Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  However, it was too late…

  The brightness of that ray of red light in that pair of eyes filled with suffering and despair had already reached the maximum. The sizzling magical elements were like strong rush of water that surged towards the dam constantly, as if an extra gush of it would open the flap of the dam and flood the entire camp.

  "Brother, you are in real danger…" was what Lin Li really hoped to tell him.

  Actually, he felt really sympathetic for that group of adventurers.

  However, sympathy was sympathy, and rendering support was another matter altogether.

  Doing one's best to turn the tide of the battle required true abilities. If a level-13 Magic Shooter were to fight a level-18 magical beast, that was not helping, but digging his own grave. Lin Li was not that virtuous enough to be willing to sacrifice himself so foolishly for bunch of strangers…

  Hence, he could only feign ignorance, and continue walking deeper into the woods.

  At that moment, the Dark Force that had been acc.u.mulating for quite a long time exploded suddenly.

  Instantly, there were plumes of black smoke spreading all over the place. From afar, it not only looked like black circular ripples, but also a black blooming flower. The moment he came into contact with the black fog, the warrior that charged at the front disappeared in a violent explosion.

  That was a real explosion, where blood and flesh splattered all over the place.

  That "POM!" gave everybody goosebumps on their heads. There were also some fragments of armor among the splattering pieces. Despite having undergone the inscription process, the armor was as fragile as a piece of duckweed when it came into contact with the black ripples.

  "Death Ripples…" Lin Li exclaimed in shock. It was the legendary level-18 magic spell that not many Archmages specializing in Dark Magic could grasp! He could not believe that he'd just witnessed that spell from a magical beast…

  Sh*t. They were totally doomed…

  The Shapeshifter was terrifying enough just with its mastery in Dark Force. Now that it was as proficient in the life-threatening Death Ripples, it made the beast before them even more horrifying.

  Not all Shapeshifters had the ability to attack their opponents with the Death Ripples.

  How a Shapeshifter was able to own Dark Magic was similar to a Fantama Panthera—depending on nature. The greater its innate qualities, the more advanced its Dark Magic.

  For a Shapeshifter, its strengths were dependent on the amount of negative energy within its body. Thus, it would be based on the scale of the disaster it was created from.

  To create a Shapeshifter that had the abilities to cast the Death Ripples, the disaster would have cost the lives of at least ten thousands.

  The thought of a ten-thousand-lives-big bloodbath made Lin Li pause in his steps. He had a vague impression he'd heard about a wide scale catastrophe…

  The depressing sound of a series of explosions echoed from the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, the few warriors who survived out of luck previously died under the attack of the Death Ripples.

  They were too close to the sudden strike of Death Ripples. There was no room for escape.

  At that instance, the battlefield saw a scene of bodies blown into pieces.

  The Death Ripples was spreading at top speed like a plague towards the mages. Within seconds, they would fall due to it. Then, the entire team would be annihilated.

  At this crucial moment, a beam of bright white light shot through the crowd, separating the black fog.

  In that moment, Lin Li could not help but become dumbfounded. He clearly remembered that he felt an underlying sense of pure holy energy from that shining glow of light.

  "Holy Light!" Lin Li exclaimed. He was so stupefied that he went into a daze. It was a known fact that the Felan Kingdom was the kingdom of mages. It would be extremely rare to find anyone who had a holy occupation and was skilled enough to use the Holy Light to purify any Shapeshifter.

  Since it was already difficult to hire a legendary mage to join the team, Lin Li found it unbelievable that among this group of adventurers, there was such a member with that sacred occupation.

  Although the Death Ripples was a level-18 magic, the spell that took it down was a holy spell that was at least level-15.

  "Wait, that's not a divine occupation…" Lin Li realized his mistake soon after.

  As the black fog dispersed, Lin Li saw clearly that it was only a silver plate that emitted the Divine Power, and not any divine occupation.

  The golden-haired youth gripped the silver plate tightly. His handsome face was covered with sweat. Anyone who saw that scene would have been petrified. No one could have thought that the powers of a Shapeshifter would be so extreme.

  All thanks to the timing he used the sacred weapon. If he was late for a second, the mercenary corps he'd built up so strenuously would have been wiped off entirely by the Death Ripples…

  The sacred weapon was so valuable. It could overcome a level-18 magical spell with the shocking Divine Power within it.

  Unfortunately, that sacred weapon could only be used once…

  At the thought of that, a streak of disappointment was reflected in the eyes of the golden-haired youth. He'd brought his mercenary corps to the Nightmare Mountains to battle the legendary Shapeshifter as he had gotten ahold of this weapon. From the day he'd acquired this sacred item, everything had been planned.

  They planned to let their warriors hold back the beast and their mages use the traditional Attacking Spells to weaken it bit by bit. When its powers have been weakened to the minimum, he would take out his sacred weapon and inflict the most critical blow.

  Unfortunately, luck was not on their side.

  They had miscalculated the fact that their opponent was a Shapeshifter that would be skilled in the Death Ripples…

  Now that the sacred weapon had its powers drained, even if there was a strand of magic left, it would be hard for them to pose any threat to the Shapeshifter. If they delayed any further, the entire team would be wiped out completely.

  The golden-hair youth made a decision.

  He raised the silver plate high up in the air. Under the blazing light, the light reflected off the plate was exceptionally dazzling.

  "RETREAT!"

  What followed the command was another beam of light from the silver plate. The only difference was that this time, the light was much dimmer than before.

  The pure Divine Power shot out of the silver plate once more. But this time, it was not to ward off Dark Magic. It was to attack the Shapeshifter, which had been releasing those Death Ripples.

  Even though that was only the remaining powers of the divine weapon, it had innately antagonistic properties against the Dark Ripples. The impact it resulted in was beyond what one could imagine. There was a bolt of dazzling white light that penetrated the body of the Shapeshifter's body immediately.

  Dark-red smoke gushed out of the wound of the beast profusely. To the Shapeshifter that did not have a fixed body, these were like its blood, its energy source. Every time it escaped from its body, the beast would get weaker.

  Under that single strike, the Shapeshifter had lost more than a quarter of its energy.

  If he were to use this weapon at the beginning, it would be almost impossible to deal with the monster. That weapon could only weaken it slightly when the over 30 adventurers charged to the frontline in their respective batches, and even employed the Flaming Storm on it.

  "Such a loss…" The golden-haired youth sighed disappointedly.

  If only he was able to delay the attack by another minute! With just an extra minute, he would have been able to use that sacred weapon to inflict a deadly blow upon the level-18 magical beast…

  Unfortunately, it was too late…

  There was not enough power in the sacred weapon to kill anymore.

  That last strike only helped to agitate the beast further. Other than that, it was meaningless.

  "ROAR…" The
ear-piercing growl of agitation almost sliced through the eardrums of everyone. That was the first time that the creature got injured from the fight, causing it to reach extreme anger. The red light in its eyes became more prominent than ever, just as if blood was going to ooze out of them. The fire that surrounded the hooves grew even more threatening too.

  The mercenary corps had started to retreat. With the protection from the rest of the archers, the mages managed to exit the battleground. Before they arrived, they had already practiced the retreating drill countless times.

  Although they were at the losing end, they showed no chaos nor panic. The mages walked at the front, while the archers followed closely behind.

  If the warriors were still alive, that place would have belonged to them…

  The mercenary corps retreated like the tide. Yet, the eyes of the Shapeshifter did not even glance at them, and remained fixed on the silver plate—the enemy that attacked it!

  "What a waste…" The golden-haired youth sighed as he looked at the Silver Plate in his hand. Then, he clenched his teeth, and threw out that weapon.

  The sacred weapon created a brilliant silver trace behind it as it flew over and descended into the thick growth.

  And while the Silver Plate was flying, the Shapeshifter took its chance to flee. The fire around its hooves went away quickly together with it as it escaped like a gush of wind.

  "F*ck!" Lin Li cursed in shock. Never had he expected that the battle would end so abruptly, and that he'd still face the tragic consequence of it…

  The place where the silver plate fell happened to be Lin Li's hiding place.

  The legendary Nightmare Mount had a frightening speed. Before the silver plate even touched the ground, the Shapeshifter had already dashed in front of the two men. That moment, Lin Li's hair stood up. He felt despair and absurdity, just as if he was knocked down by a train suddenly while sitting at home watching the television programme.

  The train—no, the Shapeshifter—was like a red bolt of lightning that struck Lin Li. Its dark red horn was like a hammer, knocking hard into Lin Li's waist.

  Retribution… This must be my retribution… At this moment, 'karma' was the only thing that filled Lin Li's mind. He chose to be a passive bystander, and watched the mercenary corps fight to the death. It was the time for him to receive his retribution now, and die like how the other warriors did…

  'A transmigrator being killed in a road accident—how absurd this is!' Lin Li never felt so indignant. On the verge of dying, the only thing Lin Li felt like doing was to shout at the Shapeshifter, "F*ck you, Shapeshifter—it's time to get a driver's license!!!"

  "Mr. Felic, Mr. Felic… Are you alright?" After closing his eyes from quite a while, he heard Sean's voice.

  "Huh?" Lin Li cried in doubt. How could Sean speak when he is dead? Then, he suddenly remembered he was attacked by the horn of the Shapeshifter before this. Why did he feel no pain at all? Did the horn have anesthetic effect?

  Thinking of which, Lin Li opened his eyes.

  Then, he was stunned…

  The view before him was sheer absurdity.

  The culprit lied at his feet on the lush green grass. A faint scent of holiness emitted from it.

  And the ultimate killer—the Shapeshifter—had vanished completely…

  At that instant, Lin Li did not know if he should cry or laugh. He thought he was definitely going to die, yet woke up with zero injuries. The only thing that was amiss was that there was a small hole on his Robe of Wrath, located where the horn of the Shapeshifter struck…

  "This is too surreal!"

  Lin Li could not believe his own eyes. He felt as if he was a serial killer who was apprehended by the police but merely sentenced as a thief…

  Lin Li always wanted to hunt Shapeshifters—how would he not be aware of the horn that struck him? That was the firmest weapon on earth, filled with the powerful Dark Magic which could break all protective realms. Not to mention that he was only wearing the Robe of Wrath, even if it was the thick and heavy armor that the warriors wore, he would not be able to block the harsh impact the horn inflicted on him. That sharp weapon struck him like a bolt of lightning—how would it only create a small simple hole in his body?

  "But…"

  It was what made Lin Li felt like something was amiss.

  "Don't tell me it's because of that?" Lin Li muttered as an object flashed in his mind…

  The pocket of the Robe of Wrath was exactly where the horn of the Shapeshifter struck on.

  Thinking of which, Lin Li reached into his pocket frantically. His fingers came into contact with that eerie piece of crystal.

  Although the surface of the crystal was filled with decorative patterns, the light it reflected was a sinister dark red.

  When Lin Li first noticed it, he thought he had seen wrongly.

  Lin Li was absolutely clear that in that cave, the crystal was transparent. However, why did it show rays of dark-red when the exited the cave?

  Soon after, Lin Li understood everything.

  That was because he smelled a familiar scent that came from that piece of crystal.

  One could forget the color of the crystal, but not its scent. Lin Li would never forget that unique smell belonging to a Shapeshifter. This dark and pressurizing smell would only be emitted by these beasts born during suffering and disasters.

  "God dammit! That Shapeshifter got eaten by a… crystal?" At that point of time, the only term that came to Lin Li to describe the unbelievable scene was the word 'eaten'.

  Chapter 135 - Spite

  Lin Li held onto the crystal tightly on the way back to Alanna. His expression was like Sean's in the daytime—he was in the same trance and absent-minded state. He even felt soft beneath his feet walking on the rugged mountain road; it was as if he was stepping on cotton.

  The night's experience was like a dream. A huge Eternal Adamantine vein, three astounding gemstones, and a piece of weird crystal that could devour even the Shapeshifter. Just thinking about it made him feel unreal.

  So much so that when Lin Li left, he did not even notice that the golden-haired youth who should have fled was still standing in the camp with a pale face. Beads of perspiration fell from his forehead. Even the golden hair around his ears was dampened with perspiration. His body trembled as he looked at Lin Li as if he was looking at the most terrifying monster…

  He could not help being afraid…

  He had led a group of people, and they had fought the Shapeshifter for half a night. How could he not be clear about the strength of the level-18 magical beast? That was a creature comparable to that of a legendary level. If it weren't for the sacred weapon they had in hand tonight, even an adventurer ten times stronger than them wouldn't dare to challenge the majesty of the Shapeshifter.

  However, such a magical beast had disappeared the moment it collided with the young mage. What kind of terrifying force was it?

  If such a powerful figure mistakenly thought he was hostile, who could return to Alanna alive among the 30 adventurers present?

  He would swear to God if he could that it was all a coincidence, and that he was not at all hostile!

  Tossing the sacred weapons out at the last moment was part of the battle plan to attract the Shapeshifter's attention, and to buy precious time for the whole mercenary team to escape. Under the cliff of the other side of the camp, the mercenary corps had already prepared 40 rope ladders. It would only take a breath's time for the surviving adventurers to escape.

  However…

  Little did the golden-haired youth expect that there was a young mage hiding in the forest.

  When he discovered the young mage, the golden-haired youth knew things were bad. Once the Shapeshifter surged forth, no one could ward it off. The raging Shapeshifter would tear all living creatures to pieces. Not to mention such a young mage, even an Archmage wouldn't necessarily be able to escape from death.

  The golden-haired youth was more or less guilty, having killed a m
an for no reason.

  But very soon, he realized that the Shapeshifter was gone!

  It was neither killed, nor defeated—it suddenly disappeared…

  A hallucination, this had to be a hallucination!

  The golden-haired youth refused to believe it, and rubbed his eyes hard!

  That was right, it really disappeared…

  The sacred weapon was still quietly lying on the grass, and the young mage was still standing there, but the horrible Shapeshifter disappeared from the world in a flash.

  "Shock" was not enough to describe his feelings. The golden-haired youth stared at the place where the Shapeshifter had disappeared for a full minute.

  Then…

  He realized a very serious problem.

  What he had just done could be described as foolishness. No matter how one looked at it, perhaps it would be regarded as a deliberate provocation.

  Although the golden-haired youth knew that this was in fact an accident, he knew better than ever that such an outrageously powerful person would not be in the mood to listen to his explanation. Anril was such a world—only the strong were respected and qualified to speak.

  A level-12 warrior was like an ant in the eyes of such a powerhouse. The latter only needed one finger to crush him to death. In this world, who would listen to an ant explain anything?

  At this moment, the golden-haired young man was so frightened that even his heart stopped beating. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and his whole body was soaked in cold sweat; it looked as if he was just fished out of the water. His fair, handsome face was full of despair. He looked at the powerhouse amongst the forest with fear and horror, waiting for his final judgment. Everyone's life and death were all between his thoughts…

  It was only a short span of two minutes, but the golden-haired youth felt as if it had been a year. Fear and despair filled his heart. The feeling of waiting to die was like being nibbled away bit by bit by a monster, but he just couldn't do anything about it.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the last thing he had anticipated was for the other party to turn away and leave…