Leilin had originally wanted to develop a defensive spell.
But that had been designed to complement the Green Water in his push toward becoming a full
An idea struck him. He incorporated several first-level spell templates obtained from the Book of the Giant Serpent, had the Chip optimize them further based on the previous material, and designed a first-level spell perfectly suited to his own elemental affinity.
After advancing to Warlock, Leilin's spiritual power had surged dramatically. The Chip, fused with his soul, seemed to have benefited greatly as well, and finally, two days ago, it had completed the full development of this first-level spell.
"Ding! Data collected. Analyzing..."
The Chip's response came swiftly.
"Shadow Fireball! Classification: First-level spell. Attributes: Darkness, Fire. Power: 30.3 degrees. Elemental bonus: 0.3 degrees."
Leilin's spiritual elementalization progress was currently at 1%, which meant all of his Darkness-system spells received a 1% power bonus!
Although the increase seemed negligible now, once his elementalization progress exceeded 50%, every Darkness-system spell would gain fifty percent more power compared to a Wizard of the same level!
"Not bad! This level of power is enough to break through the innate defense fields of most Wizards!"
Leilin studied the data with growing satisfaction spreading across his face.
A Wizard's innate field defense was not static. Generally speaking, newly advanced Wizards had field defenses of around twenty degrees. But as their spiritual power grew and they obtained rare resources to boost their spell power, the potency of their innate spells would increase accordingly.
The degree of improvement varied from person to person — especially for Wizards who practiced advanced Meditation Methods.
As for Warlocks like Leilin who relied on bloodline power, the defensive strength of the Komoin Scales would continue to grow as they delved deeper into their bloodline.
A spell attack exceeding thirty degrees was sufficient to shatter the innate spell defenses of most ordinary first-level Wizards.
In other words, from now on, whenever Leilin faced other Wizards, he would have another powerful tool at his disposal — one he could use regularly — in addition to his innate bloodline abilities.
But that was all he could expect for now.
If it were possible, Leilin would naturally want the Chip to craft an entire suite of high-powered first-level spells tailored specifically for him, covering movement, offense, defense, reconnaissance, and every other aspect.
Unfortunately, the fact that the Chip had managed to develop the Shadow Fireball this time owed everything to Leilin's previous store of knowledge, the contribution of several Darkness-system and Fire-system first-level spell templates from the Book of the Giant Serpent, and a long period of computation.
In particular, the first-level spells recorded in the Book of the Giant Serpent. Since the Great Wizard Crimson had also been a Warlock of the Komoin Giant Serpent bloodline, his affinities naturally leaned toward Darkness and Flame, and most of the spells he had collected belonged to those two systems — a great boon for Leilin.
These conditions could not possibly be replicated in a short time.
Therefore, in the near future, unless Leilin found more new first-level Darkness-system and Fire-system spell templates, the Chip would be unable to develop any further spells.
At the thought of the Book of the Giant Serpent, Leilin instinctively reached up and touched his chest. The corner of a hardbound black notebook peeked out.
Leilin had kept the Book of the Giant Serpent — obtained from the Dylan Gardens — in excellent condition. The book appeared to be made from some unknown special material; its pages had a strange texture, almost like the hide of some creature, and each page could store an enormous amount of information.
The Book of the Giant Serpent contained not only over a dozen first-level spell templates, but also three second-level spell templates and the Great Wizard Crimson's travel records and experimental data. The sheer volume of information made it the most valuable item Leilin possessed — second only to his advanced Meditation Method.
Buzz!
At that moment, a miniature notebook-shaped pendant on Leilin's body emitted a faint vibration.
Leilin opened the notebook and flipped to the vibrating page.
The pages of the miniature notebook were no larger than a child's palm, and on the pale yellow parchment, a Magic Seal shaped like three overlapping stones was emitting a faint glow and trembling.
Leilin reached out and lightly tapped the Magic Seal with his finger.
"Ha ha! Leilin, you've made quite the catch, haven't you? The Vulture King over here has mobilized all the Greele Vultures. Stay hidden!"
Big Guy's voice came through the Magic Seal.
This kind of miniature notebook was the medium through which full Wizards stored the Magic Seals of friends, mentors, classmates, and other acquaintances.
Some Wizards preferred to brand their Magic Seals directly onto their bodies. For instance, Big Guy — Leilin had once glimpsed an entire arm covered in Magic Seals when he'd accidentally bared it, every inch of skin filled with them.
The sheer density of those marks had made Leilin dizzy on the spot.
Still, despite the inconvenience, he preferred this method of storing Magic Seals.
"Got it, I know!" Leilin said to the Magic Seal.
He closed the miniature notebook pendant and swiftly departed.
Before long, Leilin spotted faint dark specks on the horizon.
It was the enraged Vulture King, leading the entire flock of Greele Vultures across the sky!
However, compared to the overwhelming swarm from a few days ago, the vulture formation now looked sparse. The number of Greele Vultures had plummeted from over a hundred to forty or fifty — clearly the result of Leilin and the others' efforts over the past few days.
Even from this distance, Leilin could feel the massive energy fluctuations radiating from the enraged Vulture King.
"Caw! Caw!"
Intense energy waves radiated outward from the Vulture King in all directions. The king of the Greele Vultures was venting its fury at the relentless loss of its subordinates!
"Based on energy dispersion, target physique exceeds 20, estimated strength between 17 and 19. Exact data unavailable!"
Creatures that had already reached the strength of a first-level Wizard typically had a field barrier around their bodies. Leilin's Chip could not yet obtain precise data directly and could only estimate based on the target's demonstrated power.
Even so, these figures alone were enough to make Leilin's expression change.
Such creatures possessed not only terrifying strength and physique, but also hidden innate spells, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
Watching the Greele Vulture King roaring furiously over several piles of black ashes while the surrounding Greele Vultures wailed in grief, Leilin cast one last long look at the Vulture King and departed.
Late that night, in a temporary underground chamber.
"We took out nine more Greele Vultures today — excellent!" The little old man's face was wreathed in smiles.
"Now those wretched mongrel birds number fewer than fifty!" Big Guy was equally excited.
The materials from a Greele Vulture King comparable to a full Wizard were extremely valuable, to say nothing of the additional rewards offered by both contact points.
"However, the remaining Greele Vultures have been avoiding the areas where we set up ambushes, and there are signs they're preparing to migrate..."
"We need to come up with a plan quickly, or we'll lose this extra source of income..."
Lancer poured some timely cold water on their excitement.
The two Wizards beside them nodded in agreement. Although the vultures' departure would mean safe passage through the Golden Oasis, with the Vulture King's forces greatly diminished and generous rewards still on the table, Lancer and the others certainly didn't want to let the opportunity slip.
"Perhaps we could..."
After a moment of silence, the old leader put forward a suggestion.
In the sky, the sun hung high like a ball of fire. The desert air shimmered with heat, turning the world into a hazy blur.
In a stone forest constructed from rock and hardening spells, the five Wizards gathered together.
"How's it going? Can that old man pull it off?" Big Guy spoke in his usual blunt fashion.
"Trust the old man — he is a full Wizard after all!" Lancer frowned. "Are the traps set?"
A flash of earthy yellow light shimmered, and Leilin emerged from behind a stone pillar, wisps of brilliant yellow light trailing from his body. "My section is done!"
"All set!" From another direction, the night-watch Wizard and another taciturn Wizard stepped forward.
"Good! Now it's up to the old man. As long as he lures the Vulture King over here, I'll tear that wretched bird apart with my bare hands!" Big Guy clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly.
It was clear he was the type of Wizard who focused on training and enhancing his physical body, possessing tremendous physical strength.
"That old man is really going all out for those Vulture King materials!"
Leilin figured that if the Vulture King didn't carry some rare material the old man simply couldn't pass up, he wouldn't be this enthusiastic — especially not when it meant playing the dangerous role of bait.
"They're here!"
The Chip's detection allowed Leilin to spot them first. Moments later, scattered dark specks appeared on the distant horizon.
And one figure, wreathed in a green hurricane, was racing toward them at breakneck speed.
"Back to your positions! Watch for the signal! Move!" Lancer shouted, his expression tense.
After several flashes of light, every Wizard present vanished from sight.
Closer — even closer!
The old man was running at incredible speed. Even from his concealed position, Leilin could clearly see the old man's weathered face, with two streams of blood flowing from beside his ears.
Whoosh!
The old man darted into the stone forest, transmitting as he went: "Watch out for the Vulture King's fleshy growth — it can emit sonic attacks! I just took a hit from it!"
Upon seeing the stone forest, the Vulture King in the sky visibly hesitated.
But remembering that the prey it had been chasing didn't radiate energy as powerful as its own, and that this creature had been killing its subjects all along...
"Caw! Caw!" The Vulture King's eyes turned red, and it charged straight into the stone forest with the remaining Greele Vultures in tow.