Crossover Anime: I Became Invincible Starting as an Ajin

Chapter 156 Wings of Darkness

The next morning, Gus looked at the corpse covered with a rag with a complicated expression.

After losing both arms, Donovan immediately took a knife and committed suicide.

He probably understood that a mercenary who has lost both arms is no longer of any value.

Wang Bai didn't even look at it, but picked up the coins he had accumulated and walked over to the person in charge of purchasing in the mercenary group.

These people are the most well-informed because they frequently come into contact with the market.

"Uncle Jem".

Wang Bai walked up to Jem, who was counting supplies, and spoke calmly.

Jem was a lean, middle-aged man who had lost one eye in a battle years ago and covered it with a black eye patch.

His other eye, however, was always darting around, revealing the shrewdness of a businessman.

He dealt with markets, itinerant merchants, and even shady channels in various towns and cities year-round, making him the "know-it-all" in the group.

Jem looked up, his one eye scrutinizing Wang Bai with a barely perceptible hint of awe. News of last night's events had already spread throughout the camp; no one dared treat "Laka" as an ordinary child anymore.

"Oh, it's Laka. What's up?" Jem's tone became much more polite.

Wang Bai placed the money bag on the wooden box in front of Jem, making a soft clinking sound.

"I'd like to ask you for a favor. I need to find out about something, and if possible, could you buy it for me?"

"Oh? What do you want to buy? Better weapons? Or armor?"

Jem was a little curious; mercenaries' children save money for these kinds of things.

Wang Bai shook his head and lowered his voice: "I need some—something not so common." He rattled off a list of names, interspersed with words Jem couldn't understand but which sounded very strange: "Ancient lichens or mosses that grow in shady places, the damper and more putrid the better; raven eyeballs, preferably fresh and intact; mercury, just a small amount; and—some kind of ancient metal fragments that were buried at a specific time and place, preferably iron or bronze; also, pure sulfur and saltpeter."

Jem's one eye widened as he looked at Wang Bai suspiciously: "Kid, what do you need these things for? They sound like stuff only witches or alchemists use! They're dirty and dangerous, especially the mercury, that stuff is poisonous!"

"I know."

Wang Bai remained unfazed.

"I've recently become interested in some ancient recipes and would like to study them myself. You just need to tell me where I can get them, or buy them for me; money is no object." He patted his money pouch.

Jem stared at Wang Bai for a long time, seemingly weighing his options.

He knew that these things could indeed be obtained in some black markets or through transactions with certain groups of people, but the risks were considerable.

However, seeing Wang Bai's composure beyond his years and the ruthlessness he displayed last night, he finally nodded.

"Okay—you definitely can't find these things in the regular market."

"I know there's a grey market nearby, near an abandoned cemetery west of the next supply point. It opens before dawn and closes as soon as the sun comes out."

It's a mixed bag there; all sorts of weird things are sold there.

Jem leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"I can take you there, or run the errand for you. But let me be clear, it's not safe there, and these things are expensive; you don't have that kind of money—"

He weighed Wang Bai's purse in his hand, "It's probably only enough to buy one or two of the most ordinary things."

"That's enough."

Wang Bai did not hesitate.

"First, get the lichen, moss, sulfur, and saltpeter. We'll deal with the rest later."

"Okay, next time we camp near that area, I'll take you there to take a look. Be careful, the people there aren't like the rough guys in the regiment, they're all very sharp-eyed."

Jem put away the money bag, thus accepting this dangerous commission.

A few days later, the mercenary group arrived at an abandoned village near the edge of the forest as a temporary camp.

According to Jem, the "grey market" was located near a mass grave less than five miles west of the village.

As we passed through the dark woods, a sweet, unsettling aroma gradually filled the air, a mixture of herbs, humus, and some indescribable scent.

Soon, they saw a faint glow of fire.

The so-called market had no fixed stalls at all; instead, scattered among the desolate graves and collapsed tombstones were a few figures wearing cloaks, carrying dim lanterns, or simply hiding in the shadows.

The trading site was very quiet, unlike the bustling markets that Wang Bai had visited before.

Most people use gestures and whispers to complete the task; very few people speak aloud.

Jem was clearly not a first-timer; he led Wang Bai through the area with practiced ease, using specific codes to communicate with several people who appeared to be stall owners.

Wang Bai followed silently behind, observing everything around him and sensing the faint but real strange energy fluctuations emanating from the stalls.

Some were cold and gloomy, some were manic, and some carried an aura of decay.

Is this the characteristic of special forces in this world?

Wang Bai even sensed that some of these people were not human.

However, Wang Bai was still unsure whether the other party was a human in disguise or a non-human being.

They stopped in front of a figure that reeked of earthiness and mold.

The stall owner was wrapped in a tattered cloak covered in mud. In front of him was a dirty cloth with various oddly shaped mushrooms, dried plant roots, and several stones covered in dark green, almost black moss. These were exactly the corpse moss that Wang Bai needed, which grew in extremely yin places.

The stall owner looked up in surprise at the two humans who had come to his stall.

These things aren't for humans, so why would any human buy them?

There was no trace of their kind or any signs of spellcasting on them, so they seemed to be just an ordinary human.

The stall owner seemed to have thought of something, but didn't say anything more.

Anyway, he's just a buyer and seller; what those big shots from humans and other races want to do is none of his business.

The transaction was quick; Jem traded a few silver coins and a small bag of coarse salt for two pieces of good-looking corpse moss, which carried a strong, putrid energy.

Then, they bought sulfur and saltpeter of acceptable purity from a thin old man who was fiddling with bottles and jars and smelled of sulfur and potassium nitrate.

As for raven eyeballs, mercury, and ancient metal fragments, they were either ridiculously expensive or unavailable for the time being. Wang Bai could only note down the possible sources and save them for later.

Carrying the hard-won materials, Wang Bai and Jem quietly returned to the camp.

Although we didn't get everything we needed on this trip, we did get the most important basic materials.

Wang Bai stroked the few cold, damp pieces of moss in his arms, which exuded an ominous aura.

In a secluded corner of the temporary camp, Wang Bai took advantage of the night and the team's brief rest to begin his "production".

He didn't have a standard workshop, only a few simple utensils he had secretly collected: a pottery jar with a chipped rim and a few thin sticks of different materials.

The method he chose was not the orthodox Rune system, but rather a fusion of his own understanding of energy guidance and some unorthodox techniques about "insect magic" from the Tong family in the memory fragments.

It does not directly create living beings, but rather uses specific materials as a base, infuses them with its own refined life force and the symbolism contained in the runes that represent life, and shapes a mimicry familiar that has simple functions and exists between physical and energy.

The process was not easy; in fact, it was fraught with risks and discomfort.

In this world where magic activity is extremely low and rules are oppressive, every step must be taken with utmost care.

He first crushed the corpse moss, which was full of yin and putrid energy, mixed it with a small amount of water, and then smeared it on the bottom of the pottery jar to form a twisted, simple rune array containing the concepts of "concealment" and "perception".

A sweet, fishy smell, like the earth of a grave, filled the air.

Next, he took out a small pinch of sulfur and saltpeter, not for explosion, but to use their unstable energy properties as an "activating catalyst".

Using his meager magical power as a guide, he carefully directed the energy of these materials to flow and resonate within the rune array.

A moment later, the dim light dissipated, and at the bottom of the pottery jar lay three palm-sized, strangely shaped creatures.

They are not true butterflies, but rather a hybrid of butterflies and moths.

The wings were as thin as cicada wings, yet they possessed an unnatural, dark hue, as if they absorbed light, and on them were eye-like markings.

The blurry patterns are constantly shifting and changing.

Unless you observe these creatures up close, you would just think they are ordinary insects.

Their bodies are slender, like withered twigs, and they are almost devoid of life-giving warmth. Instead, they exude a faint, chilling aura that is the same as that of corpse moss.

Wang Bai let out a soft sigh, a hint of weariness and satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

These "Dark Wings" are exactly what he wants.

He extended his finger, and one of the "Dark Wings" silently fluttered up, landing lightly on his fingertip without any sense of weight. Through that connection of consciousness, Wang Bai could vaguely share its "vision".

It was a world shrouded in a gray veil, its colors dim, yet exceptionally sensitive to the presence of life and the movement of objects.

With a slight thought, the "Wings of Darkness" instantly blended into the shadows beside him, becoming almost imperceptible.

Basic functions: reconnaissance, concealment. Additional effects: short-term, small-area visual interference and directional distortion —

Wang Bai mentally assessed their performance. For Gus, who was used to straightforward fighting and relied on his animal instincts, this was undoubtedly an unexpected trump card.

That afternoon, while the team was resting in a clearing in the woods, Wang Bai called Ge Si aside.

"Gus, this is for you."

Wang Bai opened his palm, and three motionless "Dark Wings" lay in his palm.

The inactive Dark Wings resembled three eerie withered leaves.

Gus curiously leaned closer, his dark face showing confusion: "What's this? A bug? It looks weird."

He reached out his finger to poke it, but hesitated, instinctively feeling that this thing was not simple.

"This is called 'Wings of Obscurity'."

Wang Bai explained, keeping his tone as simple and straightforward as possible, "They can help you. When you need to check if there are any ambushes ahead, or if you want to sneak up on something, you can send them out. You can roughly sense what they see."

Gus stared wide-eyed at the three little creatures in disbelief: "They—can watch the way for me?"

"Yes." Wang Bai nodded. "Moreover, if the enemy discovers you, you can use them to confuse their vision and make them disoriented for a short period of time."

He demonstrated it; with a slight thought, a "Dark Wing" quietly took flight.

It hovered not far away, the markings on its wings seeming to come alive, rotating slightly, causing Gus, who was staring at it, to feel a strange sense of dizziness.

Gus shook his head violently, his eyes shining with surprise and excitement, like a child who had discovered a new toy.

However, Gus himself is only a six-year-old child.

"Amazing! Raka, did you make this?"

I guess so.

Wang Bai didn't elaborate on the hardships of the production process.

"Remember, they are fragile and cannot be attacked directly, nor can they be used for extended periods. After each use, you need to return them to your side."

Yes, it's like returning to the shadows to rest. They automatically absorb the surrounding "aura" to recover.

"When I'm around, you can recharge by asking me for help as much as possible. When I'm not around, you should use me sparingly."

After all, while the three Dark Wings do not require much magic power, their unrestrained use is still too heavy a burden for a six-year-old child.

But for demi-humans, the very idea of ​​wasting life is a false proposition.

After briefly explaining the usage and precautions, Wang Bai handed the three Dark Wings to Guts.

This was just the simplest prop making, but even with Wang Bai's skill level, he still found it extremely difficult.

The world seems to still have some aversion to these kinds of supernatural things.

But during the refining process, Wang Bai could sense that there was another side to this world, like the back of a mirror.

Supernatural forces are unusually active there; perhaps we can learn about this from the people in the market?

But the resonance only lasted for a moment when the Dark Wings were successfully forged.

If Wang Bai hadn't been so perceptive, he probably would have just taken it as a fleeting illusion.

Just as Wang Bai handed the "Dark Wings" to Guts and pondered the hidden side of this world, the sharp and urgent sound of a horn suddenly broke the tranquility of the camp!

"Assemble! Everyone assemble!" The messenger galloped through the camp on horseback, shouting.

The Gambino mercenary group has just finished a battle and is resting.

This sudden order put everyone on edge.

Soon, the order came down: a small group of enemy remnants who had fled during the previous siege had been found roaming in a valley to the northwest. The Gambino mercenary group was ordered to set off immediately to pursue and annihilate this enemy force to prevent them from joining any possible reinforcements.

The order was urgent and left no room for doubt.

Gambino spat and cursed, but still quickly gathered his men.

Tu Bai and Gus were also asked to go with the team. These "half-grown kids" often played an unexpected role in the pursuit, such as squeezing into narrow terrain or acting as bait.