A total of three hundred mages participated in the Nameplate Snatching Battle, entering the Shadow Forest in batches over the course of a single day.
When Ning Busan went to collect his nameplate, he happened to run into Isabella.
Isabella made a provocative face at him.
Ning Busan responded by flipping her off.
Isabella blinked in confusion.
What did raising the middle finger mean?
Ning Busan entered the Shadow Forest alone.
The forest was perpetually bathed in a hazy, dim light, possessing neither the brightness of day nor the deep darkness of night.
Ning Busan felt a brief sense of disorientation.
When he first transmigrated into this otherworld, he had woken up right here in the Shadow Forest.
Five years had passed since then. Returning to the Shadow Forest now, his state of mind was completely different.
Ning Busan gripped the wand in his hand and smiled elegantly. “The hunting game begins. Let's see who the first lucky winner is.”
However, the Shadow Forest was simply too vast. Perhaps his luck was just terrible, but after wandering around for most of the day, he hadn't run into a single soul.
Ning Busan stopped to rest beneath a massive tree, his brow furrowing slightly. “If everyone is just playing hide-and-seek, this won't be any fun at all.”
The branches and leaves overhead wove into a dense, airless canopy. Occasionally, a few pale shafts of light filtered through the gaps, like ghostly fingers gently brushing the earth.
Suddenly, a faint ripple of magic vibrated through the air, barely perceptible like a ripple on a still pond.
“Flame Arrow!”
A low incantation rang out, and a blazing arrow of fire shot from the depths of the woods, hurtling straight toward Ning Busan's chest.
Ning Busan quickly rolled to the side. The flaming arrow struck the tree trunk behind him, instantly exploding into a ball of fire and sending sparks flying in all directions.
From the depths of the woods, a mage draped in deep purple robes slowly stepped forward. He held a gem-encrusted wand, his eyes cold and dark.
“Quick reflexes, Ning Busan.”
Ning Busan smirked. “And here I was wondering who it was. So, it's you.”
The mage who had ambushed him was Phil.
To prevent Isabella from claiming ultimate victory, His Majesty the King had ordered Phil and seven others to assist Ning Busan.
However, in Phil's eyes, Ning Busan was nothing but a useless weakling. Rather than pinning his hopes on such a person, he figured he was better off dealing with Isabella himself.
Phil raised his wand and began to cast a spell.
But in the blink of an eye, Ning Busan's figure vanished.
Before Phil could react, a swift kick from behind sent his wand flying out of his hand.
Ning Busan grabbed Phil by the head, pinning him to the ground, and demanded fiercely, “Where is your nameplate?”
“You cheap-shotted me!” Phil struggled, yelling, “Let me go if you've got the guts! We'll have a fair duel!”
“Give me a break. You're the one who ambushed me first.” Ning Busan slid the sword hidden inside his wand free, resting the blade against Phil's neck. “Hand over the nameplate, or I'll kill you.”
Phil stammered, “The nameplate... my nameplate was... was stolen by someone else.”
Ning Busan tapped Phil's forehead with his wand, and a circular green-glowing sigil appeared before Phil's eyes.
Ning Busan said, “This is a Lie Detection Spell. The moment you tell a lie, this sigil will turn red. Understand?”
Phil's mind went blank.
What on earth is a Lie Detection Spell?
How have I never heard of such magic before?
Ning Busan asked, “Was your nameplate really stolen?”
Phil nodded. “Really.”
The sigil immediately flared with a blinding red light.
Ning Busan's gaze turned cold. “You lied!”
Before Phil could even process what was happening, Ning Busan gave him a swift, ruthless beating.
Black and blue, Phil pulled his nameplate out of his pocket, tears streaming down his face. “I'll give it to you! I'll hand it over, okay?!”
Ning Busan cast the Lie Detection Spell again and asked, “Do you have anyone else's nameplates on you?”
Phil flatly denied it. “No! I haven't run into anyone else besides you since entering the Shadow Forest.”
The sigil turned red once more.
Ning Busan smiled faintly and raised his fist.
Phil covered his head and wailed miserably, “I really don't have any more nameplates! Even if you beat me to death, I can't just conjure one out of thin air for you!”
Ning Busan thrashed Phil for a bit longer, stopping only after ensuring that not even the boy's own mother would recognize him. Seeing that Phil still hadn't changed his story, he finally let up.
Ning Busan said, sounding rather reluctant, “Fine. Since you say you don't have any, I'll take your word for it.”
Phil scrambled up from the ground, trembling as he asked, “That wasn't actually a Lie Detection Spell, was it?”
He had spoken the absolute truth just now. Why did the sigil still turn red?
Ning Busan knocked him flat on his back with another punch, clicking his tongue. “I just didn't like the look of your face and wanted to beat you up.”
With the nameplate in hand, Ning Busan cast a binding spell to lock Phil in place, preventing him from leaving the designated area.
After all, they had to spend seven days in the Shadow Forest. These mages definitely carried space rings with stored food, so they wouldn't starve to death anytime soon.
Reassured by this thought, Ning Busan departed without a worry.
There were no strict rules in the Nameplate Snatching Battle. For instance, even though Ning Busan had stolen Phil's nameplate, Phil wasn't eliminated; he could still go and snatch nameplates from others.
In the end, whoever held the most nameplates would win.
Ning Busan's strategy was simple...
Rob everyone he saw, and bind them with magic afterward to prevent them from teaming up for revenge.
With three hundred mages in the Shadow Forest, all he needed to do was secure 151 nameplates, find a place to hide, and lie low until the competition ended.
Coincidentally, Isabella shared the exact same plan.
However, Ning Busan wasn't as fast as Isabella. After all, she had a contracted elf to assist her.
Four days later.
Ning Busan lightly rubbed his space ring, his gaze cold and alert.
He now had ninety-nine nameplates. Aside from a small handful of mages who were still hiding, the rest of the nameplates were likely in Isabella's possession.
This meant Isabella likely had more than a hundred and fifty nameplates.
If he wanted to win, he had to find Isabella and take them from her.
If Isabella chose to stop there and hide until the end of the seventh day, he might not actually be able to track her down.
But Ning Busan believed that with Isabella's temperament, she would never choose to hide. In fact, she was probably searching for him right now, eager to teach him a lesson.
A sly smile played at the corners of Ning Busan's lips.
In that case, he just needed to wait for her to walk right into his trap.
Rate on N.U.
