Chapter 29: Aruola’s Plea and the Black Bear’s Secret

“Me?”

“Yes, others can kill these evil spirits, so, can you help me?”

Aruola’s eyes were filled with anticipation. Her gaze was as pure as a child wanting candy from their older sibling, and Zhang Luan, the old pervert, felt a crushing blow of ten thousand critical hits, as if it were only natural.

But…

“Let’s not. Those evil spirits are quite strong, and their numbers shouldn’t be small, right? Even if I could defeat one or two, I wouldn’t be able to eliminate any more.”

He spoke the truth. He had seen the attribute panel of this evil spirit; while its level wasn’t outrageously high, it still reached level thirty-seven. Though their intelligence prevented them from advancing further, killing one level thirty-seven evil spirit was manageable. But what if more came?

Two, three—those numbers were acceptable. With so many mythical and legendary items at his disposal, if he couldn’t even handle a few zero-rank evil spirits that were merely ten-odd levels higher than him, he might as well find a block of tofu to smash his head against.

However, everything has a breaking point, and Zhang Luan was no exception.

Based on his experience, he could, at most, handle six evil spirits simultaneously. Yet, this came with a crucial prerequisite: he needed to be able to see them.

The darkness within this mage tower was too dense for even the All-Star Flames to illuminate. If he fought by sound alone, he could only manage three at most.

That was a full half less.

Moreover, this was under extremely dangerous circumstances. Such a deal simply wasn’t worth it.

Not even for Zhang Luan, the old pervert, who harbored a deep fondness for the adorable Aruola.

To Zhang Luan’s reply, Aruola showed no surprise. Instead, she merely nodded.

“Yes, that’s true. There are probably over a hundred of them. You really can’t deal with them alone, and it’s very dark outside. However, they’ve already surrounded us. You can’t leave now.”

Aruola pointed towards the darkness, and a burst of light shot from her fingertip. The very darkness that even the All-Star Flames couldn’t dispel receded significantly under this glow.

Roughly counting, there were five evil spirits in that newly revealed area alone, not to mention those lurking in the other dark corners.

Zhang Luan’s face darkened. He truly couldn’t leave now.

“When did they arrive? Was this intentional?”

“After you entered this room, they surrounded us. These evil spirits are very fond of the aura of living beings. However, I sealed them within this high tower. Other humans are stationed outside, so they cannot encounter life. You, however, are a living being. Previously, if you had entered the right passage, you would have been eaten by these evil spirits long ago, because that is their home.”

Aruola spoke a long string of words, essentially telling him that he needed to eliminate these creatures.

Though Zhang Luan wasn’t without options—for instance, stabbing himself to enter a near-death state and then using the power of the Coin of Choice to teleport out.

But if it came to that, he might as well try to eliminate this horde of evil spirits instead.

“Alright, I agree to help you eliminate these evil spirits. But as I am now, I can’t kill many at once. They’ve all surrounded us; we need to come up with a plan, right?”

Aruola hesitated, then conceded that Zhang Luan’s point was valid and her request might indeed be too demanding. She retrieved a small black bear from among her collection of bear dolls and pressed it onto Zhang Luan.

“This is a protective charm.”

[Aruola’s Black Bear Doll]

Advanced Item

Effect: A small bear that briefly hides the aura of a living being.

Upon seeing its effect, three or four combat plans against the evil spirits instantly formed in Zhang Luan’s mind.

As long as he wasn’t surrounded, dealing with these idiotic monsters whose minds were consumed by madness would be quite simple.

As the small bear was affixed to his chest, Zhang Luan felt a chill envelop him, as if a thin, luminous film had appeared, covering his entire body.

With the emergence of this film, the howling evil spirits suddenly lost their target and began to run wildly. They attempted to enter Aruola’s room to investigate, but the light within the room held them firmly at bay.

After a long while, the evil spirits, having lost their target, gradually began to disperse.

Zhang Luan glanced at the small bear pressed against him, surprised by its effectiveness. If those creatures couldn’t see him or sense his presence, eliminating them would be much simpler.

However, Aruola’s next words shattered this illusion completely.

“This small bear can only last for five minutes. Now, there are two minutes remaining.”

Zhang Luan’s mouth twitched as he looked at Aruola.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner? Won’t I be discovered again once this thing wears off?”

Aruola nodded.

“Yes.”

“‘Yes’ my foot! Are there any other bears that can hide my aura? Don’t tell me this is the only one?”

Aruola, still expressionless, nodded again.

“Yes.”

Zhang Luan was somewhat speechless, but since things were already this way, he didn’t want to complain. He picked up the Bow of Demise, summoned the Azure Righteous Sword, and stepped out of the room.

“Are you coming with me?”

Aruola nodded, floating in mid-air and taking hold of Zhang Luan’s shoulder.

“I will lead the way, and I can see them. I can warn you.”

She truly lived up to her title as the Spirit of the Ancient Tower; holding his shoulder, he felt no weight at all.

Zhang Luan took a deep breath, consuming both enhanced dishes created by the God of Cookery’s Spicy Pot. The effects of [Supreme Delicacy] and [Super Spicy] manifested on his status panel.

Two distinctly different sensations exploded in his mouth. Zhang Luan felt waves of heat surge through his body, and chili-colored qi swirled around him.

He then enveloped himself in the All-Star Flames, increasing their output to make them continuously expand, ultimately forming a spherical wall. In this darkness, he couldn’t see anything, but if the All-Star Flames touched anything, he would immediately sense it—much like a spider sensing prey in its web.

And those evil spirits were the prey.

The only drawback to this method was the rapid consumption of his supernatural energy.

The Bow of Demise shifted into its Black Moon form, and dark currents wildly crackled in all directions. These evil spirits weren’t purely physical entities, so using [Crimson Sky] for lifesteal was less effective than using [Black Moon] for mana regeneration. Moreover, the Black Moon form provided a 50% suppression bonus, making it highly effective against these creatures.

Preparations complete, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

Perhaps feeling that she would never return to this place, Aruola sealed the room completely, even adding several locks.

Zhang Luan inwardly concluded that Aruola wasn’t as innocent and emotionless as she seemed; this girl was actually quite devious!

With no retreat possible, there was no need to retreat. Zhang Luan stepped forward, venturing into the darkness.