CH125 - CH126

CH125 

Bessie lowered her head and remained silent for a while before saying, "We could still move in together. You can focus on your cultivation, and I'll handle everything else."

Helag declined, "No, I prefer living alone. Let's talk about it later."

With that, he stood up and left, ignoring Bessie's attempts to stop him.

Bessie was different from Elisa. Elisa only wanted a child, but Bessie wanted to build a long-term pure-blood wizard family with Helag.

Knowing he wouldn't stay here to start a family with Bessie, Helag had to refuse.

Two days after leaving Bessie's place, Helag received another message.

[Task: 

Patrol the Western Mountains for one month. Report to the mission hall within three days. If you have special circumstances, explain them in advance, or face the consequences.]

This task was assigned to Helag directly through his rune stone by Moonlight Forest. He sighed, "It was bound to happen."

He suspected that Moonlight Forest had Larry ask about his plans to prepare for this task.

If he had clearly stated his intention to stay, he might have been given an easy task or none at all.

But since he didn't commit to staying, the assigned task wasn't going to be easy.

The Western Mountains, located west of Moonlight Forest, were vast, with an area said to contain ten thousand mountains.

Patrolling such a place was no simple task. The mountains were home to many magical creatures and beasts.

Moreover, due to the vast area, Moonlight Forest couldn't control every part, leading to frequent incursions by wizards from other places.

The mountains contained many potion and casting materials, theoretically belonging to Moonlight Forest, but they couldn't control such a large area.

As a result, other wizard organizations or rogue wizards often came to steal resources. Patrolling meant stopping these intruders.

Stopping them would lead to conflicts. Wizards who dared to steal from Moonlight Forest were prepared for trouble.

Helag sent a message to Larry: "Teacher, I've been assigned a task."

"What task?" Larry asked.

Helag briefly explained his task.

Larry replied, "This isn't an easy task. Prepare well and be careful."

There wasn't much Larry could do to interfere with Moonlight Forest's arrangements.

After chatting with Larry, Helag headed to the mission hall.

The hall was quieter, with fewer people posting or taking tasks.

Moonlight Forest had a dedicated window for assigned tasks. After completing some formalities, Helag was told to reach the western station within three days and take a Hellfoot to the Western Mountains station.

Helag didn't rush. He used the three days to buy potions and supplies with his magic stones.

Larry's prepared Ancient Potions and Amanda Potions also arrived, so Helag went to pick them up.

"1,200 magic stones," Helag said, reluctantly counting out a large pile of stones and placing them on Larry's table.

Larry waved his hand, collecting them all. "Be careful on this task. After it's done, you should have some time to focus on your cultivation."

Helag nodded. "I hope everything goes smoothly."

The Ancient Potion looked dreamy, a vial of sea-blue liquid with a shadow of a giant tree inside.

The Amanda Potion resembled orange juice, a pure orange color, with three vials in total.

Helag stored the potions in his space ring, waiting to use them once his mental power met the requirements for advancement.

***

After preparing, Helag set off for the western station.

The journey was long, requiring a night's rest at a station where the Hellfoot also rested in a special stable.

Early the next morning, the Hellfoot was ready, standing at the station entrance, snorting and stamping its feet, urging everyone to hurry.

Helag shared the carriage with a chubby wizard he recognized from before, named Fred, who also had a patrol task in the Western Mountains.

Fred grumbled, "This task isn't easy. I've heard it's quite dangerous, with frequent battles. Most assigned here are third-level apprentices without background or potential."

Helag nodded. "We'll just have to be extra careful."

The carriage arrived at the Western Mountains station in the afternoon. The Hellfoot stayed to rest for the night before returning.

The station was large, with a big courtyard surrounded by castle-like walls.

Helag found eight other third-level apprentices and a first-level formal wizard named Barty, a gaunt old man with skin like dried wood.

Barty glanced at Helag and Fred. "Alright, everyone's here. Pair up and patrol by region, with day and night shifts. Five teams will rotate. Helag and Fred, you're a team."

Helag and Fred were the last to arrive, so they paired up.

The patrol task would start the next day and last for a month.

Helag and Fred received a map and found their patrol area.

"At least we don't have the night shift for now," Fred sighed.

Helag asked, "Does the night shift mean staying in the mountains overnight?"

Fred nodded. "Yes, and it's the most dangerous."

Helag checked the schedule and saw their night patrol was in three days.

They were given a red water ball containing an unknown liquid, called a Whispering Water Ball, used to send messages.

If they encountered strong intruders, they were to input mana into the ball to alert Barty immediately.

Patrols usually involved two third-level apprentices, enough for most situations.

If they needed to use the Whispering Water Ball, it likely meant encountering a formal wizard, and their only option would be to notify Barty before dying.

CH126

Barty, as a formal wizard of Moonlight Forest, was stationed here as part of his duties.

However, unlike Helag and the other apprentices, he didn't have to patrol the mountains. He only needed to stay at the station, which was generally uneventful and quite leisurely.

Early in the morning, Helag and Fred set out on horseback to patrol their designated area.

The paths in the Western Mountains were treacherous, narrow, and muddy, with overgrown vegetation often obscuring the way.

Occasionally, small snakes slithered across the path and into the bushes.

The difficult terrain slowed their progress, but they weren't in a hurry.

Patrolling had no specific targets; they just needed to cover their area and return to the station. As Helag put it, "We're just here to slack off."

Helag rode leisurely, enjoying the scenery, but he remained vigilant.

Deep Blue's environmental detection was always on, monitoring any movement within 500 meters.

"The last time I saw you, you were a first-level apprentice. Now you're a third-level apprentice. No wonder Mr. Larry took an interest in you," Fred remarked.

He knew Helag was Larry's student, a fact Helag didn't hide. Having a formal wizard as a teacher could reduce some troubles within Moonlight Forest.

"Just lucky," Helag replied modestly.

They spent half the day in the mountains without any incidents.

Helag found a flat spot on a hilltop, tied his horse to a tree, and sat down to eat some dry rations.

After a simple lunch, Helag leaned against the tree to rest, while Fred found a large rock to lie on.

Helag made most of the decisions during their patrol, and Fred had no objections.

Fred, at twenty-five, had little chance of becoming a formal wizard. Helag, at sixteen, had a bright future with Larry as his teacher, so Fred wanted to maintain a good relationship.

Half an hour later, Helag suddenly opened his eyes and stood up.

Fred noticed and saw Helag looking west, realizing something might be happening, so he became alert.

Soon, a small red bear, covered in blood, ran towards them in a panic.

Seeing Helag and Fred, the bear hesitated, looking back and forth, unsure whether to approach.

"A Mountain Fire Bear! A rare magical creature," Fred recognized it immediately.

Helag nodded. "A bear this young wouldn't be alone. The mother must be nearby. Judging by the blood, it's likely the mother's. Someone's hunting her."

Fred's expression grew serious. "Mountain Fire Bear pelts are valuable, worth hundreds of magic stones. They're only found in the Western Mountains, so poachers often risk hunting them."

Their task included protecting these resources, which belonged to Moonlight Forest.

Mountain Fire Bears had the strength of a Grand Knight, with even greater power and resilience.

Those hunting them were usually at least third-level apprentices.

Helag and Fred followed the bear's path and soon heard the sounds of a fight.

They climbed a hill and saw three people attacking a large Mountain Fire Bear at the base.

The bear's bright red fur was ablaze, but it was heavily wounded, with a massive gash in its belly, barely holding on.

"Absolute Defense."

"Rage of the Blood Bull."

"Unyielding Will."

"Blessing of the Mountain Spirit."

"Dark Energy Burst."

Helag cast Absolute Defense and several enhancement spells on himself.

Fred saw Helag smear some blood on his palm, followed by a magical aura but didn't know what spells he was casting.

"Shadow Corner."

Helag became a shadow, merging with the ground and moving silently toward the attackers.

As he approached, he cast another spell: "Dark Imprisonment."

The three attackers froze, realizing they were under a binding spell but unable to locate the caster.

Two third-level apprentices and one second-level apprentice were attacking the bear.

Helag emerged from the ground, covered in a colorful shield, and punched the nearest third-level apprentice.

The apprentice's mana shield shattered like paper, and Helag's fist struck his chest, caving it in and sending him flying into a distant rock, dead.

The remaining two were terrified by Helag's speed and power.

One third-level apprentice quickly broke his left pinky and chanted a spell, breaking free from the Dark Imprisonment.

He turned to flee, casting a mana shield, with no intention of fighting Helag.

Whoosh!

He felt a gust of wind behind him, and Helag was suddenly there.

Helag shattered his shield with a punch, grabbed his arm, and yanked him back.

Without hesitation, Helag punched his neck, driving him into the ground, and creating a small crater. The apprentice's head rolled away, separated from his body.

The second-level apprentice, witnessing this, was paralyzed with fear, his legs shaking uncontrollably, and soon wetting himself.

He had seen battles and death but never someone like Helag, who killed with such overwhelming strength and brutality.