Bizarre Survival: I Can Devour Thousands of Talents

Chapter 177, Section 176: Magic Study Tour, Axia

While comforting the man with the missing arm, Gehrman compared the intelligence he brought back with Angelina and the others' accounts.

The conclusion he reached shocked him.

After instructing Sansa to take good care of the wounded, Gehrman came to Ling Xiao's side and thanked him again in an exceptionally solemn tone.

At first, he thought Angelina and the others were just overreacting because they were too frightened.

After all, he had been in charge of Aran Town for so many years and had fought against the monsters in the valley for so many years.

Gehrman knew very well just how terrifying these so-called high-level monsters were!

The reason why Yalan Town has been able to develop relatively stably is naturally due to everyone's hard work year after year.

However, the influence of luck cannot be ignored.

The rarity of attacks from high-level monsters undoubtedly greatly reduces their external pressure.

This mysterious Mr. Owl single-handedly saved Thaksin and repelled several dwarf apes led by high-level demons.

The fact that he had killed all the high-level monsters, including the Dwarf Ape King, and also wiped out most of the miscellaneous soldiers was so astonishing that it made him very suspicious!

However, the intelligence brought back by the other teams is similar to that of Angelina.

This corroborates the previous statement.

This made Ling Xiao's record much more believable in Gehrman's mind.

This makes his power seem even more real...

……

News has reached the hunting teams that went out.

The ninth and tenth teams are training teams composed of young people, while the top eight are the core elite forces that venture out of Yalan Town to explore.

Now, with the emergency recall statistics, everyone is horrified to discover that this trip has indeed resulted in huge losses!

Apart from encountering the dwarf apes in groups three, four, and seven, the other groups had no accidents and reaped considerable rewards.

But these three unlucky squads combined only have eight survivors!

Six of them suffered severe injuries, such as severed arms, which are extremely difficult to heal. Even if they survive, it is virtually impossible for them to fully recover.

Eight official teams.

Three units were immediately destroyed, their organization completely destroyed and their fighting capacity completely lost.

This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the town of Aran!

Especially those few people who knew the secret information.

For example, Gehrman.

After summarizing the details of the attacks, including those involving the Ninth Squad, and the time differences, he arrived at a chilling conclusion:

These pygmy apes are deliberately hunting down human squads!

What could be more worrying than the monster we've been fighting all along suddenly developing intelligence?

But it's not without good news.

At least the dwarf ape king, who was the most likely suspect in awakening intelligence, was killed on the spot by Mr. Owl.

The two shamans also died on the spot.

If only Angelina had given that reply, Gehrman would have suspected that the young girl had been tricked and deceived.

But the Ninth Squad still has that old scoundrel, Sart.

Although this guy is usually a clueless bum, he's never confused when it comes to important matters.

Gehrman was able to accept Ling Xiao's arrival so quickly partly because his old friend had already tested the waters.

Three people make a crowd, and many voices can melt metal.

As the mayor of Aran Town, Gehrman had to be wary of such a powerful outsider...

However, he wasn't overly suspicious, and after verifying things from multiple sources, he finally began to trust Ling Xiao.

"The Dwarf Ape King?"

Clark, the captain of the first squad and the strongest killing knight in Aran Town, wore dark red armor and carried a sheathless heavy sword.

Gehrman, Sat, and Sansa are considered the three highest-ranking members of Aran Town, but the town's undisputed strongest killer is none other than him, the true Killer Knight!

The reason why he dares not claim to be the strongest is because Sat's eldest disciple, Aksia, can always redefine everyone's understanding of strength.

As the Killer Knight, he is the public face, and if Alan Town faces a crisis of destruction, Aksia will undoubtedly become everyone's hope.

This is why, after Sartre discovered the dwarf ape's unusual behavior, he still urged Angelina and the others to escape back to the town as quickly as possible.

In his heart.

My eldest disciple's magical skills are probably enough to fight against that terrifying demonic tide!

Clark's gaze was extremely imposing, but in reality, he was very gentle.

But after practicing the Knight's Breathing Technique and being tempered by so many years of bloody battles, even the smoothest stone will be stained with the bloody aura!

Even when he doesn't unleash his power, very few people dare to look him in the eye.

But just as he was curiously looking at the young stranger, he was like a hard egg that had crashed into an unmoving rock!

He let out a muffled groan and stumbled.

Clark never expected that his glance would have such a powerful aftereffect!

Fortunately, Ling Xiao had excellent control over his own aura; he was merely acting out of instinct to prevent outside influences from getting close.

Ling Xiao followed the gaze and discovered something new and interesting.

[Lack of Soul Clark (Follower of the God of Volcano and Furnace): Soul Integrity (67%)]

Aside from the two deities he had glimpsed before, this was the third deity he had discovered in the lost soul.

That's interesting...

As darkness fell, night was approaching.

"Mr. Xiao, I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend the night in this cold council chamber either."

Gehrman smiled and waved. "I'll have Angelina take you to a warm place to rest. If you need anything, just tell her."

Ling Xiao bid farewell to Gehrman, who was leaving in a hurry.

The town entrance was sealed off, and the number of watchtowers and patrolling soldiers doubled.

It seems that Aran Town will be on high alert tonight.

"Um... Mr. Xiao,"

Angelina secretly glanced at Ling Xiao's profile and felt a strange sense of annoyance upon discovering that it was flawless.

As the most beautiful young woman in Alan Town, Aksia rarely shows herself, so it's no surprise that everyone's praise is focused on her.

After Ling Xiao appeared, what she cared about most, besides his background and strength, was what kind of face he had.

He wasn't ridiculously handsome, but his impeccable looks, combined with a cool yet gentle aloofness, instantly captured her heart.

Angelina didn't have any other thoughts; she just felt that simply staying by Mr. Owl's side was enough.

For example, during their time alone together, Angelina inexplicably wished the road to the mage tower were longer... much longer...

Ideally, Aksia wouldn't be home...

"Oh, it's you guys."

Sartre rubbed his eyes, picked up the long-cooled tea, frowned, and moistened his lips.

"Mr. Owl, aren't you going to the church? The wounded are being cared for there; the fire is burning brightly and it's very warm!"

"I'm not afraid of the cold," Ling Xiao explained with a smile. "Besides, I do have some questions I'd like to hear Master Sartre's answers to. Do you have time tonight?"

"certainly!"

Sartre took the hot tea that Angelina had prepared and exhaled a comfortable breath of steam.

"The night is still long! Although I don't have the energy I used to have, I can still manage to stay up all night occasionally!"

……

By candlelight, Ling Xiao asked many questions indirectly.

Sartre was also very open with his words. He also clearly told Ling Xiao that he couldn't talk about some things related to the secrets of Alan Town, and the latter naturally didn't insist.

The end of the paper is so shallow that I know that this matter must be carried out.

But at least he needed to have a general impression first. Through Sartre's narration, Lingxiao's understanding of the valley far exceeded what he had before.

The experience they accumulated over time was of great significance to these newcomers to the survival scene.

Ling Xiao really wanted to ask some questions about the gods, but after hesitating for a long time, he held back.

He has always adhered to the principles he set for himself from the very beginning:

Be careful...be careful...be very careful!

When it comes to matters concerning the gods, even something as simple as gathering information must not be taken lightly!

Anyway, he's not going to run away after asking questions; he can stay in Yalan Town for quite some time.

Moreover, besides the gods, Ling Xiao had something else he wanted to ask that was equally important.

"Mr. Xiao is also a mage?"

Sartre looked at Ling Xiao in astonishment, never expecting that this young man who had displayed such power during the day, slaughtering almost all the dwarf apes, was actually a magician like himself!

Are people from the north really that fierce?

So you're really practicing both magic and martial arts?

"Uh... although it doesn't really look like it, and it certainly doesn't right now, I do have a heart that yearns to learn magic!"

Ling Xiao didn't shamelessly claim that he could already be called a "magician".

The latest novel is first published here!

He currently only knows a few spells at most, and strictly speaking, he can only be considered a "warlock".

He had considered exchanging ideas and learning from other survivors with magical talents.

But everyone here is a greenhorn, and they haven't even mastered their own professions and talents yet!

Where does he get the confidence to teach Ling Xiao, who is ranked number one?

So after exchanging their experiences, Ling Xiao helplessly realized that if he wanted to improve his magical skills, he had to start from the proper channels.

Originally, he only had one option: the Alchemy Manual.

But Sartre, this soulless man who could communicate freely, was undoubtedly a living "teacher"!

Industry specializing in surgery.

Ling Xiao maintained a humble attitude and asked questions without hesitation, while Sartre was unpretentious and answered all questions without reservation, explaining the basic concepts of magic to Ling Xiao in the simplest and most understandable language possible.

The old man and the young man chatted happily.

Angelina, who was listening in, was not sleepy at all. Even though she could only understand the very basic parts at the beginning, it did not stop her from being captivated by Ling Xiao's radiant face, even though it was like listening to gibberish.

Just talk and don't practice fake grips.

As Sartre was teaching, he pulled Lingxiao outside the tower and had the latter demonstrate the spellcasting.

Under the guidance of the Alchemy Manual, Ling Xiao, who had already mastered the Extreme Cold Spear to a perfect casting level, was naturally not intimidated at all!

The spirit moves with the heart.

He casually spread out his palm, and the surrounding water elements condensed into ice under the catalysis of spiritual power, smoothly "growing" into a straight and slender ice spear!

"Let me experience it."

Sartre stretched out his finger and pressed it on the ice spear, quietly feeling it for a moment before uttering vulgarities.

"This guy's a beginner in magic?!"

"This purity! This level of elemental condensation! Even I would need years of practice to achieve this!"

"Young man! Are you sure you're not just making fun of me because you can't sleep in the middle of the night?!"

"Master Sartre, I'm not that free..."

"But you didn't deny that you did it!"

Sartre showed no resentment, but rather a look of surprise as if he had seen a rare treasure.

"If I'm not mistaken, your spell should have a second part, right? It can't just be about condensing ice spears, what's next?"

"If the subsequent effects match this level, then it's likely at the level of perfect spellcasting!"

"You guessed right."

Ling Xiao grinned, and instead of throwing the ice spear far, he gently tossed it to the ground not far away.

Snap—

The ice flowers cracked!

Countless tiny ice crystals splashed in all directions!

That's sufficient for demonstration purposes.

Sartre couldn't help but nod in admiration, exclaiming, "Perfect! Flawless perfection!"

"The only problem might be that the spell itself isn't particularly powerful. But the fact that you've mastered it to this level means the spell has become part of your soul!"

After reading it from beginning to end, Sartre really wanted to find some faults to offer some guidance.

But as a master of magic, he had his own pride.

The young apprentice did a great job, that deserves praise!

creak-

Just as Sartre was humbly seeking instruction from Lingxiao on this spell, the door to the mage tower behind him was pushed open.

A young girl in a white dress, still half-asleep, looked at them and complained in an unfriendly tone, "Hey, old man!"

"Making a ruckus all day is one thing, but why are you thinking about magic so late at night? Can you even figure it out?!"

"Huh? Haha..."

Sartre intended to project the authority of an elder and teacher, but as in previous years, he softened at the sound of a young girl's coquettishness.

"Isn't it rare to encounter a magical genius? The teacher just wanted to give him some proper guidance..."

"A magical genius?"

The girl seemed intrigued by the words and came out.

Ling Xiao was also drawn to her long, azure hair.

Staring at him was somewhat impolite, so he quickly looked away.

What puzzled him was that it was already winter, and the cold wave had been weakened by the mountains, but the temperature in the valley was already very low.

But the girl was only wearing a thin dress, her thin and frail body revealing slender arms and legs that looked like jade, like a porcelain doll.

The key point is that while he himself was wearing thick combat boots, the girl's feet were completely naked, her two jade-like feet, like those of a guinea pig, were bare and treading on the ground.

【The Lost One - Aksia (Ice Spirit Clan)】

ha?

Even staying up late at night, you can still see something new?

[The Eye of the Secret] has recently made a lot of progress, not only discovering the name of a deity but also identifying a special being.

"Hey! Have you seen enough?"

The girl's slightly disgruntled shout snapped Ling Xiao back to reality, and he realized that he had stopped staring at her face and had instead been staring at her feet.

That's even more impolite...

"Excuse me, aren't you cold?"

Ling Xiao promptly changed the subject.

"I'm different from you guys; I'm more comfortable when it's cold!"

Aksia crossed her arms over her chest with a hint of pride and tilted her head back proudly.

However, her childlike figure and the tuft of hair swaying on her head made Ling Xiao feel no sense of arrogance, only a cuteness that made him want to reach out and ruffle it.

"By the way! Don't change the subject!"

The girl suddenly said seriously, "A magical genius? That's the only time my teacher has ever praised me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Aksia extended her right hand.

With her slender fingers spread open, a long spear of ice flashed and appeared in her palm!

Lingxiao has excellent perception.

The ice spear was clearly not in the girl's hand, but obediently hovered steadily!

Judging from its aura, it's remarkably similar to my own [Extreme Cold Spear]!

Aksia noticed the shock in Ling Xiao's eyes, and with a serious expression, she activated the ice spear in her hand.

Boom——

The same ice flowers bloom!

Ice crystals, also imbued with spiritual energy, splashed out!

This [Spear of Extreme Cold] is... so similar!?