Coiling Dragon_Book 1 of the Coiling Dragon Saga

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

  “Rumble…”

  The sound of thunder sounded out again and again, while the torrential rain continued to cover the lands with water. It felt as though the entire world had been flooded.

  But not much rain fell on Linley, who continued to forge ahead with rapid speed. This was because ten centimeters above Linley was a ‘wind shield’ approximately one meter in diameter. The defensive ability of the ‘wind shield’ spell was quite high. Linley only had to use a tiny bit of mageforce in order to allow it to block the rain constantly.

  As the wind itself was formless, the wind shield, as well, appeared to be just a translucent, faint blue streak.

  From far away, one simply couldn’t tell that there was a wind shield there. Thus, using this wind shield, Linley forged rapidly ahead. After a bit of time, Linley saw a long, sinuous range of mountains, running north to south with no end in sight. This mountain range, which virtually split the Yulan continent into two halves, was the number one mountain range in the world – the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.

  Seeing the titanic mountains just a few kilometers away, Linley couldn’t help but hold his breath.

  “What a huge mountain range…”

  This mountain range was simply too enormous. Based on the naked eye, as far as one could tell, the mountains were limitless, and as far north and as far south as one could see, there were mountains. Seeing the boundless mountains in this mountain range was like seeing the boundless water in the sea.

  It stretched into infinity!

  “This is the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, the number one mountain range in the continent. How many magical beasts does it hold? How many Saint-level magical beasts, for that matter?” At this moment, Doehring Cowart appeared by Linley’s side, his gaze distant and lofty. “It has been a long time since I have come to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.”

  A look of excitement shone from Linley’s eyes.

  “Let’s go!”

  Filled with a heroic air, Linley charged through the all-encompassing rainstorm towards the mountain range, while the little Shadowmouse, Bebe, squeaked excitedly from Linley’s shoulders. Under the cover of the rainstorm, Linley quickly entered the endless mountains.

  35

  The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts

  The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts was vast and boundless.

  Within it, Linley could see ancient pines that were centuries or millennia old, blotting out the landscape. All sorts of various grass filled the land, and thistles and thorns were equally commonplace. Dry leaves covered the land; with each step, they crackled and popped. Ancient vines and weeds could be seen everywhere.

  “With all of these weeds, dense vines, and trees which have been around for who-knows-how-long, even if a magical beast were just ten meters away from me, I still probably wouldn’t sense it.” Linley grew apprehensive.

  Grandpa Doehring appeared by his side as well.

  “Ten meters? Linley, even in the grass right in front of you, there could be a magical beast in wait, such as a giant snake.” Doehring Cowart laughed as he spoke.

  Linley involuntarily glanced at the grassy area in front of him, which was almost half as tall as he was. Such thick, tall grass really could hide a snake. Taking a deep breath, Linley stood there as he began to mumble the words to a spell.

  Suddenly, a gentle gust of wind emanated from Linley, spreading about in all directions before finally dissipating.

  Wind-style magic – Windscout!

  Generally speaking, a magus of the third rank would be able to execute the Windscout spell. But of course, the more powerful a magus was, the wider an area the Windscout spell could cover. The Windscout spell of a magus of the third rank would only affect an area of around ten or so meters around him, but the Windscout of a magus of the fifth rank had a diameter of over a hundred meters.

  “Within a hundred meters, the only magical beasts around are a magical beast of the first rank, a Bubblerat, and a few magical beasts of the second rank, ‘Earth Scorpions’,” Linley said confidently.

  The Windscout spell could discern the aura and lifescent of any living creature.

  “Don’t be too cocky. A powerful magical beast could burrow under the earth, and some Saint-level magical beasts can even disguise their power level,” Doehring Cowart reminded, but then he chuckled. “But of course, if they wanted to deal with a little fellow like you, would a Saint-level magical beast bother to hide its power?”

  But upon hearing these words, Linley grew all the more cautious.

  “Ambush through disguising power levels? In some books, it was said that the intelligence of magical beasts rivals that of man’s. Looks like it’s true,” Linley said to himself. Glancing at the little Shadowmouse, Bebe, on his shoulders, he thought, “This little fella, Bebe, already has a really high level of intelligence. I can’t let my guard down.”

  Air swirled around Linley’s feet. This was part of the byproduct of Linley’s ‘Supersonic’ spell.

  Linley passed quietly into the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. He surveyed his surroundings carefully, while on his shoulders, the little Shadowmouse, Bebe, also perked up and stared in all four directions, his beady little black eyes peering about him. Slowly, the two of them travelled deeper and deeper into the mountains.

  “The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts is over ten thousand kilometers long, with an average width of seven or eight hundred kilometers. In the outermost hundred kilometer region, the magical beasts are mostly of low rank. If we go more than a hundred kilometers deep, we’ll meet lots of magical beasts of the fifth and sixth ranks. If we go still deeper inside, we will see many beasts of the seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks, and perhaps even Saint-level magical beasts.”

  Doehring Cowart once more began to lecture Linley about the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.

  “But of course, nothing is absolute. Perhaps a magical beast of the ninth rank might be bored and go for a stroll in the outer territories,” Doehring Cowart said. “And perhaps you might be so unlucky as to meet with a huge, ten-thousand-unit strong pack of wolf monsters. If that happens, all I can say is, you have terrible karma.”

  Hearing Doehring Cowart’s words, Linley’s lips pursed.

  That went without saying!

  The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts was enormous. How could he be so unlucky? But if he was, Doehring Cowart, who survived only as a spirit, would not be able to assist him in any way. A Saint-level Grand Magus without mageforce had no way to attack.

  “Grandpa Doehring, I know this already. Be quiet and don’t distract me,” Linley said discontentedly.

  Doehring Cowart immediately chuckled. Stroking his white beard, he no longer spoke.

  The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts was a place of deep mountains and ancient trees. The trees were so thickly clustered that virtually all of the rain was blocked, with just a few drops occasionally sprinkling down. After walking for a period of time, he realized that this outer region was indeed not that dangerous.

  Linley exerted some strength with his legs, and almost as if he were floating, leapt up on top of a seven- or eight-meter-high tree branch as he carefully scanned about.

  “Boss, far away to the right, there’s a wild pig.” Bebe’s voice sounded out in Linley’s mind.

  Hearing these words, Linley couldn’t help but turn and look. Indeed, approximately a hundred meters away, a wild boar with a single horn was carefully scanning his surroundings. If Linley hadn’t had such a high vantage point, Linley perhaps wouldn’t have been able to see this Unicorn Boar.

  “Unicorn Boar, a magical beast of the third rank, an earth-element creature. The only technique it has is the ‘Earth Spear’ technique.” Some information regarding the Unicorn Boar came to Linley’s mind.

  “Even though it’s just a beast of the third rank, it will at least serve for dinner. Boar flesh is quite tasty.” Nimbly and vigorously, Linley crept through the trees as he stealthily approached the boar. Due to t
he density of the local flora, the boar had not noticed Linley either.

  When he got within ten meters of the boar, Linley lay down flat in the grass. Peering through the dense grass, he could still make out the outline of the Unicorn Boar.

  Whoosh!

  Like a serpentine dragon leaving its lair, Linley leapt out from the grass. When the Unicorn Boar turned his head and stared in shock, Linley fell upon it like a gust of wind. The Unicorn Boar let out an indignant roar, and thrust its long, thick horn straight at Linley.

  “Hrrg!” Linley reached out with his left hand, grabbed the horn and gave a tremendous tug.

  The huge Unicorn Boar, weighing several hundred kilograms, was tossed up seven or eight meters into the air by Linley, who then began to fiercely kick at it with his left leg, using it like a giant claymore and slamming it into the boar’s head with thunderous power and speed.

  “Thud.” With a sickening, bone-crunching sound, the Unicorn Boar was kicked into a tree. When it fell to the ground, the very earth shook. The bones of the Unicorn Boar had already been shattered, and brain matter had already begun leaking out from its shattered skull. A trail of fresh blood streamed forth from its mouth. Its four limbs quivered momentarily, then grew still.

  Just based on his prowess as a warrior, killing a Unicorn Boar was not a tough feat for Linley.

  “Although the magicite core of a magical beast of the third rank is only worth ten or so gold coins, I can’t let it go to waste.” Linley withdrew the straight chisel from his backpack, and with just two or three simple slices, he cut the boar open. An entirely unremarkable earth-colored magicite crystal rolled out. Linley wiped it off on the grass, then placed it in his backpack.

  And then, with practiced ease, Linley skinned the boar and cut off its legs.

  After casually chopping down a few branches, with a flick of his wrist, Linley summoned forth a small flame. As the fire began to grow, Linley began to roast the boar legs.

  The little Shadowmouse, Bebe, began to drool. His eyes were fixed on the boar legs. “Boar legs are delicious. Boss, hurry up, hurry up. Why don’t you just directly use your fire-element magic to roast the boar, wouldn’t that be faster?”

  “Fire-element magic? I only have a bit of fire element mageforce. And what’s more, when it comes to cooking, using higher temperatures isn’t necessarily superior.” Linley smirked as he spoke, withdrawing some coarse salt and other ingredients from his backpack.

  When Linley had originally tested for magical aptitude, he had had exceptional affinity for both earth and wind elemental essence, but just average affinity for fire elemental essence. Honestly speaking, for an ordinary person, average affinity for an elemental essence was quite good. But for someone like Linley, he couldn’t be bothered to spend time and energy working on his fire magic.

  After all, if he wanted his abilities in fire magic to match his abilities in wind and earth, he would probably have to spend ten times as much time.

  Thus, Linley would usually just casually refine a little bit of fire element mageforce. He did, however, definitely have enough to generate some fireballs without any problems.

  After finishing roasting two boar legs, Linley and Bebe each shared one while Linley began to work on roasting the other two.

  “Wow, delicious,” Bebe chatted while eating enthusiastically. “This wild boar tastes so much better than those farm-grown hogs. It tastes so fragrant. But naturally, your roasting abilities also played a big role, boss.” Bebe was so happy that he even began flattering Linley a bit.

  Linley couldn’t help but start to laugh.

  “Boss, I want more.” After finishing one leg, Bebe looked at Linley with a pitiful expression.

  Seeing Bebe’s sad gaze, Linley didn’t feel sorry for him in the slightest. He sternly lectured, “This boar leg is way larger than a roast duck. One leg is more than enough for you. The other two legs will be dinner.” After speaking, Linley turned away and ignored Bebe’s pitiable face.

  After finishing roasting the two legs, Linley used two large leaves to wrap them up, and then placed them within his backpack and hurried along the road with Bebe again.

  Within the countless peaks of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts were innumerable ageless trees and forests that made travel through the range very difficult. What made it even more difficult was the constant need to pass through one peak and ravine after another, or perhaps take a circular path.

  “When traveling within the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, don’t carve out a path through the pre-existing thorns and brush. It’s best to take an alternate path.” Doehring Cowart continued to provide Linley with the benefit of his experience.

  Linley listened carefully as he proceeded forward.

  “Remember, the biggest mistake you can make in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts is to constantly make noise. This will cause many magical beasts to pay attention to you. Even if you are forced to make some noise, you need to immediately leave the nearby area,” Doehring Cowart continued. “Remember, if you are injured, you must immediately do your best to staunch any loss of blood. The stench of blood will attract beasts as well. The noses of magical beasts are far more sensitive than we humans.”

  Linley nodded.

  The massive crowns of countless trees covered the entire sky. Looking at them, Linley was reminded of some information that he had gleaned from books at the Ernst Institute. In a place like this, where even the sun was all but blocked out, one had to learn how to distinguish north, south, east, and west.

  As agile as a monkey, Linley leapt past a series of disorderly tree roots and vine growths, but just as he walked past…

  “Whoah.” Linley sucked in a cold breath as he saw something not too far away.

  The corpses of three men and two women were a few dozen meters away from him. The five corpses had not yet rotted much, but the bite marks on them were very visible. The corpses had all been dismembered. A male corpse had half its leg eaten, and a giant hole ripped in its belly, with his severed intestines laying strewn about. Half of a female corpse’s head had been eaten, leaving behind a single eyeball and a white skull bone with a few strands of hair attached.

  Linley’s face turned pale, and he forgot to breathe.

  “They should’ve died three or four days ago.” Doehring Cowart appeared next to Linley, carefully inspecting the corpses. His face was still quite calm. “Linley, take a close look. On the chest of every single person, there are some similar, unremarkable wounds. If my guess is correct, these five should’ve been killed by humans, and most likely, by a single person.”

  Linley started.

  “Doehring Cowart, you’re saying that a person killed them?” Linley looked at Doehring Cowart, shocked.

  Doehring Cowart smiled calmly. “Linley, this is your first visit to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. Once you’ve been here a bit longer, you will come to realize that in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, in addition to dealing with the attacks of local beasts, you will also have to guard against the attacks of other humans.”

  “The attacks of humans? Why would other humans attack?” Linley felt a bit of rage beginning to grow in his heart.

  In the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, the local monsters already held a huge advantage by virtue of their countless numbers. He didn’t expect that the humans here would fight among themselves as well, instead of helping each other.

  “This is very normal. Why do humans venture into this mountain range? The vast majority come here in the hopes of acquiring magicite cores. If they kill a magical beast, they will only acquire a single core, but if they kill a human being, that person might have several magicite cores in their backpack, or even more.” Doehring Cowart stroked his white beard.

  Linley finally understood.

  Greed!

  It was all due to greed. Some people here wanted to easily acquire a large number of magicite cores, and indeed, killing the other human beings here was a good way to do so.

>   “Linley, you must be careful. Based on what I’m seeing, the person who killed these five must possess astounding ability. If you look closely at these people’s clothing, you can see that four of them should be warriors, while one of them was a magus. But all five of them were killed at about the same time by a clean blow through the heart. The ruthless precision of this assault is chilling. However, since we don’t know how strong these five people were, it’s hard to estimate the strength of their killer.” Doehring Cowart frowned. “But for these five to be willing and able to brave the dangers of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts suggests that they were not weak. From this alone, we can safely say that the person who killed them is, at the very least, no weaker than you.”

  Linley stepped forward to take a closer look, then nodded in agreement.

  The killing blows were very clean and direct.

  “This is still just the outer perimeter of the mountain range. Hurry on in.” Doehring Cowart laughed.

  Linley nodded, then continued on his journey deeper into the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. On his journey, the sight of corpses of both men and monsters became quite common, as well as many rusted weapons. Linley also occasionally ran into a few weak monsters.

  Nightfall. Linley and the little Shadowmouse were resting while each munched on a leg of boar. Linley was seated on the ground, while the little Shadowmouse was seated on his shoulder.

  “At night, one cannot light a fire in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts,” Doehring Cowart had once again instructed.

  “Understood, Grandpa Doehring.” Linley knew quite a bit about the basics of survival here. This place was no ordinary wilderness, and the beasts here would not be afraid of fire.

  Seated on the ground, Linley calmed himself and closed his eyes while beginning to sense the flow of earth essence and wind essence around him. The feeling of elemental essence around him was akin to the feeling of being in one’s parents’ embrace.

  Due to his exceptional affinity with earth essence and wind essence, Linley could sense them quite clearly.