Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Chapter 147 Cancer of the World

Monroe, Iris, and Link are not blind.

After the announcement appeared on the public channel of the watch, they sensed that the situation was about to change drastically and would be very unfavorable to them.

Without delay, we gathered together to discuss contingency plans.

Sure enough, not long after, figures appeared around the mountain basin.

The number wasn't too large, less than a hundred people.

Scattered over such a large area, it's impossible to form a tight encirclement.

At most, they'll just block the main roads and add surveillance.

It is extremely harmful, even fatal.

As is well known, terrain that is easy to defend but difficult to attack is often also difficult to advance.

Especially in mountain basins, the only way to get around is to cross a large river or go downstream.

There is still a possibility of successfully crossing the river and making a retreat.

Going downstream, without boats or rafts, they could only offer meat to the ferocious beasts in the water.

However, on the other side of the river, there was already a small but clearly elite squad guarding the area.

Leading the group were four effeminate men who had been pursuing Iris and Monroe all along.

After overcoming the difficulty of crossing the great river, they still had to land on the beach, making it even more difficult.

The possibility of a retreat has been completely nipped in the bud.

Therefore, besides building more fortifications and setting traps, Link and his companions seemed to have nothing else to do.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse in an instant.

At a crucial moment, Link came up with an idea.

That means abandoning our defensive stance and digging deep underground with all our might, trying to find a tunnel to escape the encirclement.

The effectiveness of secondary mudstone techniques in excavation and construction is something that anyone who uses them will know.

This was the only possible way Link could think of to escape.

With no time to hesitate and no better alternatives, Iris and Monroe agreed to the plan.

The four small teams put together a group of nine wizard apprentices with an affinity for earth elements.

Of course, we can't rely on just these nine people to excavate such a massive tunnel.

Most of them are first-class wizard apprentices, with limited mental and magical power, and a limited number of spells they can cast.

Every so often, one must engage in a short period of meditation to restore mental and magical energy.

The excavation speed won't be very fast.

After thinking it over, Link made another arrangement.

When the nine earth-elemental wizard apprentices were exhausted, the others took turns to fight.

He used all his strength to unleash the most powerful offensive magic, bombarding the earthen wall and blasting open one breach after another.

This rotation allows people to rest, but the excavation work cannot stop.

If you encounter a rock that is too hard, just use a self-destructing fire mine.

In short, we tried every possible means to speed up the excavation of the tunnel.

The excavated soil was not transported but piled up behind them, blocking the tunnel they had come from.

Firstly, it could block the pursuers, and secondly, it would eliminate any other possibilities for our side, allowing us to focus all our efforts on digging.

Faced with dire circumstances, the group displayed unimaginable resourcefulness.

When the "Pureblood Will" arrived at full speed, blocking the entrance to the mountain basin and preparing to launch an attack.

They're almost finished digging through one side of the hill.

Breaking out of the encirclement is not a fantasy; barring unforeseen circumstances, it will soon become a reality.

At that moment, the wristwatches on the wrists of everyone deep underground began to vibrate simultaneously.

Then they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Is the faction quest complete already?

Who did it?

Monroe immediately looked at Link, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

If asked who is most likely to complete the faction mission, Monroe's first suspect would be Link Grand.

Iris Clark then set her sights on Link, as if he were a toy that greatly appealed to her.

Jasmine loathed that look in his eyes, which was gleaming with lust.

Jasmine stepped forward, blocking Iris's view.

Why are you looking at me?

Link met Monroe's eyes calmly. With the "Brain Occupation" activated, his expression and tone were extremely natural.

Even a micro-expression expert or psychology specialist would be unable to detect the flaw.

"Is it you?"

Monroe asked directly, his tone very certain, "It must be you."

Link shrugged. "I don't know, but I wish it were me. But I haven't done anything particularly special."

After a pause, Link emphasized, "We've been together all this time. What could I have done? You'll all find out what I've done, right?"

"It must be you."

Monroe could tell, and could see, that Link's tone and expression were very frank.

But his intuition told him that Link Grand was the one who would complete the mission for the good side.

Therefore, he simply wouldn't listen to any explanation.

Link was identified as the one who would complete the mission.

Iris stepped aside, bypassing Jasmine's obstruction, and snapped angrily, "You're so disloyal! You didn't even include me in such a fun and cool activity! I'm so mad!"

This also confirms that Link is the one who completed the faction's mission.

It wasn't just based on intuition, but also on Link's recent statements on the faction channel.

Even the others, including Iris and Monroe themselves, were following the "devastating rescue" approach to complete the faction's mission.

In terms of speed, they are unlikely to outpace Link, the first discoverer.

Moreover, it's still uncertain whether Link shared all his findings.

Given the generally selfish nature of humanity, it is highly likely that Link was hiding something.

"Holy crap! Boss, did we really complete the faction quest?"

Buck, who was stunned by the news about the watch, suddenly came to his senses and shouted in surprise.

The four guys and the three socially awkward guys all looked intently at Link, hoping for a positive answer.

The same applies to Lani and everyone on Lani's team.

Facing dozens of eager eyes, Link shrugged again and sighed helplessly, "I really don't know, and I hope so too."

As he spoke, Link turned his watch screen toward the group: "The information I received should be the same as yours, right?"

Everyone's attention immediately focused on Link's watch.

Indeed, they are consistent.

They are both notifications.

Could it really not be him?

Monroe was suspicious, and his reasoning began to waver.

"I don't believe it!"

Iris retorted loudly, "The information is consistent and correct, but that doesn't prove that you weren't the one who completed the mission. These are two different things."

A single sentence awakened me from my reverie.

Monroe realized that his thinking seemed to have been swayed by Link's words.

That guy is really cunning.

He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself.

It seems we still need to be wary of this guy, lest we be sold out and still end up counting the money for him.

Then, Iris delivered another heavy blow.

She slapped her forehead with her small hand, as if suddenly realizing something, and said, "I knew it! Why did you offer to help us fight? It turns out you wanted to attract the attention of the opposing camp so that your secret arrangements could take effect!"

This guess, well, it's half right and half wrong.

When Link made the decision to help Iris and Monroe fight off their pursuers, he had no idea that the Godslayer had awakened.

The motivation was not to attract the attention of the opposing side.

Rather, it was a helpless move that left them in an awkward position.

Rather than engaging in skirmishes, Link opted for a strategy of entering a mountain basin to fight the enemy together and then seeking an opportunity to retreat.

The only difference was that their motivation changed after entering the mountain basin.

Iris's words deepened everyone's "suspicion" of Link, and they began to discuss it loudly or quietly.

There are groups that worship each other, such as the Brotherhood and socially anxious groups that are gradually becoming more like Brotherhood;

Some were secretly heartbroken, like Lanny Taylor;

Some were secretly on guard, such as Monroe Briseño and his friends;

There were also those who were loud and boisterous, constantly shouting that Link wasn't a good friend, such as Iris Clark;

There was another person who quietly took a few steps and once again blocked Iris's view of Link, such as Molly Kidman.

Link remained silent, letting them speculate and discuss as they pleased.

His principle is simply not to admit it.

There's really nothing to admit.

He genuinely didn't know whether he had completed the faction's mission or not.

The college didn't give any special instructions.

After a while, once the atmosphere had cooled down a bit, Link said calmly, "The competition between the two districts isn't over yet. We're still in danger. Let's keep digging."

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn back to reality.

Indeed, the competition between the two districts shows no signs of ending.

My life is more important.

We've already wasted some time, so we can't afford to waste any more.

Start digging immediately.

Deep underground, the group was digging a tunnel, working feverishly.

on the ground.

Entrance to the mountain basin.

Parle Percival's raging fury was almost uncontrollable.

The other faction leaders of "Pureblood Will" were also angry, but not as angry as Pallet.

Ultimately, Pallet is basically to blame for indulging Link Grand.

Especially after Link shared his progress and discoveries about faction quests on the faction channel, some members of "Pureblood Will" suggested that Link should be eliminated as soon as possible.

They were all suppressed by Palley.

I don't know what he was thinking, that he really wanted to see the Rukia family, or rather, Trish Rukia, make a fool of themselves.

So much so that they forgot that this was not just a competition between the two districts, but also involved the bet made by wizard Peter Lionel.

Although their respective families, except for the Lucia family, almost none of them wanted Peter Lionel to collect a complete set of Percy Sage Diamond/Staff.

But it shouldn't be too obvious.

We're all respectable people from high society; we all care about our reputation, don't we?

Watching Paley Percyville jumping around, stirring up the members' emotions and boosting their morale, he seemed determined to tear Link Grande apart.

Luna Colonna curled her lip and muttered dismissively, "Just like a dog!"

After muttering to herself, Luna Colonna couldn't help but feel curious about Link Grand, whom everyone unanimously believed had completed the mission for the good side.

How exactly did that guy complete the faction mission?

While directing the digging of the tunnel, Link was also curious:

How the God-killer carried out his "destructive salvation" strategy.

The origin of the world.

The god-slayer, with a body as white as jade and draped in pure black wings, raised his right foot, which had pierced the heart of the god's flesh, which resembled a slug but was extremely ugly.

Fragments of organs, blood, mucus, and all sorts of filth automatically detached from the bone in the right foot.

Pure white like jade, untouched by any dust.

"You've managed to survive for over a thousand years."

The god-killer opened and closed his jaw, uttering a cold, mocking voice: "To survive, you gods parasitize insects. You deities are truly disgusting."

"God-killer, at least I'm still alive."

The deity, covered in pustules, lay on the ground, making a screeching sound like fingernails scraping a blackboard. "And your daughter is already dead."

It fell into the realm of gods more than a thousand years ago, and has no divine body, no divine status, only a little divine power.

They can barely survive by drawing upon the primal energy that dissipates from the origin of the world and transforming it into life force.

Where can one find a match for a god-slayer whose combat power is still at its peak?

He was defeated by the god-killer in a single encounter.

The god-killer didn't even use the god-killing sword.

The insect deities can only talk big.

When speaking, they also try to curl up their bodies to reduce bleeding.

It is now a mortal being.

Blood is its life.

As long as you're alive, you have everything.

All it wanted was to survive.

Live on forever.

So what if you can't defeat a god-killer?

Moreover, it is not afraid of god-killers.

Having been hidden at the origin of the world for over a thousand years, it has long been deeply bound to the origin of the world.

It will never die as long as the world exists.

The slayer has remained unmoved for over a thousand years, guarding his daughter's coffin.

Now that the world is on the verge of destruction, his appearance is definitely to save it.

As long as the world doesn't die, it won't die either!

As long as I don't die, what does it matter if I suffer some setbacks or humiliation?

The god-killer ignored the disgusting insects.

The empty eye sockets, flickering with flames, stared at the dim, broken world origin, no bigger than a fist.

More than a thousand years ago, the great war ended.

Although the origin of the world was damaged, it did not shrink to such an extent; it still retains half of its original size, about the size of a millstone.

It has shrunk to such an extent.

No wonder he discovered after he came out that the world's area was only one-thousandth of what it used to be.

It turns out that this worm was parasitizing the origin of the world, constantly absorbing the dissipated source energy in an attempt to prolong its life, thus accelerating the destruction of the world's origin.

"Your gods are disgusting."

The god-killer sighed once again.

Even with a thorough understanding of the true nature of deities, I was still disgusted.

This world is on the verge of destruction because its resources are constantly being demanded without any return.

However, it's not just an imbalance in the ecosystem, but something that has never been corrected.

And there's another worm that's even more greedy and unrestrained in its demands!

Since they're already sucking the blood off the world...

"Then let's perish together with this world."

As the Godslayer finished speaking, the pure black wings formed from the Godslayer Sword detached from the jade-like withered bones and flew straight towards the origin of the world.

During flight, the pure black wings changed shape, transforming into a furnace.

A raging fire was burning inside the furnace.

The god-killer fully understands the devastating impact rising temperatures will have on life.

Therefore, he planned to use fire to burn the very origin of the world.

To raise the world's temperature to its highest level in the shortest possible time.

"No, no, you can't do that!"

The insect-like deity was instantly thrown into a panic.

It cried out in alarm.

"Stop! Stop!"

"You will destroy this world, utterly destroy it!"

"Aren't you going to take care of your daughter?"

"You destroyed the whole world, where does your daughter rest in peace?"

The god-killer turned his head, his flame-filled eye sockets staring at the insect deity, and said indifferently, "In my heart."

Unable to bear the groaning of the disgusting deity any longer, the god-killer snapped his fingers, silencing the insect.

The furnace contains the origin of the world.

Scorched by intense heat.

The silenced insect immediately began to writhe and thrash.

It is deeply connected to the origin of the world.

The very origin of the world was scorched, which is equivalent to it being scorched in the fire.

Extreme pain assaulted the insect god's flesh and nerves.

Memories I thought I had completely forgotten suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

It couldn't help but recall the torment of being skinned, fleshed, and boned by the god-killer with the sword of god-killing more than a thousand years ago.

Painful!

It suddenly wondered why it was still alive.

Having clung to life for over a thousand years, barely surviving to this day, is it all for the sake of enduring torture once more?

I would have been better off dead!

The god-killer ignored the insects' writhing and quietly watched the world's origin being scorched by the furnace.

It takes some reaction time.

But it will be soon.

Thank you to the reader "Guardian of Water City" for the generous donation!

(End of this chapter)