Aspirant Agent

"A companion? I wonder if I'll ever see Trist again. If he were by my side, I wouldn't have to worry about a lack of firepower at all."

Perhaps he had already adapted to traveling in this foreign land, but Lu Ban was even able to think amidst the dizzying world.

The next moment, a deep, beast-like howl filled Lu Ban's eardrums. Amid the deafening noise, Lu Ban felt a chill.

He found himself lying on the silver sand, and looking up, Lu Ban saw a dazzling starry sky.

The starry sky in this alien land is far more brilliant than that on Earth.

This was Lu Ban's first reaction.

The distorted starry sky formed the system's cold and indifferent text.

[wilderness]

[Three years in Pericles, a constellation of stars emerges]

[In a world ravaged by disaster, even survival is a luxury. The only law of the wasteland is survival of the fittest. On this mad land, humans and beasts dance together.]

Some have found miracles in the wilderness, some have lost their lives in the wilderness, some have encountered despair in the wilderness, and some have gotten lost in the wilderness, never to leave.

Do everything in your power to survive.

[Mission Requirement: Enter the Nameless City]

[Mission Requirement: Obtain the treasure of the Nameless City]

[Difficulty: Erosion]

Number of companions: 1

He looked around.

On the left, another person was lying down. It was a woman, wearing a gray cloak that concealed her appearance. She glanced ahead and then at Lu Ban beside her.

"Desert? This exotic land looks desolate."

The woman muttered to herself. Although Lu Ban couldn't understand the language she was using, the pronunciation and rhythm sounded familiar to Lu Ban, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"A fellow traveler?"

Lu Ban then asked a question.

Those who travel with you are basically your teammates. Lu Ban wasn't the kind of person who liked to hide his identity and play role-playing games. Therefore, when he heard the other person use the word "exotic" in their mouth, he immediately asked in a low voice.

"You... you're also Chosen of the Gods?"

The woman seemed somewhat surprised, raising her eyebrows. Only then did Lu Ban notice that her hair was light gold and slightly wavy, and her eyes were clear and bright green, making her look like a foreigner.

"Wait a minute, is this the first time you've met someone traveling with you?"

Lu Ban quickly realized what was going on from the woman's reaction.

It's surprising that he was a newbie being mentored by Trist last time, and now he's already mentoring newcomers.

Well, according to the rules in novels, it's easy to let a newbie get laid up and worn out when mentoring them.

Lu Ban decided to protect this newbie and uphold his dignity as a senior.

"Fellow traveler. So, that spell did indeed mention the word 'fellow traveler'."

The woman seemed to be deep in thought, and her expression immediately turned serious.

"Hello fellow traveler, I am Xiya Quellris from the Grey Tower, and I am a Aspirant Agent."

She spoke with a powerful voice, and if she hadn't lowered her voice, Lu Ban would definitely have replied with "Good, very energetic."

"Grey Tower. Night Country?"

Lu Ban recalled the information from the foreign land.

The Gray Tower is an official institution similar to the Night Country, training mages. So, this woman named Xiya is a mage?

Lu Ban became interested.

"Yes, in the Silent Land, that is indeed the name of the world I live in."

Xiya nodded slightly. She gave off a very positive vibe, speaking and making expressions very serious, just like the class's discipline monitor.

What is a "Aspirant Agent"?

Lu Ban decided to take this opportunity to learn more about the Night Country.

"Uh, the Agents are mages dispatched by the Gray Tower to various parts of the world. They have very strong autonomy. I haven't officially become an Agent yet; I'm still traveling with my teacher."

The blonde woman offered a generous explanation.

"So, you can use magic?"

Lu Ban asked.

"Of course! I'm a top student at the Gray Tower Academy. Apart from that guy whose head is glued to a book, I dare say no one is better than me!"

At this point, Xiya became even more energetic.

"Can you knead bread?"

Lu Ban asked a question that had always been a source of curiosity for him.

If magic can create food, will people feel hungry after eating the food and the magic effect wears off, or will they not?

"?"

Xiya was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"The Food Creation Spell is a highly specialized spell, which I have not yet mastered."

"I see."

Lu Ban didn't dwell on it. Although he didn't understand why kneading bread was a high-level spell, since the other party said they didn't know how, he wouldn't bother with it.

The two were still whispering when a muffled thud suddenly came from ahead.

Lu Ban looked over.

An explosion occurred in the desolate and silent desert.

An explosion sent dust billowing high into the air, while on the dune, three people appeared to be fighting around a dark shadow.

Lu Ban focused his attention slightly and saw a huge insect in the sand and under the starlight.

The insect looked like a large praying mantis, only with more slender limbs and a glossy black chitinous exoskeleton. It had huge pincers, sharp forelimbs, and a body full of angles, exuding a dangerous aura.

There was a crater next to the insect, which seemed to have been blasted open by the explosion, as if the explosion had lured the insect out of its nest.

While Lu Ban was still considering whether to help, he saw the arm of one of the people who were surrounding them suddenly swell up.

The hand quickly grew thicker than the man, like a giant's arm attached to a human body, extremely incongruous.

The next moment, the man's arm grabbed the insect's large claw.

The intense, power struggle made one's blood boil. Then, the man's other hand swelled up, and both hands gripped the insect tightly, preventing its escape.

Meanwhile, another person next to him held a torch in his left hand and raised his right hand high.

Lu Ban saw the flames flow from the torch like a Great Serpent, reaching his right palm.

Immediately, the man threw his right hand, and raging flames flew out, swirling around the insect's tail and burning it, causing the monster to let out a low howl.

The last person simply stood there, but Lu Ban could sense a change occurring between him and the insect.

Soon, the insect's wailing stopped. As if hypnotized, it lost the strength to resist and its whole body collapsed. Then, with the force of the two huge human hands, the insect's head was broken off with a crack. The greenish-blue viscous liquid splashed onto the sand, quickly turning the silver sand a darker color.

"You two, what are you still looking at? Come and help!"

The person holding the torch called out in Lu Ban's direction. The flickering flame reflected on the gravel, giving it a hazy glow.

"Good."

Lu Ban quickly got into character. He stood up and glanced at Xiya, who was still hesitating.

"No problem. The mission in the Silent Land will assign us a suitable identity, and no one will suspect anything."

He guessed that the woman named Xiya might have only been on one or two missions and wasn't very familiar with the rules here.

"I see."

Xiya stood up from the sandpit, her cloak fluttering with her movements, allowing Lu Ban to see the clothes beneath the dark cloak.

With her jet-black steel gauntlets, breastplate, skirt armor, and long boots, Xiya looked every bit like a medieval heavy knight, her entire body covered in armor.

"What did you say you were a sorcerer?"

Lu Ban felt that one of them, Xiya, must have a misunderstanding of the definition of a mage.