Chapter 012: Seduce First

Du Fan let out a loud roar and took the lead at the front. Since they knew escape was impossible, there was no point in trying!
Faced with Du Fan and his eighteen companions, who were radiating overwhelming strength, the Qiaqia were momentarily stunned. Though their abilities were limited by their environment, they hadn’t actually been greatly affected—they still possessed their original strength, only less of it could be utilized.
With one at the peak of level 9, two at level 8, five at level 7, and ten at level 6—each of them at least one level stronger than the Qiaqia, if not more—they instinctively sensed trouble.
As mentioned before, the Qiaqia were highly intelligent beings. They knew that someone one level above them could defeat four of them, and since there were sixteen of them, not to mention those who were even stronger…
Though they couldn’t calculate the exact numbers, they understood that if a conflict arose, even if they won, it would be a costly victory.
So when they sensed danger, they halted their pursuit of Du Fan’s group and turned to run back.
This surprised everyone who had been ready for a fierce battle, leaving them speechless for a long time.
“Damn…” Du Fan cursed under his breath in words no one else could understand, then his face hardened with determination. “Everyone, listen up! 300 meters ahead—full force! Preferably wide-ranging attacks! They’re already in our range—how can you still expect to escape? Even if we let you go, you must know we’re not easy to provoke!!!”
Furious, Du Fan pulled out seven or eight scrolls, ready to act at any moment. Seeing this, the others realized the opportunity was rare. If they let the Qiaqia escape further, their attacks wouldn’t be enough to intimidate them. So they prepared their own attacks, unconsciously following Du Fan’s orders as the youngest in the group.
When Du Fan saw everyone was ready, he shouted, “Fire!”
Light beams in red, yellow, blue, and green—formed by combat auras—flew toward the group of Qiaqia. The scrolls in Du Fan’s hands unleashed even more spectacular effects.
Purple lightning flashed up and down, red flames danced, blue spikes of ice descended, and stones rained from the sky…
It was Du Fan who caused the greatest damage to the Qiaqia. They were all top-tier fighters, with the weakest being at level 6. Their experience was extraordinary, and they could tell that although Du Fan was using magic scrolls, achieving those effects wasn’t as simple as just tearing them open.

Without a strong mental strength as a backing, it would be impossible to achieve such results. Could he be a magician? But judging from his appearance, he seems like a warrior, not a magician!
However, Du Fan didn’t reveal his identity, and they didn’t dare ask. Since Du Fan relied on magic scrolls, whether it was the strength he showed in the inn or his current ability to control magic, it was beyond their comparison, so they considered him the strongest among them. The most important point was that none of them could discern Du Fan’s true strength!
As for those Qiaqia, they suffered heavy losses. Even without those people attacking together, Du Fan’s magnificent magic alone was enough to overwhelm them.
Before setting off, Du Fan said he wouldn’t give orders, but just now he still did. “I’m sorry, I just…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Walwei quickly said. “You’re doing this for our own good. I think we should follow your advice.”
The others agreed without any opposition, so Du Fan had no choice but to agree. “Then arrange the itinerary. I’m not very familiar with this place. I originally wanted to find a guide, but I think you know it better than I do. However, I hope to return in about half a month. So, decide how to proceed as you see fit.”
The others were surprised that Du Fan admitted he wasn’t familiar with the place and didn’t pretend to know everything, thus avoiding putting them in danger. This made them like him even more. Experts usually have pride; it’s not that others don’t care, but they dare not speak up. But Du Fan, though powerful, had no arrogance, which naturally won them over.
Du Fan also had his own plans. If he hadn’t met these people, it wouldn’t matter, but now that he had, he deliberately put himself in a leadership role to let them gradually accept him, ideally even saving their lives. He lacked experts around him, and weren’t these people exactly what he needed?
Moreover, these people were free agents. If they could serve him…
While speaking politely, the others also kept in mind the tasks Du Fan wanted completed. They were already thinking about how to find as many poisonous plants as possible in the shortest time. Though curious about why Du Fan needed these things, none of them asked.

Du Fan’s identity was also something they were curious about. Someone as young as him, with such high skills, and possibly proficient in both magic and martial arts—surely he wouldn’t remain unknown. But they couldn’t think of anyone who resembled Du Fan, let alone guess who he really was.

Du Fan naturally noticed their thoughts. He smiled slightly and then said, “As for my identity, I’ll tell you once we complete this mission. It’s not really a secret anyway. For now, I think we should focus on why those Qiaqia suddenly came in groups to attack us. If we don’t figure this out, what if something unusual happens here? And if such situations keep occurring, wouldn’t that put us in great danger?”

Everyone was shocked after hearing this. It was indeed true. They had no idea where this anomaly came from. This was only the outskirts of the swamp—what about the interior? Although they could go deeper, there were many dangerous creatures there. One or two might be manageable, but if a whole group like the Qiaqia showed up, what could they do?

Everyone fell silent.

To be honest, what happened to the swamp had nothing to do with them. At most, it meant losing one more adventure spot. The loss to them could be considered minimal. But what awaited them was unknown danger. If possible, they all wanted to withdraw. There was no need to risk their lives over just one mission. Although mercenaries were prepared to lose their lives at any moment, no one wanted to die needlessly.

Both Du Fan and Walwei knew this. Walwei grew anxious—their clan leader still needed the Fiery Fruit to survive! But Du Fan calmly observed the changes on everyone’s faces.

Noticing the difference between Du Fan and Walwei, one of the level-8 warriors, Mandy, said, “We respect you as a strong warrior. Perhaps we’ll never reach your level in our lives. We are adventurers who risk our lives at all times, but we don’t recklessly sacrifice ourselves. Please understand us. Although we don’t know what conditions the Beiba family promised you, we want to withdraw.”

The others nodded in agreement. Warwei wanted to say more, but Du Fan stopped him. Mandy felt a bit awkward. “Although what you said makes sense, maybe we don’t really need to fear them. It’s more likely that we can scare the beasts away like before. But can you guarantee that this abnormal situation won’t worsen? So, don’t try to persuade us to stay. As for the penalty for breaking the contract, we’ll pay it.”

Going to Snake Valley was already very dangerous—even those at level eight might not return. That’s why, when signing the agreement, they agreed to be allowed to leave, though they would have to pay a high penalty. But compared to that huge penalty, their own lives were more important!

Du Fan was a bit surprised that his warning would have such an effect, but he wasn’t entirely surprised either, as he was aware of the potential dangers ahead.

Du Fan had no intention of stopping them but mentioned something else instead. “The swamp became one of the most dangerous places, and its formation is due to a special kind of creature.”

The others didn’t understand why Du Fan was saying this, so they listened carefully. At least they hadn’t gone deep into the area yet, so even if they encountered a large group of creatures, they wouldn’t be completely defenseless. Moreover, offending the Beiba family rashly wasn’t a good idea. It was better to hear what Du Fan had to say first. If possible, it would be best to persuade him to abandon the mission as well.

Du Fan continued, “Don’t you find it strange? There are forests all around, and this isn’t a water-rich basin. Why did a swamp suddenly appear here? From a geological perspective, it’s unlikely to form here. Don’t you find it strange?”

The others thought to themselves that whether it was strange or not had nothing to do with them. But none of them spoke up, waiting instead for Du Fan to explain further.

“Everything here seems to have appeared abruptly, as if artificially placed here, as if someone moved a swamp here.” As he spoke, Du Fan mimed the action of moving something. “The only one who could do this is…”

Du Fan suddenly stopped, then deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid someone else might hear. In fact, aside from them, there was no one else here. He then deliberately glanced around, making the others nervous as well. Finally, Du Fan pointed at the sky. “Only a god could do this!”

The others wore strange smiles on their faces. They didn’t believe Du Fan’s words, but out of courtesy, they didn’t say anything.

Du Fan himself didn’t believe it either. In fact, all of this was made up by him. His plan hadn’t been implemented yet—how could he just let these people go?

“Let me tell you a secret that’s not really a secret. You must be curious about what level I’ve reached, right?”
Everyone nodded in unison.
“My strength has actually reached level nine, and it’s even at the peak of level nine!”
Though some were skeptical, thinking of Du Fan’s skills, they couldn’t help but believe it. At least reaching level nine was definitely true.
“Do you know why my strength has risen so quickly?”
Everyone shook their heads. If they knew, they would have practiced by themselves instead of wasting time here.
Du Fan smiled mysteriously. “Want to know?”
Everyone nodded eagerly.