Battlefield Lighter

Once the system's time-stop effect ended, everything returned to normal.

The maid's sobbing rang in my ears again, and the strong smell of rust filled my nostrils. In front of me, the bandit with the axe had arrived at the door and was raising his weapon high.

Ye Wei'an could see the label "[Lv.1 Commoner]" above the little maid's head.

The robbers at the door are [Lv.1 bandits].

It seems like this is a real RPG game.

"Young Master, be careful!" Eileen exclaimed in alarm when she saw that the young master was still in a daze.

Ye Wei'an's face showed no trace of panic.

There were no incantations or complicated hand gestures.

He simply followed the newly emerging instinct within him and raised his right hand toward the approaching shadow.

The power from the very source of the magic network began to surge.

A burst of blue and white arcane flames appeared out of nowhere and landed on the bandit.

"Ugh—!"

The roar turned into a mournful howl.

The flames first engulfed his leather armor, sizzling and crackling, then spread blood and flesh, filling the air with a stench of burning flesh. The bandit threw down his axe and frantically patted the blue-white flames off his body.

But the cursed fire is not an ordinary flame and cannot be extinguished in this way; his futile movements only cause the fire to spread to his hands.

Taking advantage of the robbers' attention being drawn to the pain and flames, Ye Wei'an picked up the machete from the ground, and at the same time, another magic trick was about to be completed.

"Strike first to defeat the enemy!"

He stepped forward and, guided by magical power, thrust out his sword.

The stab was swift and clean, precisely piercing through the gap in the leather armor, skillfully bypassing the ribs, and the blade plunged into the heart without any hesitation.

The robber's body stiffened abruptly, then went completely limp.

[Defeat a Lv.1 bandit and gain 50 experience points.]

A few seconds ago, this enemy was a threat he couldn't handle; but a few seconds later, he wasn't even a match for him.

The power of the system is terrifying.

This scene was not only witnessed by Ellen, but also by the two sides engaged in a chaotic battle outside the car.

"Damn it! Didn't the intelligence say this kid was just a clueless magic apprentice?!"

"Damn, those flames are really weird!"

"And the way he swung his knife...it doesn't look like a novice!"

A few curses, filled with shock and anger, erupted from among the bandits, and their attack became noticeably hesitant and chaotic.

According to the information they received, the target had never received knight training, had studied at the academy for four years but had not mastered many spells, and was a good-for-nothing who was neither good at academics nor martial arts. The Xia Xing family guards were the main obstacle to this mission.

But now, two of his accomplices have fallen at that kid's hands—one died under mysterious circumstances, and the other was first burned by strange flames and then killed with a single blow.

This was completely different from what they had expected.

Conversely, the guards, who had been struggling, were greatly encouraged.

"It's the young master!" a guard with a blood-covered face exclaimed in surprise. "The young master has made a move!"

"Hold on, everyone!" Knight Kane, who was locked in combat with the shirtless burly man, seized the opportunity to encourage his men. "Our young master is a powerful mage; his spells will help us deal with these bastards!"

The guards' morale visibly rose.

In the eyes of ordinary people, spellcasters are powerful and rare. A true spellcaster—even the lowest level—is enough to determine the outcome of a small-scale battle.

Earlier, when robbers broke into the young master's side, they thought he was doomed!

Who knew the young master's magic was so powerful? Didn't they have a sure win?

Inside the carriage, Ellen's eyes widened, her gaze shifting back and forth between the bandit's corpse and Ye Weian, her small face filled with disbelief.

"Young...Young Master? When...when did you learn such powerful magic?"

"Just now," Ye Wei'an replied briefly, casually tossing the machete aside before retreating back into the carriage and sitting cross-legged.

Only then did he have the opportunity to feel his newfound power.

Since choosing his profession, he has felt a strange sense of power constantly filling his body, resonating with the magic network around him at all times.

This must be the energy of the cursed fire.

In addition, a great deal of knowledge and insights about spellcasting and magic channeling appeared in his consciousness.

They are not "memories" that need to be recalled, but rather "instincts" like breathing and drinking water.

How to condense cursed fire, how to manipulate elements, how to detect the thoughts of others... all of this seemed so natural, as if he had practiced it thousands of times.

As expected of a game system.

What surprised Ye Wei'an even more was that a miniature circular map appeared in the upper right corner of his field of vision.

The map outlines the nearby forest roads and woods, and uses different colored dots to mark friend and foe.

The arrow at the very center represents himself, and the green dot next to him is clearly Eileen. Further away, the green and red dots are mixed together, representing the guards and bandits outside.

"This system even has a mini-map system?" Ye Wei'an exclaimed in surprise.

It's becoming more and more like a game.

Without further delay, he quickly glanced at the battle situation outside the car.

As he gazed upon them, concise information appeared above the heads of the people amidst the chaos of battle.

The bandits were mostly Lv.1 bandits, with five or six Lv.1 warriors and Lv.1 wanderers mixed in, whose equipment was obviously better.

The term "bandit" doesn't even begin to describe it as a legitimate profession.

Warriors and wanderers, being legitimate professionals, are clearly the backbone of the bandits.

The guards consisted mainly of Lv.1 militiamen and seven or eight Lv.1 warriors.

Although they were outnumbered overall, they had more professionals among them, which explains why they were able to hold out for so long under siege.

As for the leaders on both sides, the knight's name is [Kane Orm, Lv.3 Purple Dragon Knight]; while the burly man wielding a greatsword with his bare chest is [Lv.3 Barbarian].

This information gave Ye Wei'an a clearer understanding of the situation.

Without further hesitation, he turned to the still-shaken Ellen and said, "Stay inside, close the car door, and don't come out."

"Young...Young Master? Where are you going?" Eileen instinctively tried to grab his sleeve to stop him, but she pulled her hand back halfway.

The young master is no longer the same young master who had no fighting ability.

"Solve the problem," Ye Wei'an replied briefly.

He bent down to pick up the blood-stained machete from the ground, and then began to construct the next spell.

"Mage Armor!"

An invisible force field formed a soft armor that adhered to his body, giving him a slight sense of security.

This level 1 spell might not be able to withstand attacks from professionals, but it should be able to block the swords and blades of bandits and defend against stray arrows.

After doing all this, he took a deep breath, climbed out of the carriage, and stepped back into the battlefield.

Almost the instant he appeared, he was simultaneously locked onto by several pairs of eyes on the battlefield.

"Ha! That kid came out on his own!" The shirtless, muscular man who was fighting Kane laughed wildly.

He parried a slash, stepped back half a step, and roared at the chaotic battle, "Scarface! Goat! You guys, first chop that pretentious brat to pieces!"

"Don't worry, boss!"

"Watch me!"

The two robbers immediately responded.

The two men were dressed in much more uniform armor than the others. One had a hideous scar on his face and carried a short-handled battle axe; the other was thin and agile, holding a dagger in each hand—clearly the leader of this rabble.

Ye Wei'an saw through their true nature at a glance:

【"Scarface", Lv.1 Warrior】

【"Goat", Lv.1 Stalker】

The two men, each leading three or four of their own, flanked Ye Wei'an from the left and right.

"Protect the young master!" Seeing this, Knight Kane tried to break away to stop them, but was forced back by the bare-chested strong man who grinned and swung his sword. He could only watch helplessly as the two groups of enemies rushed towards the carriage.

The remaining guards tried desperately to stop the two enemy forces, but they were outnumbered and unable to plug all the gaps.

Ye Wei'an understood that he absolutely could not allow himself to be surrounded.

His gaze swept across the carriage and landed on the half-damaged oak door beside it.

The noble carriages were made of the finest wood, and the doors, though not thick, were sturdy enough that even if split open, they would remain intact and could be used as shields.

He grabbed it and threw it onto the roof of the carriage, then used his hands and feet to nimbly climb onto the roof himself.

The roof of the carriage was about two meters off the ground. Standing on the roof, Ye Wei'an's field of vision suddenly opened up, allowing him to take in the entire chaotic battlefield.

At this moment, Scarface and Goat, risking the sacrifice of two of their men, forcefully broke through the guards' blockade and charged toward the carriage with strange cries.

Ye Wei'an, who was looking down from above, remained calm. He placed the knife at his feet, used his left hand to brace the wooden door in front of him, and pointed his right index finger at the bandit who was charging at the front.

Blue and white flames silently bloomed and burned on the bandit's chest.

"ah--!"

The piercing screams rang out again.

"Everyone scatter! Don't huddle together!" the goat cried out as it saw flames seeping into its companions, while it nimbly circled around to the side.

Ye Wei'an remained unmoved, locking onto his next target. Another flame of cursed fire descended, followed by a third...

Since there are no restrictions on spell slots, you can cast spells however you want.

"Whoa—!"

"It's burning me!"

"Help! Help me!"

One after another, the bandits turned into little firemen, and the acrid smell in the air grew stronger.

"Damn it! This fire can't be extinguished at all!" Driven by excruciating pain and fear, a bandit engulfed in flames lunged at the nearest guard, trying to rub the eerie flames onto him.

However, the blue and white flames seemed to possess a consciousness, stubbornly clinging to the bandits, having no effect on the guards who were standing nearby.

The guard seized the opportunity to knock the man aside with a shield bash, and then plunged his sword into his abdomen.

Ye Wei'an also received feedback.

[Defeat Bandit Lv.1, gain 35 experience points.]

Seeing that the fire could still distinguish friend from foe, the surrounding guards had no more scruples and rushed forward to beat the fallen enemy.