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Chapter 250
Chapter 227: High-Tier Reinforcement Magic and Hidden Gazes
A moment later.
*Phht! Phht! Phht! Phht!*
The four members of the Mithril-rank adventurer squad, with only a breath of life left in them, were thrown before the carriage by the Green Leaf Witch and a Ghoul Dog.
"Ah... cough..."
"No... no."
"Save... save me..."
"..."
The four convulsed, letting out wails of agony.
Tang Zheng shook his head in disappointment. "They're a 'Mithril-rank' team, after all. To think their coordination was this poor."
"Did you think victory was assured? Your information gathering is truly lacking."
The intense pain from the large, corroded pit in the Red-haired Captain's chest had long gone numb in the cold weather, but his body still couldn't help but twitch.
His dim eyes trembled.
The Red-haired Captain used what little strength he had left to look in Tang Zheng's direction, his gaze somewhat vacant. "The... information... was fake..."
Hmm?
Tang Zheng pondered for a moment, then let out a knowing chuckle.
As expected, a portion of the information from the Baharuth Empire had clearly been censored, or even intentionally hidden.
Everyone suspected that the departure of the "Warrior King" Gagaran was related to him, but they were completely unaware of the reason, aside from the Empire's deliberate cover-up.
Most people were completely captivated by the fifty-thousand-gold-coin bounty and overlooked some of the details.
The reason for the "Warrior King" Gagaran's departure was actually very simple: the Empire's Arena could no longer help his power grow.
This was the "Warrior King" Gagaran's own will, but the Empire would never publicize such a thing, especially given the impact it would have on the front lines during the war between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire.
With the Blood Emperor's wisdom, he could also guess that the Warrior King's departure was inevitably connected to him.
And so, the bounty appeared!
The most crucial part of all this was that the noble courtyard where Tang Zheng and the "Warrior King" Gagaran had spoken clearly showed signs of a battle.
This key piece of information was completely hidden by the Empire.
"Don't make excuses for your own failure, esteemed Mithril-rank adventurers."
Tang Zheng shrugged and said indifferently, "Even if it was an issue with the information, you didn't have the ability to force my hand, did you?"
"Enri."
"L-Lord Captain!" Enri straightened her back, clutching the short sword in her hand as she spoke nervously.
Were the Mithril-rank adventurers defeated by Miss Cuiye just like that?
Enri's lips trembled, still in a daze. She knew Miss Cuiye was a powerful magic caster.
However, she had no concept of just how strong she was.
But Enri knew exactly what kind of major figures "Mithril-rank" adventurers were.
"It might be a little early for you, but you'll have to go through this sooner or later. Use the short sword in your hand and kill them," Tang Zheng said.
"Ah!" The short sword in Enri's hand nearly fell to the ground.
"What, you can't do it?"
"That's not it, Lord Captain, but, but..."
"Then forget it." Tang Zheng seemed unsurprised by Enri's conflicted and fearful expression. He waved his hand.
"Magic Arrow!"
Four translucent magic arrows materialized and shot forth, killing the four who had only a single breath remaining.
"Xiao Hei, let's go."
Tang Zheng didn't look at the stunned Enri. Instead, he sat back down in the carriage, leaned against the railing, and closed his eyes to rest.
In reality, he was summoning his status panel to check the skill information used by the four members of the Mithril-rank adventurer squad during the battle.
As for Enri's problem?
He hadn't recruited Enri to be her babysitter.
Although the future Enri would unwittingly join the Bone King's faction, it was indeed the right choice for her.
Just like now.
Enri had chosen to accept his invitation and become his subordinate without hesitation because, for both Carne Village and for Enri herself, it was a rare, perhaps even the only, opportunity.
From the very beginning, the only one who needed to seize this opportunity was Enri herself.
*Swoosh!*
The Ghoul Dog shook its neck, and the bone chain on its body flew out, once again pulling the carriage to continue its journey down the road.
The Green Leaf Witch's bright yellow eyes glanced cautiously at Tang Zheng, who was resting with his eyes closed, before turning to the stiff and pale-faced Enri.
"You look a little scared, little girl."
The Green Leaf Witch crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and spoke to Enri for the first time in a cold tone.
"Actually, whether you had made a move or chosen not to, the Lord doesn't care."
Enri looked up, lost and helpless, meeting the Green Leaf Witch's emotionless gaze. "Miss Cuiye."
"Don't overthink it."
The Green Leaf Witch sneered, raising a finger to point first at herself, then at Enri.
"Although I have no desire to be compared to an insignificant creature like you, neither I nor you are yet qualified to be of concern to the Lord."
"In your human terms, it's like a single ear of grain in a vast wheat field. One more or one less is completely irrelevant."
Their conversation.
Tang Zheng could naturally hear it. The carriage was only so big, after all; even if they intentionally lowered their voices, it wouldn't make much difference.
What surprised him wasn't the Green Leaf Witch's subtle flattery, but the fact that her few months spent in the human villages of the border region had clearly not been for naught.
"'Lower-Tier Strength Boost.'"
"'Lower-Tier Agility Boost.'"
Tang Zheng's attention was currently focused on the two reinforcement spells displayed on his status panel. Both were second-tier magic.
Among the skills used by the four Mithril-rank adventurers, only these two reinforcement spells interested him.
Tang Zheng had encountered magic casters who used this series of spells before, but he hadn't wasted skill points to learn them.
When reinforcement-type magic is cast, only the highest-level reinforcement spell will take effect.
Now.
Having mastered the 'Magic Ascension' skill, he could elevate low-tier reinforcement magic to high-tier, but...
Tang Zheng remembered that among the reinforcement-type spells mastered by the Bone King, the most powerful were likely the seventh-tier spells, 'High-Tier All Ability Boost' and 'High-Tier Resistance Boost.'
These two reinforcement skills completely eclipsed the lower-grade series of reinforcement methods.
If he were to learn these two low-tier reinforcement spells and raise them to a high tier, it would cost at least four skill points.
"'Lower-tier' corresponds to second-tier magic, while spells with the 'high-tier' prefix generally correspond to seventh-tier magic."
This thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind, leaving him contemplative.
For example, spells like 'High-Tier Item Appraisal,' 'High-Tier Item Destruction,' 'High-Tier Magic Seal,' 'High-Tier Magic Shield,' 'High-Tier Item Creation,' 'High-Tier Teleportation,' and 'High-Tier Luck' all belonged to the seventh tier.
"So, the three levels of magic—low, middle, and high tier—don't just represent a single-tier increase as I originally thought."
"No wonder there are many magic casters in this Otherworld who use 'low-tier' reinforcement magic, but I've never seen anyone use 'middle-tier' reinforcement magic."
"'Middle-tier' magic must be at least at the standard of the fourth tier."
"Hmm... perhaps there are also different levels within 'high-tier' magic. 'High-Tier Strength Boost' and 'High-Tier All-Attribute Reinforcement' shouldn't be on the same level."
"Just like the difference between the first-tier 'Light Heal' and the second-tier 'Mass Light Heal'."
Tang Zheng analyzed and speculated internally. A normal high-tier reinforcement spell should be at the level of the sixth tier.
Something like 'All-Attribute Reinforcement' would inevitably be one tier higher than a single-attribute reinforcement.
After a brief moment of thought.
Tang Zheng once again gave up on the idea of learning these two low-tier reinforcement spells. They were useless against ordinary enemies.
And against people like the Bone King, he would need at least seventh-tier reinforcement magic.
*Swoosh!*
A cold wind swept up the scattered snowflakes on both sides of the street, and the figures of Tang Zheng's group gradually disappeared at the end of the road.
About half an hour later.
Figures clad in black, tight-fitting suits and wearing camouflage-style cloaks appeared before the corpses of the four dead Mithril-rank adventurers, as silent as cats.
These figures were not only completely wrapped up, but they even wore black cloths over their faces, revealing only a pair of lusterless eyes.
It was a look of pure apathy and coldness.
The figures suddenly parted, revealing a passage, remaining completely silent throughout the process.
A person completely different from the surrounding black-clad figures slowly walked over and stood before the four adventurer corpses, giving them a simple glance.
This figure's attire was rather unconventional, especially when compared to the others. It was a completely different style because they were wearing a maid outfit.
"Hmm, I slightly misjudged the prey's strength. But that makes sense. To be able to fight the 'Warrior King,' one would have to be at least at the level of an 'Orichalcum-rank' adventurer."
"You all might die at the hands of this prey, you know."
"It is merely life and death."
…
Over the next few days.
Tang Zheng's group encountered no more attacks. The death of a "Mithril-rank" adventurer squad had clearly deterred many of the adventurers and mercenaries who were after the fifty-thousand-gold-coin bounty.
Every time they passed through a village, Tang Zheng would take the initiative to stay for a night, letting Enri and the Green Leaf Witch sell "Regeneration Potions."
In addition to these villages, Tang Zheng also passed through two ordinary cities, where he also sold his alchemy potions.
In poor villages, they sold diluted, ordinary "Regeneration Potions." In wealthier villages and cities, they sold high-grade "Regeneration Potions" worth ten gold coins each.
Refining these "Regeneration Potions" was extremely simple for Tang Zheng. As for the raw materials, he could use teleportation magic at any time to travel to the Great Forest of Tob to obtain them.
Troll Gu and the group of ordinary trolls had been left in the care of the Demon Snake Naga, allowing him to collect troll blood at any time.
During this process.
The excellent healing effect of the "Regeneration Potion" gradually spread far and wide. With it, Tang Zheng's reputation as the "Black-Haired Genius Alchemist" also circulated throughout the kingdom's domain, no longer limited to the knowledge of a few nobles.
Along the way, they naturally encountered many caravans and travelers. Besides purchasing the alchemy potions, these people also became a part of the network through which the news spread.
Night.
The night sky was like a black curtain, adorned with countless stars. Even the clouds were uncharacteristically sparse.
The air, aside from being somewhat dry and raw, was still, as the cold wind had died down.
"It should be nice weather tomorrow."
A man with messy, blue hair glanced at the numerous figures moving about nearby. Looking somewhat bored, he propped his head up with his hands and lay on a cold slope.
Under the moonlight's glow.
The man wore a chainmail shirt. His build was slender yet extremely robust; even through his clothing, one could sense his bulging muscles.
He faintly exuded a terrifying and powerful aura.
(end of chapter)
A moment later.
*Phht! Phht! Phht! Phht!*
The four members of the Mithril-rank adventurer squad, with only a breath of life left in them, were thrown before the carriage by the Green Leaf Witch and a Ghoul Dog.
"Ah... cough..."
"No... no."
"Save... save me..."
"..."
The four convulsed, letting out wails of agony.
Tang Zheng shook his head in disappointment. "They're a 'Mithril-rank' team, after all. To think their coordination was this poor."
"Did you think victory was assured? Your information gathering is truly lacking."
The intense pain from the large, corroded pit in the Red-haired Captain's chest had long gone numb in the cold weather, but his body still couldn't help but twitch.
His dim eyes trembled.
The Red-haired Captain used what little strength he had left to look in Tang Zheng's direction, his gaze somewhat vacant. "The... information... was fake..."
Hmm?
Tang Zheng pondered for a moment, then let out a knowing chuckle.
As expected, a portion of the information from the Baharuth Empire had clearly been censored, or even intentionally hidden.
Everyone suspected that the departure of the "Warrior King" Gagaran was related to him, but they were completely unaware of the reason, aside from the Empire's deliberate cover-up.
Most people were completely captivated by the fifty-thousand-gold-coin bounty and overlooked some of the details.
The reason for the "Warrior King" Gagaran's departure was actually very simple: the Empire's Arena could no longer help his power grow.
This was the "Warrior King" Gagaran's own will, but the Empire would never publicize such a thing, especially given the impact it would have on the front lines during the war between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire.
With the Blood Emperor's wisdom, he could also guess that the Warrior King's departure was inevitably connected to him.
And so, the bounty appeared!
The most crucial part of all this was that the noble courtyard where Tang Zheng and the "Warrior King" Gagaran had spoken clearly showed signs of a battle.
This key piece of information was completely hidden by the Empire.
"Don't make excuses for your own failure, esteemed Mithril-rank adventurers."
Tang Zheng shrugged and said indifferently, "Even if it was an issue with the information, you didn't have the ability to force my hand, did you?"
"Enri."
"L-Lord Captain!" Enri straightened her back, clutching the short sword in her hand as she spoke nervously.
Were the Mithril-rank adventurers defeated by Miss Cuiye just like that?
Enri's lips trembled, still in a daze. She knew Miss Cuiye was a powerful magic caster.
However, she had no concept of just how strong she was.
But Enri knew exactly what kind of major figures "Mithril-rank" adventurers were.
"It might be a little early for you, but you'll have to go through this sooner or later. Use the short sword in your hand and kill them," Tang Zheng said.
"Ah!" The short sword in Enri's hand nearly fell to the ground.
"What, you can't do it?"
"That's not it, Lord Captain, but, but..."
"Then forget it." Tang Zheng seemed unsurprised by Enri's conflicted and fearful expression. He waved his hand.
"Magic Arrow!"
Four translucent magic arrows materialized and shot forth, killing the four who had only a single breath remaining.
"Xiao Hei, let's go."
Tang Zheng didn't look at the stunned Enri. Instead, he sat back down in the carriage, leaned against the railing, and closed his eyes to rest.
In reality, he was summoning his status panel to check the skill information used by the four members of the Mithril-rank adventurer squad during the battle.
As for Enri's problem?
He hadn't recruited Enri to be her babysitter.
Although the future Enri would unwittingly join the Bone King's faction, it was indeed the right choice for her.
Just like now.
Enri had chosen to accept his invitation and become his subordinate without hesitation because, for both Carne Village and for Enri herself, it was a rare, perhaps even the only, opportunity.
From the very beginning, the only one who needed to seize this opportunity was Enri herself.
*Swoosh!*
The Ghoul Dog shook its neck, and the bone chain on its body flew out, once again pulling the carriage to continue its journey down the road.
The Green Leaf Witch's bright yellow eyes glanced cautiously at Tang Zheng, who was resting with his eyes closed, before turning to the stiff and pale-faced Enri.
"You look a little scared, little girl."
The Green Leaf Witch crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and spoke to Enri for the first time in a cold tone.
"Actually, whether you had made a move or chosen not to, the Lord doesn't care."
Enri looked up, lost and helpless, meeting the Green Leaf Witch's emotionless gaze. "Miss Cuiye."
"Don't overthink it."
The Green Leaf Witch sneered, raising a finger to point first at herself, then at Enri.
"Although I have no desire to be compared to an insignificant creature like you, neither I nor you are yet qualified to be of concern to the Lord."
"In your human terms, it's like a single ear of grain in a vast wheat field. One more or one less is completely irrelevant."
Their conversation.
Tang Zheng could naturally hear it. The carriage was only so big, after all; even if they intentionally lowered their voices, it wouldn't make much difference.
What surprised him wasn't the Green Leaf Witch's subtle flattery, but the fact that her few months spent in the human villages of the border region had clearly not been for naught.
"'Lower-Tier Strength Boost.'"
"'Lower-Tier Agility Boost.'"
Tang Zheng's attention was currently focused on the two reinforcement spells displayed on his status panel. Both were second-tier magic.
Among the skills used by the four Mithril-rank adventurers, only these two reinforcement spells interested him.
Tang Zheng had encountered magic casters who used this series of spells before, but he hadn't wasted skill points to learn them.
When reinforcement-type magic is cast, only the highest-level reinforcement spell will take effect.
Now.
Having mastered the 'Magic Ascension' skill, he could elevate low-tier reinforcement magic to high-tier, but...
Tang Zheng remembered that among the reinforcement-type spells mastered by the Bone King, the most powerful were likely the seventh-tier spells, 'High-Tier All Ability Boost' and 'High-Tier Resistance Boost.'
These two reinforcement skills completely eclipsed the lower-grade series of reinforcement methods.
If he were to learn these two low-tier reinforcement spells and raise them to a high tier, it would cost at least four skill points.
"'Lower-tier' corresponds to second-tier magic, while spells with the 'high-tier' prefix generally correspond to seventh-tier magic."
This thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind, leaving him contemplative.
For example, spells like 'High-Tier Item Appraisal,' 'High-Tier Item Destruction,' 'High-Tier Magic Seal,' 'High-Tier Magic Shield,' 'High-Tier Item Creation,' 'High-Tier Teleportation,' and 'High-Tier Luck' all belonged to the seventh tier.
"So, the three levels of magic—low, middle, and high tier—don't just represent a single-tier increase as I originally thought."
"No wonder there are many magic casters in this Otherworld who use 'low-tier' reinforcement magic, but I've never seen anyone use 'middle-tier' reinforcement magic."
"'Middle-tier' magic must be at least at the standard of the fourth tier."
"Hmm... perhaps there are also different levels within 'high-tier' magic. 'High-Tier Strength Boost' and 'High-Tier All-Attribute Reinforcement' shouldn't be on the same level."
"Just like the difference between the first-tier 'Light Heal' and the second-tier 'Mass Light Heal'."
Tang Zheng analyzed and speculated internally. A normal high-tier reinforcement spell should be at the level of the sixth tier.
Something like 'All-Attribute Reinforcement' would inevitably be one tier higher than a single-attribute reinforcement.
After a brief moment of thought.
Tang Zheng once again gave up on the idea of learning these two low-tier reinforcement spells. They were useless against ordinary enemies.
And against people like the Bone King, he would need at least seventh-tier reinforcement magic.
*Swoosh!*
A cold wind swept up the scattered snowflakes on both sides of the street, and the figures of Tang Zheng's group gradually disappeared at the end of the road.
About half an hour later.
Figures clad in black, tight-fitting suits and wearing camouflage-style cloaks appeared before the corpses of the four dead Mithril-rank adventurers, as silent as cats.
These figures were not only completely wrapped up, but they even wore black cloths over their faces, revealing only a pair of lusterless eyes.
It was a look of pure apathy and coldness.
The figures suddenly parted, revealing a passage, remaining completely silent throughout the process.
A person completely different from the surrounding black-clad figures slowly walked over and stood before the four adventurer corpses, giving them a simple glance.
This figure's attire was rather unconventional, especially when compared to the others. It was a completely different style because they were wearing a maid outfit.
"Hmm, I slightly misjudged the prey's strength. But that makes sense. To be able to fight the 'Warrior King,' one would have to be at least at the level of an 'Orichalcum-rank' adventurer."
"You all might die at the hands of this prey, you know."
"It is merely life and death."
…
Over the next few days.
Tang Zheng's group encountered no more attacks. The death of a "Mithril-rank" adventurer squad had clearly deterred many of the adventurers and mercenaries who were after the fifty-thousand-gold-coin bounty.
Every time they passed through a village, Tang Zheng would take the initiative to stay for a night, letting Enri and the Green Leaf Witch sell "Regeneration Potions."
In addition to these villages, Tang Zheng also passed through two ordinary cities, where he also sold his alchemy potions.
In poor villages, they sold diluted, ordinary "Regeneration Potions." In wealthier villages and cities, they sold high-grade "Regeneration Potions" worth ten gold coins each.
Refining these "Regeneration Potions" was extremely simple for Tang Zheng. As for the raw materials, he could use teleportation magic at any time to travel to the Great Forest of Tob to obtain them.
Troll Gu and the group of ordinary trolls had been left in the care of the Demon Snake Naga, allowing him to collect troll blood at any time.
During this process.
The excellent healing effect of the "Regeneration Potion" gradually spread far and wide. With it, Tang Zheng's reputation as the "Black-Haired Genius Alchemist" also circulated throughout the kingdom's domain, no longer limited to the knowledge of a few nobles.
Along the way, they naturally encountered many caravans and travelers. Besides purchasing the alchemy potions, these people also became a part of the network through which the news spread.
Night.
The night sky was like a black curtain, adorned with countless stars. Even the clouds were uncharacteristically sparse.
The air, aside from being somewhat dry and raw, was still, as the cold wind had died down.
"It should be nice weather tomorrow."
A man with messy, blue hair glanced at the numerous figures moving about nearby. Looking somewhat bored, he propped his head up with his hands and lay on a cold slope.
Under the moonlight's glow.
The man wore a chainmail shirt. His build was slender yet extremely robust; even through his clothing, one could sense his bulging muscles.
He faintly exuded a terrifying and powerful aura.
(end of chapter)
