Chapter 127: Captive

A gust of wind blew past, and in the next second, Helag stood tall, his arms crossed, blocking the view of the second-level apprentice like a mountain.

He looked down at the apprentice with a cold, emotionless gaze and dispelled the Dark Imprisonment.

As soon as the spell was lifted, the apprentice’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

“Spare… spare me…” he stammered, his voice shaking with fear.

“Name, origin, and purpose,” Helag demanded, his tone devoid of any warmth.

The man continued to tremble, barely managing to speak. “I… I’m Benick, from Green Cottage. We came to steal valuable potion materials to sell.”

Fred finally approached, looking at Helag with a mix of fear and awe.

From the hill, Fred had witnessed Helag’s swift and lethal actions. He had used Shadow Corner to close in on the three men unnoticed, then killed two third-level apprentices with a single punch each.

The speed and power Helag displayed were beyond Fred’s comprehension. Even a Great Knight, known for their physical prowess, couldn’t match such overwhelming strength.

In the face of such terrifying power, all shields were like paper.

The two third-level apprentices might have had more tricks up their sleeves, but they had no chance to react once Helag got close.

Fred imagined himself facing Helag and broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it.

“Are there any others?” Helag continued his interrogation.

Benick quickly shook his head. “No, no, it’s just the three of us.”

“Isn’t it a ceasefire period? Are you trying to provoke a new conflict?” Helag questioned.

“No, it’s because the war just ended, and both sides are short on manpower. We thought there would be fewer patrols in the Western Mountains during this time…” Benick explained.

Seeing Fred arrive, Helag said, “Let’s take him back to Mr. Barty.”

Their patrol could end early today due to this unexpected situation. They needed to report to Barty and bring Benick back.

Benick’s fate wouldn’t be better than the two dead apprentices. He would be subjected to various methods to extract his deepest memories and, once his usefulness was exhausted, likely executed or used as material for necromancy potions.

Thinking of necromancy reminded Helag that he hadn’t yet studied necromancy knowledge.

Necromancy required comprehensive knowledge, not just learning a few spells from the spell shop. It needed a complete knowledge inheritance.

However, necromancy courses were rare, and he would need to contact a formal necromancer in Moonlight Forest to buy the knowledge inheritance.

Helag had planned to finish learning the spells he had bought before considering necromancy, but the patrol task brought him to the Western Mountains first.

Fred took out a pair of anti-magic cuffs and secured Benick’s hands behind his back.

The cuffs extended several tendrils that pierced into Benick’s flesh, completely sealing his mana flow.

Now, Benick was no different from an ordinary person, unable to use magic.

With Benick secured, Helag approached the injured Mountain Fire Bear.

Seeing him approach, the bear warily backed away.

Helag spoke in the common language of magical creatures, “We are wizards from Moonlight Forest. If you trust me, I can heal your wounds.”

The bear hesitated, a human-like uncertainty in her eyes. After glancing at the two human corpses, she decided to trust Helag and nodded.

Helag took out three bottles of White Fresh Healing Potion and slowly approached the bear, keeping his Absolute Defense shield active.

He poured one bottle on the bear’s belly, where the wound was most severe.

The potion caused visible pain, but the bear endured, knowing Helag was helping her.

The wound began to stop bleeding and heal visibly. As a magical creature, the bear had strong regenerative abilities, and the potion accelerated the process.

Helag treated the other wounds with the remaining potions and bandaged the bear’s belly.

“You’re good to go now,” Helag said in the bear language.

The bear nodded and roared towards the hilltop.

The cub soon emerged from the bushes, running to hide behind the mother bear, peeking at Helag and Fred.

Helag waved at them and headed back up the hill.

The bears turned and disappeared into the forest.

On the way back, Helag reflected on the battle.

If he could approach enemies using Shadow Corner after casting enhancement spells, even third-level apprentices couldn’t match him.

If enemies were on guard, Shadow Corner wouldn’t work.

But Helag had Blink and Fleet Foot. Blink could teleport him close, and Fleet Foot could boost his speed, enhancing his close combat abilities.

The battle reinforced Helag’s resolve to make Great Dark Heaven his innate spell.

“True strength comes from within,” Helag thought.

Great Dark Heaven could infinitely enhance his bloodline and physical body, aligning perfectly with his goals.

Upon returning to the station, Helag and Fred reported to Barty, omitting the details of Helag’s fight. Barty assumed they had teamed up to defeat the enemies.

Barty glanced at Benick. “Lock him up. I’ve notified the forest. Someone will come to take him tomorrow.”

The station had cells made of anti-magic materials, specifically for holding wizards.

With the matter resolved, Helag resumed his patrol duties.

The following days were uneventful, passing peacefully for half a month.