Forest Patrol

The wizards looked at Dago with complicated expressions. Some were disdainful, while others were delighted.

Suddenly, a scornful snicker rang out from the crowd.

"You don't actually think the Academy, together with rats like us, can withstand an invasion by the Duskblood Council, do you?"

Dago realized it was the gaunt middle-aged wizard in his forties who had spoken. His face was full of mockery and contempt.

The moment he spoke, many people's eyes flickered. Some had even clearly begun considering leaving.

"A bunch of old, weak, sick, and crippled fools want to stop a notorious terrorist organization of the wizarding world? And you still believe some Academy dog..."

Dago frowned and looked at the gaunt wizard who had spoken again.

Mariko stepped forward and pointed at his nose as he cursed, "We kindly told you about the Duskblood Council, yet you don't appreciate it and stand here mocking us instead."

"Who needs an old man like you meddling in my business? When the Duskblood Council comes, I'll just join them. I'm a Third-Level Apprentice Wizard, after all."

The gaunt wizard retorted dismissively.

"You..." Mariko was left speechless with anger.

"Shut your filthy mouth."

Dago suddenly shouted, and everyone looked at him in astonishment.

He stared coldly at the gaunt wizard, deep-blue rings of light slowly circulating in his eyes.

The gaunt wizard glared back viciously and said darkly, "Academy dog, who gave you the nerve to speak to me like that?"

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly sensed that the spiritual power radiating from Dago was even stronger than his own. His expression changed drastically.

He studied Dago for a while, his face full of disbelief. "A Third-Level Wizard Apprentice this young? And you're living in the forest like some rat."

"I like it." Dago looked indifferent as he slightly raised his hand, ready to teach him a lesson.

"You've got some skill. Just you wait." In the end, the gaunt wizard still did not dare confront Dago head-on. After leaving behind that threat, he hurried away with an ugly expression.

After watching him leave, Dago spoke again. "Tomorrow morning, I'll bring people from the Academy here to discuss forming the Forest Patrol with everyone."

The wizards dispersed with heavy thoughts on their minds. Before leaving, however, they looked at Dago with a trace of respect.

Dago guessed that from now on, he would be considered someone famous in this forest.

"Dago, I didn't expect you to improve so quickly."

After the forest wizards had left, only Dago and Mariko remained beside the campfire.

Mariko's expression was complicated. He knew part of Dago's background; just one or two months ago, Dago had only been a First-Level Wizard Apprentice.

Dago did not hide much and said, "Didn't I ask you about Moonlight Flowers before? I can already refine Mental Potions, so my strength has grown rather quickly."

Mariko glanced at Dago and sighed. "I didn't expect you to actually dare go there to gather them. Even I wouldn't dare move around in that place."

Dago smiled a little guiltily but did not respond.

"Are the people from the Academy reliable?" Mariko asked again.

"Their strength should be decent. Their character, though, not so much."

"One step at a time, then. We'll discuss the Patrol Guard tomorrow morning. I just don't know how many wizards will still come tomorrow."

Mariko spoke with slight unease.

"It's fine. Let everyone decide for themselves. Those who don't want to stay can't be forced to," Dago comforted Mariko.

The campfire before them gradually died out, and the two left with their own thoughts.

After returning to his shelter, Dago sighed. "Troubled times indeed."

That afternoon, he used the Moonlight Flowers he had gathered yesterday to refine five Mental Potions, storing them away as strategic supplies.

Afterward, he began training in the open space outside.

The next day, Dago set off early for the Academy to find Vissel, and the two came together to Mariko's place to discuss the Patrol Guard.

They wound their way along the dark forest path, neither of them speaking.

With autumn arriving, the forest carried a faint air of desolation.

After walking for around thirty minutes, they finally reached their destination.

The campfire was already lit, and six figures sat around it chatting. When they saw Dago and Vissel approach, they all stood and turned their gazes toward them.

Dago nodded to each person beside the fire, then pointed at Vissel and introduced him. "Vissel, a mid-stage Third-Level Apprentice Wizard and a genius wizard from the Academy."

A young Level-Two Apprentice looked delighted as he spoke. "I've heard of Vissel's reputation. This is great. Our team's strength has improved tremendously."

The others standing nearby agreed deeply, smiles appearing on their faces as well.

Mariko stepped forward and held out his hand for a handshake, saying, "A warm welcome to you."

Vissel glanced at Mariko's hand and ignored him completely. Mariko could only awkwardly withdraw it.

Dago watched this with displeasure, feeling somewhat annoyed. He was about to say something, but Mariko gestured to him that it was nothing and told him not to act rashly.

"More or less everyone who is coming is here. The rest probably won't show up. From now on, the people here will form the Forest Patrol," Dago said.

The young Level-Two Apprentice looked at Vissel with admiration and spoke first. "Then the next matter is who will be the leader—the captain. I propose that Vissel be chosen as our captain."

Mariko glanced at the young wizard and said firmly, "Ian, both Dago and Vissel have the strength of Third-Level Apprentice Wizards, but Dago has extremely rich experience hunting in the forest. He would be very helpful to the team."

Vissel said, "I am a mid-stage Third-Level Apprentice Wizard, while he has only just entered that level."

"Dago killed a mid-stage Third-Level Apprentice Wizard from the Duskblood Council," Mariko said unconcernedly.

This time, everyone looked at Dago in shock and fell silent. That was an incredibly formidable achievement.

"If no one objects, then I'll be the captain of the Forest Patrol from now on."

Dago stepped forward and spoke expressionlessly.

"First, we need to trust one another. Let's each state our names and strength."

Everyone began talking at once, giving Dago a headache, but he eventually remembered all of it.

The Forest Patrol had a total of eight members. Only Dago, Vissel, and Mariko were Third-Level Apprentice Wizards.

Almost everyone else was a Level-Two Apprentice, while there was also one young girl with her head lowered who was a First-Level Wizard Apprentice.

Dago made his calculations and said, "Our Patrol Guard will first operate in groups of three. Three squads, led by me, Mariko, and Vissel."

After some discussion, they began dividing into squads. Mariko formed a team with Evan and his wife.

The two younger male Level-Two Apprentices, Ian and Gavin, both chose to follow Vissel.

That left Selena, the unwanted First-Level Wizard Apprentice. Dago could only accept her with a bitter smile.

After all, he was the captain and the wizard with the strongest combat power in the team.

"Once the groups are set, the three squads will spread out in a triangular formation. Make sure any two groups can communicate effectively by shouting, and when one group discovers a target, the other two must be able to arrive and provide support within five to ten minutes. That should be a distance of roughly two hundred meters."

Dago explained the next arrangements in detail.

"If everyone understands, spread out. First, patrol the red-marked areas on the parchment map. My group will be the spearhead, while the other two groups will serve as the flanks."

Afterward, everyone dispersed according to their groups.

Selena followed behind Dago. Whenever he took a step, she took one too, leaving Dago somewhat speechless.

She had a slender figure and stood around 160 centimeters tall. She habitually hunched slightly and kept her head lowered, trying to curl herself into a tiny ball to reduce her presence.

She had long light-gray hair, with the tips carrying a slight natural curl.

She always casually tied it into a loose low ponytail, with several stray locks hanging beside her cheeks, as messy as her uneasy thoughts.

"Tell me your story," Dago said as they walked.

When Selena saw Dago looking at her, her cheeks swiftly turned red. Her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her robe, and she stammered so badly from nervousness that she could not even form complete sentences.

Only after ten minutes did Dago roughly understand her story...

She was the descendant of a declining wizard family, whose former glory had long become a thing of the past.

All that remained was a dilapidated wizard estate and rooms full of ancient books about magical plants.

Ever since she was young, her parents had placed great hopes on her, wanting her to restore the family's glory. Yet those expectations had brought her immense pressure.

During her studies at Ainak Wizard Academy, Selena was often bullied by other students because of her family's decline and her introverted personality.

She did not dare resist and could only move into the forest, shutting herself away.

So she was a victim of bullying at the Academy. Dago's favorable impression of the Academy plummeted.

"So you're actually a little rich wizard, huh? You're far better off than I am," Dago teased.

Selena's face immediately turned red. She made incoherent little sounds, standing there without knowing what to say.

But Dago was not here for a picnic or to flirt with girls. Throughout their conversation, he had kept the Detection Technique active, observing the fluctuations of energy particles around them.

And with this First-Level Wizard Apprentice who had zero combat ability beside him, the pressure was enormous.

When Selena saw that he had stopped speaking, she looked enviously at his clean, handsome Third-Level Apprentice Wizard robe.

Then she looked at her own ill-fitting gray robe and lowered her head even further, like an ostrich.

This robe was an old item left behind by her family. Its wide sleeves and dragging hem made her appear even smaller, as though she could be swallowed by the cloth at any moment.

Faded vine patterns were embroidered along the hem of the robe. They had once symbolized the Veerlin Family's glory, but now they too had grown dim along with the family's decline.

"Have some confidence. Hold your head up when you walk," Dago said irritably as he watched her ostrich-like behavior.

"Yes, Lord Dago." Selena raised her head, looking like she had just been bullied.

Dago's eyes, with deep-blue rings of light circulating within them, casually examined Selena.

Her skin was so pale that it was nearly translucent, with scattered freckles across it like magical gold dust accidentally sprinkled there.

Her large pale-green eyes were always lowered timidly, as though they concealed endless unease and shyness.

Overall, she was still a very beautiful young girl.