The dim glow of Shaya's fading illuminating spell casted long, flickering shadows that danced like specters.
The Black Horrall Snake lay dead, its massive body sprawled across the stone, its rhombus-shaped scales cracked and burned, its amber eyes dull and lifeless, a fallen titan brought low by Leylin's savage power.
Bosain lay crumpled against the far wall, his silver robes torn, his golden hair matted with blood, his chest rising faintly, face unbelievably pale, unconscious but alive, spared by Leylin's calculated mercy.
Shaya stood alone, her red hair wild and tangled, her green eyes wide with terror, her hands trembling as she clutched her comb artifact, the cave's oppressive gloom pressing against her like a physical weight.
Leylin's boots crunched on the shattered stone as he turned from the snake's corpse, his bright brown eyes glinting with a cold, predatory menace, his rune-seared skin glowing faintly red, a testament to the power coursing through him.
He'd knocked out Bosain with a single, precise blow, but he hadn't killed him. The math was simple: killing Bosain would make the Lilytell family mortal enemies, a vendetta that would haunt him across empires. Knocking him out? That was just a bruise to their pride, one Chairman Siley and the other great families would overlook for a genius like Leylin, especially once Dorotte returned from his recruitment mission to back him.
He could hide for a while, join a faction with favorable terms, and let the Lilytells' anger fizzle out. The inheritance? Bosain knew nothing concrete, Leylin could pass it off as an official Magus's legacy, donating scraps to his new backers to seal their loyalty, keeping the true treasures for himself.
His lips curled into a faint, calculating smirk, his heart steady with the clarity of his plan, his mind already mapping the path ahead.
His gaze locked on Shaya, her fear a palpable thing, her body trembling as she stood frozen, her voice a soft, pleading whisper, thick with desperation as she met his eyes. "Lord Magus, please… have mercy," she said, her tone quivering, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears, her heart pounding with the terror of facing a power she couldn't comprehend.
She knew Leylin's strength, knew he'd taken down Bosain without breaking a sweat, knew he'd killed the Black Horrall Snake like it was nothing. If he'd spared Bosain, maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for her to walk away alive, a fragile hope she clung to like a lifeline.
Leylin stepped toward her, his movements slow and deliberate, a predator savoring the hunt, his voice a low, mocking drawl, laced with a cruel amusement that made her blood run cold. "What's this, Shaya?" he said, his tone dripping with disdain, his eyes glinting with a savage glee as he licked his lips, the gesture both taunting and menacing. "Weren't you so eager to get close to me back at the academy, batting your eyes, tossing your hair? Where's that fire now? Why're you backing away like a scared little girl?"
His words were sharp, cutting through her defenses, his heart thrumming with a dark satisfaction as he watched her flinch, her fear feeding his dominance.
Shaya stumbled back, her boots slipping on the uneven stone, her voice a trembling gasp, her tone thick with panic as she raised her hands, her comb artifact pulsing faintly, a weak shield against his power. "Please, my Lord, I didn't mean any offense," she said, her words quick and breathless, her heart racing as she tried to appease him, her green eyes darting for an escape that didn't exist. "I was foolish, I know that now, just let me go, I'll never speak of this, I swear!" Her voice cracked, her body shaking, her mind reeling with the terror of his approach, his presence a storm she couldn't outrun.
Leylin's smirk widened, his voice a low, taunting purr, his tone alive with a wicked delight as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing his forearm, its skin marred by ugly, lizard-like scales that gleamed in the dim light, a grotesque testament to his power. "Come on, Shaya, don't be shy," he said, his words dripping with mockery, his heart pounding with the thrill of her fear. "You were so curious about my scales, always asking questions, always prying. Here they are, take a good look. Feel them, go on. Where's that enthusiasm you used to flaunt?" He stepped closer, his eyes boring into hers, his tone a cruel challenge, daring her to defy him.

Shaya's voice was a choked sob, her hands trembling as she backed against the cave wall, her tone pleading, her heart pounding with a desperate hope for mercy. "No, my Lord, please forgive my slight," she whispered, her words barely audible, her green eyes wide with terror, her body shrinking under his gaze. "I was wrong, I know it, I won't ever cross you again, just let me live!" Her voice trembled, her hands clutching her comb like a talisman, her mind screaming for a way out, her fear a weight that crushed her spirit.
In a blur of motion, Leylin's body zoomed forward, his hand clamping around her neck with a vice-like grip, slamming her against the cave wall with a sickening thud that echoed off the stone. The back of her head struck the rock, blood trickling down her neck, her green eyes wide with pain and fear, her eyes filled with plea, thick with desperation as she struggled against his hold.
"My Lord, forgive me!" she cried, her words quick and breathless, her heart pounding with the terror of death, her hands clawing uselessly at his arm, her body trembling under his power.
Leylin's eyes were boring into hers, laced with a savage irritation that made her blood freeze, his grip tightening around her throat.
"Shut up," he said, his words hard as steel, his heart steady with a ruthless clarity, his mind locked on breaking her spirit. "What's this, Shaya? An aspiring Magus, afraid to quench her curiosity? You wanted to know me, didn't you? Here I am!" He pressed his scaled forearm against her face, grinding the rough, ugly scales against her cheek, her skin scraping raw, his voice a low, mocking growl, his tone thick with a cruel satisfaction. "Feel it, go on, feel the power you were so eager to chase!"
Shaya didn't react, her body limp, her green eyes glistening with tears, her silence a desperate bid for mercy, her heart pounding with the hope that submission would spare her, her bloodied face a mask of pain and fear.
Leylin's eyes narrowed, his voice a bored, dismissive grunt, his tone heavy with disdain as he stepped back, his heart cooling with disappointment, his rune-seared skin dimming slightly.
"So boring," he said, his words flat, his mind already turning from her, her weakness a dull irritation.
Without warning, he drove his fist into her gut, the blow a thunderous explosion of force that shattered her internal organs, blood spraying from her mouth, her body crumpling against the wall, the cave behind her cracking under the impact.
Boom! He struck again, his fist pounding her stomach, each blow a relentless hammer, her spine snapping, her organs reduced to a bloody mess, the cave wall splintering behind her, dust and stone raining down.
Shaya's eyes dimmed, her breath a weak, gurgling gasp, her voice silenced forever as Leylin's hand tightened around her throat, strangling the last spark of life from her body, his savage eyes blazing red with the thrill of destruction.
He released her, her lifeless form slumping to the ground, her red hair splayed like a broken flame, her green eyes staring blankly, a grim testament to his power.
"What a dull girl." Leylin cracked his neck, his voice a low, casual mutter, his tone laced with a faint amusement as he turned from her corpse, his mind already shifting to the snake as he stepped toward the Black Horrall Snake's body,
He knelt beside the snake, his blood-drenched hand tracing its cracked, charred scales, the air thick with the scent of burned flesh and ancient power, his voice a soft, fervent whisper, his tone thick with ambition as he studied the beast, his heart thudding with the thrill of conquest. "Rank 3 blood, right here," he muttered, his words quick and hungry, his eyes glowing with a predatory light. "Starved for centuries, weakened just enough for me to kill. You're mine now, every drop, every bone." His tone was almost reverent, his mind locked on the blood altar's pulsing excitement, the Cursed Bloodline Codex's power surging within him.
Leylin raised his hand, his voice a sharp, commanding chant that stirred the air, his tone alive with a fierce determination, his heart pounding with the thrill of claiming his prize. "Sanguis Extraho!" he intoned, the spell weaving through the cave, a crimson mist rising from the snake's wounds, its dark, viscous blood pooling in the air, swirling into a shimmering orb that pulsed with ancient power. The blood flowed from every gash, every crack, the orb growing larger, its surface rippling with the essence of a Rank 3 beast, the cave humming with the spell's energy, the air thick with the scent of iron and magic.
Leylin's eyes glowed, his voice a low, satisfied growl, his tone thick with triumph as he guided the orb into a runed vial, its surface etched with containment spells, his heart thudding with the weight of what he'd gained.
"Perfect," he said, his words soft but fervent, his mind racing with the possibilities.
He turned to the snake's corpse, his voice a soft, methodical mutter, his tone laced with a quiet focus as he began to harvest its organs, his heart steady with the clarity of his task. "Let's see what else you've got," he said, his words slow and deliberate, his eyes narrowing as he drew a runed dagger from his belt, its blade glinting in the dim light, its edge enchanted to cut through even the toughest flesh. He sliced into the snake's underbelly, the charred scales parting under his blade, revealing the glistening organs within, their surfaces pulsing faintly with residual energy, the air thick with the scent of blood and decay.
He extracted the heart, its massive size dwarfing his hand, its surface veined with dark, arcane power, his voice a low, reverent whisper, his tone thick with ambition. "The pure essence," he said, his words quick and fervent, his heart thudding with the thrill of discovery, his hands steady as he placed it in a runed pouch, its containment spells sealing the organ's power.
Next came the liver, its dark, heavy mass a reservoir of ancient vitality, its brain suited for potions, and the venom glands, their sacs swollen with a toxin that could threaten a Magus, each organ carefully harvested, his voice a soft, calculating mutter, his tone laced with a quiet satisfaction. "Every piece a treasure," he said, his words slow and deliberate, his eyes glinting with a predatory light, his mind already mapping the potions he'd craft, the spells he'd weave, runes he can create, the blood altar's rituals.
Leylin stood, his hands bloodied, his gaze shifting to the snake's skeleton, its massive bones visible through the gaps in its scales, their surfaces gleaming with a faint, arcane sheen, a testament to the beast's ancient lineage—Great Kemoyin Serpent
"Since you destroyed my wand, it's fitting you help me create another." His voice was a low, fervent whisper, his tone thick with ambition as he studied the bones, his heart thudding with the thrill of what they could offer.
He raised his hand, his voice a sharp, commanding chant, his tone alive with a fierce determination, the cave humming with his power. "Ossis Separatio!"
The spell surged through the snake's corpse, a wave of arcane energy that targeted the joints, the bones detaching with a series of sharp cracks, the skeleton loosening as if guided by an invisible hand, the air thick with the scent of dust and magic.
Leylin moved methodically as he selected the strongest bones—the spine, thick and unyielding, the ribs, curved and resilient, the skull, its horn still pulsing faintly with residual energy.
"These'll make artifacts to rival a high-level artifact," he thought as he pocketed the bones in a runed satchel, its containment spells sealing their power.
He stood, his bloodied hands flexing, his gaze sweeping the cave, the bodies of Shaya and the snake a grim testament to his dominance, Bosain's unconscious form a reminder of his calculated mercy, the air thick with the weight of what he'd done, what he'd gained.
"Dylan Gardens..." Leylin didn't waste any time and stepped forward, the current priority is to get the inheritance.
Leylin soon found a hidden hole, he entered and appeared inside a rusty metal passage.
The tunnel was broad, enough to fit 3 adults walking side by side.
Leylin touched the wall and grey dust fell down, revealing the silver metal wall behind it. At first, it felt was icy-cold, then again it felt warm. This metal gave a strange sensation when Leylin's fingers touched upon it.
"Crying Blood Alloy?" Leylin identified, its a rare magi metal cast with the fresh blood of beasts or slaves, said to have certain limit to its effect on the spirit bodies.
"It seems the next hurdle would be a spirit body." Leylin eyes gleamed, he had experimented briefly with spirits but lacked experience, thankfully he had studied research materials of different professor especially Mentor Lester.
For normal acolytes, spirit bodies are a pain in the ass since they lack effective defensive measures.
Leylin walked forward and soon reached the end of the tunnel, his eyes squinted, there was a bright hole appearing in front of them.
After passing through the cave hole, Leylin felt a spatial shift.
"Another space? A secret space build inside another one? How powerful was this guy!?" Leylin was taken aback, he has never read anything about such a thing, It seems the creator was a very accomplished magus.
After moving through the space, he entered a sea of flowers with varying colours.
Tulips, flaming poppies, red large winding chrysanthemum, green calla lily, various flowers that Leylin knew and don't know were blooming in this flower garden.
The garden seemed to be under some spell. Different blooming seasons and different areas of flowers were blooming wildly in this garden.
The secular world flowers were only for decoration. After a quick whiff, Leylin discovered many useful herbs for magicians.
'Violet Leaves Flower, Nose Root Fruit, Walking Dragonfly, Inverted Sunflower, Void Flower, Sun Golden Flame.. I guess Dylan(Great) Gardens is an appropriate name after all." Leylin glanced through the garden but didn't touch any, since the garden was under a magical spell, its only fitting to assume that some defensive spells would also be under effect.