Chapter 350: The Beginning
Chapter 350: The Beginning
Vire Town.
After a long journey, they had returned to where it all began.
Back then, Linen was just a failed academy examinee, expelled as a novice apprentice wizard.
Now,
He had become a First Circle Mid-stage Wizard! In less than a year, his strength and status had undergone a dramatic transformation.
"Sister Mandy," Linen said as he entered the apothecary and handed over the required ingredients, casually asking, "Have you received the Holy Source Drops?"
"Wizard Linen, you can still call me Mandy. You're not the insignificant person you once were," Mandy replied with a shake of her head, taking the list and gathering the ingredients one by one.
"Holy Source Drops are Third Rank Mana Potions, extremely rare. Even we have to wait for the opportunity to obtain them," Mandy explained.
"Hmm..." Linen stroked his chin, not changing his way of addressing her:
"But with the backing of the Rose Academy, they shouldn't lack such resources, right?"
Rose Academy.
One of the four major forces on the Calim continent, rumored to be led by a Sixth Circle Wizard, and where the founder of Viper Academy, Aksha, was said to have originated.
"The Rose Academy might not lack resources, but getting them from their hands is another matter," Mandy sighed. "I've been urging them, and with the apothecary's years of contributions, we should be able to secure them by the end of the year."
Holy Source Drops were advanced water mana potions. Consuming them granted a significant increase in resistance to flames, a permanent enhancement in theory.
An ordinary person who consumed the drops and survived could walk through a sea of fire unscathed.
For Linen, it would make refining the Second Rank Flame much easier, reducing the risk of being burned to death during the process.
On one hand,
Linen worked hard to earn credits to exchange for the Second Rank Flame.
On the other hand,
He sought the Holy Source Drops from Mandy.
With this two-pronged approach, once he obtained the Second Rank Flame, he could refine it immediately, simultaneously boosting his cultivation.
"I'll wait for your good news," Linen said, gathering the ingredients and waving his hand.
"Let me know as soon as you have it. Don't give it to anyone else. I'll be going now."
"Don't worry, no one else can use this," Mandy assured him, nodding. "Goodbye."
...
The Official Road.
This was the main route from Iron Curtain City to Viper Academy.
At that moment, the wide road looked like it had been plowed in half, with mud and debris scattered everywhere.
A beast of burden, a horned beast, lay on the ground, its throat torn open in a gruesome sight, blood seeping from the wound.
Dozens of abyssal creatures crouched over the beast's corpse, devouring its flesh and occasionally letting out skyward roars, expressing their satisfaction.
On the other side,
Survivors from the caravan were surrounded by the Demon Hunter Corps, desperately fighting but unable to break through their defenses.
As their defenses were about to collapse...
"Boom!"
The ground shook violently.
Streaks of flames erupted from beneath the earth, soaring towards the sky, burning several knights of the Demon Hunter Corps to ashes.
With a loud rumble, a colossal lion, several meters tall, charged forward, roaring.
The lion was enveloped in flames, and wherever its feet touched, magma formed. With a single pounce, it knocked down several people.
It took a mighty bite, tearing a senior apprentice wizard in half, and with a spit of fire, it reduced a legendary knight to ashes.
Like an ancient ferocious beast, the lion wreaked havoc, causing the Demon Hunter Corps' formation to crumble instantly.
"Hmm..."
One of the survivors hurriedly blew a horn, and the abyssal creatures nearby, still tearing at corpses, lifted their heads at the sound.
As if summoned, they let out shrill roars and charged towards the lion.
"Boom!"
"Puff! Puff!"
The monsters, driven by their mindless ferocity, continued to charge, engulfing the Colossal Lion.
However, they were clearly no match for the lion's might, and even with their combined efforts, they could only inflict a minor wound on its body.
Conversely, the enraged lion tore through the Abyssal creatures, shredding them to pieces, while the inferno of flames engulfed the entire area.
The tide of battle was turning.
First-Circle Spell—Sigh of the Ice Maiden!
An intense chill permeated the air, instantly freezing everything within a radius of several dozen meters into a crystal of ice.
Even the Flame Lion was momentarily frozen in place.
"Elliot."
Beastfolk Nikol, a Late-First Circle Wizard from Viper Academy, a sage among beastmen, and a genius of Shadow Magic, appeared above the ice crystal, staff in hand. He tapped the crystal with his staff and looked up at the sky:
"I'll take over from here."
"Crack!"
"Crash!"
With a subtle gesture, Nikol shattered the frozen crystal, freeing the trapped lion, which leaped out instantly.
The lion's body was covered in wounds, and its eyes showed exhaustion as it transformed back into Linen.
"Nikol."
Linen gasped:
"Thanks, it's up to you now."
"Mhm."
Beastfolk Nikol nodded:
"Linen, your strength is impressive, and your cultivation has reached the Mid-First Circle. But your techniques are still lacking."
"We are wizards, harnessing the power of the heavens through our wisdom. Relying solely on brute force is not the right path."
Linen forced a bitter smile.
He didn't find Nikol's words harsh; in fact, if they weren't close, Nikol wouldn't have spoken so frankly.
Linen's situation was unique, having experienced a rapid surge in cultivation in a short time. If his techniques couldn't keep up, it would naturally raise suspicions.
So, he had no choice but to 'play dumb.'
"Retreat!"
Linen stepped back and waved to the group of Advanced Wizard Apprentices who had caught up:
"This is a Late-First Circle Wizard's Spell Combat. We can't interfere; it's safer to keep our distance."
"Let's take the rescued and go!"
"Yes!" With Nikol absent, Linen took charge of the group and led them back the way they came.
"You all go ahead." As they passed a bend in the mountain path, Linen's eyes flickered, and he gestured to the others:
"I'll go back and see if I can help."
"But..." An Advanced Wizard Apprentice hesitated, then nodded firmly:
"Be careful."
In his eyes, Linen, a Mid-First Circle Wizard, was still qualified to participate in the rear-guard battle.
Soon, Linen reappeared near the battlefield.
"Stealth, ambush, poison, traps... These are all the Demon Hunter Corps' specialties."
"Heh..."
"I can do that too!"
Linen transformed into a meter-long fire snake, slithering silently towards a large tree.
When he was just a few meters away, he suddenly opened his jaws, and his body elongated to over ten meters in an instant.
"Boom!"
The tree trembled, but it was too late to react as the giant snake coiled around it and swallowed it whole.
"Crack!"
The wizard hidden within the tree was instantly bitten in half, meeting a swift and brutal end.
"Another great achievement."
Spitting out the corpse, Linen chuckled:
"I'll borrow some from Maggie, and I should be able to get that Nether Flame!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
