Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 140 - 136: Encounter with Danger

Chapter 140: Chapter 136: Encounter with Danger

Looking at her, Luo’er couldn’t help but sigh. Indeed, he had grown somewhat distant from Baiyue. She had been cooperating with Hu Daoke and had been operating separately from him for some time now, to the point that she now seemed unsure of how to communicate with him.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a cry from afar. Luo’er was startled, realizing abruptly that the direction of the sound was where Tangmo and Hu Daoke were located. Clearly, they must have encountered some unexpected event.

With this thought, Luo’er did not have time to exchange words with Baiyue or pay any more attention to the game by the stream. He turned and ran towards the sound, and Baiyue, observing his actions, followed behind him.

The distance between them and Tangmo’s team was approximately five hundred meters, disrupted by a dense forest. They ran towards the direction of the sound; it was an uphill trek, weaving through thickets and shrubs, which proved to be quite challenging. However, considering they may have encountered an unexpected event, Luo’er did not dare to delay.

After nearly ten minutes of climbing the five-hundred-meter distance, they arrived at a cliff about halfway up the mountainside. This cliff was about twenty or thirty meters high. They climbed up the cliff but saw no signs of anyone there.

Luo’er was visibly frantic, looking everywhere when Baiyue suddenly pointed at the cliff and shouted, "Luo’er!"

Luo’er turned his head and saw a hand gripping the tree trunk at the edge of the cliff. They rushed over and found the traces of Tangmo and Hu Daoke.

Tangmo’s hand was tightly gripped around the tree trunk, while her other hand was holding onto Hu Daoke below her. She clenched her teeth and kept quiet, evidently too exhausted to make a sound. Seeing Luo’er arrive, she looked at him with pleading eyes, barely managing to utter the words, "Save me!"

"Hold on tight!" Luo’er shouted urgently, extending his hand to grab her arm.

Just as he grabbed onto Tangmo’s arm, her grip on the trunk loosened due to exhaustion. Instantly, the weight of both fell onto Luo’er. Caught off guard, he was yanked off the cliff by them. Luckily, he managed to hook his foot on the climbing vines on the cliff wall in time, which saved them from tumbling down the cliff.

"I’m sorry, Luo’er," Tangmo apologized with guilt written across her face.

"What are you apologizing for? Just hold onto my hand!" Luo’er frowned and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Sister Moumou, let go. If this continues, both of you will be pulled down by me." Hu Daoke looked at the deep abyss below him. Despite his fear, he was more concerned about their safety.

"Shut up, I’m your sister, how could I possibly abandon you? You just hold on tight, with both hands!" On hearing Hu Daoke’s words, Tangmo became angry, shouting furiously at him.

"Sister Moumou, I..." Hu Daoke bit down on his teeth, truly not wanting to entangle them further.

"Both of you shut up! Is it that amusing to talk so much at a time like this?" In his urgency, Luo’er’s temper flared, and he reprimanded them loudly.

"Yue’er, don’t come up here. Think of a solution!" For all his panic, Luo’er was still very calm. He knew it would be pointless for Baiyue to climb up. Instead of having her join them, it was better for her to think of a solution from above.

"Okay." Hearing Luo’er’s words, Baiyue quickly calmed down from her panic and started to find a way to save the three of them.

Hu Daoke was the strongest in the team, and with Tangmo’s weight added, Luo’er felt he was on the verge of collapsing. His leg, hooked onto the climbing vine, was starting to show deep red marks. He knew that if he didn’t think of a solution, all three of them would likely fall.

Or as Hu Daoke suggested, they could let him go. That way, with only Tangmo’s weight to bear, Luo’er could easily pull her up. But Luo’er knew that was not an option. For him, the loss of three of them or even one was simply unacceptable. His minimum requirement was for all of them to return safely, not a single one less.

Therefore, to abandon Hu Daoke was out of the question. Not only would Tangmo disagree, but Luo’er himself would not allow it. He would rather have all three of them fall together. Though it might be a foolish move, he had no regrets.

"Yue’er, listen to me!" Noticing Baiyue’s presence, Tangmo lifted her head to shout for her attention.

"Sister Moumou!" Baiyue nodded and looked at her worriedly.

Then, Tangmo muttered an obscure and unintelligible piece of language, but Baiyue was evidently unclear about its meaning, indicating that it was not a magic spell she had learned.

"Sister Moumou, what is..." Baiyue asked, looking confused.

"Take your wand and say it out loud!" Tangmo demanded through gritted teeth.

"Oh!" At Tangmo’s prompt, Baiyue quickly pulled out the magic wand she always carried with her. She then closed her eyes and began to silently recite the incantation Tangmo just read out loud.

Just after saying the spell once, she could definitively feel the surrounding magic energy begin to stir. She pointed her wand towards the trio and continued to murmur the spell. The magic around her began to be driven, flooding into her body. It then followed the path of the wand, becoming the magic they needed.

Luo’er suddenly felt that the bodies of Tangmo and Hu Daoke were no longer as heavy and his own weight seemed to be noticeably lighter. He tentatively released one hand and found that he could easily hold onto both people with just one hand.

As a result, he courageously reached out with his other hand, twisted his body, grabbed the trunk of the tree on the cliff edge, and hauled the two up a good distance with a strong pull. Hu Daoke grabbed onto the nearby vines and the three started to climb upwards. It was only after all of them had climbed to the top of the cliff that Baiyue finished casting, and they felt the familiar heavy sensation returning to their bodies.

"What is this?" Luo’er gasped, looking palely at Tangmo.

"It’s the Feather-lightening Spell, something I learned during my time at Sacred Heart Magic School," Tangmo said breathlessly.

The Feather-lightening spell is also an anti-gravity spell, and belongs to the same category of magic as anti-gravity runes. It is considered a weakened version of the anti-gravity spell, limited to a lightweight effect, nonetheless, it is the High-peak Dwarves whose anti-gravity magic is the strongest.

Among the Human Race, the Feather-lightening spell is recognized as advanced magic. Though it pales in comparison to the High-peak Dwarves’ anti-gravity magic, it is the most potent anti-gravity spell within the Human Race.

Luo’er wasn’t surprised that Tangmo knew the Feather-lightening spell. After all, she was a rare magic prodigy at Sacred Heart Magic Academy. The magic instructors certainly wouldn’t hold back and only teach her basic spells. Luo’er believed that in less than a month at the Magic Academy, Tangmo probably mastered many spells that Haiya Academy did not have.

They lay there for a while, slowly regaining their strength. Luo’er sat up and asked, "Are you two okay?"

Tangmo didn’t speak, she shook her head, still feeling the lingering fear. Hu Daoke got up from the ground, looked at the three of them, and sincerely said, "Thank you."

"If you’re okay, then be careful next time!" Luo’er snapped at him, rising to his feet. His calves were throbbing from the stress, causing him to falter as he walked.

Just as Baiyue was about to help him, Hu Daoke stopped her, pointing at Tangmo, he told her, "You go help Sister Moumou, I’ll help Luo’er."

Saying that, he moved over to support Luo’er, and the four of them began their leisurely descent. They then headed in the direction of the camps. As for the prey by the creek, they left that for Cheng Ziang to deal with after returning to the camp, where everyone still felt residual shock.

Returning to camp, Cheng Ziang seemed to be bothered by Yaning’s pestering. Although he noticed something was off about the group, he didn’t ask. Hearing Luo’er ask him to collect the prey by the creek, he willingly left the camp.

The four of them returned to the camp and sat in silence for a while, before Hu Daoke stutteringly explained what had happened. It turned out that Hu Daoke had been too reckless in his movements when they were climbing the mountain, which caused him to accidentally slide towards the edge of the cliff. Thankfully, Tangmo reacted quickly and grabbed him before he fell off.

For a full ten minutes, Tangmo held tightly onto him without letting go. Luo’er could hardly believe that the delicate Tangmo had such strength.

Tangmo sat in silence by the campfire. From the moment they returned, she had been silent, even Yaning’s disturbances were unable to induce her to utter a single word.

After about an hour, Cheng Ziang returned to the camp with the skinned and gutted prey. They set the prey up to roast over the fire. It was a sizeable animal, but it was only enough to feed them for a day. Tomorrow they would have to continue their journey while also searching for food.

The sizzling and crackling of the roasting meat over the hot fire slowly lightened the mood. Everyone began to share the roasted meat. Cheng Ziang listened to Luo’er’s explanation without comment. He glanced at Hu Daoke and sighed, shaking his head.

It had to be said that Luo’er’s actions were somewhat reckless. Although he understood that no member of the team could be omitted, sacrificing three people for the sake of one was foolish. He didn’t voice these thoughts though, because he could not guarantee how he would react in such a situation, maybe he would exchange three for one too!

Yaning was the only one in the team who was not affected by the atmosphere, perhaps due to her impaired mind. She stood up and started pacing around the group. Cheng Ziang was obviously repulsed by her interruptions and kept motioning her away when he saw her approach.

By now it was already late in the evening, and the air was still damp. They could not find a suitable cave for shelter and had to make do with sleeping outdoors. Although they had sleepings bags to protect them from the dampness, having the damp, cold air brush against their faces wasn’t comfortable either.

The group huddled together around the campfire, spending the night in the open field. Tonight, it was Luo’er’s turn to be on the first half of night watch. He nestled against a tree trunk with his gun, looking at the faintly visible moon which caused him to yawn. Just when he was about to close his eyes and nap, a slight rustling noise from behind put him on alert.