CH171
"My lord, you have mail," Shatia said, entering the room with two letters.
Helag sat by the window, engrossed in a book. He turned at her voice, "Leave them there."
After placing the letters, Shatia asked, "Anything else, my lord?"
"Make me a pot of coffee," Helag replied, picking up the letters.
Shatia went to prepare coffee, gradually embracing her role as a maid.
Helag examined the letters, one from Bessie and the other from Lilian.
He opened Bessie's letter first. It was lengthy.
The key point was that the potion Helag made worked; her injuries were fully healed.
Bessie had resumed normal meditation, with her mental power growing faster than before.
She mentioned nearing the mental power needed to become a formal wizard.
Helag felt relieved; Bessie's recovery was excellent news.
Her talent was exceptional, and losing hope of advancement at such a young age would be devastating.
Bessie also shared minor updates from Moonlight Woodland, similar to before Helag left, with no major changes.
Newcomers joined yearly, while others suffered injuries or death from various tasks.
Everything was as usual.
Bessie planned to contract with Moonlight Woodland, granting her access to ancient and Amanda potions.
Though she'd need to stay a century, for a wizard apprentice like her, it was the best and only option.
Helag finished Bessie's letter and opened Lilian's.
Lilian had become a formal wizard two months ago.
She spent the time stabilizing her mental power and adjusting.
Lilian was fortunate, with Professor Nina guiding her, providing resources without Moonlight Woodland's contract restrictions.
Most importantly, Lilian mentioned a possible opportunity to enter the Land of Dawn.
Augustus Academy, established by the Land of Dawn in the Barrens, had access to it.
The rule barring Barrens wizards from the Land of Dawn mainly restricted lower-level wizards.
But Augustus Academy could bring in exceptional individuals.
The conditions were strict.
Even for a promising wizard like Lilian, it was challenging, merely a possibility.
Lilian's letter mainly shared wizard world information and intelligence.
Helag set the letter down, picked up a quill, and began replying, sharing his recent experiences.
He glossed over many details, briefly mentioning the Kent Valley attack.
After writing, he gave the letters to Lennon to mail.
With two months until the Death Swamp Ruins opened, Helag continued his routine while gathering more information on the ruins.
The ruins had existed for over a thousand years, their origin unknown.
Rumor had it they were once a planar rift, used for invasions into the wizard plane.
Wizards sealed the rift, but the rules remained chaotic, filled with mysteries.
The unique environment produced rare materials.
For a long time, the area was chaotic, with wizards fighting for resources.
The ruins' unique environment made management difficult, attracting criminal wizards seeking refuge.
Eventually, it became a lawless city, with a sizable population.
After the Dawn War, wizard organizations like Moonlight Woodland and Green Cottage were exiled to the Barrens.
Wizards from the Land of Dawn established the Northern Mountains and brought the ruins under control.
They couldn't move the ruins but could enclose them, setting restrictions.
They controlled the ruins' opening, preventing unchecked resource extraction.
The ruins opened every ten years, with limited time and entry slots.
The Land of Dawn controlled slot allocation, requiring approval for Barrens wizard families and organizations.
***
Two months passed quickly. Helag stood with Brack and others at Kent Valley's entrance.
Seven from the Terchy family, including Helag, were going to the Death Swamp Ruins: two crystallized wizards, two liquefied wizards, and three gaseous wizards.
Brack led the group. The other crystallized wizard was an elderly woman named Karen, her skin like withered wood, face deeply lined.
Karen, a Terchy family elder over two hundred years old, was powerful and the group's trump card.
Her goal was to obtain rule-infused items for advancement.
Karen had been stuck as a crystallized wizard, unable to progress.
Despite her age, nearing life's end, advancing to a second-level wizard would grant her longevity.
But the step was difficult.
Karen was determined. If she failed to find rule-infused items, she might not get another chance.
For her, this was an all-out effort.
"We should go. Helag, stay close to me inside, don't wander," Brack advised.
"I understand, Mr. Brack," Helag nodded.
Brack trusted Helag.
Their time together showed Helag's reliability and prudence.
His talent, strength, and character impressed Brack.
Brack saw more potential in Helag than Larry, who only noticed his potion talent.
Brack's experience recognized Helag's vast potential, with potion talent as a bonus.
Brack believed, given time and opportunity, Helag could achieve great things.
CH172
The seven-member team stood together as Elder Karen drew complex runes on the ground with a purple solution.
Helag and the others would be teleported near the Death Swamp Ruins, avoiding a long carriage ride.
During this time, Helag observed the others.
The two liquefied wizards, a man and a woman, seemed to be a couple, both in their thirties or forties.
The two gaseous wizards appeared older, around their fifties, and were there for menial tasks.
Helag would keep all his findings from the ruins, unlike the others, who had to hand theirs over.
An hour later, Elder Karen finished drawing and instructed, "Stand on the runes and don't move, or I won't be responsible if you lose your head."
The group stepped onto the purple runes. Karen raised a staff, chanting.
The runes glowed, releasing a powerful magical wave.
Helag took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing as the space around them distorted.
He glanced at the distant potion garden, now a twisted, rainbow-colored ribbon.
After a brief dizziness, Helag found himself in a plaza.
He saw the others; the gaseous wizards were collapsed, and the liquefied wizards looked unwell.
Only Brack, Elder Karen, and Helag were unaffected, thanks to Helag's strong physique and bloodline.
Helag surveyed the surroundings. The plaza was surrounded by barren land, the ground black and blood-stained.
This black soil differed from Kent Valley's, stained by blood.
Elder Karen cast a spell on the collapsed wizards, quickly reviving them.
"Let's go," she said, leading the way.
Helag followed, glancing back.
He sensed something odd about the distant sky.
Brack noticed and explained, "Only teleportation can bring us here. The Death Swamp Ruins can't be accessed normally."
"We're inside the ruins?" Helag asked.
"Not exactly, this is just the entrance," Brack clarified.
Helag looked back again, noticing the sky seemed enclosed by a gray barrier.
They walked along the barren path, seeing a group ahead.
"Those are the other wizards entering the ruins," Brack whispered.
Helag spotted an old man, Carl from the Moss family, with two liquefied wizards.
Carl noticed Helag, his expression souring.
Though Carl hadn't seen Helag before, he recognized him from descriptions.
Seeing Helag again, Carl was furious.
"If not for this kid, our Moss family wouldn't have suffered so much!"
Their plan failed, resulting in huge losses.
Since they were at fault, they couldn't negotiate favorable terms.
Originally allotted five slots for the ruins, they now had three, with two given to the Terchy family.
The Moss family suffered greatly.
Seeing the Terchy group approach, Carl turned toward a giant purple light gate.
The gate stood ten meters tall, with a purple vortex inside.
Carl and his companions entered the vortex, disappearing.
"Is this the entrance?" Helag asked.
Brack nodded. "Yes, we just go in."
"How do we exit?" Helag wondered.
"Three days later, we'll automatically return here, if you're alive. Many don't come back. So stick with me," Brack advised.
Helag, cautious by nature, wouldn't wander off.
Other wizard groups and families were present, but Helag didn't see anyone from Moonlight Woodland.
Moonlight Woodland and Green Cottage would also explore the ruins, but they hadn't encountered them yet.
Besides the ruins' inherent dangers, other wizards posed threats.
Valuable treasures often led to conflicts.
Elder Karen entered the gate first, vanishing.
Brack followed, with Helag close behind.
Entering the gate, Helag felt nothing, unlike the slight dizziness of teleportation.
As the purple glow faded, a foul stench hit him.
When the light cleared, Helag saw a dilapidated city.
Before him lay a decaying city, its buildings collapsed, untouched for years.
"This was once the City of Chaos, home to many," Brack explained.
Helag activated Deep Blue's environmental scan, staying alert.
"Let's go. Our destination is the Black Forest," Brack said.
This plan was pre-discussed, so Helag was aware.
The Black Forest, a vast resource-rich area within the ruins, lay deep inside.
The deeper they ventured, the rarer the resources.
But deeper meant more danger.
Their main goal was the Black Forest, with only three days, leaving no time for other areas.
The Terchy family knew the Black Forest well, choosing the safest approach.
The forest lay north of the city ruins, requiring them to traverse the ruins first.
The ruins were generally safe.
Karen led, followed by Brack, then Helag.
The liquefied wizards followed Helag, with the gaseous wizards at the rear.
As they passed the ruins, Helag saw many bones, remnants from years ago, indicating long-dead individuals.
CH173
As Helag walked, he felt something was off.
After pondering, he sensed his chest's bloodline mark, realizing the suppression here was weaker.
He recalled the Death Swamp Ruins' origin, once a planar rift, later repaired.
This meant the wizard plane's world will exerted less force on other planar powers here.
Helag felt reassured; if he could use the bloodline mark of the Thunder God Ancestor here, his power would increase significantly.
Elder Karen, leading the group, suddenly stopped.
Her halt made everyone tense.
Helag sensed something unusual.
Ahead, particles floated in the air.
These particles seemed to be seeds from a plant, blown towards them by the wind.
"Shield up, these are Blood Dodder seeds. They'll root in flesh. If they latch on, we can't help you here," Karen warned.
The group quickly shielded themselves and continued.
The Blood Dodder seeds soon surrounded them, tiny and numerous.
The seeds were drawn to their flesh, many attaching themselves.
Helag's Absolute Defense was soon covered in seeds.
He noticed the seeds had tiny tendrils trying to penetrate the shield.
But Absolute Defense kept them out.
Helag used fire energy to scorch the shield's surface, dropping charred seeds to the ground.
After passing through the city ruins, the seeds drifted away.
In the distance, a forest loomed, their destination.
The 1,000-meter stretch between the city and forest was black soil, soaked in blood.
The journey was uneventful, with no incidents.
They entered the Black Forest, and the light dimmed.
"Moonlight Grass!"
Helag spotted Moonlight Grass under a tree, its moon-white leaves distinctive.
Moonlight Grass is used in light spells.
Though rare, light spells are scarce too.
A single Moonlight Grass is worth fifty to sixty magic stones, quite valuable.
After Helag spoke, the others noticed the patch of Moonlight Grass.
There were fifty to sixty plants, worth thousands of magic stones.
But no one moved, waiting for Karen and Brack's orders.
They'd been instructed to follow commands.
No one could act independently, even for potion or spell materials.
These were hard-learned lessons.
Karen glanced over and said, "No problem, you can harvest."
With her permission, Helag and the others began harvesting.
Helag used a specialized spade, working quickly.
He was fast and careful, preserving the plants' integrity.
The others were slower, less skilled.
Helag's potion-making experience made him adept at handling materials.
He was more motivated, as the harvest was his.
The gaseous wizards had to surrender their finds, receiving only rewards.
They lacked Helag's expertise, slowing them down.
After twenty minutes, Helag had eighteen Moonlight Grass in his space ring.
He'd harvested nearly half the patch.
Karen moved ahead, calling, "Time to go."
She limited their harvesting time, requiring them to leave promptly.
Helag's speed allowed him to gather more than the others.
Brack summoned everyone, "Come here, wear this on your wrist."
He handed out wooden bracelets, their material unknown.
"These are Evil Spirit Bracelets. If spirits approach or attack, they'll burn. Stay alert," Brack explained, distributing them.
Brack continued, "Be cautious, and wary. Those around you might pose threats. Don't trust anyone blindly. The Black Forest isn't very dangerous, but it has its troubles."
Though Helag had a more powerful Evil Spirit Crystal, he wore the bracelet for extra safety.
"Pair up, never lose sight of each other," Karen instructed.
She paired Helag with Brack, the liquefied wizards together, and the gaseous wizards together.
"What about you, Lady Karen?" a gaseous wizard asked.
"Don't worry about me," Karen replied coolly.
The group continued through the Black Forest, finding high-grade potion and spell materials.
Helag's haul alone was worth seven to eight thousand magic stones.
The Black Forest was a treasure trove, with valuable finds everywhere.
Two hours in, they encountered no major issues, and the mood lightened.
The wizard couple chatted, as if on a forest outing.
Helag frowned, staying vigilant.
The place couldn't be this simple.
The calmer it seemed, the more cautious he became.
Whoosh!
A shadow flitted through the trees, rustling the leaves.
"What was that?" Helag, ever alert, sensed it with Karen and Brack.
The others approached, unaware of the disturbance.
"Something moved in the trees, very fast," Helag explained.
Karen said, "Likely a magical creature, not undead. Ignore it, keep moving. We're as much a threat to it as it is to us. Together, ordinary creatures won't bother us."
CH174
After this incident, the group became more cautious, the atmosphere tense.
The couple, previously chatting and laughing, realized they were in the Death Swamp Ruins and needed to be careful.
As Helag and the others continued, noises came from the forest ahead, causing them to stop again.
A bipedal monkey jumped from a tree, staring at them.
Elder Karen quickly covered her face with a cloth, saying, "It's a Human-Faced Monkey! Cover your faces."
Confused, everyone covered their faces with whatever they had.
But it was too late.
The Human-Faced Monkey stood about two meters tall, thin as a stick.
Its face was ordinary at first, but then it began to change.
Soon, the monkey's face became human-like.
Everyone thought the face looked familiar.
Helag realized it was his own face, identical.
Elder Karen shrieked, "It's over! Helag! Catch it! Don't let it escape!"
Brack explained to the confused group, "The Human-Faced Monkey is a rare creature in the Death Swamp Ruins. It copies attractive human faces. Any harm to the monkey transfers to the copied person."
"It copied Helag's face, meaning if someone decapitates the monkey, Helag dies too."
Helag felt a chill. This was unpredictable and indefensible.
He was slightly late, and the monkey copied his face.
Being the most attractive, Helag became the target.
"How do we undo this?" Helag asked.
It was tricky; harming the monkey would harm him.
They needed to catch it without injury to break the face copy.
Elder Karen said, "To undo it, find someone more attractive for the monkey to target. Or, the copied person must die."
Helag felt overwhelmed.
Finding someone more attractive?
That was tough.
Especially in the Death Swamp Ruins, where would he find such a person?
"It's escaping! Catch it!" Karen urged.
Helag saw the monkey screech and leap into the trees.
He couldn't let it get away.
Even without a solution, capturing it was the first step.
If it escaped, finding it in the vast, unknown ruins would be impossible.
Unresolved, he could suffer random injuries or even sudden death.
Helag moved swiftly, pursuing it.
Brack called, "Don't go too far, we'll wait here."
"Half an hour, we'll wait," Karen added.
They wouldn't follow; the ruins were dangerous.
Even crystallized wizards were vulnerable here, not risking their lives for Helag.
The monkey problem was Helag's to solve.
They'd wait half an hour, then leave.
Karen's decision was quick, prioritizing the group's safety.
***
Helag pursued the monkey, keeping it in sight.
The monkey was fast, preventing Helag from closing in.
Realizing he'd distanced from the group, Helag activated the Thunder God Ancestor's bloodline mark.
The mark activated, boosting Helag's strength and speed.
The bloodline power continued to surge.
Centered on his chest, blackness spread over his body.
Previously, the wizard plane's world will suppressed this power.
Now, the blackness spread slowly but wasn't fully suppressed.
Minutes later, Helag's body was covered in a metallic black sheen.
"Deep Blue, analyze the bloodline mark's enhancement," Helag instructed.
He felt a significant improvement, unlike before.
[Current bloodline mark enhancements:
Strength +25.3,
Agility +25.7,
Constitution +25.5
]
It was a huge upgrade, with over twenty points added to each attribute.
This wasn't the mark's full power; Helag sensed more untapped strength.
This wasn't the true Abyss Plane, so the mark was limited.
Helag's current state was the mark's initial form, not its full form.
"Malcolm, you'd better hope not to meet me."
Helag felt confident, ready to crush a crystallized wizard.
"Deep Blue, calculate my stats with all boosts, name this state Phase One."
Helag had only activated the bloodline mark, not other boosts.
With all boosts, his stats would be impressive.
[Phase One stats:
Strength 62.5,
Agility 58.6,
Constitution 63.3,
Spirit 52.6
]
Seeing the stats, Helag knew he could handle a crystallized wizard in Phase One.
Though powerful, this state had many limits.
Without the Death Swamp Ruins, Helag couldn't reach Phase One.
Most importantly, he couldn't let other wizards know about this state.
Helag exuded a strong Abyss Plane aura, a mark of abyssal creatures.
If other wizards, especially from the Land of Dawn, found out, he'd be executed as an abyssal creature infiltrator.
Você também pode gostar
Comentário de parágrafo
O comentário de parágrafo agora está disponível na Web! Passe o mouse sobre qualquer parágrafo e clique no ícone para adicionar seu comentário.
Além disso, você sempre pode desativá-lo/ativá-lo em Configurações.
Entendi