Chapter 173: Alchemist
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Swish! Swish!"
Two pillars of light flashed, then two figures appeared.
Merlin and the black-robed old man had arrived at an unfamiliar place. There were also a few large statues here. These statues were covered with runes that gave off extremely mysterious and ancient vibes.
"We're finally here. This is Floating City!"
The black-robed old man looked around and smiled as he said softly to Merlin.
Merlin pulled open the robe over his head to reveal his young-looking face. He checked out his surroundings and found that it appeared to be a booming city. However, there were not many people here. In addition, there were many mysterious runes and fluctuations of Elements around them.
"Let's go. This is only the outer area of Floating City. The inner area is more vibrant."
The old man smiled and promptly became a guide for Merlin. He walked at the front and guided Merlin into Floating City.
As the old man had said, Floating City was indeed bustling with people. Once they were in the city, a cacophony of noise immediately reached Merlin's ears. People were everywhere within his sight. There were men, women, the elderly, and even children – people from all walks of life were roaming the street as they pleased.
Of course, they were not Normies; they were at the very least, Entrance-level Spell Casters and above.
Moreover, these Spell Casters were strange. Some had gruesome-looking poison insects on them that snarled and terrified others, and some even took the form of a monster that was more horrifying than Wizard Leo.
The Spell Casters came in all shapes and sizes. This trip had truly opened Merlin's eyes.
With the old man's guidance, Merlin explored the street. Suddenly, Merlin looked to the front and saw a brown-haired ugly Spell Caster and there was a naked man trailing behind him.
The man only wore a leather skirt by his waist and an iron mask on his head. Silver thorns were tied around his limbs that reflected the bright sunlight, thus appearing extremely horrifying.
This masked man even wore an iron chain around his neck and was pulled by the ugly Spell Caster in front of him, moving forward one step at a time.
Merlin frowned. He could see that the masked man was obviously a living human but he was treated like a monster.
The old man's expression turned dark and told Merlin in a heavy voice, "Wizard Merlin, don't get us into trouble. Those are alchemists, mad people. Don't ever get in trouble with them."
The old man quickly pulled Merlin and walked quicker to the front. Then, they waited until that ugly Spell Caster and the masked man had left.
Merlin gazed at the masked "monster" behind him and asked, "Wizard Hill, what do you mean by alchemists?"
The old man revealed a serious expression, then laughed grimly. "Hehe. Technically speaking, alchemists are Spell Casters as well but they are known to be cruel and bad-tempered. These alchemists are not Spell Casters of a high level. They may be Entrance-level or First-level Spell Casters but they don't have much interest in constructing Spell Models. Instead, they prefer to study alchemy and to practice it on people.
"Did you see that masked 'creature' back there? That's actually a Normie. He was caught by these alchemists and had his memory erased with a special potion, turning into a walking zombie 1 that only obeys the alchemists. The alchemists tried all they could to test their alchemy on Normies that they've captured, enabling the Normies to possess power that's more terrifying than that of a beast. The alchemists call such walking zombies as their 'pet'. Hehe. The alchemist's abilities mostly manifest in their 'pet'. To attain greater strength, these alchemists are ruthless. They're no longer true Spell Casters!"
The old man's tone obviously showed disapproval of the alchemists. Indeed, Merlin was filled with disgust after hearing the actions of this group of ruthless Spell Casters.
The so-called "pet" of the alchemists were all Normies but they were cruelly turned into monsters. In fact, there was a name for such a "pet" in Merlin's previous life – biological weapon!
However, in his previous life, the law had been perfected; it strictly prohibited the study of "biological weapon" because this matter was simply too terrifying and inhumane. Unfortunately, in this world, the mad alchemists were not held down by anything, hence they could test their alchemy result on Normies at will.
"Let's go. We'll get used to such matter the more we encounter it."
The old man shook his head slightly. When he heard about the cruelty of alchemists back then, he was in disbelief. However, this was the truth. In the world of Spell Casters, cruelty and indifference were the main themes. Most Spell Casters regarded themselves a tower above the rest; they did not think much about Normies.
Merlin took a deep breath, trying to calm the boiling emotions in his heart. Then, he turned around and trailed behind the black-robed old man, heading forward.
During his trip, Merlin noticed quite a few cruel alchemists. There were always some "monsters" trailing behind them. These "monsters" were the results of the alchemists' study. Merlin even felt a strong sense of danger from some of these "monsters".
Merlin had never come across the knowledge of alchemists in the Dark Magic Region. This also showed that the Dark Magic Region was a rather orthodox spell casters' organization. They practiced the ancient cultivation method of Spell Casters with potions, alchemy, and runology as side studies to aid Spell Casters in becoming a higher-level Spell Caster. It was definitely not the other way around to have runology or alchemy to be the main studies and neglect the construction of Spell Model.
However, Merlin also knew from the black-robed old man that the number of orthodox spell casters' organizations had been decreasing in the overall Spell Casters world. Many spell casters' organizations were starting to accept alchemists.
Walking behind the old man for a long time, Merlin could not help but ask, "Wizard Hill, where are we going?"
Merlin had truly learned a lot by coming to Floating City. At least he had never come across such a cruel yet still gradually expanding group of people like the alchemists. This represented a trend of changes in the entire Spell Caster world. These alchemists might only need a short time to turn a Normie into an offensive monster by using unique alchemy methods.
Although the doing was cruel, their actions were welcomed by many Spell Casters. Hence, more Spell Casters were considering to becoming alchemists.
However, Merlin's true aim in Floating City was still getting some potion materials required to prepare Phantasmal Magic Potion and Blueberry Potion.
Thus, when Merlin saw that the black-robed old man was heading toward an unknown place, he would ask for clarification.
The old man paused and replied, "Wizard Merlin, we both need some potion materials. Just follow me. I'll bring you to an old friend of mine. With his help, we can get the potion materials we want easily."
Merlin nodded. After all, the black-robed old man had visited Floating City in the past; he would naturally be more familiar with the city.
Soon, the old man brought Merlin through a few streets and entered an alley. Then, they turned right and walked into a courtyard.
This courtyard had a nice ambience as it appeared serene and quiet. In the yard, there was an old man who was about the age of the black-robed old man. He silently lied on his chair in a laid-back manner, enjoying the afternoon sun.
However, as soon as the black-robed old man and Merlin stepped into the yard and before they could even approach the old man, a woman in a red shirt suddenly dashed out from the old man's side.
This woman had a well-shaped body. With her detached expression, she seemed to be an extremely beautiful person. She wore a tight leather armor and her chest stood tall and proud, enhancing her charm.
The fingers of this woman in a red shirt were actually sharp spikes that had a cold gleam while her purple hair was also needle-like. Her small figure contained a strength stronger than any fierce beast. However, her eyes were not focused, and she appeared to be lifeless and detached.
This was obviously another Alchemy Creature!
The woman moved like the wind as she arrived in front of Merlin and the black-robed old man in the blink of an eye. She raised the gleaming spikes on her hands and showed an offensive stance.
"Burton!"
The black-robed old man yelled. Instantly, the laid-back old man on the chair shivered. Following that, the woman in a red shirt also halted her movement. Just like a puppet, she stared lifelessly at Merlin and the black-robed old man.
"Burton, I can't believe you've become an alchemist!"
The black-robed old man strode toward Wizard Burton and shot a glance at the woman who was obviously an Alchemist Creature. His tone concealed a hint of anger as he said coldly.
Wizard Burton slowly opened his eyes. After sparing a glimpse at the black-robed old man and Merlin, he replied in an unconcerned tone, "It's Hill, huh. It's been so many years, but that temper of yours never changes. You really can't learn to change. No wonder that you're still suffering from the agony of your unstable Spell Models all your life. Meanwhile, I've obtained many resources thanks to my darling, 'Spikes' and finally became a First-level Spell Caster!"
Wizard Burton took a glance at the woman in a red shirt and announced proudly.
"Spikes? Hehe. That's the name of your Alchemy Creature? Your soul has fallen. Betraying the tradition of ancient Spell Casters, you're no longer a Spell Caster. You're an alchemist who has gone on a wrong path!"
The black-robed old man seemed to be furious that he almost howled.
"Fallen?"
Wizard Burton's eyes flashed, then stood up in a sudden movement. With a cold stare, he said to the black-robed old man, "Hill, you're still as stubborn as before. As long as I can be stronger, I can use whatever method to do so. How strong can your so-called orthodox Spell Casters be? Hehe, 'darling', send my regards to my old friend!"
As soon as Wizard Burton finished his words, the initially quiet woman in a red shirt immediately advanced forward, moving as fast as the wind. The spikes on her hands shone a cold gleam as she aimed them at the black-robed old man.
Chapter 174: Alchemy Creature
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The woman in red moved extremely quick, rendering the black-robed old man almost unable to react to her attack. The spikes on her hands slashed toward the old man without the slightest hint of hesitation.
As an orthodox Spell Caster, the old man had a weak physique. He could not take even a single hit from the Alchemy Creature.
"Bang!"
The woman in red was not able to land her attack as Merlin struck instinctively. Guardian Monument instantly encompassed the black-robed old man, and the spikes on her hands stabbed into the Guardian Monument ferociously, causing friction. As a result, the impact let out a series of sharp screeching noises.
"Scram!"
At the same time, Merlin let out a low howl and numerous small fireballs flew out of his hands. The fireballs headed straight towards the woman.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
After a few explosions, the impact of the fireballs sent the woman in red back a few meters. Moreover, she was drowned by the enraged flame.
"Hmm? Hill, I didn't expect you to know such a capable person! But my darling won't be defeated that easily."
Wizard Burton smirked, then the woman, who was covered in flames, bounced up from the ground. The tight leather armor she wore was destroyed by the flame, revealing her well-shaped naked body. They could even see her tall and plump breasts clearly.
However, even if the woman in a red was naked, she could not arouse a hint of desire from the men. Instead, they felt disgusted.
The upper body of the women was covered with a greenish epidermal layer like scales which enveloped her entire upper body. Merlin's small fireballs were blasted onto the layer of scales, thus were not effective at all.
The greenish scales on the woman's body began to secrete a sort of mucus that instantly quenched the furious flame.
Merlin's attack had exposed the woman's' real appearance. They felt that she was extremely disgusting where a well-shaped and sexy lady had become a terrifying Alchemy Creature.
"Swoosh!"
Suddenly, the woman howled as if she was a beast. Her figure began to expand and muscles appeared on her body. Even her veins bulged out, appearing extremely horrifying on her delicate face.
With this transformation, the people could see that the woman was powerful beyond imagination. She leaped and headed directly toward Merlin.
"Dark Mist!"
Merlin immediately cast Dark Mist and a large area of mist appeared at once. The mist enveloped the woman but she seemed to be unaffected by it and continued to dash out from the mist frantically.
"Hmm? Dark Mist? Hill, I truly didn't expect the person you brought with you had constructed Dark Mist successfully! But, no matter how strong Dark Mist is, it won't have any effect on my darling because she's just a walking zombie. She's without conscious and won't fall into an illusion by nature. Haha!"
Amidst Wizard Burton's laughter, the woman dashed out of the mist as expected. She released a punch at Merlin. The air let out a faint "buzzing" sound from her punch, demonstrating how powerful this punch really was.
"Guardian Monument!"
Without hesitation, Merlin immediately cast Guardian Monument. The woman's punch fell on Guardian Monument.
"Boom!"
After a violent shake, a crack appeared on Merlin's Guardian Monument and his expression immediately changed. Guardian Monument is a strong First-level Defensive spell. The fact that it cracked from the punch of the woman proved how strong she really was.
The Alchemy Creature was as strong as expected so he could not underestimate her!
"Furious Flame!"
Merlin squinted his eyes. At this moment, he had cast his First-level Offensive spell, Furious Flame. At once, a scorching aura manifested itself and a long line of fire directly inundated the woman.
This was the first time Merlin had cast Furious Flame. Its power was several times stronger than Fireball and its high temperature was sufficient to melt an armor. In addition to its exploding ability, the effect of Furious Flame was greatly improved.
Despite the great strength of the spell, Merlin noticed that the woman had once again walked out from the furious flame. The skin on her face was completely burnt, emitting an unbearable stench.
To those present, this scene appeared to be normal. However, the most terrifying of all was that the woman acted as if nothing had happened. The greenish scales on her body began to squirm slowly. Following that, a new layer of skin grew and her charred face had recovered her initial appearance.
Merlin frowned. The woman was, in fact, not a human anymore – she was an Alchemy Creature created by Wizard Burton after spending much energy and time. Her power was exceptional and her recovery was shocking. First-level spells seemed to do no damage to her at all.
Ordinary First-level Spell Casters or even Four-Elemental Spell Casters would be in a disadvantaged position when they faced such an Alchemy Creature. If they could not cause any effective damage to the Alchemy Creature, they had no way out of the situation.
Wizard Burton was simply a Spell Caster with an ordinary talent. However, once he had become an alchemist, he had produced such a terrifying Alchemy Creature. His ability was immediately comparable to those genius Spell Casters.
Although the alchemists were cruel, they were expected to be welcomed by many Spell Casters. This was due to their ability to produce an Alchemy Creature at an advanced speed rather than slowly constructing a spell after overcoming many hurdles like an orthodox Spell Caster. The difference between the two was obvious.
This was the advantage of alchemists!
Of course, if the Spell Caster did not level up, they could not expand their lifespan. However, such weakness was not any disadvantage for the Spell Casters who had not hoped to advance to higher levels; they were after stronger power!
"Thunderbolt Net!"
Since Furious Flame could not damage this Alchemy Creature, Merlin would not force his attacks anymore. Rather, he cast Thunderbolt Net and the thunder blasted on the Alchemy Creature ruthlessly at once.
The effect of thunder was negligible to the Alchemy Creature. The greenish scales on her body squirmed slightly and they blocked the thunder effectively.
However, Merlin did not count on Thunderbolt Net to hurt the woman. He only wished to paralyze her by relying on the paralyzing effect of Thunderbolt Net.
Soon, a large Thunderbolt Net fell directly from the sky and enveloped the woman. Dense thunder was blasted onto her frantically.
Even if she was an Alchemy Creature, she could not take this much of attack. Her body began to stiffen and her speed slowed down. Merlin was elated by this result. This meant that the paralyzing ability of Thunderbolt Net was effective toward the Alchemy Creature.
"Frost!"
Without hesitation, Merlin immediately cast Frost. Moreover, he released multiple casts at once, alternating Frost with Large Frost. After multiple casts, thick crystals had formed around the Alchemy Monster, rendering her frozen in place.
"Swish!"
Merlin set his gaze at Wizard Burton. An alchemist's ability was mostly represented by his Alchemy Creature. Once he had bound the alchemist's Alchemy Creature, it would be much easier to attack the alchemist.
This was the only weakness of alchemists!
"Dark Mist!"
Merlin's figure flashed. As Wind Element fluctuated intensely around him, he cast Gale. His speed rose drastically and he approached Wizard Burton. Then, he cast the strengthened version of Dark Mist.
Thick mist encompassed Wizard Burton at once. With his Second-level Mind Power, Wizard Burton had no way of defending against Dark Mist, hence he soon got caught by the illusion.
"Ka-chak."
Merlin waved his hands and froze Wizard Burton at the same time. Following that, he dismissed Dark Mist so that Wizard Burton could come back to his senses.
"Bang!"
Although Wizard Burton was frozen, his Alchemy Creature was still breaking away from the ice layers with her immensely powerful strength. She came directly to Wizard Burton and broke the ice crystals that had bound Wizard Burton.
However, Wizard Burton was unhappy as he had lost the match. If Merlin was an enemy, Merlin could have killed him with any spell.
Since he had created the Alchemy Creature, Wizard Burton had lost count of the times when his Alchemy Creature had helped him out of a pinch and escaped.
However, he had lost now. In addition, he lost in the hands of an Entrance-level Spell Caster!
"Furious Flame, Guardian Monument, Thunderbolt Net, Gale, Dark Mist, and Frost! Six-Elemental spells. If I'm not mistaken, you're a Six-Elemental Spell Caster? Moreover, two of your spells are First-level spells!"
Wizard Burton revealed a bewildered expression. He actually met a Six-Elemental Spell Caster with his own eyes!
In these years, Wizard Burton had seen quite a few Four-Elemental Spell Casters. He had also heard of Five-Elemental Spell Casters but Six-Elemental Spell Casters only existed in ancient texts.
Little did he expect to see a Six-Elemental Spell Caster in his entire life. Most shocking of all was that Merlin had already constructed two First-level spells successfully. This meant that Merlin had overcome the most difficult step, hence he had a high chance to become a Six-Elemental First-level Spell Caster!
"Hehe. It's not bad losing to a Six-Elemental Spell Caster! Alright, Hill, we haven't seen each other in so many years. Let's not fight because of our difference in ideology. Why did you find me in Floating City this time?"
Wizard Burton waved his hands and the woman in a red respectfully retreated into a shadow at the corner of the walls. If one did not look carefully at that place, one could never find her. She was most probably hiding at this place when she dashed out earlier. Even Merlin was taken by surprise.