What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

The three small boats soon docked, and Johnny was the first to disembark and step onto the pier, which was now only half-built.

"Thank you for coming as promised, Mr. Johnny," Leon greeted him as he stepped forward.

"You brought some people to help me move things? That's great. Then hurry up and help me move the equipment up!" Johnny gestured to Leon's men that they could get to work.

Leon turned his head and gave a look, signaling the mercenaries to go and help.

"I only found out this morning that this island actually has a lord. Are you sure it's okay?" Johnny asked casually.

“Viscount Arend will not interfere here; I will handle it properly,” Leon replied.

This time, he specifically sent a priest to lead a group to the Viscount Arende's territory on the other side of the island to inform them that the church there was conducting a very critical investigation and that no unauthorized personnel were allowed to approach, or they would bear the consequences. He also mentioned that his men were guarding the nearby mountain paths, and that no one else would be allowed to approach the maze.

"Where's the money?" Johnny asked again.

“Here.” Leon gestured for one of his men to come forward and open the box, inside which were stacks of church gold notes with a total face value of 1.5 million.

Johnny glanced at it, neither counting nor verifying it, then gave a wink to the person next to him, who stepped forward and took the box.

“Then lead the way,” Johnny instructed Leon.

"Do you want to fight personally?" Leon looked at Johnny, who was fully armed.

Johnny wasn't wearing armor that day, but rather a stiff robe coated with waterproof wax, presumably to protect himself from the earth dragon's acidic breath. In addition, he had a sword hanging at his waist and a crossbow on his back.

"Otherwise what? There aren't many people in this world who can kill level four monsters with just a small team," Johnny said in a casual tone.

"When you hunted that earth dragon, I went in with you..." Leon asked tentatively.

"Don't worry, we don't need you! Just stay in a safe area and wait for everything to be over." Johnny interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

“No, I mean, can I come in too? Can I observe?” Leon asked.

He was very curious about how Johnny was going to hunt down the earth dragon. He didn't know enough about the supernatural powers in this world, and such opportunities were rare.

“You think you’re here for sightseeing? We’re not your bodyguards, we can’t guarantee your safety!” Johnny frowned at Leon.

“I will take good care of myself,” Leon replied earnestly.

"Whatever, let's go," Johnny snorted.

Chapter 101 The Battle to Slay the Dragon

Leon watched as Johnny led five of his men into the mine, and followed at a distance.

One of the five men carried a large shield and accompanied Johnny, while the remaining four split into two groups, each responsible for a ballista.

When Leon's men approached the mine, they hesitated and dared not go any closer. Leon did not insist and let them stay outside, since these men were basically useless against the earth dragon.

Once inside the maze, Lennie noticed that Johnny and his men hadn't brought any lighting equipment. Just as he was about to ask, one of Johnny's men raised his hand, and a fireball suddenly appeared in it.

The man pushed his hand forward, and the fireball floated steadily forward like a balloon, illuminating the path ahead for everyone.

Seeing this, Leon realized that among Johnny's subordinates, there were also blessed ones, or even all of them, which was why they had the audacity to challenge a level four monster with only six people.

After the previous cleanup, the maze was now very clean. The low-level monsters were either dead or had been taken out of the maze, and even the vegetation blocking the way had been almost completely cut down.

During the clearing operation, they actually left some monster corpses in the tunnel, but they are no longer visible. They were probably eaten by the awakened earth dragons.

They soon reached the deepest part of the maze, where the subordinate began to summon more fireballs, which floated in all directions, hovering in mid-air and illuminating the entire space.

From here, you can already see the temple built against the rock wall at the deepest part of the cave. The entrance has been smashed open by the earth dragon, leaving a huge hole, and it is pitch black inside.

The men beside Johnny had already set up the ballista. They loaded the harpoon-shaped bolts and the two of them worked together to turn the winch and pull the heavy string.

The crossbow bolt was attached to a thick iron chain, the other end of which was a rivet the size of a cone. A man carried a huge wooden hammer and drove the rivet into the hard rock wall. Then he raised his hand and cast a divine spell, causing the rock wall to converge on the chain and rivet, pressing them down.

Johnny's men stepped forward and held the giant shield in front of them, while Johnny himself took the crossbow off his back and slowly began to load it.

“If you want to watch the show, you’d better stand inside the tunnel. It’s already awake, and the Lord of the Labyrinth can detect the intrusion into this area,” Johnny reminded Leon behind him without turning his head.

As soon as he finished speaking, as if to confirm his statement, a golden light like lava ignited from the depths of the huge breach in the palace wall, and the dragon's might surged out from the depths of the labyrinth like a tidal wave.

However, what emerged from the darkness in the next instant was not an earth dragon, but five gray-blue giant lizards the size of goats. They had horns on their heads like earth dragons, thick, rocky scales on their bodies, thorns on their backs, and six legs.

They sped along the ground, charging towards Johnny's formation.

"A petrified lizard?" Leon was taken aback.

This is a level three magical beast, similar to the dire wolf. It is not particularly strong or fast, but it can spew poisonous gas that can petrify people. It is said that after the petrifying lizard grows up, even its gaze will have the effect of petrification curse. Just one look can make people feel their bodies stiffen. The closer the distance and the longer the gaze lasts, the stronger the curse effect becomes.

“The Lord of the Labyrinth can create monsters; these are the minions created by that earth dragon!” Johnny calmly picked up his loaded crossbow and aimed. “Don’t look into their eyes!”

After speaking, he fired a crossbow bolt. As the bolt flew out, it brought with it a flash of lightning. With the blessing of his divine magic, the bolt transformed into a bolt of lightning, striking the foremost petrified lizard with unerring accuracy. It shattered its rock-hard scales and pierced its body. The electric shock caused the petrified lizard to convulse and fall to the ground.

Johnny skillfully continued to reload and fire his crossbow, taking down three more petrified lizards in succession. However, one last lizard took advantage of the final reload to close the distance, leaping up and lunging at Johnny, spewing poison gas from its mouth.

At that moment, the shield bearer who was standing next to Johnny rushed forward, wielding his massive shield and striking the bouncing petrified lizard. A vortex of air gathered on the shield, bursting as it struck the petrified lizard, producing a loud bang like a balloon exploding.

The blast created a powerful gust of wind that sent the petrified lizard flying, along with the poisonous gas it had spewed out.

At this distance, Johnny no longer needed to use his crossbow. Instead, he snapped his fingers, and a bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertip, striking the petrified lizard. The petrified lizard twitched a few times before stiffening.

Leon observed silently from behind. Johnny and his subordinates must have received the blessings of the Creator. Among the four Origin Gods, the Creator's authority is over matter, and he often appears as a craftsman in the artistic creations of the Church.

He is the benevolent Heavenly Father who created all things, and also the tyrant who controls the forces of natural disasters such as wind, rain, thunder, lightning, floods, and earthquakes. He is the guardian deity of sailors, craftsmen, and all kinds of artisans.

The Creator's blessing is said to grant people the power to command all kinds of natural forces, to summon wind and rain, to control thunder and fire. Johnny can summon lightning, and his subordinates can summon fireballs; all of these are the power of the Creator.

Leon recalled the power Aaron used to easily defeat the assassin: summoning flames, manipulating gravity... Clearly, Aaron also possessed the blessings of the Creator.

No sooner had the petrified lizard been dealt with than the earth dragon, which had been hiding in the hall, let out a roar filled with dragon might and then suddenly charged out.

"The appetizers are over, lads, the main course is here!!" Johnny shouted as he raised his crossbow and fired a lightning bolt.

However, the earth dragon had already tested the intruder's attack methods through the petrified lizard. It was on guard when Johnny set up the crossbow. When the lightning bolt was fired, the earth dragon suddenly lowered its head, opened its umbrella-shaped horned crown, and used its hardest dragon horns to defend itself.

With a clang, the arrow, transformed into lightning, struck its crown, sparking as it struck.

The earth dragon continued its charge, stretching its neck and spewing out acidic mist.

"Charge!" Johnny commanded, and his men raised their giant shields and charged forward.

The shield was less than half the size of the earth dragon's mouth and looked like it would be swallowed up by the surging acid mist at any moment.

However, the moment the shield was raised, a gust of wind began to gather in front of it, forming a wind wall. The surging acid mist was pushed against the wind wall and blocked back.

"Ready..." Johnny drew his sword and pointed it at the earth dragon, "Fire!"

The ballistae, which had been positioned on the left and right sides, were aimed at the earth dragon by his subordinates and fired at Johnny's command.

The harpoon-shaped crossbow bolt, attached to an iron chain, struck the earth dragon heavily, yet no blood splattered; the bolt's strength was simply insufficient to penetrate the dragon's scales.

However, the rough, spiky barbs on the arrowhead allowed the crossbow bolt to hook firmly into the gaps in the earth dragon's scales, leaving it hanging on its body.

The earth dragon didn't care about this insignificant attack; its attention was entirely on the shieldbearer.

Seeing that his breath attack was ineffective, he continued charging straight at the shieldman, intending to bite him to pieces.

At this moment, Johnny planted his sword in the ground, raised his hands, and his men on either side of the ballista suddenly moved away from the ballista and retreated to the rear.

Johnny spread his arms and snapped his fingers, sending two bolts of lightning shooting from his fingertips and striking the chains connecting the crossbow bolts.

The electric current was conducted along the chains and injected into the gaps in the dragon's scales through the crossbow bolt.

The earth dragon, which had been so aggressive just moments before, was suddenly struck by such a powerful electric shock that it froze and fell to the ground.

The shieldbearer took the opportunity to retreat and came to Johnny's side.

The earth dragon, convulsing all over, struggled to its feet. At that moment, Johnny had already set up his crossbow, loaded it with arrows, and aimed a lightning bolt at the earth dragon's eye.

The earth dragon, whose body had not yet recovered, was unable to dodge in time, and a bolt of lightning struck its left eye.

The earth dragon let out its first mournful howl and began to struggle in agony.

The chain tightened as it moved, hindering its movement. The rivet at the other end of the chain, which was fixed to the rock wall, was pulled out halfway, and cracks appeared on the rock wall.

If Johnny's subordinates hadn't used divine magic to solidify the rock around the rivets beforehand, this rock wall would have been shattered by the earth dragon long ago.

Johnny handed the crossbow to his men to load, then let out a long breath and regulated his breathing. Summoning lightning continuously had been quite a burden for him, but now was the crucial moment.

He snapped his fingers again, and another bolt of lightning traveled along the chains to the gaps in the earth dragon's scales, causing the earth dragon to convulse and shrink back.

Johnny seized the opportunity to take the crossbow handed to him by his subordinate, aimed at the earth dragon's right eye, and fired another lightning bolt.

With a deafening scream, the earth dragon's eyes were severely damaged; Johnny had shot it blind.

But with its final struggle, the rivets securing the crossbow bolt to the wall were finally pulled out of the rock face, freeing it from the chains.

Johnny threw away the crossbow, picked up the longsword from the ground again, and quietly circled around to the side of the earth dragon, while gesturing to his men.

The shield bearer understood and quickly ran to another location.

The earth dragon, who had just struggled to get up from the ground, was still in a state of panic from losing its sight when it suddenly heard footsteps. It turned its head and followed the sound toward the shield soldier's location.

The shield-bearer used divine magic to summon a stream of air, blowing it from himself toward the earth dragon so that the dragon could smell his scent, while blowing away Johnny's scent. At this moment, Johnny had already silently approached the earth dragon from the side and rear, and arrived beside it.

Johnny nodded to his subordinate, and the longsword in his hand began to crackle with electricity, until the entire sword emitted a dazzling blue light.

"Come on!" the shieldman roared as he slammed his shield into the ground with a loud bang.

Provoked, the earth dragon roared and charged toward the shield-bearer.

In the blink of an eye, Johnny, who had been poised to pounce, suddenly lunged at the earth dragon, grabbed its horn from its crown, and climbed onto the dragon's head.

This was an incredibly dangerous move. If he had shifted his position even slightly or been a step too slow, he might have been caught in the gaping maw of the earth dragon.

But before the earth dragon could react and try to throw him off, Johnny aimed his longsword at the earth dragon's already blinded eye and plunged it deep into the hilt.

At the same time, the lightning on the sword continued to erupt inside the earth dragon's skull, penetrating its brain and traveling along the nerve bundles in its spine, spreading throughout its entire body.

The earth dragon's entire body tensed up and it collapsed to the ground with a thud, a plume of white smoke rising from its mouth, carrying a burnt smell.

“Killed him…” Leon took a deep breath and finally came to his senses.

Johnny's strength goes without saying, and his subordinates are also highly trained. The entire operation is coordinated without any unnecessary movements, just like a precisely operating machine, accurately executing the battle plan specifically designed to target the earth dragon. This is the combat level of the Church's regular knights!

Therefore, to engage in activities prohibited by the church and to contend with the church's armed forces, one must at least possess this level of competence.

"Don't let your guard down. If there are other level four monsters here, a second Labyrinth Lord might appear," Johnny ordered the others.

"The second master of the labyrinth?" Leon asked casually.

“This earth dragon is undoubtedly the master of the labyrinth. When the master of the labyrinth dies, if there are other monsters with sufficient magical power, there may be a succession to the master position.” Johnny said, looking towards the hall. “However, judging from the situation, it seems unlikely.”

Leon turned to examine the earth dragon's corpse closely. Its left eye was almost completely pierced, while its right eye was half-open, and the lava-like light inside was slowly fading.

Without warning, Leon suddenly felt a strong wave of dizziness, and at the same time, the magic power within his body began to surge.

Accompanied by a ringing whisper, a series of lightning-like images were forcibly injected into his mind. He suddenly felt his vision expand, and he saw the layout of the entire maze around him, as well as the dilapidated interior of the deepest hall. The hall was empty, except for a huge Moirai altar. In the center of the altar was a bottomless vertical well, with invisible magic surging at the bottom.

The instant the image flashed, Leon shivered, gasped for breath, and cold sweat poured from his body.

A thought surfaced in his mind like a brand:

The new...master of the labyrinth!

Chapter 102 The Moirai Apostle

What was that just now?

The new master of the labyrinth? Me?

Leon was a little confused, but everything that had just flashed through his mind clearly conveyed this concept to him:

At the very moment the earth dragon died, he was chosen as the master of the labyrinth.

He focused his mind again, and soon the feeling of his vision expanding returned; he was able to sense the situation in the surrounding area.

Even though he had never seen the interior of that hall, he could still tell its general structure and sense the surging magical power beneath the altar.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Johnny noticed Leon's distraction and called out to him, "This shouldn't be enough to scare you so much you'd wet your pants, right?"

Leon snapped out of his reverie and replied calmly to Johnny, "No, I was just thinking about how to set up here later."

“You should really start thinking about this. Once you’ve finished your business with the Earl, I’ll send someone to collect the remaining payment from you, so don’t forget. I suggest you don’t just focus on raising monsters. With such abundant magic in the labyrinth, the efficiency of monster generation will be very high, and there’s even a possibility that dangerous monsters might suddenly appear. You need to find enough people to keep a close watch on the deepest source of magic,” Johnny reminded him.

“Thank you for the reminder,” Leon said, his attention focused on the surging magic in the central shaft of the altar that he sensed in his mind.

He had a vague feeling that he could control this magic.