The camp and the hostages

After leaving Mist Canyon, An and Linley ventured deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The regret of having Blue Heart Grass within reach yet being unable to pick it weighed on them both, but An knew that an eighth-level magical beast was beyond his current ability. Recklessly throwing his life away would accomplish nothing. Only by growing stronger could he return to claim those treasures.

Over the next few days, they traveled through the mountains, hunting down quite a few fifth- and sixth-level magical beasts. An grew increasingly proficient with Wind Element magic in actual combat, and the agility and speed of his flight spell let him navigate the difficult terrain with ease. Linley also became increasingly adept at combining his earth and Wind Element magic. Working together, the brothers could easily dispatch even a Seventh-Level Magical Beast.

One day, as they made their way along a ridge, An suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Linley asked, looking around warily.

"There are people ahead," An said quietly. His lips moved slightly, and a breeze spread into the distance-Wind of Perception. A moment later, he frowned. "Quite a few. At least twenty."

They exchanged a glance and saw the same decision in each other's eyes: go take a look.

An and Linley approached cautiously. About three hundred meters ahead lay a valley filled with makeshift wooden huts and tents, with armed men patrolling outside. Deep inside the valley stood several cages built from thick wooden stakes, holding seven or eight prisoners, both men and women.

"It's a bandit camp," Linley whispered.

An nodded. Aside from mercenaries who hunted magical beasts, another kind of person frequented the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Rather than hunt beasts themselves, they specialized in robbing and kidnapping people who entered the mountains. If their captives were people of standing, they demanded ransom from their families. This was Holy Union territory, and young nobles from many nearby kingdoms came to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train. They were precisely the targets these bandits sought.

"Those few weak presences must be the hostages," An said.

Linley glanced at An.

"How do we attack?" Linley asked.

An studied the camp's layout. Two sentries guarded the valley entrance, and a larger wooden hut stood in the middle of the camp, presumably the leader's quarters. The hostages were held at the far end, with four men guarding them. There were roughly twenty-five bandits in the camp, most between the fourth and fifth levels, but the strongest presence was inside the central hut.

"I'll use wind blades to take out the sentries and the bandits around the perimeter first," An said. "Use Earth Spike Array to cut off their retreat. Leave their leader to me."

Linley nodded.

The brothers slipped behind a rock above the valley. An took a deep breath and began silently reciting an incantation. Azure wind essence rapidly gathered around him, and the pressure in the air suddenly rose.

Seventh-level Wind Element magic—Wind Blade Dance: Chaotic Blades.

This was a version An had refined in combat, increasing the original few dozen wind blades to nearly a hundred, giving it greater coverage and killing power.

"Now!"

An swept his hand forward.

Nearly a hundred azure wind blades shot from his hand, raining down like a storm of petals as they swept toward the bandits in the valley. The blades whistled through the air.

Before the two sentries at the valley entrance could react, several wind blades struck each of them at once, and they fell screaming.

Hearing the commotion, the bandits in the camp looked up, only to see deadly arcs of azure light.

"We're under attack-"

One bandit had barely shouted before a wind blade slit his throat. Another tried to block with his weapon, but the blades were too numerous and tightly packed. He parried three, only for a fourth to slash his leg, sending blood spraying.

In just a few breaths, more than half the dozen or so bandits on the perimeter had fallen.

Linley had not been idle either. Standing on high ground, he pressed both hands against the rock, pouring earth magic power into the ground.

"Earth Spike Array!"

The ground inside the valley suddenly shook, and dozens of sharp earthen spikes thrust up from below, forcing back several bandits who were charging toward the entrance. One failed to dodge in time. A spike pierced his thigh, and he collapsed with a scream. The spike array not only cut off their retreat but also completely blocked the central passage through the camp.

"Who's there!" The door of the central hut burst open, and a burly bald man charged out.

He stood nearly two meters tall, his body packed with knotted muscle. He wore only a leather vest on his upper body, exposing a vicious scar on his chest. In his hand was an enormous double-bladed battle-axe, its edges still stained with dark red blood. His narrow, triangular eyes swept across the valley and quickly settled on An and Linley, standing on the rocks above.

"Two brats dare come to my turf looking for death!" the bald man roared. A dark red battle-aura shield rose around his body. He was at least a peak seventh-level warrior.

An leaped from the rock. Azure wind essence condensed behind him into a pair of translucent wings, leaving him hovering in midair.

"A flight spell? A Level Seven Mage?" The bald man's pupils suddenly contracted.

A Level Seven Mage was a force to be reckoned with anywhere. But the bald man quickly regained his composure. He was a peak seventh-level warrior, and with his men supporting him, he did not necessarily have to fear a Level Seven Mage. Besides, this mage looked like a boy of only fifteen or sixteen. How much experience could he possibly have?

"Get him, boys! A hundred gold coins to whoever kills that brat!" the bald man ordered.

The dozen or so bandits still capable of fighting raised their weapons and charged at An. Several were archers. They drew their bows and loosed arrows imbued with battle aura, sending them whistling toward him.

The Wind Wings behind An fluttered gently, and he traced an arc through the air, easily avoiding every arrow. With a series of flicks of his fingers, wind blades shot toward the archers with deadly precision.

"Ah!" "My eye!" Screams rose one after another.

Seeing the situation turn against him, the bald man roared and kicked off the ground, launching himself toward An like a cannonball. The explosive power of a peak seventh-level warrior was terrifying. He leaped more than twenty meters high, his double-bladed battle-axe cleaving toward An with a piercing whistle.

An remained calm. Tilting his Wind Wings, he shifted several meters sideways. The axe swept past the hem of his clothes, the battle aura along its blade leaving a scorching wave in the air.

Unable to change direction in midair, the bald man could only fall toward the ground. An had already prepared his next spell.

Seventh-level Wind Element magic—Wind Roar!

An azure column of wind over two meters in diameter erupted from An's hands and blasted toward the falling bald man like a roaring dragon. Countless tiny wind blades spun at high speed within it, powerful enough to shred steel.

The bald man's expression changed drastically. The dark red battle-aura shield around him suddenly thickened, and he held his double-bladed battle-axe across his body to block the attack. The instant the wind column struck him, a deafening roar erupted. His shield shook violently, its dark red light flickering.

"Ah-" The wind column hurled the bald man dozens of meters away, smashing him into the valley's rock wall and leaving a deep crater. Loose stones rained down as dust filled the air.

Yet he had not died. The defenses of a peak seventh-level warrior were truly astonishing. Though his battle-aura shield had dimmed considerably, it remained intact.

The bald man jumped down from the rock wall, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were fiercer than ever. He was about to charge again when the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way. A huge fissure had opened without his noticing.

It was Linley's Earth Split.

The bald man's feet sank into the fissure, trapping him for a moment. In that instant, An's second Wind Roar arrived.

This time, the bald man could withstand it no longer. The wind column tore through his faltering battle-aura shield, swept him up, and slammed him into the ground dozens of meters away. His battle-axe flew from his hand, part of his chest caved in, and blood gushed from his mouth. After twitching twice, he lay still.

With their leader dead, the remaining bandits completely lost their will to fight. Some dropped their weapons and knelt to beg for mercy. Others tried to escape the valley, but Linley's earth magic had sealed the entrance tight. Working together, An and Linley subdued every bandit in less time than it took to drink a cup of tea.

"Let's rescue them." An dismissed his Wind Wings and landed before the cages.

Linley used the Flat Blade to cut through the iron chains on the wooden stakes and opened the cage door. Seven or eight people were imprisoned inside, men and women, young and old, all in ragged clothes with haggard faces. At the sight of their rescuers, some burst into tears.

"Thank you, thank you..." A middle-aged man struggled to his feet and bowed to An and Linley.

An waved a hand, his gaze sweeping over the people in the cage. Suddenly, his eyes stopped on a blond girl.

She was about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a dust-covered purple dress, her blond hair falling in disarray over her shoulders. Though her face was weary, her dreamy eyes held a quality that stirred sympathy. She was supporting an injured old man as she tried to stand.

"Are you all right?" Linley stepped forward and asked.

"We're fine, just a little frightened." The blond girl looked up, then froze for a moment when she saw Linley and An.

"I'm fifteen. So is he." Linley pointed at An.

The blond girl and several companions behind her looked astonished. Two fifteen-year-old boys had wiped out a camp of more than twenty bandits and killed a peak seventh-level warrior? It was simply unbelievable.

"My name is Kalan." A young man in white armor stepped forward and cupped his fist toward Linley and An. "Thank you both for saving our lives. We're from the Debs Clan in Fenlai City. We came to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train, but never expected to be captured by these bandits. They were using us to demand ransom from our clan. Thank goodness you came."

"The Debs Clan?" Linley thought for a moment. The name seemed vaguely familiar.

"Yes." Kalan nodded. "This is Tony, this is Niya, and this is Alice." He introduced the companions behind him one by one. The blond girl was Alice Duff. There was also an old man, the Debs Clan's steward, who had accompanied them to protect them and had been captured as well.

An's gaze lingered on Alice for an extra moment. He had to admit that the girl had a certain grace. That mixture of fragility and stubbornness made one instinctively want to protect her. She must be Linley's first love from the original story. I never expected we'd still meet them with me here too. Fate really is strange.

"How did you end up here?" An asked.

Kalan smiled bitterly. "We ran into the bandits in the outer region. There were too many of them for us to fight. We've been held here for three days. Their leader sent someone to Fenlai City with a letter demanding a hundred thousand gold coins for our release."

"A hundred thousand gold coins?" Linley frowned. "Your Debs Clan can afford that, but even if you paid, they might not let you go."

"We know," Alice said softly. "But there was nothing we could do. If you hadn't come, we might have..."

She did not finish, but everyone understood what she meant.

An walked over to the bald man's corpse, untied a bulging bag from his waist, and opened it. Inside were Magic Crystal Cores, gold coins, and several letters. An gave them a quick look. They were ransom demands the bandits had written to various families. Apparently, the Debs Clan was not their only victim.

"This fellow did plenty of evil." An tossed the bag to Linley. "Count it up later."

Linley caught the bag, then gathered the weapons and valuables found on the bandits' bodies. After working for a while, the two finished clearing out the camp.

Kalan led Alice and the others out of the cage, smiles finally appearing on their faces now that they had survived the ordeal. Niya was a female archer and rather bold. She approached An and asked curiously, "Are you really a Level Seven Mage? You look younger than me."

An did not answer. He merely said evenly, "We're still some distance from the outer edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and there may be dangers along the way. We'll escort you out."

"Wonderful!" Tony jumped with delight.

Kalan also breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you both. May I ask your names?"

"Linley." Linley pointed to himself, then to An. "This is my younger brother, An. We're both from Ernst Academy."

"Ernst Academy?" Alice's eyes immediately lit up. "The best magic academy on the continent?"

Linley nodded.

There was a little more admiration in Alice's gaze as she looked at An. To her, Ernst Academy's students were geniuses among geniuses, and for An to become a Level Seven Mage at his age made him a genius even among them.

The group left the bandit camp and headed toward the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Along the way, Linley and Kalan led the way, Tony and Niya followed in the middle, and An brought up the rear.

By the time they emerged from the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, dusk was approaching. An and Linley escorted Kalan's group to the nearest town, where the Debs Clan owned businesses that could arrange their return to Fenlai City.

As they parted, Kalan took a Magic Crystal Card from inside his clothes and insisted on pressing it into An's hand. "There are ten thousand gold coins on this. It's a small token of thanks from our Debs Clan. We can never repay you for saving our lives."

An pushed it back. "There's no need."

"But..." Kalan still wanted to insist.

Linley patted his shoulder. "If my brother says there's no need, there's no need. Hurry home, and don't venture recklessly into the Magical Beast Mountain Range again."

Seeing how firm An was, Kalan could only give up. He took a clan emblem from inside his clothes and handed it to Linley. "This is the Debs Clan's emblem. If you ever come to Fenlai City, go straight to the Debs Clan estate on Green Leaf Road. We'll be sure to give you a warm welcome."

Linley accepted the emblem and nodded.