Chapter 1017: The Little Wolf
As soon as the thought surfaced, Morgan shivered, grit his teeth, downed two bottles of alchemical potion in quick succession, and then unleashed a frenzied barrage of spells. A hailstorm of Shadow Arrows shot out, pouring down on the Mud Lizard before him like rain.
Morgan was simply envious of the sheer strength under Leon’s command, while Arno, on the other hand, felt a mix of shock and genuine admiration.
Morgan hadn’t noticed anything unusual at first, but Arno did—he saw that when Leon and his people fought, there was a distinct rhythm to their movements.
With three Mud Lizards, the group split into three teams, each facing one beast. During battle, it seemed everyone knew exactly what to do, when to cast which spell, how to adjust tactics—their coordination and timing were flawless, almost instinctive.
The Mage Legion surged forward like a pack of rabid dogs, launching a relentless assault as if they didn’t care about the cost. Despite the danger, even the strongest among them—mere second-rank Title Archmages—knew that a direct hit could cripple or kill them.
Yet, despite the peril, none of the fifty battalion mages faltered or lost their composure. Every single one radiated confidence, utterly unafraid.
That spellcasting frenzy, now that Arno thought about it, was actually the most efficient way to fight—unleashing half their mana in a short burst to achieve results that slow and steady tactics could never match.
If they’d played it safe, they might have barely used any mana at all, but there’s no guarantee they’d have gotten such results.
Inferno suppressed the enemy, and with defensive shields, they redirected the flames—amplifying the spell’s power several times over. In the final moment, the Frost Dragon froze the Mud Lizard’s head, and the Mage Legion delivered the killing blow.
Every move seemed calculated, their coordination down to the very second. Each spell chained seamlessly into the next, attacks timed with almost mechanical precision—flawless, really.
What a terrifying team—they’d already figured out the most efficient way to fight these Sky Rank beasts. As long as the monsters weren’t too many, nothing here could really threaten them.
Especially Leon Merlin—he’s the truly frightening one. His power absolutely surpasses both Morgan and me. No, to be honest, neither Morgan nor I could even hope to match him. He didn’t even go all out in the last fight.
His Essence Relic—he only used the basic abilities of his staff. He didn’t call upon any avatars, nor did he use his other relics. He’s honestly terrifying…
Arno’s gaze was full of envy. If they’d learned this specialized way of fighting Sky Rank beasts sooner, the losses wouldn’t have been so heavy—they wouldn’t have been trapped here by six Mud Lizards, at least.
Leon’s group had finished their battle, while the Henry Family finally managed to take down one Mud Lizard; the other two were only badly wounded and now driven into a frenzy…
Arno tried to imitate Leon’s team’s tactics, but it was hopeless. Neither Morgan nor any of the Henry Family’s other strong mages could match that kind of teamwork—nobody had the confidence that their companions would always have their back.
Arno summoned a river dozens of meters wide, an elemental torrent that crashed down and suppressed one Mud Lizard, but he simply couldn’t reach the other.
Leon thought for a moment, then sent the Patchwork Golem and Anderson out to help. After all, if the Henry Family lost more people now, it’d be bad for his reputation. He’d promised to help—no point wasting time.
A few minutes later, the last Mud Lizard let out one final, resentful roar—the battle was over.
With the battle over, the Henry Family erupted in cheers. The past two days of being trapped had been pure torture—constant fighting and spellcasting, leaving everyone’s head feeling like it’d been smashed by a dwarf’s hammer, ready to explode at any moment…
And the losses—don’t even mention them. The Floating Battle Fleet was wrecked, two of the Essence Relics used for the barrier were destroyed, at least seven or eight hundred magic scrolls burned through, two or three hundred bottles of alchemical potions gone, plus all sorts of expensive odds and ends. The total cost was staggering…
Now that the fight was over, handling the six Mud Lizards was left to the Henry Family. It’s the nastiest, most troublesome job—outside, no mage would ever do it. Nobody wants to deal with Mud Lizard corpses; not only does the mana get tainted with a foul stench, but if you mess up with the blood and guts, you might end up poisoned too…
Leon’s people didn’t bother with any of that. They looked like they’d just finished a warm-up, not a brutal fight.
Half an hour later, after the Henry Family finished dealing with the bodies, Morgan personally brought over the processed materials. As agreed, all spoils from the six Mud Lizards belonged to Leon.
After downing a few more alchemical potions, Morgan’s pale face looked a bit more normal. He walked over with a spatial ring in hand, a strange smile tugging at his lips.
"Master Leon Merlin, as promised, all six Mud Lizard corpses are yours. Every processed material is right here."
Leon took the spatial ring—it was unmarked, usable by anyone. Sweeping his mind through it, he found all sorts of neatly sorted Mud Lizard materials inside, along with six earth-brown mana crystals.
Suddenly, Leon’s eyes flashed. Three fist-sized earth-brown mana crystals appeared in his hand.
These three earth-type mana crystals were all Level 40, but lacked any trace of transcendent power. They were the lowest grade of Level 40 crystals—most families wouldn’t bother hunting Level 39 beasts, but would wait until the beast reached Level 40 to kill it, before it awakened intelligence or gained extraordinary strength.
Even without any transcendent aura, these mana crystals carried a faint trace of rule—far more valuable than Level 39 crystals. The best part? These beasts are much easier to hunt…
Leon examined the three crystals. Nothing looked off—no strange earth mana, nothing suspicious. The only odd thing was the absence of that barely perceptible spatial energy, usually hidden deep within the thick earth mana.
Leon’s magitech armor easily picked up that subtle fluctuation. All the beasts they’d hunted before had this trait, but with these six Mud Lizards, three of the mana crystals lacked even a hint of spatial energy. Leon instantly understood what was going on.
"Morgan, by our agreement, all six Mud Lizard mana crystals are mine. But what’s the deal with these three?"
Leon toyed with the three Level 40 earth-type mana crystals in his hand, frowning at Morgan.
Morgan’s face changed slightly.
"What do you mean, Master Leon Merlin? We’ve fulfilled our agreement—every material from the six Mud Lizards, all six Level 40 mana crystals, are here. What more do you want?"
Damn, how did this guy notice?
Level 40 mana crystals look exactly the same—how did he know I swapped out three of them?
Morgan’s face was ashen—whether from anger or nerves, it was hard to tell.
"Master Leon Merlin, don’t go too far. All six mana crystals were dug out of the Mud Lizards’ heads—what could possibly be wrong? You watched the whole process. If there’s a problem, I don’t know about it. Three males, three females—the crystals are a bit different. If you think there’s an issue, I can’t help you. Go ask the Mud Lizards yourself…"
As he spoke, Morgan gestured to the pile of flesh and bones that used to be Mud Lizards, a sudden smile flickering across his face.
Yeah, why am I nervous? Leon watched the whole thing. If he spots a difference, it must be something about the Mud Lizards themselves. Even among the same kind of magical beast, mana crystals always vary a little—nobody can guarantee they’re identical.
No two mana crystals are ever exactly alike—that’s common knowledge. Even if he notices, I’ll just deny it. He can’t do anything about it…
Morgan stubbornly refused to admit anything, insisting the three crystals were genuine Mud Lizard mana crystals.
Leon shook his head, a faint smile curling at his lips. He wasn’t angry at all.
He casually traced a line in the air. A rift opened up, revealing a demi-plane, and out jumped a little wolf, no bigger than a young earth dog.
The Three-Eyed Wolf had been stuck in the demi-plane lately, worshipped as a wolf god by two orc ancestor spirits, learning all sorts of things and getting brainwashed nonstop. Unfortunately, the wolf only grew more annoyed with those ancestors—he wasn’t getting brainwashed one bit.
Now that he was out, the wolf acted just like an earth dog—wagging his tail, frolicking around Leon, and clinging to his leg for dear life, terrified of being sent back.
Leon picked up the Three-Eyed Wolf and whispered in his ear. The wolf’s eyes lit up—finally, a chance to do something after so long! He fixed his bright green gaze on Morgan, making Morgan shiver.
"Master Leon Merlin, I told you—there’s nothing different. No two mana crystals are ever exactly alike, that’s common sense. If you say something’s wrong, I can’t help it…"
Morgan kept denying everything, convinced that even if Leon noticed something, he couldn’t prove the mana crystals weren’t genuine.
Leon said nothing, just patted the wolf on the head and set him down. The little wolf darted over to Morgan, circling him twice, those green eyes making Morgan uneasy—he had no idea what the wolf was up to.
Morgan released a wave of magical energy, even casting a shield, just in case the wolf attacked. But he could tell this was just a magical beast pup—no real threat.
The little wolf grinned, circled Morgan twice, then trotted back to Leon. Leon picked him up, and the wolf whispered in his ear for a while. Leon looked at Morgan with a surprised smile, making Morgan go pale and squirm with discomfort.