"Lizardmen, we’re just passing through," Ron calmly said:
"We don’t intend to cause trouble, nor do we have anything valuable. Let us pass, and it’s good for everyone."
The Lizardman leader let out a sharp hiss of laughter:
"Nothing valuable? Then what’s that on your neck? My tongue can sense its energy fluctuations."
Only then did Ron realize that he was inadvertently wearing the leaf-shaped brooch given by Ailan, which indeed contained a hint of natural energy.
"Last chance, human," the Lizardman leader threatened, the scimitar in his hand glinting coldly:
"Hand over the valuables, and we’ll spare your lives."
Ron took a deep breath, and spiritual power began to flow within him:
"Looks like the negotiation failed, Andre, are you ready?"
"I’ve been waiting impatiently," Andre’s eyes had already completely turned golden, and scales could faintly be seen on the surface of his body.
The Lizardman leader roared angrily, signaling his subordinates to attack.
At the critical moment, Ron acted first.
"Sound Wave Vibration!"
Invisible energy waves shot out from Ron’s palm, piercing through the air at an astonishing speed, directly hitting the three frontmost Lizardmen.
The creatures didn’t even have time to raise their shields before being hit by the invisible shockwave.
Their bodies flew backward several meters as if struck by a giant hammer, crashing heavily into the wall, dark green blood immediately spilling from their mouths and noses.
Immediately afterward, Ron’s wooden staff quivered, instantly reverting to the form of an ironwood sword, charging towards the Lizardmen on the right.
The sword glimmered like water, each swing carried precise and deadly sharpness.
"Slash..."
The sword blade cut through the throats of two Lizardmen, clean and swift slashes scarcely splattered any blood.
Those two creatures didn’t even have time to utter a sound, falling with expressions of disbelief.
Meanwhile, Andre was not to be outdone.
He took a deep breath, fully activating the Red Blood Flying Dragon bloodline within, dense scarlet scales instantaneously appeared on his chest.
—Dragon Breath!
A scorching flame spewed from Andre’s mouth, transforming into a surging line of fire rushing towards the Lizardman group.
The flame’s temperature was so high that the air itself warped and distorted in the heat waves.
The remaining three Lizardmen were engulfed by the flames before they could dodge, continuously emitting pitiful cries as they were charred by the sustained high heat.
The entire battle lasted only a few seconds, all eight Lizardman warriors were knocked down, charred corpses and decapitated bodies lay scattered, none survived.
"These guys are too outrageous."
Andre looked at the bodies on the ground, smoke rising from his mouth as he said disappointedly, "I thought there would be some challenge."
Ron squatted down to inspect the Lizardman leader’s corpse and found a strange mark: a spider-shaped tattoo etched on the inside of its left arm.
"It seems this is not a simple robbery." He pointed at the tattoo and said:
"This is likely Mola’s mark, I can feel the magic within it, indicating they’re under her control; I don’t think mercenaries of this type would die for their master."
Andre leaned closer to observe, a trace of contemplation flashed in his eyes, "Spider... Old Spider Mola?"
"Most likely." Ron stood up, clapped the dust from his hands:
"Looks like Otto was right, Mola indeed likes to ’test’ visitors."
The two continued forward, with heightened vigilance.
This section of Lizard Alley was almost devoid of pedestrians, the dark and damp alley lined with dilapidated buildings, occasionally accompanied by rustling noises, uncertain whether from rats or other creatures.
After roughly ten minutes of walking, a sudden heavy footfall sounded ahead, the ground trembling.
"Be careful." Ron immediately halted, spiritual power dispersing, probing the situation ahead.
"A big one is coming." Andre warned alertly, gripping the sword hilt, ready for battle.
Moments later, a towering figure appeared at the corner ahead.
It was an ogre mage at least three meters tall, with skin a sickly gray-green, covered with bumps and scars.
The most striking feature was its head—disproportionately large, with a giant single eye on its forehead, its body covered with mysterious tribal tattoos.
It wore a crude animal skin uniform, holding a sturdy magic wand, the tip inlaid with a gem glowing with purple light.
"Ogre mage..." Ron quietly confirmed, his gaze becoming serious, "This guy is far more dangerous than a regular ogre."
The ogre mage let out a low growl, the single eye on its forehead flashed with purple light:
"Human... I can sense the special aura on you... The master is very interested..."
It swung the wand, the gem at the tip bursting with a bright light, a purple energy beam shooting out, directly hitting Ron and Andre.
"Watch out!" Ron shouted, while golden-red energy condensed around him, rapidly expanding into a halo.
"Ring of Brilliance!"
The golden-red halo met the purple energy beam in mid-air, producing a dazzling flash and deafening explosion.
The shockwave shattered nearby walls, rubble flying.
"Such strong magic..."
Ron stepped back slightly to dodge the aftermath of the enemy’s energy beam, his output clearly inferior:
"No wonder even advanced apprentices don’t dare provoke it lightly."
The ogre mage seemed startled by Ron’s counterattack, but quickly roared maniacally, its tribal tattoos starting to flicker ominously.
The single eye turned blood-red, the surrounding air began to warp, a series of twisted energy ripples spreading outward.
"Spiritual attack!" Ron immediately identified the attack method, quickly construing a spiritual barrier, while warning Andre:
"Protect your consciousness, it’s trying to interfere with our spirits!"
Andre gritted his teeth, brows furrowed, clearly resisting the invisible spiritual assault:
"This guy... is much stronger than I imagined..."
The ogre mage seeing its spiritual attack having limited effect, changed tactics again.
It inserted the magic wand into the ground, starting to chant a cryptic spell.
The ground shook accordingly, rubble and dust began to converge, forming three stone giants, each over five meters tall, emanating dense elemental energy.
"Go! Tear them apart!" The ogre mage commanded the stone giants to charge at Ron and Andre.
"I’ll deal with these stone giants, you take care of the ogre!"
Andre shouted to Ron, fully activating the dragon bloodline within him, enveloped entirely in scarlet scales.
Ron nodded, his eyes becoming exceptionally focused.
"It’s time to give it our all."
Spiritual power exploded instantly, like an invisible storm sweeping through his body.
The Ogre Mage seemed to sense the danger, a trace of fear flashing in its single eye.
It waved its magic wand, conjuring an energy shield in attempt to protect itself.
"Spiritual Interference!"
Ron suddenly exerted his spiritual field, an invisible ripple erupted outwards from him.
The rippling waves penetrated the air, directly striking the Ogre Mage’s spiritual core.
This move was specifically designed by Wizard Apprentices to target intelligent creatures.
The energy shield was easily pierced through under the impact of the spiritual ring.
The Ogre Mage let out a cry of pain, its massive body staggering back a few steps, the magic wand slipping from its hand.
Its eyes were full of confusion, unable to understand why its defense was so easily broken.
But Ron’s attack did not stop.
He followed up the spiritual interference, guiding the light and fire elements within him to condense.
"Ring of Brilliance, maximum power!"
This time the ring formed was three times larger than before, with a diameter of six meters, the gold-red energy dancing on the ring, flickering with a dangerous glow like a living being.
The ring burst forth suddenly, piercing through the Ogre Mage’s body at an astonishing speed.
Unlike an ordinary Ring of Brilliance, Ron had mobilized more magic power in this strike.
Although the utilization efficiency was far from the super magic techniques of official wizards, its power had undoubtedly increased significantly.
At the moment when the ring pierced through its body, the Ogre Mage seemed to ignite from within.
Under its skin, the gold-red energy could be seen flowing through its veins.
Its giant eye instantly lost focus, its mouth gaped wide but emitted no sound.
A figure had already flashed in front of the Ogre Mage like a ghost, the ironwood sword in hand gleaming with a chilling light.
——Dawn Cross・Overlimit!
The sword light cut through the night sky like a meteor, almost too fast to track.
A perfect cross-shaped cut appeared at the Ogre Mage’s chest and neck, the incision was so neat it was terrifying, as if measured with a ruler.
The Ogre Mage’s expression froze in shock and terror as its massive body slowly fell, crashing to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.
The light in its eyes quickly dimmed, life vanishing in an instant.
Meanwhile, the three earthstone giants also lost their energy support at the moment of their master’s death, collapsing into piles of lifeless rubble.
Andre panted heavily, his body bruised by the falling stones, but otherwise unscathed.
"This... is a bit exaggerated..." Andre looked at the Ogre Mage’s corpse, eyes full of awe:
"I hadn’t even reacted, and you’ve already finished over there."
Ron sheathed his sword, speaking calmly:
"Direct confrontation would consume too much energy, the best strategy is to take them by surprise and kill with one strike."
He walked to the Ogre Mage’s corpse, picking up the magic wand and carefully examining the purple gem at its tip.
"An energy crystal, still retaining some energy."
He commented, casually dismantling the wand and pocketing the energy crystal separately: "It might aid my future research."
It’s a pity that these wild casters only used rough spells they were naturally awakened to, otherwise he could have collected more magic models.
Andre looked back at the path they had come:
"We’ve already taken down over ten Lizardmen warriors and an Ogre Mage capable of rivaling an Advanced Apprentice.
That guy must have some screws loose to send over so many elite henchmen like he’s throwing them to their deaths..."
"I feel it shouldn’t end so easily." Ron nodded, continuing forward:
"But no matter what, today I must meet that old woman and find out why she attacked us."
The two continued onward, the surrounding environment growing darker and more eerie.
The walls vaguely bore web-like patterns, the air filled with an ancient and mysterious aura.
Turning the last corner, an ancient brick building loomed ahead.
An old wooden sign hung overhead, with the simple words "Maze Pawnshop" carved on it.
"We’ve arrived." Ron took a deep breath, vigilantly surveying the surroundings:
"Stay alert, this place reeks of eeriness."
The two approached the pawnshop cautiously, pushing open the rickety wooden door.
Inside was a dimly lit space, cluttered with various peculiar items:
Faded portraits, incomplete sculptures, rusted weapons, dust-covered jewels...
The air was thick with a sense of age and mystery.
"Is anyone there?" Ron called out softly, his spiritual power warily probing the surroundings.
His answer was a slight rustle from behind a curtain in the corner.
The curtain was gently drawn back, and a hunched figure slowly emerged.
It was the old woman with unhealthy yellow skin.
"What a rare guest."
The old woman’s voice was dry and hoarse, like bark scraping:
"A young Wizard Apprentice and a Bloodline Knight... I’ve lived in the Black Mist Jungle for so many years, rarely seeing a pair like you."
Ron and Andre watched the old woman warily, not letting their guard down.
"Are you Mola?" Ron asked directly.
The old woman displayed a near toothless grin:
"Yes, child, I am the old spider Mola. It seems you’ve learned my name, yet still dared to venture here... commendable courage."
Ron stared directly into Mola’s deeply sunken eyes:
"The ambush in Lizard Alley last time, and today’s road Lizardmen and Ogre Mage, were all your doing, weren’t they?"
Mola’s smile deepened, a flicker of admiration in her eyes: "Clever child. Yes, those were my little ’greetings’."
"Greetings?" Andre sneered, his eyes flashing with a golden light: "You call that a greeting?"