Chapter 528: Aberrant Spider Swarm

Chapter 528: Aberrant Spider Swarm

Those with great power, if they can communicate politely and on equal terms, often quickly win the favor of others.

After just a brief chat, many in the Breton caravan put aside their wariness of Rayne and began to chat and laugh. Especially a Breton girl named Ayana, whose bright, wide eyes brimmed with curiosity about Rayne.

"Those wizards in black robes with bones or skulls on their chests are the worst. They actually steal the bodies of our tribal warriors from our graves", Ayana said indignantly.

"Oh? Bones or skulls on their chests?"

"Are they from Tuttesh Academy? I heard they mostly operate on the western side of the Cyrodiil plateau", Rayne asked, slightly puzzled.

"Yes, they used to, but now, there are quite a few wandering Black-robed Mages around our tribe", Ayana nodded, her voice clear and crisp.

"Sir, you mentioned Tuttesh Academy?"

The girl's question inadvertently caught the attention of an old man and a young man nearby. Their bodies stiffened slightly, and Rayne naturally noticed this, smiling faintly.

Clearly, as the main warriors of the tribe, they knew their enemies but chose not to reveal this to the girl.

"Yes", Rayne nodded with a smile.

"I see. By the way, I've also heard that the people in the Breton tribes near the western side are disappearing more frequently. It seems to be related to Tuttesh Academy."

"Sister!" The Breton youth who had been talking to Rayne couldn't help but warn her, signaling for her not to speak recklessly.

After all, in his view, Rayne was a stranger.

Although he wasn't wearing the wizard robes of Tuttesh Academy, there might still be some connection. His sister speaking so frankly could easily lead to trouble.

"Don't worry, I'm not familiar with them, and I'm certainly not their friend."

"By the way, have you reported this to the empire?"

"Also, I heard that the Isodrial Academy has significant influence in the Cyrodiil plateau. Why aren't they dealing with this?" Rayne smiled, trying to steer the conversation toward the Isodrial Academy.

The empire's upper echelons allowed large wizard academies to enjoy preferential rights in a region, but also tasked them with maintaining the region's safety and orderly development.

"In the past, it was better. The Yellow-robed Mages, who control earth and stone, would intervene and sometimes even clash with the Black-robed Mages. But in recent years, such occurrences have become less frequent, and they don't seem to care anymore."

This time, the Breton youth spoke up for his sister.

However, he seemed wary of both academies, referring to the Isodrial Academy's wizards as Yellow-robed Mages and the Tuttesh Academy's wizards as Black-robed Mages.

"As for the empire, there's hardly anyone around except in Nelheim", the youth said with a hint of disdain.

Though blunt, Rayne knew he was telling the truth.

Even the empire's swordsmen had not established a significant branch in the Cyrodiil plateau, only maintaining a small outpost in Nelheim with a few personnel.

"By the way, it seems your minerals are being sent to a specific guild?" Rayne recalled the old man's troubled expression and asked.

"Yes, sir. These minerals are to be delivered to the Granite Guild, which is affiliated with the Isodrial Academy you mentioned."

"Do you know what they need these metal minerals for?"

"Not really, but I once overheard a Yellow-robed Mage muttering something about Metal Golems", the Breton youth thought for a moment and said.

Just as Rayne was about to ask more, a sharp bone whistle sounded:

"Left front, Aberrant Spider Swarm! A large number!"

"Trouble!" The Breton youth, Antaruka, sprang up like a leopard and rushed forward.

Rayne's eyes narrowed as he looked in the direction the Bretons were quickly forming a defensive line.

A swarm of fist-sized black-spotted spiders was rapidly approaching the caravan. Their numbers were vast, looking like a large, black blanket swiftly moving across the ground.

"Aberrant Spider Swarm?" Rayne asked, puzzled.

"Yes, sir. In recent years, these black spiders have become more common, but I hardly saw any when I was a child. The elders in our tribe say these are invasive species", Ayana explained.

"Oh? Are they hard to deal with?"

"Not really if there are only a few. An experienced tribesman can handle four or five. The problem is, whenever these Aberrant Spider Swarms appear, they come in large groups, at least a dozen."

"So, if the elderly, women, and children encounter them while out, they are sure to be harmed. Even the young and strong must be cautious", Ayana said, her face clouded with worry as she watched the black swarm approaching.

At that moment, Rayne saw the Aberrant Spider Swarm engage the Breton warriors.

As the arcs of their sharp axes cut through the air, black blood and chitinous shells splattered. The front row of black-spotted spiders was cut down in large numbers, but more spiders continued to surge forward from behind.

At the same time, these spiders began to spray webs that emitted a faint black glow, or spew out oily green venom.

"Be careful!"

These webs were particularly sticky. The Breton warriors who were accidentally ensnared found themselves as if glued by a powerful adhesive, making it extremely difficult to break free, and their movement speeds drastically reduced.

The oily green venom was even more dangerous, acting like sulfuric acid. Once it made contact, even the Breton's robust physiques would instantly redden, swell, blister, and begin to rot.

"These webs and venom are the most troublesome", Ayana said with a scowl.

However, she wasn't overly concerned. As expected, when the leader of the Breton group, Ayana's brother Antaruka, began to have his skin turn red and his body grow larger, the battle began to wind down.

"Indeed, he has giant blood, even though the bloodline concentration is only at a weak level, it's still enough to sway the outcome of a small-scale battle", Rayne immediately assessed Antaruka's capabilities.

"Hmm? This faint aura seems to be..."

Rayne's eyes narrowed, deep in thought.

As a high-ranking wizard of Late Dawn, Rayne's senses were extremely acute. He had just noticed that, after the black-striped spiders died, along with the foul-smelling blood and entrails, there was a faint and familiar aura.

This aura was extremely weak, and initially, Rayne hadn't paid much attention to it. But as more of the mutant spiders died, he began to notice.

"It seems almost identical to the aura that Stavin released at the end."

After a moment's consideration, Rayne was certain of this.

"Do these mutant spiders not seem particularly strong? Or is there another, more powerful individual?" Rayne asked again.

"Yes, my lord. The strength of these mutant spiders varies. Some individuals are very powerful", the Breton elder who had spoken earlier replied.

"However, the most troublesome aspect is their strong reproductive ability. They drag the corpses of their prey into deep underground burrows and lay eggs on the bodies. Before long, more spiders are born."

"There should be a mutant spider nest nearby."

"Oh? Can you take me to see it?" Rayne thought for a moment and asked.

"Of course", the elder readily agreed, perhaps also curious to see Rayne's capabilities.

"I'll go too! I'll go too! I've never seen a mutant spider nest before!" Ayana said excitedly.

"Sister!"

At that moment, the Breton youth Antaruka, who was covered in blood, approached quickly with his battle axe in hand.

"Brother, with you and the elder here, I'll be fine, right?" Ayana tugged at her brother's hand, shaking it forcefully.

"Alright! But you must stay by my side and not run around", the youth sighed, shaking his head.

Rayne couldn't help but smile at this scene, reminiscent of his own sister, Mint.

At that moment, a giant eagle circled in the northwest sky for a while, as if indicating a direction.

"There it is!"

Soon, Rayne, the Breton elder, Antaruka, and a few others arrived at the edge of a yellowish-brown stretch of land.

The area was several hundred square meters, and the once lush mountain meadow had withered, now covered in yellow, dry grass. More noticeable were the numerous fist-sized holes, densely packed like scars on the earth.

Small gray spiders could be seen emerging from these holes and quickly entering others, moving constantly.

"Indeed, it is related to Nayubrekkan", Rayne mused.

Here, the aura was slightly more concentrated, though it was still almost imperceptible to those below the Dawn Wizard level.

"But this area was originally under the control of the Isodrial Academy. Even if ordinary school wizards are unaware of the secrets behind the mutant spider swarm, Stewart, the Dawn Wizard with the title 'Shield of Stone,' shouldn't have ignored reports from his subordinates!"

"Why would he allow the Tuttesh Academy to behave this way?"

"Could it be..." Rayne's eyes narrowed, a vague suspicion forming in his mind.

At that moment, the Breton elder spoke up:

"My lord, these holes may look small, but they are dug very deep. We've tried methods like pouring boiling water, but they've been ineffective. Only a high-ranking earth wizard using earth magic can completely eliminate the mutant spider swarm in this area."

Rayne nodded, saying nothing, but he had already decided to deal with the nest since he had encountered it.

After all, it would be simple for him.

He stepped forward a few paces and bent down, placing his palm lightly on the ground.

Seeing Rayne's action, the Breton elder and the others watched curiously, wondering what the unfamiliar wizard intended to do.

Suddenly!

Dark silver ripples spread from the young human wizard's palm, covering the entire area.

In the next instant!

A series of sharp 'hissing' sounds were heard as sharp, dark silver metal spikes grew from the ground and the holes, forming a forest of thorns!

"Screech!"

The densely packed holes echoed with the dying screams of the mutant spiders, but the sounds quickly faded into silence.

After completing this, Rayne smiled, slowly stood up, and noticed that the Breton elder and the others were frozen in place, mouths agape and eyes wide, unable to tear their gaze away from the scene.

"Y-You are a high-ranking wizard?" the Breton elder couldn't help but ask.

Rayne glanced at the distant outline of Nelheim, which was now faintly visible, and did not answer Elder Breton’s question. Instead, he smiled slightly and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have some other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave here.”

“Sir, what’s your name?” Ayana couldn’t help but call out.

“Sister!” Antaruka quickly reprimanded her.

The young wizard's strength was simply unfathomable, and the energy fluctuations he had emitted were terrifying.

They all knew that from the beginning, the young wizard had no ill intentions. Otherwise, not only he, but the entire caravan would have been nothing more than a nest of strange spiders to him, easily extinguished with a casual gesture.

In the next instant, Rayne had vanished from his spot.

“My name is Rayne!”

However, a voice echoed from afar.

“This—”

The scene before them was beyond the Brytons’ imagination. They had seen wizards before, and even had a high priest in their clan who could rival a wizard, but the sudden disappearance was something they had never witnessed.

“A miracle,” Elder Breton murmured.

“Lord Rayne,” Ayana tried to engrave that figure in her mind.

Since his current location was not far from the Isodrial Academy’s base, Rayne used a bit of ‘Shadow Traverse’ and soon arrived outside Nelheim.

“Hmm, the defenses are quite tight.”

Rayne could easily discern that the entire city of Nelheim was enveloped in a massive witchcraft array, though it seemed to serve only a detection purpose.

After a moment’s thought, Rayne vanished again, as if merging into a bubble, and then reappeared on the roof of a house.

His actions did not trigger any alerts from the massive detection array, as if he had blended in rather than intruded.

Rayne surveyed the city, noting the neatly arranged two- or three-story stone-roofed houses, and the prominent grand hall at the city center, which was the imposing Isodrial Academy’s base.

In the evening, there were quite a few people around, most of whom, judging by their attire, were nomads or minorities like the Brytons.

“To occupy the core of a city like this.”

“Unfortunately, allowing evil deities and secret cults to run rampant, their virtue does not match their position.”

Rayne shook his head and appeared in front of the Isodrial Academy’s main entrance in the next instant.

“Huh? How did someone suddenly appear here?” Several guards rubbed their eyes and looked at each other, disbelief evident in their expressions.

“Who are you?” one guard asked cautiously.

“Please inform them that Rayne has arrived,” Rayne said calmly.

“Wait a moment.”

Seeing Rayne’s almost eerie appearance, the guard did not dare to delay and quickly ran to a guard post, reporting to a Third-Rank Apprentice who seemed to be in charge:

“Sir, someone has come to visit.”

The Third-Rank Apprentice was flipping through an ancient book and, upon hearing the report, casually looked up. Seeing Rayne’s youthful face, he thought, “Another young person looking to join the school?”

“What does he want? Did you ask?” the Third-Rank Apprentice asked lazily.

“I—forgot to ask. I’ll go and ask him right away,” the guard, still stunned by Rayne’s sudden appearance, replied.

“Never mind, most young wanderers are here to join the school. Tell him the selection period is over and to come back next year,” the Third-Rank Apprentice said, not looking up and waving his hand.

“Um—” The guard instinctively felt that this person was different, but he had indeed forgotten to ask and was momentarily hesitant.

“Oh, what’s his name?” the Third-Rank Apprentice suddenly asked, seemingly struck by a whim.

“He said his name is Rayne!”

“What! Rayne?” The Third-Rank Apprentice snapped his head up, looking at Rayne!

He had just received instructions that if a Dawn Wizard named Rayne visited, they were to report it immediately. However, the higher-ups had not mentioned that the person would be so young!

By this time, Rayne was growing impatient. He slightly channeled his psi energy and said, “Lord Stewart, Rayne has arrived!”

Instantly, an invisible sound wave radiated from Rayne, spreading toward the Isodrial Academy’s grand hall. The last four words grew louder and louder, and when the sound wave reached the front of the hall, it was like a tidal wave or a thunderclap in the clear sky!

At that moment, inside the Isodrial Academy’s council hall.

Four Crystal Apex Mages, including the deputy head Malcolm, and the Dawn Wizard Stewart Aber, known as the ‘Shield of Stone,’ who sat at the head of the long wooden table, were in the middle of a discussion.

“Head, do you really think that Rayne will come directly to the Cyrodiil Plateau?” an elderly wizard with graying hair asked.

“This is no longer a matter of belief. According to reliable sources, Rayne left Minstrel half a day ago, and the dirigible was heading northwest, meaning he is likely heading straight for the Cyrodiil Plateau and our school,” Malcolm explained.

“This—this young man is indeed too arrogant. He has just reached the Dawn Wizard level, and yet he dares to be so disrespectful!” another elderly wizard with a mustache shook his head.

The old wizard, who was toying with a brownish-yellow sphere, spoke with a teasing tone.

"Ha ha ha!"

The others found his words amusing and burst into laughter.

At that moment, a thunderous voice echoed through the grand hall!

"Rayne has arrived!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end