Those time travelers that year

After Euclid stepped through the portal, he was immediately thrown into a dizzying spin, only to find himself in a cavern filled with flowing, fiery red lava. The flames of the lava illuminated the dim cavern, and the intense heat and the sulfurous smell in the air proved that this place was anything but welcoming to outsiders. As soon as Euclid entered the cavern, the portal behind him exploded into blue specks of light and vanished.

Looking at the closed portal behind him, Euryd smiled smugly.

"So incredibly simple!" Dusk-colored flames erupted from 'Eugene's' body, and as the flames subsided, Charles stretched and crackled. "Sure enough, while the Polyjuice Potion works well, transforming is just terribly uncomfortable..."

"Never mind!" He turned his gaze to the cavern. "Patience always pays off!!!"

109. The battle between the two sides

This is not a welcoming place for outsiders. Inside the lava-filled caves, the temperature is at least 60 degrees Celsius, enough to kill an ordinary person. The rocks on the ground are scorching hot, and the air is thick with the smell of sulfur, all testifying to the harshness of the environment.

In the normal world, it would be almost impossible for any life to survive in such a place. However, the magical world is the kind of crazy world that turns the impossible into the possible.

Before Xia Er had even gone far from here, a dozen or so humanoid flames—fire elementals—emerged from the lava river with a whoosh. These elemental creatures had humanoid upper bodies and were engulfed in raging flames. It seemed that any world with magic was bound to have these wondrous elemental creatures; similarly, they were also one of the most incomprehensible life forms.

Just like it is now.

Fire elementals, emerging from the lava, charged towards Xia'er without warning. A scorching heatwave swept over them, hundreds of degrees Celsius emanating from these fiery creatures. These elemental beings were also masters of elemental magic. In the first round, over ten blazing fireballs were hurled at them. They struck the barrier with deafening explosions; the power was considerable—these fireballs were like RPGs, enough to be used as terrifying camels in guerrilla warfare against the US in the Middle East.

Why are the terrorist camels in the Middle East so adept at guerrilla warfare?

Facing this group of terrorists wielding RPGs, Charles calmly activated his barrier. He was actually a little unaccustomed to these fire elements. After all, how had he dealt with the enemies he'd encountered before? Burn, burn, burn… The FFF group had taught him that if you can't burn a couple to death, it's just that you haven't used enough gasoline or the flames aren't strong enough. So, Charles's previous plan was basically to burn them all the way through. However, today he'd encountered a group that wasn't afraid of fire.

Boom!

And they even carry out suicide bombings...

The fire elemental, which had been charging at a relatively high speed, visibly dimmed its flames after throwing three or four fireballs in succession. However, when it was only a few meters away from Sharl, the fire elemental suddenly stretched out its two arms made of flames, and then exploded with a bang.

For a moment, Charles, staring at the barrier, thought he was seeing a herd of camels chanting Anhula Akbar. Well, these fire elementals certainly had the potential to become followers of Muhammad II.

A series of booming explosions echoed as the fire elementals charging towards Sharl haphazardly hurled a barrage of RPGs—no, I mean, a whole bunch of fireballs—before finally reaching Sharl, they abruptly switched gears, adopting the advanced tactics of Anhura Akbar's camels.

"Speaking of which, how did those players in Azeroth manage to take down Ragnaros twice in a row? And why did they choose such a fearless, head-on confrontation?" Looking at the fire elementals outside his barrier excitedly choosing to self-destruct, Sharl was puzzled. "Aren't they afraid that Ragnaros, as the fire elemental lord, will simply turn into a mobile nuclear bomb and explode with a bang?"

On Azeroth, that magical planet that killed off so many masterminds, how exactly the player characters dealt with Ragnaros was something Sharl didn't have the energy to concern himself with, nor did he bother thinking about this question that Blizzard had retconned countless times. For Blizzard, as long as they could make money and the players were willing to pay, they wouldn't hesitate to overturn the entire lore, let alone just retcon.

His current problem was the erratic fire elementals. The self-destruction of a dozen or so fire elementals wasn't enough to breach the Shar's barrier. After all, these were just RPGs, not missiles with armor-piercing warheads. However, the real issue was the new Anhura Akbars that kept emerging from the lava river, excitedly running towards the Shar.

“If it weren’t for me, even if it were one of the high-level mages of this world, it would be a disaster!” Sharl watched as the fire elemental, possessed by a camel, ran towards him, throwing fireballs as a greeting. “That’s equivalent to the firepower of a modern army! Hmm, the kind that specifically drops RPGs.”

Boom! Amidst the rushing fire elementals, one suddenly exploded. However, what emerged from the explosion wasn't a raging inferno, but rather a mass of purplish-black shadow power. This shadow power instantly spread, extinguishing the surrounding dozen or so fire elementals into ashes.

Seeds of Corrosion

Painful curses aren't limited to flesh and blood creatures; they can affect both elemental and mechanical beings. A curse can teach a man a lesson too. Manipulating shadow power to condense a seed of corruption within a fire elemental, then detonating it, can easily wipe out a large area of ​​fire elementals. Moreover, the corruption from the shadow power will completely extinguish the fire, rendering two self-destructions futile.

While maintaining his barrier, Charles casually tapped his fingers in the air, detonating fire elementals like fireworks, completely relaxed and carefree, as if he were on vacation. In truth, for him, this so-called Hero Trial was just a vacation, since he was no weaker than the heroes of this world.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Gadin walked solemnly through the dense forest. His detection magic sensed an abnormal magical energy in the area. Not long ago, a burst of magic equivalent to that of a spellcasting hero had indeed erupted here.

The remaining magic in the air was extremely scarce, but judging from the traces, Gadin was certain that its source was a spellcaster no less powerful than himself. At least in terms of power, they were both beyond the mortal realm. In other words, the other party was also a [hero].

But who is that?

Compared to enemies on the Radiant side, Gading was actually more worried about those from the same faction. Judging from the remaining magic, this uninvited guest clearly leaned towards darkness, making it unlikely that they belonged to the Radiant; rather, they could be considered to belong to the Dire.

However, this is precisely what gives Gading the biggest headache: betrayal from within one's own faction is far more terrifying than facing a god-like enemy. After all, compared to the Radiant, whose foundation is built on order and alliances, the Dire is filled with individuals harboring ulterior motives. The reason the two factions are still locked in a stalemate is simply because the Dire's side is far more despicable and has an even lower moral compass.

Because of their low moral standards, backstabbing is a common occurrence on the Dire side.

Um! !

Gadin stopped thinking and stood motionless. The emerald green light of the [True Sight Gem] shone brightly...

"Is it just my imagination?" Gading frowned, his brows furrowed, and then continued walking forward nonchalantly.

Right behind him, in the shadows beneath a tree, a pair of dark red beastly eyes opened. Then a black shadow darted out from the shadows toward Gadin, its ferocious fangs mercilessly falling toward the red-robed old man.

A fireball collided with the dark shadow.

Flames erupted, and the dark figure was blasted away.

Roar!!! A massive black wolf, its entire body jet black and its eyes a pair of dark red beastly eyes, was blasted away by the fireball. It somersaulted in mid-air and landed lightly on the ground, then growled softly at Gadin, who had turned around and was on high alert. The flames had blasted half of the wolf's face apart; however, blackish-red smoke seeped from the wound, quickly repairing the destroyed half of its face.

“A werewolf?” Gadin’s eyes narrowed, but he quickly dismissed his own assessment. “No, this aura is more like… a demon…”

Roar! ! !

Black Wolf ignored Gadin's doubts. After healing its own wounds, it growled and once again transformed into a black shadow, lunging at Gadin.

110. Ultimate Move

The black wolf was incredibly fast, like a stretched shadow, and in an instant it was back in front of Gadin. Sharp teeth protruded from its gaping maw, and it viciously bit at Gadin's head.

"Hmph!!" Gadin snorted coldly, holding his staff forward. The black wolf's sharp fangs collided with an invisible barrier in mid-air. At the same time, a large burst of fire erupted from the magic gem on the staff. The next moment, an even more violent explosion rang out.

Black Wolf was blasted away again, but Gadin's heart sank. The previous explosion hadn't effectively harmed Black Wolf either; the dark red smoke billowed from its body, quickly repairing its mangled remains. The recovered Black Wolf howled and pounced once more.

Dramatic Changes

A reddish-brown mist began to rise from beneath Gadin's feet. The black wolf, which had been pouncing again, suddenly stopped and fell to the ground. From beneath it, a mass of reddish-brown mist emerged human hands that looked like corpses, which forcefully grabbed the black wolf's body.

Roar!! The black wolf, gripped by an arm, howled savagely, its sharp teeth tearing the grasping arm to shreds. However, arm after arm emerged from the mist, relentlessly delaying the black wolf.

At that moment, Gadin immediately switched to another spell, pointing his staff at the stalled black wolf. A ring composed of countless reddish-brown runes fell from mid-air, completely trapping the black wolf! The moment it bound the black wolf, the reddish-brown runes began to burn, emitting a sizzling sound of corrosion.

[Hidden Words]

"Awooo!!" The black wolf howled mournfully, leaping away from its spot, but that did little to escape the flames engulfing it. Blackish-red smoke began to billow from its body in an attempt to resist the burning and corrosive effects. However, it had little effect; the runes binding it and the blackish-red smoke were impossible to eradicate. Instead, the power that continued to corrode and burn its body began to seep into it.

"Is it a werewolf? Or one of those demons?" Seeing the black wolf howling and writhing in agony from the curse, Gadin stopped. The monster before him didn't seem to be a creature of flesh and blood; it was more like an aggregate of some kind of dark power. With its speed, an ordinary, fully-fledged mage would be utterly slaughtered, and even high-level mages would only be able to flee in disarray. But for Gadin, a warlock, this monster was merely a slightly troublesome opponent.

However, this did not dispel Gadin's unease. Although this monster was indeed stronger than many, without sufficient means or powerful individuals, an army of thousands would be annihilated against such a fast and regeneratively powerful creature. The monster's vitality and regenerative abilities far exceeded Gadin's expectations. Even some heroic professionals would be severely affected by its [Dark Word] curse, but this monster could only howl in agony.

But Gadin also knew that the monster before him wasn't the source of the magic that had recently erupted; it was more like a derivative creature. Like, for example, a summoned creature…

Suddenly, Gading's heart skipped a beat...

Why did such undisguised magic erupt, as if deliberately signaling that someone was here and urging them to come quickly? And then there was this monster with powerful regenerative abilities and incredible speed—it just didn't make sense.

Not only that, Gadin also wondered what would happen if it were other mages from the academy who came to investigate instead of him, and what their fate would be in the face of such a fast and regenerative monster.

The one-sided slaughter made Gadin, who had experienced the monster's attacks firsthand, certain that most of the high-level mages in the academy couldn't keep up with its speed, let alone lock onto it with their mental power and launch a counterattack like he had. Faced with such a situation and the loss of personnel, he, as the dean, had no choice but to come and handle the situation personally.

And now it's the same; instead of sending someone first as a precaution, he came alone. It seems it's all the same now—he still has to leave the academy…

"Damn it!!" Thinking this, Gading was filled with rage. Whoever the opponent was, their target was definitely the academy. Without his personal presence, the academy, while not entirely defenseless, was far weaker than when he was there. If anyone intended to do something to the academy now, they could have done a great deal while he was stuck here.

If the invader is indeed a hero-level professional like him, this amount of time would be enough to completely destroy a third of the academy.

Roar!!! Just as Gadin was in grave danger and was about to return to the academy immediately, the terrifying roar rang out once more. The black wolf, which had been temporarily rendered powerless by the curse, let out a tremendous howl, and then exploded.

Yes, it exploded. The black wolf's entire body seemed to shatter from the inside out. A violent surge of dark red mist erupted, and then the reddish-brown magic representing the [Dark Word] curse was instantly annihilated. It seems that the black wolf, at the cost of sacrificing a part of itself, forcefully broke through Gadin's [Dark Word] spell.

Seeing this, Gading's expression darkened further. He wanted to return to the academy immediately, which meant he had to rely on a teleportation scroll. However, teleportation scrolls weren't foolproof, especially since the process couldn't be stopped midway. In other words, if Gading didn't want the teleportation scroll to be torn to pieces while using it, he had to ensure his own safety first.

Since one curse isn't enough to kill the monster in front of us, let's try a few more...

With a gloomy face, Gadin raised his staff once again, aiming it at the exploded black wolf. However, the next moment, his expression changed drastically, and he retreated quickly without hesitation!

The black wolf, its body shattered, suddenly twisted, and then the overflowing blackish-red smoke rapidly contracted. In the blink of an eye, a swirling, black, sludge-like substance appeared before Gadin. Gadin sensed a tremendous threat emanating from that sludge-like substance.

Black mud gushed forth, from which emerged numerous indescribable creatures: enormous, twisted beast heads, withered, gigantic claws, coiled black tentacles, hollow skull faces…

Dangerous, extremely dangerous.

Gading retreated again and again, but in the end, he could not outrun the spreading black mud.

Although he didn't know what this black mud was, the moment it appeared, the gripping, death-like sense of danger it evoked, along with the constant mental pollution and frenzied howls it emitted, made Gading realize that once caught in it, even a heroic professional like him would die!

Fiery red light burned intensely from the staff and the lantern hanging at his waist, and scorching magic spread from Gadin's body. In mid-air, a circular magic circle, inscribed with countless mysterious runes, unfolded. Then, a flash of fire engulfed everything in an instant.

From a distance, flames shot into the sky, disappearing directly into the clouds. A violent earthquake tore the earth apart, flames swept through the forest, and a colossal fire giant stretched out its massive arm from the raging inferno and slammed it down...

111. Gadin Dies in Battle (Part 1)

A meteorite fell from the sky, crashing into the earth, flames soaring into the heavens. A violent earthquake emanated from the point of origin of the flames, spreading in all directions. Huge fissures, stretching for thousands of meters, erupted from the cracks, scorching flames bursting forth. Above, the clouds were blasted apart by the flames, appearing from afar like a burning apocalypse descending upon the world. But this was not the end of the world; it was merely a man-made spell, a human unleashing a catastrophe capable of annihilating a city. This was the world's—[Hero].

They are the mainstream of this world, the center of this era. The strong can unleash natural disasters and destroy armies. Rather than saying that the theme of this world is a war between two major factions, it is more accurate to say that it is a war of heroes, because they are the protagonists on this stage.

The Sacrifice of Chaos

The Warlock's ultimate magic summons a powerful familiar that crashes down from the sky, engulfing everything in flames and explosions. Moreover, the familiar summoned, called 'Hellfire,' is a monster capable of destroying an entire city.

A colossal body emerged from the flames, its tens of meters tall form resembling an ancient giant, its body ablaze with intense heat. The scorching heat swept over everything around it, causing the air to distort dramatically under the extreme temperature. The earth was shattered and scorched, turning everything pitch black.

Holding a burning staff, Gadin emerged like a god rising from the flames, with two enormous hellfire figures behind him. These colossal monsters, simply by their existence, set the forest ablaze and parched the surrounding land.

However, standing in stark contrast to the two 'giants,' Gadin, who should have been imposing, now had a grim expression, one hand gripping his shoulder. There, his red robe was torn, and blood was flowing from the wound.

"Damn it! How can it be so troublesome?!" Gadin's face was gloomy. He pressed one hand on the wound to stop the blood from flowing out. Then, he gritted his teeth, reached out and switched the staff, pointing the ruby ​​on the staff at the wound.

A flash of fire, and Gadin groaned, his face twitching as if from the intense heat or burning pain. The flames had blackened his shoulder, and then Gadin pulled a first-grade healing ointment from his robe, uncapped it, and poured it all over his shoulder.

"Huff, huff... What was that?" After tending to his injuries, Gadin stood up, looking disheveled. It had been so many years since he last got injured, back on the battlefield between the Radiant and Dire. "What... a monster!?" Recalling the moment just now, this [Hero] class player couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.

The moment the black wolf underwent its transformation, he sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to retreat. However, he was too late. The malice emanating from it, constantly mentally polluting him, was even making him uncomfortable. Finally, the black sludge caught up with him. Although he ultimately annihilated the black sludge with his ultimate magic, it left him with a bleeding wound on his left shoulder.

"Damn it!!" A chilling killing intent flashed in Gadin's eyes as he turned his gaze towards the academy. "Don't catch me, or I'll make sure you never have a chance to regret it!!!"

However, the Warlock hero failed to notice that, in the place where he thought he had treated his wound, some black lines twisted and disappeared into his skin.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Charles moved through the cave with ease, effortlessly dealing with all the monsters that appeared along the way.

Fire elementals, earth elementals, lava guardians, and a whole host of bizarre monsters. The lowest-level monsters in this cave are equivalent to the third tier, which in this world would be the level of a mage apprentice. And those are just small fry. The majority are fourth-tier lava guardians, horned demons, and the like.

However, compared to Ciel, who was unstoppable all the way, they were just cannon fodder.

Finally, in front of an altar (see the Storm Altar for details), a colossal ram-horned demon was drained of its power by the Char, reduced to a withered corpse. Speaking of which, using a demon against a warlock—isn't that practically suicide?

After the colossal ram-horned demon, now reduced to a skeleton, collapsed, the entire altar began to emit a blood-red light, and at its center, a dark red rhombus-shaped crystal floated up.

"Is this what they call inheritance?" Seeing the crystal, Sharl shook his head in slight disappointment. The crystal did indeed contain immense power, but it was still far too little for Sharl. It was equivalent to the power of a fifth-tier mage, which in this world would be equivalent to a high-level mage. If this was the inheritance of the [Demon Wizard], then it was truly disappointing.

"Never mind, perhaps there's some hidden meaning..." After a slight pause, Charles finally stepped forward and grasped the rhombus-shaped, dark red crystal. The moment his hand touched it, he froze, stunned. A vast amount of information and knowledge surged from the crystal, flowing towards Charles—the application of magic, the modification of organisms, the stripping of magical power… a whole host of knowledge poured forth from it.

"So that's how it is!" Xia Er suddenly realized, turning his gaze to the giant ram-horned demon he had turned into a dried-up corpse. "The inheritance of the [Demon Wizard] requires bloodline fusion, fusing with the body of a demon, and then using this method to mutate one's own body, thereby gaining a portion of the demon's essential power... Isn't that just the background story of the heroes in DOTA?"