Mage Legend
Chapter 72: Episode 17 Secret Passage

Chapter 72: Episode 17 Secret Passage

The red shadow suddenly froze and stood blankly in front of the shadow where Lynch was. The sharp claw slowly retracted before it.

"You... you can see me? Heh..." A voice came faintly through a sound similar to the pulling of bellows. "You... can see?"

Lynch slowly stood up from the shadow and faced the red gaseous shadow. "What are you?"

"I... I don’t know either..." The red shadow retreated a step, slowly began to deform, and returned to looking like a cloud. "I... don’t know what I... am now..."

Lynch furrowed his eyebrows. Earlier, with his eyes closed, he had been watching using the ability of the Eye of Insight, so he was able to detect this strange entity rising slowly from the ground. Although this cloud hovered distinctly before him, without the Eye of Insight, not a trace of it could be seen.

The mage began to recall various texts he had read, trying to remember creatures resembling clouds: such as Mind Flayers, or Ghost Shadows. But he had never seen a red cloud-like this.

"What are you doing here? Why did you attack the soldiers here?"

"I... I didn’t. I... I didn’t attack anyone. It was someone else... who did it."

Lynch furrowed his brows again, staring at the gaseous figure curled in front of him. Based on the current situation, the creature invisible to the naked eye before him was most likely the murder suspect.

"Wa... watch your head..." a shrill scream suddenly came from the cloud, and it sank into the ground with a swish.

Lynch didn’t understand what happened, instinctively lowered his head to look at the rapidly sinking smoke. At that moment, he sensed something flying past the back of his neck, accompanied by a faint "whoosh~", leaving a hot trail behind his neck.

The mage rolled to the ground, wiped the back of his head with his hand, and found it covered in blood: "Deluo, Nimo! Enemy attack! Take cover! Mirror Image Technique!!" As he warned his companions, he reflexively cast this illusion technique. Immediately, five identical illusions of the mage appeared around him. The shadows swapped positions, disguising the real mage’s location.

Deluo sprang up, grasping the Two-Handed Greatsword, and scanned around: "Lynch, where are they? Where are the enemies?" Just as he asked, another "whoosh~" flew towards the warrior. Deluo sensed the attack, twisted his waist, and used the broad greatsword to block the oncoming object.

A long crossbow arrow clanged as it fell onto the hard mine ground.

Nimo woke up but didn’t get up; he remained lying on the ground, holding his crossbow, eyeing the dark passage. As Deluo blocked the crossbow arrow, Nimo’s little finger pulled the trigger, sending a similar arrow flying into the depths of the passage. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the crossbow spun in the air, and with two "click-clack" sounds, another arrow was loaded, and the crossbow was automatically re-tensioned. Nimo didn’t hesitate, firing another arrow into the darkness.

The first arrow hit without any sound, but the second caused a "ping" when it struck. Lynch knew the first arrow hit the target, while the second just hit the wall. The mage recovered from the earlier chaos, immediately using the Eye of Insight to scan the surroundings.

A creature resembling a standing lizard, equipped with a peculiar massive crossbow, was hiding in a passageway underground, with Nimo’s first arrow lodged in its shoulder, sliding swiftly down the corridor, disappearing from sight. Lynch’s Eye of Insight was not a form of magic but a specialized spell his mentor used to enhance Lynch’s observational skills. It allowed him to discern the true nature of things, even invisibility and spiritual bodies couldn’t escape its surveillance. However, the capacity of this ability to see through material was limited, closely tied to the user’s cognitive control. Lynch couldn’t see so deep anymore.

Summoning his two companions to follow, Lynch discovered a hidden passage beside a mine cart pushed to the roadside. Lifting the cover over it, they were about to descend.

"Don’t... don’t go down..." the red gaseous shadow slowly drifted out from the side again.