Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  It was almost impossible. An undead creature like the Hell Ghoul—which had reached the strength of level-ten—should leave behind a magical crystal after being killed in any case.

  "Eh?"

  Lin Li was looking around when he found something strange.

  It was a wisp of black mist, clearly visible in the bright light of the fire. The pale black mist was rising from the place where the Hell Ghoul had exploded. It was like a black ribbon, winding around in the night sky, then finally surging forth to himself like a stream of water…

  The place where the black mist went was the pocket with the crystal.

  For a moment, Lin Li felt an inexplicable puzzlement.

  He was almost driven mad by this crystal In the last two days. Ever since he had gotten this crystal, weird things had been happening one after another. First, it had devoured the Shapeshifter in the Nightmare Mountains; now, it was absorbing black mist in the Shadowglen. He did not know what the black mist was, but he could vividly feel a strong death aura from it…

  The peculiar aura specific to the undead creatures made Lin Li feel uncomfortable. He wanted to know what the hell this crystal was!

  Snip… While Lin Li was wondering, there was a sudden whisper in his ear, followed by a scream.

  "Be careful!"

  Lin Li was a little stunned at first; then, he suddenly remembered that he had just looked for the magical crystal of the Hell Ghoul, but had no time to clean up the Skeletal Warriors that were frozen by the Snowstorm.

  However, it was not too late to clean up now…

  Lin Li cast a Hastening Spell on himself, and withdrew promptly. He had retreated a dozen steps before he began his recitation, all the while keeping an eye behind him.

  Dozens of Skeletal Warriors had been freed from their shackles, and were approaching Lin Li with their machetes amongst the shattered ice. But now that Lin Li had discovered their existence, how could he possibly give them the chance to approach him? As he turned around, a shot of Infernal Flare exploded among the Skeletal Warriors.

  Orrin, who was behind him, did not hesitate to release an Air Bomb.

  Mason's recitation was swift; without waiting for Orrin's Air Bomb to explode, he had already laid a Spell of Swamp under his feet. In an instant, air bubbles surfaced, and the wet and slippery land turned into a swamp.

  The Skeletal Warriors were really stupid; so big a swamp was in front of them, but they had just stepped into it without even looking. The swamp had become crowded in a little while—a large group of Skeletal Warriors fell into the mud, waving their machetes as they struggled clumsily and slowly.

  This was simply a natural target; furthermore, it was a fixed target, which couldn't even move…

  Lin Li had earned much experience hitting targets like this with his Hunter background. It took less than five minutes and a dozen bombardment of spells to blow the Skeletal Warriors off the swamp. Orrin was not idle at all at the side; while Lin Li stood there, hitting the fixed targets, he was hitting the moving targets right beside. Because of the limited space, the Skeletal Warriors that had no chance to fall into the swamp had all fallen victim to him instead.

  Chapter 140 - Soul Summoning (2/3)

  The two magic shooters were wreaking havoc, while others were just onlookers. It was not because they did not want to interfere, but because they did not have the ability to do so. The targeted Skeletal Warrior was obliterated by the two of them before the spell recitation could be completed. How could they step in? It was more likely for them to step out…

  The scene was witnessed by the long-haired youngster, and it terrified him. The Hell Ghoul that forced him at the end of his rope was obliterated by them in seconds. It was as easy as eating and drinking for them to clear up the Skeletal Warriors. Were these monstrous fellas really mages participating in the trials?

  This team could only be described as abnormal. A level-9 mage and a level-11 magic shooter were already terrifying. Unexpectedly, there was another fiend that looked like a level-7 mage, but he had displayed the strength that was stronger than the level-11 magic shooter's. The infernal flare released just now had blasted away more than ten Skeletal Warriors. The barrage of magic that followed was even more monstrous. It blasted all of the Skeletal Warriors in the swamp into smithereens. Was a level-7 mage really capable of such a feat?

  The long-haired youngster got more scared as he looked on. By the time the two of them had blasted more than a hundred Skeletal Warriors into bits and pieces, both of his eyes were opened wide like a cow's eyes.

  Who are these people…

  The long-haired youngster swallowed hard. He looked at those three as though he was looking at three demons. Even as he spoke, he stuttered. "Thank… Thank you…"

  "You're welcome." Lin Li smiled humbly. As long as he would not be in harm's way, he would be very brave and willing. Anyhow, the long-haired youngster had the Skeletal Warriors under control. He was willing to kill the Hell Ghoul as it was convenient. It was advantageous to him. Furthermore, he could get some good reputation. Who would not be willing to do that ?

  Of course…

  If the Hell Ghoul was something like a high-leveled Vampire or a Death Knight, Lin Li would not be so willing…

  These level-17 or 18 undeads were not going to be killed with a single spell. It would be a joke if they got r.a.p.ed instead of killing these monsters!

  Regardless, this instance of help had been very successful.

  The few surviving mages in the trial had no idea how cunning Lin Li was. From their perspective, this young mage was a role model. He had thrown away his safety to save others, emitting a selfless noble quality. Instantaneously, the feeling of gratitude was overbearing. In the midst of these three's gratitude, Lin Li naturally gave himself a pat on the shoulder.

  With the status of a benefactor, he had answers to whatever questions he asked.

  Of course, Lin Li did not ask too much. He only wanted how the three of them met a Hell Ghoul.

  "We were too unlucky…." The long-haired youngster looked unusually sad and angry.

  Since they had been woken up, Lin Li's group was not in a hurry. They found a place to sit, and listened to the long-haired youngster's resentful account.

  The long-haired youngster's name was Larry; he was from the Marianna's guild. He was a level-9 mage as well, but he was not as lucky as Mason. Mason's luck was really good, for he found two powerful teammates. This trial could be considered smooth sailing as they completed both missions splendidly. Even the nitpicking Macklin could not find an issue with it.

  On the contrary, Larry had worse luck. Both his teammates were level-8 mages, and they were the weakest in this trial. With the exception of the "level-7" Lin Li, they were of the lowest level.

  A team comprising two level-8 mages and a level-9 mage trying to complete a mission would end in a tragedy. In the past few days, they did not even complete one mission. If they were unable to attain good results in the Shadowglen, they would not have the right to participate in the finals.

  Lin Li somewhat understood after listening to this point.

  It was not surprising that they refused to use the teleportation scrolls even under those dangerous circ.u.mstances. This mission in the Shadowglen was their last chance.

  After mentioning this matter, Larry could not help but feel resentful again.

  Larry knew that his team was too weak, so he decided to hide from the start. Since this mission was rated based on time, they would be able to get more points by hiding for one more day. If they were at the peak of their luck, and able to hide for more than seven days, the points solely from this mission would allow them to participate in the finals.

  Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. They almost did not pull through the first day.

  After entering the Shadowglen, Larry immediately went to look for a hiding spot. In fact, he was skilled in this aspect. From the outskirts of the Shadowglen, he carefully dodged the undead. He actually entere
d the central region of the Shadowglen without encountering danger. After that, he chose the same route as Lin Li.

  Both of them used Warlock's Eyes to advance, and both chose the cave beneath the cliff.

  But their meeting was of a very different setting.

  Three of them carefully advanced before painstakingly arriving near the cave. Yet, they unknowingly encountered a Hell Ghoul straight away. At this point, Larry thought he was going to die. Other than blaming himself for being unlucky, he was speechless. While searching with the Warlock's Eyes, there were no signs of the undead. However, they bumped into a Hell Ghoul they moment they advanced.

  "Where did you bump into it?" Lin Li was slightly curious.

  "It was near the cave." Larry pointed with his finger. The location he was referring to was about ten metres away from the cave. At this point, Larry started to feel uncertain again. "It looked like it was searching for something…"

  Lin Li was surprised when he heard it. "Searching?"

  "Yes, it had summoned twenty Skeletal Warriors, and they were all quite spread out. It was as if they were searching…" Larry, with a doubtful look, continued, "When we discovered it, it was too late to escape. Those twenty Skeletal Warriors surrounded us quickly, and then… we could only shout for help."

  "So that's what happened…" Lin Li nodded, and did not question further; he only felt very curious. What exactly was that Hell Ghoul looking for?

  The undead were not like magical beasts. They were unable to chase enemies through smell; they were only attracted to the Scent of Life. When he was hiding in the cave, he had already placed a Ward of Secrecy for Life. A master-level Ward of Secrecy for Life could even conceal the scent of life from a high-level Vampire, what more a Hell Ghoul. How could a single Hell Ghoul do it?

  Maybe… It was related to the crystal?

  Lin Li was terrified at this idea.

  Thinking back to that crystal, Lin Li remembered that there was black fog released from the Hell Ghoul when it was blasted…

  Within the black fog, there was a thick Scent of Death. When it seeped into the crystal, Lin Li could faintly feel that the scent emitted from the crystal was identical to a Hell Ghoul's. The deep red glow became even more profound and darker after the black fog seeped in…

  That piece of crystal was too mysterious…

  Lin Li felt that he should find some time and investigate it. Otherwise, it might bring forth trouble if he carried it out around cluelessly.

  "If you guys do not have a place to rest tonight…" After making up his mind, Lin Li saw that it was getting late, and hesitated again. "Head to the cave first. We will talk tomorrow if there are any other matters."

  "That's great!" Larry had been worrying for the whole day; he was blocked by a Hell Ghoul at midnight, and surrounded by hundreds of Skeletal Warriors. He was thoroughly exhausted. Right now, was there any reason for him to reject Lin Li's invitation? Furthermore… this team's strength, as they had witnessed, was fiendish. It was especially so for that "level-7" mage that spoke to him—he was a monster among monsters. Larry estimated that he was not inferior to that legendary top genius of Felan, Gryffindor.

  With such a powerful person protecting him, he could not ask for more. How could Larry be so foolish to reject it?

  This battle took up too much time. By the time they had returned the cave, the camp fire had already died out, and the cave was pitch-black. There were only two mageweaths at the entrance of the cave, radiating a dim light in the dark.

  Chapter 141 - Soul Summoning (3/3)

  Once everyone returned to the cave, they were mostly exhausted. Orrin lighted up the extinguished campfire, and Larry bandaged his wounded arm. Soon after, everyone slept soundly in their sleeping bags… except for Lin Li. Ever since he returned, he had been thinking about the crystal. He only fell asleep while in a daze in the dead of the night. He even had a dream that he was surrounded by undead creatures—this dream had actually woken up him in terror…

  Anyhow, it was not a pleasant night.

  Lin Li was still low in spirits and with heavy eyebags when he woke up in the morning, yawning away. When Larry looked at him, it took him a while to remember that this dejected-looking fella was the monster that blasted more than ten Skeletal Warriors with an Infernal Flare.

  The dusk at the Shadowglen was still lifeless; it did not have the vigor that a dusk should have.

  "Good morning…" Lin Li again yawned twice before leaving his sleeping bag reluctantly. He greeted his companions while walking towards the entrance of the cave with a sleepy face.

  After a night of maintaining the mageweaths' functionality, his mana had almost been fully consumed; he had to replenish it. This was because he lacked compatible magical crystals. He could only use mana to maintain the mageweaths while replenishing it every now and then. He only wished that he could use magical crystals instead.

  Once Li Lin Li left the cave, the radiance from the two mageweaths was extremely dim. It was like a candle in the wind that could be extinguished at any moment.

  While Lin Li squatted at the entrance and was preparing to replenish his mana, he suddenly heard a sound. Out he curiosity, he looked over, and saw that there was a cloud of dust rumbling afar.

  "F*ck!" This discovery jolted Lin Li, and he did not feel sleepy anymore. He did not even care about replenishing his mana, rushing into the cave as he shouted, "Hurry, come take a look at this. There seems to be something over there!"

  "What is it?" Mason moved over excitedly with a sheepish smile on his face.

  "You will know once you look…" Lin Li had a heavy look on his face; he had a bad premonition.

  Both of them used Warlock's Eyes, tracing the edge of the Shadowglen closely, and hastily moved towards the area with the dust cloud.

  When the Warlock's Eyes had just moved closer, the smile on Mason's was frozen. "Sh*t…"

  Through the visual field of the Warlock's Eyes, both of them clearly saw that the dust was due to tens of thousands of Skeletal Warriors. Countless machete-wielding Skeletal Warriors had gathered together, forming a terrifying undead army. Nobody knew what they were up to, and neither did they know why they had gathered. Lin Li only knew… if they unluckily bumped into this army, it would be difficult to escape, and they'd likely die even if they had unlimited mana.

  This was too horrifying…

  Looking from afar, the whole mountain range was filled with Skeletal Warriors. It was an endless plain of skeletons that looked like a sea of corpses and bones.

  "What do we do?" Mason's brain was in a muddle. He had never seen such a terrifying image before.

  "Look again!" Lin Li clenched his teeth, and moved the Warlock's Eyes closer. He had to figure out why were these tens of thousands of Skeletal Warriors gathering.

  This was of utmost importance!

  If these tens of thousands of Skeletal Warriors coincidentally gathered together, it would naturally not pose a problem. Everybody could hide in the cave and wait for these seven days to end before using a teleportation scroll to teleport back to base without caring about the undead army.

  However, they would be in deep water if that was not the case.

  Lin Li knew that he had to figure out their route so that he could find a solution if they had any abnormal changes.

  "What is the situation like?" Just when both of them had a serious look, Orrin also came out from the cave.

  "It seems to be worse…" Lin Li muttered while controlling the Warlock's Eyes. The situation was worse than he had imagined. Those tens of thousands of Skeletal Warriors were like real soldiers. They were pressing into the depths of Shadowglen while sweeping away all obstacles

  And then… Lin Li realized he was in trouble. He suddenly discovered that the undead creatures in the Shadowglen seemed to have split into two groups. They waved their weapons and fierce fight started.

  From the visual field of the Warlock's Eyes, Lin Li could clearly see that there were numerous undead creatures obstr
ucting the setting up of the formation. There were Skeletal Warriors, Hell Ghouls, and low-level Vampires. They were like moths trying to put out a fire, rushing into the undead army.

  Hell Ghouls were level-10 undead creatures, and low-level Vampires had the strength of level-13 or 14. However, they were torn into pieces when the tens of thousands of Skeletal Warriors rushed forward.

  "They… They fought?" At that moment, Lin Li went into a daze after watching.

  This… this… isn't this too phony?

  Within that thick cloud of dust, there was a fierce battle between undead creatures. Tens of thousands of Skeletal Warriors pushed into the Shadowglen, while countless undead creatures took up the positions of the fallen, and rose to fight one after another, attempting to intercept. As groups of them were torn into pieces, new groups rushed forward.

  In this battle, not a single drop of blood was spilt, and neither were there any screams. Yet the intensity was far beyond what Lin Li had seen before.

  The scene was simply too shocking; it had surpassed Lin Li's group's comprehension.

  A battle between undead creatures was actually this intense…

  "What kind of joke is this…" Lin Li was prepared for death. These Skeletal Warriors were too despicable. They did not appreciate a harmonious society, and started fighting their own. Anyhow… if they wanted fight, then so be it, but they deliberately fought near the cave. Was this not forcing people onto the road of despair?

  It was not tens or hundreds of Skeletal Warriors, but an army of tens of thousands. If one were to get caught within this sea of corpses and bones, not even a mentor would be able to survive, much less a group of mages. Lin Li had to think of a solution as he did not want to be trampled on by the army…

  "Its over…" At the side, Mason was thoroughly nervous. He paced back and forth in the cave like a bundle of nerves.

  Orrin was silent, but he had a serious look. Naturally, he had the same thoughts as Lin Li. Such a terrifying force was not something a few mages could go against even if they had a monster like Lin Li. They would also be smashed to pieces even if they were caught in the aftermath, much less facing the undead army head on.