Mage Manual

Chapter 186: Chapter 165: Prison Level One Protected Animal

The tables have turned!

Since Ash couldn’t evade the four Bone Dragons hell-bent on his demise, he decided not to hide and even thought about using them to his advantage.

Moreover, Ash was correct in saying that the invasion from the Foreign Domain indeed presented the best opportunity to escape lately, but he wasn’t very anxious, for the Void Realm had already guaranteed his safety.

It was like a professor reassuring you before an exam that you would definitely pass. You wouldn’t submit a blank paper, but you could skip a few questions you didn’t recognize without worrying, because even if your exam results weren’t great, the professor would adjust your coursework marks to ensure you passed.

But for Igula and others, Ash’s status had skyrocketed from ‘disposable Taunting Companion’ to a ‘prison-level protected species’. After all, sticking close to Ash meant a smooth escape from the Blood Moon. They didn’t have time to protect him, let alone throw him out as expendable bait.

However…

“You don’t actually believe everything mentioned in the Fate Q&A will happen, do you?” Lanna said calmly, “The one absolute in the Fate Faction is that Fate is never absolute.”

Ronald spread his hands: “Besides, you can’t prove you’ve actually encountered the Fate Q&A. Even if you, Ash, are willing to bet your reputation, the Cult Leader isn’t exactly known for having any, right?”

Harvey nodded along: “Even if the Fate Q&A is real, and you really escape the Blood Moon, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be alive. I could still take you away from the Blood Moon as a corpse.”

Igula delivered the killing blow: “Compared to taking your whole living self away, isn’t it more efficient to kill you and carry you in four boxes as a talisman?”

Damn, they made a lot of sense!

Feeling his swagger had failed, Ash hung his head in defeat. Out of his sight, the four quickly exchanged glances and silently reached a consensus.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the tent was lifted, and a tall Beastman archer walked in.

His face was unmasked, with one eye mechanical. His shoulders, hands, knees, and waist were all fitted with gun attachments. This was a Mage’s gun, completely foregoing bullets, that required the power of a Technique Spirit to fire.

Gun Technique Faction·Eight-Sniper Style!

Igula and the others immediately recognized the Beastman’s specialization. This was a Beastman, merged with ogre strength and gun technique, a heavy assault armament with multiple heavy sniper guns carried on the body, aiming and shooting with the help of Technique Spirits, and the recoil being dissipated through the Technique Spirits across the body to forcefully offset it. In direct combat, they were incredibly formidable, true assault archers, blades of the battlefield. Below the rank of Three-winged, almost no Mage could withstand the pinpointed firing of the Eight-Sniper.

The Beastman archer was surprised to find the tent full of people, and he quickly assessed the strength of the earlier arrivals: the pair on the right bench were not to be messed with;

The one on the middle bench exuded a gray, deathly aura under his “Death Shot Tactical Eye Model 7,” better not to provoke;

Although there were also two people sitting on the left bench, one was tall and exuded confidence, while the other looked inconspicuous, hanging his head as if constipated.

The Beastman archer decided who was the easiest target in the tent in an instant, reaching straight for Ash: “You—”

Ah, which café should I go to, really feel like taking a dump, the shrimp paste-flavored lala fat is so good, when can I finally strike it rich—

The Beastman archer suddenly came back to his senses, realizing he had been bombarded with distracting thoughts for a full two seconds, completely forgetting his circumstances and purpose!

This was an attack from the Spirit Faction!

He tried to move, but his legs were numb as if they didn’t belong to him, and the rotten stench of death crept up from his feet to his waist.

The eerie Miracle of the Necromancy Faction!

The Beastman instinctively wanted to unleash his full Fire Power for indiscriminate attacks, but two steel balls suddenly shot from the right, hitting him precisely in the eye and the knee, not only temporarily blinding him but also forcing him to kneel!

Gun technique or shooting technique?

The beastman strenuously opened a slit of his eye, and what entered his vision was a whip leg sharp as a blade!

Snap!

Everything happened as fast as lightning, and by the time Ash lifted his head, he only saw a dark figure flying backwards out of the tent, unable to even scream.

He tilted his head, a look of bewilderment on his face, “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Igula said, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly manner, “By the way, I’ve had a sudden attack of conscience. Even though you’re pretty useless, we’ve had our moments together, so you can rest assured, Ash, I won’t use you as bait. Follow me, and I’ll lead you to victory!”

Ash looked at Igula, his eyes gradually lighting up, his lips curving into a playful smile.

“I get it, so I’m important then?”

Igula’s expression did not change, “Ash, you’re so ordinary yet so confident…”

“If I were truly useless, you would flatter and praise me, inflate my confidence only to kick me out and send me to my death. Conversely, if I were truly useful, you would try to suppress my confidence as much as possible, so that I’d be willing to be used by you.” Ash pointed at Harvey, “Don’t forget, I watched the whole process of you recruiting Harvey, he just didn’t fall for it.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Oh, Ash, you’re quite arrogant, huh? So, do you prefer pole dancing or doing handstands with diarrhea—You looking for trouble!?”

Ash immediately flipped Igula’s hood and furiously rubbed his head while giggling, “Come on, make a wish. I’ll do my best to fulfill it. Whoever doesn’t make a wish is a little dog, come on!”

“Ha ha ha, I was right, Igula, you actually believed me. Compared to the greatly dangerous unknown future, you’d rather choose this certain future, to protect me as I leave by your side!”

“Did you forget that as soon as we pass through the passage you become useless? I can command you to wait in place for 48 hours and then return to the Blood Moon after we pass through.”

Ash froze mid-action and sat down like a good child, “I’m sorry, I was too arrogant.”

Igula, annoyed, fixed his hair and donned his hood, watching the cult leader still having the leisure to ask Lanna to borrow a nail clipper; he was so furious that he almost wished for Ash to strangle himself with his own intestines.

And what the hell, now even a stupid man with the same level of social skills as a child in a foster care center could easily see through his thoughts? Is it that I, Igula, am not cunning enough, or is it that you, Ash, are just too bizarre?

Thinking carefully, how many times had he been outsmarted by Ash?

The fourth time, the fifth time?

Igula felt like Ash was his natural enemy and made a decision against the Swindler’s principles in his heart: This boy must not be kept, as soon as we leave Blood Moon I must hurry to kill this cult leader!

The moment I leave Blood Moon will be the day Ash is buried!

In the meantime, several people came wanting to enter the fifth tent, but they were all driven away. Soon, a goblin’s voice rose from outside, “Team formation time has ended, and the random teams can now come out.”

Ash and his team walked out of the tent and looked up to see three people standing on the platform.

“Good, all the random teams are full,” the goblin nodded in satisfaction, “Next, we enter the Blessing Ceremony. On my left hand side is the acolyte Ke’er sent by the Church, her team of priests will provide everyone with the Blood Moon Blessing.”

Acolyte Ke’er, wearing a gold-edged white robe, was tall, but her face was very cute, her chubby cheeks like those of a baby, tempting one to give them a pinch. She somewhat shyly nodded to the adventurers, with the large grey wolf wagging its tail behind her.

“And standing on my right hand is this Hunter, whom I’m sure everyone recognizes. It’s Gerard Wessminste, the enforcer from the Crime Hunting Hall—”

As if by unspoken agreement, Ash and his group retreated back into the tent.