The scene was truly bizarre.

Du Wei stood there, his wounds horrifying. The huge bloody hole in his chest could almost be seen through from front to back, and blood flowed from it as though he felt nothing at all.

He staggered a few steps. Before everyone’s stunned eyes, another griffin pounced, knocked him to the ground, and raked him with sharp claws. Red blood sprayed at once...

“Master!”

Robert’s eyes went red. He rushed forward without regard for himself, but Du Wei’s small body climbed up on its own. He swayed, seemingly still smiling... That the boy could wear such a pleased expression at a moment like this gave everyone around him an indescribably uncanny feeling.

The young boy raised his head, looked at the griffins wheeling across the sky, and suddenly laughed. “If this is a dream you created, then I have dreamed enough. If possible, let the dream end now!”

Robert rushed forward. His longsword became a streak of light as he fired it at the griffin nearest Du Wei. This loyal knight unleashed all his battle aura without holding anything back. The force even exceeded what his body could bear. His figure seemed magnificent, every muscle bulging as though blood might burst through his skin!

The battle-aura-infused sword tore through the sky. It pierced the griffin’s hard feathers and brought the creature down from midair!

Robert threw himself over Du Wei, holding him tightly and presenting his own back to the sky...

“Robert.” Du Wei gasped in his arms, smiling even as blood ran from his mouth. “Listen. We are being fooled. All of this is false.” He pointed to his own wounds and smiled. “Look. A normal person would have died from wounds like these. But...”

Robert was no fool. He had sensed that something was wrong. Du Wei had made him sense it: a frail boy had suffered such mortal injuries and yet had not died. Even a strong warrior would already have been a corpse after wounds like those.

“My mental power is stronger than most, so the dream created by our opponent cannot deceive me completely.” Du Wei took a breath. “Unfortunately, I do not know how to break it. This may be mental magic—or an illusion spell.”

“Illusion...” Robert considered, then shouted, “Sorskya! Sir Sorskya!”

The mage, protected at the center of the soldiers, answered when he heard the call.

Robert hugged Du Wei and rolled away to evade a diving griffin. Several more wounds appeared on his back; even his armor was torn, leaving blood and flesh exposed.

“Think of something! The master says we have been caught in illusion magic!” Robert roared.

Sorskya was drenched in sweat. He was not truly a mage, and the magic he simulated through potioncraft tricks was limited to fire magic. He knew little of mental magic.

Robert carried Du Wei swiftly back. Sorskya called, “I have no other idea. To break the illusion... perhaps we must destroy all these things, just as we destroyed the rhinoceros and the direwolf before.”

Robert could not help cursing. “Nonsense! If we were capable of that, would we need you to say it?”

But Du Wei smiled faintly in Robert’s arms. “Robert, let me ask you something... I have heard every Imperial knight who cultivates battle aura has a personal weak point in the aura gates. Where is yours?”

“...” Robert froze. He had not expected his master to ask such a question now.

“Tell me quickly,” Du Wei said softly. “I may have a way.”

Every knight who cultivated battle aura had an aura-gate weakness. When a knight used battle aura, the body’s strength could erupt to several times its normal limit, or even more. But one’s weakness was the most precious secret a knight possessed. How could it be disclosed lightly?

Yet Robert looked down at his master, covered in blood, and his heart shook. Gritting his teeth, he said, “It is at my... right chest, below the fourth rib...”

The moment the words left his mouth, a strange light appeared in Du Wei’s eyes! No one knew where the weak boy found the strength. He suddenly rolled free of Robert’s arms, pulled a dagger from the knight’s leg, and thrust it at Robert’s chest!

Robert could have dodged, but as a loyal family knight and retainer of the Rowling Family, he hesitated for an instant. The blow came not from an enemy, but from... his master!

His breastplate had already been torn in the battle. The cold dagger stabbed in just beneath the third rib on Robert’s right side. Robert could even feel the strange sensation of cold steel entering his muscle...

Everyone saw their master suddenly draw a dagger and stab the knight. They froze!

Robert was the most shocked. He stared at the young master close before him. He could not believe the person he had protected so faithfully would strike him now. But Du Wei’s eyes were calm, even carrying a hint of reassurance.

“Do not worry, Robert. I will not harm you. It is only a nightmare.”

At Du Wei’s low words, Robert gave a muffled groan. His body went limp as he abandoned his inner resistance...

Robert closed his eyes and fell...

As cries of alarm rose, Du Wei slowly stood up. The dagger in his hand seemed still to be dripping blood. While all the Rowling guards stared at him in shock, Du Wei smiled, threw away the dagger, and said, “The dream is over!”

The moment Du Wei’s dagger entered the knight’s chest, every griffin in the sky suddenly gave a shrill howl. Then countless griffins went mad and lunged at Du Wei from every direction!

Their sharp claws and beaks seemed poised to tear the young Du Wei to pieces!

Everyone closed their eyes, certain that this time they were all doomed.

But then something strange happened.

The first griffin to reach Du Wei suddenly erupted in countless points of light. Every griffin froze in midair. Innumerable cracks seemed to spread across their bodies, and dazzling light shone from every fissure...

Then, with a sudden rush...

Amid the countless rays, everyone bowed their heads, unable to look directly at the brilliance. Du Wei alone stood straight, head raised toward the strange sight in the sky, a cold smile still on his face.

One griffin after another crumbled and melted in the light, turning into minute motes that scattered on the wind...

The evening sky became as bright as day. Du Wei could even feel the space around them—yes, the entire space—twisting. The trees, grass, companions, corpses, and blood all distorted...

Finally, with a bang, everything became quiet again.

The forest was still the same forest.

The sky was still the same sky.

The distant mountains were still the same mountains.

The setting sun was still the same setting sun.

But the blood covering the ground had vanished. The bodies torn into countless pieces had vanished too.

In their place, people lay scattered across the ground: Knight Span and his men, and the Rowling guards who had just “died.” Their eyes were closed, but they were unquestionably alive.

They had merely all fallen unconscious.

Du Wei looked down at himself. His mangled wounds had vanished without a trace.

Robert lay at his feet... Astonishingly, the knight had no wounds either!

Neither the injuries from the battle nor the wound from Du Wei’s stab to his chest remained.

His armor was perfectly intact. The only sign was a scratch on the right side of his breastplate, around the third rib—the place Du Wei had struck with the dagger. How could a frail boy with no martial skill pierce armor? At most, he could leave a mark on it.

Du Wei slapped Robert’s face firmly and woke the sleeping knight.

Robert opened his eyes and found his master looking at him. Du Wei smiled. “Sorry. I had to do that just now... because all of this was an illusion, and you were its source. Every griffin came from the memory of your terrible experience. Our opponent created them from the images in your mind. So I could only knock you unconscious inside the dream. Once you lost consciousness, the illusion lost its source and naturally disappeared.”

As for Du Wei’s stab at Robert... it had wounded him only within the dream.

The Rowling guards who remained standing stared in amazement at their bodies and the companions around them. They could not understand what strange method their young master had used to make those terrifying magical beasts disappear... or why their wounds had vanished.

Even the companions who had died—some torn into pieces—lay intact on the ground.

The female knight Roline was the only person still injured.

The wound on Roline’s hand was real. She had used the Moon people’s secret art: the Spellbreaking Field.

Her secret art dispelled all magic. When she used it, she had effectively stepped outside the illusion, so her wound was “real.”

There was no time for a long explanation. The only person present who understood somewhat was the mage Sorskya. Though his magical ability was unimpressive, his knowledge of magical theory was extensive. He immediately took out several potions and applied them to the unconscious female knight’s hand.

Du Wei picked up the dagger from the ground and examined it. “As expected, there is not even a drop of blood.”

Holding the dagger, he walked forward. Only then did everyone notice a small creature wriggling slowly in a patch of grass ahead.

It was only about the size of a large rat. Its pale green fur made it difficult to see among the grass unless one looked carefully.

Du Wei’s approach made the little creature cry out in terror, but it moved slowly. When it rolled from the grass and tried to flee, Du Wei flung the dagger. It struck the ground before the creature, and Du Wei stepped forward and planted a foot on it...

Only then did everyone see it clearly. The creature was round all over, with a body like a ball of flesh beneath its green fur, yet it possessed an enormous tail like a squirrel’s.

In fact, it looked almost exactly like a squirrel—except that its fur was a bizarre green.

There was one other difference: a small pointed horn protruded from its forehead. Unlike an ordinary animal’s bony horn, this one glittered like crystal.

Du Wei stepped on its tail. The little creature struggled and gave shrill chirps, baring its teeth at him. Suddenly, its forehead horn fired a beam of light that struck Du Wei directly...

The light caused no physical injury, but countless memories abruptly surged through Du Wei’s heart and mind...

Fear?

Yes. It was as if he had remembered the thing he feared most in his entire life!

It felt as though something were scanning his memories. One after another, sealed-away memories of terror—memories that did not belong to this world—were dragged out. Du Wei shook his head hard...

He was enraged!

Since arriving in this world, Du Wei had almost always worn a faint, detached smile. Now his face twisted, and fury burned in his eyes.

He stared coldly at the little creature, bent down, and said in a chilling voice, “What? Are you searching for the fears in my heart? Then I am afraid you will be disappointed.”

He reached down, seized the creature, and lifted it by the neck. Bringing it close, Du Wei said softly, “If you can read the fear in other people’s hearts, you should understand my words. Listen well... Do not try that trick on me. There is fear in my heart, but the things I fear are not in this world! The dreams you create must be limited to things governed by this world’s rules... So I am sorry, because I... do not belong to this world at all!”

The creature struggled desperately. Its horn fired beam after beam into Du Wei, but fear and despair finally appeared in its tiny eyes. Those rays were the magic it used to create illusions, yet against the person before it... they were completely useless.

“Master...”

While Du Wei’s anger still raged, the mage’s delighted voice came from behind him.

Sorskya hurried to Du Wei’s side and studied the little creature in his hand for a long time. Then he cried joyfully, “My heavens! This is a Dread Phantasm! Do the records not say they went extinct centuries ago? Gods! Look at the horn on its forehead—it is already as long as a finger! This little creature is still a juvenile phantasm. It must be less than a hundred years old!”

Du Wei’s voice was cold. “It is a magical beast too? A phantasm? Is it rare?”

Greed appeared on Sorskya’s face. He licked his lips. “A Dread Phantasm uses the fear in an enemy’s heart to create illusions against them. It is a highly intelligent magical beast, nothing like ordinary direwolves! And... and...”

“And what?”

The mage’s eyes shone. “Centuries ago, every mage dreamed of obtaining one. If you catch one, kill it, remove the horn from its forehead, and carry it with you, you become immune to most mental magic! Its horn is a material for making the finest magical defensive items!”

The Dread Phantasm seemed to understand him. Hearing the mage speak of killing it and taking its horn, its fat body trembled violently. It struggled harder, and its tiny beanlike eyes filled with fear.

Most of the Rowling guards had gathered around by now. Others were busy waking the unconscious men scattered across the ground, and even Knight Span had been roused.

Du Wei looked at the creature in his hand and sneered. “Immunity to most mental magic? That does make it valuable... How is it used? Do we simply kill it and remove its horn?”

The mage was nearly drooling. “Yes! Exactly! Not only its horn—even its fur is a precious magical material and a rare potioncraft ingredient. I could use its fur to make...”

Before Sorskya could finish, a sharp whistle sounded from the distant mountain. A fireball shot into the air like a meteor and exploded. It was a signal from another search team; they seemed to have encountered something.

While everyone stared in surprise, light suddenly flashed above the distant woods, exactly where the other team had fired its flame signal.

The light flew through the sky and landed directly before them. Emerald fire formed on the ground, and a person stepped out of the flames.

“Careful! That is the high-level spell Emerald Flame Shift!” Sorskya said nervously.

The figure emerging from the green flames wore a mage's robes and a tall pointed hat. The robes gleamed gold, and a gold three-leaf mugwort badge was pinned to the chest.

Du Wei now knew a great deal about magic. One glance was enough for him to recognize, in surprise, that this badge marked its wearer as a Grand Mage.

Mages on the continent were divided into ten levels. Those below the fourth level were low-level mages; those from the fourth through the eighth were broadly called intermediate mages; and those above the eighth were addressed as Grand Mages.

The gold three-leaf mugwort badge showed that this mage stood among the upper ranks of all mages on the continent. This person was at least an eighth-level mage!

A slightly short figure was completely wrapped in golden robes that looked extraordinarily luxurious beneath the setting sun. The mage’s face was hidden under the pointed hat and behind a high collar. Not even a trace of skin was visible.

Though Du Wei could not see the mage’s face, he clearly felt the stranger’s gaze fall upon the little Dread Phantasm held in his hand.

The sudden arrival of a high-level mage startled both Du Wei and Sorskya. Remembering Sorskya's description of the Dread Phantasm's value, Du Wei immediately wondered whether the stranger had come to claim it.

“Who are you?” Du Wei demanded, his face dark.

Quick to react, Robert immediately gestured, and the Rowling Family guards surrounded Du Wei protectively.

Too much had happened today. The sudden appearance of a powerful high-level mage made Robert nervous. Whether this person was friend or foe, who could know?

“I am a knight of the Rowling Family. Honored Mage, please state your purpose!” Robert stepped in front of Du Wei and spoke first.

He declared their identity before questioning the stranger, taking every precaution. Hopefully, the Rowling Family name would make the other party wary.

The mage said nothing. First, the stranger raised a broad sleeve, then gently removed the tall pointed hat and revealed a face.

Everyone was stunned!

“S-s-s-sorry...” The mage’s voice was soft and sweet, filled with nervousness and timidity. Most striking of all, the mage stuttered badly.

“I-I-I came to f-find it...” A slender finger rose and pointed at the Dread Phantasm in Du Wei’s hand.

The mage’s appearance was as delicate as the voice. Once the hat came off, the high-level mage wearing the continent’s gold three-leaf mugwort badge turned out to be a shy young girl. A blush colored her rounded cheeks under everyone’s gaze. Her nose and mouth were small, while her eyes were large and bright—but those lovely eyes held a pleading look.

“S-s-sorry... I-it is my t-teacher’s p-p-pet. I-I came to t-take it back.” The more nervous she became, the worse her stutter grew. She looked almost ready to cry from anxiety. “C-could you return it to me? I-I... If I d-don’t bring it back, my t-teacher will p-punish me.”