Age of Adepts

There was a dark, sinister, and narrow cave.

As it was underground, the walls of the cave were covered in moss and lichen, glowing with a faint light in the darkness.

At this very moment, a slender figure was clearing out an area in the center of the cave. She squatted down and silently started carving an unusual array into the cold, hard stone floor.

It was a small directional teleportation array– thirty-three mysterious runes, two hundred and eighty-eight runic lines, and not a single mistake or deviation in every brush and stroke. Otherwise, it would not only fail to summon the clan leader, but it would also cause a terrifying magical backlash, thereby exposing the existence of this secret passage.

Honestly, it was challenging to complete such a complex task without the Spirit of a high-grade adept.

High-grade adepts pursued the improvement of their Spirit so aggressively because only exceptional Spirit could sustain calculation and sensory abilities comparable to a super-computer. High-grade teleportation arrays were composed of hundreds of runes woven in an intricate pattern. The lines that guided the flow of energy were as thin as silk and overlaid at such incredible density they could compare to the hair on a person’s head.

It was impossible to draw such an array without a mind that could run at superhuman speeds.

That was only the high-grade arrays!

Emelia’s tense mind relaxed upon hearing the voice. The hundreds and thousands of instances of pain being transmitted through her vine appendages almost instantly devoured her soul.

She let out a scream and almost fainted on the spot.

All of her vines fell limply to the ground when she lost her mental control.

The Third Grade Fungal Giant, now freed from the vines’ obstruction, roared and strode forward. A strong and powerful appendage howled through the air and crashed towards Emelia.

“You dare raise a hand in my presence?”

A tall figure appeared in time and caught Emelia as she collapsed to the ground. The staff he was holding in his other hand managed to stop the appendage dead in its tracks.

The red staff held the violet appendage in place as a sizzling sound came from the point of contact.

Aaaaaah!

The terrifying searing produced by the staff inflicted unspeakable agony on the Third Grade Fungal Giant. He stumbled back several steps before he managed to regain balance. He then looked solemnly at his opponent. A clear, black burn mark could be seen on his limp appendage.

“Fourth Grade. You’re Fourth Grade!”

The Third Grade Fungal Giant was not wholly ignorant, after all. He had managed to identify the power of his opponent based on the aura that Greem was radiating. Then, his gaze landed on Emelia, and an expression of shock and anger appeared on its ugly, green face.

“Emelia. You have the aura of Emelia’s soul! You are the magical princess that ran away.”

Greem ignored the Fungal Giant’s surprise and brushed his hand over Emelia’s forehead. A thread of Spirit seeped into Emelia’s mind, and she instantly felt her pain reduced by half.

“What now? Should I kill this guy or let him live?” Greem asked casually.

Judging from his tone, killing a ‘mere’ Third Grade seemed to be a simple matter!

“Uncle Ersund, do you still intend to follow Fahssn down this path of darkness and evil, or are you willing to rejoin my side? You will only have this one chance to decide.” Emelia lifted her pretty face and looked at the Third Grade Fungal Giant with sympathy.

A vicious expression appeared on the Third Grade Fungal Giant’s face. He once again brandished his appendages.

“No need for the facade, Emelia. When have we Fungal Giants ever been truly free? You should never have come back! Now Die!”

The appendage swung downwards, causing even more violent winds than the last strike.

“Hmph! Fool.”

Greem snorted. He didn’t seem to do anything, yet a light red elementium barrier appeared from his body and engulfed all the Fungal Giants.

Burning Domain.

Elementium barriers like this might not be much against opponents of the same grade, but they were terrifying machines of slaughter against a large group of low-grade enemies.

The moment the Burning Domain took shape, flames ignited on the bodies of the Fungal Giants. Their entire persons burned violently.

The Third Grade Fungal Giant was no exception!

Its appendage was still traveling through the air when he was blown back by a ring of fire. He had just stabilized himself when the Burning Domain appeared. His entire body started burning.