"Magic Nullification," Just an NPC

[At least twenty enemies, and they came prepared!]

Cui Ciyou's pupils contracted sharply. His powerful Perception instantly assessed the enemies' numbers and approximate strength.

"Form up and hold them off! Dak, stay close to me!"

The caravan captain—Carl—glared furiously, roaring as she unleashed her Battle Aura and became the first to meet the enemies charging head-on.

Her son—Dak—gripped his longsword tightly. His face was pale, but his gaze remained stubborn as he followed close behind.

The remaining guards had also been driven into a corner, roaring as they tangled with enemies several times their number!

The sharp clang of weapons colliding, the dull crack of bones breaking, the wet sound of blades entering flesh, screams and roars...

Those sounds shattered the stillness of the night. Blood and slaughter became the camp's only theme.

Cui Ciyou stood calmly at the edge of the battlefield, watching it all.

Though the guards fought bravely, their resistance seemed desperately difficult against the bandits' overwhelming numbers and their ruthless, life-for-life fighting style.

Under the tide-like assault, the defensive line was steadily compressed and on the verge of collapse. Guards were constantly being wounded.

He saw the young Dak, following close behind his father as he desperately swung his sword.

But he was clearly inexperienced, and several times he came perilously close to death. If not for Carl's timely rescue or the other guards' cover, he would have long since been cut down by the chaotic blades.

Several veteran guards formed a small defensive formation with their backs against the wagons. They cut down several bandits, but were also covered in wounds themselves.

Their movements were growing slower and slower. They clearly would not be able to hold out much longer...

At this rate, the defensive line would completely collapse within minutes, and slaughter awaited these people.

Cui Ciyou's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as reason clamored clearly in his mind:

Leave! Leave now! This is the best opportunity!

Their lives and deaths have nothing to do with you! You're the fastest person here—you can escape!

"Is that so?" he murmured deep within his heart. "I'm the fastest person here...?"

His gaze involuntarily fell on Dak, who was being besieged by three bandits and was in constant danger.

The young man's face was pale with fear, and his body trembled slightly, yet he still gripped his sword tightly. He did not retreat a single step, trying his best to ease the burden on his father, who was fighting soaked in blood...

Cui Ciyou then looked at Carl, who roared like an enraged lion. Her Battle Aura flickered between strong and weak, her wounds steadily increased, yet she continued fighting to the death without retreating.

This bearded swordswoman was giving everything she had to protect her child...

These people were afraid, but they also had courage. They had things they wanted to protect...

If I just leave like this—these people... will die! An inexplicable irritation surged through Cui Ciyou's heart.

He cursed under his breath:

"Tch! What a damn hassle! I could've just ignored this..."

"Why do I have to make trouble for myself... Still, I don't like evil people anyway!"

"...Since I can't stand watching this, then... I might as well settle it cleanly."

He exhaled softly. The hesitation and struggle in his eyes vanished completely as he persuaded himself:

"Since I'm the fastest one here, even if I can't win, I can still run away!"

No longer hesitating, Cui Ciyou turned his gaze toward the edge of the inner wagons—an iron sword was leaning against one of the wheels.

His figure moved!

Like a weightless phantom, he silently passed through several chaotic skirmishes with astonishing speed and agility, arriving beside the iron sword in an instant.

Bend down—reach out—grip the sword!

This sword feels decent enough.

Then he turned to face the battlefield.

The next second, Cui Ciyou moved! He charged in without hesitation!

His figure darted forth like a ghost, instantly plunging into the battlefield.

Just as a bandit's curved blade caught an opening and was about to slash toward Dak's waist, before Dak could even react—

Cui Ciyou had already appeared behind that bandit. His left hand shot out and seized the man's wrist!

—In that instant, the faint red Battle Aura surrounding the bandit went out abruptly like a punctured balloon.

The bandit froze, extreme shock appearing on his face.

"Wh-what?!"

His body trembled. The terror of losing his Battle Aura robbed him of the will to fight.

He tried to wrench himself free, but without the enhancement of Battle Aura, he could not break free from Cui Ciyou's grip at all.

"Since you can't break free, don't struggle." Cui Ciyou murmured, tightening his grip on the hilt with his right hand and sweeping it out without hesitation.

"Splurt..."

The blade precisely sliced open the bandit's throat. Warm blood splashed across Cui Ciyou's face. The bandit twitched a few times before collapsing limply.

I-I... killed someone.

Cui Ciyou's mind seemed to react more slowly than his body.

He stared at the corpse on the ground, the fingers holding his sword trembling slightly.

His stomach churned, and a violent wave of nausea rushed over him.

I'm going to... throw up! He staggered back a step, bent over while bracing himself on the sword hilt, and dry-heaved several times.

"Urgh..."

There was little food in his stomach. Only sour fluid rose up, scorching his throat.

He casually wiped the residue from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. His face was slightly pale, but he quickly drew a deep breath and forcibly steadied his emotions:

This is another world, not modern society.

It's just a game. Just treat it like a Japanese RPG.

If I don't kill the bandits, the caravan people will die. If someone has to die, it should be the bandits—the evil people should die.

Damn it, they're just NPCs... Right, they're only NPCs! NPCs for the protagonist to level up on, that's all!

He casually wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve, slowly straightened up, and his eyes became colder and more resolute.

Carl, who had witnessed his reaction from the side, frowned. She seemed to want to say something, but ultimately kept silent.

He's never killed anyone. So powerful, yet he really is a "warrior who's never seen blood"?

Is he still just a child?

The battle was not over yet! After Cui Ciyou dealt with several more bandits...

"Damn it! There's something wrong with this brat. Stop using Battle Aura. Where's the mage? Use magic directly!"

A bandit mage standing in the rear suddenly raised his staff. His lips moved rapidly as he chanted an incantation.

"Burning spirit of flame, pierce the enemy!"—Fireball

Accompanied by a surge of magic power, a fireball the size of a human head swiftly took shape. Carrying suffocating heat, it shot fiercely toward Cui Ciyou!

However—just as the fireball was about to touch Cui Ciyou, it went out in midair!

The mage's face instantly turned pale. He instinctively took a step back, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

"H-how did this happen?!" The mage gritted his teeth again, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he frantically gathered magic power and continued chanting!

"Burning spirit of flame, pierce the enemy!"

Yet this time, the flame could not even take form. It was completely extinguished in his palm!—The magic had been completely nullified!

Because Cui Ciyou no longer hesitated and strode directly toward the mage.

The mage backed away in terror, his right hand trembling as he tried to draw the short blade at his waist, but Cui Ciyou was faster than he had imagined!

"Sorry, but in a sense, I'm probably a mage's—natural enemy!"

A flash of sword light!

"Splurt..."

The blade slashed diagonally down from the mage's shoulder, tearing straight through his chest as blood sprayed everywhere!

The tide of battle completely turned.

After the mage was killed, the bandits had lost all will to fight.

Cui Ciyou led the caravan members and drove back the bandits.

After the battle ended, all sorts of possibilities flashed through Cui Ciyou's mind, and he quickly summarized several key points:

—This world had magic and Battle Aura.

—Everyone who approached him just now had been unable to use Battle Aura.

—The mage's attack—"magic"—had gone out the instant it approached him.

—Battle Aura and magic seemed to be completely nullified within a certain range around him.

So this is my ability?—Magic Nullification? It isn't interference, but devouring or annihilation.

It makes all Battle Aura and magic power completely fail around me. The range is probably... three to five meters?

"Magic Nullification, huh? That's not a bad ability."

Cui Ciyou lowered his head to look at his palm, speculating about his ability as a faint trace of excitement appeared in his eyes.