Complete Betrayal
In the valley, devastation met the eyes.
Numerous dark-smoke-emitting craters marred the ground. At a relatively flat spot, two figures stood face to face, their expressions laden with murderous intent.
"Undead Mage Daniel, surrender willingly," declared a hoary old man, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Undead Mage!
This was a highly rewarded presence within the Bright Faction. Killing one person could yield enough gold for a carefree existence and even open the opportunity to further education in the Bright Templar.
To trace his whereabouts, the old man had tirelessly searched every nook and cranny, finally discovering the hidden Undead Mage within this inconspicuous novice village. Thus, he had stooped to become a minor village chief, exploring every corner.
Unfortunately, the opponent was deeply concealed. Despite months of effort, he had failed to find any leads and was almost on the brink of giving up.
Fortunately, a few hours ago, he sensed a powerful aura near the Grey Wolf territory. Upon investigation, he finally located the whereabouts of the Undead Mage.
"You, an old man with one foot in the grave, might not necessarily prevail over me. Don't think I fear you just because you are a higher tier than me!" Daniel's already pale face now turned an even more lifeless white, weakly uttering threats.
"Swoosh..."
Abrupt footsteps echoed.
"Hmm?"
Both turned their heads simultaneously to see a young man approaching from the direction outside the valley. As he drew closer, their astonishment grew upon seeing the features of the youth.
"Is it you?"
The village chief, who still had an impression of Jiang Han, was somewhat taken aback, never expecting this audacious adventurer to appear here.
Jiang Han surveyed the two, immediately understanding the situation. His gaze finally settled on the old man as he waved, feigning ignorance, "Old man, what brings you here?"
As he spoke, he cast a detection spell—
[Flame Mage·???]
Good, just like Daniel, everything was fittingly ambiguous, with only the title known, and even the name remained a mystery.
"Hmph!"
The old man snorted, saying, "Leave this place, or else I... wait a moment!"
Suddenly, he sensed something, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes. He stared fixedly at Jiang Han, feeling incredulous, "Such an evil aura. Compared to you, the Undead Mage seems as if he has undergone the holy baptism of light!"
To accurately describe the opponent's dark and eerie presence, he involuntarily used rather disrespectful vocabulary.
Jiang Han: "..."
Am I not a law-abiding young man? Is my aura really that evil?
Suppressing the urge to complain, Jiang Han quickly walked to Daniel's side, asking in a low voice, "Can we win?"
"If you hadn't come, I might have a glimmer of hope. Now that you're here, it's a guaranteed loss," Daniel patted Jiang Han's shoulder, genuinely gratified.
Although he had only recently taken in this disciple, the fact that the other was willing to help was quite precious.
"What should we do now?" Jiang Han almost wanted to curse.
"I can secretly cast a spell to set up a teleportation array to get us out," Daniel whispered, "The condition is that you need to hold off this guy for at least twenty seconds, or else all our efforts will be in vain."
Twenty seconds!
Hearing this, Jiang Han nodded, and in Daniel's delighted expression, he asked, "Are there any other options?"
"There probably aren't," Daniel's mouth twitched, seemingly dissatisfied.
Since you're not willing, why nod?
"What are you murmuring about?" Although shocked by the vaguely revealed evil aura, as a Spirit-level mage, he couldn't allow the two to openly plot in front of him.
First kill the Undead Mage, then take this young rascal to the Bright Templar. I will surely receive the blessings of the Templar envoy and have a bright future!
Thinking of the vast opportunities ahead, his eyes gleamed with an undisguised greed, raising the milky-white staff in his hand, preparing to strike.
"Your mentor is truly unscrupulous, making his disciple bring out the last resort to help him escape," Jiang Han shook his head, taking a few steps forward, "Bring it out!"
The old man: "..."
Daniel: "..."
Both were momentarily stunned.
Bring it out?
What does that mean?
"Mission!"
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Jiang Han had no choice but to be more straightforward, "Without a mission, without generous rewards, how can I help you do things?"
If he had to take out precious forbidden scrolls and not receive any other rewards as compensation, wouldn't that be a loss for him?
"You..."
Daniel was speechless, "You dare say I'm unscrupulous?"
"Ding! ~"
System Prompt: Undead Mage Daniel hopes you can take on the quest [Intercept Flame Mage] (Difficulty: A)!
[Intercept Flame Mage]
Introduction: Daniel needs twenty seconds to prepare a one-time teleportation array. He needs your help to intercept Flame Mage Brandi. Afterward, he promises generous rewards.
Quest Rewards: ???
...
Receiving the quest, Jiang Han felt relieved.
He didn't believe Daniel could disregard the system restrictions and palm off some trash to him.
Seeing Brandi about to attack, he decisively took out the forbidden scroll, declaring, "Don't move, or I won't be polite!"
Just as Brandi was about to act, he hesitated, looking at the item in Jiang Han's hand. His eyes widened, and he roared, "Kid, do you even know who gave you that thing?"
That item, he was too familiar with it!
"It was given to me by the old man in the novice village who placed high hopes on me. It's specifically used to hunt down demon gods like you," Jiang Han replied calmly, unaffected.
Glancing at Daniel behind him with his peripheral vision, he saw him muttering incantations, already in the midst of secretly casting spells.
"You... you..."
Pointing at Jiang Han, Brandi's fingers trembled, his face contorted. His anger was about to explode, "Do you even know who you're dealing with?!"
Regret!
The only word in his mind right now was regret.
He couldn't have imagined that the forbidden scroll he gave to punish this guy would become the latter's trump card, turning into his own threat.
"It probably won't work," Jiang Han shook his head, not refuting, "But you'll definitely suffer significant trauma. By then, facing Daniel, you may not be able to escape unscathed."
"A mere Undead Mage of Dark Gold tier, and now injured, even if I bear the consequences..." Brandi wanted to make him understand his situation, but halfway through his words, he seemed to realize something. Looking at the silent Daniel, his face changed dramatically, "Thinking of running? Dream on!"
"Swoosh!"
Understanding that the opponent was trying to delay time, Jiang Han no longer wasted words. He immediately tore open the forbidden scroll.
Although he felt sorry, now was not the time to hesitate. Moreover, Daniel had brought him the only hidden profession, and this benefit was by no means comparable to a disposable forbidden scroll.
"Roar!"
The next moment, a deaf
ening dragon roar echoed through the valley. A massive dragon, formed of flames, materialized, blocking the incoming tornado. With a roar, it pounced out, unstoppable, directly swallowing Brandi's attack.
"!!"
Watching the ferocious dragon head approaching, Brandi's eyes widened, his face distorted. He roared madly, "Kid, I won't stand with you!"
"Teleportation Array, activate!"
At the same time, Daniel thrust the staff into the ground.
The next second, a radiant white light appeared on the ground, forming a slowly rotating mysterious array. With that, he and Jiang Han disappeared within the depths of the valley, their destination unknown.
"Ding! ~"
System Prompt: Please note, the Eastern Region adventurer "One Jiang Han Shui" has betrayed the Bright Faction, joining the evil Dark Faction, sparking the anger of the Bright Faction's high-ups. The killer can be rewarded with rare items and obtain the unique hidden profession.
"Ding! ~"
System Prompt: Please note, the Eastern Region adventurer "One Jiang Han Shui" has betrayed the Bright Faction, joining the evil Dark Faction, sparking the anger of the Bright Faction's high-ups. The killer can be rewarded with rare items and obtain the unique hidden profession.