Defensive Magic Array

Adolf, meanwhile, happened to look towards Pembez and saw him staring intently at Chen Cheng, as if Chen Cheng possessed something that could stop all of this.

However, after a brief thought, Chen Cheng didn't seem to have anything that could deal with this crisis.

Adolf couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Old bald guy, what are you staring at him for? His mind is still a mess. Even if he can use Super-class Magic, it'll be at most one strike, and the magic released won't exceed Gold Rank."

Adolf thought Pembez intended for Chen Cheng, a variable who could use Super-class Magic, to fill the gap between them.

But had this old fellow lost his mind, forgetting that Chen Cheng was still injured?

Even if he wasn't injured, in this crisis, he could at most stir up a little trouble with his Super-class Magic before being wiped out on the beach.

At this moment, Hui Dun also looked at Chen Cheng, because he knew Professor Pempes wasn't thinking what Principal Adolf had said.

He remembered what had happened in the professor's laboratory before, and perhaps that was a breakthrough in this crisis.

As the lord of the entire territory, after much thought, he could only think of the Variable Magic Chen Cheng had previously demonstrated as the only possibility.

Chen Cheng, being stared at by the three men in the room, felt his heart pounding.

He also thought of what Professor Pempes wanted to say. If it weren't for the contract, the professor would have spoken long ago.

Honestly, he had also thought of his Variable Magic, but others didn't know, and he himself did.

Although his Variable Magic appeared to be a versatile spell, its latest iteration only reached Gold Rank, and it was unstable.

Due to the injuries in his body these days, further iteration of his Variable Magic existed only in his imagination; he hadn't had time to experiment in the Sea of Magic.

To face this crisis, his Variable Magic couldn't break down after a single use; it needed to be able to operate continuously for hundreds of times to be considered qualified.

Only then could Hui Dun City be defended, allowing Adolf and the other to have the opportunity to find the Alchemist.

However, looking at the expectant eyes of the people in front of him, Chen Cheng finally gritted his teeth and said:

"Uh... Principal, perhaps I really have... but it's still a bit..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pembez directly interrupted:

"Don't be in a hurry to say that. Old fellow, this matter is of great importance. I want you to make a solemn vow with your mind and spirit.

Absolutely do not reveal even half a word of what Brown is about to say or do, or else you will fall into the Sea of Chaos forever, and your soul will be burned by the Endless Fire day and night."

Pembez didn't hesitate to speak to his lifelong friend Adolf, directly asking him to make a solemn vow first.

This was a form of assurance from him, as the proposer of this matter, to Chen Cheng.

The vow Pembez demanded from Adolf was undeniably severe. Furthermore, Pembez was the only one present with comparable strength, so even if Adolf tried to cut corners, Pembez could detect it quickly.

Chen Cheng did not intervene at this moment. After days of learning and discussion with the professor, he had gained a deep understanding of the magical world.

This had nothing to do with trust; it was perhaps a form of protection for Principal Adolf, because if Adolf accidentally revealed this matter at some point, it would be a catastrophe for both of them.

As the principal of a school and a Platinum Rank mage, Adolf had traveled the continent in his youth and naturally knew that certain secrets were not meant to be revealed.

Seeing the determined looks on Pembez and the others, he knew this matter was very important, at least very important to Chen Cheng.

Although Chen Cheng's social status was merely that of a slave, due to his talent and his relationship with Melinda, Adolf did not look down on him. Instead, he was very interested in what method Chen Cheng could come up with.

Adolf said no more. Instead, he communicated with the existence he feared most in his heart through his mind and spirit, and then made the severe vow.

After the vow, Adolf felt the existence he feared most was right at the tip of his heart. If he did anything to violate the vow, the vow would immediately come true.

Then, he would fall into the Sea of Chaos as the vow stated, and his soul would be burned by the Endless Fire until his death.

Pembez was not deceitful either. He then took out a high-level magic item – a Scrying Crystal – and examined Adolf inside and out. He discovered the mark of the vow on the center of Adolf's soul.

This indicated that Adolf had made a solemn vow by invoking the existence he feared most. As long as he dared to violate it, the vow would immediately take effect, and Adolf would be unable to speak of what he knew due to his fear.

His consciousness would then fall into the Sea of Chaos, and his soul would be burned to death by the Endless Fire.

It could be said that Adolf was very sincere. Because his vow communicated with the existence he feared most in his heart, there was no possibility of any leakage of information.

After seeing Pembez nod, Chen Cheng showed a hint of apology:

"I'm sorry, Principal. My method might be quite revolutionary for you, and it's beneficial for both you and us for you to make such a vow."

Adolf had just faced his inner fears, and his face was still a little pale.

However, he waved his hand and said:

"It's nothing. As long as we can deal with this crisis, vows and such are irrelevant."

Chen Cheng took a deep breath and then began to explain to Adolf the reason why he could release Super-class Magic without dying.

There wasn't enough time for Adolf to fully understand this now. He just wanted to tell Adolf about the marvel of his Variable Magic and how it overturned the conventional understanding of magic in the magical world.

Pembez and Hui Dun also vouched for Chen Cheng, as there was no time to demonstrate the Variable Magic to Adolf again.

What needed to be done now was to gather the Mithril and Magic Crystal reserves within Hui Dun City.

Using Mithril, they would outline a long-range, combinable Super-class Magic within the academy, and then use the pure, attribute-less magic energy from the Magic Crystals as a temporary energy supply source to quickly drive the release of the magic.

Of course, to truly outline this massive magic, not only the magical knowledge of Pembez and the other two would be required, but also the mobilization of the academy's instructors to draw the runes of this Super-class Magic one by one with Mithril.

What Chen Cheng needed to do was to draw his Variable Magic at the end, allowing this magic to break through the limitations of rank and inscription material and truly take shape.

His final task was to remain at the academy and prevent the Variable Magic from collapsing.

It was a bold and risky move. If Chen Cheng made even a slight error during the maintenance, the massive, unsecured Magic Array would detonate, destroying Hui Dun City long before any Alchemists could breach it.

In the past, Adolf and the others would never have agreed to such a plan. But now, their only options were to gamble that the Alchemist was benevolent, or to bet that Chen Cheng could maintain the Magic Array for over three hours.

Of the two, they were betting on Chen Cheng lasting three hours. After all, even if the city was destroyed, some people would survive.

The Alchemist, however, left no survivors in his wake.

Before Adolf could even mobilize the entire school, Administrator Tofis rushed to the principal's office and began knocking frantically.

Hui Dun opened the door, only to see a distressed Tofis, sweat beading on his forehead, crying out:

"Count, terrible news! The messenger guards we sent out have returned with Como's deputy general. Como's legion was attacked by an undead army last night. The entire legion of three thousand was annihilated. Only this deputy general managed to break out with a few escorts."

The destruction of Como's legion struck the young Count deeply. The military strength on his territory consisted of Como's legion and the small numbers of knights and guards under the nobles. Como's army alone comprised more than half of their total forces. Without even facing the enemy, their defensive capabilities had been reduced by more than half.

Judging by the Alchemist's methods, the fallen soldiers had likely been turned into an undead army by the Alchemist himself. With Como's legion destroyed and the nobles with significant numbers of knights and guards still confined to their own territories, he now had virtually no troops left besides the city guard of less than a thousand.

"Alright, it seems our time is running out. Without enough soldiers to defend the city, we'll have to rely on your method, Brown. We also need to contact Governor Modornik to send reinforcements… and prepare for the crisis after Hui Dun City falls," Hui Dun said through gritted teeth.

Adolf and the others, overhearing this from the office, wore grim expressions. It seemed their only hope was to bet on Chen Cheng lasting three hours.

Chen Cheng, meanwhile, was also extremely nervous. He didn't have much confidence in his ability, but the thought of the Alchemist commanding an undead army to slaughter Hui Dun City made him clench his fists.

Adolf gestured, and a scroll flew from his office bookshelf. He unrolled it and began to explain:

"This is a defensive Magic Array Diagram I obtained thirty years ago while traveling the continent, in the ruins of the Thornflower Empire's old capital. I originally intended it for the academy's defense, but the Magic Array's rank is too high. The Mithril-grade components required to inscribe and use it would cost an astronomical sum."

"We need to dismantle this Magic Array Diagram immediately, inscribe it within the academy as quickly as possible, and then use your Variable Magic as a connector to activate it and protect all of Hui Dun City," Adolf said, looking at Chen Cheng.

As he opened the scroll, they saw an incredibly complex Magic Array Diagram. The diagram clearly indicated that the Magic Array's defense was so strong that even an Epic Rank mage could not break through it. This Magic Array was one of the outer defensive arrays of the Thornflower capital from many years ago.

All eyes turned to Chen Cheng, as activating this Magic Array on ordinary ground would require his Variable Magic.

Upon examining it, Chen Cheng's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. Honestly, this Magic Array was too advanced; he couldn't even understand many of the Magic Runes within it. But that wasn't the most crucial issue. The most important thing was that he realized even if they could dismantle it, activating and running it would not only require immense magical power, but the ordinary floor inscribed with the Magic Runes would also explode instantly from the overwhelming magical energy input.

Seeing Chen Cheng's sweat increasing, Adolf and the others felt increasingly uneasy. Finally, Hui Dun broke the silence.

"Brown, can you inscribe this Magic Array and activate it?"

Chen Cheng swallowed hard. "If it can be dismantled, it can be activated. However, the moment it's activated, the entire academy might instantly explode due to the immense magical energy input, and the Magic Array would only last for less than half an hour."

This news sent their hearts on a roller coaster ride, with extreme ups and downs. Just as the three believed it was a certain death situation, Chen Cheng spoke again:

"However, if we only want to defend the entire city, and we want it to be durable and defensive, I think we can simplify this Magic Array."

Hui Dun seized upon this like a drowning person grabbing a life raft and immediately asked, "How do we simplify it?"