Translator: AnubisTL
The discomfort caused by planar rejection, while frustrating and limiting for some wizards, proved to be an opportunity for others.
In the Frostdark Realm, within a deep valley blanketed in ice and snow, a second-tier combat wizard clad in full armor cautiously hunted a rare frost giant lizard among the icy crevices.
With the disappearance of the high-tier snow monsters, nearly every snow monster gathering point had become a "treasure trove" in the eyes of the wizards. Even areas previously too dangerous to hunt due to the presence of high-tier snow monsters could now be explored.
Jieming, a "Logistics Department" wizard with access to core technologies, naturally disdained such petty gains. But for most combat wizards, driven to desperation by poverty, this windfall was too good to pass up!
The second-tier wizard deftly dodged the giant lizard's ice crystal claws, firing a precise arrow of dao fire that struck the creature's eye, killing it instantly. He carefully skinned the lizard, extracted its core, and stored them in his space expansion pouch.
As he flew back to the outpost, he tallied his gains from the expedition, feeling deeply satisfied with his daring venture.
In the days following Wizard Augustine's departure, many wizards experienced severe discomfort due to the sudden planar rejection.
This significantly curtailed their activities, with almost no one daring to venture deep behind enemy lines for fear of encountering unforeseen dangers.
The wizard in question had precisely targeted this "window of opportunity"!
He reasoned that with many competitors out of the picture, this period would be the most resource-rich time.
Thus, he boldly left the camp, risking everything to search for rare resources.
His gamble paid off beyond his wildest expectations. Without the competition, he not only easily hunted down several high-tier demonic beasts he had previously only dreamed of, but also discovered several rare ice attribute materials.
This newfound wealth would easily cover the costs of his next stage of knowledge acquisition.
"Once I return, I'll purchase..."
Just as the wizard was calculating which knowledge to acquire upon his return, or which combat wizardry to learn to enhance his strength, he suddenly noticed a massive energy turbulence rapidly approaching from the distant horizon at an incredible speed!
"What's that?" His heart tightened. He immediately focused his mental power and cast the eagle eye technique, peering into the distance.
As he focused his gaze, a wave of primal terror seized his heart.
The so-called "energy turbulence" was no natural phenomenon. It was an immeasurable army of snow monsters.
The "energy turbulence" was the terrifying disturbance caused by these unimaginably vast numbers of elemental creatures surging forward in unison, churning the surrounding elemental tides into a chaotic maelstrom.
It was a white torrent, sweeping across the ice field with an aura that promised to obliterate everything in its path.
Most terrifying of all, even the lowest-ranked snow monsters in this army were at least second-tier beings!
"Damn it! How could this happen?!" The wizard's face drained of color, turning as pale as paper.
As a second-tier wizard, he struggled to face even a small squad of third-tier snow monsters. This nearly endless army of second-tier snow monsters was utterly beyond his capabilities.
Yet even if he wanted to flee, it was already too late.
Before he could fully grasp the scale of the snow monster army, in a "moment" he hadn't even registered, several "dark specks" had detached from the distant horde, transforming into streaks of black shadow that hurtled toward his position.
By the time the wizard noticed, several burly snow monsters had materialized before him as if from thin air.
He hadn't even detected their flight paths, as if they had suddenly teleported right in front of him!
The wizard's pupils constricted sharply. He whirled around, activating his fastest escape spell.
But before his figure could fully transform into a streak of light, an overwhelming, suffocatingly cold aura instantly enveloped him!
"ROAR!"
With a thunderous roar, one of the terrifying third-tier snow monsters gave him no chance to react, sweeping its arm in a lethal arc.
Its ice crystal claws slashed through the air with deadly precision.
The moment he turned, a faint shriik echoed as the wizard's head was cleanly severed.
The geyser of blood that erupted upward froze instantly in the extreme cold, crystallizing into crimson ice shards before it could even spray outward.
The headless corpse, like a kite with its string cut, plummeted helplessly from the sky, its residual elemental glow fading as it crashed onto the frozen ground.
The killer snow monster didn't even glance at the wizard's fallen body or the slowly freezing, ice-encrusted head.
Having completed its kill, it turned back and merged into its party, continuing its relentless march alongside the massive snow monster army with unwavering momentum.
The peaceful routine was shattered within a mere half-month.
On this particular day, Jieming was in his laboratory, engrossed in purifying new spell materials using high-tier energy crystals.
Suddenly, the magic net terminal emitted a piercing red emergency alarm.
The warning siren reverberated throughout the camp, accompanied by vibrating rune-inscribed light screens, instantly raising the highest level of vigilance!
Emergency Alert! All wizards currently exploring outside the camp must return immediately to assist in its defense!
Mandatory Mission Issued! All wizards are required to review and execute their assigned tasks immediately!
Jieming's heart tightened as he read the message on the magic net terminal. He immediately opened his mission list.
The light screen displayed a dense list of mandatory missions.
He focused on his own assignment: [Assimilate the knowledge provided by the camp within the shortest possible time and assist in constructing a bioweapon army.]
Jieming raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and opened the "knowledge archive" that had been sent along with the mission.
After carefully reviewing the contents, he discovered that it was indeed a comprehensive set of technologies related to bioweapon creation.
From basic material processing to core energy circuit construction, soul anchoring, and combat command programming, everything was covered.
"This... isn't particularly specialized bioweapon knowledge," Jieming thought to himself.
In his view, while the system was mature, it lacked any groundbreaking innovation.
The only truly unique aspect was its focus on using materials native to the Flamefrost Plane to create bioweapons adapted to the local environment.
All biomass was sourced locally, drastically reducing production costs and resource consumption.
The system even included techniques for using elemental creatures to create advanced elemental bioweapons.
Clearly, the camp had compiled all the localized technologies developed by wizards over the past few years.
Jieming reviewed the other missions and noticed that many combat wizards had been assigned to frontline outposts along the dangerous border.
Dismantle the core node as quickly as possible and transport all its defensive materials and energy core back to camp.
This was clearly the camp's strategy to withdraw its defensive lines and prevent resources from falling into enemy hands.
Combining this with the defensive withdrawal missions assigned to other wizards and the bioweapon manufacturing knowledge...
"It seems the monsters have mobilized, preparing to launch a full-scale war against the camp!" Jieming's heart sank.
The camp's defensive withdrawal and mass production of bioweapons as cannon fodder... this undoubtedly signaled preparations for a final showdown!
Moreover, the Wizard Camp's leadership likely anticipated this war to be an absurdly protracted conflict, otherwise they wouldn't have issued such missions.
Even though he had long foreseen this day, Jieming couldn't help but feel a surge of tension as the final battle loomed.
However, the situation allowed no time for contemplation. Though unfamiliar with advanced modification techniques, Jieming immediately accepted the mission and began studying.
In the blink of an eye, another two months had passed.
During this time, the wizards at the camp had been remarkably productive. Following the urgent warning, a steady stream of wizards continued to return to the camp.
Jieming proved to be a quick learner, mastering the fundamental knowledge of bioweapon modification in no time. All that remained was practical application.
Upon learning of his progress, the camp swiftly assigned him a new mission.
After receiving his orders, Jieming immediately left the laboratory.
His mission required him to conduct fieldwork at the temporary defensive nodes on the camp's periphery, collecting materials and conducting on-site inspections.
After several hours of flight, Jieming arrived at a newly constructed, rudimentary defensive node.
Located thousands of kilometers from the camp's core region, this outpost marked the frontline of the impending conflict.
The area was enveloped by a transparent force field constructed from runic energy. Beyond this barrier lay the desolate, scorched earth of the Blazing Sun Realm.
Jieming exchanged brief greetings with the few wizards stationed there, who were responsible for energy maintenance and daily patrols.
"ROAR!!!"
Jieming had just finished greeting the others when a deafening roar, accompanied by violent tremors in the ground, erupted from beyond the protective force field.
A massive dark shadow, moving with the force of a full-throttle tank, slammed into the transparent barrier!
Bang!
The force field shuddered violently but quickly stabilized.
Standing within the rune-covered fairground, Jieming remained calm, his mental power already focused.
The creature that had attacked was a demonic beast resembling a wild boar rolled into a ball, its size comparable to a small truck.
Its entire body was covered in scorched, rough rock-like skin, and its limbs were thick as pillars.
Most striking was the row of sharp, volcanic rock-like bone spikes protruding from its back, radiating the scorching heat of molten lava.
This was a third-tier magical beast: the lava giant pig!
Jieming had believed himself prepared, but he hadn't anticipated that this war would defy his expectations from the very beginning.
The first assault on the wizards' camp hadn't come from the lava giant army or the snow monster horde, but from... the plane's native wildlife!
(End of the Chapter)
------------------------------------------------------
- Read ahead up to Ch328 (WIZARD) on AnubisTL; free chapters up to Ch248.
- No sign-up required. Find official site via Google search.
------------------------------------------------------