Chapter 13: To A Potato?

Chapter 13: To A Potato?

In the desert, the twelve-man squad was advancing slowly.

Though their body types and gear varied, their attire was uniformly styled—brown standard armor paired with orange-red cloaks, making them look less like an army or adventurers and more like a ceremonial unit.

A special energy enveloped the group, not only shielding them from sandstorms but also concealing them in the harsh desert light.

What was most strange was the look in their eyes.

Despite merely trudging slowly through the desert, their eyes burned with a fervor as if fueled by flames. It would make sense if they were charging heroically; their mere slow march through the desert made this expression seem quite out of place.

Suddenly, a figure appeared. A very abstract-looking anthropomorphic tiger, swaying in front of them like a wobbly toy.

Almost instantaneously, the squad sprang into action as if they were a cat that had its tail stepped on.

They swiftly formed a battle array as if they were machines set to a program. Protective barriers shielded the formation as the scouts quickly dispersed to the sides, blending into the desert dust.

Elite warriors charged forward, making a beeline toward the abstract anthropomorphic tiger.

Archers began firing at the target immediately, alternating shots from a crossbow and a bow.

And under the protection of shield guards, the mages began chanting rapidly.

In an instant, arrows hit the abstract anthropomorphic tiger, throwing darts from shadows flashing by in the periphery struck the tiger's vital points, and the elite warriors arrived, their swords crossing and slicing the tiger into three parts.

A moment later, the mages completed their incantations, and a meteorite, accompanied by destructive beams of starlight, descended from the sky, striking the already severed tiger and exploding with terrifying force.

After this brutal assault, not even the ashes of the unfortunate abstract anthropomorphic tiger remained.

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Atop the sheer cliff.

Osar watched as his fur clone sacrificed itself heroically, his mouth twitching as he muttered, "Every time I see them react this way, I don't know whether to praise their caution or call them idiots."

"You might as well enjoy it while you can. I doubt anyone else would treat your fur clones with such regard," Mervant teased.

"If those things knew how to tire, then I really could enjoy myself a bit." Osar shrugged.

"Enough chattering. They've started looking for our position," Yaine interjected, frowning. "Mervant, what do you think? Do we stand a chance?"

"Of course. From what we just saw, they're just the typical dumb squad," Mervant replied, drawing his sword. "It's a pity we're short-handed this time; otherwise, this would be easy."

Yaine glanced at him and whispered, "Don't underestimate the enemy."

"I know," Mervant replied curtly, then leaped from the cliff.

"Three, two, one... About time. I'm going too. Keep an eye on me," Osar said, and then he too jumped down from the cliff.

Seeing this, Yaine took a deep breath and raised her staff.

"Haa... just don't die before I'm ready, you two."

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"It should be this direction..." Inside the dense forest, Liu Ji was following the direction where the three had gone.

Although the path was steep and the underbrush was thick, Liu Ji found it unexpectedly easy to navigate.

This felt strikingly different from his past experiences, where he remembered becoming quickly exhausted when searching for human settlements along a water source. After years of inactivity while being a potato, he expected his fitness to have declined significantly, yet it seemed to have strangely improved instead.

On closer examination, Liu Ji noticed he had developed muscles he didn't have before. The idea that he could gain muscle while living as a potato was something he hadn't anticipated.

After all, weren't potatoes just full of starch? Shouldn't he have just gotten fatter instead?

But regardless, it was rather good this way, so why bother questioning it?

As his mind wandered with such thoughts Liu Ji suddenly sensed a strange ripple from afar.

"Is that... magic or something?" Liu Ji was alarmed. "Has the fighting started already?"

Realizing the urgency, Liu Ji didn't waste another moment and ran toward the source of the fluctuation. As he ran, he became increasingly aware of something peculiar.

Had he always run this fast? Despite the rugged terrain, his speed felt more akin to sprinting than trekking through undergrowth.

Moreover, he was picking up speed effortlessly as if riding the wind through the trees. The brush and leaves that slapped against him didn't hurt, and he easily dodged the many obstacles like trees and rocks.

Is this really my body? Liu Ji even questioned himself.

He now let go completely, allowing his speed to reach its full potential. The surrounding scenery whizzed by like the roadside trees seen from a speeding car on the highway, and he felt that at this rate, he could probably give cars a run for their money.

She hadn't even finished that thought when yet another figure appeared within her field of vision.

Due to the short preparation time, she couldn't set up more traps in advance. Now, she was completely defenseless. Moreover, her incantation wasn't complete yet. Under such circumstances, her only option would be to stop...

Her gaze shifted to the battlefield below.

Amid the melee, Osar was besieged by the two elite warriors and two archers, barely managing to fend off their relentless attacks.

Mervant, with his remarkable prowess, was holding his own against the two shield guards and clerics but struggled to reach the remaining mage, who was well-protected.

Yaine instantly understood the gravity of the situation. If she halted her incantation now, she might survive, but Osar and Mervant would likely face dire consequences.

What should she do?

Logic told her to stop. If she was cut down, then Mervant and Osar would be utterly without any support.

But if she stopped, she was unsure they could withstand until her next incantation was ready.

Moreover, she could sense that the opposing mage's attack was also aimed at her. The opposing mage's incantation time was no shorter than hers, and if it was some sort of long-lasting binding magic, she might never get a chance to complete an incantation of this magnitude again.

That would mean losing her two companions as well.

Yaine couldn't decide. She knew she could stop, and she could only stop. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to cease her incantation as she watched the second curved dagger inch closer and closer.

At that moment, an unexpected figure appeared in her line of sight. It was a flash of vibrant green.

The color of Liu Ji's long hair.

He rushed toward her at an inconceivable pace, delivering a flying kick at the leaping scout.

Clang!

A metallic crash resonated.

In the final moment, the scout had retracted his dagger and used it to block Liu Ji's flying kick.

Then, his body twisted bizarrely mid-air, turning over 90 degrees without any apparent leverage, and he kicked back at Liu Ji.

However, unexpectedly, or perhaps even to Liu Ji's own surprise, Liu Ji instinctively raised his left hand and effortlessly blocked the kick.

Yes, instinctively.

Because Liu Ji's attention wasn't here—it was entirely concentrated on his own raised right hand.

Pointing his index finger at the foe's head, he recited a brief multisyllabic incantation.

Intense flames burst forth from his fingertip, engulfing the scout with such exaggerated power and range that it almost swallowed him whole.

However, the spell Liu Ji chanted was merely a basic spell, which meant to "emit flames."

For a moment, Liu Ji almost believed that he had vanquished the foe and even began to worry whether he had "taken a life."

But he almost instantly realized his triumph was premature. The flames dissipated in a second, revealing the unscathed scout, his cloak shimmering with a bright light that suggested some form of protective magic.

And in this moment, the scout's right hand was thrust forward.

Liu Ji looked down, to find the scout's sharp dagger had pierced his abdomen, and blood flowed. He was immediately aware that this was a potentially mortal wound.

The scout's face bore a maniacal smile, reveling in the strike.

Yaine's eyes were wide open, her pupils shrunken in disbelief, and the words on her tongue nearly ceased.

Then, the scout drew out his dagger, and blood started spurting out from the gaping wound.

Intense pain rippled through Liu Ji's body, causing him to nearly black out. He couldn't even make a sound as he crashed to the ground.

As the pain seared through him, a final thought echoed in Liu Ji's consciousness.

He could sense that his life was coming to an end. Although he had died once before, the endless darkness and unknown terror now seemed about to engulf him.

But he was helpless. Because he knew this wound was fatal to a human...

To a human...

T-to a human?

At that moment, Liu Ji realized something.

Yes, it was fatal to a human, but what if...

It was to a potato?