After some sleep, Fatso felt much better, and he gradually recovered. His mouth never stopped moving. He would either be quarreling with Lia, or proudly teaching Yang Ling Summoning Techniques, sometimes boasting by conjuring his ugly Green-skinned Condor.

“Brother Yuri, as long as you train hard, I’ll guarantee that you will be able to summon a Magical Beast as your War Pet in just half a year.” Fatso Hans stroked the Green-skinned Condor’s head and continued. “Even though you can only summon Magical Beasts of the lowest level at first, far incomparable to my Green-skinned Condor, it will still be much better than being a small merchant!”

Far incomparable to his Green-skinned Condor?

Hearing Fatso say these words without a trace of shame, Yang Ling’s expression remained neutral. Orlando and Yuna had to stifle their laughter. Fatso’s Green-skinned Condor was not even worth mentioning compared to Yang Ling’s Magical Beast army. It might be defeated by a single bite from of one of Yang Ling’s spiders. Who knows what would happen against a lightning fast Horned Bee Beast?

“That’s right, if I could one day summon such an awe inspiring Green-skinned Condor like you have, I’d be far superior to a small merchant!” Looking at Fatso, Yang Ling continued, “If I continue training like that, I might one day become a high level Summoner and inject new life into my family. When that time comes, I’ll roast a pig for you every day to show my appreciation!”

Orlando and Yuna could barely contain themselves as they watched Hans jiggle with excitement. Even Lia and the knight Halalei were pretty amused. Only Hans, who had gone ahead on his horse, did not detect the tease in Yang Ling’s words.

“Hehe, Brother Yuri, it would be best if there’s a roasted pig, but if there isn’t, a few roasted pheasants a day would be enough!” Smacking his lips, Fatso continued, “Of course, it would be even more wonderful if I could have one of those pheasants wrapped and cooked in mud, as well as two bottles of top shelf rum each day!”

Others talked about their expertise all the time, while this obese Fatso could not stop talking about food!

Yang Ling decided to teach the gluttonous Hans a little lesson. He silently launched a mental attack on the Magical Badge that hung around Hans’ neck. At that moment, Hans happened to be imagining himself taking a bite out of a chicken thigh, and the sharp pain in his head caught him off guard. He let out a sharp cry and wrapped his head in his arms.

The group surrounded him, confused. Weirdly, as soon as they approached him, Hans returned to normal.

Could it be that Fatso had indeed encountered the so-called demon Ulysses that consumed human brains from the shadows?

The little troop started to imagine things. Even Orlando looked around furtively, nervous. Only Yuna, with her massive mental energy, had sensed some disturbance. She looked at Yang Ling, who remained expressionless, and then looked at the groaning, panicky Fatso. She smiled a tiny smile.

“Hey, Lia, are you cursing me behind my back?” Hans was paranoid, stroking the back of his head.

“Darn you, you blasted Fatso. It’s best if you continue to be in pain!” Lia barked.

…

At this, Hans and Lia broke into yet another quarrel. The rest of the group laughed amongst themselves, seeing that Hans had mostly returned to normal. They left the bickering pair behind, trying to avoid their ears ringing from the fight.

Did Fatso just find his nemesis?

Yang Ling smiled at the thought of Hans, oblivious to his attack, and decided not to tease him anymore. After these tests, he understood that to a Summoner without ample abilities, the Magical Space was just a weakness hanging over their heads. As long as they encountered the fierce mental attacks from their enemies, they would easily be slaughtered at their enemies’ will.

After the little incident, the group braved the wilderness and headed west, slowly advancing toward the Aila Mountain Pass. In the evening, they went into a small village close to the Aila Mountain Pass.

The Aila Mountain Pass was a natural stronghold, and was a path one had to take to enter or leave the Magical Beast Territory. Ever since Yang Ling gotten Argus to lead an army to clear off the insurgents on both sides of the merchant path, and had gotten Casey to build a fortress at the Aila Mountain Pass, the merchants going to and fro felt unprecedented safety.

Slowly, the people formed a small village on their own accord on a small level plain a dozen miles behind the fortress. The village was made up of aborigines that had moved from nearby, soldiers and merchants that were mid-journey to or from Wissen Town, and a few small merchants that had come to set up small businesses.

In the small village were two inns and a decent looking bar. There were also several simple wooden huts and tents.

The village was not large, but both inns were already full. With no other choice, the group had to camp outside, as they had been doing. They explored the village after they set up their camp, and were surprised to find that the small bar was filled to the brim with people.

“My brothers, please make way!” Hans pushed himself into the building, having caught a whiff of alcohol. Unexpectedly, he was pushed right back out again by a muscular block of a man dressed in black. Hans toppled to the ground.

Angry, Fatso stood up and began trying to reason with the other man. The other party said nothing, instead picking up a stool and swung it down toward Hans’ head. Luckily, Orlando had sensed something like this attack coming, and managed to push the slow-moving fat man out of the stool’s path.

“You’re asking for it!” the muscular man grinned coldly, his eyes glowing mercilessly. A group of similarly muscular warriors stood behind him, each of them nearly two meters tall, their muscles chiseled. The group could see that there was also a Spellcaster wearing a long black robe and clenching a black staff, standing a ways back in the building.

Maputo couldn’t resist a fight with arrogant opponents, so he moved toward the muscle-bound warriors, wielding his heavy axe. Having rested for a couple of days, he had mostly recuperated from his injuries, and was excited for a fight. Lia and the knight Halalei followed suit, advancing in unison.

The drinkers, sensing a battle brewing, had mixed reactions. Some got out of the way, watching the commotion with wariness and interest. Others took in the situation, then calmly turned back to their drinks, disinterested. It was as if fights and brawls were commonplace to them.

After looking Fatso, Maputo and the rest over, the muscular man in black lifted a heavy axe and ordered his warriors to attack the group. Their killing intent was rising, their eyes emitting merciless light. They were obviously not good men.

“Brother Yang, the Spellcaster in the long black robe is not simple, the Magical Energy in his body is massive!” Yuna’s expression was grave, having sensed the Spellcaster’s Magical Energy begin to circulate as the altercation was taking shape.

Are they soldiers, or…

Even without Yuna’s comment, Yang Ling could sense that the Spellcaster was a little bit different from an average soldier or adventurer. The Spellcaster in the long black robe had a pulsing Magical Energy, though the few other muscular men were not weaklings either. They all had powerful ripples of energy coursing through their bodies, their abilities at perhaps the level of Great Swordsman.

Because of rumors that the Giant Dragon’s treasure might be hidden in Terras Forest, many mysterious and rough-edged strangers had made their ways to Wissen Town. But the people before the little group had remarkable abilities, and they might even have been experts sent by an influential family to secure the treasure.

The newbie troop team already had a hard time against a bunch of ill equipped hooligans. They would definitely not be able to gain anything from engaging in battle against these people!

Yang Ling knew the newbie troop team didn’t stand a chance against seasoned warriors, and he did not wish to invite any trouble. He didn’t want to expose his identity at that time. Hoping to smooth things over, he began, “Sirs, this is merely a misunderstanding. Why not sit down and discuss this slowly if there are any problems!”

“Let us play with that young lady by your side and we’ll let you go. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being nasty!” The muscular man in black leading the group was overbearing, staring at Yuna as he spoke.

They’re asking for it!

Even though hardened warriors had decent abilities, Yang Ling did not pay too much heed to them. All he wanted to do was avoid trouble. He really would have preferred a peaceful resolution, but seeing how they were leering at Yuna, who stood beside him, made his blood boil. He decided to teach them a lesson they would not soon forget.

Yang Ling looked closely at their surroundings, and noted the pitch black forest on the other side of the bar. He leaned over to Orlando and whispered his new idea into the Dogman’s ear. Orlando’s eyes went wide very briefly, and then he nodded. The moment his instructions were delivered, Yang Ling led Yuna away swiftly, running straight for the forest. Curses and the ringing of weapons against one another rang out behind them.

Just as Yang Ling had expected, the group led by the big man in black pursued them after Orlando and the newbie troop team had retreated. Thinking that they were the clear winners, they charged after Yang Ling and Yuna, straight into the small forest, oblivious to the impending danger.

“Young master, this is bad, there’s an ambush, retreat quickly!” spat the Spellcaster, his long, dark robe swaying as he stopped abruptly right inside the treeline. He sensed that something was off, and guessed the ambush Yang Ling had set, but it was too late.

Horned Bee Beasts the size of fists suddenly emerged from the snow and shrubs, releasing a blanketing rain of poisonous stingers. At the same time, rows upon rows of sharp Earth Spikes suddenly emerged from the ground, wave after wave…

Caught off guard, the big man’s group had no place to hide, and each one of them fell to the ground. Most of the warriors had died where they stood when the attack was launched. Only the leader of the group and the Spellcaster remained alive. The Spellcaster’s quick thinking and his hastily constructed protective barrier had spared their lives.

“Massive Magical Beasts, terrifying Necromancer… Run, young master, run quickly!” the Spellcaster spat a mouthful of blood onto the forest floor, noting how much effort that protective barrier had cost him. He produced a Teleportation Scroll, preparing to carry his gravely injured young master to safety. But just as he was stepping into the formation, a sharp, glinting dagger appeared from thin air and sliced his throat from ear to ear. The Spellcaster died with a look of surprise on his face.

Could there be someone on the continent that could summon a large number of Magical Beasts to do battle, just like himself?

After dispatching the Spellcaster and the muscular man in black, Yang Ling fell silent. He had not wanted to kill all of them, and was only interested in teaching them a harsh lesson. But after seeing them try to run away using a Teleportation Spell Formation, he had no choice but to kill them to prevent them from exposing his secrets.

Don’t be that overbearing and arrogant if you are not strong enough. If you have to blame someone, blame yourselves for being so ignorant!

After searching for useful items on their bodies, Yang Ling buried the corpses deep in the ground as added precaution. He then signaled for Yuna to take action. The latter cast a high level ice element spell, causing a thick layer of snow to fall, covering all of their tracks before leaving the forest with Yang Ling.