The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

When Anna noticed the movement of James\'s eyes, she immediately realized that this was all part of the Night Blades\' scheme. Without wasting any time, Anna shouted toward Irving, "Stop! Don\'t go any further! This is all a plot by the Night Blades! They are extremely cunning, and negotiating with them is pointless!"

Her words infuriated Elder Howard. He shot a fierce glare at Anna. Undeterred, Anna glared back at him with equal ferocity. "You don\'t need to persuade him any further! I have made my decision, and I will not back down!"

Irving, however, did not change his mind because of Anna\'s warning. He walked to within about ten meters of Elder Howard and James. "Now it\'s time for you to fulfill your promise! Since our previous agreement was one for one, you should release James now!"

Irving was fully aware that Elder Howard had set a trap, so he would not take another step forward as long as the other side showed no intention of releasing James. Elder Howard\'s expression wavered slightly. Although Irving was close enough, he felt it was still not safe enough to activate his trap.

He needed Irving to come just a bit closer to ensure that the trap he had set would definitely capture him. After pondering for a moment, Elder Howard made his decision. "In that case, I will release James directly! But before I do, I must warn you not to entertain any inappropriate thoughts! If you think you can use this opportunity to back out after I release James, I will certainly kill him.

And you will pay the corresponding price!"

Elder Howard issued a stern warning to Irving before releasing James.

Irving said with a hint of impatience, "If you have no confidence in your own strength, then don\'t negotiate with me! If you don\'t release James, I won\'t take another step forward. So make your decision now! If you keep wasting time, I won\'t engage in any negotiations with you!"

Under Irving\'s pressure, Elder Howard quickly made a decision. He released James immediately. The moment the seal around James was lifted, he jumped up from the chair. He shouted at Irving, "You\'ve been tricked! You can\'t move forward any longer; there\'s a trap waiting for you just ahead!"

James\'s words caused the expressions of everyone present to change dramatically. Upon hearing this, Anna grew even more anxious. She hurriedly said to Irving, "James just said there\'s a trap ahead! You shouldn\'t go any further!"

Elder Howard was also very anxious at this moment. He shouted fiercely at Irving, "If you back out now, I can still capture James! Even though I\'ve lifted the seal on him, he can\'t move too far away from me!"

As soon as Elder Howard finished speaking, James let out a painful howl. He suddenly realized that the mist around him was seeping into his body. As the mist permeated, James\'s pain receptors were fully activated.

"Enough! You all don\'t need to say anything more!" Irving shouted angrily. His words silenced Anna, James, and Elder Howard instantly.

"You two don\'t need to persuade me any further; I will definitely honor the agreement between Elder Howard and myself. I will go to his side," Irving firmly rejected Anna and James\'s pleas.

Then he turned his gaze toward Elder Howard and said coldly, "Don\'t push your luck! How dare you harm my ally in front of me? Are you not afraid that I might lose my temper and kill you?"

In response to Irving\'s inquiry, Elder Howard quickly replied, "As long as you keep our agreement, I won\'t harm your ally. If you don\'t uphold your end, then I will harm him."

After saying this, Elder Howard ceased his attack on James.

Irving took a few steps forward until he was very close to James and Elder Howard. Elder Howard could activate the trap at any moment, but he still thought it would be better to wait a little longer.

"I\'m now very close to you. Shouldn\'t you release my companion?" Irving asked coldly, just two steps away from Elder Howard.

Elder Howard nodded, "You just need to take one more step forward, and I will release James!"

"Alright! I hope you keep your promise!"

Irving stepped forward, and with that step, he entered the very center of the trap. At this point, Elder Howard could activate the trap immediately, but he pretended to release James instead.

Once freed from Elder Howard\'s control, James quickly rushed to Anna\'s side. "Don\'t hesitate! Attack him now! That way, you won\'t be affected by the trap he set!"

James immediately proposed what he thought was the best solution. However, Irving did not follow his advice. Instead, he continued to smile as he walked two more steps forward. Now, Irving was just inches away from Elder Howard.

The smile on Elder Howard\'s face became radiant. "You should have listened to your companion\'s advice. You have completely stepped into my trap. You have utterly failed!"

As he spoke, Elder Howard manipulated the mist surrounding the lake, causing it to rapidly gather around himself. A solid seal composed of mist generated by dark powers enveloped them both. Elder Howard had a strong command over the mist, so he didn\'t believe it would pose any threat to him.

Despite the sudden turn of events, Irving maintained a remarkably calm expression. "Did you really think your plan was successful? Did you honestly believe I wouldn\'t notice the trap you secretly set?"

Irving\'s rhetorical question caused the smile on Elder Howard\'s face to vanish quickly. The reason Irving showed no signs of tension might be due to one of two possibilities. The first reason could be that Irving did not realize just how powerful the seal made of mist around him was. The second reason might be that Irving had already devised a way to break free.

Irving did not leave Elder Howard in confusion for long. He directly pulled out his [Staff of Calamity].

"I don\'t know if you\'ve heard of the name Taikoo Flame Pearl. If you have, you should know that the Taikoo Flame Pearl also possesses the ability to manipulate mist."

The moment Irving said this, the mist surrounding them quickly gathered at the top of his staff. As a large amount of mist and dark energy converged, it formed a deep blue gemstone.

"You think you are clever and cunning enough! I must tell you, I am much smarter and more cunning than you! The trap you set will not ensnare me; instead, I can use your own trap to successfully ensnare you!"

As soon as Irving\'s words fell, he swung his staff forcefully toward Elder Howard. In response to the sudden attack, Elder Howard entered a misty state. However, he soon realized that his body could not fully convert into mist.

A look of extreme shock crossed Howard\'s face, but he had no time to respond. Irving\'s staff struck his face with tremendous force, instantly tearing Elder Howard\'s body to shreds. The mist surrounding Howard disappeared in an instant.

With Howard\'s disappearance, the trap he had previously set also completely failed.

"You are indeed smarter than I imagined; you even set up an escape route for yourself!"

Although Elder Howard had vanished, Irving knew that he was not truly eliminated. A passage appeared where Howard had just stood, indicating that he had escaped through it.

Even though Elder Howard had successfully fled, this was not bad news for Irving. Howard would undoubtedly inform the other members of Night Blades about what had just happened. This meant that Night Blades would fear Irving even more. Perhaps afterward, he wouldn\'t need to engage in direct combat with the members of Night Blades; he could simply intimidate them with his reputation.

While Irving was contemplating this, Anna and James quickly ran to his side. Anna, slightly surprised, asked Irving, "You defeated Elder Howard so easily? Was he really that easy to deal with? Why didn\'t you strike directly before?"

Irving smiled and shook his head. "I didn\'t eliminate Elder Howard; I merely drove him back temporarily. Moreover, I have just resolved a complex trap. Elder Howard and the other members of Night Blades must have set up more traps around here.

I could only seize control of the traps by utilizing the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl. It was only after that that I could use the trap to defeat Elder Howard. All of this required a long time to plan. If I had engaged Elder Howard directly without any preparation, I might not have been able to defeat him so easily."

Irving remained very humble, acknowledging that his earlier success was merely a result of his cleverness.