Chapter 62: Surrounded

Zhai Guangyi tried to break free from Luke’s grip with force but failed. He had no choice but to activate his Magic-Defying Spirit Body once more. Although he had used it many times today, he had mostly activated and deactivated it quickly, never pushing it to its 20-minute limit. As a result, he could still continue using it.

Feeling his strength surge instantly, Zhai Guangyi gave a forceful shake, and Luke was flung away by the sheer power, landing hard on the ground with a thud. He stared blankly at Zhai Guangyi, stunned.

“I can save them, but it depends on what kind of reward you can offer me.”

Zhai Guangyi himself had the intention of helping them, but offering aid to a stranger out of the blue would only arouse Luke’s suspicion. It was better to ask for some compensation, offering a favor in return to earn their trust.

“Reward? We have a property in Banwang City worth 200,000 gold coins—you can have it all. I also have some gold coins on me, and this sword. Though it’s a bit damaged, it’s still worth something. Take it all.”

Luke hurriedly pulled a few gold coins from his pocket and unsheathed the longsword hanging at his waist. He glanced at it reluctantly a couple of times before placing it at Zhai Guangyi’s feet.

Property in Banwang City? Zhai Guangyi had never even been to Banwang City, let alone owned a house there. As for the sword, it was just an ordinary White Quality weapon. If Zhai Guangyi wanted one, he could practically create them endlessly. As for the gold coins, there was no currency system inside the Forest, so they were useless to him.

“I don’t need money. Tell me why you came to the Deep Forest. With your strength, you shouldn’t be here.”

Zhai Guangyi shook his head. Compared to these worldly possessions that held no value to him, he preferred to build a good relationship with Luke, a local Native, and gain his trust. Meeting multiple times in a row was a kind of fate in itself.

“We were originally just hunting Magical Beasts on the outskirts of the Forest to earn some extra income. But then we encountered a Goblin army. They had surrounded the entire outer area of the Forest, and we wanted to go back and report it, but we couldn’t get out.

We had no choice but to stay inside the Forest, looking for a chance to escape. But there were also many Giant Goblins roaming around inside, and they forced us deeper into the Forest.

Those Goblins seemed to be chasing us relentlessly, and before we knew it, we were driven all the way to the northern mountains. We had no choice but to keep fleeing north, and then we encountered a Troll. We were all badly injured but managed to escape.

Although there are fewer Magical Beasts in the Deep Forest, they are much stronger than those on the outskirts. We encountered a powerful Magical Beast and barely managed to drive it away, but Bander and Luqi were severely injured. They collapsed in the snow, and I didn’t know what to do when we were rescued by Mr. Ladong the 82nd.

Please, I beg you, save them.”

According to what he said, they had suffered because of him. It seemed the outskirts of the Forest had been blockaded—the Demon King’s determination to capture him was truly immense. But even now, he still hadn’t encountered the Demon King’s forces. Luke and his companions were truly unlucky.

Zhai Guangyi raised his hand and cast healing magic on Bandel and Luqi. Level 5 healing magic could cure most injuries. However, Luqi’s excessive soul consumption couldn’t be treated; she could only recover slowly on her own.

Luke watched as Zhai Guangyi used magic to heal his teammates. Although Bandel and Luqi hadn’t woken up yet, their breathing had noticeably stabilized, and their physical injuries were visibly beginning to heal.

“Damn, you’re a real pro!”

Ladong, standing nearby, exclaimed in admiration before hoisting the wild boar over his shoulder and heading toward the kitchen. After all, wasn’t the whole point of working so hard to bring back the boar to eat it?

Pretending not to understand Ladong’s words, Zhai Guangyi ignored him. After finishing the healing, he turned to Luke and said:

“Ban… this man should be fine and will wake up soon. But this woman here has overexerted her magic power, and her soul is somewhat damaged. She might end up with lingering issues—you’ll have to deal with that yourself.

This is the payment.”

Zhai Guangyi picked up the two gold coins on the ground. Though they were useless to him, he still wanted to make a gesture. After all, what’s free often comes at the highest cost. What he needed now wasn’t money but Followers.

Luke thanked Zhai Guangyi profusely, over and over again. Zhai Guangyi simply waved his hand. The reason they’d encountered such danger was, frankly, because of him. Zhai Guangyi still felt somewhat guilty toward them, especially since their previous conflicts had been resolved. Now, it was Zhai Guangyi who owed them.

Zhai Guangyi hadn’t expected that the outer forest would be blockaded by the Goblin Legion, yet his True Body remained undisturbed. The goblin army hadn’t even come within a kilometer of his True Body.

Most of Zhai Guangyi’s Followers were native Magical Beasts with no intention of leaving the forest, so naturally, none of them had gone to check the forest’s edge.

He wondered how Xiong Da, who had left the forest earlier to go to Banwang City, was doing lately. If he tried to return to the forest now, he’d probably have to fight his way through a bloody battle.

Xiong Da was also Zhai Guangyi’s Classmate He Xiaoxiao, who had Transmigrated here. It wasn’t true to say he wasn’t worried about his safety. He decided to send some Magical Beasts to guard the forest entrance. If they encountered anyone related to the Divine Tree, they’d be able to provide support.

Xiong Batian needed to command most of the Magical Beasts and Demon Humans. If she left his True Body, the combat strength of the Magical Beasts would drop significantly. Qiqi, as the Leader of the Wind Demon Panthers, was always on reconnaissance duty, so neither of them was suitable for the task.

Feicui was a newcomer and a freeloader, not under Zhai Guangyi’s command for now. However, he seemed to have some intention of protecting the True Body, so he could be left alone for the time being.

Zhai Guangyi decided to assign this task to Xiong Er and Little Husky Two. Xiong Er was just idling around anyway, so why not give her a mission? She was fast enough, and with Little Husky Two’s help, she should be able to protect herself. She also had the Magic Mirror, which she could use to call for help immediately if needed.

Xiong Er, lying in bed, had originally wanted to go north to find Zhai Guangyi, but the Lord Divine Tree had forbidden it, so she was left with nothing to do. All she could do was lie in bed reading comics and some questionable books.

He had previously discussed with Zhai Guangyi whether to establish a school, replicate some textbooks from Earth, and have these Demon Humans study. But she was too lazy, and the friend who had promised to work together wasn’t around, so she didn’t want to do it alone again and ultimately chose to lie flat.

At that moment, a faint ripple of Magic Power emanated from the Magic Mirror by the bed. Xiong Er picked it up to check.

Written on it in the script of this World were the words:

“Mission: Patrol the edge of the Forest, rendezvous with and assist companions. Reward: 50 Skill Points.”

“Woo-hoo, Lord Divine Tree has issued another mission.”

Xiong Er stood up, raised her arms, and stretched. Her Maiden-like figure, bathed in sunlight, revealed a pleasing silhouette—not exactly curvaceous, but at least well-proportioned. However, she paid little attention to her appearance, casually grabbing the Adventurer attire from the floor and putting it on. With a dagger in hand, she headed straight out the door.