The most shameless alchemist in history

He was under immense pressure. Directly in front of him was a vast expanse of falling flames, like a fiery inferno. Tornadoes formed by swirling flames raged relentlessly, and the powerful wind pressure and sweltering heat made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Kid, don't try to intimidate me with this. So what exactly do you want?" The Void Abyss creature was very dissatisfied with Du Lei's words, but at most it just complained and that was it. What followed was still compromise, because Du Lei was right, and there was another very important point.

If he did not agree with Dure, he would not have chosen to compromise in the underground of the Ash Tower, but would have perished with Dure long ago.

“When Grenier told me that the worms are actually condensations formed from the magical impurities discarded during the magic extraction process, just like the garbage produced in human life, people eat apples but leave the apple peels behind. Under normal circumstances, the apple peels are buried and gradually decompose underground. But if the apple peels accumulate more and more, all concentrated in the same place, then the mountain of apple peels cannot decompose, will rot and emit a foul stench, and will cause great trouble to humans, until it evolves into a disaster, it’s almost the same principle,” Dure explained slowly.

"It's that damn system that gathered the scattered apple peels together, right? You humans really know how to make trouble for yourselves. So, kid, you still haven't told me your plans." The creature from the Void Abyss seemed interested in this question and was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Before I answer your question, can you answer one of mine first?" Dure began to negotiate with him.

"Hey kid, aren't you annoying? Just ask me what you want to ask!" The creature from the Void Abyss said impatiently.

"Do you have a name? I mean, you creatures from the Void Abyss... you should have your own names, right? Otherwise, how do you distinguish yourselves? Are you called Number One, Number Two, Number Three?" Du Lei asked.

"Name? I almost forgot my name if you hadn't mentioned it... Huh? What was my name again? I've been asleep for so long that I don't even remember my own name?" The creature from the Void Abyss pondered for a long time, but couldn't come up with a solution.

"How about this, after things are over here, tell me your name. If you really can't remember, I'll give you a name, okay?" Du Lei suggested.

“Alright, let’s do it this way. But how exactly do you plan to deal with this situation? It looks quite ferocious.” The Void Abyss creature agreed to Durei’s suggestion, but he knew very well that to remember a name or anything like that, they had to solve the current predicament first.

"Fierce, huh? I originally thought that someone from the Void Abyss wouldn't take a mere parasite born from a flawed magical energy seriously, but I didn't expect you to back down." There was a hint of mockery in Du Lei's words.

"What? Cowardice? Kid, are you kidding me? I am the greatest warrior, how could I be cowardly?" The Void Abyss creature reacted strongly to Du Lei's words and immediately protested.

"So, what we need to do next is obvious. We just need to take that guy down, right?" Du Lei pointed at the enormous parasite and shared his thoughts.

"It's still expanding. If it's allowed to expand indefinitely, I might really have a headache. But with its current size, it's not too difficult to take it down. But kid, there's one thing you need to understand: I could indeed take it down in the Void Abyss, but we're not in the Void Abyss now."

The creature from the void was eager to try, but he didn't take the parasites seriously. At the same time, he was also very clear-headed.

“I know that, but this isn’t the real world either,” Dure added.

“Your magical foundation is too weak. The crystal bottle is full of cracks. Even if I can defeat it, I need you to fight it. I have confidence in myself, but I don’t have confidence in you.” The Void Abyss creature pointed out the most crucial point of the problem.

“I know that too. I must use my own crystal bottle to contain your power. If you use my body to use your own power, my crystal bottle will shatter completely because it cannot withstand this magical energy.” Dure nodded, fully aware of his situation.

"Since you know that, do you still dare to shamelessly say that you'll take it down?" The creature from the Void Abyss seemed to look down on Du Lei.

“If things could be solved too easily, wouldn’t life be too boring and lack challenge? Come on, I’m ready. With the help of this, the crystal bottle will be repaired in a short time. Let’s use this short time to defeat it.”

Dure pulled a small medicine bottle from his pocket and shook out a bright red pill.

This was something Elune had given him before. Although he still couldn't understand why Elune, who clearly had a grudge against them, would help him at such a time, in Lance's words, she was treacherous and absolutely could not be trusted.

But Dure believed that even if Elune wanted to deal with him, she wouldn't use this method, and the potion she gave him was reliable.

.

310 Don't be stingy.

Dure was never the kind of person who would fight a battle he wasn't sure of winning, which was the biggest difference between him and Lance. When Grenier urged him to leave, the reason he chose to stay was not because he had any grand sentiments or any noble moral character.

He saw an opportunity in the catastrophic event caused by the loophole in the magic simulation system—an opportunity that could create countless possibilities for him. Grenier's presence would obviously prevent Dure from carrying out his plans effectively, so he had no choice but to let Grenier leave.

Now, only Dure is left in the vast space. Even though the scene here was previously being spied on from the outside, and people in the academy could see his every move through the magic water curtain, with the appearance of the termites, the magic water curtain has completely lost its function, and the outside world has lost contact with this place.

"If Elune is right, taking this... will temporarily seal the crack in my crystal bottle. Although even if the crack is sealed, it will be a long process to infuse it with magic and transform it into magical energy, but as long as you directly inject your magical energy..."

Du Lei watched from afar as the termites continued their rampage. Normally, termites are small and insignificant, but the termites in front of Du Lei were enormous creatures that trampled the vast ruins under their feet. A single stomp of their feet was enough to shatter the space around them.

The dozens of enormous tentacles that emanated from its body could flatten a small hill with just one of them. The mine that Du Lei had just escaped from was the best example. The mine, which was once majestic and magnificent, was now completely gone, trampled under its feet.

Even when faced with such a dangerous presence, Du Lei remained calm, and he naturally had his reasons for doing so.

“With your power, we will have a fighting chance against it.” After examining it for a moment, Dure’s body suddenly began to tremble.

"Kid, don't overestimate yourself. Even if your crystal bottle can be repaired in a short time, the capacity of the crystal bottle determines the power you can release. Not to mention that my power is still recovering and is far from being as strong as it was at its peak, even if I were at my peak, if you could only withstand one ten-thousandth of my power entering your body, or even less, you still wouldn't be able to defeat it," the Void Abyss creature warned.

It needs to rely on Dure to survive and cannot show a real entity. If Grenier leaves, he will definitely wonder why Dure is talking to himself. It's just crazy. But if Grenier leaves, he will see a shadow appear behind Dure.

It's not strange for a person to have a shadow; it's a normal natural phenomenon. But when a shadow appears at night, especially one that is much larger than the person, disproportionately large, and looks ferocious and terrifying, it inevitably sends chills down one's spine.

"Of course I know that. I don't consider myself the kind of genius who can defeat an enemy just by shouting. I also know that my crystal bottle has a limited capacity and cannot hold too much of your power. But as I told Grenier before, fighting is not just about brute force; you have to use your brain."

Dure pointed to his head, striking a pose of confidence. If Ruolans were present, he would be very familiar with this scene and feel at ease. Whenever Dure adopted this posture, things were usually not far from being resolved, and one could relax.

"Use your brain? You mean you're trying to use some clever trick to make up for the difference in strength? Kid, don't be so naive. I have eight hundred times more combat experience than you. Your trick won't work at all!" The Void Abyss creature refuted Du Lei's words.

At this moment, the collapse of the ruins intensified. Among the dozens of giant tentacles, one seemed to sense Dure's presence and began to pounce on him. Its attack caused a large area of ​​the nearby ground to crumble, and a large number of stones were scattered into the air.

The vortex of flames began to converge on Dure. The sky was pitch black, with only black and crimson colors in the world. The stones that were splashed in the air quickly turned into fireballs under the burning flames and fell to the ground, filling the air with the smell of burning.

"Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we try. Hey, stop dawdling! I'm already doing my best just to dodge these flame vortexes. If you keep holding back your strength, I'm doomed!" Du Lei ran for his life in the face of the tentacles' attack.

At this moment, he was completely powerless to fight back against the tentacles' attack, and he scrambled along in a very sorry state.

"Kid, who are you calling stingy? Well then, get ready with your body. The process might not be as easy as you think." The creature from the Void Abyss sneered and mocked. It looked down on Dure and would not compromise with him unless absolutely necessary.

"Let the pain come, no matter what it may be! I was prepared for this moment!" Du Lei shouted as he shoved the crimson pill into his mouth. At the same time, dozens of red lightning bolts struck down from the sky, tearing the night sky and revealing wounds that bled.

The sky is in despair!

Inside Maple Leaf Academy, most of the students had already been taken down the mountain to take refuge. At this time, only a large number of guards remained outside the academy, armed and on guard. A group of people wearing black cloaks walked into the empty academy gate.

Several teachers from Maple Leaf Academy stayed behind near the gate to cover the rear. Many of the teachers had doubts when they saw the group of people in black cloaks.

"Didn't they say everyone was supposed to go to safety? Why are people still going to the academy? It's dangerous there," the deer asked softly.

“They’re not ordinary people, they’re from the Magic Energy Association. See the badges on their chests?” Fant pointed to the black-robed man’s chest.

"That's... the Crystal Bottle emblem of the Magic Energy Association? But there's a claw next to the crystal?" The deer recognized the Crystal Bottle emblem; it was the exclusive symbol of the Magic Energy Association. She also knew that the Crystal Bottle emblem came in gold and silver, but she had never seen an emblem with a claw.

“Claws are the distinctive mark of the Soul Hunters. They are a black force under the Magic Power Association, specializing in handling the Association’s troublesome incidents throughout the continent,” Norton explained in a low voice.

"What? The Soul Hunting Squad? The one from the rumors..." Deer exclaimed in surprise, having heard a little about the Soul Hunting Squad's style of doing things.

“That’s right, it’s them. Even the Soul Hunting Force has been stationed at Maple Leaf Academy. I really don’t know what the future holds for the academy. Maybe by tomorrow morning, the name Maple Leaf Academy will no longer exist on the continent.” Fant sighed and muttered to himself.

.

311 Internal elimination

When something happens, it always develops in a good or bad direction. For Dure, he often encountered the latter. He can be described as someone who has never been favored by Lady Luck, but Lance, who lived under the same roof as him, was different.

Even though the magic simulation system had suffered such a major accident, Lance miraculously managed to escape from it. When he returned to Maple Leaf Academy, he found that the academy where he had lived for a month was somewhat different from usual, and the surrounding area was eerily calm.

Although it's normal for the academy to be quiet in the middle of the night, there were quite a few strangers in the academy, especially with a large number of guards on guard around. When the guards found Lance, they arrested him as a suspicious person until Nono learned about it and came to explain the situation.

Lance was then taken away by Nono. Along the way, even someone as oblivious as Lance realized that a major event had occurred at the academy. Several times he wanted to ask Nono what had happened, but Nono's face was terribly gloomy. Lance had never seen Nono look like this before.

This forced Lance to swallow back the doubts that were on his mind. It wasn't until the two of them sat down in a makeshift tent at the foot of the mountain that Lance finally seized the opportunity. He was determined to pour out all his doubts and get to the bottom of things.

“I know what you want to ask. The situation is complicated. There are a total of 364 students trapped in the simulation space, but only eight people, including you, have successfully returned.” After Nono sat down, she saw Lance’s suspicion and spoke first.

"Being trapped in the simulation space means... the vast majority of people didn't make it out of that hellhole? That's terrible. By the way, where's Dure? Is he one of those eight people?" Lance looked tired and disheveled.

After nodding, he suddenly remembered something and immediately asked about things related to Dure, while looking around to try and find Dure's whereabouts.

“No need to look anymore. He’s not as lucky as you. He’s still trapped inside and hasn’t come out yet.” Nono shook her head. Lance had already guessed her reaction, because if Dure were safe, she wouldn’t have this expression.

"What? Dure hasn't come out yet? Such a dangerous place... What is the academy doing, sending us to a place like that? They're practically disregarding our lives!" Lance recalled his previous experience in the simulation space, which filled him with resentment.

“No one wants to see such a sudden situation. Tell me what happened inside first.” Nono shook her head. She knew that the academy couldn’t be blamed for this, because the problem lay with the Magic Energy Association. Right now, outsiders didn’t know anything about the situation inside the simulation space.

But Lance had just escaped from inside, so he should know the situation inside very well.

“The situation inside is like this…” Lance composed himself. He knew that now was not the time to act impulsively and just curse. He needed to tell what he knew so that he could effectively help the people who were still trapped inside.

Meanwhile, in a makeshift command center set up at the foot of the mountain, the teachers of Maple Leaf Academy were having an urgent discussion. Next door was another command center where members of the Magic Energy Association and military personnel were holding a meeting, excluding the teachers of Maple Leaf Academy.

This forced Maple Leaf Academy to start from scratch.

"Those guys from the Magic Energy Association actually won't let us participate in the decision-making process, and this time the core area affected is our Maple Leaf Academy!" Charlotte was very dissatisfied with the Magic Energy Association's approach.

“I think they’re determined to completely destroy the academy, sacrificing it to quell this incident.” Although Fant usually opposes Charlotte, when it comes to the academy’s survival, the two temporarily set aside their argument.

"How can we allow this to happen? Can't we stop them?" Charlotte gritted her teeth. Although she once dreamed of becoming a member of the Magic Energy Association, it was still a distant dream. In reality, becoming the vice dean of Maple Leaf Academy was the most practical thing to do.

But if even Maple Leaf Academy were to disappear, he would lose not only his position as vice dean, but even his current status.

“To stop them, we need to resolve this incident more effectively, Professor Charlotte. You should understand that this is a catastrophic event with far-reaching consequences. If we don’t eliminate these parasites here and let them devour and expand, the consequences will be unimaginable.” Norton was quite rational.

Previously, he was also in charge of negotiating with the people from the Magic Energy Association. However, the result of the negotiations made him realize that the Magic Energy Association was also facing a choice: whether to abandon Maple Leaf Academy, or abandon Maple City, or even Snow Country. The answer to this choice was actually obvious.

"Does such a large Magic Energy Association have no other way to deal with parasites besides destroying our academy? In the end, these parasites are monsters they raised themselves!" Charlotte was full of resentment, and her goodwill towards the Magic Energy Association greatly decreased.

“If you insist on dealing with the termites, there are ways…” Aaron pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his hand, and said softly.

As a nominal researcher at the academy, he was not originally qualified to attend the meeting. For example, trainee teachers like Nono were not qualified to attend the meeting. However, due to his experience as a researcher at a research institute under the Magic Energy Association, he was specially invited by Norton and others.

"Mr. Aaron, do you have any way to get rid of the parasites?" The young deer teacher's eyes lit up. She didn't have much to consider; all she hoped for was for the students trapped in the simulation space to return safely.

"The most terrifying thing about the termite is its ability to devour. It can devour almost anything. Therefore, the Magic Energy Association must contain it around Maple Leaf Academy and completely strangle it at the cost of destroying the academy." Aaron emphasized the termite's survival method.

"Then what other method does Mr. Aaron have besides..." the elk asked tentatively.

She knew Aaron was a smart man, and a key characteristic of smart people is that they don't ramble on and on. Aaron must have his reasons for saying that.

"The cost of eliminating the termites from the outside is too high, so how about eliminating them from the inside?" Aaron asked, looking around at everyone.

.

312 Was it my fault?

"Don't be naive, this is absolutely impossible." In the command room, someone decisively rejected the suggestion made by an officer.

There are two command centers at the foot of Maple Leaf Academy. One was established by the Magic Energy Association and the military, while the other was established separately by Maple Leaf Academy, which was excluded from the project. The current command center is the former, and the people present can be considered outsiders who came to resolve the incident.

"Why can't we eliminate the parasites from within? Doesn't it devour everything it can? Perhaps we can use that to completely destroy it." The speaker was a young female military officer who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a well-proportioned figure and beautiful appearance.

Her military uniform added to her heroic air, but if she took off her uniform and put on an evening gown, she would surely be an outstanding presence at the ball. During the discussion on how to deal with parasites, she put forward her own suggestions, but they were rejected immediately.

The person who rejected her was also a girl, but she looked even younger than her. The latter was wearing a gorgeous court dress, and her golden ponytail was undoubtedly meticulously styled. Anyone who could attend this meeting must be someone extraordinary.

Especially for someone her age, if she didn't have some skills, she would definitely make a fool of herself. In fact, the golden crystal bottle badge on her chest also proved her identity well; she was a representative sent by the Magic Energy Association to resolve the incident.

“Miss Serena, even an amateur like you could come up with a solution. Do you think the people in our Magic Energy Association are all useless? Didn’t you think of that? We sent a guy named Grenier to deal with the parasites a long time ago, but judging from the current situation, he failed.”

The girl spoke directly and bluntly, never beating around the bush. If this were heard by others, it would certainly be somewhat embarrassing, and if someone with a bad temper encountered it, it might lead to an argument. However, the female officer named Serena did not seem to be angry about it.

"Miss Anke, do you mean... that it's impossible to eliminate the parasites from within?" As a professional soldier, Serena's orders were to come and cooperate with the Magic Energy Association to take all necessary measures to resolve the current crisis.