He also had a long-distance Teleportation Scroll on him, so after they left the garden they could immediately leave the Dead Area Continent and return to Thousand Leaves Forest if they wanted.
The only unfortunate thing was that they didn’t manage to get any Underworld River Water.
This made Marvin feel a bit guilty.
After all, he had greatly benefited from his task in the Secret Garden, mysteriously earning an absurd amount of exp.
Yet the Great Elven King, who really needed help right now, was still in an abyss of suffering. The attack on the Decaying Plateau at that time had been initiated by Marvin.
But he was helpless to do anything about it now. There was no Underworld River Water in the Secret Garden, so where could he get some?
The two men left the valley and walked toward the Desolate Tower Ruins.
When they passed the gates of the Mills Garden, they found out that the Nine-Headed Vines had already wilted.
This made sense because it had come from the Magic Medicine King’s main body.
As for the four Legends, their corpses were resting calmly on the ground.
They had killed each other and their souls had already been swallowed by Orica.
These Legends, suppressed as they were by the garden, didn’t manage to prevail over the illusions.
Marvin thought he was lucky.
If Ivan didn’t have the Truth Tablet and the two still chose to keep going, they also could have died.
The two glanced at each other wordlessly and continued on their way.
These people who died to illusions had lost to themselves.
Greed and desires… in short, they died to the evil bred within their own hearts.
There was no point in sympathizing with them.
But just as they passed the Astral Beast’s remains, the fluctuation of a frightening lifeforce leaked out from it!
Marvin and Ivan held their breaths!
Chapter 392: Ancient Youth
Chapter 392: Ancient Youth
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
An Astral Beast was on the verge of awakening!
This was a terrifying crisis for Feinan.
Although Marvin speculated that Eric’s soul might not have been completely shattered but instead partially merged with the Astral Beast, this was only a hypothesis.
Not to mention, even if Eric’s soul was in charge, who knew what kind of changes there might be in his temperament after suffering at Orica’s hands?
The most terrifying thing in this world wasn’t destructive power, but rather, the one who possessed such power and whether that person would be able to control it.
In the Astral Beast Remains area, the aura of the soul became increasingly stronger.
A lifeforce was rousing. Even though the corpse was still lying inert, it gave them a great deal of pressure!
“No good, let’s hurry!”
Ivan looked incredibly worried.
This was the guy who dared to fight the Ancient Red Dragon Ell, but in front of this Astral Beast, even he had an ugly expression!
It showed how terrifying an Astral Beast was!
The two were going to quickly withdraw, hoping they could leave the Secret Garden before the Astral Beast awakened completely.
But at that time, a weak voice spoke into their ears. “Don’t… leave.”
“I won’t hurt anyone…”
It was quiet, but extremely firm.
“Eric?” Marvin asked.
“You know my name?”
The voice sounded a bit moved.
It gradually became steadier. The lifeforce coming from the Astral Beast was still continuously erupting.
Marvin nodded.
Eric sighed, “Teacher already died? If I’m not wrong, he must have died at your hands.”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to wake up.”
“It’s a pity… I won’t be able to hold on for too long.”
Marvin and Ivan glanced at each other. This Astral Beast in front of them was truly too frightening.
But within this frightening Astral Beast was a seemingly young soul, which seemed rather unfitting.
They stopped and forced themselves to communicate with Eric.
Soon, Marvin understood what had been missing from the known history:
Eric destroyed the soul transfer ritual and was crushed by Orica out of anger.
He should have died.
But at that time, the Astral Beast, whose soul was on the verge of expiring, unexpectedly saved him.
The instinct-driven Astral Beast knew that its soul couldn’t keep going. It had fought two unimaginably hard battles one after the other and then Orica had used a special trick to drain the power from its soul. It couldn’t survive anymore.
Thus, it used its final bit of power to enclose Eric’s soul fragment in its body.
The Astral Beast’s body locked Eric’s soul inside, not allowing it to drift away. His soul gradually fused with the Astral Beast’s body over the years thanks to the body’s frightening vitality.
In fact, he had already woken up a long time ago.
His soul had completely fused and he was also able to control the body.
But he wasn’t allowed to actually wake up.
Because Orica was still there, and so was the original soul contract.
Orica could crush Eric’s soul with just a thought.
What angered Orica was that the Astral Beast had put a terrible curse on its own body before dying.
Besides Eric, who he had chosen to save, no soul was allowed in.
And Eric’s soul couldn’t be removed.
Thus, with the passage of time, Eric recovered countless times. Yet what awaited him each time was having his soul ruthlessly obliterated again by Orica!
He was continuously tortured as his soul was crushed and reformed time and time again.
This wasn’t something people could endure.
But Eric managed to withstand it.
He eventually realized that he could just remain in a slumber and not awaken unless Orica died, so that he would no longer have to suffer from his soul being crushed.
Now that his teacher had finally been killed by Ivan, he could awaken safely.
The only unfortunate thing was that after the endless years, his soul had suffered too much damage and he couldn’t hold on for too much longer.
The Astral Beast’s body was strong, yet the nourishment it could give to the soul was limited.
He could feel that he didn’t have much time left.
…
“I don’t know what era it is.”
Eric smiled bitterly. “How many years have I stayed in this Astral Beast’s body? A millennium? Two?”
“My friends have already passed away?”
“With how things are, death is also a kind of relief.”
Marvin and Ivan were facing him silently.
Eric seemed very peaceful, like a bashful youth from a random village.
Even after experiencing so much pain, his character still hadn’t changed.
He only felt lonely.
“At the time when teacher picked me to become his assistant, I simply couldn’t believe it.”
“Everyone thought I was a waste, but teacher acknowledged me. I was crazily happy.”
“Up until I found out it was a trap. After all, he only needed the help of a waste.”
Eric’s soul let out a bitter laugh.
Marvin could feel that the abnormal lifeforce was now continuously waning.
This might be the last time Eric would awaken. His soul might fade from this point on.
As for the Wizard Apprentice’s story, he really had too much on his shoulders.
“You aren’t a waste,” Marvin declared resolutely. “No waste could stop a disaster that would have destroyed this world. You are a true hero.”
“Hero?” Eric sighed. “If I could choose again, I would have
refused that old man who came to our village saying that I had the gift to be a Wizard and that he wanted to take me to the Mikenshi school.”
“Because I owe too much…”
Following Eric’s sentence, an image appeared before their eyes:
An old village bustled under the setting sun. A shy youth sat on a carriage with excitement and reluctance while being urged by the coachman.
Standing on the side of the road was a group of people seeing him off with excitement on their faces. Yet among them, there was a girl wearing a shabby dress who was holding back her tears.
She looked like a very ordinary farmer’s daughter.
Sadness emerged in the hearts of Marvin and Ivan.
Eric sighed once more. “She said she would wait for me…”
“I liked her for so many years and I had intended to look for her after becoming an official Wizard.”
“But I never returned.”
“I still owe her a confession…” Eric mumbled.
Eric’s fate wasn’t something he could control.
Perhaps this was the fate of a true hero. He saved the world but wasn’t able to give the best ending to the people at his side.
Regardless, several thousand years had passed. Everything was gone, only leaving the soul of an ancient youth on the verge of disappearing.
“I hate it… Why was I such a coward… Why didn’t I express myself while I still had the chance?”
Eric’s voice rose. “I am a coward!”
“I struggled for so many years in that monster’s body, but what for?”
“There’s no value in my life anymore…”
The power of his soul was now very faint. It felt as if even wind could scatter his soul.
Marvin hesitated as he couldn’t bear saying it, but in the end, he clenched his teeth before speaking out. “I know that saying this to you is unfair, and you should be allowed to rest.”
“But this world is facing a very frightening threat.”
“I hope that you won’t just expire like this… This world still needs a hero to rescue it.”
Eric muttered, “This world?”
“It’s not the world I know anymore. What does it have to do with me?”
Marvin shook his head. “You can open your eyes to look at the world.”
“I know you should be able to with your strength.”
“Look at this world, what’s so different from yours?”
“Children are still innocently playing around, middle-aged people are still worried about their livelihoods, greedy merchants are still conducting ruthless deals, and Devils, Demons, Evil Spirits, and even the almighty Gods are aiming at this land.
“This world still needs you.”
Eric was silent for a moment. Ultimately, the last remnant of his soul power disappeared from the Astral Beast’s corpse.
Marvin and Ivan looked at each other and sighed.
Eric already did so much.
Him not using the power of the Astral Beast to do evil was already the best outcome.
Choosing to leave now was a relief for him.
He was already incompatible with this world. The people he cherished had passed away a long time ago.
The Astral Beast’s lifeforce was dissipating.
Suddenly, a bone appeared in Marvin’s hands.
Eric’s weak voice drifted out once again. “When you need me, wake me.”
“I can only awaken once more. After that, even if I wanted to help, my soul would still dissipate.”
“I’ll close the Secret Garden. I’ll be kicking everyone out, so be careful.”
Moments later, the two felt a terrifying repulsive force rush over them.
After their surroundings changed, the two appeared in Breton Village.
There were many people around them, all Half-Legends.
“What’s going on? Why were we suddenly kicked out?”
“The Secret Garden closed? Who got a Magic Medicine?”
“What about those Legend powerhouses? Where did they go?”
As people asked various questions, their eyes focused on Ivan.
Because he was the only Legend who left the Secret Garden.
To this, Ivan only coldly snapped, “Fuck off!”
They all froze.
Chapter 393: Ancient Gnomes
Chapter 393: Ancient Gnomes
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
In the Dead Area, the strong had always been respected.
Although everyone looked at Ivan skeptically, he was the only Legend who came back out of the five Legends, after all, and they didn’t dare to offend him.
Even the Blackfire Lava Wizards who had blocked this place off couldn’t keep their prideful attitude because their only Legend Wizard had disappeared in the Secret Garden.
Even if all the people here grouped together, they weren’t a match for Ivan.
They all scattered, doubtful and depressed.
Marvin and Ivan didn’t linger in Breton Village for too long.
This place would soon be sealed by Astral Beast Eric, forever disappearing.
The next time Marvin summoned Eric would likely be the last time that youth would appear in this world.
Thinking of this, Marvin felt a bit of grief.
“Is it too selfish?”
“Eric is already pitiful enough, yet I still need him to do more. It’s simply exploiting him.”
“His soul has been destroyed so many times and should have already scattered. He most likely already knows this.”
“But…”
Marvin looked at the piece of white bone that seemed somewhat like a crescent moon and felt a bit sad.
Ivan patted his shoulder, understanding Marvin’s reaction.
With the Great Calamity looming over Feinan, he had to muster all the strength he could.
Elven races, Humans, Vampires, Sha clansmen, Night Walkers, Legend Wizards, those of Rocky Mountain, and even a mystical existence like Eric!
As for the Gods, Eric was a lifeform completely outside of fate.
If there really was a final battle, he was certain that the appearance of Eric would surprise them.
An Astral Beast could also greatly shake this world even if it was near death.
The Gods wouldn’t dare to provoke one!
…
The two left Breton Village but didn’t return to Thousand Leaves Forest yet.
Marvin took Ivan to an abandoned mine north of Breton Village.
This mine was also considered a dangerous place.
Few people in the Dead Area would set foot in it.
But faced with this powerful duo, the few constructs in the mine were torn apart.
Marvin got the second Memory Chip he was looking for.
They then returned to Xunshan Town.
Marvin wanted to check if Black Knight Sangore had attacked again, so he took a trip around Xunshan Town and learnt some things.
Sure enough, after he left, Sangore had led a Black Wizard here.
That Black Wizard was covered in a large gown, making people unable to see him clearly.
His spells were extremely frightening and he almost destroyed the town at the foot of the mountain.
At the crucial moment, the Cloud Monk and Blade Technique Master Kangen intervened.
The Cloud Monk seriously injured the Black Knight. This time he was furious and nearly killed Sangore.
But the Black Knight relied on a mysterious spell to escape.
The Black Wizard didn’t have that chance. According to what the people present saw, the Wizard was split almost in half by Kangen.
Marvin frowned.
This outcome had been more than he’d imagined.
Indeed, those that dealt with Devils always had some methods to preserve their lives.
That old Monk attacked seriously and still wasn’t able to completely kill Sangore, letting him escape.
Although Sangore was nearly dead
when he escaped, with his special constitution as a Black Knight, he only needed some time to be able to recover.
As for that so-called “Black Wizard,” he was probably the strongest member of the Black Knight Monastery.
It wasn’t too unexpected for Kangen to be able to split him in two. Kangen was a man able to fight Gods during the Great Calamity.
But only his fake body died.
Marvin was sure of this because that guy was a Lich!
As long as his Phylactery wasn’t destroyed, his soul wouldn’t die.
These two guys were still a hidden danger that would strike sooner or later. But now wasn’t the time to handle this matter. Xunshan Monastery had saved him a lot of trouble.
He intended to visit Kangen but was informed by the Monastery’s Monks that he had already left.
He had departed together with the Copper Dragon.
Marvin was disappointed and could only prepare to leave the Dead Area Continent with Ivan.
But as he regrouped with Ivan at the bottom of the mountain, he noticed two figures next to the Elven Prince.
Ivan looked at the two with a smile and told Marvin cheerfully, “Look what I found. Two descendants of the Ancient Gnomes.”
“Their disguising potions are really effective, they tricked everyone.”
The two stood still, seeming frightened and uneasy.
Marvin took a sharp breath!
“It’s you!”
Marvin remembered these two guys!
He had bumped into these two guys in the Desolate Tower Ruins, using that strange piece of dirty rag to hide from his perception. At that time, they used a short distance escape tool. And now, they had unexpectedly fallen into Ivan’s hands.
“They really are Ancient Gnomes?” Marvin was very suspicious. “How did you catch them?”
“I lured them.” Ivan coldly snorted, “They were observing me from the distance while trying to stay hidden.”
The two suddenly complained, “We weren’t observing you, we… actually wanted your help…”
“Help?”
Ivan frowned.
The Gnomes looked at each other before taking Marvin and Ivan to a deserted area. They shed their disguises, reverting to their original appearances.
These Ancient Gnomes were a bit taller than their ancestors. Their heads seemed a bit bigger, but there wasn’t a feeling of anything being out of proportion.
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 230