Chapter 221: The Giant Tree
A Level-25 Mana Crystal and a Level-30 Mana Crystal—on the surface, it seemed like only a five-level difference. But for Leon, that gap was enormous. One was a regular Mana Crystal; the other was a Soul Mana Crystal. That distinction alone meant the value between them was at least tenfold.
"Forget it, Level-25 is still Level-25..." Leon quickly tossed aside his annoyance. After all, this was just a lucky find—no point being picky.
He just hoped this Level-25 Mana Crystal held enough magical energy. If so, at least it could be used to feed Lord Shaun.
As Leon pondered, he drew a wisp of mana from the crystal. The moment he did, his previously furrowed brow instantly relaxed...
No, it wasn’t because the crystal was brimming with mana. In fact, the magical energy inside this Level-25 Mana Crystal was only about on par with a Level-20.
But within that wisp of mana, Leon discovered several spell models.
They were all low-level spells, no higher than Tier-2—Rocket, Wind Blade, that sort of thing. Yet for Leon, this discovery made up for any previous disappointment. Low grade? Not enough mana? None of that mattered now. Just these spell models alone were enough to make this crystal as valuable as a Soul Mana Crystal...
The presence of these spell models meant this was a Mana Crystal with spellcasting abilities...
Leon could even guess that this spellcasting ability was most likely the work of the Thousand-Eyed Spellfiend.
Having personally faced the Thousand-Eyed Spellfiend, Leon understood better than anyone just how terrifying that spell was. In a single instant, it could unleash hundreds of low-tier spells. Even if none exceeded the power of a second-tier spell, the sheer force was something no ordinary Magus could withstand. Hell, even Salomon himself would probably see his rune shield torn to shreds...
Don’t be fooled by how effortlessly Leon seemed to win just now—thirty Ice Wall spells, thirty more, then a Fire Lance to finish the fight. Easy, right?
But in reality, Leon had already activated the eighth rune of the Death Tome, putting himself into a state of near-limitless consumption.
Otherwise, who could cast thirty Ice Walls and thirty Firebursts back-to-back? You’d have to be some transcendent Grand Archmage, able to ignore spell cooldowns and elemental exhaustion entirely.
Just look at Leon now...
His mana reserves, once almost full, were now completely drained. All he could do was grip the Soulbound Staff tightly, drawing on the Elemental Amber inside to scrape together enough power to keep going.
That’s the true power of the Thousand-Eyed Spellfiend...
If this magic crystal could reproduce the Thousand-Eyed Spellfiend’s effect, it wouldn’t even need any alchemical upgrades—it’d be on par with a top-tier Soulbound Relic. That’s the kind of force that could rival a Title Magus at full strength!
“Looks like you made quite a haul...” Salomon strolled over, and one look at Leon’s grin told him that magic crystal was worth a fortune.
Come to think of it, this young Archmage’s luck bordered on the absurd. At the Order of the Arcane Hand Gathering, he’d tagged along as my little thief and ended up taming a Flame Sprite. That Flame Sprite had already shown its muscle against the Shadow Wolf earlier—just one feint and it roasted the beast to charcoal. Conservatively, its combat power was at least that of a top-tier Magus...
And now, just like that, he’d casually killed a Thousand-Eyed Demon Vine and scored this freakish magic crystal. Judging by that grin, he probably had no idea just how rare it was...
Thinking about it, Salomon couldn’t help but beat his chest in regret. If only he’d rushed in first! His eyes stayed glued to the magic crystal in Leon’s hand, refusing to look away...
“Just an ordinary magic crystal...” Leon caught the sour note in Salomon’s voice instantly—he knew exactly what the ninth-tier Magus was thinking. Without missing a beat, Leon pocketed the crystal and flashed a sly smile. “Don’t get any ideas. I’ve got a busted magic relic that needs a mountain of crystals to fix. I barely have enough for myself...”
“By the way, Merlin, we’re already at the heart of the forest. That force you mentioned—the one driving the beast tide—where is it exactly?” Salomon didn’t waste time. Seeing Leon wasn’t about to trade, he dropped the subject and got straight to the mission.
“Not much farther.” Leon replied, activating his arcane array. One by one, Wizard’s Eyes flew from his palm.
“How do you know?” Salomon asked, puzzled.
“Because that magic crystal is only level twenty-five.”
“Huh?” Salomon blinked. How could a level twenty-five crystal have anything to do with the force driving the beast tide?
But soon enough, Salomon understood. Thinking it over, he realized there was a big connection after all.
The Thousand-Eyed Demon Vine’s combat strength had nearly reached level thirty—especially when the Thousand-Eyed Spellfiend erupted. That was like a Title Magus going all out. Yet this monster only left behind a level twenty-five crystal...
In other words, the Thousand-Eyed Demon Vine was just like the Shadow Wolf—warped by some unknown force. At level twenty-five, it could fight like a level thirty monster. That’s a five-level jump—easily the biggest leap any magical beast I’ve ever seen.
Probably also the beast most affected by that mysterious power...
Sure enough, just as Leon released the seventh Wizard’s Eye, one of them caught something truly bizarre in its field of view.
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"About two kilometers south!"
"Move!"
Moments later, the four of them stood before a colossal ancient tree. Its trunk soared hundreds of meters into the sky, branches and leaves so dense they blocked out the sun. One glance and it looked like a green giant looming over the heart of the forest.
At first sight, Leon almost thought he’d returned to the Bone Plane and run into that monstrous Blood Ancient Tree again. But he quickly realized it was just his imagination—this tree radiated pure life energy, the polar opposite of the Blood Ancient Tree’s deathly aura.
"What the hell is that thing...?"
"Careful. Don’t startle it yet." Leon quietly tugged Salomon back, keeping everyone hidden in the underbrush. "If I’m right, this ancient tree is the source of the force behind the beast tide."
"So what are we waiting for? Just push it over and be done with it..." Salomon couldn’t wait. "The tree’s life force is impressive, but its magical signature is only that of a level-ten beast. It’s no threat to us..."
"The problem is, it’s already triggered one beast tide..."
...Salomon’s face went pale.
Right—one beast tide was bad enough. Who could guarantee there wouldn’t be a second? The first already threw the whole exploration team into chaos. If it happened again, the four of them would be lucky to get out alive.
"And look over there..." Leon pointed to the thick trunk, covered in strange, tangled markings. "That’s an alchemical array at least True Spirit grade or higher..."
"So what do we do?" Salomon jumped, and even as one of the three giants of the Sage’s Tower, he knew enough about alchemy to realize what a True Spirit array meant—facing that was basically going up against a Title Magus.
"Leave the array to me. The rest is up to you." Leon didn’t waste words. With a few quick instructions, he channeled mana into the Lava Dominator, activating its near-impenetrable Lava Armguard. At the same time, he flipped open the Death Tome, letting the mark of his final limit spell fade...
That spell was Mind Sharpening!
After merging the Sage's Chapter into the Death Tome, Mind Sharpening became the strongest spell in his arsenal—and the one that surprised Leon most. As a limit spell, it boosted his analytical ability more than tenfold!
Honestly, it was only thanks to Mind Sharpening that Leon could brag to Salomon about handling the alchemical array himself.
"What about the rest, hey..."
Salomon barely got a word out before everything blurred. When he focused again, Leon was already standing at the base of the ancient tree, dozens of meters away.
Leon glanced up at the towering trunk, then quickly fished out a quill and a bottle of Snowmelt Ink—made from raven’s blood mixed with midnight sand, naturally attuned to dissolve magic. Perfect for wrecking alchemical arrays.
He dipped the quill in Snowmelt Ink and began scribbling rapidly across the bark...
One alchemical array, two arrays, three arrays...
With Mind Sharpening at full blast, Leon’s analytical ability pushed to the limit. The True Spirit-grade array on the trunk fragmented in his mind, breaking down into countless tiny pieces—the basic building blocks. Each fragment held only a wisp of power, but together, they could destroy worlds.
Leon’s job now was to break the fragments, one by one.
If he could crack every last fragment, even the strongest alchemical array would be toast.
Leon’s writing speed was downright terrifying...
Most of the arrays he scribbled were barely apprentice-level, but his freakish speed would make any artificer jealous.