As the fog cleared, the Ranger led the way, and the others followed cautiously into the swamp.
Along the way, they encountered many Oozes and other small creatures that lived in the swamp, but they all seemed lifeless, not moving at all.
The entire swamp had fallen silent, as though the Goddess of Life had pressed pause on it.
Cook drew the Cross Sword and used it to lift a mouse-like creature. After examining it carefully, he said,
"It's alive. It's not dead yet!"
Dalena and Jennifer merely frowned without saying anything.
"It's a good thing they're not dead. Wiping out every living thing in an entire swamp would've been quite a problem."
The Ranger said.
The members of the Arcane Society looked at him with some surprise.
He grinned but didn't offer any explanation.
Judging by the situation, Borne could probably have handled everything on his own, even without them.
The members of the Arcane Society were growing numb to it. After enough blows, they gradually got used to them.
To study at Giles Academy, one needed not only outstanding magical talent but also excellence in other fields. Among their peers, they could even be called "geniuses" in certain respects.
Every generation of each noble family had dozens of people, both in the open and behind the scenes. The competition was fierce, and those who distinguished themselves were all elites!
There were always new talents rising with each generation...
They also understood their own place. Compared to a true genius like Borne, they were still a little lacking. Otherwise, they wouldn't have joined the Arcane Society. The strength and resources of the group could take them further and narrow the gap between them and true geniuses.
Sometimes, when people called you a "genius" for long enough, you really started to believe you were one. This mission had helped them understand themselves anew.
The academy was an assembly line. Everyone studied the same books and knowledge; whatever you knew, others knew too.
A noble's education, however, could teach them things that the academy didn't. This was the accumulated wisdom of generations. They were simply standing on steps laid by those who came before, allowing them to see a little farther.
That was why there was only one Dean Concinnio, and why no other Legend had appeared after him.
Among all races, whether Elves or Dwarves, one or two people of extraordinary talent and brilliance emerged from their communities every few years or decades.
Their talents and abilities were enough to leave their peers in despair. In this era of Netheril, Borne Concinnio shone like the full moon in the night sky!
With Netheril's rise, Count Ioulaum was considered the most likely to become a Legend.
Now, Borne Ioulaum might have to be added to the list.
Of course, the latter might just be a figure of speech—a way of saying that if Count Ioulaum became a Legend, Borne would be next.
Though it was only a guess, it still spoke to Borne's talent.
Those who could join the Arcane Society were certainly not lacking in talent, especially its senior members. Though they felt a little bitter, they had accepted the truth. Each of them resolved to spend more time improving their strength once they returned.
And they would turn down any social engagements they didn't need to attend!
As they ventured deeper into the swamp, a small village made up of numerous little nests came into view in the distance.
Seeing the silent Lizardfolk village, everyone cast various support spells on themselves before slowly approaching.
Just as they neared the outermost fence, the Ranger, Hubwick, suddenly turned grave and signaled for them to stop.
"Wait. I smell blood!"
Almost every adventurer was sensitive to the smell of blood, but the swamp's many odors had masked the strong stench. He hadn't caught it until they were nearly inside.
Hubwick suddenly raised his hand and cast Detect Magic.
President Lisper and the others couldn't help looking at him in surprise.
Damn... We'd completely misjudged him!
They hadn't expected the drunkard who'd traveled with them all this way to be a spellcaster.
What a slap in the face...
And he could cast spells without speaking, and instantly, too!
What the hell was that...
The looks from the Arcane Society members secretly delighted Hubwick. His lips curled upward, and he couldn't help giving a couple of smug little snorts to himself.
But the results of the scan left him stunned. There was hardly a sign of life anywhere in the village.
"Move!"
With that, he led the way, hurrying farther in.
When they reached the central area, they found Lizardfolk corpses strewn everywhere. Their blood had pooled together, almost like a little stream.
Nearly all the Lizardfolk had been decapitated. This was clearly Borne's work. Lizardfolk had strong regenerative abilities and resilience.
Borne had no idea how long the potion's effects would last, so to be safe, he'd dealt with them before the others arrived.
All the Lizardfolk had gathered there at the time, which saved Borne the trouble of hunting them down one by one. He'd simply dealt with them on the spot!
That was why their blood had pooled together.
The phrase "a river of blood" couldn't have been more fitting!
And they might never forget the sight of Borne standing in the middle, sword in hand.
Even the experienced Ranger looked grim at the sight.
Though they knew Borne was one of their own, seeing him holding a bloodied Cross Sword still made an invisible pressure bear down on them. They felt as though they'd been frozen in place.
Seeing their reactions, it was clear they'd been frightened.
Could this be the legendary killing intent?
"System, scan my physical condition and display the data for comparative analysis."
Name: Borne Ioulaum
Netheril human
Mage 9/Arcanist 6/Monk 4
Level: 9
Basic attributes: Strength 4 (+0.3), Dexterity 3.5 (+0.5), Constitution 3.8 (+0.5), Intelligence 11 (+0.5), Wisdom 3 (+3)
Special item: Ioun Stone (Divinity +1)
Functions: Storage, simulation, scanning
Knowledge...
Other than his level increasing by one, nothing else had changed. Could it be because of the divinity?
Perhaps it was a higher-level form of energy, similar to killing intent or a domain, beyond the reach of the Chip system's current detection capabilities.
Looks like the Chip needs to be upgraded again.
There was still a long way to go before the system was complete.
Still, gaining divinity this time had surprised him.
This was divinity!
Even in all kinds of novels, it was an incredible thing.
Of course, it wasn't as miraculous as people made it out to be. Claims like "having divinity meant you were destined to become a god" or "divinity couldn't be destroyed"...
It was all nonsense.
The system had gained the divinity when it resonated with the statue. The statue had only been erected recently and hadn't given birth to its own "god." Otherwise, it wouldn't have mistaken the Chip for part of itself during the resonance.
There had even been a tendency for it to become the core, as though by instinct.
Although it had been added to the Chip, it was all still within the same system.
The Chip's various functions had clearly improved significantly, but this wasn't the time to study them.
After being "scared" by Borne, the others gradually recovered.
Their reaction just now had only been one of shock.
The Ranger, however, seemed to have sensed something. He looked at Borne differently now.
"Is this guy a demon? He's so bloodthirsty!"
Although the Arcane Society members had seen blood before, the scene had been so shocking that their hands and feet had gone cold. Dalena and Jennifer were covering their mouths and throwing up again nearby, but this time they had nothing left to bring up and could only dry heave.
President Lisper's face kept turning pale and then green as she struggled to suppress the discomfort in her chest!
Borne paid no attention to their reactions. He summoned an Unseen Servant and rummaged through a pile of rubble for something.
Soon, a Lizardfolk "corpse" was dragged out.
No, it wasn't a corpse. It was still breathing.
"Is that the high-ranking Lizardfolk?"
The president's eyes lit up. She hurriedly said, "Don't kill it. We can keep it and take it back with us!"
"President, this Lizardfolk is high-ranking. How are we supposed to bring it back?"
Cook was still worried.
"No problem. This is easy."
Borne smiled from nearby. He raised his hand again and, with a few quick swipes, sliced the Lizardfolk into a "human" stump.
The president froze on the spot, then finally turned around and threw up.
Borne touched his nose, looking a little innocent.
Heh...
Perhaps because he'd already experienced life and death himself, after personally wiping out an entire Lizardfolk village, he didn't feel the slightest fear of having killed "people."
Borne couldn't help wondering whether he was becoming cold-blooded.
Before you continue