Lizardfolk Tribe

After last night's "commotion," the group made much better time.

They avoided fights whenever they could. If something insisted on coming right to their doorstep, they reluctantly accepted the delivery.

The main reason was that, after Borne's provocation, the members of the Arcane Society had become much more "determined to improve."

Whenever they had free time, they meditated. On the road, they exchanged experiences. In battle, they tested their theories. In just two or three days, they felt as if their abilities had improved by leaps and bounds.

And they really had improved a lot. It wasn't just their imagination.

According to the System Chip's data, their combat stats had risen noticeably. They wasted fewer movements, their actions were sharper and more decisive, their casting times had shortened accordingly, and their timing had grown more precise.

Before, they would have been overjoyed. Now, they couldn't bring themselves to celebrate. They even felt a little stifled.

Ever since Borne had advanced to an intermediate Arcanist that day, they could feel his magic growing rapidly.

His magic was increasing so quickly that his mind couldn't control it, and it was leaking out.

Only then did they realize just how powerful Borne was!

He had several times more magic than they did.

How the hell was he even human...

Before reaching legendary rank, advancing to a new tier only represented the elevation of one's life force. It didn't change the fundamental nature of one's life.

They were astonished, and Borne was just as surprised.

Only now did he understand how incredible Arcanists were!

"Arcane" was Netheril's term; the elves called it High Elf magic!

"Arcanist" was a label the Netherese had given themselves. In practice, it was simply their equivalent of the High Mages of the High Elves!

The word "high" really was more appropriate.

Not only was his magic increasing, but his mental power was growing too. Since he was still underage, his physical abilities had already been improving all along, and now they were growing even faster!

The sudden "swelling" of his power gave him the illusion that he was invincible...

Simply put, he was getting a little carried away.

If the System Chip hadn't been giving him such clear feedback, he would have wanted to test himself at some ruin or sealed site.

"System! Display attributes!"

Name: Borne Ioulaum

Netherese human

Mage 8 / Arcanist 6 / Monk 4

Level: 8

Basic Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3.5, Constitution 3.8, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 3

"My Intelligence has already reached double digits, and my level is up to 8."

Reality wasn't a game. Levels didn't add together, and the System's level was just something Borne had made to match the DND system from his previous life. There was no such thing as gaining a level and instantly recovering to full health.

Advancing to a new tier was a breakthrough after accumulating enough power. The idea that breaking through while near death would bring you back to your peak was even more absurd!

"The higher the spell level, the deeper you can reach into the core of the Weave, and the longer you can spend perceiving it!"

"So far, I can confirm that touching the Weave puts you into a state similar to 'frequency modulation.' This state is a tremendous help when deriving spell formulas!"

Of course, that was only one aspect. Borne hadn't verified the rest yet.

But just one fourth-circle spell had allowed Borne to advance to intermediate Arcanist, causing his magic and mental power to surge at the same time and far surpass those of other casters at his tier.

That alone was enough to show how powerful a Great Arcanist must have been!

Or, in other words, a High Elf mage!

The story that two or three hundred High Elf mages had once torn Faerûn apart didn't seem like a joke after all.

Five days later, the group finally reached the vicinity of Hills Swamp.

They found several sites that looked like battlefields. As they ventured deeper into the swamp—

"These are marks from a Cross Sword."

The Ranger spotted a mark on a tree trunk.

The Cross Sword was the standard weapon of the Netherese army.

"Chip, run a battlefield reconstruction simulation."

"Ding! Task established. Authorization initiated. Simulation starting..."

Borne's Wisdom was 3, and his senses covered an area of thirty square meters.

The battle had taken place at least a month ago. After all that wind and sun, little information remained beyond the marks left by the fighting. The Chip wasn't omnipotent, either.

Still, they learned that a group of soldiers had been attacked here by an unknown creature.

"Huh? What's this..."

Borne and the others followed the traces of battle. In an open area ahead, they found a trap. Wooden spikes had been buried inside it, and there was blood on them.

The Ranger circled the area and returned with a broken piece of a shield.

"Everyone, be careful. There are still traps around here that haven't been triggered!"

Cook examined the mark on the shield and immediately recognized it as the insignia of the Third Nether Legion.

The members of the Arcane Society also found plenty of damaged equipment and weapons nearby.

"Could they have been attacked by Half-Orcs?"

Belon held up a damaged piece of armor and said incredulously, "Even Half-Orcs couldn't hit hard enough to do this!"

The Ranger said, "Judging by the damage, it was definitely broken by force, and the blow landed from the front."

The inside of the armor had turned black—the color of dried blood. From the marks along the edges, it looked as if someone had forcibly torn it off.

Lisper said, "A high-tier warrior! The enemy was a high-tier warrior, and the squad was routed head-on. They must have retreated in a panic and fallen into the traps!"

"A high-tier warrior? Could the attackers have been from another country?" someone asked. If humans from another nation had attacked them, that would change the nature of the situation.

"No. The opposite, actually. The attackers weren't human. The whole attack and the traps looked very human at first, but they weren't. Their trap-setting methods were quite primitive, and they fought like beasts. Almost like..."

"Like beasts with the combat power of high-tier warriors."

The Ranger finished.

A humanoid species, then?

And a social one, at that.

They held meetings and used tactics. They even set traps!

The others exchanged glances, suddenly feeling uneasy.

At that moment, following a prompt from the System, Borne went over to a nearby tree and pulled out a broken arrowhead.

"Doesn't that look like bone?" Dalena asked.

"That's a bone arrow commonly used by Lizardfolk," the Ranger said, taking the broken arrowhead from Borne and examining it.

So they really were Lizardfolk!

"Wait, where are the bodies?"

"Even if they lost and the entire squad was wiped out, the enemy couldn't have come away without any losses. How come there isn't a single body?" Dalena asked. Then she seemed to realize something, and her face went deathly pale.

Jennifer, standing nearby, was just about to cast a defensive spell when Borne stopped her.

"Don't panic. There are no enemies nearby right now. If there were, we would've been attacked while investigating. Besides, the Lizardfolk probably have spellcasters too. Casting magic now might alert them!"

Hearing that they were safe for the moment, the others felt a little reassured.

They began discussing whether to leave the swamp for now. After all, it was Lizardfolk territory. The enemy had high-tier warriors and might even have spellcasters. There were only a few of them; they might not even make a mouthful.

Borne shook his head to himself, though he understood their concerns. This mission really was asking a lot of them. They were only seventeen or eighteen, all noble scions who had never faced a situation like this. The fact that they could still stand here and discuss their options was proof enough of their abilities.

Though morale was wavering a little, Borne had no intention of giving them time to get used to it.

How could anyone know how capable they were without being pushed?

These people were the Arcane Society's elite. When they looked at Borne, he grinned. "We're already here. We came to investigate, didn't we? How can we know anything if we don't take a look?"

The others: ...

Then the president stepped forward and said a few words to raise their spirits.

They exchanged glances. Maybe Borne's confidence had rubbed off on them, or maybe they had come to a decision. Before long, the Arcane Society's confidence returned.

The Ranger watched them, feeling completely at a loss...

These brats really had no idea how cruel the world could be.

Borne turned to the Ranger. "The Lizardfolk should be in the swamp. You know this area. Take us to the edge of the swamp, quietly, so we can check things out."

Hubwick was already regretting this, but he'd taken the money. There was nothing for it now; he had to grit his teeth and press on.

"Fine. But on the way, do as I say. If you alert the Lizardfolk, I won't be able to protect you."

Hubwick hurriedly gave them the warning.

"Okay, understood."

Everyone nodded.

"Let's go! Follow me!"

They followed the Ranger and slowly headed toward the swamp.

Maybe it was their first time in a situation like this, or maybe they were simply confident in their abilities. The members of the Arcane Society seemed almost excited.

The Ranger leading the way was getting a headache just watching them.

Compared with the others, Borne seemed much more relaxed. Blue light occasionally flickered in his eyes.

Borne had loaded Arcane Eye into the Chip. As long as he kept supplying magic, the spell wouldn't end.

Simply put, magic was the imprint living beings left on unclaimed elements.

Before the Mythallar was created, enchanting most objects required a long period of magical imprinting.

Magic existed in all things, but its density varied.

High-concentration magical materials were essential for spell research, casting, and crafting magic items, so their prices remained high. Some rare materials were practically priceless!

Magic elements came in many varieties, and even when magical materials were used to craft magic items, their magical properties had to be altered.

For example, to make a ring of fire, the material first had to be one that was receptive to fire elements. But nothing in nature was completely pure; even gold wasn't one hundred percent pure.

So the material had to be "processed" by hand. Magic was, in essence, the privatization of elements. When magic merged with a living being, it strengthened that being too. But if someone used their own magic to "imprint" a material for a long time, they would inevitably lose some of it. Losing magic meant losing life force, which in turn shortened their lifespan!

That was why magic items were so precious. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were made with people's lives.

Of course, a pure magical source could be used as a substitute. For example, the Well of Power in a Wizard Tower's Elemental Pool could do the same.

That was why owning a Wizard Tower was the goal of most spellcasters!

There were also certain special places where magic gathered naturally. They were similar to the spirit veins and dragon veins in cultivation novels. In the world of Toril, they were called Earth Nodes!

Earth Nodes were natural reservoirs and currents of energy gathered beneath the ground. They were mainly found in the Underdark.

When Borne first designed the Chip, he had played it safe and discarded most of its functions, leaving only the analysis, deduction, and storage modules. But he had left two "blank" modules to fill in later.

"Arcane Eye" had been inspired by various movies and anime. Linked to the System Chip, it worked like a scanner, and its range expanded as Borne supplied it with more magic.

That was one of the reasons Borne dared to keep going deeper!

The swamp lay northwest of the forest. As Borne and the others drew closer to their destination, they found more signs of fierce fighting.

"This looks like a close-range clash between scouts and Lizardfolk," Cook said, feeling the scratches and blood on the tree trunk.

The group's spirits sank. As they passed through a patch of low grass and bushes, they found signs of a spellcaster's battle.

Before coming, they had all researched the Lizardfolk and learned a little about them.

If the humans had won, they would likely have seen plenty of Lizardfolk corpses along the way. But the area was clean, which meant the Lizardfolk had won in the end.

Lizardfolk didn't farm. They were omnivores!

So there were no bodies left behind. The answer was obvious!

The forest was full of trees, but there weren't any predators around. It seemed the creatures nearby had been wiped out too. In contrast, traps began appearing as they neared the swamp, all of them aimed at beasts.

The Ranger was skilled at avoiding or dismantling any traps in their way, and the group slowly crept forward.

"Ding! Unknown life forms detected. Threat level: low!"

Before they had even reached the area, the Chip began issuing alerts. Blue lines formed the creatures' shapes on Borne's retinas.

"Slow down and be careful. There are three Lizardfolk up ahead!"

At Borne's warning, everyone crouched lower. Even the Ranger in front stopped and lay on the ground, carefully observing their surroundings.

Borne slowly parted the grass in front of him. Beyond it was a rocky wasteland. Near the edge of the swamp, three Lizardfolk were basking in the sun and chatting.

Borne's thoughts stirred.

"System! Record the language!"

"Ding! Task established. Gathering information..."

According to the records, the Lizardfolk spoke Draconic. It might not be perfectly authentic, but it was still valuable.

Dragons were said to be the strongest creatures in the Prime Material Plane, and that wasn't just a boast. They were practically the world's "favored children," reaching legendary rank as adults.

Dragons, elves, and dwarves were all races that had come from beyond through planar portals!

Each had its own well-established system of inheritance.

Draconic magic, elven magic, and dwarven runes were all mature forms of supernatural civilization, and each language possessed extraordinary power!

If Netheril wanted to rise, learning from the cultures of other races was essential.

According to legend, the alphabet used in Netheril's noble tongue had been borrowed from the dragons!

Just like the elven language, the human vocal apparatus couldn't produce the sounds of the dragons' tongue. So even with a basic alphabet, humans couldn't learn dragon magic!

But with the System Chip, Borne might be able to overcome that problem someday.

One Lizardfolk was basking in the sun while the other two "chatted" now and then. To Borne and the others, though, it sounded like two beasts growling at each other.

Borne frowned. "At this rate, it'll take forever to gather enough information..."

Besides, this was wasting too much time. If he got the chance, he decided, he would capture one for "study."

The Ranger and the members of the Arcane Society were quietly discussing whether to return to the academy and report on the mission, or skirt around the area and explore further.

In fact, their mission had essentially been completed as soon as they located the Lizardfolk.

To everyone's shock, Borne pulled a steel crossbow straight out of his pack.

He casually cast a wide-area Silence.

After observing through Arcane Eye and confirming that there were only three Lizardfolk nearby, Borne decided to kill them outright.

Whoosh, whoosh-whoosh!

Before the three Lizardfolk could react, they were pinned to the rocks in an instant!

With the system's assistance, every shot struck a neck. Lizardfolk were tough, and the wounds didn't kill them on the spot, but the damage to their necks left them unable to move. They fell to the ground, thrashing.

Borne strode over and promptly put a few more arrows into them, until the Lizardfolk showed no signs of life.

It looked like a complicated maneuver, but it had taken only a few seconds. The others hadn't even had time to react before Borne had finished the fight.

The whole sequence had been so smooth that the others were left staring in astonishment.

Even the Ranger couldn't help swallowing nervously.

"You... you just killed them like that?!"

Belon exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the Lizardfolk corpses.

"What else? Should I dig them graves and put up headstones?"

"No, I mean, aren't you worried this will draw the Lizardfolk's attention? We're in a swamp, in Lizardfolk territory..."

Borne smiled and waved a hand, cutting him off. "Then we'll kill them before they notice us!"

Everyone: ...

They were stunned by his words.

After seeing even the army wiped out, they hadn't wanted to provoke the Lizardfolk tribe at all. Even the experienced 'battle mage' had been defeated. How could a few students who hadn't even graduated from the academy possibly win?

"What are you all so nervous about? We're Arcanists from Giles Academy, the best of the best. Are we really going to let one Lizardfolk tribe scare us?"

Lisper stepped forward at just the right moment. Though she was somewhat angry at Borne's reckless actions, this wasn't the time to blame anyone. They needed to discuss what to do next.

First, she had to bring everyone together and lift their spirits.

"We're members of the Arcane Society. Why would we be afraid?"

"Exactly! I'm the heir to the Hax family. How could I possibly be afraid?"

Well, it seemed that sometimes a little pride—and the glory of one's family—really did come in handy.

At least they could talk tough when they needed a morale boost.

Borne also glanced at the president in surprise. As expected of someone capable of becoming president—she could always pull people together at a critical moment.

Hubwick felt like crying. Looking at the reckless Borne and the group of hot-blooded youngsters, he wondered if he should just return their deposit.

Not that he hadn't already spent some of the money, but now three Lizardfolk were dead.

Should they run before the Lizardfolk realized they'd been attacked?

Lizardfolk didn't take prisoners. Their only relationship with other races was that of hunter and prey.

He'd heard that Lizardfolk had keen noses. Looking at their powerful legs, there was no guarantee they could outrun them.

Sigh...

The Ranger then turned his gaze to Borne. This kid wasn't like any ordinary youngster. He looked so confident—he must have some kind of trick up his sleeve.

Borne told the others to get out their ranged weapons and follow his instructions, then led the way. The group exchanged glances. At this point, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow him, weapons in hand.

"Where are we going?"

Seeing that Borne was heading in the wrong direction, the president asked.

"First, we'll clear out the Lizardfolk on the outskirts. That way, if something happens after we go deeper in, it'll be easier to run. We won't get held up by these old and infirm Lizardfolk."

"Old and infirm? You're saying these aren't guards, just a few old Lizardfolk?" Lisper asked in surprise. "How can you tell?"

Borne chuckled and pointed at his head. "Up here!"

Lisper rolled her eyes at him. If they weren't in the middle of this, she would have given him a good beating.

The others smiled at that, and the mood improved considerably.