Divinity, Cold-Blooded

As the mist dissipated, the Ranger took the lead, and the group followed cautiously into the marshlands.

Along the way, they encountered many Oozes and other small creatures native to the swamp, but all of them remained motionless, as if they had lost their souls.

The entire marshland was plunged into a deathly silence, as if the Goddess of Life had pressed the pause button here.

Cook drew his Cross Sword, prodded a rodent-like creature, and after a careful observation, said, "It's alive, not dead yet!"

Dalena and Jennifer merely frowned, saying nothing.

"It's a good thing they aren't dead; otherwise, wiping out all life in a stretch of marshland would be quite a troublesome affair," the Ranger remarked.

The members of the Arcane Society glanced at him with some surprise.

The latter grinned, offering no further explanation.

Looking at the situation, it seemed that even without them, Borne could likely have handled this on his own.

The members of the Arcane Society felt somewhat numb; after enough blows to their pride, they had slowly grown accustomed to it.

To be admitted to Giles Academy, one not only possessed exceptional magical talent but was also a standout among their peers in other respects, earning them the title of "genius" in certain fields.

In every noble family, there are dozens of people in each generation, and the competition is fierce; those who manage to stand out are the true elites!

Truly, each generation produces its own talents...

They were well aware of their own standing; compared to a true genius like Borne, they were a bit "diluted." Otherwise, they wouldn't have joined the Arcane Society, using collective strength and resources to go further and shorten the gap between themselves and true geniuses.

Sometimes, when called a "genius" for too long, one truly begins to believe they are one, but this mission had forced them to re-evaluate themselves.

The academy is an assembly line, providing the same books and knowledge; what you know, others know as well.

However, noble education grants them access to information not found in the academy—the summaries of generations. They were simply standing on steps paved by their predecessors, allowing them to see a bit further.

This is why there has only been one Dean Concinnio, and no other legend has appeared since.

Regardless of the race—be it Elf or Dwarf—every few years or decades, one or two exceptionally talented individuals appear within their ranks.

Their talent is enough to make their peers despair. In this era of Nether, Borne Concinnio is like the bright moon in the sky!

With the rise of Nether, the person considered most likely to achieve legend status is Count Ioulaum.

Now, perhaps one more name could be added: Borne Ioulaum.

Of course, the latter might just be idle talk, suggesting that if Count Ioulaum achieves legend status, Borne would be the next in line.

Although it was only speculation, it served as a side note to Borne's talent.

The talent and aptitude of those who could enter the Arcane Society were certainly not poor, especially among the higher-ups. Though they felt a bit uncomfortable, they recognized their own limitations, and each resolved to spend more time improving their strength upon returning.

And as for unnecessary social engagements, those that could be declined would be!

As they gradually ventured deep into the heart of the marsh, they could already see a small tribe composed of various small nests in the distance.

Looking at the silent Lizardfolk tribe, the group cast various auxiliary spells on themselves before slowly approaching.

Just as they neared the outermost fence, the Ranger Hubwick suddenly changed expression and signaled for everyone to stop.

"Wait, there's the smell of blood!"

Almost every adventurer is sensitive to the scent of blood, but the marsh had a complex mix of odors that masked the strong stench, and he only caught it as they were about to enter.

Hubwick immediately raised his hand and cast a [Detection Magic] spell.

President Lisper and the others couldn't help but look at him with surprised eyes.

Damn... I misjudged him!

They never expected that the drunkard who had walked with them the whole way was actually a spellcaster.

It was a total slap in the face...

And he could even cast spells silently, and instantly at that!

What the hell was this...

The looks from the Arcane Society members made Hubwick feel secretly pleased; his mouth curled slightly, and he couldn't help but "humph" to himself.

However, the feedback from his detection left him horrified: there were basically no signs of life in the tribe.

"Move!"

With that, he took the lead and quickened his pace inside.

When the group arrived at the central area, they saw a field of Lizardfolk corpses, their blood pooling together like a small stream.

Almost all the Lizardfolk had been decapitated. This was clearly Borne's handiwork; Lizardfolk possess powerful self-healing abilities and resistance.

Borne wasn't sure how long the drug would last, so for safety, he had finished them off before the others arrived.

Since all the Lizardfolk had gathered there, it saved Borne the trouble of hunting them down one by one; he simply took care of them on the spot!

This resulted in the blood pooling together.

The phrase "a river of blood" could not be more fitting here!

The image of Borne standing in the center of the room, sword in hand, was something they would likely never forget for the rest of their lives!

Even for a Ranger with extensive experience, seeing this scene left his expression looking rather grim.

Although they knew Borne was one of "their own," seeing him holding a blood-dripping Cross Sword made everyone feel an invisible pressure wash over them, as if they had been instantly "frozen" in place.

Seeing the reactions of the group, it was clear they had been thoroughly spooked.

Could this be the legendary killing intent?

"System, scan physical status and display data for comparative analysis."

Name: Borne Ioulaum

Race: Netherese Human

Class: Wizard 9 / Arcanist 6 / Monk 4

Level: 9

Base Attributes: Strength 4 (+0.3), Agility 3.5 (+0.5), Constitution 3.8 (+0.5), Intelligence 11 (+0.5), Wisdom 3 (+3)

Exclusive Item: Ioun Stone (Divinity +1)

Functions: Storage, Deduction, Scanning

Knowledge...

Aside from being one level higher, nothing else had changed. Could it be due to the divinity?

Perhaps it was a higher-order "energy" similar to killing intent or a domain, which the current Chip system could not yet detect.

"It seems the Chip still needs further upgrades."

The path for the system was a long and arduous one.

However, obtaining divinity this time came as a bit of a surprise.

This was divinity, after all!

Even in various novels, it was an incredible thing.

Of course, it wasn't as miraculous as the rumors suggested—that possessing divinity granted the qualification to become a god, or that it was indestructible...

That was all nonsense.

The divinity had been acquired by the system while resonating with the stone statue. The statue had been erected recently and had not yet birthed its own "god," otherwise, it wouldn't have treated the Chip as a part of itself during the resonance.

There was even a tendency for it to become a core, much like an instinct.

Although it had been added to the Chip, it was all staying within the family, so to speak.

The various performance metrics of the Chip had clearly improved significantly, but now was not the time for research.

After being "frightened" by Borne, the group slowly began to recover.

Their reaction just now had been nothing more than a moment of shock.

Only the Ranger seemed to have sensed something, and the look he gave Borne was now somewhat different.

Is this man a demon? Such immense bloodlust!

Although the members of the Arcane Society had seen blood before, such a shocking scene still left their hands and feet cold. Dalena and Jennifer were even covering their mouths and retching to the side, though there was nothing left to vomit, only dry heaves.

The President, Lisper, had a face that flickered between pale and green as she struggled to suppress the discomfort in her chest!

Borne paid no mind to their reactions; he summoned an Unseen Servant to sift through a pile of rubble.

Soon, a Lizardfolk "corpse" was unearthed.

No, it wasn't a corpse; it was still breathing.

"Is this that high-level Lizardfolk?"

The President's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Don't kill it! We can keep it and take it back!"

"President, this Lizardfolk is high-level. How are we supposed to transport it?"

Cook was still somewhat worried.

"It's fine, that's easy."

Borne, standing to the side, chuckled. He raised his hand again and, with a few swift slashes, reduced the Lizardfolk to a limbless torso.

The President standing nearby was stunned, and finally, she couldn't help but turn away and vomit.

Borne touched his nose, feeling somewhat innocent.

Heh...

Perhaps because he had experienced life and death himself, after personally wiping out a tribe of Lizardfolk, he didn't feel a shred of fear after killing "people."

Borne couldn't help but lament whether he had become cold-blooded.