Thirteen

Thirteen (Bonus Chapter for 1,600 Monthly Tickets, Please Vote)

In the dense tropical rainforest.

The hot, humid environment, the rotting swamps, the venomous insects and savage beasts everywhere... perhaps these were nightmares for ordinary adventuring parties.

But to great Mages, none of this was worth mentioning.

Not to mention that for this expedition, the Empire had deployed three floating cities and three legendary Archmages at once!

The small native tribe had not even had time to resist before it was crushed like ants.

Led by Dami, a group of Mages ventured deep into the rainforest, following the traces of the natives' activities until they found a stretch of Insectoid Ruins.

"As expected... there are ruins here."

Dami said delightedly.

But the accompanying Mages stared at the brown stones nearby, the several mass graves they had discovered, and the fragments of corpses inside them, their faces full of shock. "Just how much blood had been spilled here for even the stones to turn this color... I can sense immense negative energy lingering over every single floor tile here..."

"Yes, the later Insectoid Ruins became increasingly inclined toward bloody sacrifices. That is acknowledged by all historians..."

Dami did not care.

Even if this sort of place produced negative-energy condensations such as Wraiths or blood demons, they would not be a match for a legend.

The group continued deeper, seeing relatively well-preserved blood-colored Womeng Language inscriptions on the buildings on both sides.

"Hmm, new words. They're worth recording!"

One Mage immediately pulled out a scroll and began writing them down.

Dami, meanwhile, fell into thought. "The source of that primitive tribe's 'witchcraft' was probably here... They simply lacked the ability to delve any deeper."

Rumble!

With the aid of magic, a thick layer of rock was lifted away.

Behind it, numerous Insectoid puppets