Chapter 90: A Barrage of Fury

The Frost Archer lay motionless on the ground, playing dead, while the Storm Sorceress was temporarily rendered powerless. Luo Yong felt things had become rather difficult for him now.

His opponents were not amateurs like Ivan, and on top of that, their levels were higher...

Whoosh! With a surge of wind magic, Luo Yong raised his hand and unleashed a Blade of Wind. This blade, nearly ten feet long and five feet wide, was a colossal wind blade. It slashed out horizontally; due to Luo Yong's lack of energy, his spellcasting was slightly forced, which caused the blade to shoot out at a slant.

After releasing the wind blade, Luo Yong frowned deeply. Vaguely, he sensed a growing discomfort.

“Danger!”

“Dodge!”

“That bastard was hiding his true strength!”

These three Demon Swordsmen were no strangers to the ways of the world. At the sight of the enormous wind blade, they immediately knew not to face it head-on and all three leaped to the side.

At that moment, Luo Yong had already blinked to the side of the Frost Archer, a teleportation scroll unfurled in his hand. He tossed her in without hesitation.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! As several sounds split the air, Luo Yong, having finished his actions, instantly sensed several intense surges of magical power.

“What?” he thought. “Aren’t these guys supposed to be warriors? The swordsmanship experts!”

From his earlier probes, Luo Yong had already formed a preliminary grasp of their abilities. In close combat, he himself was only barely a novice; he could merely rely on blink, gravity spells, and wind magic to maneuver and engage in skirmishes.

But these three were all veterans—experienced and highly skilled. Engaging them in melee was choosing to pit his weakness against their strength; it was like throwing an egg at a rock.

Boom, boom, boom! A water arrow, a fireball, and a round stone all crashed into the spot where Luo Yong had just stood. Three single-target spells, unleashed almost simultaneously.

Yet as the portal of light vanished, Luo Yong’s figure was already gone.

“He escaped?”

“Damn it!”

“He was just bluffing! We got tricked!”

The three Demon Swordsmen shouted in fury where they stood. But as they turned, they caught sight of the Storm Sorceress.

Everything had happened so quickly that she was still a bit dazed. But noticing the look in the eyes of those three, she panicked for a split second.

A teleportation scroll appeared in her hand. Before the three could rush over, she activated the portal and, with her great wolf, leaped inside.

“Damn it! Are we just going to let them get away like this?” Peter, one of the Demon Swordsmen, cursed loudly at the spot where Luo Yong had disappeared.

“Cowards, not worth a fight!” Kent spat.

“In the face of the mighty Demon Swordsmen, these mortals can only flee!” Clark declared.

Swish! Just as the three of them were about to leave, another portal of light opened, right at the spot where Luo Yong had confronted them before.

“Oh? He dares return?”

“Maybe he brought the Mage Guild with him?”

“What’s there to fear? So long as it’s not that Elven Inquisitor, anyone else is easy prey!”

As they spoke, the three moved closer together, hands gripping their swords, forming a loose encirclement. If whoever emerged from the portal was Luo Yong or some other insignificant figure, they would attack without hesitation.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered within the portal, and something was hurled out.

“What the—”

“Aaah!”

“I can’t see!”

Swish! In the distance, another portal appeared. Luo Yong stepped out, glancing at the fading white light ahead. He clicked his tongue in appreciation, his heart full of emotion.

“A Flash Scroll…” he mused. Back in his gaming days, he had used plenty of such spells. Who would have thought that his first use of it in this world would be under these circumstances?

Moments ago, Luo Yong had quickly checked the Frost Archer’s wounds—serious, but not life-threatening. She would survive for now.

He then headed straight to the Mage Guild’s reception hall, only to find the Elven Lady absent—apparently out on a mission, with the two handsome elf youths in tow.

The Storm Sorceress teleported in at that moment and took over caring for the Frost Archer. Luo Yong then opened another teleportation scroll, ready to return and properly confront the so-called Demon Swordsmen.

When the dazzling light finally faded, the three swordsmen, now back-to-back, saw Luo Yong approaching at a measured pace.

And Luo Yong clearly saw the three... spirits, or perhaps demons, at their side.

Those were spirit retainers—in some places known as [Familiar Spirits]. They appeared as incorporeal entities, able to pass through walls and wield special abilities, including magic.

Some mages, to make up for their own shortcomings, would create melee puppets or war spirits. Such items were uncommon, but not rare—though in a small place like Tallridge Camp, they were seldom seen.

Some mages with deeper pockets even hired melee heroes as guards, forming small parties for battle...

“Well, well, you’ve got the nerve to come back!” Peter called out.

“You must be confident, to return even knowing our reputation,” Kent said.

“He probably doesn’t even know what ‘death’ means,” Clark muttered, rubbing his eyes. He’d been closest to the flash and was still seeing spots, unable to see clearly. At this moment, his heart was full of hatred for Luo Yong.

They had seen Flash Scrolls before, but those were rarer than most magical tools. Such opportunities were few and far between, so they’d let their guard down and got caught.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Luo Yong said coolly, pulling tactical scrolls from his storage space as he spoke. “I only came back to clear out some inventory—and to demand justice for my less competent teammates. At the same time, I’d like to prove that the so-called strength you boast about is nothing in the face of someone who pays to win!”

“Pay to win?”

“What’s with this ‘big spender’ business?”

“Who’s paying for what?” Each of the three asked, their faces a mix of confusion and disdain.

“Never mind, let’s not waste time. I can only do this while my darling isn’t around—otherwise, she’d... ahem...” Luo Yong caught himself; he couldn’t admit to anyone that his future wife looked down on his weakness.

But then—Luo Yong remembered someone once said that luck is part of strength!

And after all, isn’t having money to spend a form of personal power?

As long as you can defeat your enemy, any method is fair. Even if you talk your enemy to death, that’s still a skill, isn’t it?

“Time to hit the road!” Luo Yong, standing alone against the Demon Swordsmen, smiled faintly and tossed his tactical scrolls.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Several fire-element scrolls were triggered in quick succession, unleashing powerful magic that devastated the forest in an instant.

The three swordsmen now looked thoroughly battered, desperately dodging explosions. No matter how tough or quick they were, they simply couldn’t outrun the speed of magic detonations.

Otherwise, Luo Yong wouldn’t have bothered with this tactic.

From the way they dodged his wind blade earlier, Luo Yong knew they hadn’t reached level 20.

If he hadn’t used tactical scrolls and instead unleashed his ultimate, he might have been able to suppress them with a full combo.

But Luo Yong disliked the hollowed-out feeling that followed using his ultimate skill.

He preferred to keep control of his fate in his own hands.

Like now.

Tactical scrolls were almost useless against someone of the Elven Lady’s level, but against anyone below level 20, they were overwhelming.

“Heh heh...” Luo Yong didn’t know how others laughed when steamrolling weaker foes, but he relished this feeling of being a pay-to-win powerhouse.

Just piling on the items—tossing tactical scrolls as if they cost nothing!

“Tremble, mortals!” A moment ago, the Demon Swordsmen had looked down on others as mere mortals, full of smug arrogance. But now?

In Luo Yong’s eyes, they were the mortals—unable to pull out a single countermeasure.

“Damn it! Find cover, quickly!”

“That bastard is actually trying to regain his pride like this—how naïve!”

“He’s just the leader of a trash squad—how many tactical scrolls could he possibly have?”

“Hold on! If we survive this barrage, I’ll tear that bastard limb from limb!”

The three figures darted frantically through the woods, constantly changing position to minimize their injuries.

Boom! Another deafening blast erupted close by, a wave of searing heat rolling over them—impossible to avoid completely.

“Ah! My hair!”

“Ah! My arm!”

“Ow! My butt!”

The three of them cried out, exchanging glances as each drew a stone from his chest. They fitted the pieces together.

Immediately, a surge of powerful earth magic swept through the forest, dispelling much of the heat.

From behind a large rock, Luo Yong peeked out. In the charred clearing, a massive stone wall stood.

“An earth-element defensive tool?” Luo Yong mused aloud. He had indeed sensed earth magic just now.

From his vantage, he couldn’t see how thick the wall was—or how many scrolls it would take to blast through it.

Then again, why bother blasting through it?

As Luo Yong looked over, someone on the other side looked back, and their eyes met.

Compared to Luo Yong’s detached expression, the other’s gaze was fierce and full of hatred.

“What are you looking at?” Luo Yong called out, waving another tactical scroll.

“Damn it!” The other instantly ducked back, and a voice called out, “Just you wait, kid! As soon as you run out of tactical scrolls, I’ll cut you to pieces, scatter your remains—I’ll see how arrogant you are then!”