Chapter 219: The Wizard

While Su Lun was clearing Twisted Shadows.

In the Underworld.

The dim lighting kept the place in perpetual darkness. At that moment, a massive dark figure suddenly sprang out from the darkness. It was over six meters long, with a body as robust as a lion’s, but unlike a lion, it had a pair of wings like a pterodactyl. As its tail swayed, it revealed a hook gleaming with a cold light, resembling a scorpion’s tail.

A Manticore!

A powerful Magical Beast in the Underworld, rumored to also possess Dragon bloodline, evidenced by its Dragon Wings. As a top predator in the Underworld, while the Manticore had no Spell-like Abilities, its venom was notoriously troublesome.

Compared to their venom, what assassins used was practically just potion. Besides being highly toxic, its venom also had paralyzing properties. The Manticore’s toxin was banned in the Human Kingdom and fetched a price of up to two thousand Gold Nar on the black market.

But now, this creature at the top of the Underworld’s food chain was fleeing in disarray. Its Dragon Wings flapped rapidly as it flew through the air. Just then, a bone spear shot out from the darkness and instantly pierced the Manticore’s wing.

In pain, the Manticore could no longer flap its wounded wing effectively. The other wing struggled to keep it airborne but couldn’t support its heavy body, causing it to wobble and crash to the ground.

As soon as the Manticore landed, several figures rushed toward it. Under the faint glow of the Fluorescent Moss, their dark skeletal frames were visible—they were Skeleton Warriors. Realizing escape was impossible, the Manticore fiercely pounced on them.

—Curse: Weakness

—Curse: Aging

The moment it moved, a gleam of light struck its body. Its once strong form immediately became weak and frail, and its robust physique suddenly aged. Over a dozen Skeleton Warriors swarmed it, trapping the Manticore completely. Although it could still snap the bony frames, more of them closed in as it attacked.

Against these Skeletons, the Manticore’s most potent venom attacks were entirely ineffective. Before long, one Skeleton Warrior seized an opportunity and pierced its throat. Even though that Skeleton Warrior was smashed in half by the Manticore’s dying retaliation, for Undead Skeletons, a broken body was easily replaced—as long as their soul-fire remained unextinguished, they wouldn’t die.

Blood gushed from the Manticore’s throat. Its final struggle had drained its strength, the light in its eyes faded quickly, and its body collapsed with a thud.

Then, a figure cloaked entirely in black robes, riding a skeletal horse, emerged. It had the features of a highlander—a hooked nose, pronounced nasolabial folds, a stern face, and cold eyes. Though tall, it appeared pale, wearing three different rings on its fingers, one of which looked like a miniature Skeleton, dozens of times smaller. It held a bone staff, and an eerie chill surrounded it.

Seeing the Manticore had died, the middle-aged man waved his hand. Several Skeleton Warriors behind him stepped forward and began skinning and butchering the Manticore.

“Damn it!”

While the Skeleton Warriors were processing the Manticore, the middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically. He quickly retrieved a gemstone shaped like an eye from his bosom, only to find that the once exquisite gem now had a crack running through it.

“Who dares attack my guards and invade my Laboratory?!” Keaton’s face darkened.

“Damn rat, if I catch you, I will pull out your soul and stuff it into a mouse’s body.”

Keaton packed up the Manticore, dispensed with riding the skeletal horse, and directly cast Fly, speeding toward the Gem Mine.

Su Lun had no idea he had alerted that Necromancer. The Laboratory in this Gem Mine wasn’t large, and soon Su Lun had turned the entire place upside down. He left the bones untouched—they were useless and only collected by Necromancers. As for the various bottles and jars in the Laboratory, Su Lun didn’t take them either, unsure of what they contained.

However, in a nearby storage room, Su Lun found a large quantity of gems, clearly freshly dug up by the Necromancer. Besides the gems, he also discovered several books in the Laboratory: “Human Anatomy Diagrams,” “Methods for Creating Skeleton Warriors,” “Detailed Guide to Necromancy,” and over a dozen others.

Su Lun gathered them all and packed everything away.

“Pfft, what a cheapskate. Even these gems were dug out from my Gem Mine,” Su Lun scoffed, casually placing some nearby magical materials into his Storage Space.

“You two, drop those bones. Don’t touch the glass potions. Get out now—we’ve searched his lair thoroughly. With a Wizard’s abilities, he surely knows by now. We need to leave quickly,” Su Lun shouted at the two Gray Dwarves who were dismantling a Skeleton Warrior’s frame for fun, then exited the Gem Mine.

In the Underworld, a hazy figure flew swiftly, assisted by several Twisted Shadows that helped him maintain speed. On the ground, a large group of Skeleton Warriors ran rapidly.

Keaton didn’t rest at all along the way. With the help of the Twisted Shadows, his flying speed was tremendous yet cost little magical energy. Wherever this group of Undead passed, all monsters retreated.

Pushing himself constantly, Keaton soon spotted the Gem Mine from a distance. Landing from the sky, he didn’t charge in recklessly. Although he had used Fly with the Twisted Shadows’ aid to reduce consumption, his magical power had still depleted considerably.

Anyone capable of wiping out the numerous Skeleton Warriors and Twisted Shadows he had left to guard his Laboratory was undoubtedly powerful. Charging in directly would likely lead to disaster. Moreover, he had returned in such a hurry that his Skeleton Warriors hadn’t caught up yet.

He took out a blue potion, gulped it down, and had the Twisted Shadows stand guard while he used the potion to quickly restore his spirit and magical energy.

About half an hour later, a group of Skeleton Warriors finally arrived. Keaton opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

“Little mouse, I’m here. How dare you steal from my Laboratory—I’ll make you regret ever being born!” Keaton stood up, the chilling aura around him intensifying even more.

…

Su Lun had the Gray Dwarves retreat from the mine and hide to one side. He himself waited quietly in a stone chamber outside the Gem Mine. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and in the next moment, he flashed outside.

Just then, his Strategic Map had suddenly shown numerous red dots heading straight toward the Gem Mine where Su Lun was. It was clear this was their destination—no need to guess, the Necromancer had surely returned.

“How interesting!”

“You stole from my Laboratory, yet you didn’t flee and are still standing here. Are you begging for my forgiveness?” A middle-aged Wizard shrouded in mist, riding a skeletal horse, entered with a large host of Undead.

He glanced at the scattered bones on the ground, then looked at Su Lun. “Not bad in strength. I’ve decided—I’ll turn your corpse into a Black Knight! Then I’ll stuff your soul into a mouse’s body!”

Su Lun walked over, holding the Purple Dragon Halberd.

“A human? Why not bring out your companions? You alone can’t kill Twisted Shadows!” Seeing Su Lun alone, the Necromancer sneered. There were no signs of spellcasting; though physically strong, such Warriors were the easiest foes for Wizards to handle—a single Maze could trap him thoroughly.

“I smell the stench of decay. If you’re already rotten and putrid, you should just stay in your coffin instead of coming out to scare people.”

Su Lun calmly observed the Necromancer before him. Although his entrance seemed like that of a big boss leading an entourage, according to the System’s interface, he hadn’t broken through to Legendary and was only a Fourth Tier Necromancer. Dealing with Wizards above Legendary would be troublesome, since his Magic Nullification only worked on Wizards below that level.

Plus, Magic Nullification had many limitations, but against pre-Legendary opponents, it was overwhelming. This middle-aged man had dark red pupils; though he looked human, Su Lun sensed almost no life energy within him, instead surrounded by thick Necromantic energy.

Even Necromancers, who used necromantic spells and energy, were still alive. But this one felt little different from a corpse to Su Lun—well, there was a difference: he could run and jump. That dense necromantic aura was so strong it could reanimate ordinary corpses.

Hearing Su Lun’s words, the middle-aged Wizard’s face instantly changed. In the next moment, a strange black mist gathered and swiftly lunged at Su Lun.

Su Lun dodged with a quick movement, but the black mist seemed alive, curving around and lunging at him again. It transformed into a smoky shroud, enveloping the area and leaving Su Lun no room to evade.

“A curse?”

An intangible energy directly affected Su Lan. He only felt his body grow noticeably heavier, but the sensation soon vanished. The System interface displayed numerous data entries:

“Host affected by Weakness Curse… conducting forced exemption check… exemption successful, host immune to this curse attack…”

“Voodoo School, Necromancy School…”

Su Lun’s eyes glinted. He never expected that while setting up a branch mine, he’d encounter a Wizard proficient in both the Necromancy and Voodoo Schools—both notoriously vicious.