Mage Legend
Chapter 71: Episode 16 Mine Pit_2

Chapter 71: Episode 16 Mine Pit_2

Deluo saw Lynch nod, and holding a greatsword in one hand and a torch in the other, he was the first to step inside. Nimo followed behind the warrior. Lynch, with the Eye of Insight, could keep an eye on all directions, and its X-ray vision prevented his line of sight from being blocked by the two in front. Thus, it resulted in this peculiar scene of the mage bringing up the rear.

The stench of decay in the cave grew stronger, but no one covered their nose; instead, they tightly gripped their weapons, as no one dared to relax for even a moment.

The silver mine began to slope gently underground, with dampness hitting their faces, and small puddles of stagnant water appeared on the ground. The three of them walked slowly, staring into the endless darkness ahead. Nimo ran to the sides of the path, lighting the torches on the walls, initially meant for slaves, one by one.

Behind Lynch and the others, in a small ordinary puddle, a pair of eyes suddenly surfaced, watching the three as they moved away, then slowly fading until the image disappeared, leaving only a ripple on the water.

Lynch frowned but did not turn to investigate this anomaly. He continued to follow the two in front, pretending as if he hadn’t seen anything.

Soon, they arrived at a mining point in the vein. Scattered around the ground were many miners’ tools; in the overturned mine cart lay many black stones. Nimo picked up a stone and examined it, "These are just ordinary stones, without any silver. How did they get in the mine cart? These are worthless to mine."

"They must have been silver ores before, but now they’ve turned into this." Deluo placed the Unextinguishable torch into the torch holder on the wall, "Tonight, we’ll stay here and see what exactly has made this place such a mess! Lynch, with your vast knowledge, tell us, what kind of spell could directly extract the silver from the ore?"

Lynch shook his head, "There are spells like this, but..." He grasped the two Secret Law scrolls hidden at his chest, "No one in this world should know such a spell!"

"Why?" Deluo and Nimo asked in confusion.

Lynch shook his head without answering. But he knew clearly that after studying the contents of the "Creation Law," he could achieve such spell effects himself. However, the two Secret Law scrolls he possessed were unique in the world. Moreover, the first scroll, "Secret Law" is the foundation of all other scrolls, and without learning the related knowledge from it, it should be impossible to use the magic of other scrolls. Since the existing spells in the Mage Association of the Anriel Continent don’t include one with such effects, who could have researched this ancient magic to achieve such spell abilities?

For a moment, the mine was silent, and a tense and uneasy atmosphere began to spread. Nimo reached into his backpack and pulled out the dry rations he had made before their departure—a kind of soft cake baked with minced meat and flour—and shared it with the others.

As night fell, within the cave, there was no noticeable change in temperature. Were it not for the creeping onset of fatigue affecting each person’s nerves, few could discern when night truly descended in the caves of the Underdark. Deluo leaned against a pillar supporting the mine, quietly snoring, feeling no tension at all, sleeping whenever and wherever was a talent of the brave. Nimo, on the other hand, had wide-open eyes, staring at the surrounding situation. But in reality, he was only making the action of "looking"; due to tension, he could see nothing and remember nothing.

Lynch curled up in a corner, letting the shadows completely cover his figure, wrapping himself tightly in his voluminous Mage Robe to maintain warmth through the night. He glanced at the Dwarf nervously "scanning" all around and shook his head.

"Nimo, tell me, why did you come out to adventure?" Lynch’s voice gently floated out from the shadows.

Nimo was initially startled, trembling all over. Only when he understood that the voice was just the mage’s question did he catch his breath, "Me? I just wanted to learn something from the adventure."

"Learn what? To create more interesting inventions?"

Nimo nodded, "Yes, when I was little, I wanted to create something amazing too, but I always found it hard to concentrate while crafting, constantly overthinking, unable to make decisions at certain points. While other friends had already finished products, I was still drawing blueprints. Lynch, am I stupid?"

"Once there was a mage who always second-guessed while copying scrolls, even scrutinizing every stroke. When his companions could use flying spells to soar in the sky, he patiently sat on the ground, gazing at those old Magic Books. His friends left the Mage Association to become powerful figures on the continent, yet he stayed in the mage tower studying the stars. Many years later, all of his friends died fighting powerful entities of the world, leaving no remains, while he became a renowned mage on the continent."

"Who was that?" Nimo asked curiously.

"My mentor, Caso. He discovered the internal logic of magical texts, unlocking the secrets of development and interconnectedness. He became a great Prophet."

"Did he never leave the mage tower? Didn’t he need practice?"

"Nimo, you misunderstood. His body never left the Mage Association, but in truth, he did leave. Whether you work fast or slow, as long as your methods are correct and you persist, why can’t you succeed? Now, you’re too tense. Close your eyes and rest. We don’t need a warrior who can’t open his eyes at a critical moment. Sleep."

Nimo mumbled an agreement, lying on the thickly padded bed, closing his eyes to sleep.

Not long after, Mage Lynch’s eyes also slowly closed, staying motionless in the shadow. The book he was holding slowly fell to the ground, splayed open at his feet.

A blood-red shadow slowly seeped out from the cracks in the mine’s walls, like a wisp of red steam, gradually condensing into a human form. However, its feet remained misty, hovering slowly in the air, and its "hands" manifested as slender, sharp claws, with only a vague red mist covering its face and two black spots where the eyes should be.

The blood-red shadow slowly approached the sleeping mage, stretching its long arms towards the mage, its sharp claws glinting coldly in the light of the Undying Bright Flame.

"You’ve come, huh..." a gentle voice floated out from the shadows...

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