He chose six casts of the same 1st-circle spell. Whether he was able to preserve those six spells before he entered the cavern was the key for Marvin’s plan to succeed.
After all, even though the Wizard class was powerful, it had one big flaw. If they used up all their spells, they couldn’t keep fighting.
It was generally better to use the setup Hanzel had chosen. Marvin’s setup was too extreme…
Of course, it was meant to be used in the most extreme circumstances!
The shadows in front gradually become clear. Although Wayne couldn’t see, he still entered deeper into the cavern under Marvin’s guidance.
Not far away, a Snow Demon Protector was standing in the middle of the cavern.
There were 5 or 6 similar Snow Demon Protectors behind it.
These Snow Demon Protectors were simply 1st rank creatures, not much of a threat to the arriving Marvin and Wayne.
“I’m going!” Marvin whispered, entering Stealth without a change in his expression.
The Snow Demon cavern was also considered as a wilderness area, so a Ranger’s Stealth didn’t have any penalty there.
And on top of that, Snow Demons didn’t have a high perception to begin with.
Soon, Marvin arrived behind the Snow Demon and fiercely slashed at its head!
He was using Blazing Fury!
The Snow Demon’s HP reached 0 in an instant. Its entire body broke down into pieces of snow, collapsing on the ground.
The other Snow Demons immediately senses something wrong, rushing up alarmed and angry.
Marvin still didn’t let Wayne act. Because he could take care of those Snow Demons himself!
Snow Demons’ bodies were very weak but they had high resistance to most spells. However, they had no way to defend against physical injuries.
This creature was very sinister. It was said that the spirits of those who died unjustly in this place covered in ice and snow would turn into them.
Marvin had no issues killing those!
His hand nimbly flowed among those Snow Demons and in an instant, those remaining 4 Snow Demon Protectors were annihilated.
“Let’s keep going,” Marvin called to Wayne.
The two continued moving forward.
On their way, the brothers met many Snow Demon Protectors and Marvin still hadn’t let Wayne act, taking care of everything by himself.
Until they met a Snow Demon that was somewhat different.
This Snow Demon was somewhat smaller than the average Snow Demon, but the snow on its body seemed to be a lot more solid!
“It’s your turn,” Marvin softly said.
Wayne nodded, taking out the snake-like magic staff and gently aimed at that totally clueless special Snow Demon.
The next instant, a large fireball took form on top of the magic staff!
…
What Marvin and Wayne didn’t know was that their actions had already caused a lot of discussion in the audience.
The audience watched the brothers going deeper in the cavern through the magic screen. They met with many Snow Demons along the way which were all effortlessly killed by Marvin.
They didn’t focus on Marvin being able to kill those Snow Demons, but rather the reason Marvin went in the cave!
It felt as if he knew what was inside!
This really made people puzzled.
And the amount of Snow Demons on the way confirmed one point: Marvin wasn’t just randomly running around, he actually had some kind of goal.
This made everyone puzzled.
How could Marvin look like he knew Leymann’s incomplete plane like the back of his hand?
“He is cheating!” Someone shouted.
“He is clearly cheating! They certainly know something.”
Many similar voices rose up in the crowd, but most people didn’t believe that Wizard Leymann would help Marvin cheat… And so obviously.
Marvin was from the Ashes Tower’s after all, not the contestant of the Thunder Tower.
…
Meanwhile, someone uninvited suddenly showed up at the top of the Ashes Tower.
“Sir Leymann, should I take this as a provocation?” Hathaway coldly looked at that old man who suddenly intruded her own Wizard Tower.
“Hathaway, I wouldn’t have been this rude if you hadn’t broken the rule of this competition.” The old man frowned.
“How did they know about the Snow Demon Lair?”
Hathaway coldly groaned, “You think I leaked it.”
The old man didn’t comment on that. “Don’t tell me you believe they mistakenly went in?”
“No.” Hathaway shook her head, a strange expression flashing through her eyes as she indifferently replied:
“Sir Leymann, you should know I’m not the only Seer in this world.”
Chapter 115: Hidden Gate and Treasure Chest
Chapter 115: Hidden Gate and Treasure Chest
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
“Seer?” Surprise flashed through Leymann’s eyes.
He subconsciously looked at Marvin in the magic screen, a bit relieved, “So it was that.”
“I was wondering why you would dispatch a countryside noble for the competition. Hmph! Young people truly are more cunning.”
Hathaway craftily smiled, “In any case, you wouldn’t bother with us in this small competition.”
Leymann silently nodded, “Since that’s the case, I don’t have a problem with it. Baron Marvin’s identity as a Seer, should we report it to the Alliance?”
“No,” Hathaway categorically rejected.
“Reporting to the Alliance is a mistake. I think you know that better than me.”
“Sir Anthony’s death already raised many questions. I also feel a shadow approaching me these days!”
“If not for the Half-Artifact you lent me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to hide my presence.”
Hathaway displayed a frightened expression after saying this. “He is looking for me. Because of my Seer identity. They already know. “
Leymann’s aged face was very solemn as he replied, “Indeed, there is a mole inside the Alliance… I’ll think of a way to keep this matter under control.”
“You have to be careful about your safety.”
Hathaway nodded.
Even though they were both Tower Masters of the Three Ring Towers, Hathaway had actually grown up under Leymann. The two had a teacher and friend relationship.
Even if Leymann wasn’t as popular as Anthony in the East Coast, he was still a fairly decent Wizard.
Unfortunately, there weren’t many people like Leymann and Anthony in the South Wizard Alliance.
Some had already been bewitched by the gods and given up on the Universe Magic Pool, choosing corrupted faith instead.
The inside of the Alliance was rotten. The Three Ring Towers could only preserve themselves. This was the only way for the Three Tower Masters.
If the following Calamity wasn’t handled properly, then this Battle of the Holy Grail might be the last one.
The Three Ring Towers would also become history, gradually forgotten in the sands of time!
…
In the cave, the fierce fireball was shot, its flames producing many heatwaves!
1st-circle spell, [Lava Fireball].
This was a variant of the Fireball. It required some volcanic rock powder as a casting material.
Wayne had already smeared a small amount of volcanic powder before taking out his magic staff.
Under his incantation, a Fireball shot out from the end of the snake-like magic staff, quickly impacting the body of that special Snow Demon in an explosion as loud as thunder!
It shrieked in agony, immediately attracting countless Snow Demon Protectors.
“Clang!”
Marvin waved his daggers without any hesitation!
Except for the few special Snow Demons, the rest didn’t enter his eyes.
And Wayne’s spells
were specially prepared to break through the Snow Demon Lair.
Wayne’s 150Mp were totally exchanged for 1st-circle spells, six copies of [Lava Fireball]!
This would seem like a completely brainless setup to other people. But Wayne still listened to Marvin’s plans.
Because he trusted his older brother.
The outcome was just as expected. The special spell Lava Fireball turned up useful.
Marvin’s shadow was flashing between these Snow Demon Protectors, turning them into pieces in the blink of an eye.
‘My experience is definitely useful! I hope that hidden area still has the treasure chest!’
Marvin couldn’t help but smile when he looked at the ground covered in snow piles.
That special Snow Demon was a Snow Demon Leader. There were 4 to 6 of them in every Snow Demon nest.
This Snow Demon was a 2nd rank creature, and it also had the [Crystallization] ability!
Physical attacks and ordinary spells would be ineffective. Their attacks also had an extreme penetrating power, making it very difficult to guard against.
This was a very troublesome opponent that even 2nd rank Wizards were unable to defeat.
But Marvin knew of a spell specifically used to deal with Snow Demon Leader.
That was Lava Fireball!
This Fireball was a variation and once it hit the Snow Demon Leader, it would melt it in a second!
Ordinary Fireballs wouldn’t reach this kind of temperature!
And ordinary people wouldn’t exchange their precious MP for a spell in such a neglected branch of magic.
Thus, this hidden Snow Demon Lair was actually prepared by Leymann for 2nd rank Wizards. But it ended up meet a transmigrator like Marvin!
Not only was Marvin a transmigrator, he was also an expert gamer.
He had explored this path who knows how many times.
A Fire Wizard and someone using a blade was enough to clear the Snow Demon lair.
But the price was that Wayne would lose all fighting power after using up all six Lava Fireballs. When the time came, Marvin would have to protect him!
Wayne getting in a difficult situation earlier was because Marvin had prepared to take a different path!
This path was a complete shortcut after all. As long as he cleared the Snow Demon Lair, he would be able to find that hidden Gate.
The hidden Gate led directly to the summit!
And inside the Snow Demon Lair there was a treasure chest with six spare keys inside!
Now Marvin’s only hope was that this hadn’t changed.
So far it was still normal
The brothers kept going forward, continuously killing all kinds of Snow Demons along the way.
The two brothers had split the work. Marvin was in charge of Snow Demon Protectors and Wayne was in charge of getting rid of Snow Demon Leaders with Lava Fireball.
In a brief 20 minutes, the two arrived at the deepest area of the Snow Demon Lair!
That was a wide open space located in the center of the Snow Mountain.
On the edge of the open area, a statue of four Ouroboros coiling around each other was protruding out of the wall.
In Feinan’s alchemy, the Ouroboros meant [Transformation], while in the Wizards’ eyes, this symbol meant [Transmission].
This was a hidden Teleportation Gate.
Ordinary people wouldn’t know how to activate it, but Marvin had a rough idea.
Activating Teleportation Gates was an important thief ability!
Various kinds of mystical magic locks and combination locks were common in Feinan’s secret doors, so Marvin had some skill in this field.
“Brother, there is a chest there!”
On the way, Wayne had already used five Lava Fireballs, leaving him with only one.
He was currently pointing at a place on the side of the open space.
The two walked over.
The size of the chest was more or less the same as Marvin’s remembered. It was hidden at the edge of the cavern wall. Wayne seemed to have good sight, finding it this quickly.
This chest had no locks or other mechanisms and could be opened directly.
“Bang!”
There were indeed six keys lying peacefully in the chest!
“Let’s go!” Marvin let Wayne put away the keys and then walked towards the hidden door.
Next to the Ouroboros statue was a small platform. On the platform were four sticks of different lengths.
But every stick could only be used once every hour.
This was an active mechanism which could control the opening and closing of the hidden door.
Marvin knew their enemies were definitely tracking them, and even if he didn’t mind fighting them, with so many eyes watching him, he still wanted to hide his true strength.
After the Battle of the Holy Grail concluded, he would secretly take care of the killer from the Unicorn Clan. After that, the ancient red dragon’s rampage would catch the Unicorn Clan unprepared, leaving them unable to recover.
Thus, Marvin had to find the quickest way to crack that door’s mechanism!
‘Four sticks… Ouroboros statue… I don’t seem to have seen that mechanism before.’
Marvin frowned.
What caused the most headaches in the Battle of the Holy Grail was actually this door’s mechanism.
The mechanism was ever changing, a new one almost every time. It wouldn’t be especially difficult, but it would waste a bit of time.
But what Marvin needed the most right now was time!
‘Ouroboros… Wait, four colors!’
Marvin suddenly had an idea! This Ouroboros was composed four colors, four kinds of snakes entwined in roughly concentric circles.
In alchemy, nested Ouroboros were read from the inside out, and they also used a numeric color code1.
Marvin swiftly thought for a moment and figured out the four digits!
He approached the stone platform and examined the rods, find some graduations on top of them. These marked scales could match the digits!
‘It wasn’t that hard!’
Marvin sighed in relief. Under Wayne’s expecting gaze, Marvin moved the sticks up and down based on those four digits.
But what made Marvin surprised was that after finishing his actions, there wasn’t a bit of reaction from the hidden door!
If the code was correct, there would have been a few noises at the very least.
‘Wrong?’ He thought, trying to move the sticks.
But as expected, the sticks were locked and needed one hour before trying again!
And at that time, chaotic footsteps could be heard approaching!
Two people!
Marvin and Wayne were startled!
Did they finally catch up?
…
Three Ring Towers.
The audience were attentively watching the biggest scene on the magic screen.
They all watched Marvin and Wayne quickly moving forward. Even if they didn’t know what the two of them were doing, they had faintly guessed that there should be a shortcut here.
But their moving speed was still somewhat slow!
The Gemini had two bodies with two different classes. The male Gemini was a fighter and the female Gemini clearly had a class with high dexterity.
They watched as the male merged into the female’s body, using her high speed to track the two brothers.
That scene was really too frightening.
The female Gemini was clearly more proficient in tracking and she soon arrived near the forested area, found the cavern and chased in.
The audience was sweating for Marvin!
They didn’t think the two brothers could beat this frightening killer race!
The atmosphere turned gloomy. Both sides were now shown facing each other in the magic screen.
And that Celina who was climbing the snow mountain alone, had long been forgotten!
….
In the corner of the Thunder Towe
r, Kate motionlessly watched the scene on the magic screen and quietly summoned Ding!
____________________
1 ED/N: I’d like it if it used the resistor color code. Electrical engineers represent!
T/N: Time to play Mastermind till they get it right! (Who cares if it takes days…)
ED/N: If only the door told them which rods were in the wrong position. Since I’m already commenting, feel free to join our discord at https://discord.gg/NmuND4g if you haven’t already!
Chapter 116: Border of Life and Death
Chapter 116: Border of Life and Death
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
The atmosphere became tense in the cave.
Marvin took a step forward, moving in front of Wayne to protect him.
Two people stood in front of him, a man and a woman. There was no apparent relation between the two.
However, Marvin smelled something fishy about them!
“Gemini?!”
He solemnly watched those two.
The Gemini looked at each other, clearly surprised. They hadn’t expected Marvin to see through their identity in a glance.
But it didn’t matter, so what if he saw through it?
They came here to ruthlessly kill the two brothers under the countless eyes, thus uplifting the Unicorn Clan’s prestige!
“Wayne, fall back. See if you can open that hidden door,” Marvin said in a heavy voice.
Wayne didn’t act stubborn, as he only had one Lava Fireball left. Facing those two who weren’t to be trifled with, there was naturally nothing he could do to help Marvin. He might even turn into a liability.
He instantly ran toward the hidden door and began studying the relationship between the Ouroboros snakes and the hidden door mechanism.
This was a hidden Teleportation Gate installed by a Wizard and Wayne had previously studied in this field.
…
“We are two, do you think you can stop us?” The Gemini woman laughed softly.
Her laughter was sometimes hoarse, sometimes seductive. The inconsistence was strangely frightening! This was caused by the Geminis’ body structure being unstable, making the vocal cords sometimes be out of alignment, leading to variation in tone!
“You are only one,” Marvin calmly replied.
He had dealt with Geminis in an instance of the Underworld Plane before, and had killed no less than a hundred of them.
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 66