Chapter 6 Sorcerer Supreme Wants to Retire Early
In the main hall.
Ancient One's tea-drinking motion completely froze.
chain of despair recognized its master?
Ancient One lowered her brow, her gaze locked tightly onto the light screen.
In the image, Lin Yi had already walked up to the second stone platform.
On the stone platform sat a broken mask covered in rust, dark brown blood scabs covering the edges.
"The Cursed Mask."
Anyone who put it on would have their sanity instantly devoured by tens of millions of evil spirits, reducing them to flesh puppets that only knew how to kill.
Lin Yi picked up the mask, using his fingers to scratch at the rust on it.
And shoved it directly onto his face.
[Suffered backlash from the evil spirits of "The Cursed Mask", triggering the 'Cost Reversal' rule.]
[Mental destruction judgment failed, converted to a permanent mental power boost.]
[Mental power + 3,000!]
[Acquired passive skill: Evil Spirit Coercion (can be released to intimidate low-level mental entities)!]
A cool sensation swept through his mind, and Lin Yismacked his lips, ripped the mask off, and threw it back onto the stone platform in disgust.
"Just this? Only added three thousand mental power?"
"Did you bunch of evil spirits not eat your fill? You're not even qualified to scratch my itch!"
"What kind of shoddy goods are stored in this Library! They're all fucking expired defective products!"
Ancient One's hand trembled slightly, and the tea spilled over the rim of the cup, dripping onto her robes.
She put down the tea cup, crossing her hands in front of her chest.
She saw clearly that after Lin Yi put on the mask, not only was there no trace of gray decay eroded by the curse on his body,
instead, the moment he took off the mask, an extremely pure and majestic vitality overflowed from within his body.
Even her current self, when facing this mask, had to concentrate all her attention to mobilize magic to resist those whispers.
Ancient One closed her eyes, the magic between her brows surging violently, and the green light of the eye of agamotto flared brightly.
She once again attempted to use the power of the Time Stone to peer into Lin Yi's past and future.
The time node reached three years ago, a state of chaos.
His timeline was like a whiteboard from which all traces had been forcibly erased by some irresistible force.
No Universe laws or causality could leave the slightest projection on him.
Ancient One opened her eyes, her gaze staring deeply at the young man in the light screen who was still picking and choosing magical artifacts.
Undoubtedly, this was definitely some high-dimensional existence that surpassed the common sense of the multiverse!
He disguised himself as good-for-nothing who couldn't even learn basic spells and stayed in Kamar-Taj for three years.
What on Earth was it for?
To experience the mortal state of mind? To temper oneself in the mortal world? Or to secretly investigate whether this planet was worth guarding?
No matter what the reason was, his current behavior was awakening his original power.
Those prices that were fatal to mortals were, to him, nothing more than nutrients for reshaping.
She turned her head slightly and glanced at herself in the bronze mirror beside her.
Gaunt, her eyes revealing a hard-to-conceal exhaustion.
For hundreds of years, in order to fight Dormammu of the Dark Dimension and protect Earth from extra-dimensional invasions,
she had made a decision that violated the ironclad rules of Kamar-Taj.
She had been secretly drawing power from the Dark Dimension to extend her long-dried-up lifespan.
The price was extremely painful.
Her soul was constantly enduring the corrosion and tearing of dark forces.
Every late night, it felt like tens of millions of poisonous ants were gnawing at her bone marrow, and every time she cast magic was like walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff.
She could not fall.
Because Earth had no stronger Guardian.
She had to shoulder these sins alone and hold the line in the darkness to the death.
But now.
Ancient One looked back at the light screen, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upward.
"Perhaps he is more suitable than Strange."
Ancient One whispered softly.
If this high-dimensional existence truly chose to awaken on Earth and take over all of this,
then the sins and torment she had shouldered for hundreds of years could finally come to an end.
As long as she waited for him to finish awakening and logically take over the position of Sorcerer Supreme,
she could die in peace, or even retire early? Go travel to a dimension where no one is?
"Clang."
In the Underground Room of the Library, a bronze-greened tripod censer was casually thrown onto the bluestone slab.
Lin Yi patted the incense ash off his hands and let out a long yawn.
Three days.
Lin Yi rubbed his sore neck.
"What the fuck, are this bunch of Black Magic masters any good or not?"
"I've been working continuously for seven days and seven nights, turning the inventory of this third floor and the Underground Room upside down!"
"And the result?"
"Except for the first few days when it increased rather fiercely, the attribute points given by these junk items later on became less and less!"
Seeing the system panel pop up in front of him, he felt a little comforted in his heart.
[Host current status settlement:]
[Lifespan: + 6,500 years (has surpassed ordinary Asgardians)]
[Physique: 125,000 points (can tear Adamantium alloy with bare hands)]
[Strength: 98,000 points]
[Mental Power: 142,000 points]
[Passive skills summary: Darkness Immunity (Advanced), Mental Pollution Immunity, Soul Drain Resistance, Physical Strangulation Reduction (Advanced), Severed Limb Regeneration (Intermediate), Corrosion Nullification, Aging Reversal...]
Lin Yi touched his chin.
Six thousand five hundred years of lifespan.
If this were placed in the cultivation world, wouldn't it count as an old monster at the Patriarch level?
But this physique and strength, how does it still feel not impressive enough?
Mere hundreds of thousands of points, when Purple Sweet Potato comes and slaps down with a palm, can I withstand it?
He still had to keep finding wool to fleece!
He kicked the "Plague Poison Cauldron" on the ground in disgust and walked up along the spiral staircase.
First-floor lobby.
Wong sat in front of the desk like a wooden dummy, his eye sockets sunken deeply, sporting two huge dark circles.
He was completely numb.
Lin Yi pushed open the railing door of the third floor and walked down the stairs humming an out-of-tune little song.
When passing by Wong, Lin Yi specifically stopped his footsteps.
He pulled out a small change note from his pocket and slapped it on the desk.
"Master Wong, thank you for your hard work on duty these past few days. Take this money to buy a cup of milk tea."
Lin Yi waved his hand and swaggered out the door of the Library.
The sunlight outside was dazzling.
Lin Yi stretched comfortably, his bones popping like roasted beans.
The food in Kamar-Taj was too poor; he had to go back to make up for some sleep, and go to New York to eat a hamburger after waking up.
Wong stared at the crumpled U.S. dollar bill on the desk.
Stunned for a full five seconds.
He then stood up, picked up a bunch of keys beside him, and walked up the stairs with heavy steps.
When Wong walked to the third floor, the sickening bloody and musty smell in the air was completely gone.
Replaced by a faint... smell of sun-dried paper pulp?
He swallowed saliva and put on a pair of insulated gloves woven from Frost Giant hair.
Carefully walking towards the Blood Sea Floating Slaughter Scripture.
Wong mustered up his courage and opened the first page.
The twisted runes originally drawn with fresh blood on it were now dim and dull.
No magic fluctuations could be felt at all!
Wong refused to believe it, ripped off his gloves, and pressed his bare hand onto the book page.
Nothing happened.
He rushed to the Underground Room again.
The sealing magic arrays were completely shattered.
All the magical artifacts had completely become disposable scrapped toys!
"Thud."
Wong sat heavily on the ground, the flesh on his face trembling.
Gone, all gone.
Forbidden books that generations of Sorcerer Supremes had painstakingly accumulated, and evil magical artifacts sealed at the cost of their lives.
Three days' time.
Were gnawed by that kid like eating a buffet, not even leaving bone scraps!
Is this something a human would do?!
Those were forbidden books! They were deadly things that would kill you just by looking at them!
Do you take it as reading a comic weekly magazine, wrapping all of them up in three days?!
Wong stood up against the wall.
Pulled a piece of blank parchment from his pocket and found a quill pen.
Swish swish swish wrote a few large characters.
Turned around and ran outside.
Chapter 7: Humanoid Self-Propelled Harvester
The main hall.
The Ancient One was using a soft white cloth to carefully wipe the outer casing of the eye of agamotto.
Over the past few days, her mood had been exceptionally good.
"Bang!"
The doors of the main hall were shoved open roughly.
Wong rushed in panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat.
The Ancient One frowned slightly.
"Wong, what has caused you such panic?"
Without saying a single word, Wong strode up to the Ancient One in quick steps.
He slapped the piece of parchment in his hand onto the low table with a loud "smack."
The Ancient One looked down at the parchment.
There was only a single line of crooked writing on it.
[There are no more forbidden books in the restricted section. The librarian position is no longer meaningful. Please grant my resignation so I can return to London to sell steamed buns. — Wong]
Looking at that line of words, the Ancient One raised her head, a rare look of bewilderment appearing in her eyes.
"What did you... say?"
Wong wiped the sweat from his face, his voice sounding worse than crying.
"Master, they're gone! Everything is gone!"
"The voices of the void has turned into blank paper!"
"The chain of despair has become a broken iron chain!"
"That kid stayed inside for three days and completely emptied Kamar-Taj's centuries-old foundation!"
"I'm guarding a pile of scrap now—how can I still call myself a librarian?!"
The Ancient One sat on the cushion, remaining silent for a long time.
She had originally thought Lin Yi was merely using those magical artifacts to awaken his power.
Who could have imagined that this kid had gone in to restock his inventory!
That was an inventory of Black Magic capable of destroying half of the Earth!
Drained completely in just three days?
With such absorption efficiency, even a full-grown Flerkenwould burst to death from overeating!
The Ancient One rubbed her temples, feeling a dull ache.
"Enough. The forbidden books are gone, but there are still basic magic books on the first floor. Continue watching over them."
Wong grew anxious and slapped his thigh.
"Master! This isn't a matter of books!"
"Now that kid is out. What if he feels there's nothing left to fleece here and runs off to wreak havoc on other Sanctums?"
The Ancient One picked up the cold tea on the table and took a sip.
Wreak havoc on other Sanctums?
Kaecilius and his gang were still running amok across the world.
If they could direct him to torment those Zealots...
A sharp glint flashed in the depths of the Ancient One's eyes.
This was a free super enforcer—it would be a waste not to use him!
...
Morning in the front courtyard of Kamar-Taj.
The newly repaired formation core flickered with a faint yellow light.
The bulletin board was packed tightly, with dozens of gray-robed apprentices crowding together, craning their necks.
Master Wong, sporting two massive dark circles under his eyes, held a stack of parchment and was pasting them onto the wooden board.
The notice read: The restricted section is closed indefinitely; no one may approach.
In the lower right corner was the red seal of the Sorcerer Supreme.
The crowd erupted.
"What's going on? Why is the restricted section sealed?"
"When I went to the kitchen for breakfast this morning, I heard several deacons say that everything inside was completely ruined!"
"Nonsense! That's Black Magic sealed by generations of sorcerers!"
"Exactly! Just a single glance at those forbidden books could drive someone mad, so how could they be ruined?"
A tall apprentice lowered his voice and looked around.
"It's true! That Lin Yi stayed inside for three whole days!"
"When Master Wong went in to clean up, all the forbidden books inside were ruined."
The surroundings fell so silent that only the sound of sharp gasps could be heard.
Several apprentices exchanged glances, their eyes full of disbelief.
Right at that moment, footsteps came from the outer edge of the crowd.
Lin Yi walked over leisurely, carrying an iron lunchbox and chewing on half a flatbread.
The crowd backed away in unison to both sides, clearing a three-meter-wide path for Lin Yi.
The round-faced apprentice who had led the mockery against Lin Yi a few days ago was now chattering his teeth audibly.
Lin Yi paused in his steps and tilted his head to look at him.
The round-faced apprentice's knees gave out, and he dropped to the ground with a thud.
Clutching his head in his hands, his voice cracked with a sob.
"Senior Brother! I was wrong! I had a loose tongue!"
"Please don't use Black Magic to extract my bones for soup!"
Lin Yi bent down and patted the round-faced apprentice on the shoulder twice.
"It's no big deal. Get up quickly, the ground is cold."
He turned, carrying his lunchbox, and strolled toward the kitchen with a smile, looking just like a friendly neighbor.
Holy shit, lucky you dropped to your knees quickly.
If you had been a second later, I would have slapped you all the way back to your grandmother's house!
Extract your bones for soup? With your scrawny limbs, even dogs wouldn't drink that broth!
Still, these Kamar-Taj bastards are truly realistic.
Knocking down a few villains only made them view me as a formidable monster.
Now that I've emptied out the restricted section, they look at me as if looking at their living ancestor.
It really feels damn good.
At the kitchen entrance.
Just as Lin Yi left, the bells in the front courtyard began to toll clamorously.
A full assembly.
The apprentices ran toward the main hall plaza.
Lin Yi, holding his empty lunchbox, let out a burp and ambled toward the plaza along with the crowd.
In the very center of the plaza.
The Ancient One stood with her hands clasped behind her back.
Mordo stood behind her to the right with a dark expression, his jaw clenched tight and his gaze sweeping over the crowd like knives.
Wong stood on the left, looking rather listless.
Lin Yi walked to the very front of the line and casually took a spot.
Mordo's eyes locked onto Lin Yi, burning with the urge to flay him alive.
The Ancient One raised her hand, and the plaza fell silent.
"I have gathered everyone today for two matters."
"The first matter."
"From this day forth, the third floor of the Library and the underground relic chamber are permanently open to Lin Yi."
As soon as these words were spoken, the plaza erupted into chaos.
The apprentices' eyes nearly popped out onto the bluestone floor.
Permanently open? Highest clearance?
Hadn't the restricted section already been turned into a scrap collection center by him?!
What was the point of granting him permanent access now?
To let him pick up trash in there to sell for scrap?!
Mordo took a large step forward, the muscles in his cheeks twitching violently.
"Master! This is utterly impossible!"
"Such privilege is equivalent to trampling the safety of Kamar-Taj underfoot!"
The Ancient One turned her head and glanced at Mordo.
"Mordo, rules are meant to restrain the weak."
"For those who can command the rules, they are merely reference points."
"My decision is made; there is no need for further discussion."
Mordo gritted his teeth tightly, stepped back half a pace, and fell silent.
Standing below the steps, Lin Yi pressed his hands together and bowed deeply to the Ancient One.
"Thank you, Master, for your favor. This disciple will study diligently day and night and never waste Master's painstaking efforts!"
He raised his head, his face full of thirst for magicknowledge.
This old witch is definitely doing this on purpose! Who is she trying to disgust?!
I think you just want to squeeze every last drop of surplus value out of me!
Once I become stronger, I'll definitely take down Kamar-Taj's front gates and sell them for scrap metal!
Watching Lin Yi's humble demeanor, the Ancient One felt increasingly certain.
Such a mortal mindset, disguised to the very bone.
If it weren't a higher-dimensional entity descending to experience life, it would make no sense at all.
She could even perceive a disdain for mundane power in the depths of Lin Yi's eyes.
That was it.
He didn't care about the so-called forbidden books at all; what he cared about was experiencing the process.
The Ancient One cleared her throat and continued speaking.
"The second matter."
"Working behind closed doors will never allow one to comprehend the true essence of magic."
"As my direct senior disciple, Lin Yi."
The Ancient One looked at him.
"You already possess the ability to deal with external crises."
"Starting today, you will officially take on Kamar-Taj's practical missions to protect Earth."
External missions?
The crowd gasped in shock once more.
Having someone who slacked off in Kamar-Taj for three years and only rose up three days ago take on external missions directly?
They were grooming him to become the next Sorcerer Supreme!
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
"Master, do external missions provide meals?"
Wong covered his face on the steps.
Even at a time like this, can't you have some grand vision of saving the world in your head?!
The corner of the Ancient One's mouth twitched slightly.
"Room and board included."
Lin Yi immediately stood straight and patted his chest.
"Slaying demons and vanquishing evil is our bounden duty!"
"Wherever Master points, that's where I'll strike!"
Finally I can leave. This counts as the Dragon King descending the mountain now.
Chapter 8 Old Geezer Daniel
Lin Yi was already eager to change maps.
However, when traveling outside, these welfare benefits must be settled in advance.
Lin Yi raised his hand and cleared his throat.
"Master, where are we going on this business trip? What is the transportation? Will travel expenses be reimbursed?"
Mordo stood on the steps, the corners of his eyes twitching violently, and his fists clenched tightly together.
"The duty of Kamar-Taj is to protect the world! You are actually talking about travel expenses here!"
Lin Yi rolled his eyes heavily.
"Protecting the world doesn't mean we don't need to eat? If you can fill your stomach just by breathing, why did you go to the back kitchen to steal two big chicken legs last night?"
Mordo was so angry his face turned flushed, pointing at Lin Yi, but he couldn't force out a complete sentence.
You fucking dare to mention chicken legs! Those were what I saved as a midnight snack while staying up late on duty!
Ancient One waved her hand, interrupting Mordo's outburst.
"There is an abnormal fluctuation in the protective eye of the London Sanctum."
"Kamar-Taj's intelligence department evaluated it as a C-class event, suspected that a few low-level dimensional creatures have infiltrated the edge of the barrier."
She locked her gaze on Lin Yi.
"You go handle it."
London?
What else is in that crappy place besides fish and chips? My newly cultivated Huaxia stomach, won't it lose two circles of weight if I go there?
However, the C-class event sounds very lame.
It is estimated that they are just a few combat-power-of-five scum leaking from the dimensional cracks, just right to warm up with.
"No problem, task guaranteed to be completed."
Ancient One turned her head and swept her gaze toward Master Wong in the crowd.
"Wong. You happen to be free now."
"Then act as a guide, accompany Lin Yi to the London Sanctum, and assist him in dealing with this crisis."
Master Wong's footsteps, as he was preparing to slip away, were nailed to the spot.
"Master, with my strength, going there would just be a burden!"
Ancient One looked at him without any explanation.
Master Wong swallowed a mouthful of saliva and resignedly lowered his head.
What a sin!
...
Half an hour later.
In the bungalow of Kamar-Taj.
Lin Yi pushed open the wooden door, pulled over a worn canvas bag, and stuffed a few pieces of clothes into it.
Afterwards, he picked up the half-eaten bottle of Laoganma on the table, tightened the cap, and put it in as well.
Throwing the canvas bag over his shoulder, Lin Yi strode out of the room.
In the front yard, Wong was already waiting there.
His hands drew circles rapidly in the air, and golden sparks intertwined in mid-air, opening a circular portal the height of a person.
At the other end of the door was a gray street, and the cold wind carrying fine raindrops blew into the courtyard.
"Let's go, Grand Archmage Lin."
"Let's go!"
Lin Yi snapped his fingers and stepped across the portal in one stride.
Wong closely followed behind, and the golden sparks quickly closed behind them.
London, at the end of Bleecker Street.
Drizzling rain, dense rain hit the bluestone road, splashing small mud.
A red double-decker bus sped past the intersection with a harsh horn.
The wheels ruthlessly crushed the puddles on the roadside, splashing a large layer of turbid water, heading straight for the shoulder.
Lin Yi quickly retreated half a step and tightened the old jacket on his body.
"What kind of crappy weather is this."
Lin Yi rubbed his arms and put the canvas bag on his head to act as an umbrella.
Damn it, this weather is like water leaking from above, raining endlessly.
Wong walked in the front, and at some point, he had an extra black umbrella in his hand.
He just held it over himself alone, with no intention of moving back half an inch.
"Ahead is the London Sanctum."
Wong stepped on the puddle and glanced back at Lin Yi.
"I'm warning you. The person in charge inside is Master Daniel. He has guarded London for decades, participated in dozens of defense battles of all sizes, and is an absolute hardcore veteran."
"This old man has a fiery temper and extremely values the rules of Kamar-Taj."
"You'd better behave yourself after you go in. If you piss him off, I won't be able to protect you either."
Lin Yi took down the bag on his head, shook off the water droplets on it, and looked innocent.
"Wong, what you said is not objective. I, Lin, have always convinced people with virtue."
The two continued to walk forward along the street.
A three-story old brick and stone building stood in the shadow of the street.
Both sides were modern glass curtain wall buildings, sandwiching it in the middle, appearing extremely abrupt.
Huge circular stained glass windows were embedded on the third floor, reflecting the pale street lights.
Master Wong walked up the moss-covered stone steps, grabbed the black iron door knocker, and knocked heavily three times.
The door opened inward with a creak, and a heavy scent of sandalwood hit his face.
Lin Yi followed Wong and stepped into the London Sanctum.
The strong sandalwood scent choked people into coughing.
The first floor lobby did not turn on the lights, and a few candles in the corner were almost burned to the bottom.
Various unnamed magical artifacts were placed on the mahogany shelves, and a thick layer of dust had fallen on the bronze surface.
Sitting on the grand master chair in the exact center of the hall was a thin and withered old man.
The old man was wearing a washed-out dark red spell robe, holding a rag in his hand, and leisurely wiping a brass disc.
This was Daniel.
A veteran who guarded the London Sanctum for forty years.
Wong quickly stepped forward two steps, put his hands together, and bowed a standard mage salute.
"Master Daniel, by order of the Sorcerer Supreme, I accompanied Master Lin Yi to handle the formation fluctuation."
Daniel's rag didn't stop, and he didn't even raise his head.
In the hall, besides the sound of breathing, there was only the "rustling" sound of the rag rubbing against the brass disc.
Pretend.
Keep pretending.
Lin Yi put his hands in his trouser pockets and sized up this old geezer.
Already over seventy years old, the bit of magic power in his body was as thin as fake wine mixed with water.
With this level, he still ran out to put on the airs of a sweeping monk?
If I stood here and let you hit me, you fucking couldn't even break my defense! If it weren't for Ancient One providing food and lodging, I would twist your head off right now and use it as a bowling ball!
After leaving the two hanging for a full minute, Danielslowly put down the brass disc and raised his slack eyelids.
His gaze crossed Wong, fell directly on Lin Yi, scanned up and down twice, and his brows twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "chuan" (river).
"This is the newly accepted personal eldest disciple of The Ancient One?"
Daniel's voice was hoarse, carrying undisguised contempt.
"Can't even feel a bit of decent mana resonance on his body. Wong, are you sure you didn't go to the wrong place? This is the Sanctum Sanctorum, not the back kitchen of Kamar-Taj recruiting handymen."
Wong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and gave two dry laughs.
"Master, Lin Yi's situation is relatively special, the Sorcerer Supreme said..."
"Rules are rules." Daniel interrupted him coldly and stiffly, standing up.
He walked in front of Lin Yi, half a head shorter than Lin Yi, but deliberately tried to raise his chin, making a condescending posture.
"Young man, no matter what crooked ways you used in Kamar-Taj to please the Sorcerer Supreme."
"When you get to my place, none of that works."
Daniel stretched out his withered fingers and tapped the floor.
"Although the formation fluctuation this time is only C-class, it is definitely not something a rookie like you whose hair hasn't even grown fully can interfere with. Don't add to my trouble."
"Master Daniel teaches rightly, I just followed along to gain some experience. Please bear with me, old man."
Bear with your grandpa!
Old thing acting like an elder, huh?
For forty years you only managed to become the head of the London branch, and you still have the face to brag?
At your age, you are still acting like a big-tailed wolf here!
Chapter 9: Dimensional Rift
Daniel looked at Lin Yi's timid and submissive appearance, let out a cold snort from his nose, and turned to look at Wong.
"Take him to the small cubicle by the third-floor stairwell. Without my permission, he is not allowed to step a single step closer to the Underground Room."
Wong swallowed hard and gave Lin Yi a desperate, pleading look, terrified that this living ancestor would flare up on the spot.
Lin Yi shrugged, carrying his canvas bag and following behind Wong upstairs.
Third-floor cubicle.
This was a utility room without even a window.
An iron-frame bed with a missing leg leaned against the corner of the wall, covered with a yellowed bedsheet.
Lin Yi tossed his bag onto the floor and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.
The iron-frame bed let out a protesting "creak" sound.
"Lin Yi, don't take it to heart."
Wong stood at the doorway, rubbing his hands awkwardly.
"Master Daniel's temper is a bit eccentric, but his practical combat experience is indeed rich. Let's just treat this trip as a vacation, and let him do the heavy lifting."
Lin Yi took out his phone and glanced at the screen.
"Master Wong, even on a vacation, we have to be fed, right?"
Lin Yi rubbed his stomach.
"That old fellow didn't even pour a glass of water, how are we going to solve dinner? Surely we can't gnaw on the bedboards?"
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go out and buy something."
Wong turned and went downstairs.
Lin Yi lay down on the bed, resting his hands behind the back of his head.
With this crappy place, could there still be a Class C mission?
According to the current Marvel storyline, Kaecilius was probably hiding somewhere recruiting followers, and that big head Dormammu hadn't stretched his tentacles over yet.
That old fellow was probably bored out of his mind, taking some minor disturbance and reporting it as military intelligence just to boost his sense of presence.
Time ticked away second by second.
Outside, it was pitch dark.
Wong pushed the door open carrying two greasy paper bags.
The whole room immediately filled with the smell of inferior rapeseed oil.
"Make do with this. That old man is setting up a formation in the Underground Room, and won't let us go down."
Lin Yi grabbed a piece of fried fish wrapped in a thick batter and took a big bite.
Did the chefs of the British Empire have a grudge against taste buds?!
The two of them were gnawing on the tasteless dinner.
The floor beneath their feet suddenly shook violently.
"What the fuck, an earthquake?"
Lin Yi, biting down on half a piece of fried fish, sat up straight.
Wong put down the fries in his hand, his expression changing drastically.
"It's the protective formation core of the Underground Room!"
As soon as his words fell, there was an even more violent tremor.
The temperature in the air plummeted sharply, and an extremely oppressive energy fluctuation seeped up through the floorboards.
"Let's go, let's go down and take a look."
Lin Yi wiped his mouth, pulled open the door, and walked out.
In the first-floor lobby.
Daniel stood in front of the iron door leading to the Underground Room.
In his hand, he held a staff embedded with a yellow crystal, his robes fluttering without wind, making him truly look somewhat like an expert.
Deep within the staircase behind the iron door, red-and-black smoke was billowing outward.
"Master, what's going on?"
Wong hurried downstairs.
Daniel turned his head and glared fiercely at Lin Yi who was following behind.
"Didn't I tell you guys to stay upstairs!"
"It's just a few Void bugs bumping into the barrier, causing a small-scale magic tide. I've reinforced three seals above, and I'll be able to shred them to pieces soon."
The old man's face was plastered with the arrogant expression of "Your grandfather will always be your grandfather."
Void bugs?
Lin Yi stood at the stairwell and yawned.
The passive skill Void Perception that he had plucked out earlier was currently flashing wildly in his head like a radar.
The perception net penetrated the thick stone slabs, spreading all the way to the deepest part of the Underground Room.
"No need to make a fuss over nothing."
Daniel let out a cold snort, his staff drawing two complex golden runes in mid-air, directly slamming them toward the ground.
"For forty years, the formation array beneath the London Sanctum has been hit countless times by those lower-dimensional creatures."
He stroked the white stubble on his chin, his tone full of arrogance.
"They smell the scent of the living, just like flies fixated on stinking meat. As long as we cover a few layers of expulsion runes on top, after half an hour, they will be ground into dust by the barrier themselves."
The old fellow turned around, squinting sideways at Lin Yi.
"Learn a thing or two, kid. This is called practical combat experience. Books can't teach this kind of composure."
Lin Yi leaned against the nearby wall and reached out to pick at his ear.
Practical combat experience? Composure?
Pah! Old fellow, you've hallucinated from acting so pretentious.
His consciousness followed the stairs all the way down, piercing through the thirty-plus-meter-thick shock-absorbing stone slabs of the Underground Room, and directly plunging into the deepest part of the array core.
An extremely clear picture unfolded directly in his mind.
There were no Void bugs at all.
Beneath the stone slabs, right in the center of the original golden circular defense barrier, a crack more than half a meter wide had split open!
That crack looked extremely disgusting.
The edges were wriggling like living flesh, jagged and uneven.
The most fatal part was the stench emanating from that crevice.
Lin Yi was all too familiar with this smell.
A few days ago in the front yard of Kamar-Taj, the magicray conjured by that Zealot whom he had rubbed into the ground was carved out of the exact same mold as this smell!
Dark Dimension!
That big head Dormammu's private estate!
Behind the rift, a dark shadow was crazily smashing its head against the barrier.
Lin Yi opened his eyes and looked at Daniel, who was still chattering away in front of him.
"Cough."
"Um… Master Daniel, right? You just said you reinforced three seals on top?"
Daniel's brows were knitted tightly together, his face written all over with impatience.
"That's right. Triple folded seals. Enough to grind those little Void bugs to death a hundred times. What is it?"
Lin Yi grinned.
"I'm just kindly reminding you."
He reached out and pointed deep into the staircase rolling with black smoke.
"Your three-layer seals are probably going to shatter in less than a minute."
The lobby suddenly fell quiet.
Wong strode over in a few steps, grabbed Lin Yi's arm, and frantically winked and made faces.
Will you please say less! This is someone else's turf, what big shot are you pretending to be as a privileged newcomer here!
Daniel was laughed out of anger by this, his fingers holding the staff trembling as he pointed straight at Lin Yi's nose.
"Arrogant!"
"When I was guarding the London Sanctum, you probably weren't even born yet! What do you know about seals? What do you know about magic tides?"
"A good-for-nothing without a shred of mana fluctuation, and you dare to come to my place and point fingers just because of the Sorcerer Supreme's favor?"
The more the old man cursed, the louder his voice became, spitting out saliva everywhere.
Lin Yi wiped his face and tilted his head.
Quite a big temper.
Won't listen to advice, huh? Fine.
"Master, don't be in such a hurry to get angry. Why don't we make a bet?"
Lin Yi unhurriedly pointed at the stone slab beneath his feet.
"Take a look, in the southeast corner of the formation array, isn't the eighth rune on that main array core stone already split into two halves?"
Daniel's cursing paused.
"And that magic hub right in the center," Lin Yi sped up his pace of speech, "the three magic circuits connecting the hub, the one on the left has completely turned black and is thoroughly blocked off."
"Lastly."
Lin Yi reined in his smile, staring straight at Daniel.
"What's smashing the door down below is definitely not some Void bugs; it's a forming Dimensional Rift."
"Connected to it is the edge of the Dark Dimension."
Chapter 10: Let's Accept a Delivery First
As soon as those words came out, the look of anger on Daniel's face froze.
Wong listened from the side, swallowing hard.
Dark Dimension? Those four words were an absolute taboo in Kamar-Taj.
This kid was getting more and more absurd!
"Nonsense!"
Daniel flew into a rage, and the yellow crystal staff in his hand lit up once again.
"How could the aura of the Dark Dimension silently infiltrate the depths of the array core? The intelligence network of Kamar-Taj clearly gave it as a Class C anomaly!"
"Not only are you trash, but you're also a lunatic who likes to spread rumors!"
"I will connect to the array core right now and let you see clearly what is inside..."
Daniel hadn't even finished speaking.
The stone slab beneath his feet suddenly bulged upward!
Rumble!
This loud noise was more violent than any time before.
The entire three-story brick and stone building of the Sanctum Sanctorum shook violently, as if it were in the cabin of a ship during a storm.
Immediately following that,
"Crack... Crack..."
The sound of shattering came up along the stairwell, and the cracks were spreading frantically.
Daniel's triple sealing runes projected illusory phantoms in mid-air.
The next second.
Right in front of the three of them, the runes directly exploded into a sky full of golden powder.
Holy crap, it really shattered?!
Wong let go of Lin Yi's collar, flicked his hands, and summoned two magic shields.
Daniel couldn't care about anything else either, gripping the staff with both hands, connecting his spiritual power to the dilapidated array core in the Underground Room.
As soon as his perception probed down,
the old man's body stiffened into a plank of wood right on the spot.
That brash kid hadn't been boasting!
Daniel's legs went soft, and he collapsed onto the ground, his eyes filled with collapsing terror.
Forty years of experience, forty years of steadfast holding, were ruthlessly ground into slag at this moment.
This wasn't a Class C incident.
This was a Class B—no, this was a Class A dimensional invasion event enough to sink all of London!
And he, the person in charge stationed here, had actually been kept in the dark like a blind man, and even spouted nonsense in front of a newcomer!
Lin Yi looked at Daniel, who had collapsed on the ground, with no ripples in his heart.
Does your old face hurt? I told you early on not to act so cocky, but you refused to listen. Do you believe it now?
"Lin... Master Lin Yi..."
"Shouldn't... shouldn't we quickly notify The Ancient One? This place is about to collapse!"
Lin Yi ignored Wong.
He walked to the edge of the stairwell.
The red and black fog below had already broken through the final line of defense, rolling frantically upward along the steps.
That bone-chilling corrosive sensation could give anyone goosebumps even from a dozen meters away.
A muffled roar came from the depths of the Underground Room.
Lin Yi stretched his neck and zipped the zipper of his worn-out jacket all the way down to the bottom.
"Master Wong, help the old man go outside the door to hide for a bit."
Lin Yi stepped on the glass shards all over the ground, and his right foot directly stepped onto the steps leading to hell.
"The delivery person is here, I'll sign for it."
The red and black fog surging up from the Underground Room became thicker and thicker.
The fog crashed against the stone walls on both sides, making a sizzling sound similar to sulfuric acid poured on rotten meat, and large patches of wall skin peeled off downward.
Daniel used his staff to firmly prop against the ground, his old eye corners twitching wildly, roaring at Lin Yi's back.
"Get back here! That is the dark source of Dormammu! You don't even know how to cast a shield, are you going down there to deliver rations?!"
Lin Yi didn't even look back, continuing to take steps downward.
Daniel became anxious, clenching his back teeth and stepping forward half a step, reaching out to grab Lin Yi's shoulder.
His hand had just poked out of the protection range of the stairwell entrance.
A wisp of red and black fog, like a venomous snake that smelled blood, instantly wrapped around Daniel's forearm.
"Ah!"
Daniel let out a miserable scream.
He abruptly pulled back his hand, and his entire body fell backward.
On that scrawny arm, the surface of the skin looked like it had been scalded by boiling oil, the flesh curled outward, and the dark red blood was burned into black smoke as soon as it oozed out, even revealing gleaming white bones.
The old man gasped sharply from the pain, and his staff dropped to the ground.
Wong stepped across from behind in one stride, pulling the old man to a safe distance.
Both hands skillfully and forcefully pulled apart in front of his chest.
Two Rings of Raggadorr unfolded in the air, bursting with dazzling sparks, blocking that red and black fog trying to rush up the stairs firmly outside.
"Don't stop him." Wong said expressionlessly through the magic shield.
"You're crazy! He is the personal disciple of Sorcerer Supreme!!"
Wong looked at the back disappearing into the thick fog, letting out a breath of foul air.
He'll get into trouble?
Underground Room.
The dark erosion had completely materialized.
The air became extremely viscous, and every step felt like wading through a quagmire.
The thirty-meter bluestone slabs originally engraved with defensive runes were all pitted and corroded at this moment.
The array at the center completely exploded, with rubble covering the ground.
A pitch-black crack suspended in mid-air looked like a giant mouth forcibly torn open by someone.
The edges of the crack were covered with dark red granulation tissue.
Those granulation tissues were constantly writhing, spewing out a nauseating, fishy stench.
Lin Yi stopped less than five meters away from the crack.
A dimensional beast was struggling to squeeze its body over from the other side of the crack.
This thing had no fixed shape.
It looked like a stitched-together monster composed of rotten meat, tentacles, and countless yellowish eyeballs.
Dark purple slime dripped patter-patter down its tentacles.
The slime fell onto the floor tiles, directly burning out large pits half a meter deep.
Lin Yi covered his nose in disgust.
Holy crap! It looks so unique.
Doesn't Dormammu sort garbage over there, dumping all kinds of food waste onto Earth! What a turn-off.
The monster sensed the living creature a few meters away.
Dozens of eyeballs on its body rolled in unison, locked tightly onto Lin Yi.
The dimensional beast let out a sharp roar, and its body expanded violently.
A fan-shaped dark erosion wave, like a black tsunami, swept toward Lin Yi along the ground.
The speed of the attack was extremely fast.
Wherever it passed, the load-bearing stone pillars along the way were directly vaporized, and the walls collapsed on a large scale like melted candles.
"It's over."
Daniel saw this blow with his own eyes through the edge of the magic shield.
He closed his eyes, his body trembling uncontrollably.
With a dark erosion wave of this purity, let alone an ordinary person without magic, even if The Ancient Oneherself came, she would have to treat it with the utmost seriousness.
The black energy tidal wave completely swallowed Lin Yiwhole.
In the Underground Room, there was only the roaring sound of dark energy rampaging and the echoes of shattered bricks and stones.
The monster retracted its attack and waved several tentacles.
Its eyeballs revealed a humanized contempt, seeming to mock the fragility of Earth's carbon-based life forms.
Just at this moment, a long sigh came from deep within the black fog.
"Ah..."
"So refreshing."
The thick black fog was split right down the middle as if by someone with a knife.
Lin Yi stood safe and sound right in place, hands tucked in his pockets.
[Sustained intermediate Dark Dimension erosion, triggering the 'Cost Reversal' rule.]
[Physical erosion judgment failed, converted into permanent attribute enhancement.]
[Constitution + 500!]
[Strength + 200!]
[Dark resistance continues to increase... Current proficiency + 300!]
This broken system directly converts the values into the flesh, and I don't even have a glowing protective aura, isn't this purely letting people beat me like a target?
Can't you add fifty cents' worth of special effects?
"Is that it?"