Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  At the thought of the power of the bolt, Argus could not help but tremble with fear. He could not figure out what the man who had just feigned death wanted to do.

  Lin Li did not keep Argus in fear for long. He came up to Argus with the bolt in his hand. He even turned the latter over carefully, trying not to touch the wounds on his body.

  "Hush, don't be scared. Let uncle give you a shot…"

  Chapter 189 - Ravage

  Argus gaped at the sharp bolt; he realized he couldn't even cry if he wanted. He couldn't imagine how a dignified level-16 Archmage like him could end up so miserable. If he could, he would rather not have come to the Fire Plume Ridge by himself, nor send someone to keep watch on the Silver Hand camp.

  Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything…

  Argus was a piece of meat on their chopping board at present; the only thing he could do was to look pitifully at the fellow resurrected from death, hoping that the latter could be gentler with his actions later.

  Lin Li held the vampire fang in his hand, and looked at Argus with ill-intentioned eyes while offering a few hypocritical words of comfort. "Relax, it won't hurt much…"

  "…" Such a look—like that of a wolf staring at a sheep—made Argus' hair stand on ends.

  "Please believe me, it's just like a mosquito bite!" Lin Li's smile was very light, but there was a violent shake of his wrist, followed by a spatter of blood; the sharp bolt was plunged deep into Argus' back.

  "Ah!" Argus released a feeble scream, but it lasted only for a moment, for the sound of the earth shaking covered it up again.

  The fellow who came back to life did not lie—it was really like a mosquito's bite. Argus did not feel any pain at all; but, what it brought him was fear more unbearable than excruciating pain. When the bolt was plunged into his back, he could feel his back go numb as if he had just been bitten by a venomous snake.

  At the same time, the mana that he took pride in was rapidly leaking along with this numbness…

  The horrifying rate of loss was like the flood that had opened the floodgates, surging outward like a torrential tide. Argus lay prone on the ground; his wickedly handsome face turned pale with terror. For a mage, the mana was always the most precious thing. If he had lost the mana that he took pride in, what was the difference between him and a cripple?

  In face of such a tremendous fear, Argus suddenly gained a burst of energy. He began to struggle desperately; but, how was he going to compete against Sean in his current state? Almost as soon as he moved, he was stepped on his head by Sean's foot, and he jumped like a lizard having its tail stepped on.

  Hot mud was stuffed into his mouth, scalding a few blisters in it. However, under the foot of the freak black bear, Argus could not even resist at all. He could only beat the ground desperately to protest against the shameless abuse of the two guys.

  "Be quiet, Mr Argus. It's going to be over soon." The mageweath on the vampire fang was shimmering with a faint blue light. The complex lines on the Mass Energy Ward reflected a glittering translucency under this faint blue light. Plumes of visible halo flowed slowly along the magic circuit. Three magic nodes ran continually, transforming the mana from Argus' body into energy that could be absorbed by the Mass Energy Ward.

  And this energy, through the Mass Energy Ward, was constantly strengthening the Divinity Metal on the vampire fang…

  Lin Li gently patted Argus on the head, but his eyes were fixed on the complex yet perceivable transformation process. This small bolt was of extraordinary significance to Lin Li—not only because of the use of the Divinity Metal, but also because it was the first piece of equipment he'd designed after he came to Anril.

  Even for Lin Li, this was a completely new attempt.

  He did not use any ready-made blueprints, nor imitate any known equipment. It was a completely independent design. Everything was only built on theoretical knowledge. Even Lin Li was not sure whether the bolt—made from a vampire fang and Divinity Metal—would really be able to achieve the effect he d.e.s.i.r.ed…

  The answer came out very soon.

  Argus, who was lying on the ground, was getting weaker by the moment. Lin Li could clearly feel that Argus was losing his mana at an alarming speed. The level-16 Archmage, who had just overwhelmed Lin Li with his strength and rendered him powerless, had fallen from the realm of an Archmage.

  And, all this happened in the blink of an eye.

  Perhaps in less than a minute, the level-16 Archmage would be s.u.c.k.e.d into a complete scrap.

  The fang of a high-level Vampire was no joke.

  "Mr Felic, what's wrong with him? How…" Sean was a level-10 warrior at present. He was far more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to changes in strength than when he'd first come to Alanna. Moreover, the current Argus was a completely different man compared to a while ago. Even if Sean was slow, he could also sense something from it.

  "This question, eh… it's very complicated." Lin Li scratched his head. For a moment, he really didn't know how to explain it to Sean.

  The process was truly too complicated…

  It looked simple—it was a mere plunge of the vampire fang, and Argus became a scrapped man. However, the principle behind it could not be covered in two or three words.

  This was definitely impossible in the past.

  Although the fangs of high-level Vampires were powerful, they were not powerful to such a sick extent. Otherwise, the Vampire clan would be invincible long ago. Be it the Dragon or the Lich clan, they could just suck them dry in one go. Wouldn't they rebel against the Heaven, then?

  The real reason, in fact, was still because of the fat beating Sean had delivered a while ago.

  A level-16 Archmage was beaten into a pulp by a level-10 warrior—this was a plain humiliation. Even if Argus had a strong mind, he could not stand such a brutal mortification. At this moment, Argus was in his most vulnerable state, both physically and mentally. In particular, he had almost completely given up on the control of his mana.

  And at this point in time, Lin Li had plunged the bolt into his body.

  The power of the vampire fang, coupled with the channeling of the Mass Energy Ward, ultimately produced this amazing result.

  To be honest, Lin Li was hesitant at the beginning.

  After all, Argus was a level-16 Archmage. In case this bolt failed to produce the d.e.s.i.r.ed effect, but instead gave him a chance to fight for a breathing space, it would be a big problem for Lin Li.

  At that time, Lin Li even thought of killing him off and being rid of this menace.

  But, after a short hesitation, Lin Li decided to take the risk.

  Lin Li was afraid of death, so the most intolerable thing for him was someone threatening him with his own life. In order to continue living, he could do many things that others could not do.

  Since the Marathon Family could send the first Argus, then they could send the second, third or even to the nth Argus. Lin Li disliked sitting and waiting for death, nor did he like to simply be crushed to death, so he had to fight back. He had to grasp more ch.i.p.s in his hand, and Argus was undoubtedly the most powerful of these ch.i.p.s.

  Being able to hang around Wilhelm's nephew and at the same time act as Matthias' magic instructor… no matter from which aspect, it seemed like his position in the Marathon Family would not be too low.

  At such a delicate time, to be able to gather as much information as possible was certainly what Lin Li needed the most now. Facing a giant like the Marathon Family, the more he knew, the greater his hopes for survival would be.

  Hence, Lin Li chose to risk it.

  A living Argus was much more valuable than a dead Argus.

  The blue light flowing on the bolt made Lin Li heave a strong sigh of relief. This was very crucial for him. In the face of a powerless Argus, Lin Li had countless ways to deal with him. Even if he were a mute, Lin Li had the confidence that he could get Argus to tell him what he wanted to hear. A certain pharmaceutics guru was really good at doing this ki
nd of thing…

  The blue light glowed brighter and brighter. As he watched the level-16 Archmage being left with strength around that of level-10, he abruptly pulled out the bolt.

  "Sean, do you still remember the way?"

  "Yes." Sean nodded his head, looking very sure.

  "Very well, you take this fellow with you. Let's go out first." Lin Li took a bottle of Recovery Potion from his pocket. He grasped Argus' mouth and poured half of the bottle down. Then, he poured the remaining half on the wound on his back, and helped him stop the bleeding.

  "Okay." Sean nodded his head, and reached out to lift Argus up. The Argus at present was nothing like a level-16 Archmage. His magic strength had fallen below level-10, and his body was bruised all over. Faced with these two guys, he had totally resigned himself to his fate. He was without even the slightest hint of resistance as Sean held him in his arms. He stared blankly at the ceiling with a deadened expression.

  "Boom!" However, just then, there was another loud blast outside the cave.

  And then, Lin Li seemed to see ripples circle in the gently flowing lava before them.

  At first, it looked like ripples caused by stones; but, as the ripples spread, the movements in the lava grew bigger and bigger. After that loud noise, the lava was even making gurgling sounds as it bubbled. Subsequently, the ground broke, and bits of lava splashed up, making sizzling sounds when it fell on the hot ground.

  Amid the earth-shaking scene akin to the end of the world, the lava began to simmer.

  "F*ck, damn it!" This spectacular scene fell into Lin Li's eyes, and immediately gave rise to an ominous feeling.

  If he remembered correctly, there was a type of creature called the Ore Devouring Beast that liked to make its appearance in this way…

  "Run!" Lin Li yelled. He pulled Sean with him as he planned to leave this place.

  But as soon as he moved, he saw the splattering of a monstrous firelight. A lump of lava spurted out, blocking the way of the two men like a wall of fire. An extremely striking red shadow was in the midst of that lump of lava…

  Chapter 190 - Transmigration

  "Quick, run!" Seeing the flash of red, Lin Li knew it was something ominous. He let out a Delaying Spell without further ado, hoping that the low-grade magic could slow down that menacing monster.

  "Freak…" Argus gasped under Sean's arm. At the instant when the red figure flashed past, he was so dazed that his face ashened.

  He could not understand why his luck was so bad. Why must the earthquake come at such a timing to cripple me? After much struggling, he barely held onto his dear life. Now, he had to meet an Ore Devouring Beast…

  Oh God, that's a magical beast of at least level-15!

  Even in top form, he would never dare to provoke it. Now that he could not raise an arm, he was no different from a cripple…

  I'm doomed…

  I'm really doomed…

  Although he'd already fallen to the stage of being carried under someone's arm, Argus was extremely clear about the ability of both men—one was a level-13 Magic Shooter, while the other a warrior who had just achieved level-10. No matter how fierce they were, they were no match for that Ore Devouring Beast that was at least level-15. The gap was clear—no amount of aggressiveness could cover up for their differences.

  Argus felt that he had been wrongfully treated…

  Lin Li felt even more so!

  Why did that Ore Devouring Beast appear with such an untimely manner? The cave was already shaking due to the tremors… How could he deal with the monster when he did not even have the time to escape from the collapsing cave?

  After letting out the Delaying Spell, the two of them scurried away.

  "GRRR!" The beast growled, shaking off the lava from its body, causing hot sparks to rain from the sky.

  Since Lin Li and Sean were wearing armors made from fire salamandrids' skin, they had enough protection. Unlike them, Argus had to suffer excruciating pain under Sean's arm. He was covered with wounds, and was wearing nothing protective. The sparks that landed on him were like searing iron…

  "Let me down, you damn sh*t! Quick! I don't want to die!" Argus' shrieks were ear-piercing all throughout the journey. Yet, how would Lin Li care about him in such a critical situation? If he did not see value in Argus' life, he would tell Sean to dump him already.

  After shaking off the lava on its body, the Ore Devouring Beast's hideous head appeared.

  Lin Li stole a glance behind him, and became more certain about his suspicion. It was definite that there was an Infernal Magic Iron mine below this stream of lava! On top of that, it was most likely a rich mine! Only Ore Devouring Beasts born on rich mines would have such an ominous metallic glow all over them.

  The beast was like a lizard in the chase. It was very agile due to its slender and long body. When it passed by, it was like a streak of red flittering light, covering big distances almost immediately. The Delaying Spell had no effect on it. What followed the faint yellow flash was leaping flames.

  "Grrr…" There was a series of growls. Rocks that fell from the air were not a threat to it at all. Its slender body was like a fish in water, swimming at fast speed. Its two front legs' sharp claws were like steel knives slicing through tofu, transforming the falling rocks into powder instantaneously.

  Knowing that the Ore Devouring Beast was closing up on him, Lin Li did not dare to look back. He just grabbed onto his life, and continued to escape from it.

  His only chance to cast his spells was to escape from that cave.

  With the help of the Hastening Spell, the speed of both of them was already very fast. However, the Ore Devouring Beast was speedier than them. When they dashed into a narrow pathway, they were less than 10 metres apart from the beast.

  The road in front got more and more narrow, while the beast got closer and closer. Lin Li could feel the heat from the beast behind him and hear its heavy breath…

  Yet, Lin Li dared not look back. He knew his only chance to survive was in escaping the cave.

  The Ore Devouring Beast was so fast that it was able to pounce onto Lin Li before he could even pass through that narrow passageway. His armor was torn instantly, like a sheet of paper under its sharp claws.

  As Lin Li sensed pain on his back, he felt warm blood gushing out from it.

  "Sh*t…" Lin Li panicked amidst the agonizing pain. He had no chance to escape in such a narrow pathway.

  It was too late to distance himself from the Ore Devouring Beast.

  "PAT!"

  The thin and long tail of the beast landed harshly on Lin Li's back like a whip. To him, it felt a bomb. As he flew off due to the impact, a mouthful of fresh blood surged out before he crashed against the firm and hard crag…

  "Mr. Felic, you go first!" At the same time, Sean stopped in his tracks. He threw a rock at the beast with one hand while lugging Argus with the other.

  When the Ore Devouring Beast was about to pounce onto Lin Li, the fist-sized fragment smashed onto its head. "Grr…!" It cried out in pain.

  "…" Argus had never felt so helpless in any situation before. He could not understand why Sean was so foolish to lure the attention of the beast onto himself just to protect Felic. Did he eat the wrong medicine?

  At this moment, Argus really hoped to scream: "F*ck you, that's a level-15 magical beast! If you want to die, can you not drag me along?"

  Yet, why would Sean have the time to be considerate about the feelings of such a passer-by? His left hand was like a pair of metal pincers that clamped tightly onto Argus' neck. He did not even have the time to lift his head to scold him, not to mention that he would loosen his grasp.

  Sean was like a bastion of iron—an impregnable fortress in the middle of the road.

  The Ore Devouring Beast was a little injured by the rock. After shaking its giddy head, its small triangular eyes gave Sean a deadly stare. The hatred and anger within it were like a poisonous snake that was determined to attack. Argus could not help but feel g
oosebumps on his scalp just by looking at it.

  Under the blazing fire, it emitted extremely hot magical waves, an energy special to the fire-attributed Ore Devouring Beasts. Especially for those that had their powers from the Infernal mineral veins, their fire element magic was comparable to that of Archmages of the same level.

  On its long and thin tail that was covered with scales, there was a tiny and flittering flame. It was like a small candlelight that could be extinguished at any time. However, it was not comforting to Lin Li at all. He knew that it spelled danger—the Ore Devouring Beast was going to rage. When that flame lit up, what waited for Sean would be a terrifying fire element magic.

  "SEAN, RUN!"

  At this life and death juncture, the injuries on Lin Li did not matter to him anymore. It was as though he saw the massive flames breathed out by the Ore Devouring Beast turning Sean into ashes instantaneously. He had no choice but to get himself up despite the falling rocks. While struggling to control his mental strength, he unleashed his weakest Mana Retroaction ever…

  "Boom!"

  As soon as the Mana Retroaction was unleashed, another sound blasted from the top of the cave.

  As compared to the first two times, it was like the sound of heaven splitting with the earth. At that instant, it pushed the disaster to the climax. Huge boulders tumbled from the top of the cave noisily. Although Lin Li's two feet were on the ground, he felt that the earth was shaking as though he was standing on a ship.

  That did not exclude the beast that had its deadly stare fixed on Sean. It, too, was stunned by the disastrous situation. Its long and thin tail was still swiping left and right, while that small spark was still flickering. Yet, it did not breath out any fire at all…

  "AROOO…" Amidst the continuous falling boulders, there were ear-piercing growls. It was like a bomb that exploded right beside human ears, which left Lin Li with nothing but the sound of buzzing in his ears.