Raven nodded.
She muttered something and then looked at the scattered treasures and equipment in the Horror Hook’s nest.
These things were most likely left behind by adventurers who were killed by the Hook Horrors, and they were very valuable in the Underdark.
That person actually didn’t take them?
Raven’s heart moved and she suddenly ordered, “You two, report this matter to Lady Tess.”
“Leave this place to me.”
In the Dark Elven hierarchy, women had the power to command, especially when it was to men.
Those two Dark Elf Fighters didn’t raise an objection and turned away to leave.
Light shone in Raven’s eyes. She slowly walked to the hot spring and stripped herself naked!
Then, she immersed her mesmerising body in the spring, surprisingly deciding to soak in it.
…
In the depths of the water, Marvin still fumbled around.
He was at least twenty to thirty meters from the surface and the underwater breathing potion had a time limit, so he had to quickly find that fragment.
The bottom of the pool was very muddy, making it very difficult to find anything there.
Marvin kept groping around, searching for the fragment for more than an hour, and still didn’t even see a shadow of it.
Fishing around for something in water had always been a troublesome matter.
The underwater breathing potion was effective for two hours, and then the gills formed would disappear.
At that time, he wouldn’t be able to just freely breath in the water anymore.
‘Have to move faster. I know it’s definitely around here.’
He once again went to a corner and began to grope about.
There were all sorts of things in the mud.
Fine pearls, a twig from who knows where, also a rusted ring, and many more worthless stones.
Marvin once again slowly searched and finally found something strange!
He cleared away a spot of mud and revealed the corner of a chest.
The fragment of the Earth Crystal was in this chest!
Marvin quickly dug in the mud and soon excavated the treasure chest.
Those people arduously searching for a Earth Crystal would have never thought that one third was calmly laying at the bottom of this pool of water, resting for who knew how many years before it was dug out by Marvin.
The treasure chest wasn’t locked, so Marvin impatiently opened it underwater.
A small crystal box was inside the chest. In the middle of the crystal box there was a light yellow fragment.
This was the Earth Crystal, and it had boundless power.
One third of a Earth Crystal could supply energy to a Wizard Tower for three hundreds years.
And a completely intact Earth Crystal could build an entire tower made of earth.
This was one of the key elements for an [Ancient Refuge].
Even if Marvin hadn’t thought that far, he would have to get his hands on them before considering it.
If he could really establish an Ancient Refuge in White River Valley before the Great Calamity, then maybe even the gods wouldn’t be able to do anything to Marvin.
…
Marvin collected the Earth Crystal fragment, including the small crystal box.
The reason it had remained undiscovered for so long, was due to this special crystal box hiding its aura.
It was also valuable and worth keeping.
At that time, two lines flashed on Marvin’s logs.
[Your body soaked in the Earth Spring for some time, increasing your physique.]
[Strength +1, Constitution +1]
Marvin was pleased.
Even if he was a bit regretful that his Constitution only rose up by one point, his Strength increase made up for it.
After all, he knew of some ways to increase his Constitution, but he knew fewer ways to increase his Strength.
He could feel his body slightly changing under the effect of the hot spring.
This was the power of Earth.
His Strength went from 15 to 16 and his Constitution from 13 to 14.
This meant he could use two attribute points on Dexterity, which Marvin immediately did, pushing his Dexterity to 28!
The distance to 30’s [Godly Dexterity] was only two points now.
And 30 was the dividing line between mankind and gods. 30 was the limit of ordinary humans.
To go further, one needed a Divinity, a Divine Fragment, and Divine Power. It wouldn’t be possible without all three.
Thus, this 30 point dividing line was called the [God Domain]
Mortals could only look up.
But nothing was absolute. Marvin knew that becoming a god wasn’t the only path to power.
In this world, there were still many techniques that could break through mankind’s boundary.
During the 3rd Era, those hidden powerhouses didn’t leave Feinan because they chose a different path.
They didn’t want to break this limit through ascending to godhood.
Ascending was only one of the simplest paths.
The existences who became gods might have had regrets during those endless years.
They chose a simple path, but they paid for it with their freedom!
Thus they longed to break through the shackles of the Astral Sea, break through the seal of the Universe Magic Pool, and rushed to an even taller pinnacle.
To put it simply, everyone needed freedom and something to keep them busy to survive.
And at the core of this was desire.
…
The underwater breathing potion was going to run out soon.
Marvin silently swam up.
But he suddenly stiffened in the water!
He noticed something!
A Dark Elven woman!
Completely naked!
From Marvin point of view, the Dark Elf’s lower half was soaking in the hot spring. She hadn’t closed her legs, leaving them a bit spread out.
Thus, Marvin could see everything.
Her dark skin was fully exposed in front of Marvin…
‘Indeed… A… Dark… Elf…”
He inwardly complained about his bad luck. He actually met a Drow so close to the surface!
Normally the Dark Elves were a well-organized race that wouldn’t run around, right?
This path was one of the hidden paths leading to Rocky Mountain.
Why did they come here in the end?
Marvin thought of countless reasons, but before he could come to a conclusion, he found that his gills had already began to atrophy!
‘Fuck!’
He wouldn’t have more than three minutes left.
But Marvin didn’t dare to rashly go up.
This female Drow seemed to be just taking a bath, but she was actually hiding a curved dagger in her hand!
She had definitely found something and was pretending to relax to loosen the enemy’s vigilance, trying to seduce him.
But what she hadn’t expected was that her enemy would be hiding underwater… Checking her out.
Her limbs were far less relaxed than her expression.
If she detected a slight movement in the air, her curved dagger would immediately flash!
This was an expert!
Marvin immediately came to a conclusion.
The Drows in the Underdark roamed in large numbers. Marvin was most afraid of being entangled with these guys.
Who knew how many more Drows were waiting in ambush outside the pool?
This was extremely annoying for Marvin.
But since things reached this point, he didn’t have a choice.
He discreetly let out the air in his lungs and quietly swam over.
Soon, he arrived under the female Drow’s body.
The latter’s attention was still focused on the walls and the cave’s surroundings. She was very patiently listening for sounds of movement.
As
for this hot spring, she didn’t pay any attention to it. Most lifeforms in the Underdark were cold-blooded, so very few would be interested in a hot spring. No monsters would roam in a hot spring.
But at that time, a hand suddenly grabbed her ankle!
The Drow was frightened. Before she could let out a sound, a strong force dragged her underwater.
Between splashes of water, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the shadow swimming beside her body.
She firmly thought of grappling with the opponent, but Marvin stepped on her face as a result!
She was sent further down due to Marvin’s stomp!
And using this push, Marvin quickly rose up. Pressing both hands on the floor, he propped himself up.
At that time, he hadn’t forgotten to snatch that Drow’s dagger. Without a dagger, that Drow would be less dangerous.
Then, he unhesitantly broke into a run!
Right, fighting Drows in the Underdark, could there be any outcome other than death?
Even a Night Walker wouldn’t dare to fight too many Dark Elves in the Underdark!
Chapter 255: Chaos Ground
Chapter 255: Chaos Ground
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Marvin quickly moved through the dark damp cave.
He rushed even faster.
This area was close to the surface and adventurers would often come here to clear stuff out, so there shouldn’t be anything that could threaten Marvin.
In fact, that nest of Hook Horrors had more or less been ruling over this area.
Now that they were killed by Marvin, there shouldn’t be any more monsters nearby that were able to threaten him.
Thus, he quickly ran with no restraint.
That Dark Elf didn’t chase.
It might be because Marvin snatched her dagger. A Dark Elf warrior who lost her weapon would not dare to rashly pursue.
In short, Marvin very luckily managed to escape from a Dark Elf scouting party.
After a long time, he reached the exit of the cave.
Fresh air could be felt outside the cave as Marvin rushed out. He had to adapt to the dazzling sunlight.
He closed his eyes, and after a moment he opened them once again.
The area in front of him was an incomparably beautiful fertile land!
Two wriggling rivers flowed down from the north on the smooth plain. A large amount of cultivated fields filled every corner of the plain.
There was a small village under this mountain, and some plain houses were scattered around the fields.
People came and went from the small village.
In the distance, there was a high mountain from which a white steam could be seen drifting all day long.
It was a volcano.
Rocky Mountain.
…
Marvin quietly left the cave. On this mountain there were many similar holes.
Adventurers who wanted to enter apparently had to pay a fee.
But Marvin coming out of this relatively remote cave didn’t interest anyone.
He slightly adjusted himself and used Disguise.
This was the surface, and even if it was a forsaken land disdained by the South Wizard Alliance, it also was on the edge of mankind’s civilization.
Since the events of the Decaying Plateau, Marvin understood that almost all of Feinan now knew him, and that naturally included Rocky Mountain.
In this era where information normally travelled with some difficulty, Marvin’s reputation was extremely high.
Without Disguise, people would instantly recognize him.
In order to make his actions easier he had to change his appearance, so he took that identity he used in River Shore City.
Masked Twin Blades, plus a cloak.
It’s not like his reputation as Masked Twin Blades could have spread this far.
Marvin hurried down the mountain and intended to enter the small town, but he met with trouble.
“What? Protection fees?”
Facing two large guys with nasty gazes, Marvin was a bit surprised by what they wanted.
“Could it be that this isn’t the Three Sisters’ domain?”
The two men were tall, with their upper bodies bare, and they held long blades in their hands. They looked extremely fierce.
Upon hearing Marvin’s sentence, the two men looked at each other and one of them frowned. “You are a subordinate of the Three Sisters?”
…
In the quiet darkness, faint light was emitted from the ceiling of a cave.
Those were gems with radiant properties.
In the entire gloomy Underdark, besides a few luminescent plants, only these gems could guarantee a light source.
“… Lady Tess, these were the results of the investigation.”
“Apart for that one accident with Raven, the other groups successfully accomplished their missions,” a sweet voice reported.
That was a female Dark Elf whose appearance seemed quite fiery. She seemed to be rejoicing at Raven’s misfortune, even though she was also a captain like her.
‘This time, even if Lady Tess likes you, she shouldn’t be able to find a reason to cover for you, right?’
She couldn’t have expected that Lady Tess, who was shrouded in a cloak, wouldn’t pursue this matter.
She said in a low voice, “A human from the world above was able to get rid of four Hook Horrors, including that variant elite Hook Horror. This kind of expert might not necessarily be someone that a scouting party can take care of. He chose to escape only because he didn’t wish to become our enemy. Raven’s decision to not pursue was correct.”
“That human isn’t that important. In any case, we have to start our surprise attack before dawn tomorrow.”
“But before that, we need to do a final scouting.”
“This time, I’ll only send the most elite experts, two people at most.”
Lady Tess’ sight focused on that female Dark Elf who gave a report earlier, and on Raven. “You two, are you prepared?”
The two women successively nodded.
“Go look at Lion, and check whether those humans are really unable to withstand a single blow. Look at their military defenses.”
“But do remember, these advanced Shapeshift Scrolls I bestow upon you will only work for six hours.”
“You need to carefully handle your work, and you must not alarm the humans’ experts!”
“You know the result of failure!”
Lady Tess clearly used a heavier tone for that last sentence. Raven and the other Drow deeply buried it in their minds.
Lady Tess slowly said, “[Underdark’s Winter] is coming early, and we are already running out of food. Leader Clarke told me to guide our path.”
“Those stupid people from the world above would have never expected that we’ve already united under Leader Clarke and found a new path to the surface.”
“They are bound to be exterminated, and we will obtain a new life.”
Under her enchanting voice, countless red eyes shone in the boundless darkness.
This was the effect of the [Eye of Fear]!
Numerous shadows gathered in the endless darkness.
The Drows were merely a part. There were Quaggoths, Kobolds, Gnolls, Kuo-toas, and a few Duergars!
These lifeforms that always saw each other as mortal enemies were finally united.
A disaster was quietly brewing.
…
The humans on the surface were still unaware.
Even Marvin, was unable to consider the meaning of that scouting party’s proximity to the surface, because of those two idiots before him.
He realized he was in trouble.
When he came to Rocky Mountain in the past, this place had already been unified and had formed a country.
The Three Fate Sisters were the rulers of this place, but it wasn’t the case at the moment!
The current Rocky Mountain, despite the beautiful scene
ry and the fertile lands, was still occupied by all kinds of powers!
This place was truly a chaos ground; it was the place where people were banished to from the civilized human countries!
For example, after The South Wizard Alliance banished the Sorcerers there, they kept sending people who committed heinous crimes to that place.
Because of the Bai clansmen and the Saint Desert, very few people could cross the desert and return to civilization.
Thus, it became a criminal paradise over time.
Currently, many powers were still rampaging in Rocky Mountain. The group of the Three Sisters actually had some reputation and could contend with the other two big powers, but this was also something recent. Everything was due to the eldest sister, Jessica, awakening her own bloodline and becoming a frightening Fate Sorceress.
In short, the current [Three Sisters] were still a power in development.
Their headquarters was Hope City under the Rocky Mountain, not this small Lion Town.
In fact, this town was currently under the control of a power called [Golden Lion].
The place was close to the Underdark and where the adventurers gathered. The strong mixed with the weak, but under the supervision of Golden Lion, the order was still pretty decent.
As long as one didn’t go out at night.
The small town welcomed all customers and adventurers, and the only people who weren’t welcomed were the Three Sisters’ people.
Thus, after he subconsciously muttered that sentence, all the people in the surroundings looked at him strangely.
Even though the two tall guys didn’t make a move, a group of people soon came out of the town!
These people wore simple and crude equipment, but they rushed over anyways. Among them, a crippled, tall and thin man coldly looked at Marvin. “If you are looking for trouble, I advise that you go somewhere else. Lion doesn’t welcome the Three Sisters’ people.”
Marvin inwardly bitterly laughed, and calmly answered, “I’m not a subordinate of the Three Sisters, I’m only a traveler passing by.”
“I thought of resupplying in town. Can’t I?”
An expert sized Marvin up for a bit and warned, “It better be like this!”
“If you are a spy from the Three Sisters, our people will beat you into a pulp.”
“If you want to enter town, you can. But you have to pay the protection fees.”
“Otherwise…”
“Clank!”
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 155