Above the mage

Chapter 206 Immune Pain

"Stubborn to the end." Quincy Ursus shook his head at God.

"If you're locked up in a dungeon for more than three years, your bright future will be ruined," the vice chairman chimed in at the opportune moment.

Three years is not a long time for Master Gao Huan.

But for a young genius who advanced to the first-ring mage level at the age of 14, it was extremely precious.

Gaudy squinted at Quincy Ursus through the dim light of the dungeon.

His expression was calm, and no one knew what he was thinking.

It seems that Gao De was not affected at all by going from a renowned genius in the academy to a suspect accused of deliberately damaging the academy's assets.

Quincy Ursus also squinted at the young cadet who had been sent to the dungeon at his behest, and was somewhat surprised by the other's calmness.

Logically speaking, people of this age shouldn't be able to withstand too many setbacks.

"If you want to talk, then notify the guards outside, but I won't give you much time. Think it over quickly." Quincy Uther said this, then turned and left without lingering with God.

"Isn't it a bad idea to lock up the students in the dungeon without consulting Dean Sher beforehand?" After leaving the dungeon, the vice chairman offered a tactful reminder.

"There's no need to report this to Dean Sher," Quincy Ursher replied calmly. "Besides, you should know Dean Sher's character better than I do."

"Dean Sher never cares about the process; he only cares about the result. As long as the final result is good, my overstepping of boundaries during the process is nothing," he affirmed.

"Have you searched Gaode's room yet?" Quincy Ursher asked again.

"We've searched, but found neither runic constructs nor any other suspicious items."

"Furthermore, I sent people to ask the people in the potion department, and they can also testify that Gao De was indeed collecting maid clams at the foot of Coolie Cliff at the time the magic circle exploded this afternoon. It seems that the explosion of the magic circle was indeed unrelated to him."

"He west must have implemented an early warning mechanism when constructing the magic array. Once he detects that the magic array is being broken, it will activate and self-destruct," the vice chairman speculated.

He didn't understand talisman literature, but he still had the necessary knowledge.

Upon hearing the vice chairman's analysis, Quincy Ursus's face darkened, though it wasn't noticeable in the dimly lit dungeon corridor.

—Isn't this tantamount to blaming him for not being skilled enough, which caused the magic circle to explode?

"That's not important. What's important is that we must find the runic constructs left by Hoshi."

"He west is all alone; besides leaving it to this disciple, to whom else could he leave the runic constructs he created?"

"Even if it wasn't left to him, this kid definitely knows some information."

"After all, Hosie left the rune workshop to him," Quincy Erther said in a hoarse voice.

He had already gotten angry several times in just a few hours because of the rune construction issue.

These rune constructs are not only important to Shel Ian and the Second Prince, but also to him, and perhaps even more so.

With them, he could "become" a third-tier rune constructor.

A second-tier rune constructor carries some weight in the Second Prince's faction, but he's not even in the core circle and isn't worth mentioning.

Now is a crucial moment for "supporting the dragon" (a metaphor for helping someone succeed). The greater the contributions and value demonstrated now, the richer the rewards will be when merits are recognized in the future.

It's not just Shel Ian who needs to increase the leverage on the second prince's side.

Quincy Ursus also needs to push himself harder.

"Should we teach him a lesson first, let him face reality, and maybe that will instill in him a sense of awe towards imprisonment?" the vice chairman suggested.

Quincy Uther frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "He's already in the dungeon, and he's still so ungrateful. He really needs to experience what it's like to be a prisoner."

In fact, there are usually not many prisoners in the dungeons of the Mage Tower.

Even if they exist, most of the time they are not humans, but other creatures.

Therefore, the dungeon was exceptionally quiet, and the dim lighting created a suffocating sense of oppression.

Gao De sat on the floor.

Because there are no beds in the dungeon.

"The teacher is gone, and the data has been destroyed. Now, apart from my head, there is nowhere else in the world that contains information about the six basic rules of runes and interference constants."

"There's no need to worry about the results being leaked for now."

"What they want now is runic constructs."

"The teacher didn't mention anything about rune constructs, but since they're so sure, it's highly likely that what the teacher has in the St. Sein City branch of the Oakenli Merchant Guild is a rune construct."

No wonder the teacher didn't write these things in his will and told him to keep them a secret and not let outsiders know.

The old man deeply understood that, compared to the "knowledge" that he and Gao De considered truly priceless, rune constructs were the things that truly had value to outsiders.

The old man had no idea that, despite being ignored in the rune workshop for decades, Shel Ian's gaze upon him had never ceased.

Therefore, his actions could not be concealed.

"I just don't know if Gerica can help me. I've received her investment before, so at least on this level, I have a direct interest in her."

"However, it is still unknown how much effort she is willing to put into this matter. If they really believe that I know the location of the runic construct, the price they want to pay to get me out will definitely be beyond what she can afford."

"Therefore, I must insist that I know nothing about rune construction. At least my teacher has never mentioned it to me. My current guesses are just that—guesses. Even if I am interrogated or dragged into the Realm of Honesty, I can handle it calmly."

Gao De remained silent, deep in thought.

Among spells in the 0-3 rings, only [Torture] and [Domain of Honesty] can be used for interrogation.

[Torture], Master Seda has already let Gaode experience it once.

【Field of Honesty】 is a 2nd-level spell. Compared to 【Interrogation】, which allows the caster to know whether the target is lying, its spell effect is to prevent targets within the field from lying.

However, the affected targets are aware of the existence of the "Honest Domain," so they can completely avoid the main points when answering questions, as long as they do not go beyond the scope of truth.

"However, if Gerica is unwilling to intervene, and I insist I know nothing about runic constructs, they might get so angry that I could end up spending several years in prison."

The consequences were severe.

But will he hand over what his teacher left him to these scoundrels?

Definitely not.

Then there's no need to think about the consequences anymore.

"A first-ring mage's lifespan is 150 years. With the [Azure Wood Longevity Sutra] and Yugathira, it can be even longer. Let alone a few years, even if it's delayed by more than ten years, it's not unacceptable."

Of course, this is the worst-case scenario.

After organizing his thoughts and preparing himself for the worst-case scenario, Gaode stopped thinking about the matter.

But there's really nothing to do in the dungeon.

Gao De simply started trying to build a spell model.

Fortunately, he had already memorized the ternary arrays representing coordinates derived from those spell models.

But his peace of mind did not last long.

About half an hour later, a series of dull and suppressed footsteps came from the corridor outside the dungeon.

The already dim light in the dungeon became even darker.

The previously deathly silence grew cold and eerie as the footsteps approached.

An ominous aura filled the air, sending chills down one's spine.

Immediately afterwards, a figure shrouded in a black hooded robe appeared outside the dungeon where Gaode was located.

His face was obscured by the shadows.

But Gao De could sense that the other party was looking at him with a sinister gaze.

That gaze was not only sinister, but also cruel and indifferent, giving Gao De a bad feeling.

The next instant, an indescribable atmosphere of anxiety filled the air.

Gao De's face contorted instantly, his eyes widening in shock.

An indescribable and uncontrollable intense pain surged forth like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing his entire body.

The pain came so suddenly and so intensely that Gao De felt as if his soul was being torn apart.

His body began to tremble violently from the intense pain, and his muscles were so tense that they seemed about to tear apart.

He felt as if every inch of his flesh and every inch of his skin was simultaneously being tormented by flames, icy cold, insect bites, and sharp blades.

Sweat rolled down his forehead like beads from a broken string, instantly soaking his clothes and blurring his vision, making everything around him appear distorted.

His breathing became rapid and erratic.

Gaode even knelt down in pain.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, hoping to alleviate even the slightest bit of pain, but to no avail.

In this unbearable and indescribable torment, Gao De's remaining consciousness had already realized what he was experiencing:

This is the Necromancer's 2nd Circle spell, "Howling Pain".

It causes extreme pain to the target's body.

But it will not cause any harm.

It's simply unbearable pain.

Under normal circumstances, it is used as a control spell.

But now, it is being used as a torture device to torment him.

In the world of mages, punishments are naturally not the common physical means such as "whips" or "burning".

Magic is the most advanced instrument of torture.

It won't cause any wounds, but the pain and torment it inflicts are unmatched by any other instrument of torture.

Gaode has never been to prison.

This was his first time in jail.

Even in his previous life, Gao De had heard of the Black Prison, let alone in the Principality of Sien, where order was far less than in his previous life.

Therefore, Gaode understood everything.

This is "torture to extract a confession".

The pain lasted for several seconds before abruptly stopping.

"Do you remember now, where did He west put the runic construct?" A hoarse, unpleasant voice, its tone indistinguishable, came from the figure at the dungeon entrance.

He must have been deliberately speaking in a low voice to avoid Gaode recognizing him later.

"Mother," Gao De said with difficulty, his body soaked in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of the water. His pale lips moved.

"What did you say, 'mother'?" The figure frowned, thinking it was some address, and quickly asked, "I can't hear you."

"I said," Gao De bit his lip, using all his strength to say, word by word, "I curse your mother."

"Actually, I admire your courage to provoke me after all this torture," the figure raised an eyebrow and laughed condescendingly. "If you begged for mercy, you might feel a little better today."

"Just come on over." Gao De had regained some strength and was speaking with less difficulty.

"You're so stubborn. I only stopped because I was afraid you'd faint from the excessive stimulation."

"Since that's the case, I'll play along with you slowly. I hope your bones are as hard as your mouth," the figure said mockingly.

"Come on," Gao De laughed.

[By enduring intense pain, your pain tolerance increases by 6%.]

After spending an afternoon at the bottom of the river, the [Adaptive] feature only provided 0.6% cold resistance.

In those few tens of seconds of pain, Gaode's pain tolerance increased by a full 6%.

It is easy to imagine how terrifying the pain caused by the "screams of agony" is.

However, the more terrifying the pain, the faster Gaode will adapt.

What doesn't kill him will only make him stronger.

This is the power of "adaptive" technology.

The figure glanced at Gao De, and his eye twitched.

The next instant, an atmosphere of anxiety spread once again.

The familiar, intense pain swept over me once again.

Gao De writhed on the floor like a shrimp, his back arched, emitting muffled groans.

The 6% increase in pain tolerance does not allow Gaode to ignore this pain.

But I can definitely feel that I feel much better than before.

And this number, accompanied by pain, is increasing at a visible rate.

6.1% 6.2% 6.3%

This time, the screams of agony lasted for a full minute before stopping.

Because of that figure, Gao De's low groans were getting softer and softer, and it was feared that Gao De's consciousness could not withstand the excessive stimulation and he would faint directly.

He was prepared to take his time playing with Gaode Maps.

"this one?"

To his surprise, the spell's effect had barely ended when Gao De spoke up again, "provoking" him.

He snorted coldly, not bothering to waste any more words with Gao De, and once again unleashed [Painful Howl].

Gao De's back, which had just straightened, arched again, and he twisted and writhed on the ground, seemingly trying to alleviate the pain in this way.

This time, the screams of agony lasted for nearly two minutes before ending.

After this incident, Gaode did not say anything immediately.

"That's all there is to it." The figure sneered, convinced that he had Gao De under his control.

"this one?"

Before he could finish speaking, Gao De's weak voice echoed again in the quiet dungeon.

At this moment, the figure's expression finally changed.

The torment that 【screams of agony】 can bring is so intense that even the most pain-tolerant rock elephant cannot endure it for long, let alone a human.

But the person in front of me is so fearless. Just how strong and tenacious is their willpower?

"I refuse to believe I can't subdue you today." This time, it was the figure's turn to grit his teeth.

He said fiercely.

As the perpetrator, the inability to see the victim's pleas for mercy made him feel an extreme sense of failure.

The next moment, Gao De's muffled groan, which he had been suppressing, echoed once again in the dungeon.

In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour had passed.

The face of the figure hidden in the shadows was filled with disbelief.

He repeatedly cast [Painful Howl] on Gao De.

After casting spells for half an hour straight, he was starting to pant slightly, but Gao De seemed to be getting more and more awake and in better condition.

At first, Gaode seemed to be in great pain.

Later on, he stopped even making muffled groans and just lay on the ground, hunched over.

He had never seen or even heard of anyone who could endure excruciating pain for half an hour without fainting or giving in.

Is this a person, or a stone that feels no pain?

The pain that had been emanating from my body disappeared once again as the spell ended.

Gao De shakily got up from the floor and grinned at the figure outside the dungeon.

"That's it?!"

This time, it's not just "stubbornness," but complete "adaptation."

[By enduring intense pain, your pain tolerance increases by 67%.]

In the beginning, within a few tens of seconds, the "adaptive" feature can increase Gaode's tolerance for pain by 6%.

However, this rate of increase slows down as time goes on.

Even just now, the three-minute-long scream of excruciating pain only increased Gaode's pain tolerance by 1.2%.

The reason is also very simple.

He has gradually adapted to this pain.

Now, the "Screaming Pain" can still cause him pain, but for Gaode, it's nothing anymore; at most, it just refreshes him.

(End of this chapter)