Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 33 The Place of Magic

After dealing with the gargoyles, Wayne did not linger or return to the camp, but continued to explore the interior of the banquet hall.

As he explored, Wayne discovered that this underground ruin was very likely a royal palace of the Elven race in the past.

Besides the fact that the statues and murals here are very exquisite and luxurious, another reason is that ordinary elven nobles or other people would not be able to own such a huge palace. Perhaps only the royal family members who rule the elven race have such power.

Unfortunately, although the elves have a long history, dating back thousands of years to the time when the white ships landed.

However, due to the brutal war between them and humans, many things have long been lost to record and cannot be investigated. Countless unknown secrets have long been hidden in the dust of history.

Aside from those old-timers who survived from the White Ship era, probably no one knows exactly what happened here.

But it doesn't matter. Wayne is just a witcher, neither a historian nor one of those spellcasters or warlocks. The pursuit of historical truth doesn't mean much to him.

What truly troubled him was that the ruins were simply too vast, with numerous areas and rooms of all shapes and sizes. In addition to the many gargoyles set up as guards, a large number of underground monsters also inhabited every corner of the ruins.

In this dark environment, he not only had to stay vigilant at all times to prevent enemies from ambushing him at any moment, but also had to explore the correct route in this complex environment, which was time-consuming, laborious, and quite troublesome.

This resulted in him only exploring one banquet hall and a few rooms adjacent to it for the entire second day, without having time to explore other areas.

As for the results of the exploration, in addition to killing three gargoyle guards, they also killed more than a dozen Andreig swarm monsters, blocking the passages they dug from underground into the ruins.

When he dragged his weary body back to the camp, Toruviel immediately came to greet him.

Wayne didn't hide anything and told the female elf leader about his work progress and related speculations.

After chatting with her for a while about the plans for exploring the ruins, I returned to my tent to rest.

In the following days, Wayne's life became exceptionally fulfilling.

His days consisted of gathering herbs, refining medicine, participating in battles, collecting spoils, returning to camp to rest, having lunch, and then continuing his afternoon explorations. He had no time for anything else.

This intense lifestyle not only exposed him to monsters he had never seen before, such as carrion demons, kikimo, and spirits, and taught him how to fight them, but also allowed him to apply the combat skills he learned in Kaer Mohammed Castle to actual combat, greatly enhancing his combat abilities.

In addition, he certainly didn't forget the daily free quest system. Before each battle, he would receive a normal-level combat quest from Geralt, getting a few points of experience and a normal-level treasure chest for free, which was an extra bonus.

Unlike his busy and fulfilling daily life, Geralt has been living a rather carefree life lately.

After suffering a rib injury, Geralt had to stay at the camp to recuperate. But being the kind of free spirit he was, he couldn't stay idle while recovering and soon became addicted to Gwent.

Not only did he shamelessly borrow his deck and a lot of Ducats, but he also hooked up with a half-elf widow during his recovery period, indulging in debauchery every night and living a very comfortable life.

On the contrary, Wayne himself, in order to improve his strength, not only had to complete a task every day, but also had to take time to constantly train his various skills, without any rest time.

He's practically a year-round wage earner, a self-made man.

However, the underground ruins are not infinitely large. As the seventh day arrived, through Wayne's continuous fighting and clearing, this expert-level commission finally came to an end.

Only one area remains of the entire underground ruins, which has not yet been fully explored.

When Wayne was ready and had taken down the two gargoyle guards protecting the area, he was greeted by a massive metal gate forged from an unknown metal.

Many years have passed, and the black metal door is covered with cobwebs and dust, but Wayne can clearly feel that the door is not only incredibly heavy but also exceptionally sturdy. Even after the passage of time, there is still no sign of rust, which is clearly extraordinary.

After confirming that there were no other enemies around, Wayne cautiously took a few steps closer.

But when he was less than half a meter away from the metal gate, the Witcher badge hanging on his chest began to vibrate again.

An unknown magical energy actually passed through the door and entered his body.

At the same time, the system's emotionless voice rang in his ears again.

Ding! A high concentration of magical energy node has been detected. Absorbing it will grant three ability points.

Note that choosing to absorb this energy node will permanently destroy it, disrupt its spatial structure, and create a dimensional rift. Please choose carefully.

Upon hearing the system's voice, Wayne immediately realized that behind this heavy metal door lay the Elemental Ring, which he had longed for for so long.

A magical place that can provide him with ability points.

This time, Wayne only considered it for a few seconds before making a decision.

He explored this place alone, without any witnesses, including himself, and no one could predict what he would encounter in the ruins.

Isn't this a golden opportunity bestowed upon him by heaven?

With that in mind, Wayne no longer hesitated and immediately confirmed.

In an instant, under the intervention of an unknown and powerful force, Wayne felt as if he had become a super absorbent sponge.

Drawn by an unknown force, the magical energy from the other side of the metal gate surged toward his body like a tidal wave.

His body was not to be outdone, and with a speed unimaginable to mages, it absorbed all the surging chaotic magic surrounding him, like a whale swallowing its prey.

That terrifying speed even created a huge vortex of magical energy around Wayne.

However, this phenomenon comes and goes quickly.

About five minutes later, Wayne felt his body regain control. The invisible magical power had disappeared, and his body felt as if it had been nourished by the Fountain of Life. Fatigue, injuries, and mental exhaustion had all vanished.

Just like in some games, everything has been restored to its perfect state.

Most importantly, in his attribute panel, his ability points have increased from two to five.

(End of this chapter)