Chapter 102: A Rank 2 Creature of the Abyssal Lineage (Seeking Collection)

Chapter 102: A Rank 2 Creature of the Abyssal Lineage (Seeking Collection)



Fragment of the Divine Domain.

"Should be safe now, right?"

Karl appeared deep in thought, seated on a high-backed chair.

At the last moment, he had turned back to check, and someone had indeed entered the fortress in Lim Canyon.

Aya should be among them.

The canyon's terrain couldn't accommodate the massive size of legendary creatures, and even if ordinary merfolk ventured in, they had the strength to resist.

Moreover, there was also the presence of a Grand Knight among them.

Beyond Lim Canyon lay vast plains and forests, providing ample space for concealment.

"I've done all I could. I've left nothing to chance, and now it's up to fate. I hope Aya and the others are safe."

Shaking his head, Karl withdrew from his thoughts.

He had hardly had a moment to breathe during this time, and now he finally had the opportunity to take stock of his gains.

He took out items obtained from the home of Berd, the Second Elder of the Scythe Brotherhood, and placed them on the table, opening each one.

There were six wooden boxes of various sizes.

"Clink..."

Two of the boxes contained processed legendary creature flesh, a substance highly beneficial to the cultivation of Grand Knights.

It was no wonder that these were among Berd's treasures.

"Pearl?"

Two pearls, each the size of a bird's egg, rested in the same box, cushioned by thick, plush padding to prevent them from colliding.

The pearls were perfectly round, like dewdrops crystallized under moonlight, emitting an elegant and mysterious luster.

There was no need for further explanation.

Such quality was indeed rare.

However, while pearls might be scarce elsewhere, in Free Harbor, they were not considered exceptionally precious.

After all, the sea was abundant with pearls.

"Hmm..."

Karl picked up a pearl and held it close to his eyes.

In the light, it seemed to possess life, its colors pure and deep, like the currents of the deep sea.

There was a special aura swirling within.

Karl's eyes lit up:

"So it's a Water-Repelling Orb!"

Water-Repelling Orbs were produced by a creature called a Mermaid from the Endless Ocean, and they were extremely rare magical materials.

Holding a Water-Repelling Orb, one could dive into the deep sea without knowing how to swim, free from breathing concerns.

If crafted into an enchanted artifact, it would significantly enhance the power and resistance of water-based wizardry.

"What a treasure!"

Karl admired it for a long time before carefully placing it back in the wooden box and then opening the fourth box, the largest one.

"Creak!"

Inside were some books and several worn-out artifacts.

Hmm? Karl raised an eyebrow.

He had never heard anyone mention that Berd was also a scholar with a penchant for collecting artifacts.

"The Moon Festival"

"Prayer Ceremony"

...

All the books were related to deities, various prayer rituals, and the blessings bestowed by the gods.

The artifacts were also items required for the ceremonies.

"What's this for?"

Karl shook his head and, from the bottom of the box, pulled out a book titled "Bloodspike Breath Technique," and he somewhat understood Berd's intentions.

Legendary!

As a Grand Knight, who wouldn't aspire to become legendary?

Berd didn't possess the bloodline of a Duke, and to ascend to legend, he could only pray for divine blessing.

Unfortunately,

As evidenced by the outcome, all his efforts were in vain.

Even the priests dedicated to serving the gods couldn't sense the existence of the divine. How, then, could Berd have received divine blessings?

"God?"

Karl stroked his chin:

"I am the master of the Fragment of the Divine Domain. I wonder if I count as a divine being and if I can bestow blessings upon others?"

"If it's possible..."

"Can I bestow blessings upon myself, using this to advance to legend? Is this path feasible?"

"Heh..."

He chuckled lightly, returned the items, and closed the wooden box. The current him was still far from ascending to legend.

Moreover, he might not even continue on the path of knighthood in the future.

"Creak!"

He opened another box.

Inside was a white feather.

The feather was about a foot long, light and graceful, pure white and translucent, exuding a transcendent feel.

When he reached out to touch it, it was soft and delicate, like brushing against fine wool, and incredibly comfortable.

Gently shaking it...

"Pshh!"

A bolt of lightning appeared out of thin air.

Karl's hand trembled, and the feather fell to the ground. He remained stiff for a long time before recovering from the tingling sensation.

"Magical material?"

Looking at the feather on the ground, his eyes still held fear:

"What kind of creature did this feather come from?"

He was a Grand Knight, and his defense far exceeded that of an ordinary Grand Knight, yet he was still unable to move due to the electricity.

If this was just a feather from some creature, how powerful must that creature's true form be?

A legendary creature?

No! A legendary creature couldn't achieve this!

Holding the feather lightly with the hand of a Minor Mage, he placed it back in the wooden box, and Karl carefully put away the item.

He didn't know where Berd had obtained this, and for now, it was still beyond his reach.

"Berd is full of surprises. I must say... no wonder he has held the finances of the Scythe Brotherhood for so many years. Your collection is truly unexpected. I should be the one thanking you."

The last box.

Divine Blessing!

There were five of them!

Looking at the Divine Blessings before him, Karl couldn't help but smile.

"Looks like Asis was right. Berd did indeed privately possess Divine Blessings, and there are five of them."

As compensation and the price to redeem a Grand Knight, the Scythe Brotherhood would only offer four.

Berd privately possessed five.

Shaking his head, Karl waved his hand and transformed the Divine Blessings before him into Essence.

Another eight Divine Blessings, or 0.8 essence, were gifted by Sea God Hawk, totaling eight.

Adding the 0.2 essence obtained from killing the Giant Squid earlier.

1!

An unprecedented harvest.

He waved his hand, and a data panel appeared.

Name: Karl

Constitution: 3.84

Mental Power: 3.74

Essence: 1

Karl's chin dropped as he stared at the data panel, his eyes flickering.

Name: Karl

Constitution: 3.84

Mental Power: 4.24

Essence: 0

He converted all his essence into mental power at a 2:1 ratio, and his mental power soared to 4.24.

"Perhaps I should learn a few Zero-Ring Spells specialized in damage, like Multi-Water Arrow."

Support spells would only increase defense, making it difficult to convert mental power into attack power.

This was why he hadn't returned to improve himself earlier.

His defense was already strong, making it challenging for Peak Knights to break through. Even against Legendary creatures, the benefits of increasing stats were minimal.

If he added essence to his constitution, he could enhance his attack power, but in the long run, it wasn't cost-effective.

If he cultivated offensive spells, the increase in mental power could quickly convert into attack power.

Even against Legendary creatures, there was a chance of victory.

Of course,

this was under the condition that his mental power had already increased.

"High Wizard Apprentices with the ability to kill Peak Knights are not uncommon."

"My time as a High Wizard Apprentice was too short, and my accumulation is insufficient. I don't even have a good grasp of many spells."

Karl sighed.

"If it were mentor Adolph, dealing with Free Harbor would be much easier than for me."

He shook his head and couldn't help but laugh.

Ordinary High Wizard Apprentices were all elders in their sixties or seventies, with decades more of accumulation than him.

Comparing himself to them

wasn't normal.

"If I follow the standard path of a Water Wizard, I should learn Multi-Water Arrow first, then spend a decade or two to increase my mental power to 5, and only then attempt to learn First Rank Sorcery, Tidal Force."

"And while learning spells, I should take Green Potions to connect with the Astral Plane."

Karl took a deep breath.

"At most, by the time I'm fifty, I'll have a chance to become a Full Wizard."

"But..."

"Compared to the natural path of a Water Wizard, the path of a Bloodline Wizard seems more suitable for me."

He looked at the corpses of several Legendary creatures in the field.

Among the Legendary creatures he encountered, this one was the strongest.

"Umm..."

"I should probably learn Multi-Water Arrow first to temporarily boost my attack power."

With various buffs, the damage of Multi-Water Arrow should be no weaker than Supreme Seal Earthquake Impact.

...

A few days later.

During this time, Karl did not return to Free Harbor but stayed on Black Swamp Island.

Early morning.

Heibel opened her eyes, stretching her slender arms from under the soft blanket.

She turned and pressed Karl's arm under his neck.

"You're awake?"

"Yeah."

Karl looked at the ceiling, his eyes unfocused.

"Thinking about something?" Heibel asked, moving her body.

"I have a lot on my mind this early."

"Some questions about spells." Karl's voice was lost.

"There are a few things I can't figure out. I thought my accumulation was enough, but it seems I'm still lacking."

In recent days, while studying Legendary creatures, he encountered several new problems.

Progress was slow.

"Spells?" Heibel asked.

"Do you want to talk about it? As a favor for last night, I can help you solve it for free."

"You?" Karl shook his head.

"Never mind."

Heibel pouted. She understood that this was how wizards reacted when they encountered unsolvable problems.

She herself had been stumped by a few Zero-Ring Spells.

Since Karl didn't want to talk, she assumed there was something he didn't want to share. She didn't press further.

"Junior Brother."

Heibel sighed, moving her body.

"Women don't like men without initiative. You can't always expect me to..."

Karl came back to his senses and hugged her.

At breakfast, Heibel cut a piece of meat with a knife, smiling at Karl, clearly satisfied with his earlier performance.

She thought for a moment and asked,

"After some time, I'll invite a few friends. Is it convenient for you to meet them?"

"Friends?"

Karl shook his head.

"Alright then." Heibel sighed.

"Sometimes, don't let the current problem block your vision. Perhaps you can skip this problem or change your approach, and suddenly, you might find the answer."

"I'm full!"

She put down her knife and fork and stood up to leave.

"Try a different approach?"

Karl paused, deep in thought.

...

Fragment of the Divine Domain.

"Heibel was right," Karl muttered. "I should try a different approach. Perhaps my initial thinking was wrong from the start."

Karl muttered to himself as he meticulously sorted various materials on the experimental table, his wizard hands working with precision.

Brandishing a rapier, he sliced off a thin layer of flesh from the giant squid.

The creature's flesh was remarkably firm, and even without its vitality, cutting it was no easy task.

The flesh was levitated by an invisible force and slowly submerged into a bottle filled with an eerie blue liquid.

"Sizzle!"

Thick white smoke billowed out.

"That's not right," Karl shook his head, adjusting the liquid and re-submerging the flesh.

He continued to experiment, making small adjustments each time.

After a while, he stared at the flesh submerged in the bottle, his expression complex, filled with surprise, joy, and a hint of confusion.

"This giant squid isn't a legendary creature."

"It's..."

"A second-rank creature!"

Legendary creatures were a general term, indicating beings with extraordinary power, setting them apart from ordinary creatures.

In the wizard's knowledge system, legendary creatures had another formal term.

First-rank creatures! Correspondingly, there were first-rank wizards.

And for second-rank creatures, there were second-rank wizards.

"No wonder the initial experiments kept failing. It turns out this giant squid isn't a legendary creature."

"The methods used on legendary creatures would naturally be ineffective on it."

"A second-rank creature!"

Karl took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with determination. "If I can analyze it and use it to cultivate bloodline magic, I can not only become a full wizard..."

"...but even become a second-rank wizard without any issues!"

If successful, it meant that Karl's path to becoming a second-rank wizard would be almost obstacle-free.

While many advanced wizard apprentices worried about becoming full wizards, he had already gained access to the realm of second-rank wizards.

Naturally, he was overjoyed.

"Strange!"

After the initial joy, Karl's expression turned perplexed again.

"If it's truly a second-rank creature, its strength is too weak. It's only slightly stronger than ordinary creatures."

He hadn't seen a true second-rank creature before, but he had witnessed the power of second-rank wizards.

The grey-robed wizard, Addison, was a second-rank wizard. With his strength, he could effortlessly wipe out the Dragon King's Merchant Guild.

Not just the Dragon King's Merchant Guild, but a second-rank wizard given enough time could easily conquer the entire Free Harbor without any issues.

The strength of a second-rank creature, while not as powerful as a second-rank wizard, shouldn't be this weak.

"Strange!"

Despite the confusion, it was indeed a second-rank creature. Next, he needed to analyze its attributes.

An ink-filled quill hovered in the air, writing and drawing on parchment, recording data.

"Water bloodline!"

"Gravity trait!"

"Hmm...and a portion of nightmare bloodline..."

"Shadow lineage!"

Karl's eyes lit up. "A creature with so many bloodline traits...I feel like I've encountered something similar before."

He closed his eyes, recalling various pieces of knowledge, especially certain records from Adolph's collection becoming clearer.

"Abyssal lineage!"

"An abyssal second-rank creature!"

The space seemed to ripple like a pond, and a figure emerged, quickly scanning the surroundings.

The location was a plain in front of Lim Canyon.

The earth was cracked and barren,

with sparse vegetation.

Numerous corpses were scattered around,

their stench filling the air as flies buzzed and scavenger birds squawked, occasionally landing to feast.

A withered, towering tree stood in the desolate land,

seemingly telling a tale of sorrow.

Up ahead,

the fortress at the entrance of Lim Canyon had collapsed, blocking the canyon with piles of rubble.

Behind,

Free Harbor was still enveloped in thick fog, and merfolk could be seen moving on the outskirts.

It had been nearly a month since Karl's last departure.

"Squawk!"

Above, several birds circled in the sky, occasionally flapping their wings to hide in the low-hanging clouds.

Karl loosened his grip on the sword hilt and strode towards Lim Canyon.

The rubble blocked the entrance, but it couldn't stop a great knight like him. He traversed the terrain and reached the other side of the canyon in no time.

After walking for a while, a human settlement came into view.

His presence had been detected early on by the patrolling inspectors with eagle-eye seals. Before he even got close, people were already waving at him.

"Mr. Karl!"

Susan and Connie waved from a distance, their eyes filled with surprise.

Susan approached, examining Karl from head to toe, her eyes sparkling with joy. "You're safe, it's truly..."

"Wonderful!"

Earlier, Karl had used a secret technique, transforming into a giant, and charged into the merfolk crowd, buying them time to escape.

After that, he hadn't appeared again.

Everyone assumed he had perished, as even a great knight couldn't have survived such a situation.

But...

he was still alive!

"Mr. Karl."

Conny's voice tape exclaimed:

"I thought I'd never see you again. When they said it was you, I didn't believe it."

"Lucky." Karl smiled and spoke, "I cultivated a martial art that can conceal my aura, so I survived. But because of my injuries, I didn't come until now."

"It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay." Susan nodded repeatedly.

"Let's go!"

"First, go see the others. You don't know, that girl Aya cried for several days and hasn't recovered yet. Knowing that you're back, I don't know how happy she'll be."

"Hmm." Karl took a step forward.

"How are the others?"

"The others..." Susan's face darkened.

"The Lady is dead. Elder Crow used a forbidden technique, burning his life force, and probably won't last much longer."

"Odysseus is also dead."

"Miss Lula has changed a lot."

"..."

Familiar names, one after another, meant familiar faces fading into darkness, causing Karl to sigh helplessly.

"The Sea God Guild also suffered heavy losses." Conny interjected.

"Apart from Chairman Hawk, only Elder Hunt survived among the Grand Knights. Most of the people here escaped in batches later on."

"Free Harbor..."

"Something seems to be happening there, according to those who escaped. Many people's bodies have undergone strange changes, probably turning into Merfolk."

Turning into Merfolk?

Karl's eyebrows furrowed.

Free Harbor was a large city with a population of several hundred thousand. If they all turned into Merfolk...

"Why are you staying here?"

Karl spoke up, "It's too close to Free Harbor."

"Even with the speed of the Merfolk, it would take at least a day and a night to get here from Free Harbor." Conny explained.

"That's enough time for us to relocate to another place."

"We don't need to worry too much about safety."

"Karl." Susan added, "The people of Free Harbor fish and hunt for a living. Leaving the Endless Sea, they have no means of survival."

"Miss Lula and Chairman Hawk have discussed finding a similar coastal area to Free Harbor and rebuilding the city."

"Moreover..."

She lowered her voice, "We received a message from the Duke's envoy, saying they would come to suppress the Demon God and told us not to leave."

"We should probably build a city nearby, recruit people, and wait for the Duke's army to retake Free Harbor."

Oh!

Karl's eyes flickered.

If Duke Ferdinand is willing to take action, that's the best outcome. No wonder they didn't leave.

"Uncle!"

Aya stood under a tree, her face covered in tears.

...

Autumn passed, and winter arrived.

Several days of heavy snow covered the Black Swamp in a layer of white, making even the sky seem brighter.

"Creak... creak..."

The group stepped on the snow, making strange sounds with each step.

"This way!"

Heibel stretched out her hand, "This snow came just in time. It's a good opportunity to rest, and the captain won't complain."

She joined a team exploring the interior of the Swamp Alliance and made many friends. Today, they had arranged to gather on the island.

Some people were visiting the island for the first time, their faces filled with curiosity.

And envy!

Most of them were Intermediate Wizard Apprentices, not very old, and not yet qualified to own an island.

Heibel's living environment was obviously better than the others.

"Yeah." Lawson from the hillside cottage nodded, subconsciously looking at the snow house on the island.

"Is Karl still busy?"

"Don't worry about him." Heibel shook her head, "He's been obsessed with studying wizardry lately and doesn't see anyone."

"Wizardry?" A young man in a fancy outfit smiled upon hearing this.

"I remember Karl's wizardry talent is average. There's no need to spend so much time on wizardry."

"Matt!" Heibel frowned.

"He's my junior."

Matt shrugged.

The young man had a crush on Heibel, and naturally, he felt hostile towards Karl, who was on the same island.

"Hehe..." A female Wizard Apprentice laughed, "Heibel, I heard that Karl, the Wizard Apprentice, saved your life and has a story to tell."

"Matt, do you want to listen?"

Matt's face darkened.

"Come!"

Lawson waved, "Let's go inside and sit. Herty said that you bought a lot of good things for the gathering, Heibel."

"Yes." Heibel smiled and nodded, "And thanks to Heibel, the coins invested in her have earned me a lot of profits."

"No less than exploring the Black Swamp."

Heibel's younger sister, Herty, seemed to be a business genius. The land she bought at a low price has now increased in value several times over.

The price trend hasn't reached its peak yet.

As investors, Heibel and Karl earned a fortune, while her brother, Lawson, regretted not investing and showed his disappointment.

"Come!"

"This is top-quality wine from Sack Capital. They say the grapes there are of exceptional quality."

"Let's taste it!"

In the hall, the long dining table was already filled with food, and the enticing aroma lingered in the air.

"Let's toast to a healthy and happy new year!"

"To health and happiness!"

"Cheers!"

On both sides of the island, one side was lively and bustling, while the other was silent.

Seeking monthly votes!!!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end