Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“Luckily, the axe didn’t hit me right in the face. Otherwise, the injuries alone would’ve tortured me to death even if I managed to survive them!” Mo Fan muttered in relief.

The Potions were healing him slowly, but the burning pain was getting worse. Mo Fan was already feeling light-headed from excessive loss of blood. It was going to affect his concentration.

Mo Fan used the Fleeing Shadow to escape to a safe distance. The Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon seemed to know where Mo Fan was. It calmly looked in his direction, but did not chase after him.

The Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon was obviously after the Barrier Core. If Mo Fan kept running away with the Shadow Element and Space Element, it would only be wasting his time. Now that it had inflicted serious injuries on him, it no longer had to worry about him.

“Mo Fan… are you alright!?” Wen Xia asked when she found Mo Fan covered in wounds.

“Still alive. It seems your intention to build a city here has provoked that king of the mountain. You will need at least three times the size of the army here to defend the city,” Mo Fan replied, panting heavily.

Mo Fan had been to the west. He knew the efforts that Li Man’s sister, the stubborn general, had put in to build a safe city. Even though this city was a fortress with a certain level of defense and its own troop, the demon creatures in the mountains were obviously not going to stand still and watch this fortress being upgraded into an Elemental Capital with such a powerful Barrier.

The demon creatures had obviously planned this invasion. It was impossible to defend the city without seven to eight Super Mages and over five thousand elite soldiers.

“We would like to have triple the number of troops too, but…” Wen Xia could not help but grimace when she heard Mo Fan’s words.

They had already allocated as many men they could. Every fortress along the coastline was short on men, and the headquarters cities desperately needed patrols, since battles were taking place everywhere. They could only assign so many men to defend the city. They knew how dangerous the situation was going to be when the Barrier Core was being established, yet they had no choice but to take a huge leap of faith…

“Don’t cry, I’m not dead yet,” Mo Fan blurted out when he saw Wen Xia tearing up with a wronged and discontented face.

“I’m not crying because of you. I was just thinking how useless I am when I think how the city is going to be overrun by the monsters, and the higher-ups will have to send more backup to rescue us!” Wen Xia said.

“…there’s always a chance to lose a fight. If we win every battle, we would have conquered the world by now. Why would we be striving to survive in a little crack between the kingdoms of demon creatures? This loss is just one of many. Don’t let it bother you too much,” Mo Fan said.

“I would rather die than lose the battle!” Wen Xia shouted.

“Hey, don’t be so hot-tempered!” Mo Fan was surprised. He quickly said, “Look at you, you are still so young, a pretty lady with huge… there are a lot of wonderful things about life you haven’t enjoyed yet. Why must you be so stubborn and sacrifice yourself for a difficult battle? As long as the green mountains remain, we won’t have to worry about not having woods to burn. Besides, you are responsible for the trauma you caused to my groin, too. You can’t just go and sacrifice yourself!”

Wen Xia was amused by Mo Fan’s silly talk, even though she was not in a good mood. Why did the man still have the mood to utter such nonsense when he was covered in injuries?

“You shouldn’t be in a rush to get yourself killed. Let me see if I can convince someone to help us. We might have a chance if she’s willing to lend a hand.” Mo Fan let out a sigh. He knew Wen Xia was going to defend the city with her life by the look in her eyes. The only way he could think of to defeat the Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon was to ask the little thicc beauty… uh, little Apas to help them.

Mo Fan was not feeling too confident either, knowing how superior the snake beauty felt. She only ended up with Mo Fan because she had fallen into a cunning trap. She was still patiently waiting for her chance to get her revenge.

——

Wen Xia followed Mo Fan’s instructions and went to the central plaza to look for a pretty girl. She did find a girl by the fountain wearing a short tee.

The T-shirt was too short, revealing her slim and pale waist, complementing her low-cut jeans. Wen Xia was dazzled by her curves.

The area around the fountain was in a mess. The remains of a Black-Silver Rock Demon were scattered across the ground nearby, together with a few hundred Mages covered in ash cocoons. The young woman did not bother checking on them. She had casually placed her shoes aside and was soaking her legs in the cool water while humming a happy tune.

The young woman had an otherworldly presence, like the daughter of a deity out of a painting. It did not even feel like she was in the middle of a battlefield covered in debris.

Wen Xia brought Apas to Mo Fan’s side. She immediately put on a concerned look when she saw Mo Fan covered in blood and wounds. She said softly, “Big brother, how did you get so badly wounded? Are you alright? You’re not going to die, aren’t you?”

“We are bound by the Contract, and you’re telling me you had no idea I was injured? You’re such a hypocrite. Were you only willing to show up after that thing chopped me in half?” Mo Fan snarled.

“I wasn’t aware at all. I was taking care of the ugly creature like you told me to. I’ve taken good care of your wolves, too. What else do you want from me?” Apas immediately put on a wronged expression.

Wen Xia might actually have believed that if she had not seen the young woman casually taking a foot bath at the fountain in a battlezone.

“Enough with your acting, I can’t stand it anymore. Go take care of that Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon, and I’ll buy you as many kilos of crayfish as you want,” Mo Fan said.

“First of all, I’m not a three-year-old! You can’t use a few kilos of crayfish to trick me into doing something so dangerous. Second, I can’t do anything about that thing. Do you really think of me as such a crappy Contracted Beast? I will definitely do my best if I have the ability to lift the burden from your shoulder, but there are things I can’t do no matter how hard I try. If you think I’m useless, feel free to terminate the contract with me peacefully,” Apas rebutted.

Mo Fan’s head hurt after hearing Apas’ argument.

Apas’ true strength was comparable to the Queen of the Netherworld, who was one of the Eight Undead Rulers under the King of Undead’s command, a battle machine among the Ruler-level creatures. It could not be easier for Apas to take out the Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon. The only time Mo Fan would believe Apas’ words was when the sun was rising in all four directions at the same time!

The contract did limit Apas’ strength when Mo Fan was still in the Advanced Level, but he had already reached the Super Level. It might still limit Apas’ strength a little, since she was a true Medusa with a pure lineage.

But still, to think that a powerful and noble Medusa was unable to take care of a stinky rock monster?

“You will!”

“I won’t!”

“You can!”

“I can’t!”

“Your mother!”

Yep, I can see how it’s going…

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

“I’m just speaking the truth! My strongest power is Petrify, but look at that thing! It’s already a rock, how am I going to turn it into a rock again? My Psychic Magic is useless against elemental spirits too!” Apas explained helplessly. She knew Mo Fan did not believe her at all.

The two reasons Apas gave were not completely unreasonable. Even if Mo Fan used the Contract to force her to fight when she was unwilling to do so, she would only do so half-heartedly. Not only would it fail to make any difference, it might damage the Contract, too!

Apas might even be hoping Mo Fan would use the Contract to force her to obey his words. It would damage the Contract, which meant her soul would not suffer serious injury even if she forcibly broke the Contract in the future.

“Mo Fan, my master can’t hold on for any longer,” Wen Xia reminded Mo Fan urgently.

“Give me some time,” Mo Fan scratched his head. How could he possibly fail to let the little demon follow his instructions? It seemed like he had been too kind to her in the past, and she now lacked some manners. “Let’s not waste our time here. Say, how can I convince you to lend us a hand?”

“Terminate the Contract!” Apas answered instantly.

“Wen Xia, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. Let’s hope we’ll meet again. I’m going to say the same thing again, as long as the mountains are still around…” Mo Fan let out a sigh.

“It’s fine, you’ve already done a lot for us.” Wen Xia did not force it either. Even though she had no clue how powerful the young woman was, the city could only accept its fate since Mo Fan had failed to convince her to help.

Wen Xia did not stay around any longer. The Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon had already left for the clock tower. Her master Xie Qinghua was guarding the clock tower, and was obviously struggling to fend off the fierce tide of demon creatures.

Apas saw Wen Xia leaving in disappointment before glancing at Mo Fan, who was now lying on the ground and resting. She twisted her lips and said, “Where is your sense of justice? Isn’t it worth it to trade the Contract for an Elemental Capital?”

“Didn’t you say you had no idea how to deal with the Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon too?” Mo Fan asked in return.

Apas snarled, “I might not be able to deal with it myself, but I do have a plan!”

“What is it?” Mo Fan asked.

“The city is the least of my concerns. I won’t feel sad even if it’s destroyed!” Apas replied.

“Well, since there’s nothing we can do, we should leave this place first.” Mo Fan rose to his feet. He found that he was still trembling.

He had indeed done his best. He was suffering from serious injuries. If he was hit by the Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon again, he was going to die for sure. Even if he wanted to risk his life, Apas would surely be against the idea. If her master died, her soul would be severely damaged, no different from dying herself.

Therefore, Apas was in a difficult spot. She wanted Mo Fan to suffer serious injuries, since it served him right for treating her like a slave, yet she did not want him to die!

“Aren’t you going to negotiate with me a little more, or observe the situation a little longer?” Apas began to panic when she saw Mo Fan was serious about leaving.

“There’s nothing to see here,” Mo Fan signaled Apas to lend him a hand.

“Oh.” Apas automatically helped Mo Fan to stand up properly.

At that instant, Mo Fan quickly reached his hand toward Apas.

Apas cried out in shock. She thought Mo Fan was going to harass her again, but instead noticed Mo Fan was holding a glowing brown object when she glared at him.

“You!” Apas pointed at Mo Fan angrily, her finger twitching.

“In our country, parents will keep their children’s red packets. I’m going to take these crystals you have collected. I bet I can sell them for a very high price if the noble successor of the Medusa is treating them so preciously,” Mo Fan squinted and placed the pieces of crystals into his Space Pocket.

“Ahhh, you assh***, I’m going to poison you to death!” Apas pounced forward and bit Mo Fan on the arm.

Mo Fan was not bothered at all, as if he was being bitten by a puppy.

“Speaking of which, what exactly are those things? You were asking my wolves to collect them. Do they have anything to do with the Mud Morphing Monsters’ ability to evolve so quickly after absorbing Mages?” Mo Fan asked Apas idly, while she was still hanging onto his arm.

Apas seriously had an urge to bite Mo Fan’s arm off, yet the Contract was already giving her a warning. She had no choice but to swallow her grudge.

Her eyes began to emit a golden, icy light. It was part of Apas’ nature as a Medusa… however, her snake’s eyes soon disappeared, since her power was completely useless against this man!

Apas seriously regretted things now. Why did she have to hang around Mo Fan in the first place? He might be an interesting man, but he was more poisonous than the Medusae!

“Give them back!” Apas demanded after she finally collected her thoughts.

“You were being naughty in the first place. I’m taking them as a punishment,” Mo Fan replied casually.

“They are very important to me!” Apas stated.

“Great! Go take care of that Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon, and I’ll consider giving them back,” Mo Fan said.

Apas almost broke her teeth from biting down too hard. She had finally gained the upper hand for once! Mo Fan had no way of forcing her to fight on his behalf, yet she was caught with her tail between her legs so soon!

“I told you I can’t do it. You can use the Contract to check if I’m lying,” Apas declared.

“You can control its lackeys,” Mo Fan said.

“It’s difficult to control Elemental Spirits!” Apas refuted.

“I don’t believe you don’t have other tricks up in your sleeves,” Mo Fan sniffed.

“I can’t use them yet, unless your Cultivation improves further. You’re only at the early stage of the Super Level. You’re weaker than an infant among the Ruler-level creatures. The Contract is still restricting my power. What do you want me to do?” Apas harrumphed coldly.

“You said you had a plan,” Mo Fan reminded her.

“I did!” Apas was extremely unwilling to admit it, yet she still spoke up when she recalled the crystals Mo Fan had taken away, “The elemental creatures have souls too, especially those at the higher levels. My Psychic Magic isn’t necessarily ineffective against them, but I need a medium for my Psychic Magic to reach its magic crystal…”

“How are you going to do that?” Mo Fan inquired lightly.

“It’s very simple. These creatures will absorb every strong Mage they come upon. We just need it to absorb the medium!” Apas said.

“I see. That’s great, you should let it absorb you now. Once you go inside its body, you’ll be able to use the Psychic Magic on it,” Mo Fan exclaimed.

Apas looked at Mo Fan coldly, like she was looking at a retard.

“I can’t let it absorb me. The energy in my body is too overwhelming. Once it absorbs me, it will turn into a terrifying monster that could easily raze half a province to the ground. Besides, I would only be half-conscious if I was stuck in its mud, so I might not be able to use my magic freely,” Apas snarled, shutting down that thought.

“What should we do, then? What you said is good for nothing!” Mo Fan humphed.

Apas kept staring at Mo Fan.

Mo Fan was confused, but suddenly realized something after a while. He pointed at himself with wide eyes, “Are you asking me to be the bait?”

“You’re not baiting it, you will actually let it absorb you! Our minds are connected, so once you are absorbed, I’ll be inserted into the Black-Silver Armored Rock Demon’s body like a computer chip, too! It’s fine if you fall unconscious, I’ll take control and crush its mind!” Apas promised.