190: Chapter 190 The Dark Mist Witch Samuel! Betrayal! The Resolute Aurora!

Deep in the Mist Forest.

The fog here became even thicker, almost solidifying into substance.

Visibility was compressed to less than five steps.

The outlines of trees twisted into strange shapes within the grayish-white mist.

Inside a hidden hut surrounded by trees.

The walls were hung with various materials.

Dried herbs, air-dried animal claws, strings of unknown bones, and a shriveled piece of skin nailed to the wall.

In the corner, a row of half-human-height iron cages was stacked, with a few pale finger bones vaguely visible inside.

A rough voice, sounding like sandpaper rubbing together, rang out outside the hut: "Samuel, a team has entered, and they are heading in this direction."

"Judging by their attire, they are some local knights and students from the Moon Chant Secret Covenant Wizard Academy."

The person called Samuel heard this, pushed open the door, and let out a low, strange laugh:

"Heh, heh, heh..."

"Are those guys from the Moon Chant Secret Covenant still chasing me? Isn't it just letting a thousand or so commoners sacrifice themselves for the truth?"

"If it were before, I might have given them a wide berth." His voice carried a long-suppressed sense of triumph, "But now... you have promoted to Lord-level, and I have also broken through the threshold of a Fourth-Circle Wizard."

"Haha! In this place, who can still stop us?!"

The black-robed wizard looked at the massive Razor Lynx in front of him, his eyes flashing with an almost insane excitement.

"Perfect. The Blood Ember Bone Snail needs more fresh blood to nourish it. Those academy students, with their tender skin and delicate flesh, must have high-quality blood."

"Using them for the next batch of experimental materials will surely be much more effective than those crude villagers."

Then, he looked toward a corner of the yard and said:

"Cassian, Wesley, you two, go and let out all my little pets."

"Yes, Teacher!" Cassian and Wesley dared not delay and immediately entered the mist to execute the task.

The Razor Lynx licked its front paw, a flash of bloodthirsty light passing through its deep green pupils:

"There is a young girl in there that I have taken a liking to. Her soul aura is very pure; she must be delicious to eat."

Samuel gave a strange laugh: "To each their own needs."

...

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest.

Rowan and the academy team followed the guidance of the detection instrument, slashing their way through several waves of magical beasts, and arrived at an open valley in the forest.

The ground was covered with some kind of dark red moss, which felt slippery and soft when stepped on.

The young wizard wearing glasses stopped in his tracks upon arriving.

He looked down at the reaction of the silver-gray metal ball in his hand, then raised his head and said:

"This is it. The reaction intensity of the ley line node has reached its peak."

Just as his words fell—

Woo—!

A melodious yet eerie conch horn sound suddenly rang out from the depths of the thick fog in the center of the valley!

The sound was low and long, carrying a heart-palpitating resonance that made everyone present feel a sense of stuffiness in their chests, more or less.

The fog suddenly became even thicker.

Upon hearing this, Cassius was not alarmed but overjoyed; a blazing light instantly erupted in his eyes, and an irrepressible ecstasy appeared on his face:

"Found it!"

"This is it!"

"The aura of the Blood Ember Bone Snail!"

Almost as soon as his words fell, he rushed forward!

The staff in his hand suddenly lit up, and a blazing white lightning bolt shot out from its tip, tearing through the thick fog and booming toward the direction where the sound came from in the center of the valley!

"Senior Cassius!"

Aurora shouted from behind him, but she could not stop his figure from disappearing into the thick fog.

She bit her lip, a look of anxiety and helplessness intertwined on her face.

But she did not follow him in; instead, she turned to Rowan and explained:

"Although Senior Cassius is a bit arrogant, his strength is the real deal."

"He is a top-three Fourth-Circle Wizard under Mentor Aaron, so dealing with that Dark Mist Warlock who is only at the peak of the Third Circle should not be a problem."

"We just need to wait here to support him."

Rowan did not answer, only narrowed his eyes slightly, silently sensing the magical fluctuations and combat sounds coming from deep within the fog.

He was quite interested in the fighting style of wizards and wanted to take this opportunity to understand the actual combat performance of this world's spellcaster system.

However, just as he was observing intently, the blood core belonging to the [Vampire Prince] deep within his internal furnace suddenly fluctuated slightly for an instant.

Rowan sensed this fluctuation, and his eyes instantly became deeper.

He did not make a scene, but quietly moved a few steps closer to Portia and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Gather the team, maintain vigilance, and be ready to retreat or engage at any time."

Portia heard this, her heart tightened. She did not ask further, just nodded almost imperceptibly and quietly signaled the guards behind her.

Meanwhile, deep in the thick fog.

When Cassius saw Samuel's figure slowly emerging from the mist, the smile of certainty on his face instantly froze.

Samuel's body was wreathed in dark gray magic that had almost condensed into substance, and the mist behind him gathered into several tentacle-like phantoms, slowly dancing.

His aura was far more powerful than the Third-Circle peak described in the intelligence.

It was a kind of oppressive feeling that belonged to a Fourth-Circle Wizard, one that had undergone a qualitative change.

Cassius's pupils suddenly contracted:

"You... you broke through?!"

Answering him was a strange laugh from Samuel, and a streak of black lightning that suddenly pounced from the mist to the side!

The Razor Lynx!

Its speed was extremely fast!

Cassius only had time to condense a light blue magic shield at his side before being fiercely struck by those sharp claws!

"Pfft—!" Cassius spat out a mouthful of blood, landing on the mossy ground not far away.

"Lord-level magical beast!" He was terrified, then looked at Samuel and said: "Your experiment succeeded!"

Next.

The battle was almost a one-sided crush.

With the tacit cooperation between Samuel and the Razor Lynx, Cassius quickly fell into a desperate situation.

When the Razor Lynx's sharp claws pressed against his neck, he collapsed...

"I surrender! I am willing to surrender!"

Cassius's voice carried a crying tone and trembling, "I am willing to sign a wizard contract of enslavement!"

"Don't kill me!"

Samuel heard this, thought for a moment, signaled the Razor Lynx to stop, then walked in front of Cassius and looked down at him condescendingly.

He was silent for a few breaths, as if enjoying the disheveled appearance of this White Wizard genius.

Then, he slowly retracted his staff and gave a strange laugh: "Oh? A contract of enslavement? It's not impossible. Offer up your soul seed."

Cassius knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his face as pale as paper.

He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and a faint speck of light emerged from between his eyebrows.

The speck of light detached from his brow and slowly drifted toward Samuel.

Samuel reached out, grasped the speck of light into his palm, and then casually pressed it into his own chest.

The contract was established.

Cassius's body trembled violently, and a look of profound pain appeared on his face.

He lowered his head, looking at his empty hands, as if feeling something irredeemable flowing away from the depths of his soul.

Everything happened in a very short time.

When the thick fog gradually dissipated, revealing the scene in the center of the valley, what Aurora saw was exactly this scene—

Senior Cassius stood behind Samuel, dejected, with a humble posture and a withered aura, a completely different person from the spirited Fourth-Circle Wizard before.

And between him and Samuel, a faint, almost imperceptible contractual connection could be seen.

Aurora immediately understood—

That was the mark of an enslavement contract.

This was a type of contract that could only be signed if the contractee voluntarily offered up their soul seed.

She looked at Cassius in disbelief, her face instantly turning pale.

Cassius saw Aurora's gaze and lowered his head in shame, not making eye contact with her.

The other four members of the Wizard Academy also had faces that turned extremely ugly.

Senior Cassius, the strongest among them, had already become the other side's slave, and besides Samuel himself, the enemy also had a Lord-level Razor Lynx.

On their side, except for Aurora who was a Third-Circle Wizard, the remaining four were only Second-Circle Wizards.

Facing a combination of a veteran Fourth-Circle Dark Warlock, a traitorous Fourth-Circle Wizard, and a Lord-level magical beast, they had no chance of winning.

Aurora's breathing quickened for a few breaths.

Then, her gaze suddenly became firm.

She took out a scroll emitting a soft, silvery-white light from her bosom and walked to the very front of the team.

Her voice carried a hint of resolution:

"You all go! Run quickly! I will hold them off!"

At this time, Cassius had quietly raised his head at some point.

Seeing that even at this moment, Aurora was still trying to block in front of that young noble, his heart became increasingly resentful.

Thus, he turned his head, lowered his head humbly to Samuel, and said in an almost sycophantic tone:

"My Lord, let me handle them. I am willing to share your burden."

Samuel's gaze passed over Cassius and landed on the young girl blocking in front of the others.

He looked at that exquisite, pretty face, and a flash of undisguised amazement crossed his eyes.

He gave a strange laugh, as if very interested in this scene of mutual slaughter, and nodded:

"That woman, capture her alive."

"The others, do as you please with them."

Upon hearing this, a flash of bitterness crossed Cassius's eyes, but it was immediately followed by a flash of ruthlessness.

He stepped forward, looked at Aurora, and his tone carried a distortion:

"Aurora, you heard it too. My Lord is willing to spare your life. Serve my Lord just like me; why throw your life away for those irrelevant people?"

Aurora did not answer.

She just gripped the silver-white scroll tightly, her gaze not wavering in the slightest.

Just at this moment—

A light laugh rang out in the mist.

The laugh was not loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power, causing the gazes of everyone present to involuntarily turn toward its source.

Rowan slowly walked out from the team.

He walked to Aurora's side, reached out, and gently pressed his hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, let's end this here."