Who Are You?

Lu Li shifted his footing, dodging the assault of hair with uncanny grace, and cast his gaze toward the nonchalant Gao Xiaowen. Her expression currently seemed to say: Oh, my hand slipped.

"Are we being blatant with the attacks now?" Lu Li chose not to retaliate. Firstly, Gao Xiaowen was currently escorting the Mermaid Princess toward the Prince; retaliating now would mean obstructing the mission. Gao Xiaowen's previous attack on the guards had merely included Lu Li as collateral. Secondly, an old man had stepped out from the carriage, his white wizard's robe marking his status.

As soon as the old wizard appeared, he raised his staff high and chanted a spell. An invisible ripple spread out, dispelling the skills Hu Wenxu had unleashed. The guards' unnatural greed subsided, their reason returning to them. Looking at the objects in their hands that resembled jewels, they threw them away in terror. Then, a sense of fury at being fooled welled up in their hearts. They drew their knightly swords; one squad returned to guard the carriage, while the other roared and charged toward Lu Li and his companions.

Lu Li took a deep breath, mobilizing the sluggish shadow magic within his body and injecting it into his third skill slot. That skill consisted of only two modules: the Control Module: Spirit, swapped in from the Shadow Assassin skill, and the Rule Module: Fear, which had never been loaded before.

This skill lacked many modules and was essentially impossible to activate. However, by manually channeling his magic into the skill slot, Lu Li bypassed the need for an Energy Module. In this way, Lu Li managed to activate this half-finished skill.

However, Lu Li's current mobilization of magic was extremely slow, requiring significant preparation to trigger the skill. As the magic poured into the modules, it transformed into an aura of fear. Guided by Lu Li's spirit, this aura flowed into his hands. Watching the charging guards, Lu Li used his uncanny footwork to reach the side of one guard and pressed a hand against his face.

The aura of fear covered the guard's face along with Lu Li's hand, striking directly at his brain. The guard suffered immediate physiological incontinence; tears and snot streamed down his face as he collapsed in terror. It was likely this child would be left with psychological trauma. Had Lu Li not been limited by the small amount of magic he could mobilize, the guard might have been frightened to death on the spot.

Turning to dodge a sword strike from another guard, Lu Li slapped his hand onto the man's body, scaring him into a collapse. Lu Li wove through the guards' attacks with his strange footwork. With the aura of fear in his hands running low, he found himself in precarious situations while trying to avoid killing the guards.

Hu Wenxu finally entered the fray. If he hadn't stepped in to help, Lu Li would have been forced to get serious and start killing. If that happened, even if the Mermaid Princess secured the Prince, they as players might end up alienated by both sides, which would be detrimental to future tasks.

Hu Wenxu's physical fitness far exceeded Lu Li's. Wielding a Coral Blade, he moved his hands in a blur, slashing the guards' clothes while activating his second skill: Paralysis Strike. This skill could transmit a peculiar force through his attacks to disrupt the target's nerves, causing temporary paralysis—though, naturally, only for a short duration.

With Hu Wenxu's participation, the attacking guards fell one by one. The two men then turned their attention to the carriage surrounded by guards and the old wizard standing in front of it.

"Hmph!" The old wizard snorted coldly and continued chanting. Seeing this, Lu Li produced an Eyeball Jewel from Hu Wenxu's stash and fired it directly at the chanting wizard. However, a flash of white spiritual light shimmered over the old wizard, and the jewel was deflected.

"So, there is protection." Lu Li realized. At this moment, the old wizard's sorcery was ready. He pointed his staff at Lu Li and the others, and a massive surge of magic erupted. Countless ice crystals formed around him, coalescing into diamond-shaped shards that launched like cannonballs toward them.

The ice shards grazed Lu Li, embedding themselves deep into the soil behind him. The dirt and gravel struck by the shards began to freeze. At this moment, the situation became even more perilous for Lu Li and Hu Wenxu, the primary targets of the attack.

Although the footwork Lu Li learned from the assassin had strong evasive capabilities, it was meant for assassination, not for playing hide-and-seek. Ice shards continued to form around the old wizard and fire outward. While the wizard's spell took a long time to cast, once completed, it could be maintained with minimal consumption.

"At this rate, we'll be worn down to death. Think of something!" Lu Li's arm was grazed by an ice shard, and the wound instantly suffered frostbite; the blood flowing there froze, clogging his blood vessels.

Hu Wenxu gritted his teeth. He possessed three skills: one to incite greed, one for temporary paralysis, and a final cultivation skill used to develop internal energy. He had no choice but to go all out. Dodging several ice crystals, he said to Lu Li, "I'm going to use an item. Find an opening and go in to interrupt his spellcasting. That should be enough."

Before Lu Li could respond, Hu Wenxu pulled out a card. This was a reward he had drawn after clearing his last dungeon; it could unleash the Magic Repulsion Fire Ring three times, though the user could not move while it was active.

A ring of fire bloomed out of thin air around the two men, incinerating all the incoming ice shards. With the fire ring in the lead and Lu Li behind it, he seized the opportunity to charge forward. He unleashed a Muscle Release punch at the old wizard, only to be blocked by the protection. Lu Li followed up with a second punch, and with a crisp crack, the wizard's barrier shattered. The wizard gripped his staff, attempting to continue his spell.

Lu Li stepped back and shouted, "Your Highness, we attacked the convoy only for the sake of a beautiful lady. She wishes to meet you. There is no need for us to fight to the death. As you can see, we have held back in our attacks and haven't killed a single person."

"Mr. Allen, please stop casting. I would like to speak with them," came the Prince's gentle voice from inside the carriage. He pulled back the curtain and stepped out. With golden curly hair and handsome features, he exuded a gentle yet resolute temperament. He smiled slightly and said to the surrounding maids, "Go and help the injured to recover. These people do not seem to have any great malice."

"Then, may I ask which lady wishes to see me?" Although Prince William asked this, his gaze was already fixed on the Mermaid Princess Ariel. At this moment, the Mermaid Princess was already looking at the handsome Prince in a state of infatuation.

"William, I have finally seen you. Do you still remember me?" The Mermaid Princess walked forward, supported by Gao Xiaowen, and asked with great excitement through telepathy. She had sacrificed so much for this day.

Looking at Ariel's pale blue eyes, the Prince was stunned, then said apologetically, "I am sorry, Miss. May I ask who you are?"