Chapter 160: The Second Layer
Oma’s figure descended from the sky, landing near a horribly mutilated corpse, her expression somewhat unpleasant.
“Wizard Oma!”
“Senior!”
Several wizard apprentices with ties to the Tower stood to one side, looking apprehensive and making room.
This was a narrow alley near the market, and the ground was covered with puddles due to the rain that had fallen the day before.
A crowd had gathered at the alley entrance, whispering to one another.
The corpse on the ground had been subjected to extremely cruel torture before death. The eyes had been gouged out, the legs broken, and the face was covered with hideous gashes from a sharp blade. The lower body, in particular, was a gruesome sight, as if the perpetrator had been venting their rage.
“Drive away the onlookers!”
Oma frowned:
“What exactly happened?”
“Senior,” one of them began, his face pale, “Yesterday afternoon, Lance was in a bad mood after being kicked out of the shop, so he asked me to have a drink with him. We drank too much last night…”
“When I woke up and found him, he was already like this.”
The dead man was Lance!
And he had died a gruesome death!
“Who did this?” Oma’s face was grim:
“There are so many traces of the perpetrator left at the scene. Don’t tell me you have no clues!”
“It should be Lyle,” one of them said softly:
“Lyle the Executioner, a Grand Knight who is skilled with a saw-toothed blade. He… he has always wanted to hurt Lance.”
“Lyle?” Oma asked:
“Did he have a grudge against Lance?”
If it had been someone else from the Tower who had been killed, Oma probably wouldn’t have asked much, and would have simply retaliated as per regulations.
But Lance…
His bad character was well-known, even to her, so there could be other reasons why he was killed.
“This…” Cohen hesitated for a moment before whispering:
“Lance had a relationship with Lyle’s sister for a while, and then Lyle’s sister died.”
He didn’t say how she died, but it was easy to guess that Lance was involved, otherwise, why would it have provoked the other party’s revenge?
“Heh…” Oma chuckled lightly:
“Never mind!”
“First, collect the body, and then…”
“Wizard Gould!”
Before she could finish her sentence, another figure appeared, and a heavy pressure descended.
It was like an invisible mountain had fallen on the people present, making it difficult to breathe.
Gould, his face grim, appeared at some point, his eyes fixed on the corpse on the ground.
“Lance…”
“Dead?”
“His father specifically asked me to take care of him. I even restricted him from leaving the Leipzig Market to protect him.”
“And yet…”
“It still happened!”
His voice was full of anger, as if flames were erupting from his eyes.
“Wizard Gould,” Oma said softly, trying to comfort him:
“What’s done is done. Don’t be too sad. What needs to be done now is to properly handle Lance’s funeral arrangements and avenge him.”
“No!” Gould’s face was cold:
“There’s something else.”
Huh?
Oma was taken aback.
“Your name is Cohen, right?” Gould turned his head, looking at the young man who was pale and trembling:
“I heard Lance mention your name.”
“Y-yes… yes…” Cohen’s lips trembled:
“Senior, it’s not my fault, it’s not my fault!”
“I didn’t say Lance’s death was your fault,” Gould narrowed his eyes:
“But you were drinking with him, and you’re fine, but he’s dead. Isn’t that a little unfair?”
“You and Lance were such good friends, it shouldn’t be a problem to keep him company, right?”
“Senior…” Cohen looked up, his face full of despair, and the next moment he suddenly turned and ran towards the street outside.
“Bang!”
His body stiffened as he ran, and his head exploded, scattering red and white matter everywhere.
A First-Circle Spell—Mental Storm!
“Wizard Gould…” Oma’s face was pale as she murmured:
“It wasn’t necessary.”
“It was very necessary!” Gould’s voice was cold:
“When someone from the Green Family dies, someone has to pay the price. That’s our family’s rule!”
“He should be grateful that this is the Magic Forest and not the Kalim Continent, or his family would have to be buried with Lance!”
“Swish!”
Gould reached out and collected Lance’s corpse into his spatial magic item, and then strode towards the market.
Oma hurriedly followed, and after thinking for a moment, she took out a piece of magic paper and quickly wrote something on it.
Soon.
“Huff…”
Gould, shrouded in a gust of wind, arrived at the shop, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone present as he asked:
“Who’s called Zoe?”
Zoe, who was busy in the shop, stopped what she was doing, her expression stiff under the invisible pressure.
“I… it’s me.”
“Swish!”
As soon as she spoke, her body was sent flying to the side, and at the same time, the counter where she had been standing exploded.
If she hadn’t dodged in time, her upper body would probably have been shattered like the counter.
The sudden killing intent and the imminent death made her face pale and filled with fear.
“Wizard Gould!”
Karl walked out from the backyard, pulled Zoe behind him, and frowned as he looked at the newcomer:
“What are you doing?”
“Lance is dead,” Gould’s voice was cold:
“He died last night.”
“That’s a pity,” Karl sighed, having just learned of the news from Oma’s reminder:
“But it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Zoe?”
“If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have driven Lance away. If you hadn’t driven Lance away, he wouldn’t have gone drinking, and he wouldn’t have been killed,” Gould said:
“So…”
“This woman should pay the price.”
His voice was cold, his logic clear, but he didn’t seem to realize how far-fetched his words were.
Or rather,
That was just his logic!
“Wizard Gould!” Karl frowned:
“You’re being too overbearing, aren’t you?”
“Overbearing?” Gould snorted:
“The Green Family has always been overbearing. Do you think you can get away with this?”
Mental Storm!
“Stop!”
Oma, who had just arrived, shouted loudly, raising her staff slightly, and an invisible barrier appeared in front of Karl.
She thought that Gould would only vent his anger on the wizard apprentices, but she hadn’t expected him to be unwilling to let go of even a Formal Wizard.
At the same time.
A stream of water appeared, forming a water sphere that enveloped the surroundings.
Magic Shield!
Tidal Force!
The two First-Circle Wizards cast spells at the same time, blocking the Mental Storm, and the magic auras shattered with a loud crash.
“Bang!”
Karl involuntarily took a step back, his face grave.
Even if he and Oma joined forces, they couldn’t stop Gould’s attack. That was the difference between the early and middle stages of the First Circle.
But…
“Swish!”
Karl flicked his wrist, and a rapier appeared in his palm, and at the same time, a sharp and murderous battle aura surged from within his body.
“Huh?”
Gould, who was about to step forward, flinched, subconsciously taking a step back, and looked at Karl with suspicion:
“A Legendary Knight?”
The two were so close that if they fought to the death, he might not be unscathed.
At this moment.
The magical fluctuations coming from the shop also attracted the attention of the guards in the market, and shouts rang out one after another.
“What’s going on?”
“Stop!”
“…”
However, when the guards arrived at the scene, they immediately fell silent, after all, this was the territory of the Six Rings Tower, and the people confronting each other were three Formal Wizards.
“Hmph!”
Gould took a deep look at Karl:
“As a Formal Wizard and a Legendary Knight, no wonder you dare to bully the people of the Green Family.”
“We’ll see!”
With that, he turned around, his figure flashed towards the sky, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
As a First-Circle Wizard in the middle stage, he wasn’t afraid of Karl, but it was clear that the situation was difficult to continue.
However,
The Green Family’s revenge would definitely not end here.
The next day.
Karl received a message from Wizard Daniel, saying that the list of those going to the Kalim Continent in a few years had been confirmed.
He,
Was not on the list.
This was very unusual, but Karl didn’t say anything, just shook his head in silence and threw it aside.
“Gould…”
“He’s really petty!”
“Another enemy!”
*
*
*
Time flew by.
In a 6191 book bar, you can see the error-free version!
In the blink of an eye, several months had passed.
To avoid provoking the mad dog-like Gould, Karl had been staying in the shop and cultivating diligently during this time.
The cultivation of the Holy Demon Transformation mainly involved stimulating one’s own potential with Life Energy, thereby causing a qualitative change in the physical body.
The difficulty lay in how to use Life Energy to stimulate every part of the body in an orderly and complete manner.
And this difficulty was not difficult for Karl at all.
The absolute control of the physical body in the Divine Domain allowed him to easily enter the path of this holy technique and advance quickly.
As long as his cultivation was strong enough and his Life Energy was sufficient, the first few stages of the Holy Demon Transformation would be completed quickly.
Of course,
The further he went, the slower it would become!
“Crack!”
Accompanied by a crisp sound, cracks appeared on the surface of Nef’s Magic Mirror, and the illusion inscribed within it completely failed.
A trace of bewilderment flashed in Karl’s eyes as his consciousness broke free from the illusion, and then a wry smile appeared on his face.
“What a pity!”
“It can’t be used after all, but I’ve also roughly calculated my strength. Now, in close combat, I have a good chance of killing a First-Circle Wizard in the middle stage, and a certain chance of seriously injuring a First-Circle Wizard in the late stage…”
He turned his hands over, his fingers lightly sweeping across the void, and the air rippled like water.
He clenched his fist, and the air exploded.
The wind blades that he released by activating runes could easily cut through gold and iron, but they couldn’t break through Karl’s skin.
At this time, he had already completed the second layer of the Holy Demon Transformation.
His tight, strong skin could withstand the slash of a sharp weapon, and even vulnerable parts of the body like the pupils of his eyes were impenetrable to needles.
His resistance to wizardry had also been greatly enhanced.
“The third transformation…”
“With my current constitution, it takes two to three days of accumulated Life Energy to temper my body once, and to reach the third transformation of the Holy Demon Transformation, several thousand temperings are necessary, which means…”
“Several decades!”
“Even if I do nothing else and devote myself entirely to cultivation, it will take several decades to achieve.”
Shaking his head, Karl stopped stretching his body.
“Fortunately, besides relying on myself, I can also use external objects. I can’t do it in the Other World, but this is the resource-rich Magic Forest!”
“As long as I complete the third transformation, I’ll be able to beat Gould to death with my fists!”
Walking out of the shop, the people on the street were still hurrying about.
The Holy Spear Hall!
This was a shop that specialized in selling supplies needed by knights, including weapons, armor, cultivation techniques, and potions.
The owner of the shop was a Legendary Knight with a middle-stage First-Order cultivation, and he also practiced wizardry, making him very powerful.
Even wizards did not dare to underestimate him.
“Bardo!”
Karl greeted the shop owner and went to the area behind the shop where he entertained honored guests, pulling up a chair to sit down:
“Business is good today.”
“Not bad,” Bardo was burly, with thick hair all over his body. It was said that he had the bloodline of a giant.
He wiped the grease from his hands and came over:
“Wizard Karl, are you here for beast meat again?”
“No,” Karl shook his head:
“I want some Life Potions.”
“Life Potions?” Bardo blinked:
“Is a junior of Wizard Karl about to become a knight? I’ll give you two high-quality Life Potions as a gift.”
“No,” Karl waved his hand:
“It’s because of some reasons that I need a large number of Life Potions for experiments. I might need…”
“Thousands of them!”
“Thousands?” Bardo’s mouth twitched slightly.
For them, Life Potions were nothing, but thousands of them was still a staggering number.
“This…”
After hesitating for a moment, Bardo said:
“One Life Potion costs two magic stones. If you buy a thousand, I can give you a 10% discount, so it will be 1,800 magic stones.”
“But the quantity is too large, and it will be difficult to gather them in a day or two. You will have to come back in a few days.”
“It’s okay,” Karl thought for a moment and asked:
“I can’t use that many at once, and I don’t have that many magic stones on hand. Just give me a few dozen for now.”
“By the way, I heard that there is a potion that contains dozens of times more Life Energy than a Life Potion. Do you have that here?”
“Divine Blood Potion!” Bardo smiled:
“I have a few, but they are quite expensive. They are usually used by Second-Circle Wizards to treat their injuries. It’s not worth it to buy them.”
“Hmm…”
He pondered for a moment:
“Actually, when it comes to potions related to Life Energy, the major families usually cultivate their own loyal knight teams, and they are the most skilled in this.”
“Please wait for a moment on the second floor. I’ll go get the potions.”
Karl nodded.
After going up to the second floor and waiting in a private room for a while, someone knocked on the door and walked in.
However, the people who came in weren’t Bardo, but two familiar faces that he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Huh?”
Karl’s face changed, and he suddenly stood up.
“Karl,” the newcomer said with a smile:
“Long time no see!”
“Milia! Sam!” Karl narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two who had come in, and a warning bell rang in his heart:
“What are you doing here?”
The newcomers were Milia and Sam from the Capet Family, the two who had escaped when the Capet Family was destroyed.
They were still on the wanted list of many forces, and yet they dared to show up in the market.
“Karl, my friend, don’t be agitated,” Milia said, gesturing with her hands to show that she had no ill intentions:
“We have no malice.”
“I believe that,” Karl said calmly after his initial surprise:
“But with your identities, appearing in the Leipzig Market is not a wise choice.”
“Even for wizards!”
He could tell that Milia had become a Formal Wizard, and even Sam’s mental power had improved greatly.
But so what if they were wizards?
As long as they were discovered, they definitely wouldn’t live past the next day!
“Heh…” Sam chuckled lightly:
“A few years ago, we were still the masters of this market.”
Karl shook his head:
“The only constant truth in the world is that everything is changing, and so is power.”
“Karl!” Milia said directly:
“I hope you can help us deal with the Andrew Family!”
“…” Karl was speechless:
“Milia, Sam, as your former friend, I hope you won’t let hatred cloud your judgment.”
The Andrew Family had three Second-Circle Wizards alone. It was undoubtedly a pipe dream for them to take revenge with just the two of them!
“We are very clear-headed,” Sam said:
“Karl, you should know that the First-Circle Wizard in the late stage of the Nelson Family has successfully advanced to the Second Circle.”
“The Andrew Family will not allow another Second-Circle Wizard in the market, so there will definitely be a battle.”
“In short…”
“We have seriously considered this action, and the target we have chosen happens to have some conflict with you.”
“Oh!” Karl raised his eyebrows:
“Which one?”
“Vincent!” Sam said:
“The wizard of the Andrew Family who manages the Beast Market, a First-Circle Wizard in the middle stage. He seems to have offended you.”
Karl didn’t say anything.
Ever since he was ambushed by the Blood Claw Wizard, he had cut off his business dealings with Vincent. This was something that couldn’t be hidden from others.
“The Nelson Family wants to use you to deal with the Andrew Family?” After thinking for a moment, he said slowly:
“You two alone are definitely not enough, which means… the Nelson Family has found others.”
“Yes,” Milia nodded, not intending to hide this:
“There are many people who have grudges against the Andrew Family, and we only need to deal with Vincent. As the wise ones have said, even wolves can kill a tiger if they work together.”
“Karl!”
“We need your help!”
Karl’s thoughts raced.
He wasn’t optimistic about their actions. Although Vincent was old, he was still a First-Circle Wizard in the middle stage.
“Don’t worry,” Sam said, seeing the change in his expression, trying to reassure him:
“No matter if we succeed or not, we won’t betray you. And we don’t need you to take action, we just need you to provide some useful clues.”
“…” Karl was thoughtful.
He had a grudge against Vincent, so of course, he would be willing to take revenge, provided that he was sure that he wouldn’t be affected.
“I can provide you with some clues about Vincent, but I need you to exchange them for some potion formulas,” after thinking for a moment, Karl said:
“Formulas like the Life Potion.”
“Potion formulas?” Milia and Sam exchanged a look, and then Milia nodded:
“Okay!”
(End of Chapter)