"If you don't hand it over, you know the consequences. But I can't guarantee your life," one of the men added.
"That's right. We uncles still follow principles. We won't go to the final step unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Seriously, guys? If you're going to rob someone, at least pick someone who looks rich. Look at me dressed like this—do you think I have anything valuable?" Lin Hao chuckled bitterly.
Indeed, Lin Hao didn't have anything valuable on him at the moment. Apart from the bundle on his back, which contained a few changes of clothes, all he had was a bit of money his mother gave him.
"Little brother, you're forcing us to take the final step!" One of the men cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing ominously, as he gave Lin Hao a look that suggested he might swallow him whole.
"Do you know how many people we've encountered today?" another man asked.
Lin Hao shook his head.
"Three. Do you know what happened to the first two?"
Lin Hao shook his head again.
"See that raised mound over on the slope?"
Lin Hao nodded. "Well, at least you guys are kind enough to bury the people you kill."
The two scruffy men almost spat blood in anger upon hearing this.
"Are you mocking us? Is that the point? The point is if you don't hand it over, there'll be another mound over there soon!" one of the men growled, veins bulging on his forehead.
But Lin Hao remained as calm as ever.
"Boss, stop wasting time with this guy. Let's go straight to the final step!" One of the men stepped forward in two swift strides, raising his hand to strike.
Lin Hao blocked it effortlessly.
Smack!
The man's fist hit Lin Hao's arm, but in the next moment, the man froze, turning into an ice sculpture.
The other man froze in shock and quickly retreated several steps, his expression turning grave. "You're a mage?"
Lin Hao smiled faintly. "What do you think?"
The man furrowed his brows and pulled out his grimoire. The book glowed faintly yellow and floated mid-air.
Clack, clack, clack!
The grimoire flipped to a page with written spells.
"Earth Creation Magic: Swamp!" the man shouted.
As his words fell, the ground beneath Lin Hao turned into a small swamp.
"Earth-type magic, huh?" Lin Hao muttered. He activated the power of his Ice-Ice Fruit, instantly freezing the swamp solid.
"What?!" The man was stunned but didn't panic. His grimoire began flipping pages again.
"Earth Creation Magic: Wrath of the Earth!"
Sizzle!
A massive hand made of mud emerged from the ground, reaching for Lin Hao. It spread its fingers, attempting to grab him.
Lin Hao initially considered using his Ice-Ice Fruit powers again but decided against it. He realized he'd been focusing solely on training with the Ice-Ice Fruit over the past six months and had rarely practiced his plant-based magic.
Given his plans to reach the royal capital, Lin Hao thought it would be unwise to reveal both his plant magic and Ice-Ice Fruit powers simultaneously. Having two distinct types of magic could easily arouse suspicion and bring trouble.
Besides, during his time in the borderlands, few people knew his magic was plant-based.
Lin Hao's grimoire began glowing green and floated before him.
Clack, clack, clack!
The pages flipped open.
"Wood Creation Magic: Growth of All Things!"
As soon as Lin Hao's words fell, trees, vines, and various plants erupted from the mud hand. Their roots anchored firmly in the ground, completely immobilizing the giant mud hand.
"What?!" The man froze in disbelief.
At that moment, Lin Hao's grimoire flipped again.
"Wood Creation Magic: Bind!"
Bang, bang, bang!
The ground beneath the man cracked like a spider web. In the next instant, several vines shot up and coiled tightly around him, leaving him unable to move.
With a thud, his grimoire lost its glow and fell to the ground.