Chapter 113 Combat



"Do you want to hear the good or bad news?" Upon returning from scouting the area, Alex presented the option to the street vendor.

Opting for the good news, the now relaxed street vendor replied, "Good news!"

"The good news is that we can escape at any time now," Alex revealed.

"That's wonderful! So, what's the bad news?" the street vendor inquired.

"The moment we escape, they will become aware of it and begin to chase us," Alex delivered the unsettling news.

When he scouted the area around them, he came across some suspicious individuals who were eyeing the house of the street vendor. They would occasionally walk through the neighbourhood while checking the condition of the father and son.

Alex realised from just a glance that these men were working with the spider gang. They were informants that were put in place to observe the child. 

"But I thought you had already figured out a way to prevent that," the street vendor interrupted in a panic.

"There's more bad news. That's why I hesitated just now," Alex shrugged, preparing to share the additional information. And then he continued.

"We cannot escape through normal means. I might need to resort to short-distance teleportation to swiftly move you away. However, I am uncertain about its impact on your son. His vitality is as fragile as a small candle in the wind. I cannot predict how multiple consecutive teleportations would affect him," Alex expressed his concerns, his worry resonating with the street vendor.

"I have a solution to evade the watchful eyes of the observers. However, even with that option, I would still need to use teleportation once," Alex explained.

"There are more options?" the street vendor inquired.

"Yes, I could arrange a carriage and teleport us into it if I have a clear line of sight. Alternatively, I could release a significant amount of mana into the surroundings. While mana in such quantities may be uncontrollable, it can be used as a smoke screen to facilitate our escape. However, this option comes with its own risks," Alex elaborated.

"If that's the case, may I choose the second option?" the street vendor asked meekly. He didn't want to impose more pressure on the white-robed man, yet he couldn't bear the thought of risking his son's safety through teleportation.

The nagging fear of something dreadful happening prevented the street vendor from taking that risk.

"Okay! We can use the second option. However, there's another piece of bad news: the fact that you and your son will be hunted by the Spider Gang," Alex revealed.

"Why?" The torrent of bad news that followed their encounter with the white-robed man slowly drained the street vendor's enthusiasm to escape. He could feel his energy waning.

"Because they consider your son important enough to warrant the employment of numerous warriors for surveillance. However, even that can be resolved if you can successfully escape the city and find a secure hiding place," Alex reassured, beginning to explain his plan.

Restricted from using short-distance teleportation, he had to devise a plan that was unconventional but effective.

—

Fifteen hours later, at 3 am in the morning.

The white-robed man silently materialised in the dilapidated house after completing his preparations. The street vendor was already awake, as instructed by Alex.

"Did you warn your son?" Alex asked in a hushed tone, aware that the calm night air could carry his voice further than expected.

"Yes. Should I wake him up?" the street vendor responded in a whispered voice.

"Okay, do that."

The street vendor gently shook his child to rouse him from his sleep. The child rubbed his eyes, then looked up to see his father and the mysterious white-robed man standing before him.

Instantly, the child's curiosity was piqued by Alex's presence. The intimidating white mask he wore would typically frighten other children, but this child sat up and gazed at him unperturbed.

Alex, too, was captivated by the child's penetrating stare. It reminded him of his own past; he had possessed a similar gaze.

"White-robed man?" the child tilted his head and spoke, his voice gruff due to a dry throat, yet remarkably calm. "Are you here to help us? To save me?" The child posed a direct question towards Alex.

"Yes." Alex nodded his head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am." He assured the child.

Finally, the child let out a sigh and relaxed. Initially hesitant to trust Alex, he began to calm down as he observed the unwavering confidence in Alex's demeanour.

After that, Alex sat down near the front door of the house. The thin shabby front door separated him from the outside. 

He needed a moment of preparation to launch the first step in escaping the region. 

The hundred active cores inside his body began to resonate together. He was going to release a single spell to confuse his enemies. The smoke screen he developed when he didn't even know what a mage is.

The excited mana inside his body began to take for tiny tendrils of smoke around him. They swished and turned in the air like tentacles. 

Hundred small tentacles were formed each representing a core. Then they flowed stealthy towards the surroundings unhindered by the obstructions. 

Thirty of the mana tendrils crept through the tiny holes and crevices before reaching a distance of thirty meters. Then, they began to condense into a bead of smoke.

Likewise, the other seventy tendrils each create a small bead of smoke after leaving Alex's body, evenly distributed around the area.

"Get ready." He said after completing his preparation. 

With the stealthy operation of mana, Alex had created hundred smoke bombs displaced all around the region in an effort to hide from the eyes of the spider gang members. 

After releasing his control over them, each smoke bomb would quickly expand filling the area around him, obstructing the vision of the enemy.

Alex was planning to make use of that time to escape with the child.

"I will release the smoke screen in ten seconds. Get ready to run. Don't panic if you see the smoke screen in front of you. I can control a small area around you allowing you to see where you are going.

"Meanwhile, I will also light a fire to your house and attack the enemies.

"It would take thirty seconds for you to reach the outer region of the smoke screen if you run as fast as you can. I will catch up to you at that time."

Promising that, Alex began the countdown. 

"One…Two…Three…"

"Nine…Ten."

Swiftly the condensed bead of mana, the smoke screen exploded covering everything around him. 

With his mana sense, Alex could find the exact position of the enemies his mana smoke screen was touching. 

Wasting no time, the street vendor carried his child and ran. And as planned, Alex manipulated the smoke around him to create a path towards the outer side.

The sudden appearance of smoke shocked the members of the Spider gang who were occupied in the surveillance operation. They couldn't grasp what was happening.

Taking hold of that moment, Alex lit the dilapidated house on fire. 

Like a beacon in the dense smoke, the fire quickly attracted the attention of the Spider gang members. Eight out of the ten ran towards the house trying to find out what was happening through the dense smoke. 

However, Alex was not going to make their life any easier. He teleported towards the one that was closest to him and attacked. 

A sword was used to stab through the heart of the enemy as he disappeared from his position towards the next one. 

It took him three seconds to dispose of a single tier 2 warrior. However, the same method cannot be used for the others. 

Because half the other members were tier 3. It would take him considerable time to kill them if he wants to. But that would delay him from rendezvousing with the street vendor. 

"Aarrg…" The desperate wail of the enemy Alex killed spooked the other members of the spider gang. They cautiously looked around in the dense some, trying to identify the location from the wail originated.

"Aa.."

"Aaa…" 

Two more individuals were quickly disposed of by Alex.

'Ten seconds.' Alex's mind calculated it exactly. As planned the street vendor and the child was nearing the halfway mark. He swiftly made way for them through the smoke screen as he attacked another tier 2 warrior. 

"Aaaar." Finally,  he had disposed of all the tier 2 members who surrounded him. 

However, before he could make his way towards the other four enemies, one man quickly approached him. He was the same burly man that threatened the street vendor and his son.

And instead of using energy like warriors, he was casting some spells. 

'He is a mage?' Alex quickly identified why he could find his position. Unlike warriors, Mages can see through mana using mana vision. The glowing eyes of the burly man allowed Alex to recognise him as a mage.

"Swish…" Two fireballs as big as soccer balls materialised around the mage as he threw them at Alex.

'Double casting? No, it's a two-fireball spell. It's made from an upgraded version of the basic fireball rune. He is a knowledgeable mage. I have to be careful.'

Fifteen seconds has already passed as he dodged the fireball spells coming towards him.