The region of the northern wilderness that was made up the Duchy of Creer had remained desolate for the last few decades. It had been the base of the ill-fated Wizard Alliance, which Li Weisi had led decades ago Utilizing the complex mountainous terrain and underground caves, he had created an underground city in the northern desert.
Today, there were still monsters left over from the experiments of the Wizard Alliance. Also, the entire northern wilderness was covered with thorns and weeds. Yet, there were barely any trees, with only two or three arbors scattered along the horizon.
In the autumn of San Calendar Year 14, Li Weisi had led the entire Wizard Alliance and three thousand Owl Knights from the Duchy of Creer, slaughtering his way through the Moore Province of the Kingdom of the Church of Light to St. Sarl City. In the end, they were wiped out by the hand of Saintess Kelly and the Duchy of Creer was cleansed by the Church. Now, the Grand Duke of Creer was ruled by the grandson of Pope Hodap.
In the northern wilderness, Li Weisi and the horrible legend of his dungeon still lived on, making it a forbidden land. As such, no one dared step inside it.
Due to the lingering effects of the experiments, experimental monsters and chimeras roamed free in the region. From time to time, they would devour passing merchant caravans and eat villagers from isolated villages. Even now, in Year 60 of the San Calendar, the tales of Li Weisi and the monsters of the northern lands were enough to terrify people and silence the cries of children.
There was a small team at the moment, which was moving inside this forbidden area. The composition of the team was quite complicated. There were ordinary people, some Blood Knights, some scholars and hunters, and of course, some mysterious wizards.
After passing a mountain of thorns, they came to a rock wall. They then parted a thick patch of dense and dry vines to reveal a cave.
There were many such caves within the northern plains. In fact, their number was such an inestimably large one, people unfamiliar with the road conditions would often fall into the complex underground cave system. This would result in many of them falling to their deaths or wandering around, injured, and lost.
Without guidance or a decipherable navigation route, ordinary people would often die inside, unable to find their ways out. At the front of the group, walked a handsome young man with a book. His skin was very pale, causing him to look as if he was completely bloodless. His eyes were dark green. At first glance, he looked like a corpse!
If Bohr had been there, he would have recognized the individual right away. It was his former student, Adonis Monar.
Adonis' had a great talent for Blood Witchcraft. He and Bohr shared an interest in physical transformation and exploration.
This had made Bohr think that Adonis would be his protege. But, during an experiment, Bohr had discovered that Adonis had tried to use a live human being as a test subject, which made Bohr livid. Thus, Adonis was expelled from the Wizard Tower, never graduating.
But, before his departure, Adonis snuck into Bohr's laboratory, stealing some of the inheritances of the Wizard Tower. He then disappeared without a trace.
Bohr was very angry about all of this, of course, but he still had a tender affection for his former apprentice. Since Adonis hadn't stolen anything really important, Bohr did not pursue the matter further.
At the moment, Adonis stood in front of the cave, looking into its dark depths. He took out a map, which had been drawn on roll of worn sheepskin. After looking through it, he verified the landmarks nearby and nodded.
"Yes, it's here. Light the torches. Everyone, be careful. There many dangerous modified beasts here, as well as leftover witchcraft traps," Adonis warned them.
He then walked to the forefront of the cave with a torch, constantly checking for traps. He was careful to remain vigilant.
The scholar among the group explained some of the secret notations on the map. As he did so, Adonis distributed his mind power to create a simple witchcraft technique, called the Mental Probe, to scan his surroundings.
The information about the terrain was constantly streaming into his mind, as he pushed downwards into the darkness, guided by the torchlight. The group members' shadows stretched out behind them, while they continued to move down the cave corridors.
Water dripped down from the cave's ceiling. The further down they went, the darker and more humid it became. Other than having to avoid the troublesome traps, their journey was relatively uneventful.
"Sssss..!"
Adonis' ears immediately perked to attention, as he heard a strange noise. He then raised his hand, signaling to the group to stop. All of them immediately sensed something afoot, so they grabbed their weapons. The two Blood Knights immediately moved closer to guard Adonis.
"Ssssss...!"
The people at the front of the group could feel a slight vibration at their feet. Everyone stared at the front of the cave and lifted their torches. All of them could feel the tension in the air.
The reputation of Li Weisi was very fearsome, and this was his base camp. Even though decades had passed, and most of the monsters that he left behind should have long since died, they still had a strong fear in their hearts. After all, the things that he had left behind terrified even the most battle-hardened warrior.
Adonis also looked towards the front of the group, seeing that the unknown thing was approaching them at an incredible speed. It had definitely sensed their existence somehow, even without seeing them. He wondered how this was possible, guessing maybe that it was due to its keen sense of smell.
All of them looked deeper into the cave. Adonis suddenly shook, as he lifted his head. Above him, staring down into his own eyes, he could see a pair of chilly eyes. Adonis immediately shouted, "It's above us!"
"Sssss...!"
It was already too late. The monster jumped down, its long legs slicing through the scholar's chest like a sickle. The monster had picked the weakest one to kill first. It was obviously very sly and sinister.
They could finally see that the monster was a giant spider, which had the head of a woman and the face of a gorgeous beauty. The creature clung tightly to the rock wall, hissing at them. It was completely horrifying!
Adonis showed an surprised expression, as he said, "It's a chimera. As expected, Li Weisi has reached the pinnacle of this field! I definitely want to obtain the things that he left behind here!"
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