Free Web NovelChapter 128: Chapter 93: How Can He Even Enchant?
"An Activated Wall?!"
"Whoa, that’s so gross."
"Something’s off about that sound. It feels a bit like the cry of a Help Grass."
"Help Grass? What’s that?"
"It’s a plant that lets out a shrill cry when it’s in danger, luring nearby beasts to gather and attack its enemies."
"A plant like that actually exists?!"
"Look, monsters are gathering!"
Seeing the dense swarm of monsters in the long corridor, many of the apprentices felt their scalps tingle with fear.
Just as the spectators thought Pei Ze was in trouble, they were left stunned by his next move.
"What is that?"
"Those are Elemental Runes, a derivative secret technique from the art of enchantment!"
"I heard this secret technique is very difficult. Most Enchantment Apprentices can’t do it. I can’t believe Pei Ze has actually mastered it."
"That’s right. To learn Elemental Runes, you first have to master the art of enchantment. It’s impossible for someone who can’t enchant to learn them. Pei Ze only looks sixteen or seventeen. To master the Lightning Rune at his age is already incredible... Wait! An Earth Rune! And a Gale Rune! How does this guy know so many Elemental Runes?!"
The speaker was suddenly dumbfounded and couldn’t continue.
Yin Guang stared at the light screen in astonishment for a moment, then came to his senses and muttered to himself in confusion:
"Isn’t Pei Ze an Alchemist? How does he know enchantment too?"
Gu Lin: "..."
’If I’m not mistaken, Pei Ze’s Elemental Runes must have come from the Gem Enchantment knowledge I lost to him in our bet.’
’But what truly shocked her was that it had been just over a month since Pei Ze got the Gem Enchantment knowledge. In such a short time, he had actually mastered Elemental Runes!’
’And not just one, but three of them!’
’What kind of monstrous talent is this?’
Gu Lin’s heart was in turmoil.
She knew for a fact that Pei Ze’s talent for alchemy was outstanding; he had even received praise directly from Mo Weng.
But now, it seemed his talent for enchantment was hardly inferior to his talent for alchemy.
"Is this guy a monster..."
Gu Lin took a sharp breath, her feelings a complicated, indescribable mix.
Every time she thought she had a clear enough understanding of Pei Ze’s talent, he would turn around and display something even more outrageous, delivering one "surprise" after another.
At times like these, Gu Lin couldn’t help but feel that her own aptitude was actually quite mediocre and ordinary.
The only thing she could console herself with now was that the more brilliantly Pei Ze performed, the higher her chances were of winning five hundred Magic Stone Coins.
"This kid..."
Meng Kai was secretly shocked, his gaze fixed on Pei Ze.
At that moment, a bad feeling suddenly welled up from deep within him.
But he quickly shook his head, suppressing his unease.
’It’s just Elemental Runes. That doesn’t prove anything.’
’Pei Ze might have a few tricks up his sleeve, but his overall strength is still no match for Meng Wei’s group of three. There won’t be any surprises in the outcome of this trial.’
...
Before he knew it, Pei Ze had been in the maze for nearly twenty hours.
The deeper he went into the maze, the more complex the terrain became.
Rooms often had two exits, and sometimes the exits of different rooms would connect to each other.
Under these circumstances, even with the Fog Crow scouting ahead, Pei Ze’s progress inevitably slowed down significantly, and he would sometimes take a wrong turn and end up back where he started.
"Relying on the Fog Crow alone won’t cut it anymore."
Pei Ze frowned slightly, a contemplative look in his eyes.
’Logically, this trial is a stage for the participants to display their strength. The main theme should be the clash between participants.’
’The maze is just the stage; it shouldn’t overshadow the main event.’
’Designing the maze to be so incredibly intricate is putting the cart before the horse.’
’After all, the Dawn Council’s main objective is to select three powerful elite apprentices, not people who are good at maze exploration.’
’Thinking along these lines, the Dawn Council has likely placed something in the maze to help participants overcome the complex terrain and reach the Maze Center.’
’Now the question is, where did they put this thing?’ Pei Ze wondered, his brow furrowed in thought.
After a moment, he shook his head, stopped dwelling on it, and continued exploring.
’As long as this item really exists, I’ll find it sooner or later if I keep searching.’
Holding on to this thought, Pei Ze stepped into a new, unexplored room, only to see a treasure chest sitting squarely in the center.
...Alright, he had a feeling he might have just found what he was looking for.
To be safe, in case there was a trap, Pei Ze ordered the Fierce Wild Boarman to go forward and open the chest.
Otherworldly Creatures summoned by the Level 1 Monster Summoning Technique can only accept simple commands from the Caster—unless the Caster happens to know that creature’s language.
Because of this, the Fierce Wild Boarman was incapable of performing ’high-difficulty’ tasks like scouting.
Following Pei Ze’s command, the Fierce Wild Boarman trudged forward with heavy steps, huffing and puffing until it reached the chest. It roughly grabbed the bronze lock and prepared to rip it off with brute force.
But the moment it touched the chest, an invisible ripple instantly spread out.
About five meters away from the Fierce Wild Boarman, the air in the empty space suddenly twisted and warped.
A large, black, oval-shaped hole appeared out of thin air, and a tall, humanoid creature stepped out of it with heavy footfalls.
It had a massive bull’s head, with a pair of curving black horns jutting proudly from either side. Puffs of white steam shot from its large nostrils from time to time.
Its muscular, knotted body was covered in reddish-brown fur. It wore no armor, only a dark yellow leather belt wrapped around its waist.
If its upper body could barely be called humanoid, albeit excessively burly, its lower body was entirely bovine. It had golden anklets on its legs, which ended in a pair of hard, cloven hooves that looked like blocks of black iron.
A Minotaur!
Pei Ze’s gaze narrowed.
The Minotaurs of this world were not the cannon fodder monsters of fantasy novels.
They were powerful creatures with combat strength comparable to a Tier One Legendary Knight.
They were physically strong, possessed immense power, and were fierce, bloodthirsty, and short-tempered. They would violently slaughter any creature that dared to invade their territory.
And right now, the Minotaur clearly considered this room its territory.
The moment it landed and steadied itself, it let out a furious roar that made the entire room tremble. Then, gripping its massive Double-Bladed Battleaxe, it charged menacingly toward the nearest Fierce Wild Boarman.
Pei Ze grimaced. It was obvious that the chest was rigged with a trigger Magic. Anyone who tried to open it would activate the Summoning Array on it, calling forth the Minotaur.
To get what was inside the chest, he had to defeat the Minotaur, its guardian monster. freēwēbnovel.com
The Fierce Wild Boarman’s combat power was no match for the Minotaur’s. To prevent his hard-won summoned vanguard from being killed, Pei Ze immediately cast Mage Armor on it without a second thought, then followed up with a Weakness Beam aimed at the Minotaur.
After being hit by the grayish beam, the Minotaur’s movements became noticeably sluggish.
This finally made it notice the ’little guy’ off to the side.
Although the Minotaur was barbaric and short-tempered, it was not unintelligent. It quickly recognized Pei Ze as a Caster, immediately abandoned the Fierce Wild Boarman, and turned to charge at him instead.
Pei Ze wasn’t about to indulge it. He raised his hand and fired a Freezing Beam, instantly coating the Minotaur’s body in a layer of frost. Its charging speed slowed down visibly.
Seizing the opportunity, Pei Ze unleashed a direct, no-nonsense combo.
Magic Missile, Fireball Technique, Burning Hand.
After being hit by three Attack Magic spells, the Minotaur howled miserably from the bombardment. It finally understood that the little guy before it was even more dangerous than the Fierce Wild Boarman.
But it was too late. Under the combined assault of Pei Ze and the Fierce Wild Boarman that caught up from behind, the Minotaur was soon covered in wounds.
It held on for only two or three minutes before collapsing to the ground, filled with unwillingness and despair, its life fading away.
Looking at the Minotaur’s enormous corpse, Pei Ze couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
Back when he fought Huo Nan, he’d had to use almost every trick he had. Now, he didn’t even need to use Wuyu; he had taken down a powerful Legendary Knight-level monster with just a few Magic spells. The difference was immense.
Compared to back then, his strength had clearly increased by leaps and bounds.
After composing himself, Pei Ze went forward and cut off the Minotaur’s horns. These were good materials for enchanting and couldn’t be wasted.
After stowing away the horns, he had the Fierce Wild Boarman continue opening the treasure chest.
