Warlock of the Magus World 1-596
Page 238
*Po*! Within the void, there were faint trembles; these invisible distortions blasted out unceasingly, revealing a red coloured network of rays that covered the entire entrance. This network was clearly a previously-arranged defense mechanism, but it was unknown how it concealed things so that there was not even a leak of any magic waves.
“Such an arrangement…” Leylin hesitated and inwardly muttered. “If I did not know what it was beforehand, perhaps my identity would have also been discovered by it!”
“It is dangerous within the icy caves. A cold wind that is comparable to a level zero magic attack blows everywhere, and there are also many high-energy organisms that gather in some places. Hence, I request that you please not go in too deep!”
Old Madre exhorted a couple of sentences, and then immediately gestured an invitation to Leylin.
“My lord! The cold air attack of Icy Jade Scorpion is of an extreme Yin nature! I am begging you to be careful!” This was the last sentence Celine said to Leylin.
This scene caused old Madre, who was standing to one side, to be somewhat envious, but he did not say anything.
But he was different compared to Skrill. Old Madre only had warm feelings of admiration for Celine; his attitude did not change to one of terrifying possessiveness.
Therefore, when saw that Celine’s intention was to cherish Leylin, he had only chosen to observe this scene.
“I will be careful!”
Leylin smiled in agreement, and after that, he signalled to Old Madre with a nod and then submerged himself within that cold wind and snow.
……
*Whooo! Whooo!*
The cold wind howled in Leylin’s ears as it violently blew about while he hurriedly slid down.
Finally, along with a light sound, Leylin steadily stood in a snowy area.
“How is it so deep? Aren’t I already at least 3 kilometers underground?” Leylin surveyed his surroundings.
With the howling icy wind, there was much noise, like 10,000 musical instruments are being played at the same time.
The illumination contrasted greatly in here against the Fortress, as it was pitch black within the underground icy cave.
“Illuminate!” Leylin lifted his right hand, and a ball of light that was like a bright, incandescent light bulb calmly appeared on his palm.
“Let’s go!” As Leylin lightly shouted, the light ball rapidly rose in mid air and rotated.
The ball of light immediately illuminated this place.
Leylin took a quick look all around him. He was currently within a semicircular, underground icy cavern, the surroundings of which had countless densely packed holes in the walls. It was as if he was within an anthill.
All around on the walls was a thick, translucent layer of ice. The light from his illumination technique fell upon this ice layer and was immediately refracted into multi-colored light that made for a magnificent feast for the eyes!
*Flap*
Sounds of wings beating against the air resounded massively, as if tens of thousands of sparrows were trying to free themselves from a bag, waking Leylin who was standing awestruck while observing his surroundings.
Immediately, massive black dots welled up from within the underground cavern.
Upon taking a closer look, these black dots all had a pair of transparent, fleshy wings, forked tails that were similar to what swallows had, and tiny eyes and sharp ears that brought about an eerie feeling.
“Sun Chasing Bats! There are at least 10,000 of them!” Leylin quickly estimated the number of these bats.
“Chiiik…Chiik” The numerous bats cried out, and as if black clouds were blotting out the sun, they revolved around that light ball and projected a shadow upon the ground.
“Chiik!” After the colony of bats had surrounded the light ball, as if they had obtained a command they suddenly started to mindlessly attack that light ball. Their wings continuously smacked that ball of light, and like that, they wrapped up the entire light ball causing not even a sliver of light to be seen.
The entire cavern was once again plunged into darkness.
A moment later, the fluttering of wings once again echoed and the numerous Sun Chasing Bats scattered, but there were no traces of the light ball.
“Oh” Leylin sighed: “Igniting light in a region shrouded in darkness is clearly dangerous…”
In the subterranean world, the Twilight Zone’s human race made up only a small portion of the living organisms, and most darkness creatures had already been thoroughly exterminated, and because many of them were weak, they had no option but to hide upon seeing light.
However, in some desolate places outside of Twilight Zone, such light rays would instead stimulate the terrifying characteristics of these creatures of darkness leading to a relentless barrage of attacks!
The creatures of darkness outside of Twilight Zone and the ones that Leylin had just encountered were entirely different matters.
The tide formed by the massive amounts of foreign creatures of darkness were also something that even official Magi generally avoided.
An Approaching Conspiracy
If the route that Leylin had taken had been filled with hordes of darkness creatures on the way to the eastern capital, the journey would not have been so quiet.
Even if Leylin were to survive, Baelin, Jenny, and James definitely would have died in the mouths of these dark elemental beasts.
It was obvious that within the icy caves, in the places that these beasts convened, they hated light; they would attack with all they had the moment that they detected any.
“Even I would need to spend a lot of time and magic to deal with all of those bats every day. It’s not worth it.”
Leylin sighed.
While the groups of bats were running amok, he had used a concealment spell. Hence, he had naturally not been pursued or attacked by the bats.
After doing some experiments, Leylin made up his mind.
“Night Vision!” He used this spell on himself.
This was an essential spell for many Magi in the subterranean world. With this spell, they could see things in the dark as if it were day without giving off any light that would attract aggressive beasts.
“A.I. Chip, display the map in your records!”
After he casted the spell, Leylin gave an order to the A.I. Chip.
Immediately after, a 3D image appeared in front of his eyes.
This was the simulated model the A.I. Chip had formed after analysing the map Celine had given him.
Nearby Leylin, there were red dots that constantly moved nearby Leylin, indicating the activity of high-energy beings. Compared to the previous inflexible map, this was even more detailed and reliable.
In a cave like this that was as complicated as a maze, Leylin had a definite advantage with his A.I. Chip. At the very least, with the A.I. Chip recording down everything, he would not get lost.
The icy cave could easily cause people to get lost. Every year, there were acolytes or even Magi in the guild who got completely lost in the cave. According to other Magi, if they had been enticed to enter deeper areas, they would have likely died in the mouths of the dark elemental beasts.
“Show me the best route to where the Icy Jade Scorpions are the most active!”
Leylin ordered once again.
Then, on the surface of the 3D map, a red line extended from the marker for Leylin’s current location. It led to the deeper levels of the icy cave, even marking a few important areas.
“Let’s go!”
Leylin looked around him and then disappeared into the crevasse.
Within the fort, in a concealed room.
Skrill saw the scene of Celine sending Leylin into the icy caves through a crystal ball, a grim expression on his face.
“Did that bitch Celine think that I wouldn’t dare do anything to her if she found a peak rank 1 Magus to depend on?”
Skrill’s facial muscles began to contort as he stared at the shapely body in the im
age, his expression especially insatiable and passionate.
“You’re mine, and I will get you and make you my most beautiful treasure!”
Skrill moaned in an abnormal way.
“How is it? Have you made your decision?” Meanwhile, in a corner of the world, black mist rose and constantly changed shape, eventually turning into a human figure with vague features.
“There’s a large issue with your plan. Celine has already recruited a peak rank 1 Magus into her Nature’s Alliance. Our original plan will not work.”
In front of others, Skrill concealed his previous expression and seemed cold.
“Peak rank 1?!” A startled gasp was heard from the mist. “Is your information accurate? Why would a peak rank 1 Magus be willing to join a small guild?”
“How would I know?” Skrill’s face darkened. Being scared away by Leylin like that was the ultimate humiliation for him.
“He could easily repel the elemental particles around me, and his elemental conversion was at a very high level. Even if he’s not a peak rank 1 Magus, he can’t be too far from that… I wonder if that whore, Celine, tempted him…”
At the mention of Celine, Skrill’s mood worsened again, leaving him feeling frustrated and unresigned, as if a delicacy meant for him had been robbed by someone else.
“Jeje, a peak rank 1 Magus is a little troublesome, but you should also believe in the guild backing us. A peak rank 1 Magus is definitely not enough to hinder our plan!”
The person shrouded in the mist was very confident.
“What do you plan to do? A peak rank 1 Magus isn’t so easily dealt with. Besides, two peak rank fighting would definitely lead to a huge commotion. Aren’t you afraid of being exposed?” A curious look appeared on Skrill’s face.
“Jeje! It’s not as if we don’t have a peak rank 1 Magus in our organisation. Did you forget about that good opportunity we have? He will definitely accept!”
“Do you mean…” Skrill’s eyes brightened.
……
“Hah…”
Leylin breathed out white mist.
The moment water vapour reached the outside air, it immediately condensed into tiny crystals that fell to the ground and produced slight sounds.
“A.I. Chip, what’s the current temperature?” Leylin casually asked.
[The temperature is now -75 degrees Celsius!” The A.I. Chip immediately answered.
This temperature was more than deadly for regular humans, but in Leylin’s eyes, this was a mere chill.
As he advanced deeper, he reached the very borders where Celine’s map indicated.
It was at this place that he entered the territory where the Icy Jade Scorpions were active.
“The Icy Jade Scorpion’s Breath!” Fire burned in Leylin’s eyes. This material was extremely effective in suppressing the issues he had from his bloodline, and so he definitely needed to get his hands on it!
As the overall data and gene composition was different between Magi, this was as good as hitting the jackpot for Leylin. If he missed this opportunity, he really had no clue where he would find this material again.
[Discovered being that matches Host’s description. Distance: 621 metres.] The A.I. Chip prompted, causing Leylin to perk up.
He followed in the direction the A.I. Chip indicated, and not long after, he saw the actual body of the being.
At the end of the tunnels of the icy caves, there was a huge cave, on the surface of which were mosses and little bushes, forming a rather infertile area where food was produced.
Here, two groups of beings were having an intense confrontation.
On one end was a large, transparent, green scorpion that looked as if its entire body was made of green ice.
The two large pincers in front constantly danced back and forth, and its venomous sting curved behind it, moving erratically and looking ready to strike.
Blue, chilly air was produced occasionally, from the mouth of this Icy Jade Scorpion, and spat towards its opponent.
With just a look, Leylin knew that this large Icy Jade Scorpion was what he was looking for.
Facing the Icy Jade Scorpion was a group of blue ants.
These ants were the size of a mature adult’s finger. Their two large and sharp saw teeth kept opening and closing, producing terrifying, ear-piercing sounds.
It was a pity that in the face of the hard shell of the Icy Jade Scorpion, their attacks were futile.
Even if they crawled all over the body of the Icy Jade Scorpion, they could not affect its movements. On the contrary, every time the Icy Jade Scorpion raised its large pincers, numerous ants were sent flying.
The chilly air puffed out by the Icy Jade Scorpion also froze many of the ants into little crystals, which it then swallowed.
This was a battle where the Icy Jade Scorpion was foraging for food. It was the absolute winner here.
“A.I. Chip, scan the data of the Icy Jade Scorpion in front of me!”
Leylin immediately ordered. After advancing to become a rank 2 Warlock, the A.I. Chip that was spiritually bonded to him had also gained many benefits. Besides a power up in its simulation abilities, beings like this that had force-field related innate skills could have their data taken down as long as they were below rank 2.
Of course, for beings above rank 2, the A.I. Chip would be discovered and counterattack.
[Icy Jade Scorpion’s Strength: 15.9, Agility: 10.3, Vitality: 25, Spiritual force: 45, Special attacks: 1. Icy Breath: An attack where the Icy Jade Scorpion spits out large amounts of extreme icy air. Power: 30-45 degrees. 2. Freeze: When heavily injured, the Icy Jade Scorpion can seal itself in ice and lower its bodily needs to the minimum until its body completely heals. 3. Icy Armour: The icy layer on the surface of the Icy Jade Scorpion’s body can effectively defend against physical and magical attacks, and also has a slight rebound effect on light magic.]
The A.I. Chip quickly sent out a row of data, and displayed a projection of that Icy Jade Scorpion in front of him.
“Even amongst rank 1 Magi, this is quite powerful!”
Leylin judged.
A Magus’s strength could generally be decided based on their spiritual force. Acolytes were definitely below 20, while rank 1 Magi, which were otherwise known as official Magi, had a spiritual force between 20 and 80. As for rank 2 Magi, it was above 80. Based on Leylin’s conjectures and the simulations from the A.I. Chip, the spiritual force of peak rank 2 Magi could reach 200!
The strength of most rank 1 Magi’s spells was between 20 and 80 degrees.
Not only were its various stats were extremely high, the strength of its breath could even reach past a degree of 30. With its innate defensive spell-like icy armour, even a regular rank 1 Magus was not its opponent.
“This strength is almost that of a semi-converted Magus. I wonder what the elites or even emperors of the Icy Jade Scorpions are like?”
At this point, the battle had also reached an end.
Experiment and Seizure
Leylin shifted his attention to the battlefield.
The Icy Jade Scorpion had now completely won, and after a single hiss, most of the blue ants fled in all directions.
The Icy Jade Scorpion did not chase after the defeated army of ants. Instead, it crawled to the top of a mound and used its large pincers to dig at the mound, revealing a nest with numerous holes that made it look like a honeycomb.
In it were large numbers of orderly lined up white eggs.
*Chi chi!* The Icy Jade Scorpion gave a cry of exultation and began to pig out.
“My apologies, but I’ll need to disturb you for a while!”
However, its feeding time was interrupted by another being. The tiny red eyes of the Icy Jade Scorpion fixed were fixed on the human figure in front of him, its two large pincers constantly flying in the air and its poisonous stinger flexing behind its back.
*Chi chi!* The Icy Jade Scorpion was instantly enraged by Leylin, who had disturbed its meal. Large amounts of icy
mist was produced from its mouth and aimed at Leylin.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
The temperature in the cave lowered, and everywhere this icy mist passed by, exposed rocks shattered into countless fragments.
“Extreme cold! The unique breath of the Icy Jade Scorpion is said to possess an ability from the Icy World.”
Leylin muttered to himself while covered in the blue icy mist.
Immediately after, the large amounts of blue gas vied to enter through Leylin’s skin.