“Lalala, lalala—”
Ye Chui and Debbie, arm in arm, humming cheerfully, left the mercenary guild hall with a carefree air. Kaimis and his two companions hurriedly followed, trailing them as they left Blue Road Street, turned onto Queen Street, walked along the town river, and reached the southern outskirts, where few people roamed, a relatively secluded area. Not far off was the ruin of the Goddess of Wealth temple, where Ye Chui and Debbie first met.
Kaimis and his companions exchanged smug glances. They had been plotting how to lure Ye Chui and Debbie to a quiet spot, but now it seemed unnecessary. The two had wandered into a remote area on their own.
To them, Ye Chui and Debbie were lambs ripe for slaughter, especially since they knew the pair carried a hefty sum of gold coins.
The two turned into a nearby cemetery, a place rarely visited. Kaimis and his companions hurried after, rounding a lush blue poplar tree, only to freeze. Ye Chui and Debbie stood side by side not far away, faint smiles on their faces, as if waiting for them.
“You knew we were following?” Kaimis sneered, summoning his spellbook. His two companions drew a short sword and an iron axe.
“Only an idiot wouldn’t see your intentions,” Ye Chui said with a faint smile, summoning his iPad spellbook, now fully charged with magic.
“Fine, then hand over your gold coins!” Kaimis said, his eyes wild, laughing maniacally. “Yesterday, I didn’t expect you to have the [Lightning] spell, but now that I know, you’re no threat. Plus, I’ve got two friends this time.”
The sword and axe wielders grinned, brandishing their weapons.
“Hey, you’re acting like I don’t exist,” Debbie said, displeased.
Ye Chui turned to her. “Can you handle those two?” On the way, they had agreed: Ye Chui would deal with Kaimis, leaving the other two to Debbie. As a summoner who survived the dungeon for over half a month, Ye Chui knew Debbie wasn’t the ditz she seemed. She had real skill, far surpassing his own combat ability at this stage.
“No problem. These two goons are weaker than the dungeon’s magic guards. I can take them easily,” Debbie said casually, then turned to Ye Chui with concern. “But you? You beat Kaimis yesterday by catching him off guard with lightning magic. That won’t work now.”
“I’ve got this,” Ye Chui said, grinning confidently.
“Have you two rookies talked enough?” Kaimis roared, furious at their casual chatter, taking it as an insult. He shouted to his companions, “Take care of Debbie. She’s a summoner, but all she summons is useless junk. Nothing to fear!”
“Heh, such a pretty girl. I’m quite interested,” the axe-wielding man said with a creepy laugh, eyeing Debbie.
Debbie huffed, turning to Ye Chui. “I’ll lure these two goons away and deal with them. Be careful.” With that, she dashed deeper into the cemetery, pulling out her summoning key.
Kaimis’s two companions chased after her.
Debbie stopped after a short run, a door appearing beside her. It was the same colourful summoning gate she’d shown in the guild hall. As she unlocked it with her key, the comical clown emerged.
“Ha!” Goon One laughed, mouth wide. “Miss Debbie, summoning an entertainment clown now? What’s that supposed to do?”
“Obviously,” Goon Two said, doubled over with laughter, “she’s trying to make us laugh to death!”
Debbie glanced at Ye Chui and Kaimis facing off in the distance, then turned to the goons, a delighted expression on her face. “Back in the guild hall, I didn’t properly introduce my clown spirit. A true adventurer must fully showcase their summons. Let me reintroduce him.”
The goons froze, puzzled. What was there to introduce about an entertainment spirit?
“What you’re seeing is the ‘Joyful Clown,’ a party spirit who performs the world’s funniest acts,” Debbie said, smiling. The clown made a few silly gestures, miming a silent laugh. In a different setting, his antics would’ve been hilarious.
“Next, the Sad Clown,” Debbie continued.
The clown’s upturned mouth drooped, his shoulders slumped, his image evoking sorrow. Debbie explained, “The Sad Clown is a funeral spirit. His cries induce grief and can weaken an enemy’s will, making them despondent.”
The goons tensed.
“Don’t worry, the Sad Clown’s cries use a lot of magic. Though this is a cemetery, I won’t have him cry here,” Debbie said quickly. “I haven’t finished introducing my clown spirit.”
“What are you getting at?” The goons were baffled by Debbie’s rambling.
Debbie held up her hand, wiggling five fingers. “The clown spirit has five forms: Joyful, Sad, Angry, Mad, and Terrifying, each with unique abilities. Next, I’ll introduce—”
The Sad Clown’s eyes suddenly blazed, his brows arched, his red mouth splitting into a fierce grin. His comical face turned furious, his scrawny frame bulging with muscle, transforming from a twig to a hulking figure.
Debbie grinned mischievously and said—
“Battle spirit, the Angry Clown!”
“Aaaargh!”
Roaring with fury, the Angry Clown charged at the two goons, fists swinging.
