The glowing embers from the bonfire radiated a warm heat in the cold, dark night. Little sparks floated and disappeared. Bexia sat next to the fire, lost in thought, while Lulu-Meng, a cute little girl, wrapped in the coat given by Bexia, flipped through her black magic book.
"Aren't you going to sleep, Lulu-Meng?" Bexia asked, noticing that she seemed very tired.
"Whaaa~!" Lulu-Meng rubbed her eyes and replied, "Why aren't you going to sleep, Bexia brother?"
Didn't I let you sleep first? But Bexia didn't say that and instead hinted that he needed to keep watch.
"Then Lulu-Meng should also keep watch."
"Why don't you go back to sleep? You look tired," Bexia suggested.
"But Bexia brother will get tired too. Why don't you go sleep?" Lulu-Meng asked innocently.
"It's not appropriate for us to sleep together!" Bexia replied helplessly.
"Why?" Lulu-Meng tilted her head, not understanding these things.
"Men and women are different, and usually only spouses sleep together," Bexia explained.
"Oh! Then since Lulu-Meng and Bexia brother slept together last night, are we spouses now?" Lulu-Meng looked at Bexia with a tilted head, "Let's go sleep together!"
Bexia awkwardly twitched the corner of his mouth. Lulu-Meng had misunderstood this so much, and is it really okay for her to say something like this? He was afraid she might be luring him into committing a crime, even though there were no specific laws about it. He had even heard that there were many girls in high society who got married at a young age, but Bexia always felt that it was not a good thing.
"Being spouses is not that simple..." Bexia started to give this little girl a "lesson," but the effect was minimal. In the end, Bexia was defeated and compromised, allowing Lulu-Meng to pull him to sleep.
I guess it's fine like this! Just treat it like how I treat Sakuya, as a younger sister! Bexia thought, giving up on himself.
But Lulu-Meng didn't sleep quietly. Bexia found it difficult to sleep, especially when he was alone with this little girl who seemed completely unaware of her actions. He really hoped Lulu-Meng wouldn't consider him a bad person. If he had even the slightest bad thoughts, she probably wouldn't be able to leave the tent the next morning.
"We're under attack!"
A voice suddenly sounded from outside the tent, instantly waking Bexia up. Lulu-Meng still looked drowsy, and her bedhead looked a bit scary. Bexia originally wanted to wake her up, but he felt danger and quickly picked her up, rushing out of the tent. It turned out that several black shadows attacked and tore apart the tent. If there were still people inside, blood would have been spilled.
"These are... Shadow Wolves!" Bexia glanced back at the attacking shadows. It was the same Shadow Wolves he had encountered before, but this time there seemed to be more.
"Howl!" A long howl echoed after the wolf pack. More black shadows appeared from all directions, with bloodthirsty gazes in their glowing green eyes.
"How can there be so many wolf packs!" Bexia swung his warblade with one hand, releasing a wave of energy that repelled some of the Shadow Wolves. He quickly approached the members of the Stars and Moon Adventure Team.
"There seems to be a Wolf King among this wolf pack. Sister, I'm afraid we can't handle them!" Moon emitted a brilliant light, illuminating the night and revealing the pitch-black Shadow Wolves.
"Fight and retreat at the same time. Let's hide in the Shadow Tomb for a while!" Star frowned, not wasting any time as she accurately exploded the head of a Phantom Wolf with a magic arrow.
Phantom Wolves were not particularly strong magical creatures, but they were the most terrifying because they acted as a group. Dealing with a small group of Phantom Wolves was manageable as long as one had enough strength and used tactics wisely. However, facing a large pack of them, not to mention the existence of a commanding Wolf King, was a completely different story. This kind of wolf pack would consist of at least a thousand members. Despite their low individual strength, under the leadership of the Wolf King, they turned into an extremely powerful force that no one would dare provoke.
The members of the Starry Moon Adventure Team were not weak, but they were no match for over a thousand Phantom Wolves. And now, it was nighttime, the prime time for the Phantom Wolves. Apart from the visibility issue, the dark night caused the magic energy in the Dark Border area to become more active. During this time, the Phantom Wolves were at least thirty percent stronger than during the day, although their magic recovery rate was suppressed. Considering this trade-off, engaging in a battle at night was the most unwise choice.
This was one of the main reasons why adventurers in the Dark Border area disliked going out at night.
"Let's go!" Star decisively commanded, not forgetting to call on Bexia and the others as well.
"You guys, follow us."
The entrance to the Shadow Tomb was not far from here. Although the Phantom Wolf pack had surrounded them effectively, they could not stop the Starry Moon Adventure Team, who were determined to break through. As soon as they saw the entrance of the tomb, everyone jumped in without hesitation.
"Awoo!" It seemed that the Phantom Wolf pack had no intention of letting Bexia and the others go. They too jumped into the underground tomb. As nighttime predators, they still had a clear vision in the dim environment. With bloodthirsty eyes, they pounced towards the adventurers.
"Are these Phantom Wolves out of their minds?" Blonde-haired Hes used his shield to knock away a pouncing Phantom Wolf, but more and more of them kept pouring in.
The underground space took the form of a passage, which could only accommodate a limited number of creatures at once. Therefore, it was impossible for the Phantom Wolf pack to rush in all at once, reducing the harm they caused in a linear manner.
However, the huge numerical advantage could easily exhaust the adventurers' stamina. Eventually, they would become a dinner for the Phantom Wolf pack. Therefore, after discussing for a while, the Starry Moon Adventure Team made the decision to continue delving into the Shadow Tomb. Although it was also dangerous inside, based on the information they knew, it should be relatively safer once they went deeper.
"Continue to retreat and conserve our energy. Don't linger in battle!" Star gave the order, with Hes and Mingkong, a master of defense, and another expert with extreme speed and sharp attacks, serving as rearguards. As for the others, most were mages who naturally needed to retreat first.
Fighting and advancing deeper into the Shadow Tomb, the Phantom Wolf pack seemed to sense the danger and, combined with the unsuitable fighting conditions underground, the pressure on the Starry Moon Adventure Team became smaller and smaller. In the end, the Phantom Wolves stopped pursuing them, and they entered the true area of the Shadow Tomb—a space composed of numerous underground caves, big and small.
"Illumination spell!" Bexia cast a basic magic spell on her warblade, turning it into a torch and illuminating the surrounding space.
"Are you all okay?!" Bexia shone the light towards the rest of the Starry Moon Adventure Team. As for Lulumeng, He had been carrying her all the way, making sure she was safe.
