Chapter 71
North of Yishuaoken and south of the Kumungu Mountains, a long waterway connecting the Sea of the Watchers to the Serpent Isles runs across the eastern part of the Shurima.
This Ixialia Paro'sa, the northernmost county of Ishtar—or more accurately, an abandoned county. A thousand years ago, to escape the chaos of war, the original inhabitants of Paro'sa left and went deep into the forest.
The remaining cities here have fallen into ruin over time, with crumbling walls filling this ancient land, leaving the world with countless unsolved mysteries about the jungle civilization.
This time, in a secluded corner of Paro'sa, a furtive young man was rummaging around inside.
Finally, he found a stone covered in runes, which brought a smile to Ezreal's face.
"Haha! I finally found it! Let me see what it says... Hmm, Uroa... That's right! That's the name! Six thousand Hextech Coin, now I can start my Shurima adventure again!"
Ezreal's face was filled with joy.
As a rising star among explorers, Ezreal is undoubtedly the most renowned... well, young man in Piltover during this period.
From a very young age, Ezreal was a mischievous and curious child.
His parents were both renowned archaeologists who left behind numerous handwritten descriptions of civilizations in textbooks. Because of this, he had long been accustomed to his parents' long-term absence from home.
This taught Ezreal to live independently, and Ezreal often fantasized about traveling with them when he grew up.
He enjoyed listening to fantastical adventure stories and, like his parents, disliked the blank spaces in history and maps.
Because he often had to go out on archaeological expeditions, his parents frequently entrusted Ezreal to the care of his uncle Professor Lymere.
The professor didn't like disciplining this unruly child, so he arranged for him to have many extremely strict tutors to teach him advanced cartography, Hextech mechanics, and ancient history of Runeterra, among other things.
But Ezreal seems to have an innate talent for this. These heavy courseworks are like a waste of time for him. Ezreal can easily pass the assessments with almost no review.
Therefore, Ezreal has plenty of time to wander around the university campus.
He scaled walls and rooftops with incredible agility. In the process, Ezreal even developed the skill of picking locks without any instruction. He secretly sneaked into the teachers' offices and rearranged their belongings—simply because he thought it would be fun.
Later, his parents never returned from an archaeological expedition, and his uncle told him that they might have disappeared into the sands of Shurima... but Ezreal didn't believe it.
Ezreal saved up money at his own expense to travel to Shurima and enter the Tomb of the Tyrant Ne'Zuk. Although he did not find his parents, he fell in love with adventure during the process and found a glowing bronze gauntlet in the sarcophagus in the tomb.
That is, the magical gauntlet that Ezreal is currently wearing—its magical explosions and spatial jumps have helped Ezreal escape countless crises.
However, the cost of Shurima is staggering, so Ezreal has to occasionally take on odd jobs.
For example, this is the Tomb of Uroa —also said to be a bunker or something. Legend has it that a magical potion called "Uroa's Elixir" is hidden inside. For this, his employer has paid a high reward of six thousand Hextech Coin.
Now, having traversed the humid tropical rainforest, I have finally found my destination!
Ezreal raised his hand, activating the runic stone before him with the brass gauntlet on his right hand. This gauntlet from the Tomb of Ne'Zuk held many unknown mysteries—
At the very least, these gloves can open sealed tomb doors directly, as long as they are Shurima's historical sites.
Ezreal passed through a stone archway, and in an instant, the dust in the ancient tomb rose up like ghostly shadows.
Dust filled the air, outlining a corridor, its stone walls etched with rounded patterns. Legend had it that this ancient tomb was an impenetrable, unassailable, and certain death trap. No explorer had ever emerged alive—but Ezreal was fearless.
He had lost count of how many times he had entered what was supposedly a certain death trap.
He overcame numerous obstacles, with blades several times coming within centimeters of his throat. But even so, Ezreal felt no fear; instead, he wore an excited smile—he loved this exploration of the unknown.
At least, he was lucky. Although both he and Ezreal enjoy playing on the edge of a knife, Ezreal is clearly not like a certain war correspondent who, when he gets into a fight, can't resist taking a Q to test the enemy's burst damage.
After dodging countless spike traps, grave-guarding snakes, ancient defensive spells, territorial curses, and the endless swords, axes, and pendulums within the tomb, Ezreal finally saw his goal—six thousand gold coins!
No, it's the Uroa's Elixir!
In the center of the tomb chamber, a delicate and translucent crystal bottle lies quietly on its base.
The bottle contained a Shimmer liquid that refracted a delicate rainbow on the ceiling.
The Uroa's Potion are treasures coveted by many, and many legends claim that they can grant the user immortality.
Some descendants of fallen dynasties (primarily Shurima) believe it to be key to the empire's resurgence. Scholars even speculate that it can bring enlightenment.
Therefore, although this small bottle of medicine is less than a teaspoonful, the expectations placed upon it are immeasurable.
But Ezreal's past experience told him that as long as he picked up this thing, he would definitely trigger some special mechanism.
Yes, these kinds of Shurima tombs, dating back to before the Classical era, usually have similar features.
Therefore, be well prepared!
Thinking this, Ezreal licked his lips, flexed his arms and wrists, and channeled energy into the brass gauntlets in his hands.
"I'm the greatest explorer, no problem! The show's about to begin!!" Ezreal habitually muttered to himself—in the sealed ancient tomb, learning to motivate oneself was an important thing.
This time, however, the incentive failed to invigorate Ezreal as expected. In fact, quite the opposite! As for the reason...
"Not a single scene can be performed~"
A relaxed voice came from behind Ezreal. Then, before Ezreal could react, a vine swished around Ezreal ankle and, without a word, lifted him up by one leg, hanging Ezreal upside down.
Then, a handsome man dressed in a red and white sleeveless robe and a graceful white-haired woman came into Ezreal's view.
That's right, it's Yuan Chen and Qiyana.
Smiling broadly at the blond-haired boy, Yuan Chen cast a Scout Skill on him without saying a word.
Name: Ezreal
Condition: Fatigue, panic
Class: Magic Archer lv4 / Warrior lv2
Equipment: Ne'Zuk's Arcane Gauntlet (Legendary) / Explorer's Set (Fine) / One can of Lightfeather Radiant Explorer's Conditioner (Common)
Equipment Skills:
Ne'Zuk's Arcane Gauntlet (Legendary/Unreleased):
① Arcane Blast: The Arcane Gauntlet can be used to convert some of the magic power into a powerful Arcane Blast and fire it. Depending on the amount of magic power converted, it can cause different degrees of damage.
② Delayed Blast: A variant of the Arcane Blast, it converts a portion of the magic power to form an unstable energy body and fires it out. After it is fully attached, it can cause an area explosion after a predetermined time.
③ Arcane Barrage: A variant of Arcane Blast, it converts a large amount of magic power into a huge arc of energy with immense destructive power. The range and damage vary depending on the amount of magic power injected.
④ Arcane Shift: Converts magical energy to teleport the body to a spiritual realm, performing a spatial jump that defies the laws of physics. The energy consumption varies depending on the distance (Note: requires prior charging).
⑤ The Tyrant's Secret: Originating from the wisdom of the Shurima Ascended warlord, Tyrant Ne'Zuk, from before the Classic era, it can forcibly unlock the Shurima.
Note: As a legendary artifact, complete mastery requires the user to gain the Sun Disc's recognition and ascend to become Ascended, and then be driven by the Ascended's magic.
Trait:
Strong Luck (Exceptional): A special and unconventional trait; when facing danger, the holder will receive some unexpected good fortune.
Danger Senses (Exceptional): Perception, physical abilities, and neural responses are greatly enhanced when in a crisis.
Extensive knowledge and strong memory (excellence): An acquired trait, formed by repeatedly and quickly resolving current difficulties through the organization of existing knowledge, resulting in a moderate increase in reaction and thinking speed.
Photographic memory (excellent): An innate trait, with recording and learning abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people.
Precision Shooting (Excellent): An innate talent, enhanced eyesight, a natural-born marksman.
Excellent Magic (Excellent): Excellent magical talent, which can accelerate the integration with Magic Item.
Upon seeing the blond-haired guy's equipment and traits, Yuan Chen couldn't help but click his tongue and shake his head—no wonder he's a youthful version of Indiana Jones from League of Legends.
Although her level is average, she's only a few years old! She's already obtained a legendary Magic Item... Unfortunately, these high-level items that reach the level of divine artifacts often have special limitations. Even if an ordinary person obtains one, it's difficult for them to unleash its full potential.
Then there's the little blond guy's trait... he doesn't even have any epic-level traits.
This surprised Yuan Chen somewhat—after all, the heroes he had encountered all possessed some kind of epic trait. In fact, Yuan Chen once believed that the standard for becoming a hero was possessing an epic trait.
But thinking about it carefully... it makes sense.
Many ordinary heroes, like Miss Fortune, Caitlyn, and Vi, rely on equipment and strategy to fight.
After all, aside from demigods and other beings of extraordinary stature, Runeterra is essentially a medieval fantasy world of medium magic level.