Versatile Mage: Shadow Assassin

"If you ever come across my sister in the Safe Zone, please tell her I'm sorry. Her name is Lin Yun'er," Lin Yuxin said softly, her voice filled with sorrow and reluctance.

"I will," Mo Fan replied.

Hearing his promise, Lin Yuxin turned and walked away without looking back, her silhouette resolute and unwavering.

Mo Fan watched her fading figure in silence.

You must survive… please.

Outside, the roars of monsters and the screams of humans mixed into a terrifying cacophony.

Ye Xinxia and Lin Yun'er were hiding inside the security room. After seeing that blood-red signal shoot into the sky, they rushed in to take shelter.

Fortunately, Mingwen Girls' Middle School had already been cleared by Jing Wuji. For now, no monsters had appeared there.

Suddenly, a shadow shot into the room like lightning, and from it stepped a young man.

"Brother Wuji!" Ye Xinxia cried out, her fear instantly easing the moment she saw him.

Lin Yun'er looked at Jing Wuji with a complicated expression. From the way he used his shadow magic, she immediately recognized him—he was the hunter "Qi" who had saved her a year ago.

Jing Wuji only relaxed once he confirmed that Ye Xinxia was unharmed.

As he instinctively scanned the room, he finally noticed Lin Yun'er.

Huh? Isn't this the girl I rescued last time?

He didn't dwell on it. Instead, he quickly gave instructions: "You, a classmate—please push Xinxia's wheelchair. I'll clear a path ahead. Once I confirm there are no monsters, follow behind me."

"Okay," Lin Yun'er replied.

"Brother Wuji, please be careful!" Ye Xinxia urged.

"Don't worry. If I can't win, I can at least run," Jing Wuji said with a grin, waving his hand.

With that, he vanished into the shadows, disappearing from their sight.

Jing Wuji quickly scouted the surrounding area and discovered several monsters had already arrived.

A One-Eyed Demon Wolf, a Giant-Eyed Blood Rat, and a Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf—Damn it!

Jing Wuji felt a growing sense of pressure.

And they were coming from three different directions. The Blood Rat and Demon Wolf were manageable, but that Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf? That thing was Warrior-class—he had no way of dealing with it. He couldn't outrun it, and he certainly couldn't defeat it.

Worst of all, the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf was blocking the path to the Safe Zone.

He had to carve open a way to the Safe Zone, even if it cost him his life.

Jing Wuji took the initiative, luring away the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat and the One-Eyed Demon Wolf.

The Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf, left for last.

That creature was now only a few blocks away from Mingwen Girls' Middle School.

Taking a deep breath, Jing Wuji waited for his mana to recover fully. Then, he stepped forward to confront the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf.

This will be a battle to the death!

The moment Jing Wuji revealed himself, the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf—nearly two stories tall—immediately locked onto him.

"Whoosh—"

A sharp sound tore through the air as the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf lunged at Jing Wuji, trying to crush this human with one strike.

"Shadow Step: Phantasm Form!"

Jing Wuji barely managed to react in time, quickly casting his shadow-element spell.

Even so, three deep gashes were carved into his body—each one so severe that his bones were visible through the torn flesh.

"Ugh—!"

Jing Wuji spat out a mouthful of blood, immediately retreating to widen the distance between himself and the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf.

It hurts!

The searing, tearing pain was unbearable, almost severing his connection to the star orbit—his spellcasting foundation.

Blood soaked his clothes, and the three claw marks across his chest were still bleeding heavily.

No—I have to activate my 'Mind's Eye,' or I'll never be able to dodge the next attack.

In an instant, Jing Wuji unleashed his innate talent.

The Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf, having missed its first strike, let out a furious roar and lunged again!

But just a split second before it pounced, Jing Wuji had already anticipated its movement and activated Shadow Step: Phantasm Form in advance.

The wolf's massive claw swiped right through Jing Wuji's body—hitting nothing.

Jing Wuji had already condensed a long sword in his other hand. He swung it with force at the wolf's body. Though the strike barely broke through its tough hide, it managed to leave a gash a few centimeters deep.

The Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf howled in pain and retaliated with its other paw.

But Jing Wuji had already retreated, causing the second attack to swipe through thin air.

In just a few seconds, the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf had launched three attacks in succession. Maintaining Mind's Eye the whole time made Jing Wuji feel like his head was about to split open.

I still can't keep it activated for long… But I'm close—very close. Just one more opening and this Warrior-level beast is dead!

Over several seconds, a massive wound had been carved into the wolf's neck.

Each of Jing Wuji's attacks had landed on the same spot. Though the creature's defenses were far superior to those of low-tier monsters, the accumulated damage had finally begun to take its toll.

The wolf's eyes burned red—it had been completely enraged by this pesky human. Now it was determined to kill him no matter what!

The Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf opened its massive jaws. Inside, a swirling vortex formed, with a ball of crimson energy rapidly growing at the center.

Jing Wuji's heart skipped a beat. Every instinct screamed danger.

No way I can dodge that! Not even Phantasm Form might help! I have to think of something!

He activated Mind's Eye again, and in less than a second, he came up with four or five different strategies—only to reject them all one by one. The success rate was just too low.

Then suddenly, a wild idea flashed in his mind.

All or nothing. Let's do it!

Jing Wuji funneled all his mana into his final star, reinforcing it with everything he had.

Whether it was adrenaline or the aid of the Mind's Eye, the process was unbelievably smooth in that critical moment.

The star quickly completed its enhancement. A dazzling stream of dark stardust began to spin, seemingly ready to erupt at any second.

Just then, a pillar of blood-red light burst from the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf's mouth, streaking straight toward Jing Wuji!

It was locked on him—about to strike in the blink of an eye!

"Shadow Step: Shadow Bird!"

Jing Wuji transformed into a shadow, vanishing in an instant. On the ground, six shadow clones scattered in different directions.

The Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf picked one and pursued, firing its crimson beam in a continuous stream that carved a deep trench into the earth.

As the beam struck the targeted shadow, it instantly vaporized it!

"I'm here! Die!" Jing Wuji roared, leaping up from beneath the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf's feet. His sword cleaved straight into the deep wound on the creature's neck.

"OH—!" The Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf let out one final, tragic howl.

The crimson beam faded. The beast's head was severed cleanly, crashing to the ground with a deafening thud.

A geyser of blood sprayed from its neck, mixing with the rain—falling like a storm of blood.

Jing Wuji was soaked to the bone, his body drenched and sticky with blood and rain. He had become a living "red man."

Without its head, the Bone-Spiked Howling Wolf's massive body collapsed, crushing a row of small houses beneath it.

Jing Wuji grabbed his head and rolled on the ground in agony. He had overused his Mind's Eye—his brain couldn't process the information fast enough, and the overload sent waves of sharp pain through his skull.

But still… in this land crawling with monsters…

He had taken one more step toward survival, hadn't he?

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