Chapter 250: Frogman Warlock
Black Reef Island was located to the east of the Green Archipelago, covering several hundred square kilometers. It was named for the black reefs that surrounded the island on all sides.
On this island lived quite a number of weak Foreign Races and Humans of mixed bloodlines.
The most abundant resource on Black Reef Island was a pitch-black metal ore. After simple refinement, it possessed strength comparable to Blue Star alloys, yet was much lighter in weight.
This metal ore brought immense profit to the Duanmu Family, ensuring that its members had sufficient resources for Beast Taming cultivation.
The reason the Duanmu Family was able to occupy this place was not only because of the family’s formidable strength and a century of painstaking effort.
The primary reason was that the Green Archipelago lay within the sphere of influence of the Sea Race’s Tidal Empire. Somehow, the Duanmu Family had established ties with the Sea Race in this sea region, exchanging half of the Black Rock Gold in return for the Sea Race’s protection.
After all, the Sea Race was unsuited for life on land and lacked the corresponding mining and metallurgical techniques. Thus, this form of cooperation benefited both sides.
Although it seemed somewhat strange for Blue Star humans to cooperate with Foreign Races in the Tamu World, under the drive of利益, anything could happen.
The reason the Foreign Races invaded Blue Star was mainly to integrate Blue Star into the Tamu World and seize the World’s Heart as soon as possible.
To a certain extent, there was no irreconcilable hatred between the two sides.
Moreover, compared to the Vampire and the Giant Race on land, the Sea Race living in the ocean actually had little conflict with Blue Star humans, since their living environments were fundamentally different.
Zhou Ming and the Scorpion-Lion left the location of the Dimensional Rift and advanced along the passageway, yet they did not encounter a single guard.
Faced with this situation, the two exchanged a glance and sensed that something was amiss.
It was normal for there to be no guards around the Dimensional Rift itself, as it was enveloped by a Barrier Formation. But it was impossible that even the passage leading to the Dimensional Rift would be left unguarded.
They immediately quickened their pace and began investigating the situation.
Outside the cave, a slaughter was unfolding. The two sides were mixed-blood Humans and Foreign Races.
They each wore black armor and wielded incomparably sharp weapons. These armors and weapons were all forged from Black Rock Gold.
The Tamu World had numerous races, and its Transcendent systems were diverse. However, the level divisions were still similar to Blue Star’s Beast Taming system.
Or rather, Blue Star humans’ Beast Tamer rank system had originally been modeled after the Tamu World’s level system.
In the undulating highland mine, although only around a thousand people were fighting, the weakest among them were Apprentice-level warriors.
Yet after donning armor and wielding weapons, their strength was enough to rival low-tier Ferocious Beasts of the same rank.
The most eye-catching scene was at the core area of the battlefield, where three figures were engaged in a fierce clash. The intensity of their battle kept anyone from approaching within a hundred meters.
Two mixed-blood Humans were fighting against one Foreign Race. Although they had the advantage in numbers, they were clearly at a disadvantage.
“Dulag, you betrayed the Duanmu Family. You are seeking your own death!”
One of them stood two meters tall, with muscles coiled like giant pythons, bronze-like skin, and unusually thick body hair.
Holding a double-bladed battle axe, he forcibly received a powerful water-attribute spell. Hoping to buy time for the Duanmu Family’s experts to descend, he attempted to intimidate his opponent with words.
“The Duanmu Family is merely a Human force from a small world. Now that they can hardly descend into the Tamu World, what do I have to fear?”
Within a distant barrier that resembled a bubble stood a black-robed frogman. His enormous frog mouth curved as he replied in a mocking tone.
Judging by the methods the frogman displayed, he was a bloodline warlock, casting spells by relying on his own bloodline.
Compared to orthodox Spellcasters, the power of bloodline warlocks was influenced by their bloodline, so their strength naturally varied.
The frogman warlock before them clearly had an ordinary bloodline.
Otherwise, as a High-level Professional Rank bloodline warlock, he would have been capable of killing two Mid-level Professional Rank mixed-blood Humans in a short time.
As the two were speaking, a streak of afterimage suddenly appeared from the air, launching a razor-sharp sneak attack against the frogman warlock.
The thrusting sword, thin as a steel needle, was like a venomous snake darting out from the shadows, revealing deadly fangs.
The pitch-black blade emitted a peculiar fishy scent. It was likely coated with potent poison, intended to achieve a one-hit kill.
Dulag seemed to have anticipated it. A cold smile appeared on his massive frog mouth.
He planted his staff into the ground with his right hand. Immediately, waves surged around him, forming a vortex shaped like a tornado, preparing to swallow the attacker whole.
The burly man holding the double-bladed battle axe in the distance immediately roared in fury and swung his axe, rushing to support his companion.
As the two sides resumed their fierce clash, the Scorpion-Lion and Zhou Ming emerged from the entrance of a mine tunnel.
“Those two mixed-blood Humans and the frogman warlock are the Duanmu Family’s administrators here?”
When Zhou Ming saw the three figures fighting in the distance, he immediately felt that their strength was noticeably inferior to Beast Tamers of the same rank.
If not for the suppression of the Tamu World Will, the Scorpion-Lion alone could have easily resolved them.
“That’s right. The two mixed-blood Humans are Wild Lion and Bone Fang. Their Class Advancements are Berserker and Shadow Dancer.”
“The frogman warlock fighting them is Dulag, who advanced to High-level Professional Rank. Because of the awakening of the bloodline within his body, he was valued by the family and became one of the three stewards of the mine.”
“Don’t underestimate the Transcendent system of the Tamu World just because they are weaker than Beast Tamers of the same rank. The professions they advanced into are merely ordinary professions.”
Zhou Ming understood the Scorpion-Lion’s meaning.
In the Tamu World, the most common profession was Warrior, who relied on breathing techniques combined with martial skills to temper the body, passively absorbing Energy Particles to strengthen the physique.
When a powerful physique was paired with skilled combat techniques, and supplemented with armor and sharp weapons, their strength could rival low-tier Ferocious Beasts.
When the body’s potential was developed to its limit, one could advance into a Professional Rank existence through a Class Advancement Ritual.
Different Class Advancements brought different levels of power.
Among them, Berserker and Shadow Dancer belonged to ordinary professions advanced from Warrior, while a small number of rare high-tier Class Advancements were even more powerful than Beast Tamers of the same rank.
Most Foreign Races relied on innate talent and bloodline. While this allowed them to gain power more easily, it also limited the extent to which their strength could be unleashed.
However, a very small number could master exclusive racial professions, whose strength was difficult even for Beast Tamers of the same rank to match.
With the intelligence provided by the Scorpion-Lion, Zhou Ming now had a very clear understanding of the Transcendent system of the Tamu World.
While the two were conversing, Wild Lion and Bone Fang, who were only at Mid-level Professional Rank, were ultimately no match for Dulag, a High-level Professional Rank existence.
Seeing that the two were about to be slain on the spot by Dulag, and that the other mixed-blood Human warriors around them were also falling into disadvantage, the Scorpion-Lion no longer chose to stand by. He immediately summoned his Beast Tamer’s beast, the Scorpion-Lion.
With a body length approaching five meters, muscles bulging like mountains, and a scorpion tail behind it linked like pieces of steel, producing constant metallic friction sounds—
The Scorpion-Lion mounted his Beast Tamer’s beast in a single motion. A three-meter-long spear appeared in his hand, and he charged forward like a massive boulder tumbling down from a mountain.