Chapter 70: Wu Di Eating Chestnuts

Clap, clap, clap!

Just as Andy finished explaining to Catherine, he heard a burst of applause. Then that childish voice continued, “Not bad, I am indeed here to rob you! Seeing how knowledgeable this gentleman is, I’ll give you a discount—only eight magic stones each will suffice. Of course, pets count as people too.”

By now, Andy had stood up and could see the full appearance of the person before him.

This fellow looked no more than a brat of five or six. He wasn’t even as tall as Andy’s waist, yet had somehow gotten himself a tailored tuxedo, impeccably worn, just like the young master of some noble family about to attend a banquet.

If not for the fact that he was engaged in such a promising career as robbery, Andy would have taken him for a runaway young master.

The little fellow was earnestly explaining his business to Andy, but unfortunately, his remark about pets counting as people angered a certain adorable cat who had just advanced to Bronze Wizard.

As Andy’s eye twitched, Catherine had already drawn her circles.

Before the brat could finish his words, he suddenly slipped and fell to the ground. Stunned for a moment, he tried to push himself up with both hands, but his arm gave out halfway, and he fell again.

He immediately rolled on the spot and burst into tears with a loud wail.

The sound of his crying made Andy feel rather embarrassed, as though he had perpetrated some great evil.

Catherine looked on with some pity, a bit regretful for having teased the little fellow. She signaled to Andy to use her treasured food to comfort him.

Before Andy could act, the brat wiped his tears away one by one, then glared at Andy and Catherine, exclaiming, “How dare you play tricks on King Woody!”

“Prepare to face Woody’s wrath!” declared the boy. Suddenly, he pulled a chestnut from his pocket, deftly peeled it, and popped it into his mouth.

As Woody swallowed the chestnut, he began to grow as if he had taken a dose of hormones, quickly reaching the size of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old. His tuxedo, surprisingly well-made, grew with him.

Woody’s “Alpha Transformation”!

Transformed, Woody began casting enhancement spells on himself—the very same suite Andy often used: “Lightness,” “Windwalk,” “Fleet as the Wind.”

After empowering himself, Woody charged at Andy with wild, childish “turtle punches,” but at an astonishing speed—almost rivaling the pace Andy had faced battling the great knight Cromwell as an intermediate wizard apprentice.

Moreover, Andy keenly sensed these punches weren’t so simple. With each swing, wind-elemental magic gathered madly around Woody’s fists.

Yet Andy paid it no mind; he could tell the brat was no real threat.

Drawing upon the strength of a great knight, Andy caught Woody’s fist in his hand. Speed aside, the punch lacked even the strength of a knight.

Suddenly, a ball of wind-elemental energy burst from Woody’s fist, but was countered by the flames flaring from Andy’s palm.

Woody struggled to free his hand, jerking it a few times to no avail. He yanked with all his might—just as Andy let go—causing him to fall squarely on his backside.

“Aaah! Damn it!” Woody cried, pulling out two more chestnuts, hastily peeling and swallowing them. Andy and Catherine watched in stunned silence as he grew again—this time nearly the size of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth.

Woody’s “Beta Transformation!”

This time, Andy did not underestimate the boy, quickly casting his own acceleration magic. Sure enough, as soon as Woody transformed, he unleashed a whirling wind blade.

It resembled the Level 2 spell “Wind Blade” from the spellbooks, but this one spun rapidly, flying at Andy like a curved disc.

Even from its appearance, Andy could feel the terrifying cutting power in the spinning blade.

With a flick, Andy curved a fireball to intercept the wind blade, then casually tossed another fireball at Woody.

Woody, about to prepare a second wind blade, was shocked by Andy’s speed in casting spells. He began darting left and right with agility—his speed now doubled from his “Alpha Transformation.”

Andy didn’t bother to guide the fireballs to pursue him; whether they hit or not, he could always fire another. All he had to do was stand his ground and let the fireballs fly one after another.

Woody had thought his “Beta Transformation” and mastery of wind spells would crush Andy, but now he was the one being suppressed.

Anxious, he pulled out three more chestnuts, swallowing them whole without peeling. He nearly choked, thumping his chest hard twice before managing to swallow.

No sooner had the chestnuts gone down than Woody swelled up again, inflating into a towering man over two meters tall. Though his features remained strikingly delicate, there was no longer a trace of cuteness about him.

Countless wind elements gathered and whirled around him, forming a shield of wind. Andy’s fireballs vanished soundlessly upon contact, causing at most a ripple in the shield.

This was Woody’s latest ultimate move—his “Gamma Transformation!”

Now Woody was a head taller than Andy, the wind swirling around him pulling the fallen leaves of the forest into a wild dance. With his long hair streaming behind him, he looked at Andy’s shocked expression with immense satisfaction.

“Enjoy this! Great Wind Blow!” Woody thrust his left hand forward, and the wind elements gathered into a small tornado, which then surged toward the direction he indicated.

As the tornado advanced, it grew ever larger and stronger, even uprooting trees in its path.

Andy almost considered turning and running, but at that moment, a gentle hand grabbed his own.

It was Catherine!

She had transformed into her maiden form, standing in front of Andy, a bronze glow enveloping her—a defensive force field unique to official wizards.

Though it appeared thin, this force field stood unyielding like a reef against a raging tide, unmoved by the ferocity of the tornado.

“Oh my!” Woody exclaimed. Seeing the field that only a Bronze Wizard could conjure, he realized he’d picked the wrong fight. With a shriek, he spun around and bolted, his speed even faster than Andy at full tilt.

As he ran, he muttered, “What a lousy day! First I run into a corpse-faced guy with zombies, then a thick-skinned fatso, and now a guy with a Bronze-level pet playing dumb. Looks like this line of work is too risky. Better head back to the royal capital to train for a while. Once I’ve mastered the Delta Transformation, I’ll make my comeback!”

Andy didn’t bother chasing after Woody; even if he tried, he probably couldn’t catch up. Surveying the terrain and comparing it to his map, he realized that once they crossed this small forest, the royal capital would be close at hand.

“Catherine, did you see that? The royal capital seems far more interesting than Dallas City!”