Versatile Mage

Somewhere in the distance, on top of an old tree growing away from the rest of the plants, a fairly skinny young man was sitting on a branch. His eyes were wide, as he could not believe what he had just witnessed in the center of the swamp.

His teeth started grinding subconsciously. It took him quite some time before he could collect his thoughts. He even stared at the ground below him, which was overgrown with weeds…

After taking a close look, Zhang Xiaohou was confident that it would not rise all of a sudden. Half of his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

What the hell is wrong with this place!

Zhang Xiaohou was utterly terrified. He was planning to track the corpses, but considering that he would not be able to move freely in the valley, he decided to tailgate the group of hunters while maintaining a certain distance from them.

To his surprise, the whole group was wiped out within a few blinks of an eye!

The hunters, consisting of Intermediate Magicians, were considered an elite group, but had just been wiped out so easily!

Not knowing if he should feel lucky or pessimistic, Zhang Xiaohou somehow lost track of his direction. The valley was scarier than he had imagined. The enormous creature at the center of the swamp had definitely surpassed the Warrior-level.

Should he leave the valley at once, or…

Damn it, how could he leave before finding the person he was looking for!

He would just avoid going to the center of the swamp at all costs! The giant beast would most likely stay in its area due to its incredible size!

Clenching his teeth, Zhang Xiaohou immediately left the area. The further he was away from the swamp, the better!

“F**k me, are you being serious now? The Giant Lizards are returning to their lair at this time?” As Zhang Xiaohou was about to leave, he saw the Giant Lizards, which were supposed to be gathering to the west of the mountain, were instead making their way toward him.

The group of beasts seemed to be taking a stroll after enjoying a satisfying bath, and were on their way back to their nest to call it a day. It was definitely bad news for Zhang Xiaohou, as he just happened to be close to their nest.

As a matter of fact, the valley would normally be empty for two to three hours, as the Giant Lizards would gather on the west of the mountain. They would show up on time like housewives turning up to dances being held at the public squares { TN: yes, this is a thing in China} , living their quality lives.

The Hunter Group had planned to finish their job within this gap of two to three hours. Regardless of if they succeeded or not, they would leave instantly once time ran out, and would resume the operation the next day.

Unfortunately, none of them expected there to be an enormous beast hiding at the center of the swamp!

Zhang Xiaohou was out of luck to bump into the housewives… err, the Giant Lizards when they were returning to their nest. He was clueless about the Giant Lizards’ regular routine. He assumed they would stay on the west side of the mountain until daylight.

Seeing more Giant Lizards crawling toward him, Zhang Xiaohou felt his scalp turning numb. He immediately used all his capabilities to flee for his life.

—

The swamp to the south of the valley was poisonous. Not only was the poison able to spread rapidly, its gaseous substance could also permeate through a living thing’s skin.

The creatures residing in the swamp were totally immune to the poison, while outsiders trespassing in this area would most likely end up like the countless corpses at the bottom of the swamp.

“You’re still not cleansed from the poison. Why are you following me?” Mo Fan was left speechless, glancing at the stubborn woman.

“I’m fine, but are you sure that disgusting fruit is enough to resist the poison?” asked Li Man.

“Of course, otherwise, I would be dead by now,” answered Mo Fan.

“We should find the group of hunters as soon as possible, then try to find the Wind Magician,” said Li Man.

“If they executed their plan tonight, they are most likely dead by now. As for the guy you mentioned who was hiding in the dark, to find him in such a huge valley…” Mo Fan lowered his body to cross the wall sticking out above him. He paused his sentence as soon as he made it to the other side.

Li Man followed behind and lowered her body to pass through the gap below the wall. She took over Mo Fan’s sentence, “He should be nearby…Err…”

Mo Fan was staring blankly ahead at the swampy area. He saw a large group of Giant Lizards chasing after a skinny young man who was sprinting in front of the beasts.

The young man seemed to be unaware of the gap under the mountain wall. He had stumbled into a dead end. His eyes flickered with firm determination.

“You assholes, your Grandpa Hou is definitely going to beat the shit out of you!” Knowing there was nowhere left to run, Zhang Xiaohou took a deep breath and prepared himself to have a lengthy battle with the Giant Lizards until daylight.

There were at least seventy Giant Lizards chasing after him. They were significantly larger than the usual Servant-class demon beasts. Their only weakness was their slow movement speed. They were trying their best to catch up, despite only being a hundred meters away. Their grinding teeth could not wait to tear the seafood apart. Well, the swamp was their habitat, so humans who lived on the shore were considered their seafood.

“Is he the person you were talking about?” Mo Fan tried to take a closer look at the person, but all he could see was a shadowy figure.

Li Man nodded after also taking a glance. “Most likely.”

Li Man was lost in her thoughts. She assumed that they would need some time trying to find the person. To their surprise, they had somehow bumped into him as soon as they got closer to the valley. It was just too coincidental.

“Hey, I wouldn’t want to have a rumble with them! There’s a path here, come quick!” Mo Fan waved at the idiotic young man from the gap below the mountain walls.

Zhang Xiaohou turned around and saw a wild-looking man and the mysterious woman who was with the group of hunters before.

“Oh, coming!” Zhang Xiaohou crawled his way toward the gap below the wall.

—

The Giant Lizards were unable to make it through the gap, so they had given up on the chase.

The trio continued to move in the pitch-black darkness. Zhang Xiaohou was the first to break the silence, “Thanks for saving my life.”

“Don’t worry about it, we do have something to discuss with you, too… By the way, friend, your voice sounds familiar…” Mo Fan responded in the dark.

“Strange, your voice sounds familiar to me, too!”

The two had just walked out from the dark as they spoke. Four eyes stared into one another as the moonlight shone upon their face.

A soft breeze caressed their faces. A crow somewhere in the mountain let out a weird caw…

“Holy shit, Xiao Hou?”

“Brother Fan!”