The military outpost greeted us with a stone wall. If monsters descend from the mountain, this outpost will take the first blow, and the military must hold them back until reinforcements arrive; otherwise, the monsters will break through into the city to civilians, which is exactly what happened in the canon during the Black Order's attack.
Zhang Kong, the drill instructor and head of the military outpost, was a tall man in his thirties with long black hair and rugged facial features.
Quickly lining us up, he explained the essence of our task: we must reach the herbal grove and find an artifact there, having to cover a considerable distance through a yellow zone. If I didn't know from the canon that the military had cleared the entire surrounding area of monsters, I think I'd be scared too. The practice was to start tomorrow, so we were sent to cultivate.
Surprisingly, I ended up in Mo Fan's group. Our leader was Zhou Min, a Fire magician ranked fifth. Also in our group were Zhang Hou, a Wind magician; He Yu, a Water magician from the bottom of our class; Xu Zhaoting, a Lightning magician; and the heavy-set Wang Pan, an Earth magician and Zhaoting's friend. And then there was me, a Shadow magician.
All groups were divided into six people and sent on different routes. What is thirty kilometers? An ordinary person can cover that distance in a day, let alone a magician. But covering it through wild terrain, uphill, where the military set harmless traps for us, was not that simple.
Over a couple of dangerous or very unpleasant sections, I carried the group in my shadow; even Mo Fan and Xu Zhaoting looked at me with respect in those moments. He Yu tried not to move far from me at all. I could have flirted with her, but I remembered that in the future she would become Zhang Hou's girlfriend, whom he would lose during the disaster. He was a good guy, I didn't want to interfere, especially since saving her just requires killing Bai Yang, the military Summoner. I already know three people responsible for that disaster. I likely won't be able to catch Mu He, he's an Advanced Magician after all. His adopted son Yu An is also a member of the Black Order and almost never leaves the manor. But I can pull the thread of Bai Yang; besides, after the death of his summoned monster, he will be severely weakened. I need to carefully develop a plan and not get caught. Perhaps, if I can't prevent the disaster itself, I can at least minimize the losses.
On the tenth day, we approached a gorge that led to Bai Cao Valley, the endpoint of our route. Magic vines blocked our way. Wang Pan charged ahead recklessly and was naturally caught and entwined by them. The vines cut his clothes and skin, and he squealed like a pig. Xu Zhaoting couldn't help his friend; lightning passed right through them but didn't change the situation.
Sinking into the shadow, I slid up to the squealing Wang Pan, grabbed his collar, and dragged him into my space. Even in the shadow, he didn't stop squealing. Returning, I said:
"Guys, as far as I know, vines are vulnerable to fire, and our group has two magicians with that element."
"Fire Burst!" came from Zhou Min. A stream of fire erupted from the girl's hand, and the vines blazed. She fired only four times, but she got so carried away that Mo Fan didn't even intervene once. Surely, if she hadn't run out of energy, she would have kept throwing fire left and right. It's quite reckless to spend all your magic in a yellow zone without serious need, but I kept quiet, and the others were thrilled.
When the vines burned out and revealed the path ahead, I walked alongside Zhou Min.
"How much energy do you have left?"
"To be honest, almost none," the girl said embarrassedly.
"Got it. Just in case, stay close, and shout my name loudly in case of danger."
"Do you think someone will attack us?"
"Don't forget we're in a yellow zone, and right now you're no more dangerous than an ordinary human."
The girl looked down at the ground, squeaking embarrassedly: "Sorry."
"For what?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Well, because you'll have to be distracted by me."
"On this mission, we're a team and must cover each other. You just should have shared the responsibility with Mo Fan so you wouldn't be out of commission."
"I understand. Thanks for the concern."
"It's nothing. Just stay close."
I remembered that we would soon approach a cave with a summoned wolf. It would be a shame if the girl fell or got hurt, after all, she tried for us. Of course, I could easily have crossed this section alone—the vines wouldn't have reached me in the shadow—and carried the whole team. But then I myself could have been left without magic in front of the monster. Of course, it's a summoned monster and it has orders not to harm us seriously, but either Bai Yang sabotaged that order or the beast really did break the link with the summoner. Soon we'll have to fight a high-tier Servant!