Chapter 17: Moonlight Battle Aura

The riverside was silent. While everyone was still immersed in the tragedy of the giant beast’s final defeat, someone suddenly let out a hoarse cough. The hunting team members were stunned for a moment before they all saw Luo Pei struggling to sit up.

Seeing this, Snow, who was still sitting blankly on the ground, was the first to react. He immediately jumped up high and ran over, shouting loudly, “Director, are you okay? Are you alright?~” At this, everyone suddenly woke up from their daze and hurriedly crowded around him with enthusiasm. This man was the official who managed their families and children; it was rare to have such an opportunity, so they wanted to show their devotion and curry favor.

However, Luo Pei’s attention was clearly not on their enthusiasm. After struggling to stand up with their help, he did not even stop to thank Old Strom. The first thing he did was ask in a hoarse and nervous voice, “Where is Isaiah? Is Isaiah okay?!” As he spoke, he looked around, his anxiety evident on his face.

Seeing this, the people suddenly realized. Where was the savior of the Director? It seemed everyone had truly overlooked Isaiah Thomas… Thinking of this, the group secretly regretted it. What a great opportunity, why hadn’t they thought of it? At the same time, they were not slow to act; following the Director’s lead, they all turned their heads to look around.

Just then, a crisp child’s voice called out: “Dad~~ come and look quickly, Brother Isaiah… Brother Isaiah…”

Perhaps because he was nervous, the voice was somewhat intermittent, but Luo Pei felt as if he had been struck by lightning upon hearing it. He immediately pushed through the crowd toward the sound and saw Isaiah Thomas lying motionless on the ground. Luo Yan was kneeling beside him. Since his back was turned, Luo Pei could not see his expression, but the voice sounded full of tension and anxiety.

Now Luo Pei panicked. He struggled to move forward, stumbling toward the place where Isaiah Thomas had fainted, asking anxiously, “How is Isaiah? How is Isaiah doing exactly?”

In reality, although Luo Pei had been seriously injured and unable to get up earlier, he had not lost consciousness. Everything that happened was clear in his mind. The “Mental Shockwave” released by Luo Yan was very hidden, so he naturally knew nothing about it, but he had seen clearly that Isaiah Thomas had thrown himself in front of him to protect him. In his heart, he had already regarded the youth as his savior.

Hearing Luo Pei’s question, Luo Yan seemed to become even more “nervous,” as if he were about to cry. His shoulders shook as he shouted again, “Dad~~ come and look quickly, Brother Isaiah… Brother Isaiah…”

[Could it be…]

Hearing Luo Yan’s tone, the surrounding hunting team members all showed expressions of grief and solemnity. Although Isaiah Thomas was an orphan, he had a cheerful personality and was well-liked in the village. No one wanted to see something happen to him.

Hearing these words, Luo Pei’s heart sank further. He suddenly clenched his fists and shouted, “It’s impossible… Isaiah cannot be…”

In an instant, the honest expression the boy had when he first arrived at Talim Village, the happy smiles he occasionally showed while following him every day, and the simplicity when he rushed to deliver hunted game on winter nights… Every little detail since meeting Isaiah Thomas flashed through Luo Pei’s mind. Unknowingly, his eyes turned red.

Who said that men do not cry easily…

Could that youth really be gone? The innocent boy who wanted to be by his side every day and treated him like an older brother; the gentle boy who always stood to the side with a smile; the silent boy who disregarded everything to block the attack for him at the critical moment.

For a moment, a tearing pain surged from the bottom of his heart. Luo Pei even felt that breathing was difficult.

However, at that moment, Luo Yan’s crisp child’s voice came again: “Dad~~ come and look quickly, Brother Isaiah… Brother Isaiah… actually miraculously didn’t receive a single injury!”

With a dull thud, Luo Pei almost fell over from a stumble. The surrounding hunting team members were even more shocked. They looked at Luo Yan, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and for a moment, they didn’t know what expression to make.

One sentence “instantly killed” the entire atmosphere; what terrifying destructive power!

“You… you brat… what are you talking about?!” Finally regaining his composure, Luo Pei angrily pulled away his brat of a son. Who teases their father like this? However, at this moment, a sliver of hope truly rose in his heart, though he felt it was extremely unbelievable.

Luo Pei had a very deep feeling of the giant beast’s terrifying power, as he had taken a thunderous hit head-on. How could Isaiah Thomas not be injured at all?

Carrying hope and nervousness, Luo Pei came to Isaiah Thomas and looked closely. He discovered that there were indeed no external injuries on the boy’s body; he just looked a bit messy and covered in dust.

Was it really a miracle? The hope in Luo Pei’s heart grew stronger, and now he worried that the boy might have internal injuries.

At this time, Old Strom, who had been “ignored” since the Pinecone Bear was killed, also hurried over. Seeing the situation, he immediately knelt down to check. Wizards of the Amelia Continent all had a common skill to check others’ injuries using Mental Strength resonance. In truth, this was the most basic technique of using Mana to detect the human body. Even a first-level Magic Apprentice could use it fluently. Although they might not be as good as professional doctors or priests in healing, their accuracy in observation was unquestionable.

A moment later, Old Strom stood up with an expression of disbelief. He looked at Luo Pei and nodded in surprise, saying, “Indeed… the fainting should be due to a concussion… although he is still unconscious, Isaiah truly hasn’t received any injuries!!”

Instantly, everyone opened their mouths in disbelief!!

[This is simply… a miracle~~]

Under the full-power strike of such a terrifying Magic Beast, even an adult Level 3 Swordsman who erupted with Battle Aura like Luo Pei was seriously injured on the spot. Yet, the youth Isaiah Thomas, who had no foundation in Battle Aura at all, was completely unharmed. If this wasn’t a miracle, what was it?!

Immediately, the eyes of all the hunting team members became strange as they looked at Isaiah Thomas, filled with envy and relief. Only the eyes of Luo Pei and Old Strom were full of deep thought.

The other hunting team members naturally would not think too much or understand the significance, but the experienced Luo Pei and Old Strom would not be like them.

—The full-power strike of a Pinecone Bear could not be withstood even by an adult Level 3 Swordsman, yet Isaiah Thomas, a mere youth without any Battle Aura foundation, was unharmed. There must be a reason; it could not possibly be just a miracle.

But what was the reason?

In the next moment, the two of them paused slightly, subconsciously looked at each other, and said in unison, “Could it really be…” They paused again, as if they both dared not believe their own judgment, and even “dared not” speak the answer they had thought of.

—Could it really be… Moonlight Battle Aura?!!