Chapter 583: Plainly Visible
In the days that followed, the expedition team—composed of three major factions—ventured deeper into the heart of the Primordial Forest. The dense vegetation blotted out the sky, so thick that even daylight struggled to pierce through the tangled canopy. The entire forest was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive haze, as if dusk had permanently settled over the land...
The farther they went, the larger the vegetation grew. Leon and his group wove their way through the undergrowth, so insignificant they seemed like ants in this vast wilderness. Despite everyone's caution and efforts to keep their movements quiet, the team was still frequently beset by attacks from ancient magical beasts.
This place was almost a sanctuary for ancient magical beasts. Ever since the team set foot in the Primordial Forest, creatures that had supposedly vanished from the annals of history—long thought extinct and known only from dusty tomes—appeared one after another before their eyes...
Just the day before yesterday, a horde of ancient gnawing behemoths had attacked, causing considerable trouble for the team before they were finally driven off. Then yesterday, an ancient vine demon—boasting the strength of a Level Seven Title Archmage—threw the entire party into chaos.
As they pressed further into the forest, the magical beasts lurking in its depths grew ever stronger. Even though nearly everyone in the team was a mid-rank Title Archmage or higher, they still found themselves stretched thin, struggling to keep up with the relentless onslaught of ancient magical beasts...
'Whoosh!'
A flash of piercing white light streaked through the air—a wave of bone-chilling frost, imbued with powerful dragon might, shot straight through the beast’s neck, trailing a line of crimson blood.
But before the blood could even spurt from the wound, it was instantly frozen into a solid lump by the Absolute Zero Breath’s icy chill. The creature’s pierced neck quickly turned a frosted, ashen gray, blanketed in a layer of ice.
'Roar!'
Grievously wounded, a colossal beast raised its monstrous head, baring two rows of razor-sharp fangs as its jaws split wide. It let out a low, anguished roar that echoed across the forest.
But that roar was nothing more than its final, desperate cry.
Before the sound had even faded, its massive head drooped limply, and the beast’s enormous body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash, sending up clouds of rotting leaves...
Only when the beast’s body finally stopped twitching, lying utterly still in death, did Reina retract her Frost Dragon form and rejoin the team.
Following close behind Leon, Reina’s chest heaved as she caught her breath, her face pale and drawn.
Ever since they’d ventured deeper into the Primordial Forest, not only had the ancient magical beasts grown stronger, but attacks had become more frequent as well.
This was already the third wave of magical beasts they’d encountered today.
Even Reina, the Frost Dragon, was beginning to struggle under the relentless pace of these high-intensity battles.
After all, every creature haunting this perilous forest was worthy of a place in legend—ancient monsters, each possessing at least the strength of a mid-rank Title Archmage.
Calling them legendary was no exaggeration at all...
Still, compared to the threat posed by these ancient magical beasts, Leon sensed a far more insidious undercurrent stirring within the team itself.
It seemed some people had begun scheming for themselves...
And this sort of undercurrent had been brewing for some time now...
In the first few days after entering the forest, the three factions managed to maintain a semblance of balance. Whenever ancient magical beasts attacked, each group would take turns sending someone to fight.
Especially between Cyrus Watson and Archmage Felton, there hadn’t been any open conflict, but the two had been at odds from the very start. Any proposal from one would be immediately opposed by the other—anyone could see the animosity between them...
Of course, Leon knew full well that the hostility between these two old men wasn’t nearly as intense as it looked on the surface.
Their behavior was all about maintaining the balance of power among the three factions—neither wanted the other’s group to gain dominance within the team.
In the end, it all boiled down to a single word: interests.
If any faction managed to seize the upper hand, they’d surely have an advantage when it came time to divide up the spoils. Clearly, neither old man was willing to let that happen.
As for Leon, those two old men hadn’t paid him any attention from the very start...
What a joke—a mere Level Six Archmage. If Leon weren’t the Commander of the Blazeforge Legion for the Merlin Family, and if he didn’t have that Frost Dragon, Sky Rank Golem, and Dragonblood Orc under his command, he’d never have been allowed to join this expedition.
Even the weakest member of the Watson Family, Mark Watson, was at least a Level Three Title Archmage.
A mere Level Six Archmage? Hah...
Leon was well aware of what those two old men were thinking, but his mind was focused entirely on repairing the Sky Rank Golem. Frankly, he couldn’t be bothered with their games.
Besides, their constant bickering didn’t hurt him in the slightest—he was more than happy to let them go at each other.
But as time went on—especially in recent days—the situation seemed to be shifting...
If, before entering this spatial rift, the Watson Family and the Black Tower had only assessed this demi-plane by comparing it to the Blazeforge Realm, those evaluations were now being revised again and again as more and more powerful ancient magical beasts appeared.
The danger here was clearly far greater than anyone had previously estimated...
After all, before actually entering the spatial rift, no one could have imagined that such an ancient Primordial Forest would exist here, let alone that they’d be confronted by so many ancient magical beasts long thought extinct for tens of thousands of years...
So far, the object of their search hadn’t revealed the slightest trace—but the team was under constant assault by high-rank ancient magical beasts.
And it was clear that the ancient magical beasts yet to appear would only grow stronger...
Under such circumstances, fighting for control of the team no longer seemed worth the risk. Preserving their own strength to face the even harsher trials ahead was far more in each faction’s interest...
With this in mind, the days-long rivalry between Cyrus Watson and Archmage Felton quietly faded away, replaced by a subtle, unspoken understanding.
Of the three factions, the Black Tower was the strongest—Archmage Felton was a veteran Level Eight Title Archmage. The Watson Family came next, with Cyrus Watson at the peak of Level Seven, his power rivaling that of an Eighth Rank Title Archmage. The Merlin Family’s Leon was merely a Level Six Archmage.
It was obvious who was worth cooperating with—and who could be cast aside...
With these two old foxes tacitly in agreement, the scales that had long held the team in balance began to tip...
Leon keenly sensed the change in the team’s atmosphere, and grew wary. Still, he kept his composure—this demi-plane was full of strange dangers, and for now, both the Black Tower and the Watson Family were still useful to him.
At least, until the Sky Rank Golem and Hydra Heart were perfectly fused, Leon felt it was necessary to maintain cooperation with both factions...
However, a certain Level Eight Title Archmage from the Black Tower Sanctuary clearly intended for the Merlin Family to shoulder more of the burden in the days ahead...
The team pressed onward through the Primordial Forest. Suddenly, Archmage Felton, leading at the front, turned and shot Leon a dark, cold look. He then whispered something to Councilor Suville at his side, and Suville promptly turned and strode toward Leon.