CH167 - CH168

CH167

"Blink." The old man quickly reacted, sensing Helag behind him, but remained motionless.

As Helag's punch neared the old man's head, he still didn't use any shield, allowing Helag's fist to approach.

Though puzzled, Helag couldn't stop his attack.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Helag hit nothing as the old man vanished.

A strong magical wave came from behind, and a massive ice spike struck Helag's back.

He was sent rolling across the ground.

Though his back hurt, he was mostly unharmed.

With Absolute Defense, Dark Armor, and his strong physique, Helag suffered little damage.

Helag faced the airborne old man. "Spatial defense magic?"

"Correct," the old man sneered.

From the start, the old man hadn't dodged. As Helag's fist approached, space warped, and Helag appeared ahead.

The old man needed no shield spells; his innate spatial magic automatically warped space, redirecting attacks.

For close-combat fighters like Helag, this made the old man nearly invincible.

Helag's attacks couldn't reach him, rendering even the strongest blows useless.

Realizing this, Helag stood still, watching the old man without attacking.

"Ice Rain." The old man gathered ice energy, sending a barrage of ice spikes down.

Helag focused intensely, swiftly dodging the spikes.

His speed, aided by Deep Blue, allowed him to evade each spike.

Seconds later, the ground was littered with ice spikes, but Helag stood unscathed.

He smiled at the old man, still not attacking.

The old man, irritated by Helag's taunting smile, realized, "You're stalling."

Helag remained passive, simply watching

.

.

.

The old man's attacks couldn't quickly defeat Helag, creating a stalemate.

Helag's intent was clear: delay until reinforcements arrived.

But the old man couldn't wait; he needed to seize the wizard array's control.

If the Terchy family arrived, even as a crystallized wizard, he might not escape Kent Valley.

Feeling the pressure, the old man watched Helag retreat and probe the edges, growing more frustrated.

Without defeating Helag, he couldn't seize control.

Yet Helag's speed, strength, and resilience exceeded expectations. Without a decisive fight, he couldn't win quickly.

Time was crucial.

"Freeze!"

The old man clenched his hand, rapidly lowering the temperature around Helag, encasing him in thick ice.

This first-level ice spell could imprison someone in ice for a long time.

But.

Crack!

Electricity crackled over Helag, cracking the ice, which shattered with a pop, freeing him.

The old man exhaled, unsurprised.

Helag's resilience made binding spells ineffective.

Weighing his options, the old man retrieved the red crystal from the ground.

He flew toward Kent Valley's exit, abandoning the array control plan.

With Helag's interference, success was impossible.

He couldn't waste more time, or he'd die there.

Helag watched him fly away, following at a distance.

Seeing the old man leave Kent Valley confirmed he'd abandoned the plan.

"Decisive," Helag thought.

The Moss family had likely prepared for this plan for ages, making its abandonment a huge loss.

Once outside Kent Valley, the old man couldn't easily return.

The wizard array had identity recognition; without another teleportation array, he couldn't re-enter.

After the old man left, Helag went to check the residential area.

Corpses littered the ground, houses smashed by ice spikes, the air thick with blood.

Helag found no survivors; all were slaughtered.

Wizard apprentices and knights were helpless against a crystallized wizard.

Surviving Malcolm had been a miracle for Helag.

Barty's timely arrival had saved him; any delay would've been fatal.

These people had worked diligently, seeing the Terchy family as a path to a better future.

Who'd have thought disaster would strike, killing many in their sleep?

Helag felt life's fragility anew; without strength, one couldn't control their fate.

Without his power, he'd have died by Terry's hand.

Helag reached Kent Valley's entrance, where a castle housed a few surviving knights and apprentices.

It was their turn to guard, sparing them from disaster.

The old man had seen them but was too focused on leaving to attack.

"My lord!" They emerged from the castle upon seeing Helag.

Helag, back to his original form in fresh clothes, said, "Stay here. Reinforcements are coming."

Seeing Helag reassured them; a formal wizard gave them confidence.

They didn't grasp the gap between Helag and the old man; to them, all formal wizards were equally strong.

Hours later, Brack arrived at Kent Valley's entrance, cautiously observing inside.

Though Helag had informed him of the enemy's retreat via rune stone, he remained wary.

Brack suspected the rune stone's user might be an enemy, setting a trap.

He'd expected Helag dead, so the rune stone's user could be an enemy.

Thus, he didn't enter immediately, observing with the Terchy family.

Helag stood atop the entrance castle. Seeing him, Brack was surprised.

Sensing the wizard array's control remained, Brack felt relieved.

CH168

"Mr. Brack," Helag called from atop the castle to Brack in the distance.

Brack approached slowly, accompanied by over ten people from the Terchy family, including two crystallized wizards and several wizard apprentices.

The Terchy family had three crystallized wizards in total, a strong foundation for a wizard family.

Most wizard families had only one or two crystallized wizards.

Wizard organizations had more crystallized wizards and usually a second-level wizard, though they rarely appeared publicly.

Some second-level wizards wandered outside, returning only when needed.

In the Barrens, a first-level crystallized wizard was the pinnacle of combat power.

After these battles, Helag better understood his strength.

In the Barrens, he could protect himself, and though he couldn't defeat a crystallized wizard, he could escape.

Upon entering Kent Valley, Brack's group checked the wizard array, finding signs of tampering but retaining control.

"You not only killed a liquefied wizard but also drove away the Moss family's old Carl?" Brack, despite knowing this beforehand, still found it hard to believe.

"Just luck. I didn't fight him head-on, just hindered his attempt to seize the array core. He left when time ran out, and I couldn't stop him," Helag said, omitting details.

Brack didn't press, knowing Helag likely had secrets, as all wizards did.

Brack said, "It's impressive. As a gaseous wizard, you managed to stall a crystallized wizard. Even if he was cautious, it's remarkable."

"Our losses are significant. Kent Valley's years of cultivated personnel are nearly wiped out."

"Who were they?" Helag asked.

He didn't know the enemy's identity, but the Terchy family surely did by now.

Brack replied gravely, "The Moss family. They've coveted our potion business for a long time. Now it's our turn to retaliate."

Brack's eyes burned with anger. Though the Moss family failed to seize Kent Valley, they caused immense damage.

The Terchy family wouldn't let it go, planning their counterattack.

Helag wasn't needed for battle; he had other tasks.

"We'll bring in new people, all from within the family. They'll need your guidance," Brack said.

Most apprentices and knights in Kent Valley were dead, but the potion garden needed management.

The Terchy family brought trusted people, unfamiliar with Kent Valley's processes.

Especially Helag's management style, which they'd need time to learn, requiring Helag's teaching.

"No problem, I'll handle it," Helag assured.

Cleanup began quickly, with the residential area's bodies buried on a nearby hill.

Families claimed some bodies, taking them home.

The Terchy family compensated the families, except for the traitors.

***

Days later, the Terchy family sent fifteen newcomers to manage the potion garden.

Helag, as before, explained schedules and data reports.

These internal Terchy family members were quick learners, and Helag had them up to speed quickly.

Meanwhile, the Terchy family's retaliation began, attacking several Moss family estates.

The Moss family ran trade businesses, dealing goods far and wide.

The Terchy family targeted their caravans, causing significant losses.

Previously, the target was unclear.

Now, knowing it was the Moss family, the Terchy family focused on them.

The Moss family retaliated, and both sides suffered heavy losses.

Such conflict couldn't last, leading to negotiations.

Augustus Academy mediated, with other wizard families joining the talks.

Augustus Academy maintained Barrens stability, forbidding large-scale wizard family conflicts, which threatened regional peace.

With Augustus Academy mediating, the Terchy and Moss families had to negotiate, despite their animosity.

The result: the Moss family compensated the Terchy family with 100,000 magic stones.

Additionally, the Moss family received fewer slots for this year's Death Swamp Ruins exploration, with the Terchy family getting more.

The Death Swamp Ruins were one of the Barrens' few ancient sites, yielding various potion and spellcasting materials.

Most importantly, they might produce materials for first-level crystallized wizards to advance to second-level wizards.

To advance, a first-level crystallized wizard must comprehend a rule.

Upon comprehending a rule, they can access rule power, advancing to a second-level wizard.

This step is elusive, relying on personal insight without external aid.

Some comprehend in a year; others never do.

Such unstable advancement conditions mean most second-level wizards in the Land of Dawn didn't advance through personal insight.

Most relied on external aids.

These aids vary in form and type but share a common trait.

They contain world rules, helping wizards comprehend them and access rule power for advancement.

In the Land of Dawn, such items are common.

Long-term planar conquests provide many sources for rule-infused items.

In the Barrens, they're rare.

Without imports from the Land of Dawn, Barrens wizards can't access them.

The Death Swamp Ruins are the only local source.