Ronan planned to find a blacksmith to custom forge a better longsword after moving to town.
Without enchantment, the price shouldn't be too high.
He rubbed the longsword against his trouser leg to wipe the dust off, and Ronan re-sheathed the one-handed sword at his waist.
Picking up the magic robe from the ground, he draped it over himself.
Compared to several months ago, Ronan had undergone a complete transformation, from a sleazy fat man to a radiant handsome man.
His height soared to 1.85 meters, with handsome features and a slender figure.
His long chestnut curly hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his lake-blue eyes seemed to hold a sharpness.
If he were to remove his magic robe, claiming he had always trained in the Knight Path would be readily believed by many.
"Let's go home."
Ronan checked the time; it had been a while since he went out, so he prepared to head back.
Now, the Tree House District was in total chaos, with rampant robbery and murder, not to mention Old Six's thefts.
Thefts occurred daily, and although Ronan had hidden most of his valuables in a secret place, his absence from the area still caused him a bit of unease.
From the lakeside forest to his residence, with Ronan's current pace, it was only a three-to-five-minute walk.
"Rustle rustle—"
Not long after Ronan began walking, he suddenly heard a rustling noise from the bushes nearby.
He stopped in his tracks and immediately became alert.
"Whoosh!"
A white-lipped deer leapt out from the bushes in front of Ronan, ignoring him completely as it dashed into another thicket.
Before he could regain his composure,
goats, foxes, rabbits...
One after another, small animals frantically scurried past Ronan, looking panic-stricken as if being chased by some fearsome predator.
Ronan's first thought was that wizards nearby were battling again.
Lately, the forest had been turbulent, with occasional wizard battles disrupting the animals preparing to store food for winter—such scenes were not new to him.
Ronan stood his ground, intending to wait until the animals in front of him had all fled.
But after waiting a while, he realized the rustling noises in the jungle were growing denser, and the animals fleeing by were relentless and increasing in size...
"Something's not right... What kind of disturbance could cause such a large-scale animal stampede?"
Ronan sensed an unusual atmosphere.
His expression grew solemn as he no longer waited and forcefully pushed through the stampeding herd of wild animals.
The further he went, the stronger the inexplicable sense of unease became, spurring him to quicken his pace.
"Whoosh—"
Passing through the dense shrubbery, Ronan arrived at a spacious and bright clearing.
He sprinted forward, climbing a tall tree in just a few steps, nimbly reaching the treetop with his agile limbs.
Using the height of the trees to take in the view,
in an instant, Ronan's pupils constricted, and he froze in the tree.
He saw billows of black smoke drifting from the vast, dense forest below.
Countless birds circled overhead, darting about.
From afar, faint sounds of explosions and booms echoed, accompanied by the screams and roars of humans or beasts... a scene shrouded in smoke.
Ronan's expression gradually darkened as he watched the signal smokes, near and far; right then, he was unable to discern what kind of signals were being sent.
In the forest, there were more than one group of Wandering Wizards huddling together like them, yet the signal boxes used for seeking aid and giving early warnings were largely similar in effect.
"Black Robe..."
The term slowly emerged in Ronan's mind, and his heartbeat began to gradually accelerate.
When the concerns that had troubled him for so long finally became reality, Ronan unexpectedly discovered that he was not as nervous or panicked as he had thought he would be; instead, a surge of eagerness to act bubbled up inside him...
Taking a deep breath, Ronan tightly gripped the hilt of the one-handed sword at his waist, then quickly hurried toward the closest location where the signal was sent.
...
On a chaotic clearing in the forest, a fierce battle between Wizards was underway.
Seven or eight Grey Robed Wizards, wearing different colored magic robes, were jointly attacking a Black Robed Wizard, who exuded an intense cold aura, his features grim and chilling.
The Grey Robes had a significant numerical advantage, yet the situation on the field was quite the opposite.
Holding a grey White Bone Wand, the Black Robed Wizard was controlling a large, hulking Flesh Monster that seemed to be stitched together from massive chunks of corpses, while he chanted lowly, calmly steering the direction of the battle.
"..@#￥!"
The Black Robed Wizard, under his dark lips, uttered weird and sinister Spell syllables, and with a light flick of his wand, a dark green Light Ball was fiercely shot out.
A middle-aged Grey Robe with a sallow complexion failed to dodge in time and was hit directly in the face by the dark-green orb.
The next second, the middle-aged Grey Robe let out a piercing scream of agony.
As soon as the dark green Light Ball touched him, it instantly turned into a pool of sticky, disgusting green liquid, and then rapidly corroded his flesh into smoke...
In just a few short breaths, the middle-aged Grey Robe had been reduced to a puddle of pus and blood on the ground.
"Bulni..."
Seeing his gruesome state, the expressions on the faces of several Grey Robes nearby all showed unbearable grief.
One plump female Wizard, unable to withstand the immense shock, bent over and began vomiting violently.
"Roar——"
An eerie and bizarre roar echoed throughout the area; the Flesh Monster cobbled from corpse pieces growled and took large strides, charging towards everyone.
The faces of the Grey Robed Wizards turned pale as they retreated en masse, except for a tall figure in black leather armor, who stepped forward with a Longsword in hand, ready to confront it.
White light flickered on the towering figure as he collided fiercely with the Flesh Monster, creating a loud and dull sound.
"Half-Elf Knight?.."
The Black Robed Wizard watched the tall figure wielding the Longsword for a while, then shifted his attention away from him and back to the other Grey Robes.
He lightly waved the Bone Wand in his hand, his lips moving rapidly, and soon another dark green Light Ball was conjured.
This time, several Spells promptly flew out from the Grey Robes' side.
But these Spells, almost in succession, had to all collide before they barely managed to neutralize the dark-green Light Ball.
"This guy is a Level 6 Apprentice!"
A thin-faced young man with grey hair tied into braids spoke with a grimace.
"So, it all depends on you!"
A Half-Elf Wizard with sharp ears and delicate features, eyes focused intently on the Black Robe, said solemnly, "Only you have the ability to hurt him!
We'll hold them off for you...
Linus, you should have learned Intermediate Zero Rank Magic, right?"
"Of course."
The grey-haired young man, Linus, snorted lightly, his expression gloomy as he closed his eyes to focus on the preparatory channeling for casting.
The remaining Grey Robed Wizards, under the direction of the beautiful Half-Elf Wizard, took out their limited offensive capabilities, throwing them at the Black Robe.
Unfortunately, these mostly Level 2 and 3 Apprentice Grey Robed Wizards, even when putting forth their full strength, cast Spells that were not very powerful, and very few posed any threat to the Black Robed Wizard.
On the other hand, the Black Robe, casually throwing out a Spell every now and then, posed a disaster-like challenge for the Grey Robes.