So what kind of rare treasures did Hayden put in his staff?
The answer is actually very simple.
Six months ago, when Angela fought the Vajra God team, didn't she destroy several of their vajras and armors? Stealing the complete vajras and armor is too risky; the Mithra Group would definitely come after them. But they can't find the fragments, or at least they won't investigate them as thoroughly.
So Hayden stole several fragments of Protoss armor, then adjusted and polished one fragment before inserting it into the Rowan Staff as its core, using the magic of moonlight to power it.
The Mithra Group's protective barrier typically consists of vajra daggers erected at the four corners of space, defining a square area. Hayden only had one staff, so he couldn't do it in the same way. Therefore, he planted it in the ground, emitting moonlight. The hemispherical area now covered by the moonlight is naturally the barrier protected by the Moon God.
Hayden, bathed in moonlight, became as solid as diamond, impervious to all kinds of demonic obstacles—even by Hayden's standards, this was a brilliant form of cheating.
The only drawback to this approach is the difficulty in adjusting the barrier's range, and it can't be easily deactivated once activated. However, with a bit of luck, Hayden might even be able to use this tactic to block attacks from the War Gods. In comparison, what effect could civilian bullets possibly have on him?
Despite the constant clicking sounds and the hail-like rain of bullets, Hayden charged forward joyfully.
Even so, the Russian men didn't panic. They were trained as a team, had combat experience, and (most importantly) had learned to remain calm. In Hayden's words, these thieves were Level 3, the so-called "professional" level. Seeing Hayden's invulnerability, their first reaction was to scatter and take cover. Two men even charged towards the armored truck parked by the roadside!
They will use military vehicles to deal with Hayden!
Hayden could have shot them down before they even jumped onto the truck, but he didn't. He was there for a practical test, to see if his new equipment and spells could take over a professionally-held defensive camp head-on. What was the point of taking down the enemy first? That would be pointless!
Eric couldn't help but groan inwardly: Hayden is so arrogant. Even if he's legendary, what if he crashes and burns?
At the same time, the armored truck, which had previously been positioned like a hen incubating eggs, straightened its two bird-like mechanical legs and turned towards Hayden. It looked somewhat like a chicken three or four meters tall, except its body still resembled an armored vehicle. Its enormous claws, sharp as blades, slammed into the ground, clearly capable of severing a person's head.
"Russia... chicken foot structure..."
Hayden raised his eyebrows.
“I see. It’s the Slavic witchcraft tradition of Baba Yaga.”
The enemy wouldn't wait for you to discuss its principles. The armored truck's engine roared angrily, spewing ancient spirits and natural curses at Hayden. Green witch fire shot towards Hayden, not appearing very hot, yet possessing a magical power to poison his mind and reason.
Yet the Rowan Staff remained standing on the earth. Moonlight shone everywhere, cool and serene, clear and bright, protecting Hayden from all poison and torment. No matter how the armored truck spewed its magical fire, the moonlight-formed barrier protected Hayden within. The two magical forces collided and devoured each other, resulting in a stalemate.
The other gangsters, of course, weren't going to stand by and watch. They weren't stupid; they realized that Hayden, with his equipment effects activated, was practically invincible. They turned and rushed to attack the rowan staff stuck in the ground, firing [Dispel Magic] spells at it. [Dispel Magic] is a modern arcane technique that forcibly breaks down an enemy by consuming more magic power, and in situations where numbers outnumber enemies, it's generally a reliable strategy.
However, the staff stuck in the ground was a fragment of the power of the War God race. How could the fireflies of a mere dozen or so gangsters suppress the light of the bright moon? At the same time, Hayden drew his usual bronze scepter and lashed it through the air like a whip.
Ever since his defeat at the hands of the Vajra Warrior six months ago, Hayden had been frustrated by his lack of attack power. However, among the spoils and gains he had acquired recently, surprisingly few could be directly used to enhance his attack power. Fragments of the Vajra could indeed be used to forge powerful weapons, but the energy required was too great, making it unaffordable for ordinary mercenaries.
So after much trial and error, Hayden ultimately decided to focus on improving his fundamentals first, in terms of offensive capabilities. In other words, that's it.
He brandished his bronze scepter and loudly unleashed the powerful ninth-level arcane spell: "[Crushing Palm]!"
A giant, gleaming golden force field immediately responded to Hayden's call, formed from magic, and lunged at the armored truck at his command.
Six months ago, Alicia used this level nine arcane spell against a high-ranking demon, but to no avail. Now, this gleaming golden giant hand grabbed the armored vehicle's leg and slammed it to the ground! The burst of witchfire was interrupted, and Hayden seized the opportunity to spin his bronze staff, turning it like a windmill. He gathered all the scattered green cursed flames and hurled them back at the surrounding gangsters.
boom!
This is the scene that greeted Boris when he rushed out of his office.
A grey-robed wizard, wielding a bronze staff, fought like a grey whirlwind amidst the siege of the clan's sons, deflecting and even reflecting every attack. A dozen men lay paralyzed, dizzy and immobilized by the witch's fire and magic bullets. The remaining Russians showed no fear, fighting with increasing ferocity, but brute force without strategy often accomplishes nothing. Several even drew their knives and charged forward for close combat. But Hayden, having consumed enhanced meals for over six months, was physically far superior to ordinary people. Dodging the blades, he could knock down a man with a single blow of his bronze staff, a blow far more powerful than a warhammer to the face.
Eric found a relatively safe cover and hid there, watching the scene with growing awe. Hayden, who seemed reckless and indeed was reckless, was about to single-handedly take down an entire armed camp.
"Create distance! Find cover! Regroup!"
With the communications network hacked, Boris, who rushed out of his office, could only shout orders while carefully examining the intruder and his face darkening.
"Grey-robed wizard... I heard you've retired. Who paid a hefty sum to bring you back into the limelight today to cause trouble for the Volkov family?"
Upon recognizing the mercenary's identity, Boris naturally understood Hayden's intentions. Urban mercenaries don't usually raid gangs without reason; it's understandable that this is their job.
"Since you all know it's work, why waste time talking nonsense?"
So Hayden immediately complained.
"Would I tell your employer after a few pleasantries?"
Obviously not. But the underworld is still society, and there are always formalities. Since Hayden is now being ungrateful, Boris doesn't need to be polite to him.
"Your employer probably didn't give you much information."
So Boris responded with a cold laugh.
“Playing moon magic in front of the Volkov family is not a good idea.”
……ah?
Before Hayden could even react to what the mob boss was saying, Boris had already begun chanting loudly:
"Moon, oh moon, silver full moon! Melt bullets, dull knives, shatter knotted wooden staffs, and fill beasts, insects, fish, and even humans with trembling fear! Make them unable to capture the gray wolf, unable to skin its warm fur!"
This is clearly a spell from classical magic.
Those men who had heard Boris chanting the incantation and hadn't yet fainted all began to act simultaneously. They untied their wolf-skin belts and draped them over their bodies.
Hayden didn't understand at first. But seeing the scene and hearing the incantations, he should have figured it out by now.
"……This is impossible."
So for a moment, Hayden was truly stunned.
"This spell consumes a wolf pelt every time it's used! Aren't all the wild gray wolves dead?! Where did you get these pelts?!"
These days, wild gray wolves have long been driven to extinction by horrific environmental pollution. While there are still captive gray wolves in zoos, it's impossible for gangsters to go to a large company-owned zoo and skin dozens of wolves, right? They need one pelt for each use; dozens wouldn't even be enough!
Unfortunately, Boris Johnson has no intention of explaining what happened.
"A furry wolf roams through forests and valleys. All the horned livestock are beneath its sharp teeth!"
He finished his final chant, and then roared at the top of his lungs.
"Awooo—!!"
The men of the Volkov family answered the alpha wolf's call. They roared horribly, their heads elongating, their bodies mirroring the roar. Their shoulders arched, every inch of their skin bristled with thick, grey hair, and their hands curled into claws, transforming them into one of the world's most infamous and terrifying monsters:
werewolf.
The rowan staff remained planted in the ground, emitting moonlight. Although it was midday, these werewolves were bathed in the essence of the full moon's light, their ferocity increasing. Their beastly bodies thus grew even larger and stronger.
Because this is a form of witchcraft where one is transformed into a werewolf by wearing an enchanted wolf skin and under the moonlight. These Russians borrowed Hayden's magic to become werewolves in broad daylight—even by Hayden's standards, this is a very clever form of cheating.
"What an ancient Slavic... wolf-transformation sorcery."
So Hayden could only shake his head and utter the name of the magic.
Heiden barely understands Russian, but if we consider the etymology, the origin and meaning of the surname "Volkov" are clearly related to "wolf".
As is well known, werewolves' power fluctuates with the phases of the moon and is amplified by moonlight. However, the rowan staff that Hayden just planted in the ground cannot arbitrarily adjust the properties of moonlight, nor can it be turned off at will.
The reason these men hadn't transformed earlier was probably because they hadn't received permission from the alpha wolf. This kind of witchcraft couldn't be too easy; besides the necessary materials, other prerequisites would likely be required. But in any case…
Anyway, a large group of werewolves is now rushing towards Hayden.
This is a bit awkward.
067: Even if you're crying, you have to finish pretending.
A huge pack of werewolves is rushing towards you!
And you even messed up your own defensive magic!
The magic of the full moon will only make these werewolves stronger!
In this awkward situation, how exactly will Hayden break through the encirclement?
Please choose from the following three options:
a. The brilliant and resourceful Hayden devised a brilliant counterattack!
b. The teammates shouted "We've been waiting for you!" and made a dazzling entrance!
c. A dead end – reality is cruel!
Frankly, Hayden thought the answer was very likely to be [b]. Angela was definitely watching from a distance, just in case. If her mechanical intelligence determined that Hayden was in a crisis he couldn't handle alone, Angela would surely make a grand entrance like a superhero, or simply provide fire support from two kilometers away.
But would Hayden really want Angela to save his life every day?
Does he really have to rely on Angela to save the day every time he gets into trouble?
That won't do! He wants a wind-up wife, not a wind-up mother!
Therefore, the correct answer is [a]!
“ventus (wind)”
Hayden began to speak.
His body transformed into a verdant breeze once more, retreating rapidly. Even the werewolves' sharp claws couldn't grasp the invisible wind, at least not this group of werewolves. They tried to tear at the verdant wind, but Hayden simply retreated swiftly to the location of the rowan staff.
The brilliant and resourceful Hayden has already devised a brilliant counterattack!
Werewolves in the world are actually divided into many different types. Some are cursed, some are of bloodline, and some are bound by contracts with gods and demons.
Wolf-transformation magic is actually the least dangerous type, as it's at least not contagious. It's a very traditional form of ancient European magic, dating back to ancient Greece, or perhaps even earlier. But that's not the focus now. The incantation itself reveals that the Volkov family men are using a relatively modern Eastern European version. Each use of this magic requires a gray wolf pelt. Hayden doesn't know where these thieves got so many wolf pelts, but that can be investigated later.
In short, these werewolves transformed from Russian gangsters aren't actually that strong. They simply possess the strength to tear concrete walls into strips with their bare hands, and the regenerative ability to fully recover from any injury, no matter how severe, as long as they aren't decapitated—that's all. Couldn't Hayden handle a dozen or so of these werewolves?
Of course he can! He'll just get beaten up badly, and he'll have to fight in a very uncool way! Even if he can only turn into the wind and keep running around, getting bitten by werewolves every now and then, Hayden will still win in the end!
But he can't win like this—Angela is watching, and Eric, that junior, is watching too. He can't win like this!
Taking advantage of this opening, before the other werewolves could pounce, Hayden grabbed the rowan staff stuck in the ground and poured most of his magic into it, channeling all his pent-up anger into the staff. A brilliant silver light shone forth, like the moon rising in broad daylight. The werewolves felt an even stronger power entering their bodies under the moonlight, and they all let out joyful howls.
"...What are you doing?"
Boris was the only one who didn't howl. He didn't even don the wolf skin and transform like the other lads; he just watched Hayden's performance with a frown.
Hayden just sneered.
"Back off! Keep your distance! Don't charge!"
The experienced alpha wolf sensed the danger.
But the werewolves below were already high like cats on catnip, how could they possibly be held back? They howled and charged toward Hayden.
Hayden, instead of casting a spell, raised his hand and scratched his face.
In the blink of an eye, the werewolves all stopped in their tracks, raised their hands, and scratched their own faces. However, these werewolves' claws were different from Hayden's nails. With just one scratch, the werewolves were all bleeding profusely from their heads.
"Absorbing the magic released by the enemy on the battlefield, what a stupid move."
Hayden grumbled as he punched himself on the head. The werewolves synchronized with his movement, smashing their fists on his head with the force of splitting rocks, and all of them were paralyzed.
Boris stared wide-eyed. He wasn't a professional magician, but he did know some ancient family magic, and now that he understood the trick, he was both shocked and furious: "Sympathic magic!?"
One of the fundamental principles of sympathetic magic is the law of contact. Things that have come into contact with each other will acquire similar properties. Hayden has spent the last six months studying many of the sympathetic magic techniques left behind by Alastor. Now that the werewolves have absorbed the magic he released and drawn it into their bodies, Hayden can use magic to impose physical similarities onto them.
Whatever physical movements he makes, the werewolves are forced to imitate them. This isn't hypnosis, but forced physical manipulation. The werewolves still retain their original consciousness... well, that sounds pretty lewd. Hayden will study this magic in the future to see if it can do anything strange.
Hayden tapped his head a few more times to make sure the werewolves had all given themselves concussions and were temporarily unconscious. Apart from him and Eric, who was hiding behind cover and staring in disbelief, only Boris was still moving in the arena.
Hayden poked at the rowan staff on the ground, still unable to turn off Moonlight early. This thing's effect is really unreliable; he'll have to adjust it again when he gets home.
"Still fighting?"
He was almost out of magic and didn't really want to continue fighting.
But Boris, his face grim, had already donned the wolf pelt. This time, Hayden looked closely and finally noticed something strange about the pelt—it was white and didn't look like a real gray wolf pelt at all.
But that's impossible.
This wolf-transformation witchcraft was probably specifically designed to transform humans into gray wolves.
But Boris's body continued to change. White mane began to grow, and his gray eyes filled with red light. His bones swelled, his flesh proliferated, and the snow-white werewolf stood tall.
Most werewolves created by wolf-transformation magic are no taller than two meters, but Boris's body now far exceeds that. He grows taller, roaring to the sky, the humanoid giant wolf standing amidst the winter ruins.
Hayden, however, had already figured it out.
—What they were wearing were actually the skins of wolf-like magical beasts!
Ordinary gray wolves are extinct, but warg wolves like dire wolves and winter wolves still exist. Hayden's eyes widened, a surge of excitement welling up inside him: generally speaking, using warg hides as a catalyst for transformation spells would be too much for the human body to handle. Yet these Russians could do it all, clearly possessing their own unique secrets.
He had only come today to secure a mercenary job, to demonstrate for Eric, and to give himself a practical test. He never expected to stumble upon such a stroke of luck. Now he was determined to extract the secrets from these thieves!
But Hayden's magic is almost depleted. Boris, now transformed into a powerful white werewolf, isn't foolish enough to absorb his magic like the other werewolves. How can Hayden possibly secure victory?
Hayden heard the gunshot. Eric sensed that Hayden's situation seemed precarious and saw this as a good opportunity. He took cover behind some cover and drew his magic revolver, firing at the white giant werewolf. Eric fired three, four, or five magic bullets, all of which struck the giant werewolf in the chest.
But the werewolf continued to howl. Five magic bullets exploded in his chest, only delaying the giant werewolf's movements by two seconds. This could be due to his size, the fur of a magical beast, the magic resistance he gained after transforming, Boris's madness after transforming, or perhaps he was always a lunatic—but whatever the reason, Eric's pistol couldn't bring this guy down.
Fortunately, the young man at least bought Hayden a little bit of time.