Wizard: I devour the stars with swarms of insects.

Chapter 103 Swarm Sense: Any attack, invasion, or assassination launched will have no effect on me!

The two agreed to meet at the Thorn Ridge location the next day.

Thorn Ridge is located in the area east of the Wizarding Academy in the Black Forest City.

The next day, when Wayne came to the path leading to Thorn Ridge, he walked along it.

The further you go in, the denser the vegetation becomes, eventually turning into an impenetrable thicket of thorns.

The grayish-brown branches intertwine to form a grassy wall, almost closing in overhead to create a natural tunnel.

Tap tap tap.....

After Wayne took a few steps further in, he saw Lydia's figure in a patch of grass ahead, where she was already waiting for him.

Now, her wizard robes have been replaced with a more streamlined outfit, a dark brown leather armor that hugs her body's curves.

The surface is faintly visible with fine silver patterns, which are simple protective runes embroidered with mithril thread, gleaming faintly in the light.

The shoulder armor and arm guards are made of thin metal plates.

Furthermore, the edges are also engraved with tiny arrays of runes, indicating that the equipment has been enchanted.

His clothes were clean and neat.

In such a jungle, this set of equipment is obviously much lighter and more convenient for combat than the wizard's robes he is wearing.

"You came dressed like this? Not even a piece of armor?"

Right now, Leah is leaning against a rock about half her height, arms crossed, kicking pebbles at her feet with utter boredom.

When Wayne arrived, he was still wearing the wizard robes that the academy had given to first-class wizard apprentices during the robe-granting ceremony for their advancement.

Leah couldn't help but ask.

Wayne shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

He possesses two pieces of enchanted equipment, and in particular, he has just mastered the sorcery technique [Wriggling Scales].

This level of protection is sufficient for me.

and...

Om-!

In the surrounding grass, flowerbeds, and various crevices and gaps, stinging flies have quietly hovered everywhere.

It takes in the entire surrounding scene and transmits it back to its mind through Hive Intelligence, forming a three-dimensional scene image.

He can immediately sense any movement or disturbance in his surroundings.

It can be said that as long as one is in this dark forest, one is like an omniscient and omnipotent being through the abilities of the insect swarm.

Any sudden attack, invasion, or assassination will have no effect on him.

Therefore, there's no need for her to be "fully armed" to the teeth like she is.

"Let's go."

Wayne said, and then walked ahead, with Leah following behind.

Next, the two walked along the Thorn Ridge for about half an hour.

The thicket of thorns gradually thinned out, replaced by low shrubs and overgrown wasteland.

Gradually, one can see a gray-white stone tower standing alone at the top of a hill in the distance.

The stone tower is about five stories high and is octagonal. It is covered with dead vines, and half of the top crenellations have collapsed.

"It's there." After taking a few steps, Leah squinted, cupped her hands under her eyebrows like a sunshade, and gazed into the distance.

"According to the information I gathered, about two months ago, a wizarding apprentice who was passing by said that a large amount of magical fluctuations were detected inside the stone tower, and that someone saw traces of activity from the ancient gargoyles that should have been dormant long ago, and that they seemed to be very aggressive."

"Later, this place was marked as a forbidden area by the academy, prohibiting anyone below the level of a second-class wizard apprentice from coming here."

"It looks pretty dilapidated inside now, hopefully it won't collapse when we go in."

Leah muttered.

Wayne didn't reply, but instead glanced at the surrounding bushes. Now, he was inside the [Hive] AI's interface.

Several stinging flies have now silently and evenly spread out in the surrounding woods and grass, lurking in the area ahead.

After a short while, and after some reconnaissance and exploration, the area around the ruins seemed to be safe for the time being, with no trace of wolves, demonized boars, or other magical beasts.

However, a few wild rabbits, seemingly startled by the arrival of the stinging flies, immediately darted into the grass and disappeared without a trace.

"Let's go take a look."

Wayne said.

"Hey, be careful!"

"I'm behind her," said Leah, seeing Wayne walk over so recklessly with his head down, and called out from behind.

The situation ahead is unclear, so would it be too reckless to just rush through like this?

Wayne ignored her warning.

Because of the scene of returning from the stinging flies, the area near that stone tower is safe.

The only situation that is still uncertain is inside the stone tower.

However, the main gate inside the stone tower was tightly closed, so even if something happened, the stone tower would act as a barrier and there would be no great danger.

However, he couldn't explain this reason yet, because he couldn't easily reveal his ability to control the insect swarm.

Even if the other party thinks you were too reckless, you just swallow your pride and pretend you didn't hear it.

"This guy...."

'

Seeing that Wayne completely ignored her, Leah stomped her foot and said.

However, he didn't abandon Wayne. He cast an enchanted rune mark under his feet and chased after Wayne.

They walked together toward the stone tower ahead.

Soon, the two arrived at the stone tower.

The main gate of the stone tower is a pair of oak doors that open outwards, covered with a layer of rusted iron.

There should have been some kind of pattern engraved on the sheet metal, but it's no longer visible.

On the stone wall above the door, there is a gargoyle head embedded in the wall, with its mouth open, revealing a few broken stone teeth.

The empty eye sockets were facing the direction of the person who came.

Wayne reached out and pushed, but the door didn't budge. It must have been locked from the inside by some kind of restriction, which was why it couldn't be opened.

"let me."

"Leah said."

Next, Leah stepped forward, drew a short sword from her waist, aimed the tip at the metal sheet at the crack in the door, and made a light cut.

laugh-

A pale blue arc of electricity burst from the tip of the sword and spread rapidly along the metal sheet.

The rusted iron sheet made a slight hissing sound under the electric arc.

A moment later, the latch that had been jamming the door hinge suddenly loosened.

Leah sheathed her sword and kicked it.

Bang-!

The door opened wide, and a musty, damp smell wafted out.

Because the windows on the stone tower are located very high and there are not many of them, and the inside is blocked by dim glass.

Therefore, the lighting on the first floor appears somewhat dim.

Next, Leah took out several magic crystals from her pocket and threw them onto the ground.

The orange light rolled around in the darkness a few times, instantly illuminating the space inside the tower.