Then, the excitement turned into a scream of agony.
Damn it, there really is a swamp here!
Felix was completely trapped in the swamp, his fat body twisting and struggling desperately. The more he struggled, the faster he sank. In just a moment, the dark, muddy water had already reached Felix's chest!
"Careful, that's a Corrupting Mire!" The Ninth-Rank Mage in the crowd was the first to notice. While shouting to warn the members of the Viper's Nest, he also quickly spat out an incantation.
Corrupting Mire is just a third-level spell. For a Ninth-Rank Mage, it's nothing—a single Petrify Ground would easily resolve it.
In fact, that's exactly what the Ninth-Rank Mage did. He spat out the incantation quickly, and a Petrify Ground spell formed in an instant. As long as he could stop the Corrupting Mire from spreading, Felix could easily escape.
However, just as the Ninth-Rank Mage was about to release Petrifying Earth, a bone-chilling cold suddenly swept over the area. Before he could react, the entire swamp had already frozen solid.
"What..." The Ninth-Rank Mage held the Petrify Ground spell in his hand, unable to release it or let it go. For a moment, he was so frustrated it hurt. The swamp was already frozen, so casting Petrify Ground was pointless, but not casting it felt wrong too. Was he supposed to just watch Felix turn into a popsicle? That was someone the boss had personally ordered to protect...
Fortunately, the Ninth-Rank Mage's dilemma didn't last long.
Because Leon was already walking over.
"Uncle, what brings you here today?" Leon walked along the path, ignoring the conflicted Ninth-Rank Mage, and went straight to the frozen swamp. He squatted down, grinning at Felix.
"You... you... let me out!" Felix had never been so miserable in his life. Most of his body was trapped in the frozen swamp, and the biting cold made his teeth chatter. His whole body felt as if it were being sliced by knives.
And he couldn't move or escape. After the swamp froze completely, it was as hard as steel. Not even a warrior below the tenth rank could break free by sheer strength, let alone Felix.
"Of course I can let you out, Uncle. But I just don't get it—why did you bring so many people to surround my house today? What does it mean?"
"To... to catch a thief, ah—" Felix had just spoken when he suddenly felt the ground drop beneath him, and he sank even deeper. Terrified, he waved his hands frantically. "Quick... grab me, grab me!"
"Uncle Felix, you're not being very honest." Leon waited until only half of Felix's face was above the surface before lazily reaching out to grab his collar. "Someone as generous as you wouldn't make such a fuss over a thief."
"Just pull me up first!" This time, Felix refused to say anything more.
But Leon didn't say anything more either—instead, he simply let go of his hand...
"Ah—"
As soon as Leon let go, Felix screamed miserably, his fat hands flailing wildly, desperate to grab onto something. After a struggle, he finally managed to grab the hem of Leon's robe. This time, Felix refused to let go no matter what. "Matthew Merlin, I'm your uncle! Pull me up!"
"Enough, Felix, shut up!" The Ninth-Rank Mage, who had been watching coldly, finally couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his staff, and a vine instantly sprouted next to the frozen swamp. Driven by his magical power, the vine quickly grew several meters long and about as thick as a forearm.
With a flick and a twist, the vine wrapped around Felix, who was still struggling, and pulled him out of the frozen swamp, placing him safely on the ground.
"I didn't even get to ask him anything..." Leon brushed the dust off his robe and complained a little, though he didn't really seem disappointed.
Leon knew perfectly well that Felix was just a lackey in all this. No matter how much he pressed, he probably wouldn't get much useful information.
Besides, there's no rush. There's still a Ninth-Rank Mage to deal with...
The Ninth-Rank Mage had no idea he'd just been mentally marked as the next interrogation target. At that moment, he was frowning at the young mage who'd caused him so much trouble.
This young mage must be the owner of the house—Matthew Merlin. He looked about twenty, dressed in a brand new black robe, probably just advanced to mage recently. Judging by the two spells he'd cast, he was likely between third and sixth rank.
For someone in their twenties, that was decent strength—but only decent. As a pinnacle among mages, the Ninth-Rank Mage could crush anyone below ninth rank.
So the Ninth-Rank Mage didn't waste time with small talk. He spoke directly: "Matthew Merlin, hand over the deed to this house now. I can guarantee the safety of you and everyone inside."
"Let me think..." Leon didn't refuse, but showed a troubled expression.
"You'd better think carefully. I rarely give people this kind of chance. You have ten seconds to decide—die clutching the deed, or hand it over and live."
"What I mean is, I'm deciding whether I should let you go..."
As soon as Leon said this, the whole area fell silent.
The Ninth-Rank Mage was stunned, unable to believe his ears. He froze for several seconds before realizing he hadn't misheard—the young mage had really said he was deciding whether to let them go...
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"You brought this on yourself!" The Ninth-Rank Mage took a deep breath, forcing down his anger, but his voice was now cold and sinister.
His cold voice and ashen face made it clear—even Felix, who was still trembling nearby, could see the Ninth-Rank Mage was truly enraged this time.
It was an unmistakable provocation. Even an ordinary mage couldn't tolerate this, let alone someone at the very pinnacle.
"Kill him!" The Ninth-Rank Mage waved his hand, and dozens of his men leapt into action.
These were all Viper's Nest elites, each at least third rank, with the strongest reaching seventh. Dozens of them together rivaled a mercenary group. In all of Seaview City, only the top factions or the Viper's Nest, which controlled the entire underworld, could field such a formidable force!
These dozens of Viper's Nest elites included warriors, thieves, and archers. As soon as the Ninth-Rank Mage gave the order, the warriors and thieves charged forward, weapons in hand, while the archers quickly took up advantageous positions, bows drawn and arrows nocked—ready to strike like vipers as soon as the battle began.
As they charged, some of them couldn't help but grumble inwardly—did they really need to mobilize the Viper's Nest elites against a mage barely in his twenties?
But soon, they realized how wrong they were...
Because Leon had already finished his first spell—a Corrupting Mire formed again, less than ten meters in front of him. The dozen or so warriors with greatswords had just charged up when the ground gave way beneath them, and it felt as if something was desperately pulling them down, dragging their bodies deep into the earth.
No one expected Leon to cast so quickly. Corrupting Mire was a third-level spell; most mages needed at least twenty seconds to chant the incantation. Even a Ninth-Rank Mage would need nearly ten seconds.
But this Corrupting Mire—from start to finish—took no more than five seconds.
What did that even mean...?
It was practically instant-casting!
This unbelievably fast Corrupting Mire completely disrupted the Viper's Nest formation. The dozen warriors were trapped in the mire, the thieves hadn't even gotten close enough to surround Leon, and the archers, panicked, fired in a rush—none of their arrows even grazed Leon's robe.
And as if that wasn't enough, Leon had already finished a second spell!
The second spell was even faster than the first.
It was pure instant-casting—no incantation, no gestures, just a single, razor-sharp icicle...
There was a sharp whistle as the icicle, trailing a blur, pierced an archer's shoulder in an instant. Its momentum carried it deep into the tree behind him, pinning the unlucky archer firmly to the trunk. The vantage point he'd claimed now became the place he hated most.
An icicle as thick as a forearm lodged in his shoulder, nailing him to the tree—pain even a Viper's Nest elite couldn't bear. His agonized screams grew louder and louder, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"Magus ability?" The Ninth-Rank Mage paused, then understood.