I made up magic and taught a world-destroying witch?

Chapter 95 Taunting Begins with Defeat

Before Joseph and Allen could exchange more than a few words, a large swarm of water beetles emerged from the mudflats in the distance.

"Damn it! There are more again!"

"I've never seen so many mealybugs swarming in like this in my entire life! Are they crazy?!"

"Help deal with these things first!" the patrolman shouted.

Upon hearing this, Allen didn't bother to greet Joseph anymore. He raised his shield and led the people from the White Dove Church to charge forward.

They had originally gone tonight to offer their blessings to a merchant ship that was preparing to leave White Dove Wharf overnight, but they had only been halfway through the blessing when they heard patrol whistles sounding continuously from the main pontoon bridge.

The White Dove Church wasn't far from Raven Tide Bay, and Sister Evelyn, worried something serious had happened, sent Allen with a few people to check it out first. Unexpectedly, when they arrived, the mudflats were already teeming with mudskippers.

"Why are there so many?" Allen asked, standing on the edge of the pontoon bridge with his shield in hand.

Several scale insects had already climbed onto the pontoon bridge. The patrol team members used long hooks to hold them back, while the church members next to them brandished their weapons, slashing and killing the insects that approached the crowd as they drove them away.

Allen immediately rushed over, slamming his shield into the wooden plank. A burst of white light erupted from his body as he shouted, "Danger! Look at me!"

Allen's already conspicuous white light shone even brighter, causing even the patrolmen wielding shovels around him to glance at him subconsciously.

The nearest ticking beetle paused for a moment, and Allen's eyes lit up.

However, the next second the swarming beetle showed no mercy and bypassed his shield, continuing to crawl behind him.

Allen: "—

Joseph stood not far away watching this scene, unsure whether to marvel at how the Tide Beetle knew to take a detour, or to lament that Allen's Guardian Blessing, which he had practiced for several days, had indeed failed to learn the so-called taunting function.

The white light at present can only make Allen himself very conspicuous, but being conspicuous and making the enemy take the initiative to attack are obviously two different things.

It's like someone wearing glowing clothes standing on the side of the road shouting, "Come and hit me!" Passersby might actually glance at him a couple of times, but under normal circumstances, they're unlikely to actually drop what they're doing and rush over to beat him up.

Of course, if the person shouting is Allen, the probability would be slightly higher.

Seeing that the Tide Beetle had already bypassed him, Allen had no choice but to chase after it. He rammed it hard from the side with his shield, but was then swept off the pontoon bridge by a patrolman's long hook.

Allen, carrying a shield and sword, along with several patrolmen, went back and forth dealing with the bugs. After a long time, they finally circled back to Joseph's vicinity.

He slashed at the carapace of a tidal beetle with his sword, muttering with obvious regret, "Professor! If only I knew that taunt you mentioned earlier!"

Joseph:

Allen did seem to have been practicing very seriously for several days, and it wasn't entirely useless; at least he had attracted the attention of the normal people around him. It's just that the Tide Beetles clearly didn't have that high aesthetic sense and weren't particularly interested in a knight.

"Why did you think that if you shouted it out, they would attack you?" Joseph suddenly asked.

"Because I want danger to see me," Allen said matter-of-factly.

"and then?"

"Then they looked at me."

Joseph: "————" It's not that the logic is completely flawed, but rather that the logic only went about halfway before it felt like it had reached the end.

Joseph looked at Allen and tried to put it simply: "To give you an example, imagine you're using a cane in one hand and holding a small dagger in the other, with a box of gold coins behind you."

Now you're facing a group of goblins, but even if you stand there shouting until you're hoarse and they all look at you, they might just try to sneak past you and steal the gold coins behind you.

Allen glanced down at the longsword and shield in his hand and asked seriously, "Why do they want to grab the gold coins first?"

"—That's not the point. The point is, why would the enemy attack you?" Joseph pointed to a ticking beetle crawling towards the cargo container. "They won't abandon their original target just because you shout loudly."

Allen thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Because I look easier to hit?"

"That's only one reason," Joseph said. "You have to make them believe that if they don't deal with you first, the consequences will be very serious, and that if they don't deal with you first, they'll never reach their next target."

"So, it forces the other side to attack me first!" Allen said excitedly.

Joseph nodded. A genuine taunt doesn't have to make you look like you're asking for a beating.

While being irritating is a personal trait, whether someone can actually take a beating requires a more complete design. It's not like Allen can just stand a few hundred meters away and shout, and everything nearby will line up to hit him.

Based on Joseph's understanding of those game skills, the opponent would be more likely to focus their attention on Allen once they stepped within a few meters.

Then, we need to consider the real-world situation. For example, it doesn't matter who the enemy originally wanted to attack. As long as they enter this area, Allen can find a way to keep interrupting them. This way, the enemy will naturally realize that they can't do anything without dealing with this glowing and annoying knight in front of them.

Of course, if Allen were a little less intelligent, he could simply present the opportunity to attack directly in front of the enemy, leaving the enemy with only one target that is closest to them, constantly hindering their movements, and seemingly within their reach.

Joseph briefly explained his thoughts.

"I understand!" Allen listened intently, and after saying that, he picked up his shield and charged back into the swarm of insects.

Joseph watched from behind for a while and thought that the Church Knights' combat strength seemed quite good. Since someone else could do the work, he certainly didn't need to personally handle every single insect.

Although the archmage possessed abundant magical power, it couldn't be wasted carelessly. Moreover, he had already rescued the patrol team members and eliminated several Tide Beetles; from the perspective of both the academy professor and the project leader, his workload was more than sufficient.

It's perfectly reasonable to leave the rest to professional knights.

Allen rushed in front of several swarming beetles, first blocking their path with his shield, then slashing the foremost beetle with his sword. Sure enough, the beetles behind him stopped and slowly turned towards him with their short legs. Allen was immediately invigorated.

"Danger! Watch me!"

The white light around him brightened again, and the Tide Beetle did indeed glance at him before moving a few steps to the side, trying to squeeze through the gap between the shield and the wooden crate. Allen quickly blocked it to the side, but another Tide Beetle had already taken the opportunity to crawl past him from behind.

After several attempts, Allen was indeed better at blocking the way than before, but the swarming beetles still didn't focus all their attention on him.

Allen pushed one down, but two more slipped through. After working for half a day, the excitement on his face slowly turned into frustration.

"Professor!" He circled back, somewhat troubled, and said, "I've clearly blocked them, but they keep trying to get around me."

As Joseph watched the ticking bugs constantly circling around Allen, a question suddenly occurred to him.

His and Allen's knowledge systems seem to be different, right?