Chapter 124: The Return of the Khyber Beast

Sharon rushed over.

She cast a group healing spell to treat these unlucky ones.

"Pavla, Leon, and Vernon—they're the most talented among the young mages, interns from the Magic Control League's magical academy. This one is Jagoth; his talent is average, but he has deep insights into spell research."

As she cast, the dog-girl spoke.

"Not bad—at least they've got courage."

Luo De evaluated.

He kept constant watch on the perimeter.

Though a row of sand willows had activated 【Invisibility Detection】, there was no guarantee the threat wouldn't breach from elsewhere.

"I plan to have these four each control one corner of the labyrinth ritual. What do you think?"

"You're the expert—you decide, assuming they wake up. Hmm, does the Magic Control League have a magical academy?"

"Yes, it's essentially their talent cultivation system—many who study there join the Magic Control League directly."

"How does it compare to Bahadur?"

"Naturally far inferior. Bahadur Academy has existed for nearly a thousand years; its depth can't be matched. But the Magic Control League Academy has its advantages—it accepts all, with none of Bahadur's 'human supremacy' ideology."

Meaning, their students are more normal than Bahadur's.

True.

The journey to Cuiyu City had plunged Luo De's opinion of this thousand-year magical academy to rock bottom.

If he encountered them again out in the wild, he'd probably avoid them entirely to avoid getting covered in shit.

Not long after.

The treatment of the four interns neared completion; their mana slowly stabilized.

Seeing no trace of the Shadow Weaver within the anti-invisibility range, Luo De wondered:

Maybe not every Khyber Beast attack comes with a Shadow Weaver?

He didn't bother overthinking—so many mages were here recording; why should a Spiritual Warrior like him investigate?

Come to think of it, he'd glanced at the meditation method given to him by Oona, deputy director of the Containment Division.

It was painful—the words were all familiar, yet he had no idea what they meant.

And those plant patterns, monster illustrations—they claimed these were spiritual constructs perceived during meditation.

Luo De guessed he might lack magical talent.

He couldn't even enter a meditative state.

Ultimately, his current spiritual aptitude stemmed largely from the Spirit Seed gifted by Vivian.

"Huh? What's this?"

Sharon, half-crouched over the four, suddenly let out a puzzled sound.

"What is it?"

Luo De instinctively looked down.

He saw the mage named Jagoth's abdomen violently writhing, then swelling rapidly like a pregnant woman's.

Boom!

His abdomen burst open under immense force; blood, flesh, and organs splattered all over the other four. Luo De flung open his 【Guardian Veil】, sweeping away all the filth.

Then, from Jagoth's abdomen rose a hairless, eyeless, multi-legged crawling creature, evenly coated in grease, standing as tall as a human.

The black blood from the corpse burst into a mist, expanding outward with the creature's shriek.

Sharon, closest to it, was immediately engulfed; her face changed.

Before she could flee, she collapsed limply to the ground.

"Khyber Beast!?"

Someone cried out.

Well, of course—mages never fail to cause trouble.

Luo De reacted instantly; his 【Sacrificial Sword】 slashed through, its blade already stained red.

The shriek cut off abruptly; blood sprayed out.

The creature split in two.

The upper half of the Khyber Beast was slender and multi-legged, trailing behind a massive insect-like abdomen—like a fleshy ant.

But this one's spiritual aura was far weaker than the one encountered in the open labyrinth—no more than mid-Sixth Rank.

Luo De turned to Sharon and the other three interns.

They were all unconscious.

Faintly, their mana was enveloped in a peculiar energy field.

"Not unconscious—more like a curse. Hey! You mages over there, come take a look at this!"

The distant mages had not approached.

Hearing the call, they exchanged glances and stayed put.

"Tch. I hate mages."

Still, one rabbit-tribe mage stepped forward.

He frowned as he examined them.

Soon, he told Luo De:

"It's a Khyber Field. They've been pulled inside."

"What's a Khyber Field?"

"A spiritual dimension between reality and dream—a terrifying labyrinth meticulously woven by Khyber Beasts. But you, Mr. Luo De, with such proximity, weren't pulled in? That's truly astonishing."

"My spiritual resistance is high. Stop wasting time—how do I save them?"

"If those inside can pass the trials of 【Memory Hell】, 【Terror Manifestation】, and 【Judgment Platform】, they can escape."

What the hell.

That sounds like a death sentence!

If the most responsible ones died right at the start, how is this 【Dark Vortex Rift】 even going to proceed?

"Can't we help from outside?"

"Perhaps… but my knowledge is limited; I don't understand these spells well."

At that moment, footsteps approached from nearby.

Luo De looked up to see Xiao Ke hurriedly leading Kalistra over.

The elf still wore her usual cold expression—now tinged with irritation and anger.

"Who annoyed you this time?"

"None of your business."

Kalistra crouched down and carefully examined Sharon's condition.

Soon, her teacherly nature kicked in:

"There are three ways to resolve a Khyber Field. First, 【Soul Tether】: establish a soul link with the trapped individual and pull them out—requires time to prepare rituals and materials."

"Second, 【Fear Dispelling Aura】: a magic that dispels fear and negative emotions around the caster. When projected onto the edge of the Khyber Field, it weakens the Khyber Beast's mental control—but the problem now is the Khyber Beast is dead, so we can't locate the field."

"Third, 【Heartwave Resonance】: the caster establishes a heartwave resonance with the trapped, entering the Khyber Field by sharing their mental perception."

The rabbit-tribe mage listened, stunned.

Coming to his senses, he quickly jotted down everything she said.

Luo De shrugged.

"But how does 【Heartwave Resonance】 get them out?"

"Rabbit-tribe specialize in spiritual magic. If they find them inside, they should be able to pull them out."

Both turned to look at the rabbit-tribe mage.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

"I—"

Clearly, asking someone to rescue strangers was unrealistic.

"I'll go."

Luo De said.

Kalistra considered, then said:

"The Khyber Field is a spiritual dimension. Your spiritual resistance is strong—you'll have advantages, making you one of the most suitable here. Still, I recommend letting this rabbit-tribe mage go; he'll face fewer restrictions inside. Frankly, we could just use force to compel him."

"Uh—"

The rabbit-tribe mage's face twisted in distress; his back was soaked in sweat.

He should never have stepped forward.

Luo De couldn't help laughing.

"Who else would scheme against someone right to their face?"

(End of Chapter)