Advent of the Archmage - Chapter 400

Chapter 400: The Strange Fluctuations in the Magic Net

 

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Beside the sewage cesspool

Link walked back to the passage and took down the spatial barrier.

“How is it?” Lannie asked.

Link didn’t say a word but stepped aside, letting Lannie see the headless black and blue demon corpse lying in the passage entrance.

Lannie exhaled slowly and unclenched her fist. She said excitedly, “Master Link, you’re amazing!”

Behind her, the Yabba people were too happy for words. Many cried in relief. On their way here, one brave Warrior after another had stood up against it, but none manage to kill it. The demon would appear like a specter of death, and every time it appeared, the Warriors were forced to use their strongest suicidal attacks in an attempt to take it down.

Everyone had been despondent.

Now that the demon was dead, it felt like a large weight was lifted from their hearts. Some people ran past Link and stopped next to the demon, kicking and hitting its corpse, crying all the while. Many others ran up to Link and knelt before him, thanking him.

There was a mother that walked over with her child and said emotionally, “Lord, my child is only half a year old. His father died in battle and never got the chance to give him a name. Would you please name this child?”

Link knelt down and looked at the child not much bigger than his fist. The infant was not in good condition. Perhaps he was frightened from the battle, or perhaps, being on the run, his mother could not take proper care of him. Link reached out and touched the child’s skin. The infant’s body was burning hot. The baby’s face was also twisted in pain, as though it wanted to cry but couldn’t. It must have been suffering.

Thinking for a moment, he placed his hand on the infant’s head and channeled in some Dragon Power. This Dragon Power could greatly increase one’s vitality. Instantly, the infant’s expression calmed down. Then, Link cut a slit on his finger and drew out some blood which he used to draw a complex pattern on the infant’s head.

He was not able to use any spells. Nonetheless, his blood was very dense with power. The inscriptions he made would definitely have a large effect.

It was as though the infant could feel much more comfortable. Its crystal-like eyes opened wide, and it moved its body, turning towards its mother’s chest. It was hungry.

“What a cute little thing,” Link said gently. “He will be the hope of the future. We shall call him Fain.”

“Many thanks, Lord,” The Yabba mother said, before moving to the side.

It was now time to settle important matters. Link asked Lannie, “What about delivering the message?”

Lannie slapped her forehead. “Oh right! I almost forgot. Master Green should know what to do, come with me.”

Lannie grabbed Link’s hand and ran forward with her short legs until she exited the passage.

Magician Green was resting by the side of the cesspool. When he saw Link, he quickly got up to greet him.

Lannie was like a little bird. She chattered on continuously, telling Magician Green all about Link’s intentions.

When she was done, Magician Green asked Link, “Are there really so few of the Black Army left outside Lariel?”

Link nodded. “I realized this when I came here. The truth is, three days ago, Orida fortress was engaged in a bloody battle. The alliance killed 80,000 Dark Elves and 40,000 demons. Of course, we had great losses as well. Right now, we are only left with about 10,000 Warriors. We are surrounded on all sides by the remaining demons… We need reinforcements urgently.”

Magician Green slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “If only we knew that there were so few people outside the city! We wouldn’t have stayed holed up inside. We must quickly get this news through the barrier. There’s no time to waste!”

He thought for a moment and said, “If we want to pass the news into the city, we need to use the statues. There should be many left in the outer districts.”

Link knew about this method too, but unfortunately, most of the statues had already been destroyed completely. That level of destruction was not something that could be fixed easily.

Link said helplessly, “Unfortunately, I don’t think that will work. Before we came here, we saw that many of the statues were already destroyed.

Lannie also nodded, “All the statues are destroyed and in pieces. I didn’t manage to see an undamaged one either.”

As he heard this, Magician Green frowned. He thought that there would definitely be some statues left and never expected that the situation would be so serious.

“This must be the work of that traitor, Akensser! Well then, the only way we can send a message through is to build another transmitting statue. But to do this, we’ll need to go to the magic net’s node,” Green said.

“Magic net node?” Link asked.

Green nodded. He explained, “Underneath Lariel City is a giant magic net. We used it to create many things, including defensive barriers and offensive spells. Actually, the whole of Lariel City is just like your human magic towers.”

“I understand; how do we find it then?” Link asked. As expected of an ancient race, their secrets were extremely well hidden.

“I know the positions of all the nodes. The nearest one is just one and a half miles away from us. We can get there using the underground passages. Let’s go now!” Green exclaimed.

The moment Green finished speaking, a message appeared in Link’s vision.

New Mission: Deliver the Message

Description: Find the magic net node, build the statue and form a connection with the Yabbas inside Lariel City.

Mission reward: Assassin Boots (Epic)

Link immediately accepted the mission and said, “Let’s go then.”

“I’m going too!” Lannie said, clutching the musket under her arm. “I’m a very good shooter!”

Green nodded and said, “Lannie is the clan’s greatest shooter.”

Link assented. “Then, will these people have enough food here?” He asked.

“They do. There’s enough to last at least a month. After we go out, we’ll seal the entrance. That will keep this place safe,” Green replied.

Then Green and Lannie said a few words to the survivors and instructed them on various things to take note of in the underground. A few minutes later, Green came back and said, “We can go now.”

The three of them followed the passage back to the entrance. After 300 feet, Link used his magic sword to carve an inscription on the ground. He explained, “This is a spatial rune, it can completely seal off the passage.”

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh. Very soon, the walls and floor were covered in runic inscriptions. Half a minute later, he was done. He said to Green, “The Void Aura is disrupting the formation of my Mana into spells. Green, could you provide the Mana for this formation? Lannie, come over to this side.”

Green obeyed and channeled his Mana into every rune. After every rune was lit up, the space shuddered for a moment. Then, it went back to normal. Nothing looked out of place, and the runes on the floor and walls had disappeared.

“What happened?” Green asked Link.

“This is an infinite loop of space. Lannie, walk in and try it,” Link instructed, smiling.

“Doesn’t look like much,” Lannie shrugged. She walked in. After a moment, she reappeared in the passage, walking normally. Once she caught sight of Link, she exclaimed, “Hey! I was walking in that direction all this time. How come I see you guys?”

Green understood quickly. He said to Link, “This is amazing, but if there is only one looping door, it will only return the victim to his original location. It will be easy to see through the trap.”

Link agreed. “That’s right, so we’re going to set up one more a little further ahead.”

The group continued walking forward. After three hundred feet, Link stopped again to carve the spatial runes. When he was done, Green helped to supply the Mana.

This time, the spatial runes simply disappeared. The passage looked as normal as ever.

Link explained, “The entrance to the loop space is over at the other end. When someone walks through this door, nothing will happen. Only when they enter the other door, then they will be transported back to this place and continue walking in an infinite loop.”

Green thought about it for a moment and couldn’t help but clap his hands in admiration. “Spatial Magic is truly amazing; its secrets are far too profound. My old bones can’t handle this many surprises.”

When Link guided him in constructing the Spatial Barriers earlier, the first one was alright, but the second one had really drained him mentally. He felt like his mind would not be able to handle it. Therefore, he was truly impressed by this level of magic.

Link laughed. “By the time these runes lose their effectiveness, we should be done with the enemies. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The three of them continued walking onward. Three hundred feet later, they encountered a secret door and continued walking forward. Another 150 feet, the road started to fork into multiple paths.

“This way,” Green said, guiding the group onto one path.

They were headed for a node in the magic net. There were many demons above ground, so it was obviously easier for them to travel underground.

Link walked in the lead. He said, “This area will likely have quite a few demons, be on your guard.”

“Okay,” Green replied, raising his wand on standby.

“Okay! I’m going to let them have a taste of my bullets,” Lannie said, brandishing her musket.

The underground passages intersected many times, just like a maze. After walking for about half a mile and getting rid of over ten lost demons, they could finally detect a dense aura of Mana up ahead.

Up ahead, small motes of light appeared. The Mana density in the space was greater than in other areas by about three times!

Link felt his Dragon Power recovery rate increase to about 30 points per second. In other places, it would only be about 20 points per second.

Green said, “Up ahead is the node… Be careful, I feel that something isn’t right.”

Link felt it too. He listened intently with his ears. “I felt it too, it’s a strange aura, not like that of demons or Dark Elves. It’s weird, I’ve never encountered anything like this before.”

The more Link tried to sense what it was, the more confused he got. He didn’t know how to describe this feeling. Although it was definitely a new type of feeling, there was something familiar about it, like he had seen it before.

He thought about it for a while. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. “I remember now! This was the feeling I got when I was crossing through the Void. Green, did something like this happen to the magic net before?”

When he didn’t get a reply, Link turned to look at Green. However, he found that Green’s eyes were blank. He stood there unmoving.

“Green? Magician Green? What’s wrong?” Link shook Green’s shoulders. However, the Yabba Magician showed no signs of responding. It was as though he had lost his soul.

It was at this point that Link felt that something was not right. He turned to look and realized that Lannie had raised her musket, targeting it at Green, looking ready to fire.

Link was shocked, and he quickly stretched out his hand, clasping it over the musket’s muzzle.

Bang! Nonetheless, Lannie had fired anyway. Her face carried expressions of fear. Her eyes were wide open, as though she had seen something fearsome. It was exactly like Green’s eyes. They both had a blank look, as though they were stuck in some dreamland.

After her shot was intercepted by Link, she retreated quickly. As she retreated, she raised her musket and pointed it at Link, shrilling, “Demon! Don’t come here! Stay away!”

Link frowned. He was ready to snatch Lannie’s musket away from her when he felt some Mana fluctuations beside him. He turned and saw that Green had raised his wand. On his wand, electricity crackled.

“Demons from the abyss, go back to where you came from!” Green shouted.

Link immediately recognized the spell. It was a Level-6 spell, Lightning Tempest. If this spell was cast, Link would suffer small injuries at most. However, Lannie would be fried to a crisp by it.

Link quickly snatched the wand away from Green and smashed his hand onto Green’s neck, knocking him out. Then, in one big stride, he appeared next to Lannie and snatched her musket, before knocking her unconscious too.

Although he had successfully restrained the two Yabba people, Link couldn’t understand what was going on. What’s happening? Why did these two suddenly go crazy?

The crucial thing was that Link did not detect the mysterious aura of Mana.

Chapter 401: Just Curious

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The two Yabbas had fainted, but even so, they still seemed anxious.

Every now and then, they would shake violently. Their lips moved as if they were talking in their sleep, but their voices were unclear. Their faces changed between dark and pale. It was eerie.

After a few seconds, something even scarier happened. Mana started seeping out of Master Green’s body.

When a Magician’s life was at risk, they would lose control of their bodies. Things such as Mana leakage would occur. But Green was unhurt and uninjured right now.

Seeing these symptoms, Link thought of his past experiences in the game and had an idea. These two must have been hurt by the Void. He was fine because he had reached Level-10.

He brought the two unconscious Yabbas back. After around 1000 feet, Link couldn’t feel the Void’s aura anymore.

Now, he looked at them again and found that the Yabbas had calmed down. They laid there without moving. Master Green’s body stopped leaking Mana as well. However, they still weren’t okay. Their pallor kept changing, and their breathing was weak. It felt like they could die at any time.

They were at a corner with an indented platform by the side. It seemed to be where the Yabbas usually placed maintenance equipment.

The platform was very dry, so Link put the two Yabbas on it and sat to the side. He took out a bottle of green Spring City hard liquor from his dimensional storage gear and mixed in a bottle of medium-level medicine.

There was a sizzle. When the light red medicine came into contact with the liquor, it bubbled immediately. Link quickly put in the wooden stopper and shook it violently. Three minutes later, the liquor and medicine were mixed well, forming an amber-colored foam. It looked like beer from earth, but it was like a gel.

Link’s actions may have seemed crude, but this was actually really effective. It was called “soul-retrieval gel” and was great at healing injuries caused by the Void!

When he was done, he took out a steel pot kept in preparation for surviving in the wild. After setting it up, he poured clear water into the pot, as well as an Araguan potato and a smoked rabbit leg.

He chopped up the potato and tore the rabbit leg into pieces, dumping it all into the pot. After adding some spices, Link took out one of the Yabba bombs. He carefully modified the activation rune on the outside.

After a while, it “exploded” gently in Link’s hands. Actually, “exploded” was too much of an exaggeration. More accurately, it started burning like a piece of coal.

Link placed this burning “bomb” under the pot and started waiting patiently.

After around ten minutes, the water boiled and started bubbling. A bit longer, the smell of good food wafted out, growing thicker.

At that time, Master Green’s finger twitched, and his head shook. A few seconds later, he gripped his head and moaned.

“What happened? My head hurts.”

“Don’t move. You’re in pretty bad shape.” As Link spoke, he helped Green up to rest against the wall. He poured some of the soul-retrieval gel onto his hand and gently rubbed it against Green’s forehead.

Green was very weak. He allowed Link to do whatever without moving. After a few minutes of rubbing, Green realized with surprise, “Hey, my forehead feels warm, like a gust of heat going into my head. The headache is much better. Ah, it feels so nice.”

Hearing that his voice was stronger, Link said, “Alright, do it by yourself.”

On the other side, Lannie was awake too. Her situation was much worse than Green’s. As soon as she woke up, she gripped her head and curled up, crying, “Ah, it hurts, it hurts! My head is gonna split open!”

Link walked over. He poured out some more gel and started rubbing for Lannie. She was much weaker than Green and was hurt more by the Void. It was a long while because she recovered and let out a long sigh, finally relaxing.

“Master Link, what happened?” Lannie asked weakly from the ground.

The meat broth was ready now. Link took out some bowls and spooned the thick potato rabbit soup. Giving them each a bowl, he explained, “I don’t really know either. If I guessed correctly, it should be the Void’s aura that seeped out of the node, and you were influenced by this.”

The two Yabbas weren’t listening to him at all. They were both slurping down the soup. Link’s cooking skills were actually very basic, and this rabbit soup was far from a delicacy. But for some reason, both Green and Lannie ate dramatically.

Link’s bowls were for humans and were very big to Yabbas. However, the two small Yabbas cleaned the giant bowl in seconds.

It still wasn’t enough, and Lannie got another bowl. After finishing it all, she refilled it again. This time, she ate slowly. While eating, she asked, “Master, how did you make this? It’s the most, most, most unforgettable dish I’ve ever had.”

Master Green nodded as well. He was old and had bad teeth, so he ate slowly, but Lannie had said what he was thinking. He was more than 80 years old, but this was the most enjoyable meal he’d ever had.

Link chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not that I have good skills. Your bodies just need it.”

If someone was full, they wouldn’t look at the food even if it was the most delicious thing in the world. But for someone who had starved for three days, even a piece of bread would be a delicacy.

“Not only will the Void eat away at your soul, but it’ll also eat away at your body. During that short period, your bodies lost a lot of energy. This soup is the best at replenishing it. In reality, this is the universal anecdote towards damages by the Void… Alright Lannie, three bowls is enough. If you eat more, your stomach will explode.”

After stopping Lannie from getting a fourth bowl, Link told Green, “Have similar things happened to the magic net node before?”

Green thought back and shook his head. “Never. The magic net node never had similar problems. Fortunately, you’re here this time. I’ve heard that only those at the Legendary level can fend off the Void. Now I know it’s true.”

It has never happened before?

Link knitted his brows. A possibility flashed past his mind—the existence of the crack in Firuman. With the crack in the world, power from the Sea of Void would endlessly seep into Firuman. Firuman would be like a balloon and keep inflating. During this process, the Space Barrier would become thinner and thinner.

In places of low Mana density, the thinning would be unnoticeable at the moment. However, the Mana density was extremely high at the magic net node. This could make the Space Barrier even thinner, resulting in the Void’s entrance.

Of course, this was just Link’s guess. He had to check the node before he could know the details.

There was another problem with this guess. Even if the realm cracked, causing the Space Barrier to thin, the crack had only appeared a few months ago. The Mana density of Firuman hadn’t been increasing that much either. The Space Barrier shouldn’t have become so weak in such a short period.

After thinking, Link said, “Later, I plan to go check the magic net node. Wait here for me. If anything happens, I’ll alert you two.”

Master Green nodded. “During this, I’ll make a basic surveillance statue. If the magic net node can be used, we can use the statue to contact the Magicians inside the wall.”

“Good. Lannie, protect Master Green.”

“Okay.” Lannie gripped her musket tightly.

Link left the platform but still felt worried. Demons could come to a place like this at any time. He took out his magic sword and drew many spatial runes around the platform.

“This is a magic spatial door. Once activated, the platform will become invisible.”

“I understand.” Master Green added Mana into the runes one by one. After a few seconds, there was a hum, and the platform disappeared from Link’s eyes. It became a plain wall.

Link continued towards the magic net node.

After a while, the light spots of Mana appeared in the air again. The Mana density was rising sharply, and the Void’s aura was thicker as well.

Turning a corner, a long tunnel appeared before Link. Dozens of corpses lay in the middle—some were demons, some were ghouls, and some were Yabbas. They had all been killed by the Void’s aura, while some had lost their minds and killed each other.

After the tunnel was a circular room. The center was a Mana pool. Inside the water, there were countless beams of light formed by magic runes. They extended and reached out until disappearing into the air.

This was the magic net node.

The Void’s aura was becoming thicker in this room, especially around the Mana pool in the middle. The Void’s aura was almost half of the level of the Sea of Void. The pale blue water in the Mana pool tossed as if something was trying to come out of it.

Link took out the Dragon King’s Fury sword and carefully stepped into the room.

As soon as he entered, a smooth voice said, “Magician, I advise you to return. I do not wish for a conflict between us.”

Link’s heart jumped. Turning around, he saw a Yabba walk out of the corner. He had fiery red hair, a beard, and a pair of strange transparent eyes. Clear as water, the eyes looked at Link. “I am purely curious about this world. I mean no harm.”

Chapter 402: Mysterious-travel Magician

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the node of the magic net

Link could see that the figure in front of him was not actually a Yabba but was merely using a Yabba body.

In the game, this sort of body-changing ability often appeared on Mysterious-travel Magicians in the early part of the game. Meanwhile, in the later parts, it usually appeared on strong existences from the Void.

The person in front of him was most likely not some Mysterious-travel Magician. Most likely, he was from the Void, someone able to travel across dimensions. Anyway, it was without a doubt that he was strong, at least Legendary level.

There were many titles for such existences, such as Travel Magician, Dimension Traveler, Astral Mages, etc.

They were always very strong and very mysterious, choosing not to participate in worldly affairs and appearing as they pleased.

When the person in front of him with fiery red hair and transparent eyes said that he meant no harm and was “merely curious,” Link was reminded of a particular NPC from the game.

In the game, the NPC was called Aisenis, and he titled himself a “Travel Magician.” However, at that time, he was using an elf’s body. He would appear in random places around Firuman in a completely arbitrary manner.

No one knew how strong he actually was. The only thing that could be confirmed was that no one in Firuman could actually hurt him.

In the later parts of the game, when the Lord of the Abyss Nozama personally descended, and the player’s party invaded the demon fortress, Aisenis went into the fortress afterwards. What happened was that Nozama completely ignored the fellow. Based on Nozama’s character, him choosing to ignore Aisenis showed that he had no way to deal with him.

With strangers, Aisenis might seem threatening. However, once you got to know him, he would start to seem more and more like a child. His greatest pleasure was ostensibly watching exciting things happen, according to what he said. However, whether or not this was true or just an excuse, nobody knew.

He was famous for his line, “Don’t mind me; I mean no harm. I’m purely curious.”

Link probed, “Pardon me, are you a Travel Magician?”

Immediately, the Yabba’s expression softened and he let out a smile. “Aha, given how young you look, I never thought that you’d be so well-informed. Since you know that I am a Travel Magician, that makes things so much easier.”

The small figure paced around the room and introduced, “My name is Aisenis Gray. As you can see, I am a Travel Magician. I came to Firuman to… well, you could say I’m here to watch the show.”

“Watch the show?” Link asked. Even though it was Aisenis, Link still found the answer to be strange.

This was because, in the game, Aisenis only appeared in the later parts when Nozama personally came. However, right now, Nozama had yet to come. What exciting show was there for Aisenis to watch?

Aisenis was really excited now that he had found someone to talk to. He jumped up and down as he said, “Of course, of course! You must know that a fracture has opened in the space of Firuman, don’t you?”

Link nodded.

Aisenis beamed as he continued, “In the sea of the Void, each dimension is like a boat. This boat now has a hole, and the large beasts in the sea are eyeing the feast on this boat… to put it simply, this beast is called Fegnoni Rosenp Del Romans Dallasville, also known as the Pale Hunter. Of course, he has another name, the God of Destruction.”

Link felt his heart thumping. He forced himself to calm down and continued asking questions. “Is he here yet?”

In the game, the God of Destruction had appeared for a brief moment. However, at that time, the whole of Firuman was busy dealing with Nozama and did not pay much attention to him. Furthermore, he had appeared in a quiet corner of the world and did not make much commotion.

Some people had speculated that the God of Destruction was the final boss after Lord Nozama. However, since Aisenis was already here, does it mean that the God of Destruction would be here early too?

That was not good news.

Aisenis shook his head. “No, no, no, it’s not that fast. He’s a giant beast and moves very slowly. Furthermore, he is very crafty and suspicious. He would surely send out scouts to verify the situation before acting. This is an extremely exciting hunt that I think is worth watching.”

As he said this, Aisenis looked curiously at Link. “I don’t understand one thing. You’ve already gotten the ability to travel between dimensions. If Firuman is destroyed, all you need to do is run to another dimension. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Link thought for a while before asking, “I’ve heard that Travel Magicians are very wise and knowledgeable. Do you have any way to repair the fracture?”

Aisenis looked at Link and laughed. “Repair it? Of course! I understand now. You just gained this ability, and although you have the strength, you haven’t shaken off your attachment to the mortals of this world. Alright, I do indeed have a way to repair it, but why would I want to do it? You must know, the moment I do it, that would offend Fegnonini. He would be after me then.”

At this point, most people would give up and retreat. However, Link knew from his experience in the game how to deal with this fellow. Aisenis had another favorite saying, “There is nothing in this world that cannot be exchanged.”

Link replied, “Of course, I won’t ask you to do this for free. I heard that among Travel magicians, you use a currency called Jogu. How much Jogu would you need to help us?”

Aisenis looked at Link, sizing him up. He even walked a circle around Link. Link stood still, letting Aisenis do as he pleased.

Aisenis sighed. “Alright, it seems like you really do understand me. In the Void, people like you aren’t common. Yes, as long as there is enough Jogu, there is nothing that can’t be bought. What you want me to do would cost you 300 Jogus.”

Link said helplessly, “Three hundred Jogus is somewhat expensive. I can’t take that out right now.”

Aisenis jumped and retorted, “Of course you can’t! How would you be able to? After so many years, I’ve only managed to accumulate 500 Jogus. If you were able to bring it out, that would be with some devilish help. Therefore, this exchange will never work.”

Link was not prepared to give up. He bargained, “I’ve heard that Travel Magicians accept IOUs. I guarantee that if you help me repair the fracture, I’ll pay you the Jogus within five Firuman years.”

Jogus was a type of ore that had no known use. However, Aisenis loved them to death. There were many areas in Firuman where Jogus could be obtained. In the game, many players focused on collecting Jogus in the hopes that they could exchange it for things from Aisenis.

Aisenis, of course, had a great assortment of products. With some luck, one could even get Legendary gear. It was no surprise then that players would gladly trade him for that equipment.

After hearing what Link had to say, Aisenis shook his head. “You may say that, but we’ve only just met. How am I supposed to take your word for it?” Aisenis even wagged his index finger as though to emphasize the point.

“I swear this on the name of the God of Light,” Link said.

“No, no, no, the God of Light is a scoundrel. Using his name to swear is like taking a handful of air and telling me it’s worth a hundred gold. No can do,” Aisenis rejected, shaking his head.

This answer was within Link’s expectations because in the game, Aisenis had replied in a similar manner.

Link continued, “I…”

However, without waiting for Link to continue, Aisenis cut him off. “Alright, alright, young one, I understand your feelings. However, business is business. It’s impossible for me to trust you with credit on our first meeting. Nonetheless, considering that we’ve met and that I enjoyed our little conversation, I’ll give you a gift.”

Aisenis took out a piece of rock the size of a thumb. The stone did not look anything special. It looked more like a random rock that was picked up on the floor. However, Link knew that this was Travel Magician Aisenis’s name card.

“Although we didn’t manage to do business, I’ll remember this meeting. If in the future you do find the Jogus, you may use this to call me. Just shout my name. If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be in Firuman for the next 20 years. Oh… my strength is fully recovered. I’ll be leaving. Goodbye, young one.”

The Yabba waved to Link, and soon after that, his body vanished, fading away like mist. Along with his disappearance, the Void aura in the magic net node went away with him.

How did he leave? What kind of skill was that? Link had many unresolved questions.

In the game, Link did not think much of it. After all, Aisenis was a mysterious individual. Now that he had studied magic, however, he was extremely perplexed.

This was the first time he encountered something that he had completely no way to make sense of. Even when dealing with the Diving Gear, the Dark Serpent, and when the Maiden of Truth handed him the formulas, he was still able to make some sense of it.

Staring blankly at where Aisenis disappeared, Link sighed. He thought, The world is vast, and the Void is limitless. There are many more mysteries to uncover.

The Void aura had disappeared, and the Mana pool at the node had regained its calm. Link turned back to where he had left Green and Lannie. Over there, he noticed that there were a few low-level demons that were also in a daze. They had yet to discover the platform where Green and Lannie were.

Link walked over to them, casually killing them with his sword before jumping onto the platform. There, he found that Green was fiddling with a rune stone. As he fiddled with it, he was carving some inscriptions. Seeing that Link had come, Green asked without looking up, “How are things?”

“It’s back to normal. There was a Travel Magician that appeared. We talked for a while, but he is gone now.”

Green was stunned. His hand trembled. As a high-level Magician, he definitely knew of the existence of Travel Magicians. Seeing that Link had returned safely, he exhaled in relief. “Thank God, you didn’t meet some strange and vicious person. Thank God.”

Green didn’t bother about the Travel Magician. After all, the Travel Magician was on a completely different level than he was. With Link, who had reached the Legendary level, they could still hold a conversation. Meanwhile, Green did not even qualify to stand beside the Travel Magician.

Lannie asked curiously, “What is a Travel Magician?”

Green sighed. “It’s someone from outside in the Void. There are many names for them, and a Travel Magician is just one title. In a way, even the God of Light is a Travel Magician.”

Lannie was speechless.

After another half an hour, Green had completed the rune stone. He stood up.

“It is done. With this, we can use the magic net to transmit messages into the city. Let’s go, Master Link.”

Chapter 403: A Piece of cake

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Beep, beep. Beep. Beep, beep, beep.

At the magic net node, Master Green’s runestone connected with the Mana pool through a rune belt. It flashed rhythmically, kind of like the Morse code from earth.

Link sat to the side and waited. Since he was bored, he started memorizing the code. Perhaps it might be useful.

After around five minutes, there was a reaction.

The runestone flashed brightly. Master Green let go of it, and the runestone hovered in the air. Then it started flashing rhythmically again.

Green had taken out pen and paper. Watching the runestone closely, he started recording it. For some reason, as he wrote, Green’s brows knitted. The situation seemed to be bad. Link and Lannie realized this, but they didn’t make a sound. They didn’t want to disturb Green.

After more than ten minutes, the runestone suddenly lost power. It fell from the air into Link’s prepared hands.

On the side, Master Green stared at the filled notebook with a heavy expression. He would occasionally write some words.

Feeling something off, Lannie asked, “Master, what happened?”

Green shook his head and showed the notebook to her. “Look, the code is strange. The words translated are even stranger. There is no order, and I can’t understand it at all.”

Lannie took a glance and her thin eyebrows knitted, her face twisting in disgust. “Huh, how can they send such vulgar words? It’s disgusting!”

Link was curious, so he looked over. He saw things written like “big bird, big bird, a body of feathers. It flies into the grass and disappears” and “son of a b*tch, I slept with your female donkey.”

Finding it strange too, Link guessed, “Do you think something went wrong? Or someone intercepted it and pranked us?”

Master Green shook his head. “I don’t know. There is still more content after that. I’ll look further.”

He took the notebook and continued translating. After 20 minutes, he finished but still shook his head helplessly. “The rest becomes even more vulgar. There’s no meaning at all.”

Lannie glanced and gave up. Link took the book and read it bit by bit. If the beginning was just swearing, the later parts were practically straight up erotica about an old bachelor knocking on the door of a window at night.

After reading it, Link read it again. This time, instead of looking at the entirety, he just looked at the words, comparing each one to the code.

The content was the same, but after reading it again and comparing it, Link learned the pattern of the Yabba code. He also discovered that most of the signals were clear. Master Green had used a vertical line to show a flash. However, some parts were unclear, and he used a horizontal line. There were quite a few of those—around 30 throughout the piece.

Link took the notebook and asked, “Master, what do the horizontal lines mean?”

Master Green glanced over. “There is some static that occurs during transmission. The signal flashes very fast in these places, doubling or tripling during the fixed period. They should be mistakes… Master Link, do you think there’s a problem?”

“Yes. It’s a bit strange.” Link had an idea. He tried ignoring all clear signals and only focus on the unclear ones. At the same time, he envisioned the runestone signals he saw earlier in his mind.

Link had a very exact memory. Thinking back now, he could practically recreate the flashing process. Comparing the two, he wrote down the new signal code. Three minutes later, Link used his own memory to record the code again.

Then he began translating.

Half a minute later, he found a new message. It was very short—only two sentences: “Unable to determine the legitimacy of the message but be careful of Akensser. He’s monitoring!”

This message was repeated three times throughout the piece.

Returning the notebook to Master Green, Link said, “I organized the unclear parts. Did I translate it correctly?”

Master Green scanned it, and his hand trembled. Gasping, he said, “I’m afraid this is correct. What I received was probably the disturbances from Akensser… If this is the case, things are a bit difficult.”

As for how Link could read the code, Green didn’t find it strange. He didn’t hide his translation process from Link, and for a Legendary Magician who could do spatial magic, this kind of code was extremely easy to solve.

However, Lannie asked curiously, “Master Link, how do you know our code?”

“I just learned it now.”

Lannie was speechless.

“Things are complicated now,” Master Green said. “They can receive our signal, but with Akensser here, we can’t say anything. They won’t believe us and might think this is a trick.”

It was indeed troublesome. Other messengers might feel helpless, but to Link, this was a piece of cake!

He turned to Green. “Here. Contact them again and say you want to speak to Elin. We went to the Dragon Valley together. Outsiders don’t know about our experiences. With this, they can determine if we’re speaking the truth or not!”

Master Green’s eyes brightened. He immediately started acting. Picking up the runestone, he began sending signals.

After a few minutes, there was a response. Without needing a translation, Link could see from the frequency that it was Akensser’s disturbance again. It was a bunch of vulgar words too. Looking past it, he waited for one and a half minutes. Then the runestone suddenly flashed and showed something different.

Link focused. “Elin’s here. She’s asking me a question… she asked what the name of the female dragon is… Master, tell her it’s Felina.”

Master Green immediately sent the message.

After a while, another question appeared amidst the mess. Why was the Red Dragon Queen unharmed that day at the Dragon Temple?

Link immediately said, “Reply that it was because we secretly destroyed the sacred gear Balanced Scale.”

Green’s eyes turned round as saucers. He stared at Link in disbelief. Destroying sacred gear… This was such shocking news, but he still sent the message word for word.

The reply was extremely fast. After a few seconds, Link saw the runestone’s message, Link, it really is you! This is great!

Even with the magic net between them, Link could still sense Elin’s joy. At this point, the exchange was complete.

Link said to Green, “Send the situation of Orida again. It’s okay even if Akensser hears. He already knows.”

“Okay.” Green followed the orders.

A few seconds later, Elin replied, Understood. Be careful. Our airship will rush out from the Light Wall later and start attacking. Hide well and stay safe.

As soon as that appeared, Link realized that the disturbance signals had disappeared too. Link and Green exchanged glances.

“Akensser realized that the disturbance failed, so he retreated,” Master Green said excitedly.

Almost simultaneously, a message appeared in Link’s vision. He glanced at it and saw he’d completed a mission.

Mission Completed: Send Message

Player received Assassin Boots (Epic)

New Mission: Reinforcement Request

Mission: Persuade the Yabbas to send reinforcements to the Orida Fortress

Mission Reward: Assassin Belt (Epic)

Seeing this, Link was excited and accepted the mission. Then he said, “The counterattack will begin shortly. Let’s find somewhere safe to observe.”

Lannie immediately said, “I know a place that will definitely be safe. Follow me!”

She was really excited too and bounced while leading the way. Link and Green followed her. After a while, Link felt they were too slow. He picked them up, one in each hand, and placed them on his shoulders. “Lannie, tell me where to go, and I’ll bring you two over.”

“Okay. Turn left up there and then go straight.”

Under Lannie’s guidance, Link sprinted and killed dozens of demons along the way. After ten minutes, an exit appeared before them. Link went out and realized he was at the foot of a small mountain to the south of Lirico.

“This is the suburb, so the airships won’t come. Hurry and look, the top of the Light Wall opened. Look, the demons in the sky are retreating!” Lannie yelled excitedly.

Link looked over. He saw many holes around 700 feet up on the huge yellow Light Wall. Countless airships flew out of the holes.

The airships were of varying sizes. The three biggest ones were almost 300 feet. There were more of the smaller ones at 65 feet—33 of them. In total, there were 37 ships.

Link’s vision was shocking. He could clearly see that the airships had many signs of repair. Obviously, these ships had gone through very difficult battles and were forced to retreat into the Light Wall.

When the huge airships flew out, one could see countless bee-like black dots fly out from them. Link looked closely and found that they were small six-foot-long ships. They weren’t very fast but were very agile. They were comparable to the gargoyles in the sky.

There were more than 200 of these small ships. Each one was equipped with a magic cannon. They flew out like a swarm of bees towards the flying demons.

The two sides quickly started fighting.

The demons weren’t weak either, especially the Winged Howlers. They screamed in the air and dodged left and right. When they ran into the airships, they sliced down with their swords.

The airships couldn’t take the hits at all. They were immediately split into two.

There were at least 13 Level-8 Winged Howlers in the sky. They had terrifying strength and shocking speed. Instead of retreating, they led the gargoyles and other flying demons to fight back.

The demons continuously broke through the barrier of small airships and dodged various types of attacks, flying towards the clumsier large ships.

At this point, Link couldn’t just watch anymore.

He was sure that if this continued, the Yabbas could defeat the demons but they would suffer great losses. How could they reinforce the Orida Fortress if their losses were too big?

Standing up, Link said, “I must fight too. Green, can you make them see me?”

To Yabbas, Level-7 and Level-8 Winged Howlers were big enemies. To him, it was just the matter of a sword strike.

Green was horrified by the scene too. Hearing Link’s words, he immediately raised his wand, pouring in Mana and casting the Blessing of Honor on him.

Blessing of Honor

Level-6 Master Magician Spell

Effect: The target’s strength increases by 100%, speed increases by 50%, vigor increases by 50%. At the same time, a brilliant shield appears around the target.

(Note: you will become the center of attention!)

A ball of fiery red light appeared in a three-foot-wide ring around Link. Golden of light flashed inside the flames. It was impossible not to look at it. This would greatly increase Link’s danger on the battlefield, but this was what he wanted.

Not only that, but Master Green also activated a huge magic light spell. The ten-foot-wide snowy white ball of light rose up. The airships in the sky discovered them immediately. Twenty small ships and a medium-sized airship turned around and charged towards the direction pointed out by the magic light spell.

“They’re coming to reinforce us!” Master Green cried.

Link took a deep breath. “Be careful. I’m going now.”

Unexpectedly, Green chuckled. “Master Link, I may be old, but I can still fight.”

Lannie clutched her musket and smiled. “Master Link, this is my race’s battle. How can I watch from the side?”

Hearing this, Link laughed. “Alright, then let’s fight together!”

Chapter 404: Mid-air Battle!

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Whoosh!

Three small airships about six feet long flew close behind Link. The airships were elliptic in shape, relatively flat. On every possible surface, it was covered in Wind spell formations.

When the three ships positioned themselves behind Link, Lannie ran up to the front-most one and shouted at the pilot, “Get out, I’m taking over this ship!”

Immediately, the ship decreased its altitude until it was about three feet above the ground. It stopped, and the bottom of the ship opened up, whereupon a Yabba jumped out. He immediately saluted Lannie and greeted her.

“Major!”

Lannie gave Link a smile and said, “Link, I’m going to start!”

Then, Lannie started to increase her altitude and got ready to leave.

Link, however, leaped up onto the craft and knocked on the crystal screen. He shouted to the stunned Lannie. “Bring me along, I’ll deal with the Winged Howlers!”

“Okay, hold on tight!” Lannie called back. Then, the airship sped off like a wild horse.

Link held tightly to the frame of the ship. His body was shrouded in the crystal red Dragon Power. The wind buffeted him as the airship continued to climb and increase in speed.

This was the first time Link was experiencing something like this, and he was not accustomed to it. He could only grab on tightly and hope not to fall off.

After about ten seconds, they reached a height of over 300 feet. By this point, Link had gotten used to the feeling, and the discomfort he felt had more or less disappeared. He pointed the Dragon King’s Wrath sword in his hand to a Winged Howler that was preparing to charge a large airship.

“Go for that one!”

Lannie’s piloting skills were great. The moment she heard Link, she immediately angled her airship towards the demon.

The airship drew a small arc in the air, avoiding a few Gargoyles as well as friendly fire from the other airships, cutting a path towards the Winged Howler.

…

Elin was riding on the big airship. Because of the approaching Winged Howler, the atmosphere in the airship became extremely tense.

“Quick, stop him!”

“Continuous fire, block off his approach!”

“No, damn, he’s getting faster; we can’t block him. Brace for impact!”

Although the airship was 240 feet long, against a Level-8 demon, this meant little. Once the demon got onboard, it spelled a disaster for everyone.

This happened many times in previous skirmishes. The Yabbas had deployed 15 airships. Twelve of them were destroyed in this manner, while the other three were safe only because they had escaped fast enough.

Amidst the chaos, one officer aboard the airship suddenly pointed in the distance. “Hey look! Who’s that? A human Warrior?”

Link’s body was shrouded in brilliant, fiery-red light. It was simply eye-catching.

The Yabbas looked over and shook their heads. Elin also looked over. Upon seeing who it was, she was stunned, then excited. “It’s Link! He’s coming over to help!”

“Lord Link?” Isn’t he a Magician?”

The human Warrior on the ship was obviously holding a sword and wearing a Warrior’s robe. His body was extremely built and had none of the gentleness and wisdom a Magician was supposed to possess.

Elin was about to say something when Link leaped from the aircraft towards the demon. The airship that Link was on was originally speeding towards the demon. When he leapt off it, it was shockingly pushed down by the counterforce.

Link’s speed was incredible. He shot across the sky like a burst of lightning. The lightning seemed to strike past the Winged Howler’s body. Instantly, the Winged Howler’s body was cleaved into two.

The commanders on the ship were stunned.

“What!”

“So fast!”

“Unbelievable. What kind of power is this?”

In mid-air, black demon blood sprayed down. Link was long gone. The arc of his jump took him towards another ship. As he landed, he immediately jumped off again, heading for a Gargoyle.

The Gargoyle had no time to react—Link was simply too fast. Link didn’t bother cutting the Gargoyle; he simply stamped down hard on the Gargoyle and leaped off. His target was the Winged Howler far in the distance.

Be that as it may, the Gargoyle still could not take the force. After being stepped on, his body shot towards the ground. SMASH! A huge hole appeared in the ground, from which a dust cloud was spreading out off. Inside the hole, the Gargoyle’s body had already been smashed to pieces.

Link leaped a horizontal distance of about 300 feet before stepping on another Gargoyle and jumping off it. This brought him up to a Winged Howler.

Scree! The Winged Howler screeched. It was a Level-8 expert, and it was confident that it would be able to deal with Link.

Link exploded out with Dragon Power, slashing towards the Winged Howler.

Clang. The sound of a collision rang out. When the Legendary and Level-8 power clashed, the air vibrated strongly.

The next instant, the demon was cleanly cut into two by Link’s Dragon King’s Wrath sword, sword and all.

The Yabbas was stunned speechless. What was this situation?

Wasn’t a Magician supposed to reinforce them? Why did a Warrior appear instead? Furthermore, how strong was this Warrior? He just clashed head-on with a Level-8 demon and won. It was unbelievable!

After killing the demon, Link was beginning to lose speed and altitude.

Whoosh!

Nearby, an airship curved and headed for Link, catching him. Link didn’t care who it was that had caught him, he simply pointed to another airship and instructed, “Take me there.”

Only the airships had sufficient mass for him to launch off properly without being knocked back by the resultant force. If he jumped off from a small craft, he would smash it to pieces. The frame of a small craft just couldn’t take the force. Medium-sized airships had enough mass. However, they weren’t durable enough either.

The airship immediately brought Link towards the large airships.

Once it neared a bigger airship, the small airship suddenly decreased its speed. Link used the inertia from its original velocity to jump over to the big ship. Once he landed, he located another Winged Howler 240 feet away and ran towards it, gathering his momentum to jump.

Bang! Link leaped off from the 240-foot-long airship. Even though the airship was huge, the airship still shook from the impact of Link’s jump, so much so that it even deviated slightly from its original flight path.

“Adjust the angle! Follow him and support him!” The commander of the airship ordered.

He understood Link’s plan. Link was going to clear out the Level-8 demons in the sky. What he needed them to do was provide him with footholds that he could jump from.

The battle was reaching its climax. Lannie piloted her airship, weaving through enemies and allies like a fish. As she flew, she shot down numerous Gargoyles, sending them down to the ground.

Meanwhile, the Level-7 Magician Green was on the deck of a medium-sized airship. He used spells to summon lightning in the sky, sending them hurtling towards the flying demons. Even the Level-8 demons could not simply ignore such attacks.

The flying airships also fired their magic cannons, unleashing havoc on the demons in the sky and on the ground.

The Dark Army was being beaten so badly they had no chance to retaliate.

There were just over ten Winged Howlers and about 1,000 lower level demons in the air. On the ground, there were slightly more demons. Against the bombardment from the airships, they had no way to retaliate and could only receive the attacks head-on.

Boom! Boom! The Dark Elves had obtained some magic cannons from the Yabbas they defeated. These cannons created some trouble for the airships.

Nonetheless, the Yabbas were the true experts at using the magic cannons. Wherever they heard the sound of magic cannons firing, they would accurately return fire and suppress the enemies.

Ten minutes later, the remaining four Winged Howlers shrieked and turned to retreat towards the Black Forest. The rest of the low-level demons followed suit.

The flying demons still had a hope of escaping. The demons on the ground on the other hand, however, had no such hope. They were bombarded by the attacks from the air and had no way of fighting back. In the end, nobody knew how many demons escaped on the ground, but whatever the number was, it was pitifully low.

In this battle, the Dark Army was undoubtedly weaker than the Yabbas. With Link’s addition, victory was assured.

Half an hour later, the battle reached its end. The battlefield quieted down. There was only the occasional sound of musket fire as the Yabbas killed any survivors they found.

Link was not needed for this simple task. With the help of a small airship, Link boarded the airship that Elin was on.

Elin was already waiting for Link on the deck with several other commanders. The instant Link landed on the deck, without even waiting for him to stabilize his footing, Elin ran up to him and jumped into his arms. Link hurriedly stretched out his arms to catch hold of her.

“Link! I knew you would come! I saw you in a dream!” Elin laughed. However, her eyes were red with tears. A moment later, the smile on her face also vanished, and she started crying in Link’s arms. The demeanor of a high-level Magician was completely gone in the midst of her crying.

Link gently patted her back, consoling, “Elin, things will get better. They surely will.”

Elin sniffed. “When I came back, the sky city Pollol was already destroyed. Everyone was dead, my mother, brothers, sisters. There are less than two million people left.”

In the beginning, the Yabbas had a population of twenty million. They had lost about ninety percent of their population in this war. It was a tragedy that could easily spell the end of the Yabba race.

Of course, this was already better than the situation in the game. In the game, the Yabbas were completely eradicated. Nonetheless, this was not something Link could say. Link held Elin in his arms as he walked towards the commander.

Link was familiar with this commander. It was Merlin, the one who had led Link to the Necropolis in the South. Link remembered him as a very optimistic person. Now, his face was ashen and gray. No traces of the optimism remained.

Merlin greeted Link and saluted. “Lord Link, thank you for your assistance. This way please, Lord Franklin is waiting for you. He is injured and can’t move easily, I hope you won’t mind.”

Franklin was the chairman of the Artisan Council and also one of the Yabba leaders. He was already 90 years old. When he was younger, he injured his leg in some incident and was confined to a wheelchair ever since. He was thus also known as the “Wheelchair Noble.”

This was something that never happened in the game. After all, in the game, by the time the humans received news of the Dark Elves’ attack on the Yabbas, the Yabbas were already obliterated. He learned of Franklin through Elin and could tell from her attitude that this was someone she respected greatly.

Link bowed slightly. “It is an honor to be able to meet him.”

As they were walking into the interior of the airship, there were many Yabba Warriors. Elin felt embarrassed being carried by Link and struggled. Link, therefore, put her down. Seeing her teary face, he couldn’t resist pinching her nose and teasing her. “Wipe your face, little kitty.”

Elin laughed bashfully and took out a handkerchief to clean her face.

Once they entered the bridge of the ship, Link saw a Yabba man with a full, white beard. He was sitting on a levitating wheelchair. This was obviously Lord Franklin.

When he saw Link, he respectfully greeted Link before resuming his original position. “Lord Link, as you can see, we are also in a difficult situation. Nonetheless, we will spare no effort to send reinforcements to support Orida Fortress. Shall we discuss the attack strategy?”

Link became serious. Although he had close personal relations with Elin, that was ultimately still a personal matter. Personal matters had to be put aside when talking about issues concerning their two races.

Under such circumstances, it was already a great sign that the Yabbas did not hesitate to agree to reinforce Orida Fortress. However, it was still important to work out the details of the command structure. Not only did they have to work out the chain of command, but they also had to negotiate how they would split the spoils of war and other issues.

Link was essentially representing the whole of the Norton Kingdom. He grabbed a chair and was prepared to begin negotiations when suddenly, an officer pointed to Lariel City and shouted, “Look out! Something’s wrong with the magic net!”

Chapter 405: Disaster for the Yabbas

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The officer’s words shocked everyone inside the command cabin. Link rose immediately and walked to the window to look down at Lirico City.

He saw a glowing white net slowly form on the surface of the city. It became brighter and brighter while the Mana density shot up.

Master Franklin also moved the wheelchair over and looked down. He was both shocked and furious. “Akensser must have done this! But how is he this powerful?”

The magic net was the crystallization of millenniums of Yabba wisdom. Every generation would work on refining it. Even if Akensser was an advanced craftsman, even if he had hundreds of followers, the core was inside the city protected by the Light Wall. How could he control the entire net?

Franklin couldn’t figure it out.

By now, the magic net had become even brighter and brighter. Horrible Mana rose up from it. Many white spots of Mana light appeared in the air, even inside the command cabin.

From afar, it looked as if it was snowing in Lirico City. But instead of floating down, the “snowflakes” rose up from the ground as if time was reversed.

Elin suddenly clutched her head and screamed, “Hurry! Hurry! I sense destruction and death!”

This time, Franklin didn’t hesitate. “Hurry out of here!” he immediately ordered.

Whoo, whoo

The entire magic wind seal of the airship fleet sped forward at full speed. Then it accelerated, leaving Lirico behind.

The airships were extremely fast. Even the huge ones could reach 650 feet per second. After 20 seconds, the entire fleet was out of Lirico City’s range.

“Not enough! Keep going! Hide behind the mountain!” Master Franklin continued yelling.

The fleet continued forward and soon passed over the tall mountains to the south of the city.

“Quickly reduce elevation! Hurry! Now!” Franklin yelled.

The fleet immediately went lower. When they reached 65 feet in elevation, Link’s heart clenched. Then he saw a thick wave of faint purple Mana seep over from the mountains, coming straight for the fleet.

He also saw that on the other side without the mountains as a barrier, the Mana wave was already dark purple. If it washed over a regular person, even if they didn’t die, there would still be horrible lasting effects.

“The airship will be destroyed! Get ready!” commander Merlin exclaimed.

Whoosh! The Mana wave washed over the airship fleet, and the entire magic seal became effective immediately. The fleet started falling.

Thankfully, they were only around 60 feet in the air and were already close to the ground. It was a forest below them as well. The trees were a few dozen feet tall. The airships dropped down and crashed into the trees within half a second.

Crack, crash! Countless trees were flattened, and the Yabbas inside the airships swayed violently.

Just as the ship was about to land, Link grabbed Elin and Franklin and kept them beside him. At almost the same moment, there was a huge boom. The ship hit the ground and shook violently. Many people fell down, rolling around on the ground. The various things in the cabin fell and smashed against people.

Link hunched over, protecting Elin and Franklin in his embrace. At the same time, crystal-red Dragon Power emerged from his body. With the burst of power, he stood stably.

In the mess, things smashed against his back, hit his arm and head, but Link used Dragon Power to force them away.

The commotion lasted for five or six seconds before silencing.

Link put Elin and Franklin down. Looking around, he saw that the command cabin had become a mess. Various moans and wails reached his ears. The weak Yabbas were strewn amongst the ruins. The elevation wasn’t too high, so most were only injured. Some unlucky ones had been hit in the head.

The smell of blood filled the cabin.

Master Franklin stared at this in shock. Then he coughed violently and spat out a mouthful of blood. He wasn’t injured—he was just furious.

Elin was also dazed. She stood there dumbly and then ran over to help people. Link went too. He lifted the objects away, dragging out the trapped Yabbas.

He was very fast, and the survivors were quickly taken to safety. There were more than 3000 people and 2800 survived with around 100 dead. That wasn’t too bad.

Link went to the other ships.

Some were in good shape. They’d landed before the flagship and were already on the ground when the Mana wave came, so no one was hurt. Others though were much worse. They had been around 100 feet in the air. To the weak Yabbas, even one foot higher would cause the death toll to stagger upward.

Link didn’t have time to think. He focused on helping them. The Yabbas who were less injured also started helping others.

Chaos lasted for a full three hours. The survivors were all saved. Less than 800 people had died, which wasn’t much. However, the biggest loss was that the magic airships had all lost their effectiveness.

Mana was a strange type of energy. It was highly penetrative but wasn’t too harmful towards living beings, especially stronger ones. The wave of Mana only caused people to feel a bit dizzy. Weaker ones would get a headache, but that was it.

However, this energy completely destroyed the Mana machines that the Yabbas relied on. Other than the simpler magic muskets, everything else had become ineffective.

After a while, a craftsman reported the losses. “Master, the Mana pools of many airships are completely destroyed. We can fix at most half of them, but it’ll take three months.”

Franklin nodded. “That’s alright for now.”

The mountain only provided limited resistance against the Mana, but if not for the mountains, not even half of the airships would be salvageable. In addition, everyone would suffer a higher intensity of Mana and have more side effects.

At this, Franklin sighed and glanced apologetically at Link. “Ferde Lord, you see how it is. We cannot help the Orida Fortress anymore.”

This was indeed bad news, but Link wasn’t at a dead end yet.

If the Yabbas couldn’t do it, he could go find the dragons or the High Elves. He could even go straight back to the Orida Fortress with Riel. Once the Mana aura disappeared from him and he recovered his magic, he could charge with Riel. Unless there was more than one demon also in the Legendary level, they could definitely defeat them all!

However, he still had many suspicions.

Firstly, how exactly did Akensser destroy the magic net? According to Franklin’s reaction, he shouldn’t be able to do so.

Secondly, why didn’t the game system give any response to this sudden event?

For the first one, Link had no guesses. He wasn’t familiar with Lirico City’s magic net system. But if Franklin could be so shocked, this must be something uncommon.

The second suspicion gave Link a really bad premonition. In a way, the game system represented the power of the Light Army. In the past, it often used missions to remind Link of dangers that may occur. This time, there was no warning.

There was no reaction at all.

Link checked the mission he now had. It was “Reinforcement Request,” and it was still incomplete. The current status bar had become red, meaning he’d failed it.

Did this mean the game system would not give him any more warnings? Or did something block the sensory of the God of Light? The former wasn’t quite possible. Since the God of Light wanted Link to save the world, giving some warnings wasn’t too much and shouldn’t be revoked. Link thought further and felt that the latter was more possible.

This meant something was helping the traitor Akensser. Not only did it provide the way to destroy the magic net, but it also did so without anyone realizing. Who could this be?

The Spider Queen Lolth? The God of Destruction? Or was it the Travel Magician Aisenis? Or some completely unknown powerful entity?

Link didn’t have enough information and couldn’t hypothesize at all.

On the other hand, Master Franklin saw that Link wasn’t speaking and thought he was upset. Franklin sighed and didn’t speak either.

At this time, the Yabba scouts came back from the mountain with news about Lirico City.

“Master, the Light Wall is still there and is still complete. But from the openings, we can see that it’s dark inside the city. The Mana tide destroyed most facilities, but the residents should be okay. We saw many torches lit inside.”

The defense shield of Lirico was completely independent and very reliable. Even if the magic net was compromised, the shield could still be maintained. However, this wasn’t significant anymore.

The magic machines were all destroyed. The Yabbas were instantly thrown into a horrible situation. If demons returned to attack them, they could only use simple muskets for defense.

As for the magic cannons, their energy supply was connected to the airships. With the airships damaged, the cannons wouldn’t work either. They could be repaired but required time.

The situation was as bad as it could get.

At that time, an extremely loud voice called, “Link, how are you?”

Link looked over and discovered Riel. He’d been hiding in the cave, and after all this time, his power had recovered more than Link. Now, he ran down the mountain at extreme speed.

The Yabbas and dwarves were quite close, and Riel, the King of Mountains, was well-known amongst the Yabbas. Seeing him come, all the Yabbas greeted him, though they weren’t very lively because of what had just happened.

When he arrived, Riel bowed to Master Franklin and comforted him. “I was in the cave and saw the magic net collapse. I knew it would be bad. But now, it seems alright. All that matters is that you’re all alive.”

Franklin shook his head with a wry smile.

“But I just saw Akensser,” Riel continued. “He brought some… weird things in the direction of the Light Wall.”

Link was shocked. “Weird things?”

Franklin and the other Yabbas perked up too.

But no one discovered that when Elin heard this, her small frame shook violently, and her face paled. She seemed to sense something terrifying.