Published at 23rd of August 2026 6:25 am

Chapter 1953: True Illusion

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Panting ever so slightly, Luca stood in the clearing.

His mind was still alert and ready for any future attacks from the goat monster.

However, he would not initiate. From his brief encounter with Carou, he learned that it would be very difficult to defeat it. The monster wasn’t all that powerful, and its defences could be considered weak.

It was its speed that was troublesome.

Not once had Luca managed to land a strike on the monster. Carou had evaded or parried each one of his attacks, while at the same time searching for Adam.

Speaking of his companion, Luca had been more than pleasantly surprised with the outcome of their teamwork. If it weren’t for Adam constantly pestering the monster, several of its strikes would have reached him and dealt brutal damage.

And that previous exchange where Adam had deceived the monster into heading straight into a trap was a thing of beauty.

Luca saw Carou charge into Adam’s illusory figure, only to be immediately engulfed by a barrage of [Wood Spikes].

But even then, the monster had managed to evade any fatal damage.

Truly monstrous speed! Luca marveled inwardly.

Carou appeared on the other side of the clearing, its hands drenched in blood. There were a few gaping injuries in its arms, and they bled profusely.

It looked at its injuries, its face slowly twisting into a hideous scowl.

"Come out, coward!" it roared.

But Adam was still nowhere to be seen.

Worse still, Carou was unable to sense the human at all. This should not have been possible given it was one entire rank higher than Adam, and its senses were sharper than his — enough to see through any illusion.

Carou could only assume that the despicable human was using a high-grade artifact.

Luca’s lips curled into a taunting smile, and he said:

"I’m right here, goat. Come fight me if you dare."

Carou turned to Luca, its eyes bloodshot from fury. "How dare you! You human trash! How fucking dare you!"

Good, Luca thought with mirth.

The beast has lost all composure.

Should be easy to take it down.

Furthermore, as long as Adam kept himself hidden, that would put a heavy psychological burden on Carou. It would always be on the lookout for any hidden danger, especially considering how Adam had managed to wound it just now.

Luca had truly believed their battle with the monster would be demanding. He had never thought it would be this easy.

On the other side, Carou was getting increasingly nervous. The blood loss wasn’t a problem now, but if it didn’t treat its injuries soon, they would become a real hindrance.

For the first time, the fear of death crept into its heart.

It gnashed its teeth in frustration as it thought to himself, Damn it! Only if I could accurately find out the other human’s location—

Its thought hadn’t even finished when all of a sudden, a lanky figure in a tattered cloak and bare feet appeared out of nowhere, standing atop a thick branch of a nearby tree.

Carou’s face twisted ferociously as it couldn’t help but think gleefully:

You stupid fuck! You should have remained hidden! Now that I’ve found you, I’m going to fucking—

The monster had prepared to ruthlessly close in on Adam’s figure and kill him. Once Adam was dead, it wouldn’t be long before Luca followed.

But once again, before Carou could finish its train of thought, another Adam appeared at the edge of the clearing, standing on the grass with his arms crossed.

Carou’s eyes slowly widened.

But in the next heartbeat, another Adam appeared, sitting casually on the branch of yet another tree.

Then another Adam appeared.

And another.

Until there were at least a dozen of them.

[True Illusion]

Forget Carou, even Luca was dumbfounded.

The illusion looked so lifelike. Not just that, they even felt real. Faint traces of mana radiated from each of the illusory figures, making it nigh-impossible to tell which was real and which was fake.

Nine hells, they might all be fake!

None of the Adams said a word. They all stared at Carou with those deep tenebrous eyes that radiated a frightening sense of calm. And that, perhaps, unnerved the monster more than anything.

The moment Carou learned just how proficient Adam was at illusion magic, it discarded any thought of a counterattack.

It did not even bother casting a hateful glance at the two humans or even deliver some grand speech about revenge.

No. It did none of that.

Carou simply disappeared.

The only evidence that it had even been there was the devastation left behind by the battle and the blood staining the grass.

Silence settled over the clearing.

Neither Adam — wherever he lay hidden — nor Luca lowered their guard. A creature that could disappear without a trace was far more dangerous than one that fought head-on.

An entire minute of tense, suffocating silence later, all of Adam’s illusory figures vanished into thin smoke.

Only then did Luca’s muscles slowly loosen. Though he still kept his guard up.

"Is he gone?" he whispered into the wind.

He trusted Adam’s senses to be far sharper than his, so he couldn’t help but ask for confirmation.

Adam stepped out from the forest beyond the clearing, behind Luca.

"He’s gone," he said calmly.

Luca spun around, his gaze landing on Adam, who was nonchalantly walking toward him. He slowly lowered his hands and murmured, "You’re real?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "No. You’re dreaming. Just wake up already."

Luca let out a deep breath, then burst into laughter.

"That was marvelous! Truly marvelous! I didn’t know you were so proficient at illusion magic!"

Adam was proficient in other schools of magic as well. But Luca didn’t need to know that.

"We should leave," he said, walking right past the Paladin.

He suddenly paused, turned around, and asked, "Do you have a vial, a small container, or anything?"

Luca shook his head, confused. "No, why?"

"Never mind." Adam walked toward the spot where Carou last stood. "Pass me the waterskin."

He cast [Magus Hands] and carefully gathered the blood scattered across the grass. He then made his way toward the tree where Carou had first been wounded. Far more blood stained the trunk and the ground beneath it. Once again, he used [Magus Hands] to collect every drop.

Luca watched him curiously. Then his eyes slowly widened in realization.

"Are you trying to—"

’Don’t speak aloud,’ Adam interrupted through the communication artifact.

’I sensed several ravens nearby. I believe they’re watching us.’

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