Chapter 661: Rhode’s Relief


Eters' instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.


The mountainside should've been a deathtrap, pitfalls, tripwires, and explosive wards. Normally, any beast herd blundering up here would've been shredded. But those monsters? They strode right past it all as if the traps didn't exist.


Two massive crabs led the way, their antennae glowing faintly. A veil of strange green mist spread ahead of them, revealing every hidden snare. Calmly, the beasts detoured, step by step, with the rest of the horde following in neat columns.


And the ones that didn't bother detouring, Void-Sentinel, simply stomped straight through. Traps shattered under their weight: wires snapped, bamboo spears splintered, explosive runes roared to life only to break uselessly against their armored hides. They walked out of the smoke without so much as a scratch.


Two Gromps croaked irritably at the Sentinel, keeping their distance until the stench of smoke cleared. The Void Brambleback trailed after them, roots crunching into the scorched dirt.


From the opposite peak, Rhodes watched with folded arms, his expression cool.


"They're not ordinary bandits after all."


Mira's gaze sharpened. "Those traps could cripple soldiers. Even civilians stepping on one by accident would be killed instantly."


Rhodes shrugged. "True… though maybe the new era's armies have better gear than before."


Mira's concern shifted. "What about Little Blue?"


"Completely fine." Rhodes smirked. "They're tougher now than you think. Even you might struggle to crack them unless you went all out."


Mira's lips curved upward. "Then maybe I should train more." Her eyes flicked toward him with a teasing glint.


Rhodes suddenly felt uneasy. Mira, when motivated, meant he was about to become her sparring partner.


Still, he judged the force excessive and quietly recalled one Brambleback and one Sentinel. No need to flatten the entire mountain on the first charge.


On the hillside, Eters finally heard the delayed BOOM of detonations, saw flames leap skyward, yet his traps hadn't slowed the monsters one bit. Worse, more creatures loomed behind them, massive shadows in the smoke.


"This isn't good!" Panic flashed across his face. He bolted for the fortress doors.


Inside, four of his comrades sat around a table, the air heavy with tension, not from battle, but from cards.


Therud whooped. "Pair of Aces!"


Frus slammed a fist on the table. "Damn it, you're cheating!"


"Hahaha! My luck's turned, I'm winning everything back this round!"


The doors crashed open. Eters burst in, chest heaving. "Stop playing, enemy attack!"


Foster, the eldest, calmly laid his cards down. His voice was steady, but his eyes narrowed. "Don't panic. Tell us exactly what happened."


Second Brother quietly slid his own cards into the discard pile. "Funny… I thought I heard an explosion earlier. How many are there?"


Frus had been stunned for a heartbeat, but when he saw the eldest and second brothers calmly slipping their cards away, realization struck. So that's how it is! His face twitched, those two were truly rotten to the core.


He shoved his own cards into the pile and bolted straight for the door.


Therud was left gaping. "Hey! I've lost three rounds in a row, I was about to win it all back!"


Second shot him a righteous look. "Who said you were about to win? I still had higher cards. Once we're done with the enemy, I'll show you."


Therud froze, speechless. 'Show them now? The cards are all mixed up already!'


Slamming his hand down, he stood up furiously. "Eters! Who's the fool interrupting me right when I'm on the comeback?!"


Eters, half into his combat boots, muttered uneasily, "It's a horde of Magic Beasts. They're charging straight for us, and the traps aren't slowing them down."


"Magic Beasts?" Therud snorted. "What's so scary about Magic Beasts?"


"Don't be careless!" Eters snapped, wrestling with his breastplate. "There are dozens of them, huge ones, too! The traps aren't working. Help me gear up!"


Foster, the eldest, wasted no time. Armor manifested piece by piece across his body: breastplate, pauldrons, gauntlets, boots, and helm. A black round shield appeared in his left hand, a one-handed sword in his right.


Ten seconds, and the ordinary man was gone. In his place stood a towering knight of jet-black steel.


"Therud, help Eters. Second, wake the others. Move!" Foster's voice rang out, steady and commanding.


The fortress stirred. Chairs scraped, boots pounded. One after another, his siblings began their own Transformations, dark armor blooming over flesh and bone, their weapons materializing with harsh metallic resonance.


Frus, who'd been the first outside, shouted back over his shoulder. "There are a lot of them. The explosions aren't scaring them off at all!"


Foster's brow furrowed. "Then they're not ordinary beasts. They're being controlled."


"Controlled?" Frus' eyes went wide. "Sure, there are items that can tame Magic Beasts, but this many? At once?"


"Which means," Foster said grimly, "there's more than one enemy. Or worse, Kingdom Special Forces."


Instead of fear, Frus' expression twisted into excitement. "The Kingdom's sending an army just for us? Our reputation must really be soaring!"


Foster gave no answer. He simply raised his black sword, shield firm at his side. "They're here. Transform now."


On the opposite hill, Rhodes watched through the crab's vision.


A plain man had walked into the fortress. A knight clad in full black armor walked out.


"Transformation Magic…" Rhodes mused aloud. "So that's their trick. The Council calls them New-type Mages, but they're still leaning on old-school Magic when it suits them. I suppose I was a New-type too, six years ago, books, crystals, trinkets… it's all the same principle."


His thoughts cut short. The crab's vision jolted violently. A sword swung down, black steel clashing against gleaming purple shell. The pincers clamped hard, holding the blade in place.


But the knight's shield bashed forward like a battering ram, slamming the Crab's head with brutal force.


The crab staggered back, released its grip, but still held firm.


Across the mountain, Foster raised his sword again, eyes narrowing. "They're no ordinary beasts."


Rhodes exhaled, tension slipping from his shoulders. "Finally. Not just fodder anymore."


The Scuttle Crab wasn't a pushover, it could tank now.