Bizarre Survival: I Can Devour Thousands of Talents

Chapter 178, Section 177: Triggering the Quest, Three Spells

"How is it?"

Aksia raised her little face, looking at Ling Xiao with a hint of smugness in her eyes.

But Ling Xiao didn't feel offended; he just found it kind of cute.

Having grown accustomed to the cutthroat world outside, Ling Xiao was unexpectedly "provoked" by a little girl in this town of lost souls, which sparked a playful impulse in him.

Just as he was about to make a few derogatory remarks to tease Aksia, the little girl spoke first.

"I may not be as good as you at other magic, but I'm definitely the strongest at ice magic!"

Aksia's face lit up with confidence. "Want to play a game with me?"

"If I lose, I'll teach you my secret spell! Of course, don't blame me if you can't learn it!"

"hehe,"

Just as Ling Xiao was about to ask how the competition would proceed, a new message flashed across the panel in front of him.

[Trigger Quest: Axia's Battle of Wits!]

[Axia's Spell Challenge (To be accepted)]

[Note: Aksia, who grew up in Alan Town, is unaware that she possesses the bloodline of the Ice Spirit Clan, but her talent in magic, especially ice magic, has already begun to shine! As an outsider who has gained Sat's approval, are you confident that you can defeat this proud young woman in a magic duel?]

[Content: None available]

[Rewards: None]

Ling Xiao stared blankly at Aksia again.

Sartre, standing nearby, now felt that this young man from out of town was somewhat "forgetful of beauty".

Fortunately, Ling Xiao reacted immediately.

In terms of reading speed, he could read ten lines at a glance.

But I couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise that I needed to process!

To date, he has completed many tasks listed in his task list.

This was the first time Ling Xiao had encountered a task that could be triggered.

Aside from the group quests and class quests for version updates, he has only ever started one private quest: [Bloody Awakening].

This was a series of missions that he initiated without his knowledge.

The final reward is the excellent-grade [Grind Teeth and Suck Blood], which has been of great help along the way.

seeing is believing.

I've heard stories of people who, by chance, start a quest and receive various rewards, such as experience, upon completion.

Compared to combat gameplay that requires killing monsters, this mission-driven mode is obviously safer, but unfortunately not all players are so lucky.

Even in the [channel] where everyone in the region can speak freely, there are fewer than three digits of people showing off their mission rewards.

After the guild was established, Lingxiao's interactions with the outside world consisted mainly of underground caves and monsters.

until today.

This night.

Ling Xiao has finally triggered the mission once again!

Her mind was racing, but to others, this brief moment of distraction was already quite offensive.

After all, Ling Xiao staring at the girl without saying a word was somewhat lewd.

The details are unclear, and the reward wasn't mentioned...

Should I accept this mission?

"Just so you know!"

Ling Xiao smiled easily, showing no sign of tension.

"I know very few spells. You can tell me how you want to compete!"

"Hmph! I won't bully you just because I've been using magic since elementary school!"

Aksia had already come up with an idea, and after hearing Ling Xiao's frank words, she immediately explained her approach.

【Task Update】

[Content: Learn and successfully cast the three ice spells demonstrated by Aksia (Ice Spike Trap, Ice Crystal Shield, and Thousand Cold Lights) [0/3]; Achieve perfect casting of one of them; Achieve perfect casting of two of them...]

[Rewards: Tier 2 Experience Group*?; Excellent Status [Ice Element Affinity]; Axia's Limited Talent [Frosty Radiance]]

"Axia!"

Before Ling Xiao could answer, Sartre was the first to object after hearing his beloved disciple's conditions.

【Ice Spike Trap】I can understand it; this spell isn't difficult, and I can even cast it skillfully myself.

The [Frost Crystal Shield] is where the difficulty begins to increase.

Although the name is very similar to [Ice Shield], Sat knew perfectly well that the two were worlds apart.

【Frost Crystal Shield】

Especially the effect that Aksia casts, the almost instantaneous casting time is an insurmountable gap!

Sartre would try it every winter, but he could never achieve the same silky smoothness and swiftness as Aksia.

Then he understood.

Talent truly determines one's potential!

His magical talent was not bad; otherwise, he could not have become a recognized master in Aran Town.

But in front of Axia, an ice-type genius, Sat was like a green recruit.

However, this only applies to ice-type monsters.

If the domain were changed to the wood element, then Sat would have something to say.

For all these years, Aksia has remained immersed in the world of ice magic.

It has been almost two and a half years since the last major disaster that struck Aran Town; that was the last time Aksia had gone all out.

In the critical moment, the mayor decisively ordered himself to fetch Aksia!

The latter didn't even leave the mage tower, but stood on the open-air top of the tower and summoned icy meteors to bombard the town from all sides!

The terrifying and violent output of magic made even Sat, who had studied magic for half his life, tremble with fear!

Although the consequence was that the girl was unconscious for half a year, no one in Yalan Town could forget the magnificent sight of countless icy meteors filling the sky.

Now, almost three years have passed. How strong can Axia's ice magic become?

Sartre was truly unsure...

That's why he quickly spoke up to stop the little guy's mischief.

Guests are welcome.

Moreover, Mr. Xiao had just saved them not long ago.

Besides...

There aren't that many geniuses who can learn something after just one demonstration!

Do you think everyone is like you, an ice-type genius who can grasp concepts at a glance and apply them to other situations?!

"Uh, that..."

Aksia, who was initially full of fighting spirit, realized after her teacher's urgent reminder that she had been asking too much of others.

She was so excited when she met someone who really interested her.

"It's a bit difficult to watch it just once, I can demonstrate it for you a few more times..."

"Axia! This isn't about performing or not!"

Sartre was utterly speechless. "At least I had your insights back then, but now you're expecting Mr. Owl to learn just by looking? This isn't how we treat guests in Aran Town!"

"Oh! That makes sense!"

Aksia hesitated at first, then nodded vigorously, her tuft of hair bobbing back and forth with her head.

"Wait a minute! I'm not going to take advantage of you!"

After saying that, she swung her bare feet and ran back to the mage tower.

Amidst the clattering sounds of climbing the stairs, three hastily drawn manuscripts soon appeared before Ling Xiao's eyes.

"Here you go!"

"That's all I've written down. If you ask me to add more, I really can't think of anything else I need to write about playing ice games..."

"It's alright, the worst that can happen is that it's embarrassing!"

Ling Xiao smiled brightly, "If I could learn that, it would be a rare ice-based spell!"

"confidence……"

Aksia grumbled to herself, but still handed the manuscript to Ling Xiao.

The handwriting was neat and beautiful, but the combination of various strange lines and patterns made it difficult to understand.

Aksia didn't forget her promise either. With a flick of her hand, her body was enveloped in an icy blue aura!

Several ice spike traps appeared on the ground, an ice crystal shield floated and drifted outside her body, and countless tiny lights were poised to strike behind her!

In less than a breath, Aksia revealed all three test questions!

This level of skill is beyond what hard work can achieve; it absolutely requires exceptional talent to play like this.

As for Ling Xiao, let alone comparing his talent with others, he simply doesn't have any magical talent at all!

In this duel... Ling Xiao was destined to lose.

But the reason he dared to take on this hard-won mission, besides his greed, was that he had the confidence to complete it!

He didn't have magical talent.

Not only does he possess ice-type talent, but he can even unleash the [Ice Soul Domain]!

If Aksia asks a different question, Ling Xiao might be able to answer it.

But he was actually willing to give ice magic a try!

Moreover, Ling Xiao has more than one trump card.

I'm already itching to get my hands on the Alchemy Notebook to begin my magical learning journey!

The latest novel is first published here!

Aksia was surrounded by ice shields and cold light.

She was considering whether to lower the difficulty level further.

After all, even the teacher could only barely cast [Frost Crystal Shield], and couldn't even learn the basics of [Thousands of Cold Lights].

Are my expectations a bit too high?

But Aksia was still unhappy. This was the first time she had heard her teacher praise someone else's magical genius, which instinctively aroused her curiosity and resentment.

She wants to see.

Is this outsider just all show and no substance, or is he a true magical genius who can rival me?

Ling Xiao focused on his studies.

However, reading it doesn't make it understandable, and learning it doesn't seem to solve the problem...

Asking him to learn the basics on his own using only these three manuscripts and a demonstration with only pictures is practically a pipe dream.

But he was neither discouraged nor anxious.

Learning is not a pleasant process, and anyone who says they love learning is lying!

What they truly love is the results that learning brings, not the tedious process of learning itself.

However, in this other world, learning magic seems to be much more interesting than simply studying textbooks...

Aksia is very kind-hearted.

Although she had already completed the spell, she continued the process repeatedly.

The traps on the ground melted and solidified again, and the ice crystal shield also revealed the trajectory of spiritual energy as it circulated.

As for the myriad cold lights behind her, even with Ling Xiao's eyesight, he couldn't clearly see the trajectory of the spiritual energy for the time being; he could only sense the vast expanse of spiritual light.

Sartre and Angelina, who were acting as spectators, were also spellcasters. After their attempts failed, they quietly waited for Ling Xiao's response.

Aksia's ice magic is rarely revealed.

At first, she thought she would teach the people of the town to see if they could master ice magic.

In the end, only Sat managed to learn a little bit, and the deeper and more powerful spells became Axia's "patent".

Angelina was one of her closer companions.

The two women, a passionate apprentice priest and a cool ice mage, with their contrasting styles, are known as the two most beautiful flowers in Aran Town.

Angelina inevitably felt jealous of Axia, but it was a harmless, minor emotion.

Any spellcaster would feel a sense of awe and reverence, like seeing a silver moon in the dead of winter, before Aksia...

That was a regret so profound that even the thought of catching up was hard to conceive...

Mr. Xiao... can you really learn it?

Ling Xiao simply read the notes quietly, his senses clearly transmitting back Aksia's spiritual energy changes without him needing to concentrate.

Both magic and potions are disciplines governed by "laws".

【Sealed Artifact: Flamel's Alchemy Notebook】

They happen to be quite adept at identifying patterns!

Through Ling Xiao's persistent observation, he recorded more and more details of the spiritual energy trajectory.

Accumulate to a certain critical point.

The Alchemy Notebook has finally recorded this spell that I've never encountered before!

So Ling Xiao began his experiment.

bang—

The newly formed ice spike trap shattered before it was fully formed due to an error in the flow of spiritual energy!

The sudden explosion caused Angelina, who was caught off guard, to gasp softly in surprise.

Is this considered casting a spell...?

It is... but it isn't...

In the Alchemy Manual, this is already Ling Xiao's record of successfully casting the Ice Spike Trap.

In reality, a trap that automatically breaks down as soon as it appears is clearly a major failure.

Ling Xiao closed his eyes for the time being.

He has already "seen" the Ice Spike Trap; now he just needs to learn it thoroughly.

The "Learning Has No Bounds" feature of the Alchemy Notes is essentially a collection of incorrect answers.

Learn from experience and then put it into practice.

One ice spike trap after another was created and then exploded!

Ling Xiao is getting faster and faster with each practice session!

Proficiency is soaring, and mastery of spells is increasing!

slowly……

The newly emerged ice spike traps can now be successfully formed and remain for a long time.

But Ling Xiao did not stop casting the spell. His feet and the people around him were gradually filled with dense traps.

bang bang bang-

As he opened his bright, sparkling eyes, the surrounding ice spike traps shattered all at once!

Angelina was a little worried and was about to turn her head to ask something when she heard Sartre explain softly, lost in thought, "He has... learned it..."

"How long has it been? He's already learned it?"

The last two sentences seem to be a question asked and answered by the speaker.

Angelina was initially delighted to receive the answer, but was then shocked by the news.

Yes!

It hasn't been long since I started learning from Mr. Xiao.

【Ice Spike Trap】Although it is the simplest of these three spells, it depends on who you compare it to!

In the entire town of Aran, only the teacher and Master Sat could cast ice spike traps similar to those of Aksia.

This is the level they reached after years of practice following their initial learning!

Mr. Xiao... how long have you been in Yalan Town?

If the next two spells also come this fast...

Do not!

There's no need to be that fast!

If he can learn it, he will have already surpassed his teacher and Master Sartre!

Moreover, he's a learner; if he could solve Aksia's problem overnight, wouldn't his talent be...?

A terrifying thought popped into my head!

Angelina, however, couldn't help but think it was indeed possible!

I was even a little happy!

Aksia...it seems you're going to be the fool again tonight...

"No! That can't be!"

Aksia's face was full of confusion. "No, it's alright! Ice spike traps are the simplest!"

"Even if he... wait! What is he doing!?"

The taskbar has changed.

Ling Xiao successfully cast the [Ice Spike Trap], but he didn't immediately start thinking about the next spell.

After clearing the surrounding traps, new traps will regenerate!

"Not only has he learned it, but he also wants to... achieve perfect spellcasting in one go!?"

"Are you kidding me!?"

(End of this chapter)