Chapter 23: Sweeping Through Baron Manor
Su Yu remained unaware of the heated discussions brewing on the forums—and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. His focus was on the task at hand: holding the butler Charlemagne by the collar as they made their way deeper into Baron Wilson's manor.
As they walked along the finely paved cobblestone path, Tina, who was by his side, grew increasingly nervous. The sight of the looming baron's castle ahead made her uneasy. Her grip tightened on Su Yu's hand, and she whispered, "Nemesis, are we really doing the right thing here? Baron Wilson isn't someone to be trifled with, and his chief guard Adams is a formidable warrior! Maybe we should just go to the Warriors Guild and ask for Quinn's help."
Su Yu smiled reassuringly, gently releasing her hand. He patted her shoulder to calm her, "It's just a small-time baron. I can handle this."
"But—"
Before Tina could voice her concerns further, a commotion erupted from the castle ahead. A group of armored guards, led by a tall man wielding a longsword, emerged from the castle gates.
"Who are you?" the lead guard barked, his eyes fixed on Su Yu.
Before Su Yu could respond, Charlemagne, the ever-scheming butler, scurried toward the guard with panic in his voice, "Adams, they're robbers! Deal with them, quickly!"
Su Yu frowned at the butler's treachery. With a casual flick of his wrist, a [Lightning Arrow] struck Charlemagne, silencing him forever.
Seeing Su Yu's cold-blooded response, the guard captain, Adams, looked furious. Raising his longsword, he shouted, "Men, attack! Let's take down this intruder!"
"At your command!" The guards charged, weapons gleaming in the sunlight as they rushed towards Su Yu.
Tina gasped in fear, grabbing Su Yu's sleeve. But Su Yu remained unfazed. With a calm wave of his staff, he cast [Chain Lightning].
A brilliant arc of lightning lashed out, hitting Adams and leaping between the other guards.
104–
122–
121–
126–
Four high damage numbers flashed over their heads, and three of the guards collapsed in a heap, severely electrocuted.
Adams, being an elite enemy, managed to survive, though barely. His template granted him 3.3 times the health of a standard guard, but even he was now half-kneeling, coughing blood as sparks danced across his armor.
The remaining guards, witnessing their captain's fate and the ease with which Su Yu dispatched their comrades, halted in their tracks. Their hands trembled as they gripped their swords, none daring to advance further.
Adams, now too weak to stand, propped himself up on his sword and spat blood. "Who…who are you?"
"Just a debt collector," Su Yu answered coolly. "Now, where's your baron?"
Adams sneered, despite his pain. "You think I'll tell you? Over my dead body!"
"Then die," Su Yu replied nonchalantly, raising his staff again, ready to cast another spell.
Seeing the gathering arcane energy at Su Yu's fingertips, Adams broke into a cold sweat. "Wait! Stop! I'll tell you! The baron…he's in his study on the second floor!"
The head guard, terrified of death, didn't hesitate to betray his master.
Su Yu, satisfied with the answer, lowered his staff and turned to Tina. "Let's go! We're paying the baron a visit."
Together, they walked into the castle. As they ascended the grand staircase leading to the second floor, Tina's admiration for Su Yu grew. She glanced back at the guards lying in disarray, utterly astonished. "You're incredible! Even Adams, the mighty warrior, couldn't stand against you! I don't think even Sister Quinn is as strong as you!"
Su Yu chuckled. "Of course. Why would I march into a baron's manor without real power? But wait here when I go inside. I'll handle the baron myself."
"Okay!" Tina nodded quickly, her eyes filled with awe.
After a few moments, Su Yu reached the door to Baron Wilson's study and entered.
Baron Wilson, seated in a large leather chair, was sipping coffee and calmly leafing through a parchment. He didn't even look up as Su Yu entered. "Can I help you with something?" he asked in a cool, unhurried voice.
[Baron Wilson Lv8]
HP: 1000
The baron had a boss template, boasting a health pool far larger than most ordinary NPCs.
Su Yu examined the calm demeanor of the baron and smiled faintly. "Let me guess. You're not after Tina just to make her your lover, are you? There's more to this, isn't there?"
Baron Wilson's expression froze slightly. "How do you know?"
Su Yu shrugged. "It's obvious. You waited for the perfect opportunity—right when she had plans with Quinn for a talent test. Your real target isn't Tina. It's Quinn, right?"
The baron chuckled darkly, standing up and clapping. "Well played, adventurer. You're clever! Tina is just a simple village girl, but Quinn? Now, she's a prize worthy of my attention."
Baron Wilson's eyes narrowed. "But clever men don't tend to live very long. Do you know why?"
Without waiting for a reply, the baron picked up a staff from beside his desk.
To Su Yu's surprise, Baron Wilson was a magician too!
"Tell me," Su Yu said, humor dancing in his voice. "Why don't clever men live long?"
"Because of this!" The baron cast a fireball, and after a short casting time, the spell shot directly toward Su Yu's head!
Su Yu didn't flinch. With a slight tilt of his head, the fireball narrowly missed, whizzing past and slamming into the wall behind him.
Being a veteran mage in his previous life, Su Yu didn't even need to watch. He could gauge the fireball's trajectory by the sound alone, easily dodging it without using his own [Ice Shield].
Baron Wilson's face twisted in disbelief. "Who…what are you? Are you really a mage?"
Su Yu smiled. "Does it matter? The only thing you need to know is that you're going to die today."
With that, Su Yu retaliated. A [Lightning Bolt] followed by a [Fireball] shot from his staff.
114!
53!
The combined force knocked a chunk of the baron's health bar down by 16%, and a scorched hole appeared on his chest.
The baron tried to fight back, casting another fireball, but it was no use. Su Yu dodged once again, and the baron's spell crashed harmlessly into the wall.
His attempts to dodge Su Yu's precise spells failed miserably. [Lightning Bolt], [Fireball], and other attacks rained down, landing perfectly each time.
The battle was over in a matter of seconds.
Su Yu stood victorious, his robe pristine and his health untouched. Baron Wilson lay on the floor, charred and defeated, his health bar completely emptied.
The once-mighty level 8 boss had been felled by a level 4 mage with ease.
(End of chapter)