A fantastical journey across the heavens, beginning with the Witcher.

"You ungrateful wretch! Since that's the case, then you might as well die."

Rudolf spoke harshly.

He has a reason why he cannot afford to fail!

Looking back on his early life: his magical talent caused him a lot of suffering, his depleted life force made him thin and sickly, and his uncontrollable magic deformed his body and subjected him to cold stares.

He fought his way out of the apprenticeship and became the royal sorcerer of the Duchy of Giso.

But the good days didn't last long, as the damned Nilfgaardian emperor marched north and unified the south.

He had no choice but to flee north with the prince of Gisso. He had hoped to use the threat of Nilfgaard to persuade the other nations to send troops, but the northern nobles naively thought that the natural barrier of the Amel Mountains alone could stop the Black Army, and flatly rejected his request.

With no hope of restoring their kingdom, the two discussed the matter repeatedly and finally came to the conclusion that ordinary means were no longer feasible and that they had to rely on the power of a "monster".

This technology is not a pipe dream; there are precedents for it.

The elves possessed the skill of controlling monsters in ancient times, and although it has been lost to time, it at least proves that the path was still possible.

So Gillen went into hiding and infiltrated the College of the Ancient Elves, using his position to collect materials and notes from the ancient elven sorcerers; Rudolph, meanwhile, hid outside the city, devoting himself to deciphering and researching.

Just when they were finally seeing results, the Witcher intervened at the crucial moment.

How can the grand plan to restore the nation fail at the last hurdle? Since persuasion is useless, then we have no choice but to take action!

"Azuri-tachi"

The ancient words escaped his lips, and the monster, which had been lying obediently on the iron bed, suddenly sprang up and lunged viciously at the demon hunter.

Taking this opportunity, the warlock formed a hand seal and continued chanting.

The viscous magic danced between his hands, gradually condensing into a hissing arc of electricity.

He had already witnessed the Witcher's skills through the Blood Demon's eyes, and he knew all too well that he was no match for him in this cramped laboratory!

Therefore, we must let the monster soldiers create an opportunity! Once the spell is complete, a single lightning bolt will suffice...

"Ugh!"

Halfway through chanting the incantation, a short, piercing scream startled him, nearly causing the spell to backfire.

What did he see?

That proud monster soldier was pierced through the neck by a sword. If it weren't for the Blood Demon's tenacious vitality, this sword would have already killed it.

"Igni!"

As everyone knows, warlocks are also known as glass cannons, typically high in attack and low in defense. How could Li De give him a chance to successfully cast a spell? With one hand, he controlled the sword to pin down the blood demon, and with the other hand, he formed a hand seal. The blazing fire wave immediately covered most of the laboratory.

However, Rudolph seemed to have been prepared, as a transparent spherical shield firmly protected his entire body, and not a single hair on his head was ignited.

The opportunity was missed, and the spell was completed.

A dazzling bolt of lightning burst forth from the seemingly tangible magic chain, instantly overshadowing even the brilliance of the moonstone.

Li De's pupils contracted. No matter how fast a person's reaction is, it can't be faster than lightning. But he had anticipated this and blocked the Blood Demon in front of him before the spell was fully formed.

"Aaaaaah!!"

The monster, already screaming in agony, trembled violently, its howls growing even more shrill.

Li De was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see such a tragic situation.

The silver sword slid horizontally, severing the throat, and then gently pried open the gap between the cervical vertebrae, abruptly stopping the screams.

When Rudolf realized his attack was ineffective, he decisively stopped and started creating a portal, intending to escape.

But just as he got into a fighting stance, he was knocked down by the flying monster corpse.

"Someone can't escape now!"

Li De walked up to the sorcerer with a smile and patted his face with the back of his sword.

Crushed beneath the heavy monster, unable to even lift a hand, let alone resist, Rudolf decisively followed his heart: "Cough cough... I surrender. You win."

His thoughts weren't hard to guess: sorcerers were few in number and possessed all sorts of magical spells, making them guests of honor for royalty and nobility. Moreover, the skill of controlling monsters was not something everyone had, so he could easily sell himself for a good price.

What makes you think I would surrender?

Li De was still smiling, but the coldness in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Are you waiting for you to find a powerful backer before you take revenge on me?"

When his surrender was refused, Rudolf, caught off guard, hurriedly exclaimed, "No, no! I swear I will never take revenge on you!"

"Save your breath. There are always loopholes in oaths. I don't have the time or inclination to draft a flawless oath for you."

"I still have money! The last treasure of the Kingdom of Giso, it's all yours!"

The warlock was truly terrified. He hadn't yet become the chief spell advisor, a position above thousands of others; he couldn't die!

"I……"

The sword flashed and a head fell to the ground.

This "talent" who mastered the art of monster modification and control has thus come to a complete end.

As was customary, Li De cut off the Blood Demon's head and then looted all the seemingly valuable items in the laboratory before turning and leaving the cave.

Having just suffered such a devastating monster attack, the entire city would inevitably be under martial law. Carrying two dripping heads, returning through the main gate would be difficult, so he had no choice but to turn back the way he came.

The smell of blood on the riverbank attracted the water ghosts in the Pontal River, which Li De dealt with easily.

When I returned to the academy, the situation had largely stabilized.

Principal Philip, his face grim, was directing the doctors to treat the injured students.

The mayor, who hadn't been seen for a long time, also stood to the side, sternly reprimanding Captain Sal while his eyes darted around as if searching for someone.

He was immediately energized when he caught sight of Li De, whose every step left a wet footprint.

"You! Witcher! The city hall hired you to clear out the monsters, and yet so many people still died! You'd better give me an explanation!"

Upon hearing this, the busy guards, doctors, and students around him stopped what they were doing and looked at Li De with a mixture of resentment and doubt.

Many of them didn't even know that the city hall had hired witchers, but that didn't stop them from expressing their emotions through their eyes.

Sal's expression changed drastically: "Mayor, what does this have to do with Li De? He saved many lives!"

Li De had seen too many instances of this level of diverting blame. He first raised his hand to signal Sal to stop talking, and then exposed the truth in just a few words.

"Does he feel his position is unstable and urgently need a target to divert public resentment?"

"Judging from your attitude, you originally wanted to pin the blame on Captain Sal, right? But then you found out he was injured protecting the academy, and his guards suffered heavy casualties, so you turned your attention to me, thinking I'm weak and easy to bully?"

The mayor's expression changed; he hadn't expected the witcher to not offer any explanation but instead expose his intentions.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Isn't that right? You were incompetent, allowing the monsters to run rampant, and now you're trying to shift the blame onto me? The one who killed the monsters."

Li De's words became increasingly rapid, carrying a somewhat aggressive tone.

"What does the monster infestation have to do with me? I'm just the mayor!"

"So that has nothing to do with me?"

Don't let yourself fall into the trap of self-justification. Use rhetorical questions to shift the responsibility of explanation to others. This is the best way to deal with false accusations. He knew how to do it in his past life.

The portly bureaucrat, panting heavily, his chest heaving so violently he nearly ripped his clothes, pointed a finger at the witcher, then suddenly remembered something and sternly accused, "You also let a monster escape! If it returns to retaliate, the citizens will face double the risk!"

"The monster is here."

Li De tossed a sack over to him. "Want to open it and take a look? It's a freshly severed head."

The mayor was speechless for a moment, his expression shifting between light and dark.

After a few seconds of silence, he grinned with a malicious smile: "It seems I misunderstood the Demon Hunter Master. Now that all the monsters have been dealt with, the city hall will pay the reward as promised, 200 crowns. Don't forget to come and collect it."

You're criticizing me, the mayor? Well, I'll show you what a mayor's power is. The bounty is 500 crowns, but I'll only give you 200. What can you do about it?

Thrall never expected the fire to spread from him to the Witcher, and his face contorted like a volcano about to erupt.

Just as the volcano was about to erupt, Principal Philip suddenly spoke up: "The college has not forgotten that Mr. Li De saved many students in the study building, so I am personally willing to offer 400 crowns as a token of my gratitude."

The old man with a white beard shook his head almost imperceptibly, signaling Sal not to act rashly.

The mayor's smile froze. He had only dared to tamper with the bounty because he knew the Witcher was all alone. But why would Philip, who was usually so nice, suddenly interfere?

With the principal's permission, Sal suppressed his anger and silently took over the conversation: "The city guards will not forget Mr. Li De's kindness in saving their comrades. I will also add another 400 crowns in my personal capacity."

Wow, we've turned a loss into a profit.

Li De whistled: "It has to be a big city. If the mayor is corrupt, he doesn't even have to say a word; someone else will cover for him."