Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  Regrettably, nobody paid any attention to him…

  Everyone was running desperately—some to the rooms, some upstairs. Wherever they could hide, that would be where they ran. They were using all their strength to run, and then they were shot by the arrows that came from the darkness…

  "Sh*t…"

  Looking at this chaotic scene, Rode knew that it was game over for him. In just a few minutes, these fools, who only knew how to run with their hands on their heads, would be killed by the archers in the dark. Rode was utterly indignant as he listened to the shrill sound of the arrows tearing through the air. He was perhaps the only one among the crowd who had a grasp of the situation. There were not many archers hiding in the rooms—if these idiots could listen to him, how would they end up in such a state?

  It was a pity—no matter how unresigned Rode was, there was nothing he could do about the other party. Things had developed to such a point; even if he could once again regain control of this group of frightened men, it was also impossible to bring them out of the inn.

  The only thing Rode could do was to retreat toward a window step by step.

  This was the only way out for him. What he could do now was to take advantage of the opportunity when his men were delaying the enemies and jump from this window. As for whether he could escape the pursuit of the Silver Storm after jumping down, it would be entirely up to fate…

  It was a complete chaos in the corridor. The men of the Rising Sun Mercenary Corp were fleeing with their heads in their arms, and a group of residents were trembling in fear. Nobody had time to look around, and nobody cared about what Rode wanted to do by going near the window. The only one who discovered he wanted to run was probably Lin Li, but Lin Li was not the least bit interested in him now.

  After all, it had nothing to do with Lin Li at all.

  Disputes between the mercenary corps happened countless of times every day in Alanna. Lin Li had long gotten used to such things. They could fight among themselves, and he would continue his sleep. If it weren't for Hank, he would've already been back in his room, sleeping.

  Besides, Rode planned to run? Could he even run…

  Lin Li knew very well what Rode wanted to do.

  He even knew that if Rode did jump down, it would never be the Silver Storm that was waiting for him…

  Sadly, Rode didn't know anything. He was stepping back to the window, carrying the last bit of hope with him.

  "Ah!"

  And then, it was a shrill cry.

  Rode had just retreated to the window, and before he could turn around, he suddenly felt a chill on his back, followed by sharp pain and a gush of blood pouring from his throat.

  "You lied to me…" Rode struggled to spit out the last sentence, then staggered and fell head first to the ground.

  A graceful figure jumped into the corridor from the window, wiping the blood on the sword while muttering innocently to herself, "How do I know you're so stupid…"

  Lin Li looked to the window, and saw a tall and beautiful woman standing there, slowly wiping a sword.

  After wiping the blood from the sword, the beautiful woman reached out her hands and pulled back her flying blond hair. This feminine movement slightly diluted some of the horror brought about by the previous bloodshed and murder. After casually tying up her blond hair, the beautiful woman turned back, and frowned at Hank and the gang. "What are you guys doing, still spacing out here? Aren't you coming over to help?"

  "Captain, you're here at last…" Hank smiled obsequiously. "You could just let the Silver Storm storm in and settle those few clownfish at once. Why did you make us take the trouble?"

  Hearing this, the beautiful captain's hand halted suddenly. After staring at Hank for a long while, she said abruptly, "Hank, tell me honestly. Was the man who wanted to escape through the window your brother?"

  "…" Hank was bewildered by the question.

  "Otherwise, how could you be as foolish as him?" The beautiful captain turned the sword around, and gave Hank a hard knock on the head. "Do you think I can fly? Do you think I can fly back to Alanna and then back here with the Silver Storm in an hour?"

  Hank was so frightened by her that he even forgot the pain on his head. He froze there for a while before he finally opened his mouth, and asked, "Then… then… how many people did you bring?"

  "Where can I find anyone when all the people are at the Fire Plume Ridge? I met Aragon's team on the way just now, so I called them here…"

  "…" Hank almost lost his mind.

  A team of Silver Hand had always been composed of eight people—that was to say, the beautiful captain had created such a huge array, but had in fact brought with her only eight people…

  Lin Li leaned on the door, sizing up the beautiful captain with interest.

  The beautiful captain of the Silver Hand was a well-known figure in Alanna. Lin Li had heard of Serena's name so many times that he had lost count. When he first saw her in real life today, Lin Li had to admit that this tall and beautiful woman really deserved her reputation.

  The raid tonight was too stunning…

  As the beautiful captain engaged in a question and answer session with Hank, the whole process of the raid became clear in Lin Li's mind.

  The awaiting Silver Storm and the hovering level-15 Gryphon were all smoke screen arranged by Serena. In her own words, the Blackhills Town was hundreds of miles away from Alanna, and she couldn't really fly—so how would she be able to return so fast with the Silver Storm?

  Chapter 175 - Serial Corpse Explosion

  Although Lin Li did not know what method she had used, one thing was certain—the heavy footsteps earlier on were absolutely an illusion that she had created in some way. There was no Silver Storm, nor a level-15 Gryphon, at all. From the beginning, it was a play scripted and performed by the beautiful captain herself.

  The ch.i.p.s she had in her hands were at best those archers…

  This woman was really brave. She had the guts to charge into the inn to rescue others with only eight archers. The men from the Rising Sun Mercenary Corp could be said to be well-equipped and well-trained—including Rode, who was level-12, and a group of level-nine men, plus a figure close to the level of an Archmage eyeing them outside the inn.

  If there was a slight mistake in this process, the whole troop would be wiped out in an instant.

  But that was what she did, and it was very successful…

  The Rising Sun Mercenary Corp, which seemed to be a strong contingent of fighters, was swept clean in a moment. Of the 19 people that came up, including Rode the bandit, none was able to run away. Every one of them fell in a pool of blood.

  "Hank, you go and gather everyone. We have to get to the Fire Plume Ridge tonight," Serena ordered Hank as she wiped the blood from her sword.

  "We're not resting in Blackhills Town?" Hank was stunned.

  "Thuzadin will be back soon. If you don't mind him chatting with you, you can rest here…" Serena pulled a rope out of her backpack, and slowly lowered it down the window. Meanwhile, she muttered to herself, "Anyway, I do mind…"

  "Thuzadin is still there?" Hank's hair stood up in horror, and his face was full of panic upon hearing this.

  "I've asked someone to draw him away just now; I expect him to be back soon…" Serena's pretty face froze mid-sentence. She looked at the stairway, and pursed her lips. "Uh… I mean, he's back now…"

  As soon as Serena's voice fell, everyone felt a cold aura coming from the stairway. Thuzadin walked in a very strange way—his pace was light and fast, with no sound at all, and his legs couldn't be seen moving. They could only see the long, black robes dragging on the ground, and he seemed to levitate like a ghost…

  Thuzadin stood at the end of the corridor, and looked at the pool of blood on the ground. There was still no expression on his pale face. No one knew what he was thinking.

  "Unfortunately, none of you can leave."

  At the moment of Thuzadin's appearance, the expression
on Serena's face was absolutely fascinating. She stood there, tongue-tied, for a long time as if she had been caught stealing. Finally, she squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. "Sh— Did you have dinner, Mage Thuzadin?"

  "…" Several members of the Silver Hand almost bumped into the wall when they heard this.

  "Cut the crap, Captain Serena. You know what I'm here for."

  "Actually, Mage Thuzadin, what prospects do you have, following Caledra? Why not join the Silver Hand? How could his idiotic mercenary corps be compared to us, the Silver Hand? Look at you, still not married at such an age. If you're willing to join the Silver Hand, this matter is on me. I'll introduce you to some beautiful women in the corp some other day… Huh? You don't like beautiful women? What about handsome guys? What do you think of this fellow, Hank…?"

  Lin Li listened to it with his mouth wide agape. Only then did he understand where Hank had learnt the persuasion skills he had used on himself…

  Everyone's expression went blank. Several members of the Silver Hand turned their heads. If possible, they really wanted to climb to the top of the inn and shout "We don't know this woman!" thrice.

  Nobody noticed that Serena's petite hand had quietly reached behind her, slowly grasping the handle of the sword…

  "Yes, but it'll have to be next time." Thuzadin stretched out his thin fingers, and an electric arc flickered lightly on his fingertips. Then, Serena's sword fell to the floor with a clang. "Besides, Captain Serena, it's not a good habit to handle weapons when discussing business…"

  Serena gritted her teeth. "Thuzadin, you've got guts!"

  Thuzadin said nothing, but pulled back his lips to reveal a stiff smile; together with his pale face, the smile looked really creepy. The strength approaching the level of an Archmage was too powerful. Thuzadin stood at the end of the corridor, but everyone could feel a tremendous pressure.

  The archers hiding in the room dared not move at all. With their strength, they could attack the mercenaries who had their guts frightened out. If they wanted to sneak an attack on Thuzadin, who was close to the level of the Archmage, it was almost the same as seeking death. A magic spell from him would be enough for them to die several times…

  "Mage Thuzadin…" Serena turned her eyes, and tried to struggle with a few more words.

  "Serena, you talk too much." However, Thuzadin did not give her a chance. Just as Serena was about to open her mouth, the dark staff in Thuzadin's hand was raised high. In a moment, a violent magical wave spread out, and the crystal at the top of the staff emitted a dazzling light, turning Thuzadin's face into a ghastly white.

  Almost at the same time that Thuzadin staff was lifted, the eight archers hidden in the room moved.

  They had to move; once a mage of Thuzadin's rank took control of the fight's rhythm, the only thing that awaited everyone would be death.

  For a moment, the reverberations from the bowstrings being loosened sounded unceasingly. A speck of cold light burgeoned in the dark, dazzling like the evening star in the dark sky.

  "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

  The sharp sound of breaking the atmosphere sounded continuously; however, what followed was not the muffled sound of sharp arrows piercing the body, but clanking like the chime of gold and iron upon contact with each other. Sharp arrows tore open the air, only to encounter a pile of dead-white skeletons. Sparks flew in the twinkling of an eye, and the sound of gold coming in contact with iron resounded endlessly. The razor-sharp arrows seemed powerless in the face of the impenetrable skeletal shield.

  Necromancer! Lin Li's heart tightened involuntarily at the sight of the dead-white skeletal shield. No wonder the aura on this fellow was so weird—he turned out to be a Necromancer, a distant relative of the Lich!

  It was a profession rarer than a dinosaur…

  Forsaking mysterious knowledge and turning to darkness for power—few mages were willing to do such a thing. There was an essential difference between being buried in the laboratory all day and dealing with the undead. The former was admired, while the latter abhorred.

  Lin Li was curious—what would cause a person to give up on elements and turn to darkness?

  Unfortunately, Thuzadin was not intending to tell him why for the time being.

  Why not? Simple. Thuzadin was busy—he was busy reciting a spell.

  One of the greatest characteristics of the Necromancers was that the time spent reciting a spell was very short.

  It sounded urgent and quick—just like a scream.

  There was only a scream from Thuzadin, and a muffled explosion sounded in the corridor. There was a spatter of blood and flesh where Rode fell, and in a flash, two archers who had just come out of the room were swallowed up. It was a horrifying scene—the flesh and blood splashed like shrapnel into the archers' bodies. They were blown up like honeycombs before they even had time to scream out.

  "Corpse Explosion!" Even Lin Li did not expect this fellow to be so cruel. It seemed that he was going to kill not only Serena, but all the people in the inn…

  There were more than a dozen bodies lying on the ground. If he was really going to use a serial Corpse Explosion, let alone the people in the corridor, perhaps even the inn would be torn down by him.

  It seemed like Lin Li could not go on just watching anymore.

  Taking advantage of the bloody fog that shrouded Thuzadin's sight, Lin Li quietly retreated a few steps. He slowly took out the crossbow that was hanging on his back with one hand, all the while feeling more or less nervous. Since transmigrating, he had not used this thing for a long time. It'd better not miss at a critical time like this…

  On the other side, Serena picked up her sword on the ground, and there was a silver flame all over her body. This was Combat Energy unique to a warrior above level-ten. In Gerian's words, only a warrior with Combat Energy could be regarded as a real warrior. Until then, they were just a bunch of barbaric rascals.

  Combat Energy not only brought about the improvement of combat effectiveness, but also greatly enhanced the resistance of the warrior to various magic. The Combat Energy could even absorb some relatively low-level spells, which would not even cause any harm to the warrior at all.

  Serena, shrouded in the silver Combat Energy, seemed to be bathing in the moonlight. The sharp sword turned into a silver stream, and split open a large piece of dead-white skeletons in an instant.

  Thuzadin did not even bat an eyelid in the face of Serena's sword. He held his magic staff high up in the air. With a shrill recitation, several corpses that were lying in the pool of blood suddenly moved. Although their movements seemed slow and stiff, they had covered the opening made by Serena as soon as they stood up.

  These two bodies were undoubtedly more frightful than the skeletal shield.

  Serena's reflexes were quick—as soon as the two corpses stood up, she quickly withdrew.

  A muffled boom followed, and the two corpses exploded in the middle of the corridor; blood and flesh splattered on the walls on both sides. The clapping sounds continued, and the heavy force made everyone's scalps tingle.

  The Necromancer, who was standing in a pile of corpses, was like a warrior whose pockets were filled with the Bull's Strength Potion. He was almost invincible under the same level.

  Moreover, Serena's Gryphon mount was not around at present. In terms of personal strength alone, she was still a long way from Thuzadin, who was almost at the level of an Archmage. Serena was sent flying when the corpses exploded; if it wasn't for the protection of the silver Combat Energy, this serial Corpse Explosion alone would have cost her half her life.

  Hank and others wanted to go forward and help, but before they could rush up, they were already blocked by several corpses. The Necromancer—who was standing among the corpses—was indeed fearful. He could control the corpses to fight at will and blast them up whenever necessary. When three or four corpses exploded in tandem, the power they released was perhaps no less than a spell of a Magic Shooter.

  "Looks
like this guy really wants to tear down the inn…" Lin Li quietly moved back a few steps. After making sure there were no bodies around, he stopped carefully. Then, he slowly took down the crossbow on his back, and loaded the slot with a Sun's Spike.

  When everything was ready, Lin Li only had to wait for an opportunity…

  And Lin Li hadn't been kept waiting for too long.

  After another series of Corpse Explosion, the opportunity suddenly presented itself.

  Annoyed with Serena, who was struggling on obstinately, Thuzadin seemed to have lost his patience. He controlled six bodies at the same time with a shrill recitation. When these six bodies wobbled up from the ground, almost everyone present felt their scalps go numb. If they were to explode all at once, wouldn't the floor be blown up as well?

  Then, they saw the six staggering bodies surround the people from the Silver Hand.

  This time, Thuzadin's recitation seemed to be slower than before.

  After all, it was a serial Corpse Explosion with six corpses. It was impossible for even a figure of the Archmage level to complete the recitation in an instant. In theory, a necromancer could control countless undead army. However, the more undead creatures one controlled, the more mental strength and mana would be required. For a battle that involved thousands of undead creatures like the one in the Shadowglen, perhaps only the two horrifying Undead Lords could do it.

  In this aspect, Lin Li was actually well-suited for the Necromancer profession…

  With his innate superiority in mental strength and mana, only a little more research was needed to attain achievements that most necromancers could not attain in their lifetime.

  Granted—he had to be willing…

  There were many ways to pursue power, and it was not necessary to associate with undead creatures in order to obtain formidable power.

  Almost everyone's hearts were raised as the six bodies approached.