Wrapping everyone in the Water Prison, Li Xiuman only needed a simple Tier 1 spell, “Water Burst,” to completely wipe out the entire party at this moment.
Yet even a skeleton had professional ethics.
Taking people's money and helping them avert disaster was only natural.
Besides, this adventurer party was actually quite decent.
They were so naive it was almost endearing.
They actually trusted an outsider like him, who had only recently joined the group, without any hesitation.
They didn't resist even a spell like Water Prison in the slightest.
“Plop, plop, plop.”
A strange sound echoed from outside the canyon.
The Water Prison locked down everyone's presence and vibrations completely.
Yet, the sound stopped just outside the canyon, as if the creature had halted right above the canyon and was no longer moving.
Aside from Li Xiuman, sweat began to bead on everyone's skin, only to be instantly washed away by the flowing water.
Through the muddy water created by Li Xiuman, they could vaguely make out a dark shadow cast over the mouth of the canyon.
Its eyes glowed with red light, staring fixedly down into the canyon.
However, due to its massive size, it seemed unable to enter the canyon and could only halt outside.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!!”
Rumbling sounds echoed from above the canyon.
Then, the muddy water in the canyon began to violently fluctuate.
Water bullets shot into the canyon one after another, churning the muddy water and making it even more turbid.
It seemed that after realizing it couldn't enter, the creature decided to spit water bullets to determine if there were any living things inside.
A single hit from these water bullets wouldn't claim their lives.
However, once a hit ruptured the Water Prison and exposed their presence, that Unique Variant would not leave so easily.
Li Xiuman raised his wand with one hand, the magic stone at its tip emitting a pale blue light as he expanded the magic circle to control the Water Prison.
At the same time, he kept his eyes glued to the Omen Crystal on his left wrist.
The moment the Omen Crystal flashed red, he swiftly controlled the spherical Water Prison to dodge.
Almost the instant they dodged, a water bullet shot through the water where they had been a split second before.
Next, Li Xiuman concentrated intensely.
Perhaps because his Spirit stat was high enough, his reflexes were astoundingly sharp.
Virtually every time, the moment the Omen Crystal lit up, he narrowly and miraculously dodged the incoming water bullets, allowing them to graze past the Water Prison.
This gave him the sensation of piloting a fighter jet, dodging enemy artillery fire.
The tense evasions left everyone inside the Water Prison dizzy and disoriented from the rapid swaying.
At the same time, they stared tensely at the ceiling above them.
If the Water Prison was punctured and their presence exposed, everyone knew the consequences would be catastrophic.
This made all of their hearts pound furiously.
Finally, the water bullets from above ceased.
The entire canyon had been churned into a muddy mess, reducing their visibility to almost zero.
Li Xiuman carefully guided the Water Prison deeper into the canyon, pressing it flat against the stone wall.
“Plop, plop, plop.”
The sound of movement echoed once again, gradually fading into the distance.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief; it had finally left.
Li Xiuman did not let his guard down. He had the fish-form Golem he released earlier swim up to the canyon's mouth to scout, and only completely relaxed once he confirmed it had departed.
“If I weren't just a newly advanced Tier 3, I'd definitely have made you stay behind today.”
Li Xiuman did not forget to silently throw out a harsh threat in his mind.
Currently, he was only level 31. Even with his zombie and Golem armies, defeating a level 40 Unique Variant in a direct confrontation was still too unrealistic.
Having just reached Tier 3, his mana pool was insufficient, and he hadn't mastered many Tier 3 spells. Furthermore, fighting underwater meant he couldn't unleash the full power of his Fire Magic.
After a long while, Li Xiuman finally dismissed the Water Prison. Guided by the Omen Crystal, they moved far away from the canyon's vicinity and located a water-filled cave.
After using magic to drain the cave of water, the exhausted group eagerly collapsed onto the dry ground to rest.
“...We owe you big time this time, Xiuman.”
“If it weren't for you, we probably would have met with disaster.”
Brad looked at Li Xiuman and thanked him.
Li Xiuman merely waved his hand, saying nothing.
“It's just a shame that I really can't spare any more gold coins.”
“And have no other way to express my gratitude.”
Brad added with a wry smile.
Beside him, his teammates scratched their heads, wearing sheepish grins.
“Captain, if you ask me, how about we write an IOU?”
Said a burly Heavy Warrior with a bully's face.
Li Xiuman recalled his name was Derrick or something. Although he had the face of a ruffian villain who looked ready to steal someone's girl at any moment, his words were surprisingly honest.
“That's right! I wonder if you'd mind, Xiuman?”
Brad's eyes lit up as he looked at Li Xiuman.
At this point, Li Xiuman actually felt a little embarrassed.
Should he politely decline first?
“There's no need. After all, we're in the same boat.”
“How could we not? This was a life-saving favor!”
With that, Brad pulled out a piece of parchment and began to write.
Li Xiuman politely declined twice more before “helplessly” accepting the parchment.
Looking down at the parchment, he put on an expression of three parts indifference, three parts helplessness, and three parts gratification.
“Holy crap!”
He couldn't help but blurt out.
“Ten... Ten... Ten... Ten thousand!?”
“Our party's financial situation hasn't been great lately, and we also lost a companion, so we might not be able to produce this sum immediately.”
“You might have to wait for a while.”
Brad quickly added.
“But I promise to clear this debt within a year.”
Li Xiuman's head was still buzzing.
Were they angels sent by heaven to rescue him from the hardships of poverty?
“...No need to rush.”
Li Xiuman put away the parchment.
“Li, your magic skills are truly extraordinary. Did you study under a famous master?”
“Even the graduates of the Royal Magic Academy I knew in the royal capital can't match your level, Li.”
“Li, I have some biscuits here. Do you want some?”
“Li...”
The members of the party had become even friendlier, clamoring to express their goodwill.
This left Li Xiuman, who wanted to focus on his studies, deeply exasperated.
Perhaps blowing these guys up when they were in the Water Prison was the correct choice after all.
“You guys, stop bothering Xiuman.”
“He maintained his magic for so long earlier and must be exhausted. He needs to rest now.”
Brad seemed to notice Li Xiuman's irritation and shouted at his party members in a stern tone.
Only then did the group rein themselves in a bit.
Through their brief exchange, Li Xiuman had also gathered some information.
Brad and the others seemed highly familiar with the royal capital, likely coming from there, and their backgrounds did not seem ordinary.
This would explain their outrageous financial outlook and that pristine, socially unpolluted brand of foolishness.
Perhaps they had run away from home just to pursue some ephemeral dream.
Or...
Did they have a concrete objective, like searching for something in particular?
Li Xiuman began to ponder their underlying goals.
But in the end, he felt it was completely unnecessary. These pure simpletons... hehe.
Better to focus on researching his own Fusion Magic.
Rate on N.U.
