Chapter 207: Magic Coins
Inside the Polar Night Demon Tower.
The cold, blood-stained metal walls, the deep and shadowy corridors, and seven humans stealthily hugging the walls.
—They were members of the [Magic Coins] guild, led by Charlotte.
They were exploring the dungeon following the route shown in Mantou's video.
Charlotte held a map he had paid Mantou to customize, his face dark as he scrutinized the crude illustrations.
"Did Mantou rip me off? Fifteen gold coins for this junk?"
[Magic Coins] ran a "Magic Agency" in Northwind Fortress, abandoning the usual pride of spellcasters to take on all sorts of commissions. From communing with the dead to track murderers or eliminating monstrous threats, to casting magical fireworks for weddings or using divination spells to find lost cats, their business thrived.
Their guild leader Charlotte was notorious as a "big sucker," though he was oblivious to the title. It was said he would buy magic scrolls at triple the market price with a casual wave of his hand. This reputation led to guild-wide markups during their purchases.
Naturally, Mantou took advantage of this, selling Charlotte a "luxurious" map he had drawn in five minutes for the "low price" of fifteen gold coins, which Mantou immediately used to pay off his debts.
Vice Guild Leader "Bright Moon" studied the rather abstract map and hesitantly said,
"This should be the spot, right? The 'Death Hallway' mentioned in the forums. They say if intruders are detected here, draconic monsters are unleashed. Quite a few have fallen here."
Charlotte frowned. "This dungeon's difficulty is too high—waves of draconic monsters and an over-leveled mage boss. It's like they're not even aiming this at beta players. Let's try to get some rewards; a death or two won't matter."
"Flying Witch" peeked out confidently.
"Guild Leader, believe in the power of unity. We'll definitely defeat the evil sorcerer!"
"."
Charlotte didn't find her words reassuring—in fact, they made him even more nervous.
Flying Witch had a legendary reputation in the forums, not for her skills, but for her absurd luck. For this high-difficulty dungeon, Charlotte only brought level-four members, including her.
And how did she reach level four?
In the Battle of Trier, she triggered a wild magic surge, summoning three fireballs that vaporized a hundred soldiers, earning her the title "Lucky Warrior."
In the Frost Giant campaign, she triggered another wild magic surge, releasing Chain Lightning that charred five frost giants to a crisp. This single spell granted her enough experience to jump to level six.
Despite her impressive achievements, why didn't Charlotte trust her?
Simple: wild sorcerers were pure gamble-based classes.
Most effects of wild magic surges were negative and could even wipe out teammates. The forum's most popular video, "Wild Sorcerer's Highlight Moments," featured a sorcerer triggering a fireball under their feet, turning a secure boss fight into a chaotic disaster amid teammate screams.
As the saying goes, "Mages go broke in three generations; wild magic ruins a lifetime."
Charlotte hadn't intended to bring Flying Witch, but her endless pleading and the team's need for firepower left him no choice.
After a long silence, he patted her shoulder and said earnestly,
"Stay steady and try not to mess up."
"Yes, Guild Leader."
Flying Witch nodded obediently.
Bright Moon softly reminded, "Guild Leader, I've activated [Owl's Insight] and can sense the faintest movements. We need to speed up; the monsters are coming."
Charlotte ordered, "Don't waste time here. Let's use invisibility. Wind Chime?"
A female player with the ID "Wind Chime" took out pre-made invisibility potions and distributed them. She was [Magic Coins]' specialist in magical alchemy and practically the guild's logistics deity.
"Awooo—"
With a thunderous roar, the iron cages at the end of the hallway slowly opened.
Countless ferocious draconic monsters poured out of the darkness.
Gnolls, centaurs, goblins, lizardfolk, and even humans transformed into abominations—all mixed together. Their murky, bloodshot eyes burned with madness, their bodies partially covered in sparse scales, oozing foul-smelling fluids. The air bristled with a metallic, bloody stench.
As incomplete draconic bloodline creatures, their sense of smell was abnormally keen.
The monsters sniffed the air, quickly locating the mage players and charging toward them.
"Crap, they've found us!"
"We'll have to fight through!"
Gritting his teeth, Charlotte waved his staff, the glow of fiery magic flickering.
[Aganazzar's Scorcher]
A torrent of flames surged in a line from his staff, engulfing a large swath of monsters in its path. As white dragon hybrids, they had little resistance to fire.
The others followed with a flurry of spells, their dazzling magical lights intertwining.
Scorching Rays, Ray of Enfeeblement, Dragon's Breath, Fireball, and Acid Arrows rained upon the monsters. Fog Cloud obscured their vision, while Grease Spell hindered their movements. The mage players were undeniably powerful in battle.
But the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming.
Even as the front ranks were incinerated or slipped on grease, those behind trampled over the fallen to surge forward relentlessly, like an unending tide.
"Guild Leader, we're not going to hold out! There are just too many of them!"
Wind Chime knocked out a draconic terror wolf with her staff and shouted to Charlotte.
Charlotte's brow furrowed. They hadn't gained anything yet, despite all the supplies they'd spent. Were they going to die here for nothing?
"Guild Leader, let me handle this!"
A loud, spirited cry rang out as Flying Witch stepped forward.
At that moment, she seemed like a hero ready to save the guild.
Before her, a chaotic surge of wild magic gathered, so intense that even the monsters quivered. Yet in truth, she had no idea what spell would come out, relying purely on random outcomes and blind luck.