Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the blue-and-red missile of light was once again smashed to pieces by Tomo's shield.
But this time, Tomo was clearly not in a good state.
After being hit by a First-Circle spell twice in a row, the enchanted heater shield in his hand had been completely dented, looking as though it was on the verge of being ruined.
Even Tomo's arm was visibly contorted, clearly broken.
Tomo gritted his teeth in pain, but he still had no intention of attacking. Instead, he shouted at Lynn, “Stop! We can make a deal! I have something I can give you!”
The dual-dagger man also retreated to Tomo's side, and the two sides faced off in a tense standoff.
Only Lynn remained expressionless, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
Having just cleared the kobold tribe and fired two Magic Missiles, his mana was nearly depleted.
However, the 【Mage's Juice Box】 in his mind was still completely full.
If he wanted to, he could make these two stay in this mine shaft forever at any moment.
With this thought, his mind touched the juice box in his head. Taking a mental sip of juice, Lynn's mana instantly restored to full.
This feeling of rapidly replenishing mana was incredibly satisfying.
But just as Lynn was pondering how to deal with these two idiots, Tomo nudged the dual-dagger man from behind.
The dual-dagger man looked back, only to see Tomo mouth a single word to him: “Run.”
What? They were going to run?
The two of them, official class-holders, had come to rob an apprentice, only to end up fleeing with their tails between their legs?
The dual-dagger man felt somewhat unwilling.
But he had already witnessed the opponent's strength. The two of them truly couldn't beat him.
A strategic retreat was indeed the best option.
The two exchanged a quick glance and instantly reached an agreement.
Time to slip away!
At this moment, Tomo and his underling finally displayed some proper teamwork. They bolted, escaping the abandoned mine shaft in the blink of an eye.
“Farewell, you idiot Mage!”
Even though he was fleeing, Tomo still laughed arrogantly.
Damned Mage, what was he so smug about? A mere apprentice daring to act tough in front of an official class-holder!
I might not be able to beat you, but there's no way I can't outrun you!
...
A moment later, back inside the mine shaft.
“Who's the idiot? Hmm?”
Lynn slapped Tomo on the back of his head.
By now, the two class-holders had been securely tied up, kneeling before Lynn.
The dual-dagger man was still a bit dazed.
What had just happened?
He only remembered that after they fled, a figure suddenly appeared like a ghost, gliding toward them without even touching the ground.
Then, a sharp pain shot through his back, as if he had been stabbed by something sharp, and he immediately lost consciousness.
Even now, his backside was still throbbing with pain.
His boss had seemingly put up a token resistance, but had still been easily subdued.
Only the plate-armored man, Tomo, knew exactly what had happened.
That damnable Mage—no, Lord Mage!
Lord Mage's speed was actually faster than both of theirs. He had caught up instantly and knocked out his underling with a Rogue skill.
As for Tomo himself, because he tried to keep running, he received an even harsher punishment: both of his kidneys had been pierced by a Kidney Strike!
Although Lord Mage was merciful enough to let Tomo use a Life Potion to save his kidneys, the agony of almost saying goodbye to his lifelong happiness was something he would probably never forget for the rest of his life.
This time, they were completely finished.
He had lost an enchanted shield worth over twenty gold coins, a Life Potion, and now he would probably have to hand over the secret he had treasured for so long.
“I'm asking you a question. Who's the idiot?”
Henry also squeezed over at this moment, slapping Tomo on the head again.
Seeing this brown-haired kid—who hadn't even participated in the fight and looked completely foolish—dare to humiliate him, Tomo instantly felt a surge of shame and anger.
A fallen tiger bullied by a dog!
A warrior can be killed, but not insulted!
Tomo immediately glared at Henry, adopting a stance that even if he died, he would not tolerate such humiliation.
But a split second later, Lord Mage's staff pressed against his head.
Tomo's mind suddenly flashed back to his childhood, when he and Toby—the dual-dagger man—ran carefree through the fields.
Staring at the staff pressed right against his face, and that dark, hollow muzzle, Tomo said, “I'm the idiot. I'm the idiot, hehe.”
Henry's hands were incredibly quick. In the blink of an eye, he stripped both Tomo and Toby bare.
A set of plate armor, a Zero-Circle spell scroll, a few gold coins, and three fireproof potions.
All in all, it was worth about thirty gold coins.
These two were clearly much wealthier than the rogue in the Graveyard from before. After all, they were also stronger than that rogue.
“You two idiots ruined my enchanted shield! You have to compensate me for it.”
Lynn looked with heartache at the shield that now had a massive dent from his Magic Missiles.
Damn it, didn't you blast it yourself with your Magic Missiles?!
Tomo's indignation flared up, and his attitude stiffened slightly.
But the moment the “dwarven musket” nudged his head, Tomo instantly softened again, quickly offering a placating smile.
“We will definitely gather the money as soon as we return and compensate you, Lord Mage.”
“Return?” Lynn's voice sounded sinister. “You still expect to go back?”
Tomo's knees went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
But at the critical moment, his eyes caught the fireproof potions in Henry's hands, reminding him of the contingency plan they had prepared before coming here.
“Don't kill us! We have something you need, Lord Mage!”
“Oh? Let's hear it.”
“An Obsidian Rose! We discovered an Obsidian Rose! As a Mage, you will definitely need it. Even if you don't, it's worth dozens of gold coins, which is more than enough to compensate for your enchanted shield!”
Facing a life-or-death crisis, Tomo spoke at an unprecedented speed, rattling off a long string of words in a matter of seconds.
An Obsidian Rose?
Lynn was somewhat skeptical.
Could it really be such a coincidence?
Rate on N.U.
