Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Large patches of soil raised with a burst of cackling sound. The scene of dozens of Skeletal Warriors breaking out from the soil made the three people hiss in a cold breath. Rusty machetes and the flickering will-o-the-wisp filled the atmosphere with gloom and horror.
“Bloody hell…” Mason’s face went sickly pale in an instant. He only felt chill on his back as if a gush of cold wind had just blown past.
It was in the center of these dozens of Skeletal Warriors where he was caught by his calf earlier on. If not for his two teammates, who were quick enough to rescue him in time… Looking at how these dozens of Skeletal Warriors flocked up, not to mention a level-nine mage like him, even a level-nine warrior would inevitably be cut to pieces.
Luckily… living in a room with these two guys was really the wisest choice he had made…
He was secretly rejoicing when Orrin’s cold voice came from behind. “Idiot, stop spacing out.”
Mason looked back and shot a glare at Orrin, but did not swear at him. Instead, he began to recite his spell. He knew that the dozens of Skeletal Warriors had to be dealt with immediately. There were countless undead creatures in the Shadowglen; no one knew what was hidden in the dark. The longer the fight lasted, the more dangerous the situation of the three men would be.
“Boom!” A muffled sound of explosion spread far away; Lin Li’s Flaming Storm had taken the lead. Countless fire dragons cascaded forward, instantly engulfing a large number of Skeletal Warriors.
Almost at the same time, Orrin had finished his recitation of the Flame Nova. Two powerful fire spells exploded consecutively among the Skeletal Warriors. In an instant, there was a blaze of firelight, and nearly ten Skeletal Warriors were blown to pieces before they could even lift their weapons.
Mason had gotten the message after the two powerful magic spells were released by Lin Li and Orrin. Without waiting to be reminded, he unleashed an Ice Armor Spell, which was firmly propped up before the two of them.
Skeletal Warriors were not real warriors, after all; they were merely the lowest of undead creatures, and did not have the ability to think independently. As a matter of fact, the layer of Ice Armor unleashed by Mason could not completely protect his two teammates; if it were other magical beasts, they’d have circled around it and attacked from the back. However, these mentally retarded Skeletal Warriors only knew how to wield their machetes and slash haphazardly, leaving the rusty machetes to crack upon contact with the Ice Armor.
So, that the thin layer of Ice Armor actually won them a significant amount of time.
When the Skeletal Warriors finally split the Ice Armor, they were greeted by another bombardment of magic spells…
All three of them were powerful, and had tacit understanding among them. The Skeletal Warriors—the lowest of the undead creatures—could not possibly pose much threat to them.
The battle was over now, so to speak.
But, in the Shadowglen that was infested with undead creatures, no one dared to relax even the slightest bit. Lin Li tightened the nerve in his head; while concentrating on unleashing the spells, he had to divert some attention at the same time to monitor cautiously the movements around him.
Thus, nobody noticed that every Skeletal Warrior seemed to release a wisp of black mist when it fell. It seemed to have been attracted by some mysterious force, drifting towards Lin Li; the direction of the flow was the pocket that contained the weird crystal…
If Lin Li took out the crystal now, it would be very easy to notice that the pale maroon in the crystal was becoming stronger and stronger with the flow of black mist.
Boom! The last Skeletal Warriors fell too at last—Lin Li had ended the battle with a fireball.
“Let’s get out of here first.”
There was a tinge of uneasiness in Lin Li’s voice. He constantly felt that there was something wrong with the Skeletal Warriors. They had been buried underground for countless years, and did not surface at all until they had passed by. It made him feel as if he was falling into a trap—as if something was peeping at him secretly, laying a trap and waiting for him to step on it.
“Mhm.”
Mason and Orrin, though at odds with each other, had a surprising similarity. They had an almost instinctive trust in their teammates, who had claimed to be a level-seven mage. Their trust in him had reached a blind extent—especially after the trial in the Nightmare Mountains.
Like at present—after Lin Li had spoken, they did not even question, nor did they hesitate to follow, because they believed that since Lin Li had said so, he had to have his own reasons.
But this time, their guess was wrong.
In fact, Lin Li had no reason at all—it was his subconsciousness telling him to leave the place and extricate himself from the feeling of being peeped at. He kept having the sense that there was something wrong with this place; the dozens of Skeletal Warriors seemed like a trap that had been placed there for a long time, waiting for someone to step into it.
The terrain was extremely complex in the Shadowglen, and the road ahead was filled with poisonous fog. Walking on this winding path was like walking into a labyrinth. There were fragments of bones everywhere—some scattered on the roadside, some deeply buried in the ground—and were all emitting a strong odor of decay. A gloomy atmosphere surrounded him. There were no other sounds at all apart from the trio’s rustling footsteps. In the dead silence, even the air seemed to be solidified.
Lin Li was controlling a Warlock’s Eyes all the time as they were absorbed in navigating on the winding path. He controlled this small ray of light with his powerful and incomparable mental strength, and it moved rapidly within a few dozen meters square of the surrounding area.
Lin Li’s plan was simple—he’d find a place safe enough to get through the night.
The Shadowglen invaded by darkness was not a place suitable for playing. Many high-level undead creatures liked to wander at night. Nobody knew what was hidden in the darkness. If they encountered a few high-level Vampires, it would be too late for them to cry.
The first night was always the most dangerous. First, they were unfamiliar with the terrain of the Shadowglen; second, they were unaware of the distribution of the undead creatures; besides, they were unprepared due to the rush. Once they encountered danger, they wouldn’t be able to respond at all. Lin Li was of the opinion that most of the trial mages would probably be sent back tonight.
If they wanted to spend the seven days here in safety, they’d have to get through tonight first.
But, it was not easy to find a safe place in a hurry. It took Lin Li almost an hour to walk through the path. Watching the sky darken gradually, they finally spotted a small cave. The cave was situated just below a cliff, and was quite well concealed. It did not look very deep from a distance—the walls of the cave could be seen at a glance. Moreover, it was quite dry inside, completely different from the damp and slippery feeling outside, and outside the cave, a tuft of withered and yellow weed could even be seen.
Weed… what a rare thing to see in the Shadowglen…
So, Lin Li had chosen the cave at the first glance. Still, in order to be more on the safe side, he released a Warlock’s Eyes, and searched every place within 100 meters of the cave.
“We’ll stay here for the night.” Lin Li’s face showed some satisfaction when he retrieved the Warlock’s Eyes. The cave was really good—there were no signs of undead creatures within 100 meters. This was simply something unthinkable in the Shadowglen, where the undead ran rampant.
Since Lin Li had said so, Mason and Orrin naturally had no objection. Besides, the cave environment was really good. Let alone tonight, they wouldn’t have any objection if they were to live here for the next seven days if possible.
After a discussion, the three men decided on a simple division of labor. Mason took out his sleeping bag and blanket from his backpack, and arranged a temporary dwelling; Orrin set up a bonfire in the cave; meanwhile, Lin Li took out the crystal pen from his pocket, then dipped it in the navy sand, and laid out two mageweaths at the mouth of the cave.
One was the Mental Protection Field, which could not only be used to ward off mental spells, but also to protect against Eidolons 1 such as ghosts. Before they became resentful souls, ordinary ghosts would not be able to pass through the Mental Protection Field.
Another was the Seal of Life, used specially to shield the Scent of Life of the three guys.
High-level undead creatures were the most sensitive to living people—the Vampires especially so. A small trace of life was like an endless temptation for them. In the Shadowglen, where the undead ran rampant, this Seal of Life was essential if they did not want to be discovered by the higher-level undead creatures.
After the two mageweaths were completed, the bonfire was ignited by Orrin as well.
The three guys, wrapped in blankets and leaning against the cave wall, which was heated by the fire, all felt a sense of drowsiness…
“Good night.” Lin Li wriggled into his sleeping bag, and soon fell asleep.
All three of them slept very soundly amidst the soft snoring, and none of them noticed that there seemed to be a slight maroon flickering in the light of the fire on Lin Li’s body that was covered with the blanket.
…
Lin Li, who was sleeping soundly, seemed to hear a slight noise. It sounded like a spring silkworm gnawing on mulberry leaves; the rustling sound continued on, and made Lin Li extremely annoyed, but he was reluctant to get up from the warm bed. He merely frowned, and muttered two meaningless words in his mouth.
“Help!” It was not until a scream rang out that Lin Li suddenly woke up from his dream.
He sat up from his blanket almost unconsciously, staring out of the cave with his eyes fixed and his ears straining in the direction of the sound.
“Save us!” Just as Lin Li sat up, the voice rang again. Judging from the voice, it seemed to be a young man in his twenties.
“It’s the mage who participated in the trial!” Lin Li quickly turned over, and shook his two sleeping companions vigorously. “Quick, wake up, it seems that someone is in trouble.”
“Felic, what are you doing…” Mason rubbed his eyes with his hands, and reluctantly emerged from the blanket. “It’s in the middle of the night, can’t you let me sleep in peace…”
Orrin did not speak, but his eyes were full of confusion.
“It looks like someone is in trouble. Let’s go out and have a look.”
“Hell…” Mason complained reluctantly, but eventually climbed out of his warm bed.
As he walked out of the cave, Mason looked at Lin Li with some doubt. “It isn’t right, Felic. You fellow, you are usually not so enthusiastic. What benefit did that guy give you?”
“I am such a person in your eyes?” Lin Li stared at Mason fiercely, but he couldn’t help feeling guilty inwardly. To be honest, he was really up to no good at present…
It was not a big deal to help a lame dog over a stile, but in the Shadowglen—a dangerous place where the undead were rampant—Lin Li had no interest in meddling with other people’s business. He could put himself in danger instead of successfully helping the other party.
Besides, all trial mages had the Teleportation Scroll with them; they could return directly to the camp if they had encountered any danger. There was no need to struggle desperately and disrupt other people’s dreams in the middle of the night.
Lin Li wanted to go over because he wanted to know what trouble the team of trial mages had encountered—that was the most important thing.
The sound came from somewhere very near them—just a few dozen meters outside the cave.
Lin Li remembered clearly that he had conducted a thorough search with the Warlock’s Eyes before laying down the two mageweaths; there were no signs of undead within 100 meters. This meant that either he had overlooked them somewhere, or that something suddenly appeared in the middle of the night.
Anyhow, it was not a good thing.
Lin Li felt uneasy and scared. He was even grateful to the unfortunate trial mages. If they hadn’t appeared, it would be him calling for help at present.
He had just walked out of the cave when he saw a fire ablaze not far ahead—it was the rays of the Flaming Storm.
The rumbling muffled sound came with the rays, followed by another scream. “Help!”
“F*ck…” Mason spat, and cursed crudely. “Don’t they know how to use the Teleportation Scroll? They had to shout for help in the middle of the night, b*tch!”
“Let’s go over and have a look.” With the light of the Flaming Storm leading the way, Lin Li could save on using the Illuminating Spell. After all, this was the Shadowglen—a little light might also attract the undead.
The three guys walked along the steep hillside, and quietly groped their way in the direction of the scream. A few dozen meters was only a short distance for them. Before the light from the Flaming Storm had disappeared, Lin Li saw several figures leaning against the hillside. They looked very young, and wore the black robes of the Guild of Magic. It seemed that they were indeed the mages from this trial…
One of the young men—a long-haired youngster—had already suffered some injuries; blood gushed out from the wound, and dyed red a large area on the mountain walls behind him. The other two companions were also in a bad situation. Although they held their magic staffs tightly, the magical waves that emitted from them were extremely weak. Lin Li estimated that their mana had already been more or less exhausted.
A dozen meters ahead of them, a large group of Skeletal Warriors with rusty machetes in their hands was approaching them step by step…
Mason’s eyes were wide open, and he held back for a long time before he finally uttered, “This is too fake… Mages who are taking part in the trial are forced to shout for help by a group of Skeletal Warriors; are they still seeing themselves as mage apprentices?”
“Idiot.” Orrin glared at him, and pointed his staff behind the Skeletal Warriors. “Look what that is…”
Behind the large group of Skeletal Warriors stood the same deathly white skeleton; there was the same will-o-the-wisp, but what was in its hands was not a rusty machete, but a skeleton staff inlaid with a huge magical crystal! Its aura was different from that of the Skeletal Warriors—it was powerful and mysterious, filled with a strong deathly aura.
“F*ck! Hell Ghoul!” Mason gave a start of fright. It was also a skeleton, but the Skeletal Warriors were no more than level-five, while for the Hell Ghouls, the weakest were no less than level-ten. The strongest of them might even break through to level-fifteen, and regain their bodies to become true Liches.
And in this Shadowglen, the power of the Hell Ghoul could be maximized. They were born manipulators of Skeletal Warriors. They could control hundreds and thousands of skeleton legion with only one spell.
“These few fellows are really unlucky…”
“If they weren’t unlucky, it would be us who’d be unlucky.” Lin Li was speaking the truth. With the keenness of the Hell Ghoul to magical elements, it was almost logical for them to find the two mageweaths. When the time came, they’d be trapped in the cave, with hundreds of skeletons pouring in. The best way out would be to teleport back to the camp using the scrolls they had.
While the two guys were whispering, the staff in the hands of the Hell Ghoul flashed again.
