Chapter 145: The Man in Black
Turning around, Rod saw a middle-aged man in black, about 1.8 meters tall, emerging from behind him. A mask covering half of his face made it impossible to see his true features, giving him a mysterious appearance.
“Who are you? Why are you following me? What’s your intention?” Rod asked calmly, staring at the man. Ever since leaving the dean’s office, this man had been following him—clearly, he had been watching Rod for some time.
“Do you have time? I believe we can have a good talk. I can give you what you need, and you can give me what I need. It’s a win-win situation—what do you say?” The masked man said indifferently, a slight smile on his lips as he looked at Rod.
“I don’t think there’s anything to talk about! If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now!” Rod replied coldly, turning to leave the forest. Of course, he remained vigilant, ready to deal with any possible situation. He didn’t trust this man whose identity and motives were unclear at all.
“I think you’ll be interested. In less than a year, you’ve gone from an ordinary thug to reaching the peak of a Silver Warrior, with combat skills comparable to those of a regular Gold Warrior. Heh, even genius seems weak in comparison to you! What exactly happened to you? I’m sure many people will be very interested. In a few days, your name, Knight Rod Solomon, will reach the ears of high-ranking figures in organizations and countries across the continent. I can’t even imagine what will happen to you then.
When things go too far, it’s not surprising if those who can’t get you decide to rather die than surrender. After all, no one dares imagine what you’ll become in a few more years!
Also, as a person listed for pursuit by the Mercenary Association, your mission level will at least become Class A by tomorrow. You don’t need to hesitate about that! All kinds of trouble will follow. How do you think your life will be?”
The man in black, standing behind Rod as he prepared to leave, said these words nonchalantly.
Hearing the words of the man in black behind him, Rod paused in his steps and stood frozen in place. The man in black knew about him more than he had imagined, and many of the things he said were things Rod had never thought of, yet they were indeed true. At this thought, Rod’s expression grew increasingly complex, and he stood there, not knowing what to say.
His face kept changing expressions, and at that moment, his mind was in chaos, to the point where he couldn’t make any decisions.
“Damn it!” he cursed fiercely, then turned to look at the man in black and took a deep breath. “I’ll handle this myself!” With that, he turned and left the small grove resolutely.
“Others may not be aware of the matters between you and An, but I am very clear about them. I believe you also have some understanding of this organization, right? Oh, by the way, there’s also the incident of the Fire Dragon Egg being stolen from Tielan Town—seems you’re also involved in that, aren’t you? How will you deal with it? Knight Rod, I believe you’ll come to me. This is my token. When you need to cooperate with me someday, crush this token and I’ll come for you!” The man in black seemed not at all surprised by Rod’s departure, as if he had anticipated it. Standing behind him, he spoke calmly to Rod, who was ahead. Then, a flash of black light appeared, and a black token flew toward Rod.
Feeling the sound of something cutting through the air behind him, Rod shuddered and quickly turned, instinctively reaching out to catch that dot. In his hand appeared a black token—exactly what the man in black had thrown at him.
“Remember what I said. I can give you what you need and help you deal with many things! When you need me and want to cooperate, come to me!” Seeing Rod catch the token he had thrown, the man in black nodded in satisfaction. He stared deeply at Rod and then, without waiting for a reply, vanished into the woods, out of Rod’s sight.
He left quietly, just as he had arrived—leaving no trace whatsoever, making it impossible to detect that anyone had been there just moments before.
“Damn it!” Looking at the empty forest, Rod cursed fiercely. This feeling made him extremely uncomfortable, as if every move he made was under the other person’s control. It was a terrible sensation.
Looking at the token in his hand, he hesitated for a long time before sighing and putting it in his chest. Then he hurried toward the dormitory, but his mind was filled with countless doubts at that moment. On the way back from the woods to the dormitory, he encountered many troubles. Perhaps all the competitions at the training ground had indeed ended by now. At night, the trainees had just finished dinner and started going out for walks or practicing. He met many people along the way, and their enthusiastic expressions and gazes seemed unnatural, with their eager greetings giving him an uneasy feeling. After barely avoiding those enthusiastic trainees, just as he was about to enter the dormitory, his attention was drawn by several figures ahead. It was several trainees from the Wind God Academy’s representative team of the Austere Empire. Yes, he had seen them at noon—there was no way he could mistake them. What could they be up to, sneaking out in the darkness at such a late hour? Curiosity can kill a man—this saying was true. Driven by curiosity, Rod followed them once again, hiding in the cover of darkness and carefully trailing behind them. He saw them heading to the foot of the mountain at the edge of the academy. Frowning at them, he wasn’t sure what their plans were. Seeing them head into the mountains, he hesitated for a moment before following. Given their suspicious behavior, Rod suspected they had ulterior motives. … “Captain, someone is following us!” Just as Rod followed them into the woods, the trainees from the Wind God Academy’s representative team also noticed someone behind them. One of the warriors silently signaled to the red-clothed leader. Hearing his comrade’s report, the red-clothed warrior nodded and gave a subtle glance to his teammates, after which they quickened their pace and disappeared into the dense jungle in an instant. “Damn it!” Watching those followers vanish right before his eyes, Rod cursed angrily. Then his expression changed as he realized something was wrong—he knew their whereabouts must have been discovered by the enemy. With a bitter smile, he quickly turned to leave, but it was already too late.
A white light flashed, shooting straight at his chest like lightning, moving at a speed too fast to see with the naked eye, accompanied by a howling sound and an icy chill that penetrated to the bones. A dark light flashed in an instant—there it was, the Dark Dragon already in his hand. With a loud shout, he swung horizontally at the white light. A clear ringing sound came, along with a soft sensation, as if cutting through water. “Damn it, not good!” Rod’s expression changed drastically as he cursed under his breath. His forehead was soaked with cold sweat. He knew he had been tricked—what he had struck was not the enemy’s weapon but merely a water magic spell cast by the magician, a decoy. Sure enough, as his balance was lost, an icy chill came from behind, instantly enveloping his entire body. The temperature in the space seemed to drop several degrees, making it hard to breathe! “Why are you following us?” An enemy’s weapon pressed against the back of his head, causing his scalp to tingle as he felt the breath of death, hearing a cold voice. “I… cough cough… hehe, don’t misunderstand. I was just out for a walk, yes, just a walk! Hehe, I happened to come here to relieve myself and didn’t expect to meet some heroes. I didn’t mean to offend you. Really, if I had known you were here, I definitely wouldn’t have come. I’m leaving now, right away!” Taking a deep breath with a bitter smile, Rod hurriedly tried to justify himself, pretending to walk forward in hopes of escaping this place and those terrifying guys. He certainly didn’t want to die here today! “Hmph, lie! Do you think we don’t know you’ve been following us from the academy? Since you’re here, don’t try to leave. Die!” A cold snort came from behind, the warrior’s disdainful voice. Rod quickly gripped the Dark Dragon in his hand, ready to fight back, his muscles tensing as if he were a leopard ready to pounce, ready to unleash all his strength at any moment. “Sot, forget it!” Just as Rod was about to turn and fight back while trying to escape, a voice stopped him, letting him breathe a sigh of relief. It was a cold voice, definitely the coldest he had ever heard. If he hadn’t seen them with his own eyes, Rod would have found it hard to believe such a voice could come from a teenager. “Naitrod, captain of the Holy Light Academy’s junior team! We’ve met before!” It was still that cold voice. Hearing these words made Rod feel uneasy.