SWDnovel Chapter 113 A New Round of Consolidation and the Eve of the Storm!
Chapter 113 A New Round of Consolidation and the Eve of the Storm!
Chapter 114 A New Round of Consolidation and the Eve of a Storm!
After letting Ginny, who had been affected by the Ring of Silence, go back to rest, Hick immediately immersed himself in a new round of power solidification.
Dragon skeleton modification!
A tremendous sense of power instantly filled his limbs and bones, as if every bone had transformed into an indestructible dragon skeleton, and the slightest movement contained the explosive force to tear the air apart.
Mental power enhancement and transformation!
The sea of consciousness, like a calm lake tossed with a boulder, was instantly engulfed by towering waves, and then forcibly expanded.
stable!
His perception became clearer and sharper than ever before, and he could perceive even the slightest energy flow in the surrounding environment.
Enhanced transplantation of the Dragon Heart! (Based on the results of the mentor's experiment)
A seemingly brand new, stronger heart pounded in his chest cavity, each contraction and relaxation like a dull war drum, pumping the blood containing the dragon's violent life force throughout his body, bringing almost inexhaustible energy and powerful self-healing potential!
A series of top-tier solidification projects, far exceeding the imagination of ordinary wizards, were completed. Hick stood still, his fist slightly clenched, and the air between his fingers produced a slight popping sound.
A terrifying power, unlike anything he had ever experienced before and powerful enough to shake mountains, surged and flowed within him.
"Is this... power?"
He carefully experienced this transformative change and felt as if he could now easily defeat his mentor, who had just recovered to the level two wizard and whose condition was not yet stable, with a single punch!
I'm not far from reaching level two!
[Current number of experiment points: 872.]
Looking at the drastically reduced numbers in his mind, Hick felt no pity whatsoever.
The purpose of experimental points is to be transformed into tangible power.
At that moment, he felt better than ever before, every cell in his body was cheering with joy.
Power brings not only a sense of security, but also a deep-seated confidence that supports ambition, and the quiet growth of an expansionist desire.
His gaze swept over the mountains of precious materials and rare samples in the laboratory, and then he thought of the Moon White Fox he had just captured and Ginny who had asked for power.
"A highly promising and absolutely loyal assistant, a living treasure that can continuously provide rare samples, and a follower who is about to become a full-fledged wizard with considerable combat power —"
He silently planned in his mind, and a blueprint gradually became clear.
"Perhaps it's time to truly develop this Dark Canyon outpost into a stable base, rather than just a temporary hideout and testing ground."
He needs more resources to support further research, more manpower to handle miscellaneous tasks and execute orders, and more —
High-quality test subjects were used to verify his increasingly daring and dangerous ideas.
This will support him to climb that captivating peak of power faster and more steadily.
And just as Hick was planning his famous future and carefully experiencing his newly acquired power—
Far to the south of the Ekar region, at the headquarters of the Arnold family, on the top floor of a solemn and ancient wizard tower.
An elderly man, dressed in a dark blue robe of an elder of law enforcement, with a stern and serious face and sharp eyes like an eagle, was frowning as he looked at a communication talisman in his hand that was flashing a faint but rapid light.
The information flowing from the runestone was filled with panic, anger, and a large number of subjective assumptions and emotional words, describing the encounter as if evil had crushed justice.
"A group of ruthless, unfathomably powerful black-clad wizards? Openly torturing and killing those who had surrendered and were begging for mercy? Suspected of having a secret base in the central region of Aikar, acting with impunity?"
The elder's withered fingers tapped rhythmically on the hard obsidian tabletop, producing a resounding thud that echoed through the silent tower chamber.
"Although Sena is impulsive and naive, and has been so well protected that she is ignorant of the ways of the world, given her personality, she wouldn't fabricate something out of thin air."
"The central region of Aikar is indeed a complex web of power dynamics, like an untamed jungle where all sorts of ferocious beasts may lurk."
He hesitated for a moment. The Arnold family had always touted neutrality and trade, but that did not mean they would completely ignore serious incidents that occurred on the fringes of their influence and that could threaten the safety of trade routes or the family's reputation.
"We need to send someone to investigate. If the situation is true—"
A hint of sternness, befitting a superior, flashed in the elder's eyes.
"No matter who the other party is, the prestige and established order of the Arnold family cannot be easily challenged."
He raised his hand and waved it gently.
A blurry figure emerged from the shadows and silently knelt on one knee before him.
"Take a team to the central region of Aikael and conduct secret reconnaissance based on the vague coordinates provided by Sena."
The elder handed the talisman to the shadowy figure.
"Our primary task is to ascertain the identity, size, and precise location of that group. Remember, prioritize intelligence gathering, absolutely avoid alerting them, and prevent any unavoidable conflict. I need to know who these people are, daring to act so brazenly right under our noses."
"Yes, Elder!"
The dark figure took the rune stone with both hands, his voice low and hoarse, like the friction of metal.
He bowed and accepted the order, then his body once again merged into the shadows, disappearing silently as if he had never existed.
A potential storm, sparked by naiveté, stubbornness, and a so-called "sense of justice," is quietly spreading as an invisible surveillance network across the area where Dark Canyon is located.
a few days later.
A major announcement was released by the official Eternal Tower team and quickly spread throughout the entire Eikar region, even reaching further afield!
The announcement stated that, after a thorough investigation, it has been confirmed that the destruction of the former tower master and his elite wizarding corps was not, as widely rumored, caused by being killed by Mochamo, the "Lord of Silence" of the Silent Forest.
Their remains have been found deep in the extremely harsh Kursk Desert!
Also discovered was the body of a powerful, unknown sorcerer believed to be the murderer!
The announcement implied that this was a mutual destruction stemming from a personal grudge, and both parties have perished.
Almost simultaneously with the announcement from Eternal Tower, Silent Forest also unusually followed suit with its own official statement!
They explicitly acknowledged the findings of the Eternal Tower investigation and "added" that the key clues were "accidentally discovered and provided" by Lord Mochamo, the "Lord of Silence"!
These two pieces of news, which corroborated each other and seemed to clarify the biggest point of conflict between the two sides, were like a sudden storm that swept through all the major and minor forces that were paying attention to the matter, causing a huge uproar!
The tense situation, which seemed poised to erupt into a full-blown "battle between black and white," suddenly cooled down in such a dramatic way.
Now that the "truth" of the matter has been "confirmed" and announced by the two leading forces, the most direct and sharp reason for war has been lost. Those forces below, who were eager to take advantage of the situation, have no choice but to temporarily suppress their restlessness.
This has left many ambitious individuals who thrive on chaos and are eager to profit from the chaos feeling utterly disappointed and regretful!
After all, the tense atmosphere had almost reached a breaking point, and it looked like it was about to explode throughout Aikar!
"What the hell is this thing?!"
Inside the laboratory at the Dark Canyon outpost, Hick stood before the lab table, his brow furrowed, staring at the already cold and stiff corpse on it—it was Ralph.
His face displayed a rare expression, a mixture of extreme confusion and intense curiosity.
Ginny was also curious when she saw Hick like this.
This was the first time she had seen Hick display such a solemn and puzzled expression when facing an experimental subject, and she couldn't help but develop a strong interest in this seemingly ordinary corpse.
Let's rewind to a short time ago.
After completing all the solidification and initially adapting to the surge in power within a few days, Hick intended to reward those who had contributed to the capture of the Moon Fox.
However, Brown's repeated and almost obstinate requests for an audience caught Hick's attention.
Given Brown's personality, his eagerness to see him, knowing that he was undergoing important training and that he was also being accused of incompetence, must indicate something unusual.
So, Hick made time to meet with him.
Upon entering the laboratory, Brown immediately knelt down and, without any concealment, recounted the various bizarre events he had encountered during his battle with Ralph—
The indestructible black rod, the strange power that could shatter his bone blades and hinder regeneration, and Raf's terrifying physical attributes that were completely out of character for his background were all reported in full detail.
Finally, he offered up the body of Lav, which he had carefully preserved.
Driven by immense curiosity about the "unknown power" described by Brown, Hick brought Ralph's body into the core laboratory and began an in-depth study that lasted all day with Ginny.
However, the result left Hick feeling more frustrated than ever before.
Even with his now enhanced and terrifying perception and profound understanding of energy and the physical body, and even with Ginny's unique intuition that could detect subtle discrepancies, they were still unable to decipher the essential remnant of that power from the corpse!
It seems to have vanished completely, or hidden in a way that is simply undetectable by existing witchcraft systems.
"While the characteristics of this residual energy are somewhat similar to the life energy (battle aura) cultivated by knights, it is fundamentally different. It is more condensed, domineering, and even carries a hint of—rule-like significance? But it is definitely not like any known attribute of wizarding magic—"
Hick paced back and forth in frustration, unconsciously tapping his fingers on the lab table, making a dull thud.
The more he couldn't understand it, the more anxious he felt, unable to grasp the key points.
This power is so peculiar, so beyond reason, that it seems to belong to no known power system in this world at all!
Although with the system's assistance, he felt that he could simulate or even call upon a power with similar attributes (which would probably consume a great deal of energy), without fully understanding its nature, origin, and potential risks, Hick dared not, and instinctively rejected, easily trying to use this "unknown object."
"Could it be—a completely new power system that we don't yet know about?"
Seeing Hick's unusually troubled expression, Ginny cautiously offered her guess.
"A completely new power system —"
Hick stopped in his tracks, stroking his chin in thought, completely oblivious to the bloodstains on his fingers from the corpse.
But he quickly shook his head and rejected the idea.
"This power is at a very high level. If it were a systematic power that could be cultivated and mastered, it wouldn't be completely absent from history; at the very least, some legends or fragmentary information would have been left behind. And Ralph—"
Hick looked at the young corpse again, recalling everything he had learned about him during the investigation. How could a country boy from a remote area, who had at most come into contact with the most basic meditation techniques, possibly create or inherit a completely new power system that even he couldn't understand?
This is completely illogical and unrealistic!
All clues, it seems, have turned into an unsolvable mystery with Ralph's death, lying quietly on the cold lab table, silently resisting Hick's investigation.
An indescribable sense of frustration and a deeper curiosity permeated the laboratory.