Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  If it was only one to two times, perhaps he was just having a lot of luck today. But with her continuously failing, Alice was certain that this Beginner Apprentice could sense the existence her spatial energy, hence, she wished, even more, to kill him.

  It appeared that him finding the weakness of her Protection Barrier was not a freak accident, but he could really see the entire structure of her Barrier by seeing through her spatial energy.

  In fact, this was a weakness of Alice’s innate Spatial abilities.

  Although her Protection Barrier was nigh invulnerable, it had a huge disadvantage. Once she used spatial energy to warp the fabric of space around her into a barrier, she became trapped in a relatively small space. Although that would spare her from suffering any damage from an enemy, she couldn’t launch any attacks while the barrier was intact.

  Therefore, in order to allow her to attack, she had to leave a ‘hole’ in her Protection Barrier, so she could manipulate her Spirit Energy to target an enemy. To avoid this hole being noticed, she purposely used invisible Wind Elementium and created a weaker barrier at that spot.

  The full covered, invisible Air Barrier with about fist-sized, and, as long as an enemy knew nothing about it, no one would ever think that there was actually a hole on this Protection Barrier.

  No ordinary enemy could defend themselves from Alice’s bizarre and frightening long-ranged attacks while probing the Protection Barrier inch by inch. That’s why she was able to keep this big of a secret, and had earned herself the aplomb of being nearly invincible.

  But today, unfortunately, she had met with two special Apprentice Adepts at the same time.

  One was an Advanced Apprentice who had completely modified his body and was able to transform into countless scorpions. He also possessed a nasty and weird attack method. In the end, he was simply a cockroach who was nearly impossible to kill. The other one was just a weirdo. Although he was just a Beginner Apprentice, he was still able to expose her biggest secret… Also, it seemed like he could really see her spatial energy.

  In order to capture this weirdo, Alice had drawn on the highest energy she could use and, in the shortest amount of time possible, she had placed an invisible Space Trap in his path. But, seconds before this rascal ran into this invisible trap, he suddenly changed directions and dodged her ambush.

  Now, Alice had no doubts about his ability.

  Thus, her drive to catch him increased even more!

  …………

  After running for so long, Greem had become extremely tired.

  Due to his lack of training and cultivation, his Agility and Physique were very low. If he had not covered his body with Wind Elementium to increase his speed, perhaps he would have long since been captured by that terrifying Lolita. He had a feeling that, if he really was captured by her, something extremely horrifying would happen to him.

  Thus, even though he was gasping for breath, he still clenched his teeth tightly and kept running for his life.

  The graceful Wind Elementium carried his body, reducing his weight by half, and allowing him to move through the muddy swamp at a relatively high speed. Sensing his Physique was dropping fast, Greem’s face kept twitching as he began to panic. In his panic, he came up with a dangerous plan. Making up his mind, he turned to the right and sprinted into the depths of the swamp.

  He would never be able to escape by running, so Greem decided to lure Alice to the habitat of Ghost Nanny.

  This area of the swamp was a bit different from the others.

  The rotten, stinking sludge and the slow moving muddy water mixed together, and clumps of messily growing grass and other dirty waste were floating all over the place. The water in this muddy and filthy pond was not completely still but was flowing at an extremely slow pace. From time to time, bubbles and half rotten tree branches would come to the surface.

  Indistinct wailing and moans of doom were sung above this misty pond, resembling the cries of the damned, and causing ice to go down the spine of any who heard this hallowing tune.

  There was trail went across this swampy area, but the dark trail and the muddy water had mixed together, so, for those outsiders, it was really tough to find the ruined trail in the midst of the filthy swamp.

  Within this swampy area, which covered nearly thirty square miles, there lived many different groups of Ghost Nannies. The smaller groups only consisted of seven to eight members and normally lived in the more remote regions this area. Meanwhile, bigger groups could have up to a hundred members, and they occupied the largest region right in the center of this part of the swamp.

  As demons, Ghost Nanny only had basic intelligence. Usually, they were transformed from those humans who had accidentally drowned in the swamp. Although they had previously been humans, their minds were filled with an intense hatred and resentment towards all of humanity.

  For months, or even years, they would lie in ambush at the banks of the swamp. Once a living human came nearby, they would jump out, biting the flesh of their target, and dragging them to the bottom of the swamp, in order to drown them. With this method, they ensured their population kept growing.

  Their appearance closely resembled a skinny human lady. However, most of their muscle was missing and their skin became pale as the result of constantly soaking in muddy water. Add this together with their wrinkled and moldy bones, and they looked like a living corpse. While most were naked, those who had lived better lives as humans might be wearing a broken dress, though it was always so faded that it was impossible to tell what the dress had fully looked like, or even what color it had been.

  Chapter 21

  Disheveled, dirty hair; pitch-black, crooked claws; extremely sharp fangs. All of these were typical features of a Ghost Nanny.

  On land, their fighting ability was weaker than that of Ghouls, but when they were in muddy swamp water, their combat strength doubled, and they were able to fight on par with those Giant Alligators. Also, within certain, larger Ghost Nanny populations, which had survived for a long time, there might even be a leader, who had mastered the certain Elementium abilities. These unique Ghost Nannies actually had an advanced intelligent that was on par with that of Apprentice Adepts.

  Put it this way: If human Adepts were willing to give these Ghost Nanny Leaders leeway, it was possible for them to give birth to a couple of Ghost Nanny Adepts.

  Too bad for them, this was an Adept world where human Adepts had seized the dominating position. Thus, the evolution and development of all other species had been stamped down into nothingness. So, no matter how clever or how wise a Ghost Nanny Leader became, when faced with an Adept who held the superior position, they were just a precious experimental target or a source of materials that could be recklessly slaughtered.

  Today, the peace of this Ghost Nanny’s habitat had broken by two outsiders.

  A young man and a girl had intruded on the swampy area, one after the other one.

  The young man who came first was obviously an Apprentice Adept of the Adept Tower. Ignoring his striking Apprentice cloak, he also carried with him the distinct magical ripple of the talisman, which could only be owned by Apprentices of the Tower. However, this foul minion of the Adepts was really an unlucky guy, as he was being chased by someone today. With his weight being reduced by Wind Elementium, he stumbled his way through the muddy water, yelling out something recklessly while running for his life.

  “Sinbad! … You pitiful creature who only dares to hide in the mud… come out here quickly… Sinbad… you’re a pathetic slug… a squishy monster…”

  Thus, the entire Swampy area became all muddled by this crazy young man who was being hunted by someone.

  Ordinary Ghost Nannies were not intelligent enough to notice what was going on. When they sensed the aura of a human approaching, they quickly struggled to get out from the mud, trying to catch Greem, who skimmed over their territory, and pull him down into the mud.

  Therefore, behind Greem, numerous arms exploded to the sur
face of the water, waving crazily. One after the other, Ghost Nannies were being lured from the bottom of the pond, staggered about, then chasing after him.

  But Greem’s target was not them. No matter how many these stupid and low-ranked Ghost Nannies he pulled, there was no way they could bring any threat to the frightening Lolita who was chasing behind. Throughout the entire Swamp area, perhaps the only existence that could pose a threat to Alice, and that was… Sinbad!

  With the help of her innate ability, Alice was floating in the air twenty meters above the ground. Staring at the turbid mud and stinking water that was splashing all over the place, the anger on her face was building up more and more.

  “Hey you! Guy! Listen… stop running around… as long as you bring me to the Tower, I promise I won’t hurt you!”

  With a loud voice, Greem replied without turning around.

  “Right! You won’t hurt me… Don’t use these kind of childish lies on me… You just want to chop me into small pieces of meat… Catch me if you can!”

  After that, he continued forward, repeatedly yelling ‘Sinbad’ as he did so.

  “You’re courting death… Rascal, don’t you dare let me get you… If I catch you…”

  “What are you going to do? Steam me? Roast me? Or maybe you’ll just clean me up and eat me alive? Anyway, all of you female demons are just freaks… yesterday, that Mary just tortured me, and today I’m being chased by you, a Lolita who never grew up… I’m just so unlucky…”

  Before Greem could continued speaking, he felt something tightly grip his feet, as a rattan suddenly shot out from the pond and coiled around both of his legs. With that, he lost the support of Wind Elementium and fell into the stinking swamp water.

  As Greem was struggling desperately, a huge Ghost Nanny slowly rose up from the center of the pond, riding on an even bigger creature, which resembled an alligator.

  Messy, dirty hair; claws with pitch-black pointy nails; a ragged and torn dress; pale but tough skin; a skinny and withered body… This Ghost Nanny Leader who had suddenly appeared had a simple whip made from rattan carried in her hand, and she was riding on a fierce-looking demon. All of this gave her an appearance that was slightly valiant.

  “Sinbad! Oh Sinbad… you’re finally here… hurry up and take me away! From now on, I belong to you!” When Greem, who barely floating on the stinking water, saw this ferocious looking leader of the Ghost Nannies, he immediately leapt toward her in excitement, as if he had just seen his best friend.

  Apparently, this young human, who always came and kidnapped her own kind, had gone crazy. Sputtering with rage, Sinbad had come to the surface to chase this Apprentice Adept off, but she ended up being startled by his actions. Maybe those ordinary Ghost Nannies had no idea who this Apprentice Adept was, but as their Leader, Sinbad knew everything.

  After that Tower was built in the middle of this Swamp, the natives here had lost control over their territories, and the place had become one of the resource sites of the human Adepts. Under the domination of the master of this swampy area, the natives here had become the watchdogs for the human Adepts, working for them to chase away those intruders who tried to visit this place.

  Despite feeling aggrieved for their new status, they knew, quite well, how frightening those human Adepts were. Therefore, they were forced to grimly endure the fact of having their territory frequently visited by human Apprentice Adepts. That wasn’t all. Occasionally, the Apprentice Adepts would kidnap a few Ghost Nannies for their experiments, and Sinbad was forced to turn a blind eye to it.

  But, today, this Apprentice Adept in front of him had gone too far, because he actually came straight to the heart of the swampy area, where most of the Ghost Nannies lived. This filled Sinbad with a raging maelstrom of anger.

  Staring at this young, delicate, and tender human who came to her, Sinbad could no longer hold back her hatred toward living creatures and her desire for fresh meat. Stretching out her pitch-black claws, she reached for his heart, intending on having a hearty bit of finger food.

  Right as her fingers began to reach out, Sinbad suddenly felt a strong and deadly killing intent. She raised her filthy head and stared straight at Alice with her faintly glowing red eyes.

  For some unknown reasons, when Sinbad saw this little girl, she couldn’t control herself and drooled. A strong desire made her wanted to hug this little girl tightly, and to then use her sharp fangs to gently poke through the little girl’s fair, delicate skin, and let that warm, fragrant, sweet fresh blood flowed into her cold body.

  Especially when she sensed the sweet aura of soul that was hidden within the tiny little body. It brought her an ecstasy beyond description.

  She had no courage to challenge a human Adept, but when an Apprentice Adept, who had such a strong aura of soul, was standing right in front of her, it filled her with desire.

  A little Apprentice Adept… If she ate one secretly, presumably that human Adept in the tower wouldn’t turn hostile to her? But, if he really got mad because of this, Sinbad could still use those useless fools at the outer perimeter as an excuse. As long as she could get a taste on such a delicious Apprentice Adept, five… no, ten… no, twenty. Sinbad was willing to sacrifice that many of her subordinates for this juicy Apprentice in front of her.

  Compared to the floating Alice, Greem was like old hard cheese next to a platter filled with the richest and freshest of foods and was no longer of any interest to Sinbad.

  Sinbad raised her right hand and forcefully slapped on the back of the giant lizard under her. This tame demon opened its mouth and let out a loud roar, shooting a grayish beam from its yellow eyes onto Greem’s body.

  Eyes of Petrification!

  This was the innate ability of the Giant Lizard. Getting hit by it at a close distance could turn a mortal into a pathetic stone figure forever. As an Apprentice Adept, Greem did have some resistance toward magical attacks, but when faced with the mount of the Ghost Nanny Leader, he, inevitably, turned to stone.

  Feeling the gradually numbing and stiffening of his body, Greem quickly took out a tiny potion bottle and chucked it into his mouth, gathering the last of his energy and waving his hand at Alice, who flew just above him. After that, his entire body turned to a grayish color, becoming hard as a stone as it sunk towards the bottom of the muddy swamp.

  Four Ghost Nannies turned around and dived into the muddy water, dragging this war trophy toward their nest, located at the bottom of the pond.

  Floating in mid-air, Alice’s beautiful and finely made dress was waving in the air. She couldn’t do anything as she witnessed that detestable rascal wave his hand at her and disappear into the muddy waters. Indeed, her spatial ability was extremely powerful, but it could only show its strength after she targeted a specific space with her Spirit. As the rascal had disappeared into the muddy water, there was no way she could target him anymore.

  When she realized that in order to catch that rascal she would have to get her dress smeared by the dirty water beneath her, another flame of fury exploded in Alice’s mind.

  That rascal would rather let those demons capture him than to surrender himself to Alice… he must have some way of escaping the demons. There was no way she would let him off so easily… she had to catch him, and question him on his ability to see her spatial energy!

  Filled with a boiling anger, Alice stretched her right arm forward and grabbed in the air, aiming at the chest of that mighty looking leader of the Ghost Nannies. Under the disbelieving eyes of her target, a stinking, withered, lifeless heart suddenly appeared in Alice’s palm.

  Her fair, delicate palm gently clenched, crushing the lifeless and rotten heart. As old black blood dripped from her hand, she stared at the Ghost Nanny Leader with indifferent, cruel looking eyes, and then spoke softly with a threatening tone of voice.

  “Give me that Apprentice Adept, or else…” Alice paused, then continued, saying, “Next time, it will be your brain that gets crushed!”

  Chapter 22r />
  As they were an undying demon, Ghost Nannies hearts, throats, chests, and stomach were no longer held any vital points. But, their brains held their broken souls. If a Ghost Nanny’s brain was destroyed by an enemy, they would face the risk of having their soul disintegrated.

  Therefore, upon sensing the sensation of emptiness and weakness coming from her chest, a vicious expression of hatred flashed across Sinbad’s ugly face, and her ferocious-looking facial features became even more twisted and brutal.

  With her tough, tensile skin and poisonous sharp claws, and her army of subordinates, Sinbad was capable of fighting on par with a Giant Alligator. Her deadly teeth and claws could easily tear apart half-inch thick armor, and just by touching an enemy’s flesh, the poison hidden in her pitch-black nails could instantly paralyze most living beings.

  But, just like most of the other demons who lived in this swamp, she didn’t have any good long-ranged attacks. The Ray of Enfeeblement and Sleep Spell were very short ranged attacks, and could hardly penetrate basic defensive spells. Therefore, when she was faced with Alice, who could fly and attack from long range, although Sinbad’s overall attributes were suppressing this little girl’s, her lack of a long-range offensive skill made her unable to fight back.

  Having fear toward the enemy’s traceless magical spell, Sinbad tapped her feet against the beast beneath her, and the Giant Lizard immediately dived back into the muddy water, leaving only Sinbad’s head on the surface. She viciously glared at Alice, yet showed no signs of backing off.

  Alice furiously unleashed all her attacks, but Sinbad, who had hidden most of her body underwater, managed to dodge all of them. After all, Alice’s body movements were too obvious. As long as one paid attention, and moved away from the target area on time, it was actually pretty easy to dodge her spatial attack.

  Even after striking at the Ghost Nanny Leader many times, Alice’s hands still only contained muddy water, which only made her even more upset. In her fury, she ripped eight noxious rotting brains out of some of the weaker Ghost Nannies, who were just standing around, causing the rest of them to panic and immediately dive down towards the bottom of the muddy water. Soon, only Alice and Sinbad were left in this large swampy area.