Apart from Leylin, among this party of five, Bosain would be the strongest based on stats.
In the stats detected by the A.I. Chip, Bosain's Spiritual Force had reached 15! It was already the requirement needed to advance to the level of an official Magus.
However, for some reason, it was concealed like Leylin's. Bosain also used some secret method to conceal his Spiritual Force's energy waves and also the aberration of his eyes, without letting anyone find out.
Moreover, as a level 3 acolyte from a large family, Bosain's magic artifact emitted energy waves that were extremely strong, only second to the Fallen Star Pendant hung around Leylin's neck.
In addition, the Lilytell family was one of the three big families of the academy. If Bosain, who was one of the younger generation that hailed from there, had no magic artifact on him, Leylin would be the first to not believe it.
As for Jayden, Shaya, and Roth—they were level 3 acolytes who had just advanced. Jayden and Shaya carried magic artifacts with them and were stronger than Roth by a small margin. However, Roth was neither obsequious nor supercilious along the way—obviously he had his own hidden trump card.
"Without using any trump cards, between Bosain and I, we have a fifty-fifty chance of winning. As for Shaya and Jayden, they are below us by a little, whereas Roth is ranked the last. However, he cannot be taken too lightly either!"
Leylin's eyes flashed, rapidly calculating that if any conflicts were to occur within the party, what would be the result and the control that he had of such a situation.
However, be it in the novels of his previous world, or the adventure that he undertook today, various adventurers would have internal strife after obtaining the treasures. It was inevitable.
Leylin questioned himself—if Jayden or the rest discovered that it was actually the inheritance of the great Magus Serholm they were after, they would definitely not be willing to share the loot obtained.
Who knew if he might be the first to revolt then?
...
The Zither Moon Town was a little town located at the foot of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains.
This day, on a road that was flying with dust, there were five travel-worn horse riders that appeared.
"Alright, we will enter the Zither Moon Mountain Plains from the Zither Moon Town. Before that, we can have a lodging at the inn in the town!"
Jayden reined in his horse. After getting down, he took out a badly damaged map to have a look.
At this moment, he had a completely different appearance. It was a rather secular face changing spell, which let Leylin somewhat surprised.
"This is the area of the borders. If there were any people from the Sage Gotham Hut academy it wouldn't be odd at all, so we have to be more careful…"
"We know it already!" Bosain straightened his robes, showing impatience.
The five of them led their horses to an inn called "Ghosts With Grievances Don't Weep".
Opening the door, it was as though it was a whole new world. Shouting and clamouring noises, along with the stenches of sweat and the odor of alcohol, wafted over.
Jayden's brow's furrowed, but he still walked towards the counter, tossing out a golden coin.
"Give me 5 private rooms…."
"I'm sorry, we only have 3 rooms left!" Before Jayden finished speaking, a person, who seemed to be the shop owner and who also stank of rum, interrupted him.
"Alright then! Three rooms, we'll have it all. Also, give us your best delicacies!"
Finding lodging at an inn in this small town is already considered fortunate, so Jayden did not pursue further.
But when he was paying the money, he complained, "Isn't this damned place the one that doesn't have even a few visitors each year? Now, why is is that there are only 3 rooms left?"
"Burp!" The shop owner hiccuped, "Who knows? The Zither Moon Mountain Plains is filled with the damned poisonous gas and miasma. Many of these lads don't return after setting off. Usually, there are only people here to drink some rum, but regarding gold coins, I seemed to have met with two waves of important guests today!"
"Two waves?" Leylin stepped forward, "Which is to say, there was someone else before us who came here?"
"Indeed, and they even asked for a tour guide. Gold coin payment, bah! Who wants to die in the depths of Zither Moon Mountain Plains?"
After hearing this news, Leylin and the rest looked at each other, having a somewhat ominous premonition.
"Alright! I'll let Pinky bring you to your rooms!" The shop owner took down 3 keys that were extremely oily, as he shouted, "Pinky! Pinky! Don't let me wait another second, if not I'll scrape your skin off…."
* Bang! * Very soon, a dwarf which wore a grey pointed hat stood in front of the owner.
"Respected Sir, Pinky is here for your bidding…."
This dwarf named Pinky was only half of Leylin's height. He also wore a flowery green costume, looking somewhat comical.
"Bring our esteemed guests to the rooms upstairs to rest, you know which few!"
The owner casually smacked the dwarf, before handing over the keys.
"Dear guests! Please follow Pinky! Be careful of the steps!"
Pinky touched his hat and led the way at the front.
Leylin and the rest followed behind.
Shaya took off her cloak, revealing a beautiful face and alluring body, and this attracted the whistles from a few drunken blokes suddenly.
Towards this, Shaya was not irked at all, she even sent a few coquettish glances over, igniting some heat within those drunkards.
Looking at these group of animals that were lusting over her, Leylin snickered. This expression of Shaya's showed that she was already angry to a certain extent.
If these drunkards acted recklessly and stepped forward to provoke, they would definitely suffer a fate worse than death!
"Leylin, you and Roth will be in this room, Bosain and me in the other. The last one would be for Shaya, any opinions?"
As the organiser for this adventure, Jayden quickly allocated the rooms to the members.
Seeing Jayden assign the difficult Bosain to himself, Leylin and Roth heaved a sigh of relief, naturally not raising any objections.
Shaya did not say anything either.
"Also, come to my room in a while's time. Towards the previous batch of customers the shop owner mentioned, I am somewhat concerned!" Jayden's brow's furrowed.
"We are all staying at the same inn. I believe that we will definitely see the other party!" Leylin spoke blandly as if hinting at something.
According to that dwarf Pinky, the earlier batch of guests was currently not inside the inn. They seemed to have gone out to purchase some goods, even spending money to hire a tour guide.
Dinner was held at the large hall on the first level. The main dish was mud bean paste, with some wild herbs as seasoning.
However, food like this was, in the eyes of Leylin and the rest, fit only for swines. The few of them had no appetite, yet they were curious about the previous batch of guests, so Leylin and the others chose to remain inside the large hall. They sipped on their drinks as they waited.
* Bang! *
Leylin was drinking his malt, and Shaya had reached her tolerance limits due to the provocation of a few drunkards beside her when the inn's door opened at this moment.
* Hu Hu! * Large gale of cold wind blew into the inn, lowering the somewhat lively atmosphere.
After seeing these few people who just entered, Leylin's body tensed.
It was five cloaked figures. From the energy waves on their bodies, they were actually level 2 and 3 acolytes!
When they entered, they too obviously noticed Leylin and the others.
The line of sight connected between the two parties, and sparks appeared. However, as if nothing had happened, the five cloaked figures did not stop and continued walking towards the second floor.
"How is it? Are they acolytes from the Sage Gotham Hut?"
Shaya whispered, unable to conceal the worry on her face.
"I don't know, but they are obviously not here on a holiday!" Jayden's expression darkened.
"I say, if we did not choose this inn for lodging, would we have been able to avoid them?" Roth scratched his head.
"Avoidance?" Bosain smirked in contempt, "It is the thought of weak people. The Lilytell family would never ever have to avoid!"
Being looked down upon by Bosain, Roth tensed. He was suffering from humiliation, yet he did not react.
"Moreover, the Zither Moon Town is so small, and there is only this one inn. When we entered the town, we were already exposed. Any sudden movements will only attract the vigilance of the other party!"
"The crucial thing is, what is their motive for coming here?" Leylin asked.
"Could it be that they also have found traces of the clues in here?"
Jayden's expression changed, "I purchased this lead for a heavy price, buying a book that was scribbled with ancient characters.
"Which is to say, the other party could have found something too. Who knows if they might even have a professor who tagged along…" Shaya's face looked even more uneasy, "Should we abandon the operation this time?"
"No way!" Jayden was the first who refused. For this lead, he had paid too high a price, naturally he was unwilling for them to give up.
"I don't think any of us here would be willing to let their professors claim half of the benefits that we obtained here after a dangerous exploration" Leylin added.
"However, before they notice us, the situation might change!"
"How about we get rid of them? I took a look, there are only three level 3 acolytes and two level 2 acolytes!" Jayden revealed a brutal expression.
"We can try, but it has to be done within the Zither Moon Mountain Plains. Moreover, we should eliminate all of the traces. I don't wish for the other side to find a reason to go to war with us!" Bosain added.
"It could also be some wandering magicians, instead of the acolytes from the Sage Gotham Hut…"
Roth said, his voice extremely soft.
A total of five acolytes, with three level 3 acolytes. This formation required too much time and effort to nurture them, so wandering magicians would never be able to do it.
Only academies and large scale magician guilds would be able to send out these many acolytes at once.
"Alright then! No matter where they are from, even for the one percent chance that they are here to seek out the remnants, once they enter the Zither Moon Mountain Plains, they are our enemies!"
Jayden spoke in a murderous tone.
As acolytes, they did not wish to break the unwritten rules of the Magus World by taking action within the small town where regular humans lived. As for the other party, they could very well hold the same thoughts.
-x-X-x-
In the depths of the night, due to Jayden's suggestions, the five of them abandoned the idea of resting and all gathered inside one room, where they each took turns for the night watch.
Also, the other team had the same idea.
"They have left!" warned Leylin, who was monitoring the other team's acolytes with the help of A.I. Chip.
Upon hearing his voice, the other 4 acolytes, who were all previously snoozing either on the sofa or on the table, suddenly opened their eyes.
"I heard the sound of their footsteps as they left and they were all heading in the direction of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains' entrance," continued Leylin.
"Choosing the night time to start a war, eh? Let's catch up with them!"
Jayden excitedly spoke.
As people who had survived the bloodbath, Jayden and others had all experienced the letting of the enemy's blood. As far as this situation was concerned, not only did they all not have a common fear experienced by acolytes, instead, they all were looking forward to it for some unknown reason.
During this whole time, their knapsacks were unopened and left in the corner. Leylin and the rest hurriedly strapped them on and left the inn.
A total of 10 black shadows disappeared in the town, under the dim glow of the starlight.
* Sou Sou Sou! *
A few black figures that were hard to track using the physical eyes rapidly left the town for the entrance of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains.
"The other party wouldn't be so naive that they think they could outrun us. The only possibility is that they chose to fight!"
Leylin's eyes gleamed, surmising the thoughts of the other party.
However, he had faith in his party!
His side consisted of all level 3 acolytes and even had 4 magic artifacts. The A.I. Chip did not detect any energy waves from magic artifacts on the other party!
Moreover, in the other party, there were two level 2 acolytes.
To Leylin, this was where the weak link and burden lies!
* Ka-Cha! * A branch that was in the way was broken as Leylin dashed through, his speed was not lowering the slightest.
Through meditation, acolytes can reflect their magic power on their own bodies, greatly enhancing the physical qualities. Concerning level 3 acolyte, the increase of spiritual force alone can already bring their vitality up to 2.5, equal to that of a Knight!
Moreover, level 3 acolyte could, through various self-experimentation, obtain stronger and larger physical prowess.
The pitch-black night, together with the jumbled branches and vines, could not hinder the speed of Leylin and his party.
"The other team has stopped!"
Leylin drew to a halt and scrutinized the whole surrounding.
Towering trees with their tops seemingly supporting the heavens, the dense foliage and undergrowth completely shielded them from the starlight, and only trickles of starlight were visible through the leaves.
But this was just enough for acolytes to see.
"This distance is already far from the town. Even if there are any energy waves, no one would discover it at all!" Jayden placed a green badge on his chest.
"You actually took out your magic artifact now, just to deal with a few pieces of trash?" Bosain laughed and retracted his hand into the large sleeves.
Looking at the A.I. Chip's scan result, Leylin was somewhat speechless.
Under the detection of the A.I. Chip, Bosain too held onto his own magic artifact. It was even one which could immediately be activated.
This behavior of Bosain, where he contradicted himself by speaking one thing but doing something else, was something Leylin and Jayden were used to.
On the other side, Shaya and Roth also made their individual preparations.
acolytes who survived the bloodbath were extremely clear on one point—Even a lion has to use its full force to catch a rabbit! No matter how weak the opponent seems, one must not slack off. If not, the loss of one's own life might happen!
"Let's go and get rid of them!" Jayden laughed sardonically and stepped out first.
"Hu...."
After going past a black leafy tree, Leylin saw a dark green marsh.
The surface of the swamp had many dried branches and leaves, interspersed with the corpses of other animals.
On the other side of the swamp, the 5 acolytes that they saw previously were standing there quietly.
What was different about their outfits were that on the cloak and robes, they were already wearing the badge that represented the academy they were in.
"Sage Gotham Hut?" Jayden icily said.
"acolytes of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!" The leader of the other party had some guesses to the identity of Leylin's party.
"It seems like another bunch of people will be dead again!" Leylin sighed in his heart. As these both parties, the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, and the Sage Gotham Hut, had just ended the war, their mutual hatred was as deep as the seas.
Although the mediation by the Lighthouse of the Night had made them sign a peace treaty, that was at most a form of restraint for the official Magi. As for acolytes, if the two sides were to see each other, then it was certain that one side would perish.
The two parties stood quietly and faced off the other. For a moment, even the air seemed to have congealed.
"Actually… We don't have to…."
The other team's leader remained silent for a while, then opened his mouth.
* Chi Chi *
The moment that leader opened his mouth, a murderous glint flashed in Jayden's eyes and the badge on his chest radiated a ray of green light.
Countless murky green vines with reversed barbs rose from the ground, encircling the five opponents!
In terms of battle experience, Jayden obviously had more than the other party. Moreover, Jayden carried the blood debt of killing Torash. Amongst their party of five, he was the most unwilling to let the enemy go scot-free.
If not, once other party disclosed the news, even if Jayden concealed himself, he would be in the pursuit of the official Magus from the other side!
"Despicable!" "Escaaaaape!" "Aargh!"
The five acolytes obviously did not think that Jayden would be this decisive and ruthless, not even mouthing a greeting before he took action.
Within a fraction of a second, a green whirlwind swirled around two acolytes, increasing their speed and bringing them off the attack area of the vines.
As for another acolyte, there was an orange-red flame that burned in his surroundings. It took on the form of a whip, continuously attacking the vines, which burned in retreat.
As for the last two level 2 acolytes, they seemed rather miserable. Countless vines wrapped them into a ball. Along with the tightening of the vines, fresh blood seeped through from within the ball.
"Kill them all!"
The moment Jayden struck, Bosain, Leylin, and the others rushed forward too.
"Right now, I can confirm that this bunch of acolytes is nurtured in the greenhouse, with no experience of seeing a war field that reeks of blood. They are as weak as sheep in the face of a strong adversary!"
Leylin looked at the few acolytes with a pitiable look.
He guessed that these few acolytes did not even participate in the previous bloodbath. Their mentality was the same as when they were inside their academy.
However, he loved opponents like this the most. Because one can reap the largest benefits without spending much effort.
As Leylin dashed forward, he chanted an incantation.
* Sssii! * A pitch-black hand rose from the shadows, grabbing onto the ankle of a level 3 acolyte.
* Umbra's Hand!"
* Sssii! * The hand that was extremely corrosive dissolved part of the opponent's leg and the flesh and blood continuously fell down.
"Aaargh… someone save me!"
The enemy acolyte fell onto the ground, his wails pierced past the quiet forest, directly to the heavens.
"Kiddo! Your mother will save you!" Shaya mocked him. She waved her arm and a few silver light flew from her hand, directly piercing the head of the fallen acolyte.
* Bang! * The acolyte's head sliced open like a watermelon as the brain and various juices sprayed on the floor.
3 people died directly from the first wave of attack from Leylin's party.
"Damn it! Monty!"
The two level 3 acolyte gritted their teeth and retreated. One of them withdrew a silver whistle from his robes and blew on it.
* Xiu Xiu Jiu Jiu! *
The piercing noise from the whistle sounded. From afar a growl from a beast was heard. It was oppressive, bloodthirsty and seemed to come from midair.
[Sound frequency recorded. Comparing to database, identified as a Moonlight Mayfly!]
The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
"Moonlight Mayfly?" Leylin was surprised, "No wonder the other party chose this marsh as the battlefield!"
He immediately shouted, "Be careful! They have a contracted beast. It's the Moonlight Mayfly, hurry and leave the marsh!"
* Groar! *
The growl sounded and a massive black figure pressed down from the top of the trees, hovering in the midair above the marsh.
It was a giant creature with purple and black light emitting from the body. Also, it was the size of a horse, and two wings like that of a bat's grew from its sides. At the end of the wings, there were barbed talons. The mouth was extremely pointed and was filled with razor-sharp, white teeth. A pair of bright, yellow eyes seemed to burn like flames in the middle of the night.
"A.I. Chip, scan the creature!" Leylin ordered silently.
[Beep! Moonlight Mayfly. Strength: 5.2, Agility: 8.9, Vitality: 7.5, Spiritual force: 3.8. Innate skills: 1.—Float. The Moonlight Mayfly large wings can allow them to maintain flight for a medium short distance. 2.—Fury of the Marsh. As the pet of the marshes, the Moonlight Mayfly can call upon the fury of the marsh. Uses the marsh attack on enemies. Might: 7 to 9 degrees!]
* Shiikkk! * As Leylin warned them, an unpleasant roar came from the Moonlight Mayfly floating in midair.
With the roar, the surface of the marsh which was originally serene suddenly surged with ripples.
The ripples grew larger, finally turning into a 12-metre tall wave, directing falling right upon Leylin and the rest.
Many impurities were contained within the murky waters, and it brought along branches and corpses of wild beasts. The wave actually took over a form that seemed to cover the skies.
"Well done, my precious!"
The acolyte, who blew loudly on the whistle, shouted, "Kill them for me!"
"Damn it! Even a little worm wants to kill us!"
Leylin and the others rushed out of the marsh area. As the might of the Fury of the Marsh could only be displayed inside the marsh, the attack stopped pursuing. However, Bosain remained behind.
At this moment, facing this huge wave, his expression was as if he just suffered a humiliation.
* Bang! * A large wave surged and attacked Bosain. However, on the surface of his body, a large silver metal shield automatically appeared in front of him.
The shield was a dozen centimetres thick. On the surface of the shield, there were mysterious and complicated runes and it looked to be extremely sturdy.
The Fury of the Marsh attack crashed on the shield, creating a loud bang.
-x-X-x-
* Bang! *
Under the crashing of the wave, the silver shield seemed to be a reef in the middle of the ocean, not moving the slightest.
After the Fury of the Marsh was over, Bosain was still unscathed behind the shield.
Seeing this, Leylin's pupil shrank.
"A defense type magic artifact!"
As the younger generation hailing from one of the big three families in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, Bosain actually had a defense type magic artifact.
Leylin clearly understood the difficulty of dealing with it, as he too had a defense type magic artifact, the Fallen Star Pendant. Once the Fallen Star Pendant was activated, Leylin was invincible amongst acolytes.
As for the two opposing level 3 acolytes, they were obviously scared stiff by Bosain's actions. There was actually a moment when they stood still.
Especially the acolyte who signed a contract with the Moonlight Mayfly, he gripped the whistle tightly, disbelief written all over his pallid face.
After the Fury of the Marsh attack, the giant Moonlight Mayfly seemed to have been spent. It continued to hover in midair, yet did not attack again.
[The Moonlight Mayfly's attack can only be used once per day. Following which it has a cooldown period of 20 hours. Also, during this period, it would be in a weakened state!]
The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
"A good chance!" Leylin's eyes flashed, and two potions, red and purple coloured, flew from his hands.
* Bang! * A red flame with purple smoke exploded on the body of the Moonlight Mayfly.
The huge explosion engulfed the Moonlight Mayfly. From the purple-red halo of the spell, the shrieks of the Moonlight Mayfly could be heard.
After the potion's effect had worn off, the Moonlight Mayfly in midair was in a miserable state. Both its claws were broken, with many holes on its wings. It seemed not to be able to float in the air any longer, covering the distance between itself and the ground rapidly, as if wanting to rest.
"You damned bastard! You actually dare…."
Looking at the Moonlight Mayfly approaching the ground, Bosain roared. The silver shield in front of him then emitted a white light.
The thick shield melted in the light, and silver liquid swirled around Bosain's hands, turning into a silver greatsword.
"Hah!"
Bosain raised the greatsword with both hands and jumped up before slashing down!
* Sou! *
A silver flash of light chopped at the neck of the Moonlight Mayfly who was struggling, and a stream of blood appeared in its place.
The head of the Moonlight Mayfly was chopped off, spraying a large amount of black and purple ichor.
One slash to severe the head! The massive Moonlight Mayfly was actually decapitated with just one slash of Bosain's sword.
"There is even a secondary effect! What a powerful magic artifact! Of course, Bosain's strength is an important factor!"
Leylin gasped in amazement.
"Ah, no!" The moment the Moonlight Mayfly was decapitated, the acolyte let out a shrill cry.
Moreover, the moment the eyes of the severed Moonlight Mayfly's head dimmed, the acolyte's face turned white, and wrinkles started to appear all over his face.
"It seems like it was a life-bound contract he signed. No wonder, despite his average strength, he obtained the loyalty of the Moonlight Mayfly…."
Leylin sighed, "A pity that life-bound contracts are linked with the creature. Once the contracted creature dies, the host will not be able to escape the same fate!"
After the fire in the yellow eyes of the Moonlight Mayfly disappeared, the acolyte panted. At this moment, he was already a white-haired old man and then he fell to the ground, losing all signs of life.
"Ahhh!"
The final remaining acolyte shouted, immediately turned around and ran.
At the same time, a feather was thrown into the air by him. A black flash of light turned the feather into a nighthawk which flew in the air.
"A magic summon, hurry and stop it!" Jayden pointed and several vines immediately gave chase.
"Arrow spell!" Red-haired Shaya shouted, and from her hands, a few bright white-silver arrows shot towards the night hawk.
*Jiu, Jiu!* The night hawk whistled and flapped its wings, moving in a beautiful arc as it avoided the attack from the green vines.
After which, the nighthawk with its razor sharp wings smacked the few silver arrows away.
"It's also a magic creature!"
Bosain's voice weakened.
"We cannot let it relay the news, if not we'll be in a dangerous situation!"
Leylin's eyes flashed, his wrist guard changing shape, turning into a black longbow.
"A.I. Chip! Calculate wind speed, humidity, and trajectory...."
* Chi! * The black arrow flashed across the sky like a lightning bolt, directly piercing the right wing of the night hawk.
With a wail, the nighthawk fell down.
"Nice one!" Bosain shouted in glee. His speed increased greatly, brandishing the silver greatsword.
* Pu! * The silver greatsword produced a white silk net, capturing the night hawk within.
"Go to hell!" The white silk net continued to tighten, finally turning into a ball of blood and feathers.
"We have finally gotten rid of it!" Jayden and Shaya heaved a sigh of relief.
"There is also this one!"
* Chi La La! * The thicket parted and Roth's figure appeared in front of the party. Only now his appearance had taken a drastic change.
His right arm was blasted off, revealing many white tentacles. Half of his face was also strewn with green scales.
As for the tentacles on his right arm, it was holding onto the head of the last acolyte who escaped. The head wore a frightened expression!
"A mutation experiment? And it is so thorough!"
Leylin and the other three were shocked.
Although level 3 acolytes can enhance their own body and transform it to a certain degree, an acolyte's spiritual force was still far beneath that of an official Magus. Many high-grade ingredients and knowledge weren't enough, so more often than not, forcefully enhancing the body would result in an irreversible damage.
However, Roth's current state showed that he was extremely sane.
* Sou Sou! * White tentacles continuously retracted back into his body. Very soon, Roth took on a half-naked appearance, returning back to his regular form.
Roth swung his right arm, tossing the acolyte's head onto the floor and smiled widely.
"Now, the inconveniences have all been disposed of!"
"Indeed!" Jayden looked at Roth, "We have already been friends for two years. Although I knew your mutation talent is rather high, I never expected that you have already contained the physical transformation aspect!"
Roth looked at the other four and shrugged his shoulders. "acolytes must also have their trump cards, shouldn't they?"
"Alright! Even though we annihilated the opponents, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, we had better hasten the exploration and leave this place…"
Bosain suggested as he placed the magic artifact back in his robes.
"Indeed! The other party could have revealed their location to someone else. We have to hurry and look for the remnants in the Zither Moon Mountain Plains!"
Leylin also agreed.
"Alright, let us set off immediately!"
Jayden nodded his head and was about to lead the party away.
"Wait a minute, I even found this on his body!" Roth smiled and handed over a pale yellow scroll over to Jayden.
"This is…" Jayden opened it and his expression looked extremely unpleasant as if it belonged on a corpse.
"A.I. Chip, record!" The moment Jayden opened the map, Leylin immediately ordered the A.I. Chip to record it.
From the geographical drawing, the map depicted the Zither Moon Mountain Plains. Moreover, among the signs of the dark forest, there was a thin red line which extended from the Zither Moon Town entrance to the depths of the mountain. It stopped at another marking which showed a cliff. Moreover, at the bottom of the cliff, there was the name 'Dylan Gardens"
"Did the purpose of the other party coincide with our exploration?" Leylin asked suddenly.
"Indeed!" Jayden nodded vigorously, suddenly turning impatient. "Damn it, I don't know how many leads this remnant owner created. Let's hurry, I don't wish to see a remnant that has already been scoured clean!"
Leylin inwardly saw the light. What the great Magus Serholm left behind was an inheritance. He definitely wished for someone to discover and continue his legacy. Hence, he left behind many leads.
At this moment, Leylin could already confirm that the clues Jayden had belonged to the inheritance of the great Magus Serholm!
As there was a possibility that someone else might be there before them, the five of them proceeded with their journey, their hearts heavy and their complexions reflected their uneasiness.
However, they moved quickly, and in a few hours' time, they had already entered the depths of the Zither Moon Mountain Plains.
At this moment, the mountain was extremely different from when they had first stepped into it.
The change in the vegetation here was to an extreme. If the Zither Moon Mountain Plains border had normal plants growing, right now, what they saw in front of them were some relatively bizarre species of plants.
The most common plants were a species of big shrubs that were white in colour and their leaves had a strange spiral form.
Every time a gust of wind blew, the sea of shrubs would move with the wind, producing a sound similar to playing the piano keys.
* Ding Ding Dong Dong! * The piano-like sounds was extremely chaotic. Leylin became aroused, feeling a need to recklessly charge forth!
"Careful! This is the Piano Key Bush. The noise it makes can attract regular humans. Even an acolyte would be somewhat affected!"
Leylin warned, "Earlier, the missing people from the Zither Moon Town could very well have been attracted to these sounds, entering an illusion and dying in heat…."
After which, Leylin withdrew a few potions from his bag and distributed it to Jayden and the rest.
"This is a tranquilizing potion that I have brewed, it can resist such effects!"
Jayden, Roth, and Shaya looked at the test-tube in their hands and drank its contents after tasting a little of it.
As for Bosain, he shook his head to refuse, directly returning the potion to Leylin.
"I don't need it!"
Leylin shrugged his shoulders and led the way at the front.
On the later parts of the exploration, there were traps with poisonous gases and ambushes. This was the reason a Potioneering acolyte was needed — to counteract them.
This was also the reason why Jayden asked Leylin to come.
-x-X-x-
After which, Leylin and the rest met several waves of miasma and hordes of poisonous insects.
Under the aid of the potions Leylin provided, the party got through these danger zones with ease.
After Leylin displayed a few methods of using the potions to dispel the poisonous insects and miasma, Jayden and the rest were convinced of Leylin's talent.
Even Bosain from the Lilytell family would occasionally cast surprised glances at Leylin.
Obviously, he had heard of Leylin's talent in Potioneering before, but Leylin's talent had exceeded his expectations.
The party trekked over land and water, finally arriving at the overhanging cliff depicted on the map two days later.
"So beautiful!"
Shaya gasped. Even Leylin and the others showed signs of indulgence.
On the edge of the cliff, there were bright yellow flowers growing on the levelled ground. In the heart of the flower, it was bright red. When it bloomed it had the size of two regular humans' fists put together.
The whole mountaintop was filled with this strange flower, and a heavy aroma permeated the area.
"Leylin, what is it?" Jayden asked.
The Zither Moon Mountain Plains was riddled with dangers, and various strange plants had appeared. More often than not, the more beautiful a plant was the more dangerous it was. Especially when it was close to their destination!
As the Potioneering acolyte, Leylin already dealt with 3 similar flowers traps.
"No problem!" Leylin picked up a stalk of the flower.
"A.I. Chip, compare to database!"
[Beep! Mission establishing, scanning outer appearance and scent. Comparison in progress...]
[Result is found in the database. Determined as a Beta Daisy!] The A.I. Chip's voice loyally intoned.
"Beta Daisy?" Leylin's brow's furrowed. "This is a common plant in the south coast. Normally they are grown on plains. It represents nostalgia and respect..."
"This flower does indeed seem like the Beta Daisy. There should be someone who planted this here on purpose!" Bosain also gave a definite reply.
"Is it the magician who left behind the inheritance?" Roth who stood behind spoke, his voice gruff.
"It's possible, but I can't confirm it!"
Jayden opened the damaged map, "From the map, the remnants should be located at the bottom of this cliff!"
Leylin nodded his head, back when he scanned the map, the name 'Dylan Gardens' appeared beneath the cliff. Moreover, there was mentioned a huge area of Beta Daisy located on the cliff above it, so there was an 80-90 percent chance that it was correct.
"What are we waiting for?" The excitement was seen on Shaya's face.
To acolytes, if there were able to find remnants of an official Magus and obtain the inheritance, it was often the start of another legend.
The five of them began to pant raggedly, even Bosain was not excluded.
The cliff was extremely high, and there were granite rocks on the razor sharp steep walls. For a regular human, climbing to the bottom was an impossible task.
However, for these five level 3 acolytes, this itsy-bitsy challenge could not stop them at all.
Roth immediately transformed into the tentacle handed creature and climbed. As for Leylin and the others, they added a Floating Feather spell. This spell allowed them to lighten their weight and they floated right to the bottom.
* Bang! *
The Floating Feather spell was removed and Leylin's feet touched the ground.
"This is… " Leylin was rather taken aback as he sized up the surroundings. It was littered with stones in the form of double edged blades.
The countless stone swords were placed together, covering at least half of the bottom area of the cliff.
On the sharp blades, there were countless corpses. Leylin even discovered some corpses which looked like humans.
"It seems that these were living creatures which fell from the cliff!" Leylin sighed and suddenly realised that something was amiss, "How could there be regular humans here. Could it be some acolytes who had obtained leads previously?"
"Be careful, the floor is littered with blades!" Upon seeing Jayden and the others landing, Leylin hurriedly warned.
"Damn it!" Jayden's face darkened. His arm had grazed over one of the sharp blades when leading, revealing an abrasion that was at least 12cm long.
"These pointed edges have been made razor-sharp to last for eternity. In addition, there also some magic spells imbued in them! If this were not so, it would not have been possible to breakthrough my defense and cause a scratch on my skin!"
"Indeed!" Leylin touched the grey-white blade and felt the faint energy waves pulsing from it.
"Only an official Magus could perform the spell on such a scale, adding the effect on all these rocks in this area!"
"So then, where is the remnant?"
* Sou Sou! * Countless grey-white tentacles extended to the bottom of the cliff, bringing Roth with it.
"I have used my spell to detect earlier, there are only rocks and mud below here, no traces of remnants whatsoever…." Bosain held onto a green eyeball and spoke rather dejectedly.
"Let us search the area and see if there are any clues. 6 hours later, we'll gather at the top of the cliff again!" Impatience surfaced on Jayden's face as he spoke.
This exploration was suggested by him, so the worst disappointment is ending with no results.
Moreover, with some clues but not being able to discover the entrance still, this impatience, together with the fear of being hunted down by an official Magus had tortured this little boy. From what Leylin saw, Jayden was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Freedom to seek?" After hearing Jayden's suggestion, the other 4 quietened down and nodded their heads in agreement.
To them, after arriving at the destination, Jayden was of little use to them. Moreover, being able to find the remnant and obtain the loot before the other party members were definitely much better than discovering it together. More benefits could be obtained that way.
The five of them had confidence in their own methods. Hence, no one suggested forming a team of sorts.
The few of them chose to walk downwards and left the area where they landed on.
"A.I. Chip, scan the geographical outlay and project a map from it!" Leylin commanded the A.I. Chip after walking for a moment before stopping.
[Mission establishing, scanning the geography of the region...]
The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's orders. Very soon, a pale blue 3-D image was projected in front of Leylin's eyes.
On this map which could only be seen by him, it clearly depicted the terrain of the location nearby. It was so detailed that even a blade of grass was not left out.
According to the A.I. Chip's detection, under the cliff, there were layers of granite. Here were no signs of magician activities.
Moreover, in the surroundings, there weren't any situation of experiment labs that was detected.
"There isn't any?" Leylin's brow's furrowed.
"Perhaps, the other party had laid out such a strong concealment that even the A.I. Chip was unable to detect!"
Leylin pondered as he looked at the surroundings again with his physical eye.
6 hours later, the sky gradually turned dark. There were a few tents pitched on the top of the cliff. In front of the tent, there was a bonfire, where a wild vegetable soup aroma rose from the boiling pot.
It was rather unfortunate, however, that the five surrounding the bonfire did not have any appetite.
"Everyone has returned, speak of your findings!" Jayden looked at the circle and spoke first.
"There isn't any! Apart from those darned inverted rock blades, there isn't anything else...." Roth then spoke, "I say, could it be that you are leading us on the wrong path?"
"What did you say?" Jayden stood up abruptly, the badge pinned on his chest emitting a green glow.
"Alright! Do we want to cause internal strife even before finding the treasure?" Bosain emitted a huge energy wave, directly between Jayden and Roth.
"I believe Jayden, if not he could have come here on his own!" Leylin added.
Why he said that was because he also held a copy of the Sage Gotham Hut party's map. He knew that Jayden had been leading them right to the destination.
After hearing Leylin and Bosain mediating, Jayden and Roth glared at each other and sat back down.
"I have even searched the bottom level and it was all solid ground. There isn't any underground construction or anything of that sort!" Shaya smiled wryly.
"An official Magus' remnant could not be found that easily in the first place. If not it would have long since been looted!"
Leylin added and immediately asked Jayden, "Do you have any other clues?"
After hearing Leylin's words, the other 3 diverted their glances at Jayden.
Jayden kept his silence for a while before speaking, "The clue that I obtained was the map to come here. On the map, there were several ancient verses, it seemed to be a poem of sorts…"
"Let me see it!" Leylin and Bosain spoke together in unison.
"I'll show it to all of you then!" Jayden smiled and opened the map in his hands.
Leylin scrutinised the map on Jayden. There was no difference with the A.I. Chip's copy at all, even the route was the same, leading to this cliff.
However, Jayden's copy of the map was much older. On the upper right corner, there were several blurry characters. The words were writhing like a snake.
"This is Curagerian language, I have seen it before on a manual. It seemed to speak of 'carry...and people with respect, will be able to...garden…." Bosain eyes flashed as he tried his best to translate it.
"Only those who carry courage and respect will be able to see the Dylan Gardens!" Leylin translated the Curagerian language immediately, "There is only this one line on the map!"
Bosain was clearly startled, "Such an obscure knowledge...you actually…"
"It's because I like to hang around in the library!" Leylin smiled.
"The remnant's name seemed to be Dylan Gardens. However, for courage and respect, what does it mean?"
Shaya scratched her head in puzzlement.
"I always thought courage referred to the courage to trespass through the Zither Moon Mountain Plains. It doesn't seem to be the case now!" Jayden smiled wryly.
"The Zither Moon Mountain Plains is somewhat dangerous to regular humans. However to a level 2 acolyte, it doesn't pose much danger at all…" Bosain looked at Leylin impassively, before speaking.
-x-X-x-
The group discussed till late into the night, but no conclusions were arrived at.
After which, they assigned the sentry for the night watch, and the individuals returned to the tent to rest and meditate.
Leylin lay on a simple bed laid with the fur of a white wolf, anxiety stirring in his heart.
To him, this inheritance that no one knew about was now revealed to the rest. Furthermore, using the A.I. Chip's scanning abilities did not yield him any results. This made him feel rather irritated.
Even the meditation that he did daily had to be postponed.
"Maybe I should not put all my hopes in here. The south coast is extremely vast. Every dozens of years there would be an acolyte who stumbled upon an inheritance and obtain resources to advance into an official Magus. There are many chances…"
Leylin comforted himself, and then laughed in spite of himself.
Originally, he had considered the great Magus Serholm's inheritance as his own belonging, which had led him to be obsessed with it. Even a magician's most basic intellect was affected by it.
And Jayden and the others were also in the same situation.
"How irritable, I ignored the dangers!" Leylin's expression suddenly turned tranquil.
"The acolytes of the Sage Gotham Hut have all been killed by us. This will surely cause the other side to keep an eye on us and cause them to send some powerful acolytes or even official Magi to investigate..."
"Based on the location of the Sage Gotham Hut, I still have around 10 days' time till the information reaches them..."
"8 days! If within 8 days I still haven't discovered any clues here, I must leave." Leylin's eyes showed his resolve.
Compared with the great Magus Serholm's inheritance, Leylin valued his own life even more.
...
After having decided thus, Leylin felt as if a load had been taken off of him, and even his spiritual force felt like it was cleansed and thus he entered into the state of mediation.
Early morning, a skylark's sharp cry echoed above their camp.
Leylin greeted Shaya, "Morning!"
"Morning!" said Shaya, two dark circles around her eyes. It appeared as if she hadn't slept a wink last night. A few blood vessels were distinctly visible within her eyes. The gaze that she returned Leylin was inconceivable.
"I wonder...how is it that you can be so...relaxed?" After enduring for some time, Shaya at last enquired.
"This is an official Magus' inheritance that we are talking about—there is a chance to even get some information and resources which would help us advance..."
"But we still haven't found it, isn't that right?"
Leylin, facing the rising the sun, stretched his muscles satisfactorily.
"As long as something is not yours, you must not obsess over it too much. Otherwise, your heart will only suffer."
"You are very odd indeed!" Shaya rubbed her hand across her forehead, as she continued, "However, Magi and acolytes are all queer people, so you can be considered as normal!"
"That may be so!" Leylin nodded, as he thought that if these people came to know that the remnants were left behind by the great Magus Serholm, then the situation could worsen.
But, he certainly would not tell them about this bit of information.
The 5 people walked away from the tents and gathered to eat their breakfast—which was a roasted fowl. After that, they all gathered together to discuss on how to proceed.
"Alright! Today will again be another day of solo explorations! Try your best to find the remnants!" said Jayden. After seeing that the discussion went on for ages with no result, he had no other option but to say this.
This was also the most appropriate action for the current situation.
Although it is possible that any acolyte could find the entrance first, as long as it is opened, Jayden and the rest would also be able to find that open entrance from its energy waves. At the very most, they would just give the people who discovered the entrance a larger portion of the reward.
"What are you doing?"
After everyone had scattered in different directions, Jayden, upon seeing that Leylin still stood hesitating at the top of the cliff and was bowing to appreciate the Beta Daisy, he couldn't help but ask.
"It is as you see. I am appreciating the flowers," said Leylin, with a hint of a smile on his mouth.
"At such a moment?" Jayden's eyes turned red; he made as if to go and reprimand Leylin.
"Be calm! You must not get irritated!" Leylin made a gesture to make him halt.
"Yesterday we all looked for clues at the cliff's bottom, but we haven't discovered this secret hidden among the ocean of flowers!"
"Secret? You mean, you found it?" Jayden appeared ecstatic.
"What? Leylin found it?" *Sou! Sou! Sou!* 3 shadows appeared directly next to Jayden and Leylin.
It was the other 3 acolytes who had not strayed too far.
"En!" In front of his party's eyes, Leylin slowly nodded his head.
"One of you who can use any floating spell, fly up to midair and have a look!" Leylin spoke.
"I'll do it!" Bosain immediately withdrew a silver metal ball. On the metal ball, there were the energy waves of a magic artifact.
After that, Bosain twirled the metal ball, which then melted to become a liquid. This liquid stuck to his back and formed two huge, pretty and dazzling silver wings.
"It is a magic artifact that can change form as needed!" praised Leylin.
This artifact probably could reach the standard of a medium-grade magic artifact, guessed Leylin. The synthesizer had lowered the might of it for an acolyte to wield its power.
Only large-scale families with a long history would be able to enjoy such extravagant methods.
* Chi La! * A huge translucent silver wing flapped, bringing the dust off the ground. With this strength, Bosain immediately flew into midair.
"How is it? Do you see anything?" Jayden shouted below.
"Flowers…The arrangement of the Beta Daisy...."
A gust of wind flew past and Bosain flew down onto the ground, retracting his wings back in his body.
"This patch of Beta Daisy was planted on purpose. They have formed a character!"
Bosain explained to the rest.
"What character?" Shaya and Roth asked.
"It is a Curagerian letter, and the meaning means 'jump'!" Leylin said.
"Jump? Could it be that we have to jump directly off the cliff?" Jayden guessed. acolytes were not silly people, their judgement was clouded by the benefits in front of them previously.
"Haven't we already jumped once yesterday?"
Roth scratched his head, "Nothing was discovered, only those damned rocks below the cliff!"
"No! You climbed down. As for us, we used the Floating Feather spell to get down!" Bosain interrupted.
"I understand now, the remnant is located in a secret plane. As for the way to enter, it is to jump directly down from the cliff without using any spells!"
"Jump down directly? Are you crazy?" Shaya twisted her beautiful red hair, "Such a tall cliff with so many rock blades at the bottom. If we don't use any magic spells for defence, with our physical bodies, even Roth would fall to his death!"
"So, we need some experiment specimen!"
Jayden said, "Go find some animals, better yet some humans!"
"That's possible! But don't harbour too much hope!" Roth pulled out a bunch of tentacles from his bag and hurriedly left.
"We should also search in the surroundings, if we still can't find any, then let's return to the town!" Jayden revealed a smile for the first time...
"Ahhhhh...."
Frightened screams could be heard from the cliff. Moreover, due to the high pressure from the wind, the voices were altered.
* Bang! *
A black dot fell from the top of the cliff, growing larger, finally, a human figure appeared.
It was a person from the town who wore hunter gear. His face contorted and let out a hell-raising scream, free-falling from the top of the cliff.
* Sou! *
The hunter smashed directly onto a rock blade and the huge force of impact directly severed his body in two.
The corpse which was in two fell on the ground creating a huge pit. The bones and flesh were mixed together, the original appearance could not be recognised at all.
Beside these two pits, there was a smaller pit.
It had the same gory scene, only that the skull belonged to an animal similar to a deer.
"How is it?"
At the bottom of the cliff, Roth crossed his arms and inspected. Shaya too stood beside him. Moreover, in front of him, there was a semicircle object which glowed in green. From that object, Jayden's voice could be heard.
"Nothing new! It's just more meat paste, the result is similar to the deer from before!" Roth sneered, "It seems that our plan has failed…"
On top of the cliff, Leylin and the other two crowded around. Upon listening to the voice from the other half of the green semicircle object, their faces disappointed.
"From the start, an animal, till the last, a human. It seems like there are some other conditions that need to be met!"
Leylin was the first to recover from his low spirits.
"Let us think carefully, we are running out of specimens to test!" Bosain revealed a sardonic smile, pointing at the empty ground nearby.
On the empty ground, there were a few Zither Moon Town civilians who looked aghast at Leylin and the others. If not for the fact that their mouths were stuffed, they would most likely be cursing or begging for mercy right now.
Ever since Jayden suggested finding substitutes, the five of them had immediately split up and done their job.
Bosain was the most ruthless, it seemed like he went back to the town to kidnap a few citizens back here.
For peak magician families from where he came from, the secular regular humans were like wild grass. No matter how many were cut off, more would sprout in the future. Being able to die for his cause was their glory!
Although Leylin did not agree with this, but going against Bosain for a few mere strangers was not worth it.
Moreover, using human specimens had a smaller margin for error, much more than a deer. It was also in accordance with Leylin's interests!
At the same time, he was extremely shocked at Bosain's speed.
"Jumping down would represent courage! According to the map, there must also be 'respect!'" Leylin spoke of his own conjecture.
"Then what is 'respect'?" Bosain asked.
"In ancient times, when people visit their elders, they would bring a Beta Daisy to show their respect. This custom has lasted till today's times, and many places in the south coast has retained such traditions!"
Leylin smiled and said.
-x-X-x-
"Indeed! The Poolfield Kingdom does have such traditions!" Bosain's eyes gleamed.
"Let's try again!"
He went to one of the captives directly. It was a blue-haired kid which had not matured yet. "Be honoured kiddo! Being able to make contributions in front of mighty magicians!"
Bosain smirked, and immediately cut the ropes that were tying the boy.
"Put this on well, better yet put it at the place 30 centimetres below your collar!" Leylin immediately plucked a Beta Daisy flower and inserted it into the boy's collars.
"All preparatory work is work! Roth and Shaya, be careful!" Jayden roared into the receiver.
"Three, two, and one! Release!"
Bosain grabbed onto the boy's hair with an arm and walked towards the edge of the cliff. Looking at the boy who was flailing, he smirked and let go of his hand.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
The little boy spit off the thing stuffed in his mouth and let off a horrified scream!
After which, both his hands waved wildly as if a drowned person trying to hold onto the last rice straw.
"I hope it's a success this time!" On the cliff, Leylin muttered as he stood with the other two watched the screaming boy turn into a dot.
Suddenly, Leylin and the rest discovered an energy wave.
"This feeling! It won't be mistaken! It's the energy waves formed when a secret plane opens, the same as the bloodbath from before!" Leylin's lips curled up.
"Sha Sha…" Noises came from the receiver.
"He disappeared! I see the person who was falling in midair engulfed by a light, completely disappearing!" Shaya's voice could be heard with a trace of excitement in it.
"Let us go immediately!" Roth's voice, too, sounded from the receiver.
Moments later, the five gathered at the cliff as they gasped in amazement at the methods of ancient Magi.
"Courage and respect! Who would have thought of that?"
Shaya spoke in a wondrous tone, "With no defense spells and jumping off the cliff, where many rock blades have been imbued with eternal sharpness. Even an official Magus would not dare try it…"
"Moreover, one has to carry a Beta Daisy. If not, the secret plane wouldn't be opened…"
Jayden smiled, "Leylin, nice one!"
At this moment, even Bosain revealed an approving smile. Shaya even clapped for him at the side.
"Oh! All of this is due to everyone's efforts!" Leylin lowered his head slightly, revealing a humble yet proud smile.
"The secret plane has already been discovered, what are we waiting for?" Roth immediately plucked a Beta Daisy and placed it on his body.
"There are them too!" Bosain pointed at the frightened captives.
"I'll end it!" Jayden stretched both his hands and the vines continue to extend.
"Wait!" Leylin spoke suddenly, restricting Jayden's movement.
"What is it, could it be that you want to beg for them?" Bosain looked at Leylin in amusement.
"No! Only that, the secret plane might contain many other mechanisms like this, who knows if there are other uses for them!"
Leylin gave a viable reason.
"Moreover!" Leylin reached for a captive, "Granite Bind!"
Grey granite immediately rose from the ground, turning into fetters and handcuffs, typing the captives together once more.
"Regular humans will not be able to escape from a magic spell. This way, we wouldn't be afraid of them running away!"
"Very well! If we use too much time inside the secret plane, they will die of starvation. Leylin, you are indeed a magician!"
Bosain smiled and directly held a Beta Daisy in his hands, "Let's go! Are we still going to wait?"
"Jump!" The five acolytes each carried a Beta Daisy and jumped from the cliff.
* Bang! *
During the high-speed drop, Leylin's skin was almost sunken from the high pressure.
His eyes slightly reddened, and he felt as if the blood in his whole body was about to shoot out.
"Is this the feeling of jumping off a building?" Leylin harboured some nonsensical thoughts.
When the five of them fell halfway, a circle of light shone on the precipice.
The light turned into a circle and the air writhed, revealing the scene of another dimension.
"The entrance of the secret plane!" Bosain shouted.
Following which, the eyes of the members gleamed, and a strong weightlessness feeling overcame them.
After the earth spinning feeling, Leylin and the rest came to a dark cave.
"Such a large place, it should be a subterranean area! Only that we don't know where it is, since the underground of the bottom of the cliff was already searched with spells many times. It's impossible to be there!"
Leylin got up slowly.
"Where's the boy?" Shaya tidied the hair that covered her forehead and suddenly cried, "The boy from earlier has disappeared!"
"It's not that!" Roth lowered his head and pointed to the ground. There was a puddle a blood and the broken pieces of clothes of the boy.
"As expected, danger lurks in the secret plane along with the remnants!"
After seeing this scene, Leylin's eyes flashed.
Earlier when he disclosed the information to enter, he could have kept it to himself and wait until the others have returned to the academy before returning on his own.
However, he still chose to tell the others.
This was definitely not because he had had a change of character.
But fear! Fear of the danger inside the secret plane!
The great Magus Serholm was a legendary Magus and had at least rose to rank 4.
The inheritance that such a person would leave behind, Leylin felt that there would definitely be many mechanisms to test the aptitude of the seekers.
No matter what, Leylin was still only a level 3 acolyte, not even an official Magus! This place, for him, was too dangerous!
As for Bosain who was amongst Jayden's party, he was an existence not weaker to Leylin. The other three too had their various ways of surviving.
Leylin was extremely clear on his strength. Just he alone would be unable to break through every mechanism in the secret plane to obtain the inheritance. As for deceiving Jayden and the rest and completely reform a team with only level 3 acolytes, that was an impossible task to do.
Furthermore, even if it was a team he organised, at the very end when they discovered the inheritance of the great Magus Serholm, Leylin was certain that an internal strife would occur!
For acolytes, the great Magus Serholm was a myth amongst legends! His inheritance has a deadly allure to any acolyte!
Anyway, falling out was inevitable, so it did not matter who he had to fall out with.
Leylin asked himself if he were to compare the trump cards, he was the one with the most. The final one laughing would definitely be him!
"It seems like the boy had been attacked by some dangerous creature!"
Jayden took out his magic artifact, a green badge, and held in his hand.
The surroundings were extremely dim and the visibility was poor. Leylin and the others could not see very far.
The five of them huddled together to face any outside attack.
"Look at this!" Roth squatted down and pointed at a semicircle track.
Leylin looked at the direction he pointed at, and the semicircle track was extremely deep, extending to the depths far away. Moreover, these tracks appeared the most around the boy's remains.
"It's a snake's trail!" Leylin felt a scale the size of a palm from the tracks and blurted out.
"A snake's track? Which means, there is a dangerous snake creature concealed in the area!"
Roth's right-hand muscle bulged and his sleeves exploded.
* Hua La La! * White tentacles continuously extended from it, creating a defense by shielding his surroundings.
* Sssii! * * Sssii! *!
The spitting of a snake's tongue continuously sounded.
"It seems like the great Magus Serholm had an affection for snake type creatures!" Leylin thought of the Huge Mankestre Snake back in the previous remnant experiment lab and started to link the two sightings together.
"But, what could this all mean?"
Regarding the records of the great Magus Serholm, they only appeared in poems and travel notes.
Leylin had not yet discovered any journals that covered the happenings of the great Magus Serholm in detail. According to his conjecture, this information should only be available at the official Magus level.
"It seems like it's a large one!" Bosain licked his lips. The silver metal covered him fully, turning into a full body armour.
* Bang! *
A gigantic long black figure charged towards the acolytes under the concealment of the darkness.
"Chi Chi!" Countless tentacles reached out, wrapping on the figure of the black figure.
Roth guffawed, "I caught you!"
"Illuminating spell!" Shaya held a bright light ball in her hands and tossed it in the air.
The light ball exploded in midair, and shone down, illuminating the cave like a sun.
Leylin squinted his eyes and sized up the creature that Roth had bound.
A giant snake, more than a dozen metres long, and was black in colour all over. It was filled with the rhombus-shaped scales that Leylin had noticed earlier. On its back, there was a long red line, stretching from the head to its tail.
On the middle of the snake's head, there was a small stubby horn, emitting immense energy waves from it.
Under the horn was a pair of triangular shaped pupils. Its bright yellow eyes looked like amber, as it stared at Leylin and the rest.
At this moment, the giant snake seemed to be held down by a ball of tentacles wrapped around it, rooted to the spot.
Compared with the snake, Roth seemed like a midget. The scene was somewhat comical.
"A.I. Chip! Scan the creature!" Leylin ordered.
[Similarity to the Black Horrall Snake: 98.7%! Neborake Mamba: 75%! Mankestre Snake: 34.6%!]
The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
"Black Horrall Snake? Bring out its data!" Leylin's brow's furrowed.
[Black Horrall Snake, an extremely dangerous being. It contains a trace of bloodline of the ancient creature—Kemoyin Serpent, which is known to contain tremendous might and an astonishing life force!]
[Source of information: Ancient Creatures Illustrated Handbook, Catalog of Dangerous Creatures.]
-x-X-x-
"Scan the stats of the Black Horrall Snake in front of me!"
Leylin ordered once again.
[Beep! Target stats: Strength: 18, Agility: 15, Vitality: 20, Spiritual force: 22.
Abilities - 1. Scales Defence: The Black Horrall Snake rhombus scales has a defensive force field encircling it at all times. Immune to physical and magical attacks under 5 degrees. Moreover, it has a huge negation towards attack of 5 degrees and more. 2. Shadow Stealth: Inheriting the Kemoyin Serpent's shadow powers allows the Black Horrall Snake to enter into a stealth state anytime, withdrawing all signs of energy waves. 3. Lightning blaze: Emits a lightning flame from the horn. Estimated degree of attack: 12 to 15 degrees. Status: Extremely weak!]
"Stats like this…"
Leylin's eyes widened, "It has long since surpassed the boundaries of a level 3 acolyte, and is most likely close to that of an official Magus?"
There were no records of the stats of official Magus in the A.I. Chip, so Leylin could only guess.
"Roth, careful! This is a Black Horrall Snake! Its might is extremely higher, much higher than your imagination!"
"Hisssssss!"
Before Leylin had finished warning him, the Black Horrall Snake let out an ear-piercing hiss.
The massive body of the Black Horrall Snake began to writhe and the tail was sent flailing. The cave seemed to shake.
* Pa Pa! * The milky white tentacles broke constantly, and from its wounds, there was white dense pus.
The triangular pupils of the Black Horrall Snake seemed to reveal a glint of ridicule. Following which, it turned back into the eyes of a beast and bit on Roth who had fallen to the ground.
"Save him!"
Shaya and Jayden roared, and a few green vines and silver flying knives was sent flying towards the Black Horrall Snake's body.
* Bang! * The flying knives and vines hit on the scales of the Black Horrall Snake, and sparks were created.
The Black Horrall Snake did not budge at all and opened its bloody mouth, directly chomping on Roth, swallowing him with a gulp.
"Oh, no!"
On the neck of the giant snake, there was a bulge as if someone was attacking within.
Very soon, the bulge entered the stomach of the snake and the struggle within grew smaller and smaller, finally turning still.
The whole process took only a few seconds, so fast that Leylin and the others did not have time to rescue him.
"Black Horrall Snake?"
Bosain who was on the side recovered from the shock, "Isn't that an existence that, when matured, could deal with a rank 3 Magus? Why has it appeared here?"
"It could go against a rank 3 Magus?"
Jayden and the others jumped in shock! rank 3 Magus! That is the cultivation of the leader in the Lighthouse of the Night, a person who could suppress the 3 academies!
"If it's a rank 3 Magus, we would have long been dead, not even a speck left. Could it be that this Black Horrall Snake has not matured yet?" Leylin's thoughts spun rapidly.
"No! It's not correct! This is a matured Black Horrall Snake. However, due to the duration that it has been sealed for and not being able to eat, it has already regressed from a rank 3 Magus into an elementary rank 1 Magus! Furthermore, it was awakened by the human boy earlier…"
According to the indication from the A.I. Chip, Leylin guessed the truth.
This Black Horrall Snake could be the byproduct of the great Magus Serholm before, and was left here according to his wishes.
There was most likely no food in this secret plane, hence, the Black Horrall Snake could only hibernate to reduce the consumption needed for its body.
However, hundreds and thousands of years have passed. Even if the Black Horrall Snake tried to conserve its strength, it could not have reversed the decomposition effect. From originally a creature which could go against a rank 3 Magus, it had now regressed to the standard of a rank 1 Magus.
After swallowing Roth, Black Horrall Snake's pupils showed a hint of satisfaction, before sizing up Leylin and the others.
"It is still a young Black Horrall Snake, not even an official Magus. We still have a chance!"
Leylin was afraid that Jayden and the rest would have been dismayed and lost their fighting spirit after hearing declare it as a 'rank 3 Magus', hence, he quickly shouted to boost their confidence.
Leylin had the A.I. Chip and was able to tell the truth behind the regression of the snake. Such a thing had to be kept mum. In the short period of time Jayden and the rest wouldn't be able to discover it, so Leylin just simply told a lie in its place.
"A fledgling?" Bosain's eyes flashed. "Indeed! This Black Horrall Snake is too weak, even weaker than a rank 1 Magus. It is definitely in its pre-adolescent phase!"
"This is a creature which could fight against rank 3 Magi in the future when it grows up! If I were to sign a contract with it…"
Bosain muttered and his armour immediately flashed. A metal liquid was held in his right hand, turning into a silver white sword.
"Come! The brutal Black Horrall Snake of the legends! Let me, Bosain, be your owner!"
Bosain eyes were frenzied and he directly charged forward.
* Bang! * The thin silver sword slashed at the Black Horrall Snake's scales, creating a long gash. A few palm sized scales too dropped out.
"Indeed, it if were a matured Black Horrall Snake, I would have no chances at all to break its defensive forcefield!"
Bosain hollered, "This is mine! This Black Horrall Snake must definitely belong to me!"
"Hisssssssss!" The Black Horrall Snake hissed angrily and flung its tail.
* Bang! * As if it were a black lightning, the long tail viciously struck Bosain.
Bosain seemed to fly out like a cannonball, creating a large hole in the walls of the cave.
* Hua La La! * Mud and rocks fell down, revealing Bosain who was wearing his shining white armour.
"Leylin, Jayden, and Shaya, help me to restrain it. Not only can you get the friendship of the Lilytell family, I am also willing to give up all of the rewards obtained during this exploration!"
Bosain shook his head and finally recovered from the dizziness, seeking help from Leylin and the others.
"No matter what, let us restrain this Black Horrall Snake first. If not, we won't have a chance to obtain anything!"
Jayden spoke as he channeled a large amount of spiritual force and magic power into the green badge.
Ripples of jade green colour continuously came from the badge.
*Peng!* Countless jade green vines seemed to fill the cave as it tried to entangle the Black Horrall Snake.
"Cloud of Afterlife!"
Leylin too used his spell that he was proud of. A large murky green cloud immediately engulfed the Black Horrall Snake within, the corrosive sounds constantly emitting from within the mist.
"Comb of Vengeful Spirit!" Shaya too took out her prized magic artifact.
It had the appearance of a rather old wooden comb. Shaya immediately used it to comb her fire red beautiful hair.
*Sssii!*! The fire red hair grew rapidly. In the blink of an eye, there was already a layer of hair on the ground. After which, the ground of the whole cave was dyed red.
"It is actually a type of binding type magic artifact. Combined with Jayden's green badge, it may really even restrain this Black Horrall Snake!"
An expectant look flashed across Leylin's eyes
After the dark green Cloud of Afterlife had dissipated, it revealed the massive Black Horrall Snake's figure within.
The scales were still gleaming, as usual, only that in that large gash that Bosain had left on its body, the surrounding flesh had been corroded to a purple black state.
The huge snake's eyes seemed dispirited. Looking at it, it was evident that Leylin's attack had some effect on it.
"All together!" Jayden nodded his head towards Shaya. Countless green vines from midair wrapped around the Black Horrall Snake, even around its head.
At the same time, the innumerable fire red hair on the ground was like steel net. Very soon it wrapped itself like a net, trapping the Black Horrall Snake within.
*Bang!*
The green vines and red hair continuously tightened, leaving circles after circles of red and green imprints on the Black Horrall Snake's body.
The huge snake lost its balance and fell to the ground, bringing up dust and rock shards.
"Nice one!" Bosain praised them. His body in midair left several white afterimages.
After a few jumps, he came to the top of the Black Horrall Snake's head.
"Little baby, you're mine now!"
A smug and zealous expression filled Bosain's face. He immediately withdrew a scroll which emitted immense energy waves, directly at the Black Horrall Snake's eyes.
"This is... A sealing contract within a scroll!"
From the A.I. Chip's detection, it was a power magical object. On it, a contract formation was sealed within. It had to cost at least tens of thousands of magic crystals. Moreover, one may not be able to buy it even with money!
This price has long since surpassed the price of many magical creatures for magicians.
From this, one could see that only those large families which had been around for many years could possess many great items.
Leylin looked at Bosain who was opening the scroll and his lips curled up.
"A pity that it is such a powerful contract scroll. If it were used against a youngling of a powerful creature, there could still be a chance of success. However, this Black Horrall Snake's spiritual force is not in such a lowered state…."
Bosain who was without the A.I. Chip would naturally not think of this.
At this moment, his face carried a fevered gaze. Coupled with his trembling hands, he chanted an incantation and ripped opened the magical scroll.
*Bang!*
An extremely radiant white light rose in front of Bosain and the black snake.
The white continuously circulated, finally forming a strange magic formation. On it was laced with mysterious runes and magic characters.
"An advanced contract spell formation! A.I. Chip, record!" Leylin immediately gave the order to the A.I. Chip.
"Come! Become my contractual partner!"
Bosain muttered. From the formation a green light appeared, directly entering the forehead of Bosain.
As for the other flash of green light, it was sent towards the Black Horrall Snake, moreover directly imprinting itself on the large skull of the Black Horrall Snake.
As if knowing that once it was bound to the contract and lose its freedom forever, the black snake thrashed continuously, resisting the entry of the green light.
"Hurry! Faster!"
Cold sweat the size of beans trickled down Bosain's face, staring intently at the skull of the Black Horrall Snake.
"My dream, my life, when I obtain this Black Horrall Snake…"
Just when the green light had completely entered the Black Horrall Snake's head, a strange sight occurred!
-x-X-x-
The eyes of the Black Horrall Snake revealed a human-like mocking expression.
*Bang!*
A tremendous amount of spiritual force was released, rejecting the green light instantly.
Not only that, the contract spell formation in midair exploded violently too.
Bosain's chest seemed to have been struck by a hammer and he was sent flying backwards.
Large chunks of silver armour fell and crimson red blood was constantly spurted from Bosain's mouth.
"The backlash from the contract!" Leylin who was watching from afar blurted out.
If the contract failed on a powerful creature, magicians will often suffer backlash on their spiritual force. Moreover, apart from that spiritual force backlash, there was also the attack from the creature's spiritual force.
Looking on, it seemed that Bosain's spiritual force had been severely damaged. Furthermore, due to the connection of the spiritual force with the magic artifact, the magic artifact had also been damaged.
*Hua La La!*
Just when Bosain was sent flying back, a white protection rune flew up from his body. A milky white light then engulfed Bosain who was still vomiting out blood.
This kind of milky white radiance was resplendent and filled with a sacred feeling. Under the radiance of the light, even the naked eye could see that Bosain was rapidly recovering.
"A single-use healing rune?" Leylin's eyes squinted, recognising the origins of that white protection rune.
"There are indeed plenty of items on his body!" Although Bosain did not suffer a severe injury as was expected, Leylin was still somewhat satisfied with it. After all, it had forced him to use one of his trump cards.
The synthesizer of this protection rune had to use many precious resources. Moreover, it required a huge amount of magic power and spiritual force from an official Light Magus. Even if it was Bosain, he couldn't be holding on to another of this protection rune.
"What happened?"
Jayden and Shaya who saw Bosain flying back revealed expressions of disbelief.
"The contract binding has failed. Hurry and kill this damned black snake!"
Leylin withdrew the cross blade on his waist. With an incantation, a layer of frost covered the cross blade.
Frost Alchemy Runes! It was a type of alchemy rune that was specially used on equipment, adding on might equivalent to a low-grade magic artifact temporarily. After using it the equipment would normally break.
Leylin's cross blade had long since been damaged back in the bloodbath.
However, there were as many cross blades in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy as he needed for him to purchase.
The frost greatsword was immediately wielded and raised in Leylin's hands. From the blade, a terrible chillness was emitted, and this attracted the gazes of Jayden and Shaya.
"I knew it!" Jayden's roared internally, "Leylin being able to survive in the bloodbath, he definitely would have some tricks up his sleeve!"
"Bind him, I'm going up!"
Leylin looked at the black snake which was still bound by the green vines and red hair in the eye.
After releasing an explosive amount of spiritual force to inflict damage on Bosain, the Black Horrall Snake right now continuously writhed its massive body, the energy waves surging out rampantly.
*Zhi Ya!*
Countless vines and hair were broken; Jayden's and Shaya's faces, too, became more and more uneasy.
"Hurry! I can't hold on much longer!" Shaya shouted from the side.
"Cross Blade Slash!"
Leylin's muscles bulged, and his whole body seemed to increase by a size.
[The Host has entered the state of a Knight's secret technique. strength and agility have been greatly boosted! vitality decreased!] The A.I. Chip very soon reported the change in stats.
During the three years back in Extreme Night City, Leylin had picked up the secret technique for Knight's to enter the explosive state from Viscount Jackson.
This was even better than a secret killing move. Furthermore, the technique came from a Grand Knight, which was much better than the secret technique inherited from Leylin's Farlier family.
Under the impressive calculations done by the A.I. Chip, Leylin incorporated Viscount Jackson's secret knight technique with his cross blade killing technique, achieving an exponential increase in the secret technique attack.
Right now, the secret technique that Leylin used had already reached the standard of a Grand Knight. The side effects had reduced, and the might was stronger than before.
Under the loud roar, Leylin jumped high in the air. Two arcs of slash were sent from the frost greatsword.
The two slashes crossed one another, forming a large 'X' in the air. Frost continued to condense, creating a layer of ice on the large 'X' which was sent towards the Black Horrall Snake.
*Chi!*
The icy 'X' directly chopped at the neck of the Black Horrall Snake. Scales continuously fell and there was a layer of ice on the area.
There was a giant cross-shaped wound on the Black Horrall Snake now. The frost continued to spread and a lot of fresh blood with a trace of black coloured snake blood was forced out from the wound.
"Hisssssss!" The black snake let off an enraged cry. It violently thrashed its body and broke many more vines and hair on its body.
"Good! Maintain this might. As long as it's done several more times, we can definitely decapitate this snake!"
Glee appeared on Shaya's face.
"Hisssssssssssss!" After the madness, the Black Horrall Snake strangely calmed down.
After halting its writhing, the scales on it body continuously flashed with a black light, emitting a layer of negative energy that Leylin was familiar with.
"This is the energy particles of the Shadow element! Be careful…" Through the indication given by the A.I. Chip, Leylin immediately warned the rest.
Alas, they were a step too late!
Without warning, half of the Black Horrall Snake's body turned transparent. First, it was the scales, then the skin, the flesh and finally the bones...
The transparency very soon covered the body of the whole snake. The giant snake which had the length of a dozen metres disappeared in the next moment.
"What is this? A concealment spell? A pity that under the two restraints from our magic artifact, what use would that be?" Shaya spoke in bewilderment.
"It's not a concealment spell, but one which can negate any attacks while it is in stealth mode!"
*Hua La La!* The countless green vines and red hair on the Black Horrall Snake seemed to lose its target in an instant. It seemed to be binding only thin air now and fell on the floor.
"A spell with an effect like this?" Jayden's pupil shrank. "This is no longer a rank 0 spell, but the effect from an official Magus. Why did it not it use it earlier?"
"Because the consumption was too great and it cannot withstand it for a second time!"
Leylin guessed. This Shadow Stealth was comprehended by the Black Horrall Snake as an innate skill after maturing. Moreover during its regression, it had fortunately retained this skill.
The spell achieved the effect of a rank 1 spell. Leylin absolutely could not imagine the might of this spell when the Black Horrall Snake was in its mature state.
"I'm afraid that even official Magi would not be able to discover it, only be swallowed as food while in fear!"
"Hurry! The triangular defensive formation!" Leylin roared.
*Sou Sou!* Jayden and Shaya who knew that it was not the time to be slow rushed towards Leylin's side. Even Bosain joined them with a gloomy expression.
The four of them formed a mysterious defense formation. They stood at the three corners of it as a layer of vine and hair continued to wrap around the area, protecting the four within.
This was one of the combinations that they had agreed on previously.
An invisible enemy was the most dangerous! Leylin, highly tensed, looked at the surroundings, not knowing at all when the Black Horrall Snake would strike.
Under the illuminating spell, the whole cave was brightly lit.
There was only dried mud on the floor. Apart from scales and a few puddles of blood, there were completely no traces of the snake's tracks whatsoever.
It was as if such a massive snake had just vanished.
"Be careful, this is very similar to a rank 1 Shadow Element spell—Shadow Stealth. I have seen it once performed by an elder in my family. They are completely invisible on the physical plane as long as the time limit was not up, or when an enemy attacks it…"
Bosain spoke hurriedly, with a hint of anxiety and gloom in his tone.
Leylin understood the feelings behind it. No matter who it was—after losing a scroll worth tens of thousands of magic crystals and a rune which could protect the life—they would not feel good about it.
"What should we do? Continue to wait for it to appear?" Jayden was extremely unresigned as he controlled the vines to lash at the surrounding granite walls. A pity, however, the dust created did not help pinpoint the location of the snake.
"Snake type creatures have a strong intent for vengeance. It would definitely not leave like this. Maybe it is just around us, waiting for an opportunity…"
Leylin's voice was faintly discernible. It made Shaya who was beside him tense and kept a tight grip on that magic artifact comb in her hands.
"A.I. Chip! Can you detect where the Black Horrall Snake is?" Leylin asked inwardly.
[No results from scanning! No reaction from thermal detection! No energy waves from a large creature in the surroundings!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned and made Leylin's expression darken.
Regarding the spells of an official Magus, the A.I. Chip now was still somewhat helpless against them.
*Hu!* Suddenly, a dozen metres in front of Jayden, many translucent scales appeared in midair and yet vanished again quickly.
"There!" Jayden's eyes flashed. Dozens of vines crisscrossed, forming a large net and was sent over.
After which, Shaya shot out a green fireball, following right behind the net.
*Bang!* The green net vines caught nothing but air, falling to the ground.
The fireball too caused a huge pit on the ground with an explosion, yet no traces of the snake was discovered.
"En?"
Leylin suddenly tensed up. His scalp was tingling as if being stared on by some dangerous creature.
This feeling came purely from his instincts. The A.I. Chip and the detection spells had no effects at all.
However, he completely believed in his intuition. Leylin immediately made a decisive action and rolled on the ground, away from his original position.
"Hisssss!"
Behind the place where Leylin was originally standing, there was a flickering in the air and the massive body of the Black Horrall Snake materialised.
From the huge head of the snake, a vicious ray of light flashed. The snake opened its jaws and clamped on Shaya who was standing close to Leylin's original position. Half of her body enter the snake's jaws as it chewed.
*Boom!*
An intense explosion sounded within the snake's mouth and a layer of purple flame escaped from the jaws.
A huge energy wave was detected which led the A.I. Chip to flash indicators wildly.
"It's Shaya! She self-destructed the magic artifact right before she died!"
Jayden spoke hoarsely.