Chapter 334 Skeletons at the Bottom of the Lake <TOC> Chapter 336 Coffin at the Bottom of the Pit
Translator: SumTLMan
Toby’s gaze was solemn as he gestured.
“You sensed a danger-inducing aura?” As Angel translated Toby’s meaning, he furrowed his brows, tentatively extending his mental power out of the Purification Field to sense the surrounding atmosphere.
However, he did not detect anything unusual.
Nodding slightly at Toby, Toby immediately dived into the pitch-black, filthy water. With his eyes closed, Toby stayed in the dirty water for two or three seconds before quickly swimming back to the protective light of the Purification Field.
Angel casually cast a cleansing and purification spell on him.
As Toby swiftly gestured, he took out a new set of clothes from Snowy Feather and asked Angel to help him put them on.
“A bikini?!” Angel looked at the lace-trimmed bikini with built-in cups in his hand, his eyes full of disgust as he fastened it for Toby. Seeing Toby’s face of enjoyment, Angel sighed softly, “I don’t even want to remind you anymore, but you’re actually a male bird!”
Toby, who didn’t have the human concept of gender, continued to enjoy Angel helping him change clothes while incessantly flapping his little wings and gesturing with chirping sounds.
“You smelled an unusual stench?” Angel’s nose had not been modified, so all he could tell was that the lake water smelled awful, but he couldn’t describe the specifics of the odor.
“You mean there might be a powerful magical beast living here? But that doesn’t make sense. I stirred up the water at the bottom of the lake earlier and practically dug three feet into the ground, but no magical beast appeared.” Angel pondered, “We don’t have any other paths now, so even if there’s a magical beast, we have to move forward.”
“Since the magical beast didn’t attack us, maybe its power isn’t that great, or there’s another reason.”
One must be cautious when acting, but not overly timid. Angel didn’t know if there was really a magical beast, but since Toby said there was, he believed him. However, they couldn’t just flee without even seeing it.
“I have a magic rune scroll given to me by Daedweia. Even if there’s a powerful magical beast, I won’t be afraid.” Angel took out a magic rune scroll, engraved with a defensive magic array—Grand Novaguard, which could withstand a wizard-level attack.
With the backing of this magic rune scroll, both the human and the bird felt much more reassured. They couldn’t possibly encounter a wizard-level magical beast, could they? A wizard-level magical beast was a treasure from head to tail, and no wizard would let one roam free.
They continued swimming deeper.
The passage initially descended, but after Angel swam for a while, he realized that it no longer sloped downward and instead inclined upward at a very slight angle.
It was only at this moment that a smile finally appeared on Angel’s face. Since the passage led upward, could it be connected to the outside world?
He seemed to have already seen the hope of departure.
After swimming for about a minute, the passage gradually widened from an initial width of three to four meters to over ten meters.
Angel was initially mentally simulating the location of the place, but unexpectedly, they suddenly surfaced.
With a puzzled look in his eyes, Angel wondered how they had reached the surface without seeing any light. Could it be that this place did not lead to the outside world?
As the Light spell ascended, he realized with the help of the faint light that this was actually a small cave, with a six-way passage ahead, its destination unknown.
Upon emerging from the water, Angel immediately canceled the Purification Field.
The putrid smell from the dark water instantly wafted over. Although the air smelled terrible, it was rich in oxygen, meaning the place was not completely sealed. The air was circulating, so there must be a way out!
Continuing to maintain the Light spell, Angel cautiously stepped into the pitch-black cave.
Before long, he noticed something amiss. Although the entire cave was damp, the ground should not have been this wet, right?
Angel walked up to the cave wall, wiped it, and his fingertips were covered in moisture.
He took a sniff, and there was no foul odor on his fingertips.
Angel then tasted the water on the ground. Before he could even bring it close to his nose, a strong, fishy smell overwhelmed him.
What did the difference between the two types of water imply? Angel squinted slightly and gently patted the wary Toby, “It seems you were right; there is indeed a monster lurking in the shadows, watching us all along…”
The damp traces on the ground were evidence.
However, Angel still had a doubt. The hidden passage should have been created by the monster, but why would it create such a passage? Was it merely to lure them in?
The answer was unknown. However, facing a monster lurking in the shadows, they had no choice but to proceed cautiously.
From then on, they moved even slower. As they walked, Angel observed the surrounding environment and simulated possible encounters in his mind, thinking about how to use the environment to gain an advantage.
The cave was spacious, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling, occasionally dripping water. The cave walls on both sides were covered with oddly-shaped rocks, and many dark areas were invisible. To be on the safe side, Angel continuously used his mental power to probe the dark corners.
After advancing for about a mile, Angel discovered a corpse in an open area.
The corpse had turned to bones, and the clothes had decayed and deteriorated, leaving only a few scraps. A strap on the left shoulder of the skeleton connected to a small iron box.
This small iron box was not unfamiliar to Angel; he had obtained a similar one from the bottom of a lake not long ago.
“Could this be another medical box?” Angel opened the iron box with curiosity.
The layout inside was identical to the box he had found earlier, and the items inside were exactly the same—all medical equipment.
Previously, Angel had observed the box using his mental tendrils, so the view was not very clear. Now that these medical instruments were laid out before him, he could see the strange symbol on them more clearly.
A snake covered in black scales coiled around a silver-white circular cone.
Such an odd symbol might be a family emblem. But even if it were, would it be engraved on a syringe as well? Moreover, the colors remained vivid after all these years, making both the scales and the circle appear lifelike.
Putting down the medical box, Angel looked at the corpse.
The bones were intact, with no fractures. If it had been killed by a magical beast, would the body have remained whole?
Continuing forward for about ten minutes, Angel had already come across seventeen or eighteen corpses, and six medical boxes.
“These people must be from the desolate village, but why did they die here? And why were there so many doctors?” The confusion in Angel’s mind deepened. Could it be that the abandoned village had once been a medical school or something similar?
The secular world had various academies, such as monastic schools, art academies, medical schools, and music academies. These were specialized academies, and there were also comprehensive ones like the Goldfinch Knight Academy that Angel would have attended had he not entered the Wizarding World.
The appearance of academies varied greatly, some resembling castles or palaces, while others were designed like villages. Moreover, placing them in such a secluded subterranean world to emphasize their uniqueness was not unusual.
Angel speculated as he walked forward.
Soon, Angel reached the end of the path.
He thought he would encounter a lurking magical beast here, but he found nothing. At the end of the cave, there was only a secluded, deep green pool.
The pool’s opening was not large, only about five or six meters, but it seemed bottomless at first glance.
Angel sniffed, and there was no foul smell.
“The magical beast might be lurking below, or perhaps this pool is the passage connecting to the outside world,” Angel whispered softly.
Regardless, he had to dive in and take a look. Whether it was an escape route or danger, he had to face the consequences of his choice.
Angel nodded to Toby and jumped directly into the deep pool.
As he plunged into the depths, about three or four meters deep, Angel’s eyes suddenly lit up—this deep pool was indeed connected to an underground river leading to the outside world!
He had already spotted an underwater cavern, which was not very long. Through the cave, Angel could faintly see the vast and flowing body of water!
Angel’s face lit up with joy as he darted through the cavern underwater like a swift arrow.
Upon reaching this even more expansive body of water, Angel quietly sensed the direction of the water flow, preparing to follow it downstream.
However, at that moment, Toby suddenly cried out in alarm.
Following Toby’s gaze, Angel slowly turned around—
Unbeknownst to him, a massive serpent had silently appeared behind Angel.
The serpent was so enormous that Angel appeared like a mere infant in front of it!
Round head with golden pupils, white belly with black scales, the serpent was three to four meters wide. As for the length of its tail, Angel couldn’t see clearly because most of it was hidden in the darker area where the light spell couldn’t reach. He could only faintly see the twisting black shadow.
Feeling a surge of terror with such a colossal serpent staring at him, Angel instinctively fired a shot at it. The bullet, engraved with an armor-piercing rune, sank into the serpent’s abdomen but didn’t even pierce its scales before bouncing off.
Although the underwater environment might have reduced the bullet’s effectiveness, this was a bullet imbued with an armor-piercing rune! The serpent’s defense was simply too formidable!
At the same time, Toby delivered a powerful kick. The sonic boom that erupted in that instant even stirred up a frenzy of turbulence underwater.
This strike had undoubtedly reached the level of a level-three trick!
But the result… was still ineffective!
“Toby, run! Stop attacking!” Angel’s eyes widened in disbelief: “How could there be a wizard-level magical beast here?!”
“Run, run, run!”
Toby was grabbed back by Angel using a magical hand, and without giving it a second thought, he directly used the “Grand Novaguard” rune scroll. A burst of starlight radiated from the scroll, enveloping both Angel and Toby.
Within the protective effect of the Grand Novaguard, Angel frantically fled with Toby in the direction of the water flow.
Being immune to Toby’s attack did not necessarily indicate that the creature was a wizard-level magical beast, but its defense had certainly reached the wizard level! Would a wizard-level magical beast be slow?
Absolutely not.
So, Angel had initially planned to flee back to the desolate village without hesitation, unafraid with the Colorful Dragonflies as his backing. However, reality was even more harsh, as Angel had not swum far before the serpent leisurely slithered in front of him.
Angel’s underwater movement was already slow, and watching the serpent’s unhurried motion made him want to cry in frustration.
He tried changing directions several times, but the giant serpent still effortlessly blocked him, staring coldly at him with its golden vertical pupils.
Are you mocking me?!
Eventually, Angel grew exhausted and decided not to run anymore.
The giant serpent did not attack him; it only blocked his path, and although its pupils were cold, they were not indifferent.
Gasping for breath, Angel looked at the giant serpent and shouted, “Tell me, what do you want from me? What do you want me to do?” It was evident that the giant serpent needed him for something; otherwise, it wouldn’t have spared him after his previous rude attack.
After waiting for a long time, the giant serpent did not respond. It seemed that this wizard-level magical beast could not speak, nor could it convey emotions.
In the end, the giant serpent stared deeply at Angel, then swayed its tail and swam away…
Chapter 334 Skeletons at the Bottom of the Lake <TOC> Chapter 336 Coffin at the Bottom of the Pit