CHAPTER 84 - Traps and Dilemmas

Throughout the journey, Li Lin's actions caused quite a stir, alerting many guards and warriors protecting the mansion.

However, he swiftly eliminated the majority with his hand cannon, and only a few within Caitlyn's sight were remotely assisted and cleared.

Guided by the cowardly warrior, Li Lin maneuvered through the luxurious residence, eventually reaching the innermost part—a courtyard specifically designed for the daily training of warriors.

"This... this is it..." The warrior wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a pleading look on his face. "I've brought you here. Can you... can you spare me?"

Before he could finish, a buzzing sound of condensed energy echoed, and a surging energy ball burst through his head.

"I told you, you have no room for bargaining."

Li Lin coldly glanced at the lifeless body on the ground, then walked through the arched gate into the courtyard.

However, the moment he stepped through the arch, a strong metallic acidic smell emanated from his mouth.

Before he could react, his mind was suddenly struck by a tearing pain, as if an iron rod had been brutally thrust into his brain and stirred.

Li Lin staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

A sudden dizziness, nausea, and weakness spread throughout his body.

When he attempted to retreat from the area, he found an almost invisible, film-like barrier covering the arch and the space behind it. Nothing could penetrate it.

Li Lin widened his eyes, a sense of astonishment filling his heart.

Takeda, this guy... he actually has a mage under his command?!

And he knew in advance that Li Lin was coming to eradicate him, so he set up traps in advance?

Li Lin endured various discomforts in his body, temporarily disregarding them, hastily checking his personal status on the system panel:

[Personal Status: Chaotic]

[Effects: 1. Induces various adverse reactions in the body (degree of impact varies with physical fitness); 2. Confuses thoughts, reducing thinking reaction speed by 40%; 3. Loses 98 health points per minute.]

Over the past few months, Li Lin, who focused on training, had developed good physical fitness, allowing him to endure the impact of the first negative effect.

However, the second and third negative effects were significant...

"Damn... is this a mage with mastery of mental magic?"

Runeterra's magic comes in many forms, with the most potent being "Celestial Magic" from the celestial realm.

Most mages, however, cannot withstand the complete magic from the cosmic sky.

Therefore, most mages use the most common elemental magic on this planet, or mental magic that combines elements with a bit of celestial magic.

In the hidden realm of Ionia, people have even turned elemental magic into axioms.

Even someone without magical talent can cast simple elemental spells through axioms.

Higher than elemental magic is rune magic, also known as arcane magic.

This magic is extremely pure and can only be cast by inherently talented mages.

In layman's terms, arcane magic is like a neutral magic that can be freely transformed into other elemental attributes.

Its power comes from the world's runes, with incredibly destructive force and complex abilities, such as Jayce's Hex Gate technology, which controls arcane magic through technology.

In his childhood memories, Li Lin witnessed Vastayans using mental magic.

Therefore, he was well aware that what he encountered today was a form of mental magic.

Fortunately, this wasn't Ionia, and the barrier between the mental and material realms was thick. It was challenging to manipulate the power of the mental realm.

Otherwise, this would be Caitlyn's blind spot, where she couldn't provide remote support, and in such an isolated state, he might actually meet his end here...

"Damn... I'm so foolish!" Li Lin cursed himself internally.

He suddenly realized that since he created the powered armor and his displayed combat power soared on the system panel, his mentality had somewhat inflated.

To eradicate Takeda's influence and showcase his strength, he had inadvertently placed himself in such a precarious situation.

The displayed combat power on the system panel merely indicated the absolute strength gap between the two sides and didn't guarantee the ability to crush everything as in a game.

All battles require a comprehensive consideration of various factors.

His combat experience was still lacking...

If possible, he should develop armor capable of resisting magic as soon as possible.

The discomfort from his body intensified, and Li Lin quickly deployed the shoulder cannon. Along with the hand cannons in his hands, he unleashed a barrage, bombarding the surrounding buildings.

In the dimly lit courtyard, Takeda and his sorcerer comrades seemed to be well aware of the terrifying power of Li Lin's armored suit. However, they were nowhere to be found.

Watching his rapidly diminishing health on the system panel, Li Lin took a deep breath, attempting to calm his restless mind. Even with the magic circle pre-set, a spellcaster needed to stay nearby to sustain it, limiting their distance.

The challenge now was how to locate this spellcaster.

"Seems like I've overlooked some ability that could break this deadlock," Li Lin muttered to himself.

He furrowed his brows as the "chaos" status greatly affected his thoughts, making it difficult to concentrate.

Fortunately, all his skills were accessible on the system panel. Li Lin, enduring the headache, quickly reviewed the skills he possessed.

"Advanced Manufacturing, Data Mind, Firearms Mastery..."

Wait!

Li Lin's eyes lit up as he swiftly regained focus. The skill "Data Mind" could digitize the world around him, allowing him to locate targets through displayed attributes.

To be cautious, he invested two skill points, maximizing this ability to level 3.

Closing his eyes, Li Lin reopened them, and a series of small numbers flashed in his eyes. With the upgraded "Data Mind," no mana was consumed, and all specific data of the target would be displayed, similar to checking his personal panel. However, prolonged usage could lead to mental fatigue.

Quickly scanning the ruins in the courtyard, Li Lin found no human figures. Yet, "Data Mind" indicated the presence of over a hundred living beings around him.

"Ha, all hidden underground... Were they planning to ambush me once I became helpless?" Li Lin chuckled.

Dragging his heavy body, he briskly walked into the now-ruined dojo. His eyes swiftly scanned the ground, starting his search.

Soon, Li Lin noticed an anomaly on the ground:

"Concealed Tunnel Entrance: Open this door through a button, leading to an underground area."

"Lucky," he thought.

Raising his right hand, the energy from the power crystal gathered in his palm, intensifying the glow. After a brief 1-second charge, a blue-white energy sphere shot out, accurately hitting the tunnel entrance visible through the "Data Mind" view.

As the wooden floor crackled, a roughly three-meter-wide square hole appeared in front of Li Lin. Peering inside, the ground and the underground were about five meters apart. A stone staircase led to the bottom, and alchemical lamps connected by conduits flickered with dim yellow light on the walls.

Sensing the commotion, a few anxious-looking warriors rushed to the bottom.

"Damn, he discovered us with that armor!"

"Don't just stand there! Fire! Fire!"

They lifted alchemical tech kinetic rifles and opened fire at Li Lin. However, even Hextech technology couldn't penetrate his specially enhanced alloy armor, merely creating orange sparks on its surface.

Li Lin lifted his right arm, charging the "Electroshock Hand Cannon" for three seconds.

In the next moment, an energy sphere, larger and more potent, shot out and struck the ground in front of the gunmen. Dust billowed, and blue-white energy spilled out, piercing through the bodies of the gunmen. They emitted short, painful cries, instantly losing vitality.

Li Lin's expression remained stern. Waving his right arm downward, the folded high-frequency vibration blades shot out.

"Now, it's my turn..."

(End of this chapter)

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