Battlefield Lighter

As the system's time-stop effect ended, everything returned to normal.

The sobbing of the little maid rang in his ears once more, and the heavy scent of rust filled his nostrils. Ahead, the bandit wielding the axe had reached the doorway and was raising his weapon high.

Ye Wei'an could see a [Lv.1 Commoner] tag hovering above the little maid's head.

The bandit at the door was marked as [Lv.1 Thug].

So, he was truly playing an RPG.

"Young Master, watch out!" Ailian cried out, unable to help herself when she saw her master still dazed.

Yet, there was no longer any panic on Ye Wei'an's face.

No incantations, no complex gestures.

He simply followed the new instinct surging within him and raised his right hand toward the dark shadow lunging at him.

Power from the source of the Weave began to gush forth.

A beam of blue-and-white interwoven arcane fire descended upon the bandit out of thin air.

"Argh—!"

The roar of rage transformed into a shrill, miserable shriek.

The flames first consumed his leather armor, emitting a sizzling, scorching sound, followed immediately by his flesh. A pungent, burnt stench filled the air. The bandit dropped his axe, frantically batting at the blue-and-white flames on his body with both hands.

But Spellfire was no ordinary flame; it could not be extinguished by such means. His futile movements only caused the fire to spread to his hands.

While the bandit's attention was entirely consumed by the excruciating pain and the flames, Ye Wei'an snatched up a machete from the floor. Simultaneously, another cantrip finished charging.

"True Strike!"

He stepped forward, thrusting the blade under the guidance of magical power.

The strike was crisp, clean, and precise, piercing through a gap in the leather armor. It skillfully bypassed the obstruction of the ribs, and the blade sank into the heart without the slightest resistance.

The bandit's body stiffened violently before going completely limp.

[Killed Lv.1 Thug, gained 50 EXP.]

A few seconds ago, this enemy had been an insurmountable threat; yet a few seconds later, he hadn't even lasted two moves.

The power of the system was truly terrifying.

This scene was not only witnessed by Ailian but also by both sides locked in the chaotic battle outside the carriage.

"Hell! Didn't the intel say this brat was just a magic apprentice who couldn't do a damn thing?!"

"Damn it, that fire is wicked!"

"And his stance with that blade... that doesn't look like a novice!"

Angry, shocked curses erupted among the bandits, and their offensive faltered with visible hesitation and confusion.

According to the information they had received, the target had never undergone knight training and hadn't mastered a single spell after four years at the academy. He was a good-for-nothing failure, and the Xiaxing House guards were the only real obstacles to the mission.

But now, two of their own had fallen to that brat—one dead in an inexplicable way, and the other burned by eerie flames before being finished off with a single strike.

This was completely different from what they had expected.

Conversely, the guards, who had been struggling in a bitter fight, were greatly heartened.

"It's the Young Master!" a guard covered in blood shouted in pleasant surprise, "The Young Master has taken action!"

"Hold the line, everyone!" Cain, the knight currently locked in a struggle with a bare-chested brute, took the opportunity to encourage his men, "The Young Master is a powerful mage; his spells will help us finish off these scumbags!"

The morale of the guards rose visibly.

In the eyes of ordinary people, spellcasters were powerful and rare. A true spellcaster—even one of the lowest rank—was enough to tip the scales of a small-scale battle.

When the bandits had broken through to the Young Master earlier, they had thought he was a goner!

Who would have thought the Young Master's magic would be so strong? Didn't that mean they were guaranteed to win?

Inside the carriage, Ailian's eyes widened, her gaze shifting back and forth between the bandit's corpse and Ye Wei'an, her small face filled with disbelief.

"You... Young Master? When... when did you learn such powerful magic?"

"Just now," Ye Wei'an replied briefly. He tossed the machete aside, retreated into the carriage, and sat down cross-legged.

Only then did he have the chance to feel his new power.

Ever since he selected his class, he had felt a strange sense of power continuously filling his body, resonating with the surrounding Weave at every moment.

This must be the energy of Spellfire.

Beyond that, a vast amount of knowledge and insight regarding spellcasting and mana channeling appeared in his consciousness.

These were not "memories" that required recall, but "instincts" as natural as breathing or drinking water.

How to condense Spellfire, how to manipulate elements, how to detect the thoughts of others... it was all so natural, as if he had practiced it thousands upon thousands of times.

The game system was truly impressive.

What surprised Ye Wei'an even more was that a miniature circular map had appeared in the top-right corner of his vision.

The map outlined the contours of the nearby forest path and woods, marking enemies and allies with light dots of different colors.

The arrow at the very center represented himself, and the green dot right next to it was clearly Ailian. Further out, a mix of green and red dots represented the guards and bandits outside.

"This system, it even has a minimap?" Ye Wei'an marveled.

It was becoming more and more like a game.

He didn't delay any longer, quickly scanning the battlefield outside the carriage.

As he focused his gaze, concise data appeared above the heads of those in the melee.

The bandit side consisted mostly of [Lv.1 Bandits], interspersed with five or six [Lv.1 Warriors] and [Lv.1 Rogues] who were clearly better equipped.

"Bandit" didn't sound like a proper class by name.

Warriors and Rogues, being legitimate classes, were clearly the backbone of the bandits.

The guard side was composed mainly of [Lv.1 Militia] and seven or eight [Lv.1 Warriors].

Although they were at a disadvantage in total numbers, they had more actual class-holders, which explained why they had managed to hold out under siege for so long.

As for the leaders on both sides, above the knight's head was [Cain Orm, Lv.3 Purple Dragon Knight]; while the shirtless brute swinging a greatsword was [Lv.3 Barbarian].

This information gave Ye Wei'an a clearer judgment of the situation.

He no longer hesitated, turning to the shaken Ailian and saying, "Stay inside, lock the carriage door, and don't come out."

"Y-Young Master? Where are you going?" Ailian subconsciously wanted to grab his sleeve to stop him, but retracted her hand halfway.

The Young Master was no longer the same Young Master who had no combat ability.

"Solving the problem," Ye Wei'an replied briefly.

He bent down to pick up the blood-stained machete from the ground, then began to construct his next spell.

"Mage Armor!"

An invisible force field formed a soft suit of armor that clung to his body, bringing him a small sense of security.

This 1st-level spell might not be able to withstand the attacks of a class-holder, but it was more than enough to block the blades of bandits or deflect stray arrows.

Having done this, he took a deep breath, climbed out of the carriage, and stepped back into the battlefield.

Almost the moment he appeared, he was locked onto by several gazes on the battlefield.

"Ha! The brat came out himself!" The shirtless brute fighting Cain roared with laughter.

He parried a strike, stepped back half a step, and shouted to the chaotic fray, "Scarface! Goat! Take your men and chop that pretentious little brat to pieces for me!"

"Don't worry, Boss!"

"Watch me!"

The two bandits responded immediately.

The armor worn by these two was much neater than the others; one had a hideous scar on his face and carried a short-handled battle axe, while the other was lean and agile, holding a dagger in each hand—clearly the sub-leaders of this rabble.

Ye Wei'an saw their details at a glance:

["Scarface", Lv.1 Warrior]

["Goat", Lv.1 Rogue]

Each leading three or four subordinates, the two flanked Ye Wei'an from the left and right.

"Protect the Young Master!" Seeing this, Knight Cain tried to break away to intercept, but was forced back by the shirtless brute's grinning sword swings, leaving him to watch helplessly as the two groups of enemies charged toward the carriage.

The remaining guards tried desperately to intercept these two groups, but the numerical disadvantage was too great to plug every gap.

Ye Wei'an understood that he must not get surrounded.

His gaze swept over and landed on the half-broken oak carriage door by the side of the carriage.

Noble carriages used top-quality wood, and the doors were not heavy but sturdy enough; even if split, it was still a solid piece, just right to be used as a shield.

He snatched it up, threw it onto the roof of the carriage, and climbed up nimbly using his hands and feet.

The carriage roof was about two meters off the ground. Standing on top, Ye Wei'an's field of vision suddenly widened, allowing him to take in the entire chaotic battlefield.

At this moment, Scarface and Goat sacrificed two subordinates to forcibly break through the guards' interception, charging toward the carriage with strange shrieks.

Looking down from above, Ye Wei'an was not flustered at all. He placed the machete by his feet, held the wooden door in front of him with his left hand, and pointed his right index finger at the bandit charging in the lead.

Blue-white flames bloomed silently, igniting on the bandit's chest.

"Ah—!"

The shrill scream rang out once more.

"Scatter, everyone! Don't bunch up!" Seeing the creeping flames on his companion, Goat shrieked, nimbly circling toward the flank.

Ye Wei'an remained unmoved, his mind locking onto the next target, and another Spellfire Flame descended, followed by a third...

Cantrips had no spell slot restrictions, so naturally, he could cast them however he pleased.

"Waaah—!"

"It burns!"

"Help, help me!"

The bandits turned into little firemen one after another, and the stench of burning flesh in the air grew increasingly pungent.

"Damn it! This fire won't go out!" A bandit engulfed in flames, driven by excruciating pain and terror, lunged at the nearest guard, hoping to smear the bizarre fire onto him.

However, the blue-and-white flames seemed to possess a consciousness of their own, stubbornly clinging to the bandit while leaving the guard standing inches away completely unaffected.

The guard seized the opportunity to shove the man back with a shield bash, then drove his sword into the bandit's abdomen.

Ye Wei'an received feedback on his end as well.

[Killed Bandit Lv.1, gained 35 EXP.]

Seeing that the fire could distinguish between friend and foe, the surrounding guards lost all hesitation and swarmed forward to beat the stragglers while they were down.