The environment where the Thorn Beasts lived was a forest.
The trees were tall, almost blocking the light shining down from above. As soon as they stepped inside, the surroundings darkened abruptly.
An Luo stepped on the thick layer of fallen leaves, which felt soft and spongy underfoot.
Everything around them was damp, probably from recent rain.
Although the simulated ecosystem inside the Wizard Tower was incredibly realistic, it was ultimately just a large space carved out by spatial witchcraft. The rain wasn’t like in the natural world; it was mimicked through pre-set witchcraft arrays imitating rainfall.
The overhead lighting was simulated by witchcraft arrays in the same way.
There was no real sun or moon like in the true world.
At night, there was no moonlight, just pitch blackness, with faint illumination provided by floating green flames.
There were many Thorn Beasts, and the forest they inhabited was vast.
An Luo looked left and right, but he couldn’t see the end of it.
He knew he could start searching now, but the light was dim, the ground was covered in fallen leaves everywhere, and the Thorn Beasts’ spines were highly similar in color to the leaves… How was he supposed to find them?
An Luo tried to recall clues from the plot, but to his regret, he realized he hadn’t arranged for Meieruita to do this kind of low-level, unskilled work.
Those who did such tasks were other low-level wizard apprentices, used to contrast with the protagonist and highlight Meieruita’s exceptional nature.
When he wrote it, he glossed over it in a few strokes, mainly describing the inner thoughts of that low-level apprentice doing the task.
It was hard, tiring, so miserable.
Finally, after great hardship, he turned in the task, scraped together enough Contribution Points to pay next month’s identity fee, but by then it was the end of the month, and in two days, he’d have to start another round.
In short: suffering, and it stretched on endlessly.
Then the narrative shifted to Meieruita doing tasks, sweeping through them like autumn winds clearing leaves—fast and efficient.
An Luo had even specially arranged for Meieruita to brush past that low-level apprentice, adding some drama.
But now, An Luo had become that unlucky low-level apprentice.
He looked blankly at the ground, then blankly at Meieruita.
“Here.”
Meieruita parted the fallen leaves, gesturing for An Luo to look.
In the direction Meieruita indicated lay a spine perfectly blended into the surroundings.
This spine was only about the length of a finger, its color a camouflage that matched the environment almost seamlessly.
An Luo: “…”
Who could possibly find this!
He took a deep breath to calm himself and said to Meieruita, “Could you trouble yourself to throw this spine nearby? I’ll try to find it.”
“Mm.”
With a flick of his wrist, Meieruita tossed the spine away. “Go ahead and look.”
An Luo began searching everywhere.
He looked for a long time and finally found it next to a tree.
“Found it!” Emboldened, An Luo planned to search for the next one.
He told Meieruita not to help and searched alone.
…Then half an hour passed with no results.
“There are no Thorn Beasts nearby,” Meieruita said evenly, without a hint of mockery in his voice. “Within closer range to the Thorn Beasts, the dropped spines are more numerous and easier to find.”
“I know.” An Luo sighed; he knew that too. “But I’m worried about attracting the Thorn Beasts’ attention. If they decide to attack, I’m done for.”
Meieruita calmly countered, “So you plan to keep searching like this?”
He lifted his eyes, his gray-green gaze indistinct in the dim light. “Or I can help you.”
An Luo nearly nodded and said, “Yeah, please do,” but he resisted the temptation.
No, he had to complete it independently.
Relying on Meieruita was great, of course, but if he always depended on him, An Luo wouldn’t be able to handle tasks alone later. If Meieruita ever ignored him, he’d fail tasks and be done for.
Better to build experience now while he still had value and Meieruita was accommodating. That way, even if Meieruita abandoned him later, he could still complete tasks and survive in the Wizard Tower.
Mountains topple, people flee—better to rely on oneself than anything else.
“Forget it.” An Luo knew continuing like this was futile. “I’ll search near the Thorn Beasts then.”
He muttered to himself, “As long as I’m careful, I shouldn’t be so unlucky as to get noticed.”
Meieruita showed neither approval nor disapproval; he simply followed An Luo’s steps.
He perfectly adhered to An Luo’s request: “Let me do the task myself; try not to interfere, okay?”
The Thorn Beasts’ tracks were easy to find. There were so many of them that from a distance, their clustered forms were obvious.
An Luo stopped some distance away and instinctively held his breath.
He stood still for a moment, confirming the Thorn Beasts hadn’t noticed him, before starting to search the ground for their dropped spines.
Sure enough, near the Thorn Beasts, the spines were much easier to find. An Luo quickly gathered four or five.
He decided to circle around this group as a center point to collect more.
Everything went smoothly.
But suddenly, An Luo spotted a lone Thorn Beast not far away.
It lay prone on the ground, perfectly camouflaged with its surroundings.
“Careful.” Meieruita noticed it first and warned An Luo. “Go around it.”
An Luo’s heart nearly leaped from his throat. Without needing Meieruita’s words, he instinctively backed away.
But perhaps the sound of stepping on the leaves alerted it. The lone Thorn Beast stirred and looked toward An Luo.
“Back away slowly,” Meieruita said in a low voice. “It’s a solitary individual. As long as we don’t show attack intent, it won’t strike first.”
“Okay.”
Meieruita’s hand gripped An Luo’s right hand tightly as they retreated step by step.
Sure enough, the Thorn Beast shook its body but showed no aggression.
It noticed An Luo and Meieruita nearby and tilted its head slightly, seemingly pondering something.
Probably assessing if they posed a threat.
Suddenly, a fruit dropped from a nearby branch, landing squarely on its head.
The calm shattered instantly.
It froze for a moment, then picked up the fruit with its chubby little paws, let out a low “awoo awoo,” and began approaching them.
Its round, pudgy body covered in spines swayed with each step.
It even looked somewhat cute.
“Looks like we failed.” A cold glint flashed in Meieruita’s eyes. “Run!”
At his command, An Luo didn’t hesitate and bolted after him.
But after just a few steps, An Luo tripped over something unknown and fell. Fortunately, the thick fallen leaves cushioned him, so he wasn’t hurt.
Strangely, An Luo had been watching his path carefully, certain there was nothing there before.
The thought flashed by; the situation was urgent, leaving no time to dwell.
Before he could get up, a hand grabbed his collar and hoisted him up. In the next second, Meieruita scooped him up with one arm.
“Hold on tight,” Meieruita said curtly.
As he ran, An Luo— who had never been carried like this— felt the jolting beneath him. Panicking, he clung to Meieruita’s neck, his heart pounding wildly. Wind whistled past his ears, and Meieruita’s shoulder-length black hair whipped about from the run, lightly brushing An Luo’s face.
Looking back over Meieruita’s shoulder, An Luo saw the pudgy Thorn Beast standing in place, not pursuing. It seemed somewhat bewildered.
The round fruit it had clutched in its chubby paws had fallen to the ground and rolled a short distance away.
Was it over?
But soon, it let out an enraged shriek: “Awoo awoo awoo!”
The cry was deafening, instantly alerting the clustered Thorn Beasts nearby. Hearing their companion’s shrill howl, they all charged in this direction.
Disaster!
They surged like a river lined with sharp spines, relentlessly pursuing An Luo and Meieruita.
The spines on their bodies scraped against each other and tree trunks as they ran, producing a rustling sound.
“What the hell is going on?!”
An Luo was stunned. According to the setting, this shouldn’t happen at all.
He recalled the plot he’d written: “Normally, only stealing a Thorn Beast cub and getting caught would provoke such pursuit. At that point, only returning the cub reduces their hostility.”
“But I didn’t steal anything! I didn’t even see their cubs. Why are they suddenly chasing us?!”
And the whole nest at that?!
I’m innocent! I just picked up a few spines; I didn’t touch your cubs!
“No idea.”
Even while carrying An Luo and running, Meieruita showed no fatigue. His breathing was steady, his tone calm. “I’ve never heard of this happening.”
His wizard robe billowed noisily in the wind.
An Luo: “…”
He recalled the Man-Eating Flowers’ inexplicable hostility toward him and glanced at the relentless Thorn Beast horde behind them. He was utterly defeated.
“Why does bad luck like this even exist…”
Meieruita said nothing, focused on running ahead.
An Luo was extremely tense. He had a vague feeling that the Thorn Beasts were chasing because of him.
Meieruita was just dragged into it.
No way, guys—I’ve got no grudge with you past or present. Do you really need to chase like this?
The Thorn Beasts drew closer, An Luo’s heart rising higher. Unconsciously, he clung even tighter to Meieruita’s neck.
Suddenly, Meieruita leaped forward. Weightlessness hit instantly. Fallen leaves brushed An Luo’s cheek; he squeezed his eyes shut instinctively. After a rapid descent, Meieruita rolled on impact, cushioning the force.
He lay on his back, one arm around An Luo, the other raised high as he rapidly unleashed a spell upward.
The faint light from the entrance vanished completely, plunging them into silent darkness.
An Luo lay atop Meieruita, his heart thumping wildly.
“It’s fine now.”
Meieruita’s voice remained as calm as ever.
Even the heartbeat in his chest was steady.
An Luo, though carried without exertion, panted harder than Meieruita—from sheer fright and tension.
Meieruita pushed off the ground with one hand. Even with An Luo’s weight, he sat up effortlessly.
A Flame Witchcraft spell flew from his fingertip, igniting a wall torch. The firelight banished the surrounding darkness.
Rustling sounds and Thorn Beast cries came from above. Having lost their target, they milled about like headless flies on the ground overhead, occasionally emitting angry calls.
Meieruita tilted his head slightly upward.
He recalled the lone Thorn Beast waddling toward them with the rotten fruit from the tree, and disgust flickered in his gray-green eyes.
Stupid, inferior creatures.
Just like those Man-Eating Flowers—spotting the Creator and eagerly rushing to fawn.
As absurd and shameless as the worthless side characters in knight novels chasing after the kingdom’s princess.
Meieruita looked at An Luo and softened his voice. “It’s fine now.”
An Luo lifted his head to look at Meieruita. His already round eyes were even rounder from widening, making him look both beautiful and innocent.
Traces of panic lingered on his face, his hands still tightly around Meieruita’s neck.
“They can’t come down,” Meieruita said.
“Oh… okay…”
An Luo gradually calmed, exhaling a long breath. “Thank you… thank you, Meieruita.”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
A faint smile tugged at Meieruita’s lips as he gazed at An Luo in his arms. Slowly, he said, “No need to be polite.”
Yes, I saved you from the hands of those sycophantic followers trying to please you.
You’re welcome, my Creator.
