"Ah?" Ding Yumian suddenly snapped back to reality. "I'm not sick, maybe it's just too hot by the bonfire."
Huo Yumeng nodded, as if she understood.
Soon, Song Jie and Mu Lei returned from scouting and sat down beside Ding Yumian.
"Are you feeling better?" Song Jie asked, turning toward her.
"Mm..." Ding Yumian replied, but thinking about Song Jie's earlier actions, her response felt a bit awkward.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Ding Yumian shook her head and focused on the food in her hands.
Song Jie felt puzzled but decided not to dwell on it—now wasn't the time.
"Earlier, Mu Lei and I scouted around and found demon bones," Song Jie said, scanning the group.
Mu Lei had already explained the situation to Bai Liang and the others while traveling, so everyone knew about the Bloodthirsty Ants.
"Then what should we do? Traveling at night is much more dangerous than during the day," Dongfang Ming said, frowning.
"Let's rest tonight. A few of us can stand guard," Song Jie suggested.
After all, they had been traveling all day. Continuing without rest could be fatal before even encountering any demons.
"Next, we'll take turns standing guard in three shifts, three hours per shift, until tomorrow morning," Song Jie continued. "That way, everyone can get enough rest."
"I agree!" the group said unanimously.
Soon, they didn't talk much, choosing instead to rest or cultivate. Cultivation replenished both spirit and energy, serving the same purpose as sleep.
Song Jie sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating, seeing if he could advance further in the Advanced Level Light Element.
The next morning, they left for the next detection point. During this time, they didn't encounter any more bones, which was a relief.
"How long will it take to get from here to the next detection point?" Mu Lei asked Ding Yumian.
"About five days," Ding Yumian replied.
"Five days!" Mu Lei looked at the sun overhead.
The heat was a concern, but he was more worried about encountering Bloodthirsty Ants again. After the previous incident, he had developed a psychological shadow.
"Let's keep moving. We should try to reach it within five days!" Song Jie encouraged everyone.
Time passed quickly, and five days later, they arrived at the detection location. However, one of their detection instruments was broken, leaving them with only one.
"Half the team rests while the other half detects. We'll take turns," Song Jie instructed.
Immediately, the group divided themselves and began the rotation. Bai Liang and Dongfang Ming went to detect first, while Song Jie and the others rested.
"You haven't rested well these past few days," Ding Yumian said. "While they're out there, get some rest."
Song Jie nodded. He had been on edge for two days, not daring to be careless. Responsibility weighed heavily on him as the captain.
"Call me if anything happens," he said, then buried his head to rest.
He had only been asleep for half an hour when Xu Mingliang's alarmed cry rang out.
"This is bad!"
Huo Yumeng and Mu Lei immediately looked at Xu Mingliang's panicked expression, frowning.
"What's wrong?"
"We found a large pile of bones over there!" Xu Mingliang said, panting.
Song Jie, still half-asleep, had already heard him. He sat up, slowly opened his eyes, and stretched.
Suddenly, he felt something soft.
Turning his head, he realized Ding Yumian was right next to him. She glanced at him, then quickly stood up and walked toward Huo Yumeng and the others.
"Just now..." Song Jie started, but Ding Yumian quickened her pace.
"Song Jie, come quickly! Something's happened!" Mu Lei called, seeing Song Jie awake.
Song Jie got up and followed, with Xu Mingliang leading them to the pile of bones.
Bai Liang explained, "We just discovered these."
Song Jie nodded, surveying the large expanse of bones. It was clearly the work of Bloodthirsty Ants.
"It seems this area also has those ants!" Mu Lei said, scanning his surroundings with caution. He never wanted to encounter them again.
Ding Yumian asked, "Do these demon bones look familiar?"
Everyone looked puzzled, then examined the bones. They appeared to be wolf skeletons.
"Yumian, are you saying these are the wolf demons we encountered that night?" Huo Yumeng asked, confused.
"Yes," Ding Yumian nodded. Hundreds of demon bones indicated that an entire group of wolves had been devoured.
"Holy crap, to be able to gnaw on so many wolf demons, how many of those ants must there be?" Zhuge Ru exclaimed, fear in his eyes.
The others were also panicked, already wanting to leave.
"Song Jie, should we leave now?" Mu Lei asked. Their previous desire to detect resources had vanished. Seeing so many bones left them feeling uneasy.
Song Jie nodded, equally disturbed. They didn't know what kind of demon could consume so many wolf demons, but it was terrifyingly powerful.
Turning away, Song Jie and the others began leaving, with Ding Yumian mapping a safe return route.
They needed to report this; the area was not far from the mining camp, and if these demons spread, the consequences would be disastrous.
"We've deviated from the usual return route; the nearest path will take eight days," Ding Yumian said.
"The nearest one is fine!" Mu Lei agreed. They wanted to get back as quickly as possible.
By nightfall, they resumed guard shifts, as before.
Mu Lei breathed a sigh of relief. "At least we haven't seen any bones along the way."
Aside from the one area, their path had been safe.
Song Jie, however, mused, "Have you considered that places without bones might be the most dangerous? That's likely where they pass through."
Mu Lei shivered. "Song Jie, it's late at night, don't scare me."
Song Jie smiled faintly. It was just a guess—probably nothing would happen, right?
But at that moment, both of them looked up toward the darkness and heard faint, ominous sounds approaching…
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version more that 320 chapters) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
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Second Half Coming Soon...