Translator: AnubisTL
I'm really sorry to the two of you, but given the situation, I think I should make a run for it.
Jieming muttered to himself, his heart aching as he looked at the metal plate before him.
The plate was thin yet heavy, its surface covered with a vast array of runes that visibly emitted faint, complex energy fluctuations.
This was no ordinary spell artifact; it was a rare, single-use item in the wizard world.
Its drawbacks were obvious: the internal rune array, designed for a single, powerful burst of magic, lacked the durability and self-circulation needed for sustained use.
Once activated, the artifact would self-destruct from the excessive energy surge, making it truly disposable.
However, its advantages were equally striking: the reduced material requirements and simplified manufacturing process, which bypassed complex self-circulation and recharging nodes, made it relatively inexpensive.
The creation process was also simpler, resulting in a price only one-third that of a comparable, reusable spell artifact.
In terms of "cost-effectiveness," such single-use items couldn't be compared to standard, rechargeable spell artifacts.
The metal plate in Jieming's hand contained the recorded data for a fifth-tier space-attribute spell: "Space Jump."
This spell allowed its user to perform large-scale spatial teleportation in an instant, evading almost any attack that couldn't lock onto the dimensional fabric of space itself.
Jieming's ability to obtain this rare fifth-tier spell artifact was largely due to his own uncommon Universal Eye.
Back at the Boundary Point Wizard Registration Office, it was precisely his demonstration of the Universal Eye that attracted the attention of many high-rank wizards from the Tower of Annihilation. Among them was Master Roland Vernal, one of the actual commanders of this expedition.
After learning that Master Roland's primary research focus was space-type annihilation spells, Jieming kept him in mind.
Later, using the communication sequence number Master Roland had left behind, Jieming contacted him and, after paying a significant price, finally obtained this life-saving fifth-tier spell artifact.
The reason it was a single-use artifact was simply because Jieming was truly short on funds at the time.
Purchasing this artifact consumed nearly all the military merit he had earned that year from research missions, and even that was only a deposit.
The real cost lay in the harsh contract he signed with Master Roland:
Upon advancing to second-tier and third-tier wizard, he would be required to learn obscure and extremely difficult specialized knowledge at Master Roland's request, adding new observation modules to his Universal Eye.
Afterward, he still had to fully hand over the "Universal Eye" witchcraft model, which included the newly added observation modules, to the other party.
Jieming had casually skimmed through the "specialized knowledge" Master Roland had designated. It was all extremely difficult material, and for low-rank wizards, it was practically useless.
Studying and understanding these subjects would drain his mental energy and wouldn't immediately translate into tangible power.
But to be safe, to prepare for any potential "desperate situation," Jieming gritted his teeth and signed the seemingly unequal contract.
Forcing down the pang of regret, he channeled his mental power into the metal plate like a surging tide.
Several vials of magic potion appeared in his hand, ready to be quickly consumed to replenish his mental power if it ran low.
As he continuously poured mental power into it, the runes quickly activated. Silver-white strands of spatial law power began to coalesce around the metal plate, as if a spatial rift might tear open at any moment, teleporting him away.
Yet in the very next instant, the anticipation on his face froze and transformed into shock!
"What's going on?!" Jieming's heart trembled as he stared at the now-dormant metal plate.
Jieming immediately forced himself to focus his mental power, carefully checking the area according to the detection method Roland had mentioned in his "after-sales service."
The red glow of the lava reflected off his face, making it look even more grim.
"This underground cavern... has spatial interference?!" Jieming gritted out, his voice filled with bewildered disbelief.
Though the spatial interference was weak, it was enough to turn a first-tier wizard like Jieming into a bloody pulp upon activation.
Clearly, his plan to escape the cavern using a "space jump" had completely failed!
His most reliable life-saving trump card had been ruthlessly nullified by the environment before he could even activate it.
Jieming's face turned ashen for a moment, but he quickly suppressed his emotions.
The situation was what it was; anger served no purpose.
Only one, brutal option remained: fight his way out!
He knew he had to act swiftly and decisively.
He couldn't let the pervasive despair continue to spread.
Otherwise, the other two wizards might do something reckless in their desperation—perhaps even break down completely.
A glint flashed in Jieming's eyes as a massive surge of mental power surged through his body.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a radiant and powerful energy wave, like a blazing sun in the night, completely illuminating the human-sized pit where he had been hiding. His presence was announced, drawing the attention of all living beings present.
At the same time, with a thought, light swirled within his internal space.
Thousands of crystal-like offensive rune-imbued magical artifacts erupted from behind him like a swarm of bees.
These artifacts spun at high speed in the air, assembling into the full "Great Light Phase" formation he had used on the battlefield, following a specific rune array.
Jieming then unhesitatingly pulled out a specially made bracelet and strapped it to his wrist. "Accelerate!"
Meanwhile, the second-tier wizard watched in despair as the third-tier lava giant blocking the exit began to close in, forming a pincer attack with the one he had been struggling against. His face twisted into a mask of utter hopelessness.
He was already under immense pressure just dealing with the single third-tier lava giant. Now with a second one closing in and more lava giants pouring in from all sides, he knew he was likely to die here today.
At that moment, an overwhelming surge of energy erupted from behind him!
In the next instant, a dense hail of light bullets streaked across the sky like a meteor shower, carrying devastating power as they slammed into the newly appeared third-tier lava giant!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cavern was filled with deafening explosions, the energy light illuminating the entire underground space.
The third-tier lava giant, struck head-on by thousands of energy bullets, staggered violently, emitting pained groans as its rocky outer shell cracked and crumbled under the relentless barrage.
It was even sent flying backward, crashing into the lava pool and sending towering plumes of molten rock into the air!
Though this didn't inflict fatal damage, it had effectively repelled the creature!
The second-tier wizard and the first-tier wizard turned in shock to behold Jieming's majestic figure as he activated the "Great Light Phase."
Jieming hovered in mid-air, his back supporting a five-meter-tall array of rune-imbued magical artifacts. A divine radiance, like that of a demon god, emanated from his entire being!
This colossal "Great Light Phase" form instilled an unprecedented sense of security, causing the two wizards, who had been on the brink of despair, to involuntarily display expressions of relief and joy at their narrow escape.
"I'll hold this one off!" Jieming's cold, resolute voice rang out clearly in the minds of the other two wizards. "You two do your best to keep the other one busy. Buy me as much time as you can! I'll provide fire support!"
As he spoke, Jieming's eyes darted to the third-tier lava giant he had just blasted away. The creature was slowly rising from the lava pool, completely unharmed.
Its rocky shell had completely melted away, not from damage, but from actively evolving into a molten state in the extreme heat. The previous volley of energy bullets had only left shallow, uneven pits on its surface, and these pits were healing at a visible rate.
The lava giant's eyes blazed with fury as it glared at the "insect" that had dared to blast it away.
"As expected of a third-tier... this regeneration and defense are truly troublesome," Jieming muttered, clicking his tongue. Yet his eyes showed no fear.
He had anticipated this situation and knew it would be a war of attrition.
"Sigh... I hope this is enough."
Taking a deep breath, Jieming pulled out his magic net terminal and crushed it without hesitation!
The crystal terminal, obtained upon registering at the junction point, served multiple functions beyond local network communication, mission assignment, and merit point tracking.
Its most critical feature was its use as an emergency distress beacon.
When wizards found themselves in extreme peril, they could crush the terminal. Even if too far to contact the camp normally, the camp would receive a distress signal.
Upon receiving the signal, the command center would immediately dispatch rescue missions to nearby wizards.
The more terminals crushed, the more chaotic the data transmitted by the communicator became, indicating the severity of the situation. This would broaden the scope of rescue missions and mobilize stronger rescue forces.
In fact, the second-tier wizard and the other first-tier wizard had already crushed their respective magic net terminals when they sensed impending doom.
Jieming's goal was clear.
From the start, he had never intended to slaughter all these monsters himself. After all, lava giants were no pushovers like the blood angels.
Simply surviving would be a victory.
As long as they could hold off the two third-tier lava giants until rescue arrived, they would win.
But the lava giant commanders had no intention of giving them a moment's peace.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------------------------------------
Continue Reading (𝙒𝙄𝙕𝘼𝙍𝘿) on CinderTL• ⓒⓞⓜ
Read Ahead to ✨ Ch301 ✨ • 𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 • No Login
🎉 10,000 Chapter Discount is Live. Ends June 2.
---------------------------------------------------------