Chapter 239 - 14: Perfect Leader, This Kid Can Cast a Level 0 Witchcraft?

Chapter 239: Chapter 14: Perfect Leader, This Kid Can Cast a Level 0 Witchcraft?

The era of the Second Empire was also renowned for its "biological explosion," a time when countless strange and bizarre monsters sprang up like mushrooms after a spring rain.

Although most of these modified species had severe defects and ultimately vanished over the course of history, a few that were exceptionally well-adapted to their environment have survived to this day.

The Dark Lizardmen were one such species.

They originated from the Ancient Wizards’ crossbreeding experiments between female Dark Elves and male Lizardmen.

According to the information Mo Ning had read, female Dark Elves possessed an unusually high "compatibility" with genetic material from other species. For this reason, the Ancient Wizards of the Second Empire targeted them, reducing them to vessels for cross-species breeding.

Throughout the Second Empire, the fate of female Dark Elves was tragic; their population is said to have been reduced by a staggering ninety percent.

The Dark Lizardmen inherited the Lizardmen’s reproductive capabilities and powerful resilience in harsh environments. They also inherited the Dark Elves’ strong affinity for darkness.

Most terrifying of all, roughly one in ten Dark Lizardmen could awaken an assassin’s latent talent, allowing them to master silent movement and even gain the ability to refract light.

These Dark Lizardmen were known as Dark Lizard Assassins.

The corpse before Mo Ning was larger than that of an ordinary Lizardman. Its body was a grayish-brown, not the typical ink-green of the Lizardmen.

The Noble Lady handed him a fang. "This is a Totem Fang we found on the Assassin. It’s a little different from a Dark Goblin’s fang. I thought you might be interested."

Anya had noticed him toying with the chieftain’s fang earlier and had a faint suspicion that he might have found another hidden clue.

Mo Ning glanced at it and smiled. "I am indeed."

Certain details on the surface of the Assassin’s fang confirmed he had found another piece of the puzzle. ’The Noble Lady is always so considerate,’ he thought.

He issued a murderous command. "Rest for a few more minutes. Then we’re wiping out this Dark Lizardman tribe!"

"Understood!"

Anya responded crisply, adding, "I’ll have someone use Witchcraft to track which cave the Assassin came from."

Mo Ning grunted in agreement.

’This was the benefit of leading a team—you could easily find capable people to get the job done.’

But it all came at a price.

’A good leader has to consider the interests of every member. Otherwise, why would anyone support you?’

’Sitt was too young and inexperienced. He only wanted to take his fill without making any sacrifices, which harmed the interests of too many people. That’s why his reputation ended up stinking to high heaven.’

「Five minutes later.」

Under the awed gazes of newcomers and veterans alike, the Battle Banner Legion marched out once more.

The spectral Thunder Shadow Leopard still led the charge, swiftly plunging into the target cave that Anya’s people had located.

Through the spectral creature’s shared vision, Mo Ning could clearly see numerous fortified positions carved into the rock walls deep within the cave, all designed for archers.

These positions were cunningly placed at the corners of bends in the tunnel.

The moment a newcomer rounded a corner, they would step directly into the line of fire. Yet, if they retreated a few steps, they would be unable to attack the enemy within the fortified position.

The Dark Lizardmen had inherited some of the Dark Elves’ aptitude for marksmanship. While their accuracy couldn’t match a true Dark Elf’s, it was more than enough to inflict heavy losses on ordinary newcomers.

However, this posed little threat to the Battle Banner Legion.

The Heavy Shield Corps advanced several hundred meters, shields raised. The moment the leading Heavy Shield Hand rounded a corner, he was ambushed.

WHOOSH—WHOOSH—

A dozen arrows flew out, clanging against the surface of the heavy shield.

The newcomers quickly aimed their High Intensity Flashlights at the fortified position.

To the Dark Lizardmen in the hideout, it felt as if several suns had simultaneously appeared in the narrow tunnel. They couldn’t even open their eyes, let alone aim and fire.

Without hesitation, they scrambled into small bolt-holes carved into the rock, preparing to retreat.

Ordinary newcomers would have been helpless in this situation, forced to watch as the Dark Lizardmen fled.

And even after they fled, the newcomers wouldn’t dare to press forward recklessly.

Who knew if the Dark Lizardmen would just emerge from another hidden opening to block their path of retreat?

This just showed how insidious the design of these fortified positions was.

Mo Ning gave a decisive order. "Release Oil Mist into the bolt-holes, ignite it, and use the thick smoke to force them out."

When they had been clearing out the Dark Goblin Tribe, fire attacks would have only caused them problems, but this environment was perfect for it.

His command was executed immediately.

Clouds of Oil Mist were shot into the small tunnels and promptly ignited. To prevent the smoke from dissipating, the newcomers even cast a Trick to force it deeper inside.

Only a second later, thin wisps of smoke began to seep out from numerous cracks on the rock face.

These were clearly hidden exits, camouflaged to look like the surrounding stone.

THUMP! THUMP!

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from within the walls. Unable to bear the smoke, the Dark Lizardmen were forced to flee the tunnels.

One after another, bedraggled Dark Lizardmen burst through the camouflaged walls and leaped down.

The moment they appeared, they were mercilessly cut down by the waiting Crossbowmen, their bodies piling up on the ground.

"Clear the smoke."

Mo Ning calmly issued the command.

The Trick, Clean, could not only remove stains but also purify smoke and dust from the air.

The newcomers cast the Trick over a dozen times, and the smoke completely vanished.

Members of the logistics team rushed forward on their own initiative, dragging the Dark Lizardman corpses to the rear and beginning to expertly skin and butcher them.

"Press on."

At his command, the legion’s formation pushed forward once more.

For the next ten minutes, the legion advanced steadily through the mines.

Using this simple yet highly effective smoke tactic, the newcomers cleared one fortified position after another, killing over a hundred Dark Lizardmen in total.

The Dark Lizardmen did attempt a counterattack. They gathered a group of elite warriors and suddenly charged out from several intersecting tunnels.

But their every move was watched by the spectral Thunder Shadow Leopard crouching in the shadows.

Mo Ning raised his hand and unleashed a storm of bullets, instantly blowing the heads off the vanguard of charging Dark Lizardmen and displaying jaw-dropping destructive power.

Beyond just the raw power, his precision was also astounding—every single Dark Lizardman had been killed with a headshot.

The remaining Dark Lizardmen broke formation in an instant, scattering and fleeing for their lives.

A short while later, the legion had cleared another section of the tunnel and entered a more open area.

Mo Ning surveyed his surroundings, about to give the order to tap on the rock walls and check for hidden passages.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of faint golden light streaking out from the darkness ahead.

Without a second thought, he activated the Level Zero Witchcraft embedded in the Golden Pen Badge he wore beneath his blue robes.

*****

「No. 2 Black Tower.」

Inside the Observation Room.

The instant that faint golden light appeared, the three Third Level Apprentices witnessed a scene that defied imagination.

The golden light streaked over a hundred meters at lightning speed, aimed directly at Mo Ning’s head.

Without a doubt, the Dark Lizardman Caster who had unleashed the light knew exactly who the most dangerous enemy was.

Nasha’s heart seized. Her lips parted as if to cry out, ’This is bad!’

The next moment.

The air in front of Mo Ning warped strangely.

The golden light plunged into the distorted area, its velocity dropping instantly as if it had been snared in a viscous bog.

Mo Ning gave a sharp flick of his right hand.

As if struck by a giant, invisible hand, the golden light was swatted aside, flying off at an angle and embedding itself deep into the rock wall with a THUD.

Mansha shot to her feet, her charming face a mask of shock. "God of Mystery! How could that kid possibly cast the Level Zero Witchcraft, Magic Deflection Shield?"

Any experienced Apprentice would recognize the sight of distorted air flinging the golden light away as the Magic Deflection Shield.

That strange "flinging" phenomenon, in particular, was the very origin of the term "deflection."

Every Apprentice knew that the final step in forming a Deflection Shield required one to shape it with their own Magic Power; otherwise, it was impossible to control.

That’s why even Witchcraft Items that came with a Magic Deflection Shield had certain requirements for one’s Spiritual Strength and Magic Pool.

The problem was, this kid hadn’t even formed a Spirit Ring, so where would he get a Magic Pool?

Without a Magic Pool, how could he possibly cast a Magic Deflection Shield?

The scene on the Light Curtain completely shattered Mansha’s understanding of the world.

It wasn’t just Mansha. The other two Apprentices, Nasha and Velen, were just as profoundly shocked by the scene.

The three of them racked their brains but couldn’t fathom how someone could cast a Magic Deflection Shield without having formed a Spirit Ring.

For the first time in their lives, they stared at a newcomer and felt he was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable fog of mystery.