"Oh—! My foot, I think I twisted it."
The moment he landed, Gandalf cried out in pain, baring his teeth as he hopped twice.
Li Wei, on the other hand, was almost completely fine. With fall protection active, the damage caused by Pearl teleportation had decimals in it.
"You don't look injured to me."
If the old man's health bar hadn't remained unchanged, Li Wei might have believed him.
"The expenditure was still considerable."
"That much I can tell."
While fighting Sauron, Li Wei had watched Gandalf's health steadily decline.
At the moment, he was limping forward with his staff, one hand clutching his lower back, looking thoroughly miserable. Li Wei couldn't bear to watch any longer and gave him a Golden Apple to eat.
"Thank you. I feel much better. This thing is truly miraculous—I can feel some of my strength returning."
Warmth spread through his body, and a solid golden glow enveloped Gandalf. It was the shield granted by the Golden Apple.
"That's good. Let's get out of here quickly."
Just as Li Wei and Gandalf ran into the forest, the dark shadow over Dol Guldur suddenly swelled, blotting out the sky as it swept toward them.
"Get down!"
Thud.
Gandalf raised his staff and cast a small transparent barrier, just enough to cover them both. Black mist swept overhead, uprooting several trees, but it failed to find the targets it sought and could only retreat in frustration.
Li Wei looked up to see vast numbers of Orcs and Wargs pouring out of Dol Guldur like a fountain, sweeping northward. At a glance, there were at least tens of thousands of them.
Among them, Li Wei spotted a pale figure—Azog. He rode the Warg king as he led the army out.
"They've mobilized..."
"I see it." Gandalf climbed