently. From a magnificent golden wall, it now twisted and folded like an ordinary curtain, crumpled in a bizarre state.

  With only a few blows, the golden wall crumpled beyond its ability to maintain its form, collapsing.

  Injan's face was grim, and he muttered, "First word Engraver."

  "You've got a lot of toys, kid. Judging by the Enchanted artifacts you're using, you must come from a noble family," the giant axe bandit licked his lips. The golden wall was an Enchanted artifact capable of unleashing power at the level of a First word Engraver. If he could kill Injan, all the treasure would become his.

  Meanwhile, another obese man lunged towards Ratri. His feet glowed brightly, and another word formed on his right leg, covering the area up to his calf.

  Bounce

  As the words fully formed, the dual axes bandit stomped his right foot to the ground. His right leg, upon contact, unnaturally folded in layers, then sprang out like a spring, propelling his body forward like an arrow.

  His speed increased many times over. In an instant, he was only a short distance from Ratri, who was struggling to stand.

  Arun concentrated, creating numerous walls to block his path, but the man seemed to sense them as he approached. He twisted in mid-air, turning and delivering a powerful kick with his right leg to the invisible wall.

  Arun suddenly felt his walls curve like rubber before bouncing away.

  Fah used that moment to burrow underground, grab Ratri, and hoist her onto his back. She then ran to rejoin the group. Nitaan quickly followed.

  They all moved closer to Injan, forming a small formation with Prai and Ratri within. Without even time to speak, a massive barrage of arrows pierced the air towards the group.

  Arun used his power to create another invisible wall at that side. Numerous arrows struck the invisible wall, shattering it along with the wall itself.

  As the wall dissipated, Arun created even more invisible walls.

  The bandit archer continued firing arrows, a maniacal smile on his face. His relentless attack seemed able to last a long time. Arun, however, was sweating profusely, and his breath was ragged. With each new wall created, Arun's expression worsened.

  The two obese bandits attacked from both sides. On one side, Injan used his small fan to create another golden wall, momentarily blocking the giant axe. But the problem arose on the other side.

  Arun gritted his teeth and created a giant wall to protect the group. However, the dual axes bandit stomped his foot, unleashing power into the ground. The ground acted like a lever, pushing the invisible wall into the air.

  Prai, enduring the pain, raised his shield, hoping to block the attack. His hands trembled, and his whole body transformed into metallic form. Massive roots gripped his feet, pinning him to the ground. The roots entwined his shield and his black hands, binding them together since he couldn't lift the shield with his own two hands anymore.

  Prai's body tensed, steeling his strength to withstand the dual axes bandit attacking him. When the axes struck the shield, numerous cracks spread menacingly. At one point, the shield shattered, and Prai's body flew through the air like a kite.

  Prai couldn't withstand even a single attack.

  Once the obstacle in his path was gone, the dual axes bandit changed his attack target, lunging towards Injan, who was dealing with the giant axe bandit. He wanted to seize this opportunity to kill Injan with a flanking attack.

  He was confident that this young man from a noble family had more trump cards up his sleeve. He wanted to prevent any future problems arising from other treasures the young man possessed.

  The dual axes bandit swiftly reached Injan. The powerful axes swung down, aiming for a fatal blow to the back. Injan, realizing the danger a split second too late, turned to look at the axe just inches from his face, his eyes filled with panic.

  The close proximity meant he couldn't use any artifacts to defend himself. If the axe struck him, he would have no chance of survival. The disparity in power would make it impossible for him to endure the blow like Prai.

  "2 First word Engravers are too much as trials." A hoarse voice sounded from ahead. The surrounding temperature soared.

  Elder Grai's figure suddenly appeared between the dual axes bandit and Injan. Elder Grai remained calm, seemingly unaffected by the situation. Immense heat radiated from him.

  A bright red light emanated from Elder Grai's forehead. Dark red characters appeared, yet they were difficult to read, as if obscured by mist. No matter how hard one strained to see them, one was not able to look through.

  A massive sea of ??flames erupted in the middle of the forest. The flames spread out, enveloping the group. Around Elder Grai, a scorching fire erupted, burning the trees and grass around him.

  The intense heat clashed with the dual axes bandit, forcing him to back away. The flames, capable of harming a First word Engraver, consumed everything around Elder Grai except the group within.

  Seeing this, the dual axes bandit signaled to the giant Axe Bandit with a glance. They exchanged brief eye contact before changing their target, charging together towards Elder Grai in the center of the flames.

  The giant axe bandit raised both hands forward. A glowing light shone from the back of his hands again. Flames began to curl outwards, twisting and parting to create a path for the two bandits to rush through without being harmed by the intense heat.

  Elder Grai's face remained impassive. He raised his right hand, turning his palm towards the giant axe bandit. His right hand emitted a soft green light. Another set of characters formed on the back of his hand. Like the previous characters, they were hazy and difficult to read, as if obscured by a thick, cloudy glass.

  Elder Grai pushed his hand towards the two bandits. The giant axe bandit and the dual axes bandit that were lunging at him were deflected by an invisible hand. Both bodies were sent flying into the air, their faces slightly pale. While in midair, both bandits, who should have been sent flying, strangely veered off course and landed safely on the ground instead.

  The giant axe bandit and the dual axes bandit now realized who was the strongest in the group.

  "So, you have a Second word Engraver as a bodyguard," the dual axes bandit said nonchalantly.

  "A low-class bandit is not fit to touch even a single strand of the young master's hair," Elder Grai said with an indifferent expression.

  A tremendous spiritual energy surged out of Elder Grai, proclaiming strength far superior to anyone else present.