Just when Motan thought his life was about to end at the bottom of Guru Mountain, a transparent wall appeared in front of him.
CLANG! The Exchange Beast summoned by the Alchemist slammed hard into the wall.
Suddenly, a long-haired man appeared beside Motan. The man bent his knees and extended his arms, blocking the Alchemist's attack.
"Musa!" Motan shouted in excitement.
Musa, too, was a Black Mountain Earth Wolf, but his rank was much higher than Motan's. He was a Fighter, and his Earth Wolf rank even had stars.
The Exchange Beast, its horns deformed from the violent impact, still posed a threat with its bull-like body, causing Musa to remain alert.
The opposing Wizard, Alchemist, and Scholar were clearly caught off guard by this unexpected guest.
"Alchemist, we should act in concert now!" the skinny Scholar immediately suggested.
"Hmph!" grunted the black-clad Alchemist.
"You, use your Exchange Beast to hold off this Fighter," the lanky Scholar called out. "He's already released a Spirit Wall once; he shouldn't be able to gather Spirit Power for a second one so soon. We'll figure out how to deal with him. Buy us enough time for our Spellcraft."
"Alright, but make it quick. The contract time is almost up!" the Alchemist urged.
Motan was still immobilized by the Wizard's binding spell, unable to move. Even if he could, he wouldn't be much help. Unable to sense Spirit Power, he couldn't join the battle. The opposing party consisted of an Alchemist and a Wizard, plus a Scholar. In terms of combat power, Musa could barely handle the Alchemist. However, their Scholar could calculate the most advantageous strategy, and by buying enough time, the Wizard could then bring significant combat power into play.
In other words, without reinforcements, Musa could only hold out for a short while. After all, the Alchemist's Exchange Beast was already enough to keep him busy, even if Musa was an upper-tier Fighter in terms of Physique Technique.
Besides Environment Sensing Skills, a Fighter also has Physique Technique. Superior agility, strength, and speed are what a Fighter's Physique Technique pursues.
Environment Sensing Skills require the perception of Spirit Power, but Physique Technique does not! Musa twisted his waist, once again evading the terrifying horns of the Exchange Beast, all while contemplating how to counterattack. As that Scholar had said, this Exchange Beast indeed kept him occupied. If he didn't strike back in time, he himself might soon fall prey to the Wizard's Spellcraft.
Both sides were racking their brains for a plan to defeat the enemy, completely oblivious to the two figures that had just reappeared in the night, not too far away.
"Wow, Senior Liko, that's the legendary Exchange Beast, right?"
Igor's cheerful exclamation shattered the tense standoff. The attacks from both the Black Mountain side and the temporary alliance were interrupted by this sudden cry of admiration. Countless eyes stared in the direction of the sound.
They saw the Three Fools! No, they only saw two of the fools! One was still missing.
Liko and Igor stood dumbfounded not far away. They had originally planned to find the Rabbit House on the mountain to catch rabbits, but not long after setting out, they saw several people fighting, and among them was an Exchange Beast.
In the pause that lasted only a few Gudu Times, the bull-like Exchange Beast gradually shrank as if deflating. The black-clad Alchemist silently cursed his luck and frantically searched his person for items that could be used for an exchange contract…
Seeing that the Wizard in the high felt hat was still deep in meditation, Musa knew his chance had come. So he leaped, dodging the Exchange Beast's charge, then concentrated all his strength into his elbow and slammed his entire body into the shrinking Exchange Beast.
CRACK! The Exchange Beast gradually vanished, turning into a wisp of gas.
Musa pressed his advantage, leaping up with utmost speed. His agile movements left the Alchemist no time to react.
By the time the black-clad Alchemist registered, Damn, how is this guy so fast?! Musa's right hook had already dislocated his jaw.
OUCH... OUCH... The Alchemist rolled on the ground in pain.
"The best plan now is to get out of here!" The lanky Scholar grabbed the Wizard in the high felt hat, and they fled down the mountain without looking back.
Musa decided not to chase the two fleeing individuals, as a more important task awaited him.
However, the previous fight had drained him considerably. Can't use brute force, he thought. So, he walked up and kicked the Alchemist. "You dare try to snatch someone from Black Mountain? Tired of living, are you? Scram!"
The black-clad Alchemist scrambled away, rolling and crawling. Although his eyes showed great unwillingness (after all, the Three Fools were so close, having delivered themselves right to his doorstep), he didn't dare show any anger.
The binding spell on Motan also vanished as the Wizard fled. Hearing Musa's words about "snatching someone," he faintly felt something was off.
"Musa, leave the rest to me! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Motan said confidently.
"The mission has been upgraded! You can't complete it," Musa stated expressionlessly. "I'm taking this kid back. If you can help, then help. If not, don't get in the way."
Motan felt a pang of disappointment. He initially thought Musa had come to rescue him. Indeed, he'd felt moved when the Spirit Wall appeared. But now it seemed Musa's main goal wasn't him, but the foolish figure not far ahead...
Speaking of that fool, Motan suddenly felt that those rich old men were truly boring, spending so many Gold Coins just for this fool. What for? Look at this idiot! Not only did he fail to avoid danger, he walked straight into it!
Yes, ignoring Liko's attempts to stop him, Igor strode briskly towards the fight scene, still muttering excitedly, "Exchange Beast! Exchange Beast!"
"I don't understand, why are you so interested in fighting!" Liko complained incessantly from behind him.
Weren't these two fools walking right into a trap?
"Musa, your mission is to capture someone, and my mission is to steal a book. Our missions don't conflict, right?"
"You are you, I am I. Our business is separate." Musa took a stance, preparing to apprehend the fast-approaching Igor.
Motan had mixed feelings. His words stemmed more from indignation. After all, he had nearly bid farewell to this world, and now he felt he had to do something to make this reclaimed life worthwhile. While Musa always coldly stated that he had merely rescued him incidentally, Motan could still feel the genuine warmth from that Spirit Wall. That's why he was determined to complete his mission, to improve his standing in Black Mountain, so that in the future he could properly 'discuss' today's events with Musa.
He was, after all, a "Hunter" skilled at taking things unnoticed. Stealing the book would be easy; he just needed to brush past that New Fool.
Motan successfully completed his mission. He turned and smiled at Musa.
And Musa, too, succeeded, grabbing Igor's arm and twisting it behind his back, forcing Igor to his knees in pain. With such a fool walking right into his hands, only an utter incompetent could fail.
"What are you doing? Let him go!" Liko shouted.
"He's the hostage Black Mountain wants. You think I'll let him go just because you say so?" Musa didn't even glance at Liko; he didn't consider this fool an opponent in the slightest.
"I don't care if you're Black Mountain or White Mountain! You messed with our client, so you're a scoundrel! You're in big trouble, scoundrel!"