Ambush

"Hello, Mr. Carter."

Rhode raised his head, greeted the man before him, and offered a faint smile.

"Thank you for saving me."

"It was no trouble at all, don't mention it."

He was sturdy and tall, with messy, bright red hair combed back. Based on his physical traits, he likely hailed from the Northwestern Sands as a Laikate. Two longswords, one long and one short, hung quietly at his sides. The determination and scrutiny revealed on his sharp-featured face proved that this man was no ordinary person.

While Rhode observed the other party, Carter was also quietly sizing up the man before him.

If one were to judge solely by appearances, it would be easy to mistake him for one of those ignorant young nobles. It was no wonder; looking at his thin frame, pale skin, and that face which leaned slightly toward the feminine, combined with his attire, he looked nothing like an adventurer traveling the wilds. He looked more like a rich kid out for a thrill, bored and looking for amusement.

However, Carter felt this young man was not so simple. The reason lay in the strange, mysterious magic circle on the back of his right hand. Lize, being a Spirit Master, could sense magic power from it, meaning it wasn't a fake. Yet, in all his years of experience, Carter had rarely seen anyone engrave a magic circle directly onto their own body. This suggested the young man's identity was quite extraordinary. Furthermore, from their brief conversation, Carter had sensed that the young man's attitude was neither arrogant nor servile; his expression was remarkably calm. Lize had mentioned that he had only regained consciousness a dozen minutes ago, yet he was able to grasp his current situation with such composure. On this point alone, he was far superior to those ignorant, arrogant noble youths.

"I heard you come from the Eastern Mountain Plains?"

"Yes."

Rhode nodded slightly.

"Then, where do you intend to go?"

"I am just traveling about."

Rhode shrugged his shoulders.

"I am an adventurer; living freely and adventuring is my life. Of course, please rest assured, I will not bring any trouble to you all."

"That is good."

Since Rhode was so reasonable, Carter didn't say anything more. They were currently on a mission and naturally didn't want to invite any complications. After chatting a bit more and telling him to rest and recover, Carter didn't linger. He soon took his leave, as he had much to do as a mercenary captain and couldn't afford to waste time here.

The time that followed was rather dull for Rhode, though the food Lize brought piqued his interest. Although it was just ordinary white bread and dried meat—things Rhode had eaten many times in the game—those were "fake eats." They only served to restore character HP and Soul Power, lacking both flavor and the ability to truly fill one's stomach. Now, he finally experienced the taste described in the food's item notes firsthand, which was a fresh experience.

However, it had to be said that the taste was truly not as good as the notes described.

"How do you feel? Does the wound still hurt?"

Sitting by Rhode's side, the blonde girl watched the young man before her with a worried and earnest expression. Her gaze, filled with a hint of concern, fell upon his shoulder, looking somewhat pained.

"It's fine now."

Rhode said, clenching his left hand. The pain radiating from his sternum was no longer as intense as it had been at the start. Initially, he had even found it difficult to breathe, but now it was much better.

"That's good."

Hearing Rhode's reply, Lize's previously tense expression relaxed significantly.

"But you still need to rest more. Once we reach Deepstone City, the conditions there will be much better, and perhaps your wounds will heal faster."

The girl's expression was very earnest. Although the person lying before her was a stranger she had only just met, looking at her expression, it was clear she didn't care about such trivialities.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, it's what I should do."

As she spoke, Lize stood up. Her golden, fluffy ponytail swayed with her movements, giving her a playful and lively air.

"So..."

Lize didn't finish her sentence, for at that moment, the ship jolted violently.

The girl swayed and nearly fell onto the bed, but she managed to reach out and grab the headboard at the last second, barely steadying herself. The two looked at each other, both seeing a trace of confusion in the other's eyes.

Although the airship relied on the powerful winds of the wind currents to move, and the sky was not like the ocean—lacking reefs or whirlpools—it was not without its dangers. The current situation was clearly not normal.

"I'll go take a look. You rest here, don't worry."

Lize said in a low voice, then immediately turned and left, closing the door behind her. Watching her back, Rhode opened his mouth, wanting to laugh but unable to, and said nothing. He was clearly older than her; was there any need to talk to him in that tone, as if coaxing a child?

But the next moment, a figure flashing past the window made Rhode's expression turn serious instantly.

He turned his head slightly, staring intently out the porthole. Soon, three or four more green figures flashed past outside. At the same time, a series of low, faint hissing sounds emerged.

"Hiss—"

Hearing this sound, Rhode's heart sank.

They were in big trouble!

At this moment, the deck was in total chaos.

"I never imagined we would run into these damn things."

The red-haired mercenary captain, wielding dual swords, stood at the very front, staring sternly at the green figures flying around the airship. They looked like snakes with bat wings, about a meter long. Although their somewhat thin bodies gave the impression of being fragile, the sharp fangs revealed in their gaping maws were enough to overturn that conclusion in an instant.

Wind Serpent.

"It looks like we've stumbled into the territory of the Wind Serpent."

The fat merchant hid behind the mercenary captain, his face pale, trembling as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Damn it, that cunning Bick! I knew it, I knew that bastard giving me this route for so little money had to be a problem! This is murder! When I get back, I'll make sure he knows what I'm capable of!!"

"Let's get out of this encirclement first!"

Carter cut off the merchant's near-hysterical roar. Looking out, there were hundreds of Wind Serpent surrounding the merchant ship. At first, he could order his men to use crossbows to attack, attempting to scare off the monsters. But the "death-defying" spirit of the Wind Serpent far exceeded his imagination; or rather, the death of their companions only fueled the monsters' ferocity. By now, they had occupied the outer edge of the deck and were beginning to push inward. The mercenaries had long since discarded their crossbows, brandishing their weapons to engage the creatures in close-quarters combat.

"Get inside and tell the captain we need to leave this place immediately!"

Carter shoved the fat merchant into the captain's cabin behind him, then stepped forward, his twin longswords weaving a flurry of snowy light that hacked a roaring Wind Serpent to the ground, though a second one charged in immediately after.

There were too few men!

Carter couldn't help but frown. He scanned the deck; he had only brought six men on this mission, and those six were all that remained. Although the merchant ship had its own guards, they lacked experience. In fact, a third of them had fallen in the first wave of the attack, and now only half were left. Judging by their panicked, disoriented state, they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Watching those terrifying monsters, Carter's expression turned grim.

It wasn't as if he lacked experience facing Wind Serpents, but this was his first time dealing with such a large number, which made Carter feel somewhat tense. He stepped forward again, his body spinning in a nimble half-circle before he slashed his twin swords violently to the side, striking the Wind Serpent heavily. Amidst the spray of blood, the wounded beast crashed to the deck, letting out a few final, defiant hisses before turning into a cold corpse.

Carter looked up and instinctively swept his gaze around, and then, his heart skipped a beat.

"Lize! Watch out!!"

The young girl did not react in time.

Having just finished treating a mercenary for poison, she had only just pulled her hands back. Due to excessive exhaustion, her mind was still somewhat hazy—although she had only been on deck for a few minutes, several people had been injured in succession, and as the only Spirit Master with healing powers among them, Lize had naturally taken on the responsibility without hesitation.

Hearing Carter's warning, the girl turned her head in a daze.

Then, all she saw was a gaping maw, revealing sharp, venomous fangs.

In that instant, the girl's blood seemed to freeze. She stared blankly at the Wind Serpent before her, her mind going completely blank, having no idea how to react. In her eyes, Lize could clearly see the sharp, cold-glinting fangs and the fleshy inner walls of the throat; even the foul, fishy stench was clearly perceptible.

But just then, a hand suddenly reached out from behind, grabbed Lize by the collar, and yanked her away at the very last second.