by Zhuang Bifan
In the snowing sky, flying ice cubes flew and slit deep wounds all over Norfeller's body. Crystal-like ice walls stained with blood of both Norfeller and the Ice Howler were pulled off from the ground. The presence of the deep growls and mad chilly wind intensified the solemness of the battle. From the Eternal Frost to the Frost Shock, all these spells cast instinctively by the Ice Howler turned everything within the radius of a hundred meters into ice and snow.
Although it was like doomsday, Norfeller showed no signs of cowardice. He maintained his ghostly speed as he trapped the Ice Howler with his attacks. No ice walls or ice cubes were able to stop Norfeller's sharp nails. The high-ranking Vampire continued to tear the flesh of the Ice Howler, staining the snowy white ground with fresh red blood. At the same time, his hoarse recitation never stopped. The oppressing and suffocating magical waves were like a surging tide…
At this time, not to mention the three mages, even an experienced man like Jason was dumbfounded by Norfeller's extraordinary magical powers. It was filled with a suffocating sense of evilness that gave him the feeling as though he was walking into an ancient tomb that had been sealed for a thousand years. The scariest part was his ability to injure an Ice Howler!
The weakest Adventurer would know that the skin of an Ice Howler was extremely firm, and its innate resistance to magic could render all spells below level-5 insignificant. Only Archmages above level-15 had the ability to injure Ice Howlers. In other words, that Norfeller with superb combat abilities and wicked speed was indeed a true Archmage…
"Oh God…" Jason gasped, and realized he was beyond speechless. That was so scary. How could a talent so proficient in his combat skills and magical spells appear in front of him just like that…?
To other Adventurers, that was totally an out-of-the-world battle. They were all so immersed in watching the exciting battle that almost all of them forgot that the Ice Howler had actually cast a fatal Frost Shock just before Norfeller's interference…
Of course, no one would realize that a man was sitting by the campfire comfortably in such a freezing weather.
That certain someone was no doubt Lin Li, who was squatting by the campfire. He cast glances at the battle ahead of him while he reached his hands in front of the fire for warmth.
"F*ck, why is it so cold…" Lin Li shrivelled.
"Are you very cold?"
Lin Li heard a clear voice. Looking back, he saw the girl that was chased by the Ice Howler previously. She was staring at Lin Li curiously with her big eyes.
"Yeah, very!" Lin Li replied as he huffed a puff of warm breath on his hands. Only he knew that he was he not lying this time. The temperature that was close to 0 degrees Celsius nearly froze him alive. He had no other choice, either; although the Arcane Combustion he invented himself was powerful, it could only alleviate damage brought about by magic, and was not as invincible as to eliminate the cold…
Of course, the reason for it had a lot of complicated implications. If Lin Li wanted to endure the hassle which was to explain it, he had to talk about things like the clash between the elements of ice and fire, the conversion between mental strength and magical elements, as well as the difference between the instinctive spells and the normal spells. Hence, he just kept his mouth shut, and reached his hands towards the campfire as he focused on enjoying the warmth of it.
From his reaction, a fool would have sensed that he did not feel like chatting anymore.
The strange thing was, that little lady seemed not to perceive Lin Li's body language. She even leaned nearer to the campfire casually and continued the conversation. "By the way, I heard that that man battling with the beast is your partner, right? He is so powerful! But, since he is your partner, why don't you go and help him?"
"…" If it was other people without a clear mind, they would think that the girl's desperation in striking a conversation was an act of ingratiation. Yet, Lin Li was not this type of man. He was always suspicious of anyone who treated him passionately. If a meat pie were to fall from the sky one day, he would be testing the meat pie with Detection Spell to detect if there was a bomb hidden in it.
"Hahaha, I know! You are scared, right? Actually, it's nothing, don't be embarrassed to admit it. Let me tell you a secret: I was really afraid too. Hahaha…"
He couldn't help but admit that this beauty was indeed a talent. From the beginning, she was like performing a one-man stand-up comedy. It was as though she felt no awkwardness when Lin Li's gaze was fixed on the campfire throughout her monologue. She laughed as she continued, just as if she was laughing at her own jokes.
"Oh, yes. Erm…" After the beauty talked for a good 10 minutes, she finally got to the main point. She fiddled with the hem of her dress and said in a voice only a mosquito could hear, "Erm… Could you introduce your partner to me?"
"Huh?" Lin Li exclaimed in confusion as he rubbed his nose. He could not think of a reasonable explanation for the girl's interest. Had the world changed? Why would a girl be seduced by Norfeller, a man as cold as ice?
"Heh, don't be so surprised. Rest assured, I will pay you sufficient commission for that…" The beauty waved her arm generously, and continued speaking, "How about fifty thousand gold coins? As long as you can save my brother, I will pay you fifty thousand. It's gold coins, by the way, a huge sum of money…"
"Your brother?" asked Lin Li.
"Yes, my brother was taken away by the robbers. I want to save him!"
"Wait… Your brother…?" Lin Li paused as he thought of something…
Chapter 320 - Magic System
Lin Li frowned. If he had remembered correctly, Kaman told him that the castellan of Roland City had a son and a daughter, called Cyndor and Yvonne, respectively. Yvonne… Indeed, Lin Li remembered clearly that the middle-aged Adventurer called her Yvonne when he ran out…
Hell, what kind of a father is he…
Lin Li could not believe this. Why did this castellan allow his daughter to venture into Dragon Mountains after his son had been kidnapped? What kind of a joke was this? This was the hiding spot of the Syer Bandits! How could this unarmed lady come here with a bunch of Adventurers who were barely level-14? Did she think Vanskore needed another hostage?
"I can't help you with this…" Lin Li pursed his lips as he rejected her right away. Seriously, she was the daughter of Roland City's castellan! Wouldn't he be asking for trouble if something happened to her while they were in Syer Town?
"Why?"
"It's too dangerous."
"You coward!"
"You're welcome…" Lin Li smiled humbly, and ignored the sulking girl as he cupped his hands next to the fire for warmth.
Norfeller's fight with the Ice Howler was reaching a climax at this point. The Ice Howler's roars filled the air as endless ice magical element flew by, almost as if the air was becoming frozen. Walls of ice sprouted up and cones of ice wheezed past; no matter how much confidence the Adventurers had in Norfeller's abilities, they could not help breaking out in a cold sweat for him now.
Anyone who paid a bit of attention would notice that even though Norfeller still moved and attacked at the speed of lightning, he was slowly cornered. The seemingly clumsy ice walls and blind ice cones were occupying more and more space around him; coupled with the Eternal Frost, it was like a large whirlpool, slowly dragging Norfeller into the abyss of death in the center…
The scariest part was the dropping temperature. A suffocating chill was spreading like a plague as the Ice Howler's eyes grew redder and its low, angry cries grew louder. Almost everyone knew that the next Frost Shock was near…
Lin Li looked at the battlefield from afar and smiled unexpectedly. That's right, the next Frost Shock shouldn't be too far away…
"You know, Yvonne, Dragon Mountains are not a fun place. You should hurry back to Roland City, or else your dad might punish you for being out so late…" After the annoying fight ended, Lin Li's spirit was lifted, which put him in a mood for teasing.
"Worry about yourself�
��" the girl retorted. Almost simultaneously, a deafening sound rang out like thunder out of the blue, scaring the girl. As pale as a sheet, she flew behind Lin Li and held the corner of his shirt in a death grip, only peeking out from behind him after a while. "What… what happened?"
"Something bad!"
Something bad did happen on the distant battlefield.
While Norfeller was as quick as lightning, he succ.u.mbed to the ice magical element eventually. The Ice Howler roared suddenly and released all its ice magical element at once, even at the expense of injuring itself. All at once, the ice walls shattered and the ice cones pierced through the air, covering the world in a layer of snow…
Then, a deathly silence followed.
All the Adventurers, including Jason, held their breath as their eyes fell upon the same ice sculpture; a pale face and a familiar black cloak could be seen embedded in the crystal-clear ice…
"This is it…" Jason's heart sank. This is it, we're really done for this time…
The Ice Howler was a magical beast with ancient blood indeed; its last explosion of magic was truly horrifying. It was not talent or technique, but purely an explosion of strength leading to this depressing scene…
Indeed, it was utterly depressing.
Even Jason had to admit at this point that everyone was doomed. Neither the unlucky group of Adventurers nor his group, which was unknowingly dragged into this, were a match for the Ice Howler. The only one who could go against the Ice Howler, Norfeller, had already been frozen in ice. Right now, a Frost Shock was what awaited them…
Everything was as Jason predicted. The Ice Howler did not hesitate to continue after freezing that annoying enemy, and continued roaring lowly. The ice magical element around them tightened, and the Adventurers could clearly see the ice walls melting as the ice cones withered to the floor. The snow covering the ground was as piercing as a glare while it turned into water in a flash…
On the other hand, a suffocating wave of ice magical element was brewing next to the Ice Howler.
Everyone's expressions slowly turned to ones of great devastation, and even Miss Yvonne who stood far away from the battlefield continued to hold Lin Li shirt in a death grip.
Only Lin Li remained unaffected as he slowly dusted off his long robe amidst the suffocating situation before reaching over for the Aether Staff that lay next to the fire.
"What… what are you doing?" Yvonne carefully peeked over Lin Li's back as her gaze fleeted around curiously. This scaredy-cat in a long robe was a strange character indeed; she couldn't decide if he was brave or cowardly, for even though he stayed far away from Norfeller's fight with the Ice Howler, he did not run away, either. Even now, while the Ice Howler was charging towards them, Lin Li was still mumbling nonsense she did not understand…
Yvonne could not see Lin Li's face from her angle; otherwise, she would have seen this eccentric guy looking unusually serious.
As Lin Li chanted, an almost indiscernible wave of magic slowly started to spread, creeping stealthily like a snake without anybody taking notice, until it reached its target and bared its venomous fangs…
The chanting was low and raspy like the sound of rustling leaves, so barely anyone in the stifling battlefield heard it. The only one who heard it was Yvonne, but she did not know what he was doing, even wondering if Lin Li had been scared out of his mind, mumbling nonsense at such a critical time…
Time seemed to slow down dramatically in the tense atmosphere; seconds crept by as the ice magical element gathered next to the Ice Howler expanded. Norfeller remained motionless as he was trapped in the ice, just as though he had fallen into a deep slumber.
Lin Li continued chanting as he willed his mind to concentrate on a single wave of magic and ignored everything else. He knew that this wave of magic was getting close to the Ice Howler, much, much closer…
"BOOM!"
A tremendously loud noise tore through the silence just as the wave of magic landed on the Ice Howler. The ice magical element erupted endlessly, blanketing the surroundings in a layer of snow all of a sudden. Fragments of ice flew across the air as everything was covered in ice in a flash…
Then…
Everything disappeared without a trace.
Everyone had the same expression on their face, their mouths agape as though they were screaming but could not make a sound. Their eyes bulged as they stared at the place where the explosion had taken place. Norfeller was slowly picking the ice off of himself as his pale face remained void of emotion—it carried not a trace of relief or shock, as though none of it had affected him, as though it was normal for him to suddenly be trapped in ice and for the Ice Howler to die a sudden death.
Nobody knew how much time had passed as time seemed to come to a standstill.
Only when Norfeller walked out of the snow did the crowd break into a cheer. Almost everyone looked at him with heartfelt gratitude and utter respect; he was like a hero in the eyes of these Adventurers who had escaped death, and they naturally cheered as he returned in victory.
As they were lost in their happiness, nobody noticed that the guy who sat by the fire had returned to his tent.
Everyone rejoiced in the Ice Howler's sudden death as they had all survived a near-death experience tonight. Seeing the world again after escaping death made everything seem that much better, and even the night breeze in the Dragon Mountains seemed to carry a fragrance with it.
All the people crowded around Norfeller and repeatedly thanked him for saving them from the wrath of the Ice Howler. No words seemed too cheesy at this point, as nothing could express the gratitude they had for this hero who had saved their lives. Finally, the leader of the unlucky group of Adventurers suggested a campfire celebration in honor of the hero and their successful escape from the Ice Howler.
His suggestion was quickly met with the support of everyone, including Jason and his companions. The celebration lasted until midnight, leaving everyone apart from Norfeller drunk and dead to the world. Hence, nobody questioned how Norfeller escaped the ice and managed to kill the Ice Howler at the end…
Lin Li's tent seemed especially quiet compared to the celebration outside as nobody told him about it nor had anyone bothered to invite him. Some of the Adventurers even looked on in disgust when they passed by his tent.
It was dangerous to be an Adventurer as they had to fight all kinds of magical beasts and might lose their lives anytime. Hence, they had very, very high expectations of their partners. What they could not stand at all was betrayal and desertion.
Everyone had clearly seen what happened during the battle earlier.
Even though this fellow was Norfeller's partner, he hid by the fire and did nothing as Norfeller fought the Ice Howler in a battle of life and death. Thankfully, Norfeller managed to defeat it in the end, or else this guy wouldn't be able to face the world if Norfeller died…
Of course, Lin Li did not know any of this.
Honestly, even if he did, he could not be bothered, as he was busy recalling the events of the fight. While it was a life and death experience for the Adventurers, it meant something more to Lin Li—it meant something about his own Magic System…
Every mage went through the same journey—from not knowing anything to vaguely knowing something, from imitating others awkwardly to having their own unique style. The mark of maturity for a mage was to create their own Magic System, which was a journey full of unknowns. While some mages only needed a couple of decades to finish this journey, it might take some a lifetime. Still, no matter how long it took, any mage who completed the journey would no doubt be top of their class, and—without exception—their names would leave a mark of glory in the history of magic.
Chapter 321 - Arcane Combustion and Countercurrent Vortex
It was a mark of maturity for mages to have their own Magic System. It signified flawless technique in the use of magic as well as a thorough understanding of magic rules. It was an entirely different realm in itself, and meant th
at the mage was on their way to reaching the peak of their strength. Nobody knew where the end of this journey lay, nor did anyone knew if there would be countless obstacles along the way, but one thing was certain—any mage who walked on this path was a truly powerful one in the field of magic.
They were like ascetics trying to figure their way out alone on a path littered with unknowns; nobody would be there to give them any guidance, nor would there be anyone with past experiences they could learn from. Everyone walked a different path, and their Magic System belonged only to themselves. There was no way for anyone to emulate them, and even if they did, they would only fail trying…
Even a mage like Andoine would never give Lin Li any advice on this as he knew that it was a journey Lin Li had to embark on alone—it was up to him to scale the peak of magic. Of course, Lin Li did not disappoint him. He was only in his twenties, but already had his own Magic System; this was definitely a rarity even in the whole of Anril.
Furthermore, Lin Li used two kinds of level-16 magic to support his Magic System.
He was probably the only one since the Dark Ages ended 1,300 years ago to be able to create two kinds of level-16 magic at once. This was no small feat, as the Magic System Lin Li would have would be incredibly powerful since it was supported by two sorts of level-16 magic. Well, his starting point was already too advanced: Arcane Combustion directly targeted mana, while Countercurrent Vortex targeted mental strength. Mana and mental strength were the two most essential elements of magic, so how powerful would a Magic System created from these two be? Even the God of Mages Geresco might not be able to predict the extent of Lin Li's future achievements had he come back to life.
