Chapter 340 Growth and Intelligence (Two-in-One)
Above the boundless sea of magma in the Sulfur Plane of Purgatory.
Jemin stood suspended in mid-air, surrounded by a faint halo of light.
He raised his right hand, where a newly crafted crystal, far more complex and precise in structure than that of the second-level era, was shimmering with a ghostly blue runic light.
This is the prototype of the level three rune artifact he developed after combining his level three wizard's elemental control with a deeper understanding of the laws of spiritual energy.
He locked his gaze on a vast, empty sky in the far distance, and a thought stirred within him.
call out!
A highly condensed, fist-sized ball of blazing white light shot out from the crystal tip, silently slicing through the dark red sky stained with sulfurous fumes, its speed exceeding the limits of visual perception.
Seconds later, at the edge of that line of sight, the blazing white sphere suddenly expanded!
That area of airspace seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, and the surrounding atmosphere became distorted.
Immediately afterwards, a terrifying halo with a diameter of over 100 kilometers suddenly erupted, as if a miniature sun that existed briefly had been forcibly created in the sky above the plane!
The intense light and heat were released in an instant, illuminating the vast sea of lava below in a stark white light.
What followed closely behind was the belated, soul-tearing roar!
A visible circular shockwave spread wildly in all directions from the center of the halo!
Where the shockwave passed, a huge vacuum was torn open in the sky, and the sulfur clouds were completely evaporated and expelled into the air.
The once calmly flowing sea of lava below was forced into a huge crater by the terrifying pressure descending from the sky. Dark red lava waves hundreds of meters high surged and crashed outwards, triggering a lava tsunami with a wide impact.
A scorching storm, carrying deadly radiation and energy debris, swept across a vast area equivalent to a medium-sized province below the blast site.
Within this range, any life form or structure below a certain energy level will be instantly vaporized.
Looking at this attack, which was enough to wipe out an entire province in his previous life, Jemin silently assessed the effect of the strike and nodded in satisfaction.
"The power is sufficient. According to the classification standards of low-level civilizations, this attack can already be called 'annihilation of a nation'."
This power far exceeds the destructive limit of a normal level three wizard's "city-destroying" level.
It even surpasses most wizards who have just entered the fourth level, and is comparable to veteran wizards who have been cultivating at the fourth level for many years.
This is the advantage that comes from the combination of his profound experience and unique approach.
However, the satisfied look lasted only a moment before Jemin's brows furrowed slightly.
"Area-of-effect damage is excellent for clearing out mobs, but against individuals of the same or even stronger level, the power is too dispersed, resulting in low efficiency." He carefully analyzed the shortcomings.
"At this energy level, the simple energy bullet form is approaching the limit of energy control if we want to further compress and increase its penetrating power."
It's not that compression can't continue, but the level of technology required would exceed the control level of a level three wizard.
After a moment's thought, he found a new direction.
"It seems that the main focus of a level-three rune artifact should shift to ray-type magic with more concentrated energy and stronger penetrating power. Only by confining destructive power to a single line can it break through strong defenses."
Having figured out the direction for the subsequent research, Jemin flashed back to the laboratory located at the core of the dimensional array.
Upon returning, he noticed that two "express" packages, flashing with spatial fluctuation marks, had arrived via fixed-point delivery.
He opened the first space expansion bag, which contained a large quantity of rare metals, energy crystals, and various special catalysts that he had ordered.
Most of these are raw materials supplied to the automated factories within the body for the mass production of level-three talismanic artifacts.
In the corner of the bag, there was a small amount of strange minerals and crystals that emitted faint spatial ripples; these were precious materials he had purchased to aid his research into spatial knowledge.
Next, he opened the second space expansion bag.
When he sensed the creation emanating a stable yet powerful energy fluctuation, a genuine smile appeared on Jemin's face.
It was a scaled-down, but incredibly sophisticated, level-five large elemental pool!
In order to accumulate enough military merits to purchase this elemental pool in a short period of time, Jemin has been working at full capacity, using automated magic arrays to refine a massive amount of liquid refined gold.
Jemin himself was fine, but he exhausted Blake, who was in charge of sales.
But it also allowed the latter to make a fortune without any complaints.
His internal space, after expansion and continuous reinforcement during the Nascent Soul stage, is now comparable in size to a modern metropolis.
The spatial barriers are also strong enough to fully meet the requirements for installing a level 5 large-scale elemental pool.
This level of elemental pool is sufficient to serve as the core energy source for a small plane, supporting it as a powerful mobile wizard tower.
This level of equipment is more than enough to supply the automated factories and "nests" within the body.
With the valuable experience and knowledge gained from the previous installation and debugging of the Level 7 large element pool, the structure of the Level 5 element pool in front of him was crystal clear to Jieming.
He only studied the interface and control system briefly, but he already had a complete understanding of it.
He deftly dismantled the somewhat cramped level-four large elemental pool from his internal space and put it up for sale on the magic network trading platform to recoup his losses.
Subsequently, he personally spent several months meticulously installing and debugging this large-scale level-five elemental pool, perfectly connecting it to the energy network within his body.
A surge of stable energy instantly filled the entire internal space, the operating efficiency of the automated factory visibly improved, and the nest shimmered with a more vibrant light.
Having solved the energy upgrade problem, Jemin devoted more of his energy to the research of space knowledge.
Advancing to the third level of wizardry brings not only an increase in mental power, but also a qualitative change in perception.
Only when a wizard reaches this level can their various senses and spiritual tentacles begin to directly "touch" the subtle folds and fluctuations of space.
Only by observing can we influence; only by influencing can we control.
Previously, when he used witchcraft techniques such as the "All-Seeing Eye" to observe space, it felt more like reading transformed data through instruments, creating a sense of detachment.
Now, perceiving spatial fluctuations is like an ordinary person feeling the flow of air—still faint and elusive, but a real, tangible experience for him.
Therefore, only when he reached the level of a third-level wizard was Jemin qualified to "study" space technology and knowledge, rather than just "learning" it superficially.
In addition, the body-strengthening method has led to an adaptive evolution of the brain and soul over the years, resulting in super-strong calculation and deduction abilities. Jemin found that he was acquiring spatial knowledge at a speed that surprised even himself.
In less than ten years of dedicated research, he achieved initial results.
Inside the laboratory, in a test field that has been greatly enlarged by space expansion technology.
Jemin casually threw an ordinary metal ball forcefully in one direction.
Under the influence of his terrifying strength, even without much effort, the metal ball still whistled and flew more than ten kilometers.
Only then did Jemin calmly operate the control instruments beside him.
A ring-shaped device made of silver-white metal continuously lit up with intricate runes as Jemin manipulated it.
Finally, after the light reached its limit, the surrounding space experienced a slight tremor.
Buzz...
At the far end of the test field, the light and shadow were slightly distorted.
The next second, the metal ball that had just arrived more than ten kilometers away vanished into thin air and instantly reappeared above Jemin's outstretched palm, landing steadily.
"Success!" A smug smile spread across Jemin's face.
This is not actually a very advanced technology; it is merely the most basic application of spatial knowledge—short-distance material transport.
But for Jemin, this technology had immense strategic significance.
"If this technology is miniaturized and integrated into the core of the Black Giant... then when the Black Giant executes a self-destruct tactic in the future, the most core 'life crystal core' can be safely retrieved via spatial teleportation the instant the explosion ends!"
His eyes gleamed: "We no longer have to worry about the core being damaged in an explosion, or captured by the enemy, thus leaking technical secrets!"
The thought of those terrifying numbers of black giants, especially the two level-five leaders, who could all become reusable "suicide trucks," filled Jemin with excitement.
This will undoubtedly greatly enhance his tactical flexibility and deterrent power.
But after the excitement, a trace of worry surfaced in my heart.
"With this core recycling technology, coupled with the Black Giant's near-infinite troop production potential supported by a level seven elemental pool... the effectiveness of the 'Surfer' and 'Nest' units that I researched before has been greatly reduced."
At least the "nest" can remain within the body's internal space, serving as a rapid remodeling factory for the Black Giant.
The "Surfingers," which purely pursue speed and destructive power, pale in comparison to the Black Giant army, which can resurrect infinitely and whose self-destruction power is also exceptionally exaggerated. They are almost completely eliminated.
“It seems we need to find a way to strengthen and upgrade the ‘Surveillancer’ and the ‘Nest’…” Jemin stroked his chin and began to conceive a new design plan.
He was already used to it.
This is the natural path of a wizard's growth; each major advancement signifies an update to the knowledge system and an iteration of combat methods.
Old tools will be phased out, but more powerful new tools will be created based on them.
"However, time waits for no one." He glanced at the countdown on the magic network terminal; only a few years remained before heading to the interdimensional battlefield.
"The task of installing the space recovery module on the Black Giant's core can only be carried out on a select group of the most elite individuals. Priority should be given to the two Level 5 Black Giants and a number of Level 4 Black Giants with high potential."
Jemin did not wait until the last minute of the mandatory military service period; he submitted his application to participate in the interdimensional war on the Magic Network terminal two years in advance.
Almost instantly upon receiving confirmation, a highly encrypted battle report was transmitted to his terminal.
However, contrary to expectations, this was not an introduction to the characteristics of the target plane's forces or factions, but merely urgent intelligence regarding the relevant battle situation.
After reading only the first few lines, Jieming's pupils contracted sharply, and a huge wave surged in his heart.
The intelligence was alarming: the dimensional battlefield he was heading to was not the first wave of reinforcements, but the second wave!
Even more shockingly, the entire expeditionary force led by several high-ranking wizards, as well as the first batch of reinforcements sent out earlier, were all trapped in that plane and have not been heard from since!
If it were merely a matter of heavy losses, it could perhaps be attributed to the enemy's formidable strength.
But the situation described in the next intelligence report had a chillingly eerie quality.
First, from the moment the expeditionary force entered that plane until the intelligence was sent, no useful information was transmitted back.
There were no combat reports, no environmental data, no distress signals, and even the pre-set emergency communication runes seemed to have vanished without a trace.
That dimension was like a silent, gigantic maw, swallowing all who entered; the silence was unsettling.
However, in stark contrast to this deathly silence, the results of remote life status monitoring are obtained through the eternal contract that each wizard signed with civilization at the beginning of their wizarding career, a contract imprinted deep in their soul.
The results from the contract showed that, apart from the three unfortunate souls who were confirmed dead, all of the millions of wizards trapped in that plane survived!
Moreover, their vital signs were incredibly stable, and data showed that they might not even have shown any signs of injury!
This is so unusual!
This completely violates the basic logic of interdimensional warfare!
Even in the plane that Blake had encountered, which was known for its illusions, although information transmission was difficult in the early stages, there were still sporadic messages and warnings that managed to get out.
Moreover, the vital signs of wizards trapped in illusions will slowly decline over time, and the mortality rate is not low in absolute terms.
But what about this dimension?
Millions were trapped, but only three died, zero were injured, and zero intelligence was leaked!
It was as if they had not gone to war, but had collectively entered a dreamless slumber, or had been perfectly "preserved" by some force.
If it weren't for the confirmation that the level nine wizards had destroyed all the planes with level nine power when advancing the battle lines, just based on this intelligence, Jemin would have thought that there might be level nine beings hiding in this plane.
It was precisely because of this bizarre situation that the higher-ups of the Star Ring Federation did not immediately take the most extreme measures, such as sending multiple level-eight wizards to forcibly enter the area.
Even if such measures might force the native inhabitants of the plane to desperation and self-destruct, resulting in mutual destruction and total loss, we will definitely intervene forcefully.
After all, as long as these millions of wizards can be saved, losing the profits of an entire plane is not unacceptable.
But tolerance has its limits.
Jemin understood that if their second batch of elite support personnel also lost contact completely after entering, just like the first two batches, yet the system showed that all of them were alive...
Then, the eighth-level wizard's thunderous wrath will likely descend at any moment, tearing away the disguise of that plane at all costs.
“No wonder this mission was specifically designed for elite combat units…” Jemin put down his terminal, his brow furrowed. “This intelligence alone has a sinister edge to it…”
He began to rapidly consider all the possibilities in his mind.
To be honest, his first reaction was that there was probably a level nine power hidden in this plane.
But considering that he was not the only one who had this idea, those level eight wizards who controlled the battle had probably already conducted tests.
Since nothing was found, it must be due to other reasons.
"Is it some kind of unprecedented super illusion or mental prison that can completely block the transmission of information? But what kind of illusion can trap a million wizards at the same time, including high-level beings who can see through illusions, and keep them in a near-perfect state of life?"
"Or is the spatial structure of that plane extremely special, such as the existence of an inner space isolated from the main plane, trapping the entire expeditionary force inside?"
"But given the knowledge and skills of those experienced wizards in the expeditionary force, they shouldn't have failed to recognize the spatial traps; at the very least, they should have been able to send out warnings..."
After much thought, the most reasonable explanation might actually be the most troublesome one—they are about to face an unknown enemy or phenomenon that is beyond the current understanding of wizarding civilization.
"Fortunately... there seems to be no immediate danger to their lives." Jemin took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. "This is a rare opportunity to see what exactly is that can make a million wizards disappear 'quietly'."
The unknown often means huge risks, but it may also hide unprecedented knowledge and opportunities.
For a wizard seeking truth, such temptation is irresistible.
Of course, gaining knowledge is one thing, but one should never go to one's death unprepared.
Fortunately, Jemin was quite confident in his preparations.
“Whatever’s in there,” a strange light flickered in Jemin’s eyes, “it won’t be that easy to leave me here silently.”
(Just one chapter today. I'm exhausted from the beginning of the month and the start of the week.)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
