Night Shadow Spiders

Chapter Twenty-Eight

After breaking away from the main group, Lynn, Colin, and Sonia proceeded through the Emerald Island Forest.

Dense, towering trees surrounded them, their canopies interwoven and almost completely blocking out the sky and sunlight.

Even in daylight, the depths of the forest remained shrouded in darkness.

As they traveled, Lynn suddenly stopped. His gaze swept over the surroundings, and he was suddenly reminded of the assessment when he had first entered The Furnace.

"Wait a moment."

Lynn turned to Colin and Sonia.

Then, Lynn picked up some wood, leaves, and soil from the ground, quickly mixed them together, and smeared the mixture over his robe.

The moment Colin and Sonia saw this, they understood his intentions.

This was precisely the Zero-Ring Wizardry, Breath Concealment, included during the Wizard Apprentice stage of the Basic Meditation Method.

"So cautious..."

Watching Lynn's actions, Colin secretly sighed. He had not expected his junior to be so careful.

Sonia, however, could not help rolling her eyes.

"Do you think everyone has survival skills as strong as yours? Unless an Official Wizard personally acts, who could possibly stop you?"

As she spoke, Sonia refused to be outdone. She picked up dirt, leaves, and branches from the ground and began rubbing them onto her own robe.

"Even if we have no special means of concealing our aura, Breath Concealment is still better than nothing..." Sonia said calmly.

Seeing both of them take action, Colin could only helplessly follow suit.

He gently stroked his expensive wizard robe, sighed, and muttered softly:

"My poor robe... Sigh, it cost me so many points. That merchant clearly said it couldn't be washed with water and could only be wiped with a special solution... and now it's ended up like this."

Colin complained as he smeared dirt onto his robe.

Although the robe was highly dust-resistant, it was clearly only resistant to dust—not to its owner personally "applying mud" to it.

After a brief adjustment, the three set off again.

By then, however, their clothes were filthy. They looked like apprentices fleeing in exile, without the slightest trace of wizard students about them.

The Emerald Island Forest covered a vast area. Since Lynn and the other two had separated from the main group, they had traveled for half a day without seeing a single person.

Although there was no one around them, their journey was far from as peaceful as it appeared.

All kinds of Magic Beasts inhabited the Emerald Island Forest, in great variety.

There were not only giant Magic Beasts, but also many smaller ones, such as snakes, bees, and spiders.

Along the way, dealing with small Magic Beasts like snakes and spiders alone had taken quite a bit of effort.

"Careful! They're Night Shadow Spiders! There are over a hundred of them! Don't attack first! Use defensive wizardry!"

Sonia, who was walking at the front, suddenly changed expression.

She abruptly stopped and pointed several meters ahead, where black-and-yellow spiders crawled in a dense mass.

They were no ordinary spiders. They moved incredibly fast, pouncing on the three of them almost instantly.

Without hesitation, Sonia began casting. Her lips rapidly recited an incantation as a wizardry mark condensed before her.

A few seconds later, a transparent barrier like a bubble formed around her, completely enclosing her.

Seeing this, Colin immediately pressed a button on his robe. It instantly expanded, wrapping him tightly from head to toe, airtight and heavily protected.

Lynn silently activated the Heart of Flower Language hanging around his neck. Spiritual power flowed into it, and flowers instantly bloomed from the necklace, spreading into vines that tightly covered him.

The Night Shadow Spiders surged toward them like a tide, rapidly crawling closer.

Sonia's bubble-like defensive shield wrapped her up tightly. The spiders climbed onto her barrier one after another, yet none could break through.

They went around the bubble and continued forward, ultimately causing her no harm.

Lynn and Colin likewise avoided the spiders' assault with their respective protective measures.

Only after the Night Shadow Spiders gradually moved away did the three relax their guard.

"All right."

Sonia finally let out a breath and ended her defensive wizardry.

"Do the Night Shadow Spiders have something to do with Night Shadow Bunker?"

Lynn frowned. He had previously learned that their mission was to fight the allied forces of the Bitter Heart Sect and Night Shadow Bunker, and the spiders' name had clearly made him think of Night Shadow Bunker.

"That's right." Sonia nodded and explained briefly:

"Night Shadow Spiders are low-level Magic Beasts bred by Night Shadow Bunker. In terms of damage alone, they are no different from ordinary spiders."

She paused, then continued:

"But once a Night Shadow Spider actively bites someone, or dies, it releases a special Mesmerizing Incense from its body. The scent can draw nearby members of Night Shadow Bunker over. They may seem harmless, but once one dies, groups of Night Shadow Spiders will fall dead along with it, and the concentration of Mesmerizing Incense will sharply rise—enough to attract a large number of Night Shadow Bunker pursuers."

Lynn's eyes widened at this, and his heart jolted.

In any other place, it might have been manageable, but they were currently inside the Emerald Island Forest.

Once the Mesmerizing Incense was triggered, endless Night Shadow Bunker pursuers would be waiting for them.

"There should be people from Night Shadow Bunker nearby. We need to be careful."

Sonia's tone was grave.

Lynn and Colin both nodded, a trace of vigilance flashing through their eyes.

Clearly, Night Shadow Bunker had already set traps throughout the area, releasing these Night Shadow Spiders to search for traces of Furnace Apprentices.

Just as the three advanced cautiously, another apprentice team in the distance was facing a similar predicament.

One apprentice saw swarms of Night Shadow Spiders rushing at him and furrowed his brow, seemingly unaware of what they were.

He and his companion mistook the spiders for ordinary forest Magic Beasts and immediately launched a counterattack with wizardry.

"Fire Bird!"

"Ice Arrow!"

Energy particles rapidly condensed, and a blazing Fire Bird appeared in midair, swooping toward the Night Shadow Spiders.

Meanwhile, an Ice Arrow took shape and shot fiercely into the swarm.

Sizzle!

The Night Shadow Spiders had extremely poor defenses and almost no ability to resist. The wizardry directly crushed them.

However, the two Wizard Apprentices did not realize that the moment they killed so many Night Shadow Spiders, the spiders' deaths triggered the release of Mesmerizing Incense, which rapidly spread through the area and left behind a fatal trail.

In the distance, another group of Night Shadow Bunker apprentices was patrolling, searching for traces of The Furnace's apprentices.

Suddenly, they sensed something. They stopped in their tracks, cold smiles appearing on their faces.

"The prey has taken the bait!"

As those words rang out, the scent of Mesmerizing Incense in the air grew stronger and stronger, and the Night Shadow Bunker apprentices began accelerating toward the two Wizard Apprentices.