Chapter 22: Elf

“It’s not up to me—I’ve always been a mild-mannered fellow.”

Luo De walked into the mine.

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

Xiti hurried after him: “They’ll respect the Wingcrystal Clan’s face—above all, peace is key.”

Luo De shrugged.

He stepped inside the mine.

At first, the interior resembled an ordinary mine shaft outside the labyrinth.

But as footsteps echoed.

The lighting fixtures on the upper walls clicked on.

They looked like lightbulbs from Earth, only glowing with a deep blue light that stretched deep into the tunnel.

Human instinctive fear of darkness vanished instantly under this faint glow.

Luo De already had Night Vision from wearing the [Guardian Veil].

“What’s this?”

“A gnome’s alchemical lamp—hmm, actually I’m not sure if that gnome was male or female, since both genders grow beards.”

Tally suddenly laughed.

Xiti scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry, I spoke too harshly—I shouldn’t joke about a respected gnome companion.”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Tally grinned at Luo De: “One of my distant aunts once tried to seduce a gnome—only to find out, after pulling down his pants, hahaha—”

Her persona shattered; she couldn’t finish speaking, doubling over with laughter.

Luo De and Xiti exchanged glances.

They didn’t get succubi jokes.

Tally’s laughter came fast and faded fast.

Her expression turned dismissive; her persona restored.

“Two trash fish. What are you staring at? Go scout ahead!”

Moments later.

The group finally encountered their first mutated creature.

It was a giant green-skinned lizard.

Roughly the size of a Komodo dragon from Earth.

But since crystals mostly grow high on the tunnel walls, their hind legs were broader and larger, granting them bipedal mobility.

Also,

several parts of its body differed greatly from ordinary lizards.

Where its snout should be was a single protruding, cloudy eye; each eye socket sprouted a scaled tentacle, ending in a mouth full of sharp teeth.

It was disgusting.

At that moment, it clung to the tunnel wall, its two tentacle-mouths gnawing on a crystal, its lower eye rolling toward Luo De.

“Mr. Luo De! It’s coming!”

Xiti cried out in panic.

Luo De drew the [Sword of Devotion] and unleashed a single [Lightning Blade].

The creature had only fourth-tier spiritual power—not worth wasting more spiritual energy.

The sword’s blade, gradually turning gold, crackled with blue lightning.

Though still a one-handed sword, it was considerably heavier than standard steel blades.

In midair, a blade-shadow of gold and blue slashed through.

Ssshh—

One simple strike, and the creature’s head separated from its body.

“Watch out!” Xiti shouted.

Though he’d warned Luo De that mutated creatures here exploded with toxins upon death,

he still couldn’t help himself when facing it.

Luo De swung his left hand—the [Guardian Veil] instantly swept aside the incoming toxic blood.

Not a single drop touched him.

“You alright, Xiti?”

He sensed the elf boy’s mood was off.

This was only a shallow fourth-tier creature.

Just over half a month ago, Xiti had slipped past Stone Gate under the protection of a sixth-tier Father Owen.

“Sorry… here, I always remember bad memories,” Xiti said, pale-faced.

He flew voluntarily toward the mutated flesh.

Soon, he dug out a glowing blue stomach sac.

Luo De placed it into his spell satchel.

“I plan to go deeper—are you still able, Xiti?”

“Kalistre.”

Falshad called out to the companion ahead.

No response.

The light spell on his staff had reached its limit; the bright, soft white glow began to fade.

Along with the mine’s darkness, Kalistre’s silhouette also vanished.

The gnome’s alchemical devices were long neglected; lamps in the deep mine were spaced far apart, forcing reliance on magic and primitive lighting.

Falshad exhaled deeply.

“Kalistre, my magic is running low.”

The footsteps ahead stopped.

A thread of spiritual energy flew from the darkness and gathered on Falshad’s staff.

The light spell’s orb glowed brightly again.

Kalistre’s delicate, beautiful face reappeared.

“We should’ve bought anti-toxin artifacts,” Falshad said.

The creatures’ explosive toxins were stronger than he’d imagined.

Relying solely on spells for defense would drain his stamina and magic too quickly.

Unexpectedly, Kalistre shook her head.

“External tools breed dependence, Falshad. What matters is restraint and control.”

Elves despised using artifacts.

They followed nature; all tools came from nature itself.

Perhaps precisely because of this, elves were all skilled in magic.

But,

after human cities expanded massively, many beliefs changed.

Some elves thought their traditional views too primitive, and should evolve with the times.

Others believed that since they were born of nature, they must fully merge with it—any man-made artifact was sacrilege.

Falshad silently shook his head.

Though he belonged to the Nature Faction, he actually agreed with the Free Faction’s theories too.

“How long until we reach the shallow layer?”

He braced his knees, struggling to steady his rapid breathing.

He’d thought this was just a simple training exercise—never expected to be stuck here for three days.

“We’re almost at the shallow layer… Someone’s here!”

Kalistre suddenly grew alert.

Falshad held his breath.

Moments later.

A pair of figures emerged from the darkness ahead—one elf, one Wingcrystal.

“Hey! Kalistre, long time no see!”

Xiti flew forward eagerly.

His movements were exaggerated, desperately trying to draw the elf’s attention to himself.

“How’ve you been? Heard you’re getting married. Look, these are the experts I invited to clear the monsters. What do you think? Excited for married life?”

He rambled on, yet the elf in front didn’t shift his gaze.

Luo De noticed the elf’s eyes stayed fixed on Tally.

He stepped left, shielding her behind him.

The female elf frowned.

"Human. Do you know what she is?"

Kallist's figure was striking; her green-and-white tight-fitting garment, made of an unknown material, perfectly outlined her curves. Her classic long golden ears spoke for themselves, and her piercing gaze, combined with the elf's icy expression, made her entire presence seem like a glacier.

"Of course, just a harmless succubus."

Sitie quickly flew over to block the way between the two.

"Haha, this is Luo De, the forest warden of the Atheron Kingdom, and his companion Lady Tally. This is Lady Kallist, and beside her is—ah! A new face!"

"I am Farsad, Kallist's good friend and her fiancé."

Farsad stepped forward and spoke.

(End of Chapter)