Chapter 163 - 101: A Smart Person’s Choice
The torrential downpour continued.
The Golem Demon’s departure was like an invisible hand, plucking the chaos and disorder from the crowd.
Perhaps because they had grown accustomed to the successive deaths over the past few days, Uma’s tragic end didn’t cause much of a stir in the crowd.
There wasn’t even much discussion about it.
"Uma was just shouting his head off over here. The Golem Demon must have had its eye on him for a while."
"Uma was a ridiculous clown. I knew he’d die from his own stupidity sooner or later."
"I get disgusted just looking at Uma’s arrogant face. This is the first time I’ve ever wanted to praise a monster."
Mo Ning used the Trick [Wind Listener], tilting his head to catch the sound waves drifting through the curtain of rain. A faint smile touched his lips.
Just as he had expected, few among this batch of newcomers liked the arrogant and domineering Uma. As a result, not a single voice of sympathy could be heard from the crowd.
The newcomers found a suitable reason for Uma’s death—he was targeted by the monster for being too arrogant.
Through the perspective of the [Insightful Secret Eye], it seemed no one, not even the Battle Group, found this strange.
The focus of the crowd’s discussion, without a doubt, fell upon Princess Phoebe.
"Thank goodness Princess Phoebe drove away the Golem Demon. Otherwise, a lot more people would have died today."
"What kind of weapon was Her Highness the Princess using? It looked so powerful!"
"I heard it’s called a [Secret Silver Illusion Arrow]. If you infuse it with enough Magic Power, it can form a lifelike illusion to attack enemies."
"Mithril? Tsk tsk, just what you’d expect from a Royal Family princess. She’s loaded!"
A glint flashed in Mo Ning’s eyes as he thought to himself, ’Praise Her Highness the Princess!’
’No wonder that small silver arrow vanished into thin air after piercing the Golem Demon’s membranous wing.’
Judging from the discussions, the newcomers clearly considered Princess Phoebe the main reason the monster was driven away.
For Mo Ning, this was a result he was happy to see.
Hearing the word "Mithril," his thoughts drifted for a moment.
The material possessed an incredibly strong affinity for Magic Power, making it a practically universal material.
Before the Era of Secret Divination, the price of Mithril was astoundingly high; even an Official Wizard would find it difficult to get their hands on a small amount.
After the Era of Secret Divination, the Wizard World’s power increased dramatically, and the number of Legendary Wizards multiplied more than tenfold.
According to historical records, starting from the eleventh millennium of the New Era, the Wizard World began a vigorous, large-scale exploration of Other Planes.
Wizards passed through spatial rifts, setting foot on mysterious and dangerous Other Planes. They acquired immense quantities of Mithril from distant Exotic Realms, causing its price to plummet.
Now, even a princess from the Royal Family of an ordinary Kingdom could carry a Witchcraft Item crafted from Mithril.
Mo Ning glanced one last time at Uma’s motionless corpse from a distance, feeling utterly refreshed.
Then, he turned to the two young women. "Let’s go."
Anya and Reina nodded in unison.
Danger lurked in the forest. Staying here would only bring endless harassment. Now was the perfect time for the three of them to leave.
Leaning on his Multi-functional Staff, Mo Ning walked forward into the downpour, the tip of his staff poking one pothole after another into the mud.
A few newcomers noticed the trio’s retreating figures, but they paid them no mind after a single glance.
Because their small team was just too unremarkable.
Soon, as the three of them walked further away, the heavy curtain of rain blocked all prying eyes.
Anya took a few more steps, then suddenly glanced back toward the forest.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she said in a low voice, "I can feel hostility stirring in the forest."
Her [Crisis Sensing] had never been wrong. The subtext of her words was clear—the monsters in the forest were about to attack.
Reina chimed in, "My [Intuition of the Right Direction] just told me that the forest is the wrong path."
Mo Ning nodded. "Then let’s get moving."
He thought to himself, ’The fog might be coming soon.’
’Once the fog appears, staying near the forest will become even more dangerous. This is perfectly in line with the academy’s habit of "ramping up the difficulty for no good reason."’
Mo Ning quickened his pace. The SQUELCH of his boots in the mud grew more rapid, but each step remained steady.
「Before long.」
From its high vantage point, the [Insightful Secret Eye] saw another commotion break out among the newcomers who had been taking shelter from the rain in the forest.
Many people, like a flock of chased ducks, rushed out of the forest in a panic, fleeing in any direction they could.
These people weren’t idiots. The monsters in the woods could attack from the trees, and in such a complex environment, it was nearly impossible to defend against them.
Mo Ning shook his head slightly.
A piece of information he had learned from some handbook was yanked to the forefront of his mind:
"The assessments arranged by the academy place great importance on the way Apprentices and newcomers respond to crises.
"If there is a dangerous monster in a certain area and you perceive this, leaving before the monster can attack, that is the first method of response.
"If you stay put, engage in a fierce battle with the monster, and manage to kill it at the cost of being injured, thus demonstrating a tenacious will to fight, that is the second method of response.
"According to the mindset of an ordinary person, the brave one should be commended, and the second method should be rewarded.
"But the academy’s view is the exact opposite—it tends to believe the first method is smarter.
"Because a qualified Wizard must know how to protect themselves, not constantly place themselves in dangerous situations.