“Debbie, I’ve got an idea. Want to go for something big?” Ye Chui said to Debbie. “We could take down at least a dozen wolf rats in one go!”
Under the dim starlight, Debbie’s big eyes lit up, but her delicate brows soon furrowed. “How do you plan to do it? I’ll tell you, my battle spirit is powerful, but summoning it costs too much. For just wolf rats, it’s not worth it. My other spirits are all single-target, no area-of-effect abilities…”
“No need for your battle spirit,” Ye Chui said with a grin. Though he didn’t know much about summoners, he understood some basics. He continued, “The magical creatures you summon are immortal, right? Even if they’re killed, you can resummon them with magic power, correct?”
“Ordinary magical creatures are like that, like my Lululu. But some spirits, if they die once, their contract breaks, and they can’t be summoned again,” Debbie said, puzzled. “Why are you asking?”
“That puts my mind at ease,” Ye Chui said, leaning close to whisper his plan. “There’s a small pond over there. Have Lululu…”
As Ye Chui explained, Debbie’s confused expression turned to excitement, though she hesitated. “Isn’t that a bit unfair to Lululu?”
“One wolf rat is worth two silver coins,” Ye Chui reminded her.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
Debbie nodded decisively.
Meanwhile, the fire mage Harley kept the ring of flames burning around them. Matt relentlessly fired his crossbow, arrows flying to support Los and Gaiton. “Swish!” Another arrow struck a wolf rat’s belly, halting its lunge at Los, who then cleaved its head.
Matt let out a cheer, nocking another arrow, and boasted, “Our team’s been together for two years. We’re experts at handling wolf rat packs, always making a fortune. Impressive, right?” He was speaking to Ye Chui and Debbie, but when he turned, they were gone. “Debbie? Wade?”
Los and Gaiton fought the wolf pack in close quarters, one attacking, one defending, their teamwork flawless. Gaiton shielded Los’s back, blocking wolf rats’ teeth and claws with his massive shield, stabbing any that got too close with his short sword, while Matt’s arrows provided ranged support.
The near-hundred-strong wolf rat pack was just a pile of moving coins to them.
“Our fighting style may not match big mercenary guilds or magic societies, but it’s enough to impress those two kids, right?” Los thought, planning to recruit them after the mission.
Her dream was to build a strong mercenary team.
But then, something caught her eye, falling from the sky.
“Aaahhh!”
With a scream, a blue furball landed nearby. By the light of her arm’s magic lantern, Los saw it was a cat, or something like one, overly fat with an oddly human-like face. She quickly recognised it as Debbie’s summoned magical creature.
Confusion flooded Los’s mind.
The blue magical creature, Lululu, was even more baffled.
“My job is to be cute, not bait!”
Screaming, the blue furball Lululu bounced and scrambled toward a certain direction.
A few wolf rats froze, then, with gleaming eyes, howled and chased after Lululu.
Five wolf rats pursued, darting across the dim plain like terrifying shadows, moving at astonishing speed. Surprisingly, despite Lululu’s round body, his short legs were just as fast. The five wolf rats chased him behind a small hill to a muddy, debris-filled pond. Without hesitation, they plunged in.
Then, a crackling sound and blue electric light erupted in the night. The five wolf rats, caught in the electric glow, contorted in various poses, letting out pitiful roars. It was clearly a trap. After half a minute, the electricity stopped, and the wolf rats lay in the mud, smoking, barely alive.
“The plan worked!” Ye Chui said excitedly, drawing a dagger Los had given him for self-defence. He rushed to the unconscious wolf rats, swiftly stabbing each one, finishing them off.
“Five down!” Ye Chui said, thrilled, turning to Debbie, whose eyes sparkled under the starlight.
“I’m going on strike! Using me as bait!” A blue summoning gate appeared nearby, and Lululu, panting, tried to slip through, grumbling loudly.
But Debbie grabbed him first, lifting him by the scruff of his neck.
Lululu’s human-like cat face turned back, seeing Debbie’s sinister, mischievous grin. His short tail stiffened, and he said in a trembling, appeasing tone, “Debbie, remember how much you loved me when you first summoned me as a kid? Meow meow…”
“Off you go!”
Ignoring him, Debbie spun her petite body and hurled Lululu with a whoosh.
Shading her eyes, she watched Lululu arc through the moonlight, landing with a splash among another group of wolf rats.
“You jerk!”
Lululu’s voice echoed as he sprinted back. For magical creatures, their existence relied on their summoner’s magic, and opening a summoning gate to return to the magical world required being near the summoner.
“Here they come. Get ready,” Debbie urged Ye Chui.
“Looks like a big group this time,” Ye Chui said, grinning, preparing to cast [Lightning].
Stunning those five wolf rats had used only 11% of his magic. Tonight was looking promising!
