2: Say less things that are detrimental to unity.

"Tell Captain Shield Mountain to wait a moment; my magic experiment needs some finishing touches."

Ronan's tone was flat, but it brooked no argument.

Once the maid left, he recalled the looks his teammates had been giving him lately; they must have grown suspicious of him.

It was even highly likely that Eagle Eye was stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

After a moment of contemplation, he finally made up his mind.

"I wish to immediately extract all the magical knowledge from my memory."

As soon as he spoke, Ronan suddenly felt the world spinning, and a book inexplicably appeared in his mind.

"Mage class acquisition, advanced application of Spiritual Power, twenty-four enhancement schemes for Healing Spells, optimization of the Mage Hand magic construct..."

All the magical knowledge in his memory was systematically organized and summarized, manifesting as a book of magical knowledge.

At the same time, all other memories of the original owner unrelated to magic vanished completely.

This was the first time Ronan had encountered such a situation, and he felt a bit apprehensive.

But thinking about how he might have to face his teammates' probing again, he could only weigh his words and grit his teeth to make another wish:

"I wish to immediately master the magic I am most familiar with in my memory, at the cost of 5 points of wish power."

[Wish granted!]

[wish power Reserves -5]

In his mind, a glowing structure appeared next to the book of magical knowledge, orbiting the book.

With a thought, the book immediately unfolded automatically, and the relevant knowledge flooded his mind.

The structure was called a magic construct; as long as Spiritual Power was injected into it, the corresponding magic could be cast.

Feeling his abundant Spiritual Power and the magic construct ready to be triggered at any moment... Ronan finally felt a slight sense of security.

At this moment, by the central campfire, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

A Dwarf with a full beard and only half the height of an adult thrust the two short axes in his hands into the ground and said indignantly,

"Captain, if you ask me, we shouldn't have chased those Goblins."

The Orc captain he mentioned, 'Shield Mountain', was silently wiping a large refined iron shield. The flickering firelight shone on his face, making his expression shift between light and shadow.

"We should have chosen that other group of Kobolds," the Dwarf complained, "otherwise Wolf Fang wouldn't have..."

"Evil Axe, I must remind you that Kobolds are much harder to deal with than Goblins," Eagle Eye interrupted him.

"Shut up! You filthy elf!"

Evil Axe picked up a short axe and pointed it straight at the Grey Elf opposite him, his eyes fierce.

"If it weren't for the wrong information you gave us, how could we have mindlessly charged into the Goblins' den?!"

"A Goblin den in the outer area can house four Goblins at most. Kill three and let one go, find the den, and then loot the treasures inside—that has always been the process..."

"Who knew you'd run into a Bear Goblin's den!" Eagle Eye looked aggrieved.

What did this have to do with him, who was guarding the camp?

Clearly, it was either a problem with the Goblins or a problem with his teammates!

"Also, I am a Grey Elf; I have nothing to do with the elves who are your dwarves' mortal enemies."

Although the name 'Grey Elf' contains the word 'elf', they are actually another race that looks like elves after a mass mutation.

Of course, that didn't stop Evil Axe from treating them all the same.

"This time, it's my fault."

Shield Mountain finished wiping the large shield and took the responsibility upon himself. "As a Shield Guard, I should have been the first to enter the cave; that would have reduced some of the losses."

"Captain, don't say that. I was too impatient..."

A Human man covered in bandages lay on the ground, speaking with a breath as thin as silk.

"You really are something. The captain hesitated for a second, and you took the lead and charged in... Charging in is one thing, but you should have at least looked at who was standing next to the treasure chest..."

"Evil Axe! Stop making sarcastic remarks at a time like this..."

"Filthy elf! You're the real culprit!"

"What a pity, just a little bit more. If there had been one more teammate, maybe we would have had a chance..." Wolf Fang lamented, feeling very unwilling.

Hearing this, the Dwarf and the Grey Elf both shook their heads and sighed.

"Yeah, if we could have suppressed the Bear Goblins for a while longer, the treasure chest behind them would have been ours..."

"The temporary camp can't be left unguarded, especially since the Employer is here too."

"Why does guarding a camp require two Professionals?"

"The Mage was injured and is temporarily unable to fight," Captain Shield Mountain explained.

"Shield Mountain, ever since the Mage was injured, the Spiritual Power fluctuations on him have vanished... Don't you find it strange?"

Through constant scrutiny, Eagle Eye had indeed long noticed the issue Ronan was hiding.

"What's so strange about it?" a voice came from the darkness.

Everyone looked toward the sound.

They saw a handsome youth wearing a white magic robe with gold trim, who picked the brightest spot and sat down with composure.

With a smile on his face, he quickly scanned his teammates by the firelight.

Orc captain Shield Mountain, Dwarf Evil Axe, and fellow Human Wolf Fang,

And... his gaze fell upon Eagle Eye, who had an elven appearance and was sizing him up with slanted eyes.

"Do you want to participate in my magic experiment, or do you just dislike me? Dovrensis," Ronan asked gloomily, bluntly calling the other by his real name.

Eagle Eye's expression instantly stiffened, and his hand unconsciously moved toward the weapon on his back.

Among Adventurers, calling each other by their real names is a very unfriendly act unless they are close.

"Hmph, bullshit magic experiment!" He sized Ronan up and sneered, "With just you?"

"It seems you know magic better than I do..." Ronan shrugged and mocked.

His right hand was hidden inside his magic robe, covering his slightly trembling index finger, as he continued to provoke,

"Why don't you try it yourself?"

Ronan was ready; as soon as the other party made a move, he would immediately strike back with all his might.

Now he didn't have to worry about how to kill him; with just one strike of his newly mastered magic, he could rightfully take out this Grey Elf who spent all day scrutinizing him.

"Enough, say less that harms unity."

Seeing the situation getting a bit out of control, Shield Mountain immediately spoke up to stop it.

"Although the Mage hasn't been with us for long, he is still a member of the team. If any problems truly arise, everyone should help as much as possible."

As for the situation Eagle Eye mentioned, Shield Mountain appeared completely unconcerned.

He turned to Ronan and said warmly,

"Wolf Fang is heavily injured, and we'll need your help for the rest of the journey. Is that okay?"

His attitude was as refreshing as a spring breeze, but given the actual situation, one would find those words exceptionally cold-blooded.

One moment he was talking about helping each other in difficulty, and the next he was demanding someone go to the battlefield.

It seemed like a question, but it was actually a firm demand.

"He wants to use me as cannon fodder..."

Ronan felt a bit suspicious in his heart.

With the nature of you people, shouldn't Wolf Fang have 'accidentally' died in the Goblin den? How could he come back in one piece?

He glanced sideways at Wolf Fang on the ground and then imagined himself in that position.

If he ended up like that, would these teammates also bandage him up and carry him back?

The answer was obviously no.

If he really encountered such a situation, he reckoned he would let himself go and make wishes to his heart's content.

Although Wolf Fang was heavily injured, one of his hands remained inside his waist pouch, as if he were holding onto something.

Seeing this, Ronan guessed that this might be the key to why Wolf Fang was saved.

It was quite possible there was some means of taking everyone down with him inside.

Ronan was wondering if he should find some time to visit Wolf Fang, a fellow Human, and learn a few countermeasure techniques.

But at that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a dull sound of breaking wind.

A giant boulder covered in fresh mud sliced through the night sky and smashed toward the campfire where everyone was sitting.

Shield Mountain reacted quickly, holding his refined iron shield horizontally and unleashing a powerful shockwave against the ground.

Everyone was pushed back by the impact, barely dodging the giant boulder falling from the sky.

"Enemy attack!"