novelnext Chapter 19 A Minor Sensation, Submit the Task
Chapter 19 A Minor Sensation, Submit the Task
The six elite manticores that had caught up behind them panicked and fell into chaos upon seeing their leader dead.
They roared threateningly in Rolin's direction, but dared not go any further. They eventually retreated slowly and disappeared into the darkness of the canyon.
Only after confirming that the danger had passed did Luo Lin finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He slid down against the rock wall and felt a wave of exhaustion.
This battle was extremely dangerous. If it weren't for utilizing the terrain and the pre-prepared reels, and if it weren't for a breakthrough in the use of [acid splash] at the crucial moment, he might have died here.
After resting for a long time and regaining some strength, he stepped forward and painstakingly removed the crystal core from the manticore leader's tail.
This crystal core was larger than any he had obtained before, with purer and more abundant energy, and it seemed as if liquid was flowing inside.
Looking at the precious crystal core in his hand, and thinking about what he had learned and broken through in the previous battle, Roland felt that all the risks had been worthwhile.
He packed up his spoils and, without lingering, set off on his journey back to the academy under the cover of night.
The mission has been exceeded; it's time to claim the qualification to access the [Elemental Well].
The return to the Shadowraven Tower Academy was much smoother than the departure.
Rowling remained vigilant, but did not encounter any further insurmountable dangers.
Several days later, weary from his journey, he once again stepped through the academy's gates, which were made of massive stones.
Instead of immediately turning in the quest, Rowling returned to his stone hut, thoroughly cleaned himself, changed into a clean apprentice robe, and then used deep meditation to restore himself to his best condition.
The battle with the manticore leader was extremely taxing, and the mental fatigue will take time to recover.
After recovering, Roland took the thirteen tail needle crystal cores, including the exceptionally large leader crystal core, to the mission hall to hand them over.
When he placed the thirteen crystal cores, especially the leader's crystal core, on the counter, the deacon in charge of verification was visibly taken aback.
The deacon carefully examined each crystal core, especially the leader's crystal core. After confirming that everything was correct, he looked at Rolin with a gaze that was both surprised and scrutinizing.
"Thirteen crystallized manticore tail stinger cores, confirmed."
"It contains a leader's crystal core."
The deacon's voice was slightly louder than usual, drawing the attention of several apprentices who were handing over their tasks.
When they saw the unique leader's crystal core, they all showed expressions of shock and disbelief.
Completing a crystallized manticore hunting mission alone is difficult enough, but hunting a leader-level manticore is beyond the capabilities of most third-class apprentices.
For a moment, hushed discussions arose in the mission hall.
"Luo Lin? Is that the newly recruited third-class apprentice?"
"He actually killed the manticore leader? How is that possible!"
"I heard he was very skilled at processing materials before, and was noticed by the wizard Eric..."
"Was it luck? Or did you use some special methods?"
Rowling remained silent, ignoring the discussions.
He didn't care about these gazes and speculations. The confidence brought by his improved strength made him no longer need to prove himself through the approval of others.
The deacon quickly completed the formalities.
He collected the leader's crystal core and the other two ordinary crystal cores of the best quality, and handed them over to the academy as proof of mission completion.
This is a requirement of the mission; some core mission items must be retained for verification purposes.
"Task complete, reward 1000 contribution points."
The deacon credited the contribution points to Rolin's identity plaque and handed him a jade tablet engraved with intricate runes, its surface smooth to the touch.
"This is the access pass for the [Elemental Well]."
"With this certificate, you may choose any day during the first week of next month to enter the Gale Elemental Well for six hours of meditation."
"Specific location and precautions. The certificate contains a spiritual mark and instructions."
"The Gale Elemental Well..." Luo Lin took the jade tablet and probed it with his spiritual power. A surge of information flooded into his mind, including the exact location of the elemental well, how to open it, and precautions to take during meditation.
In particular, the potential impact of the active wind element particles.
He retrieved the remaining ten ordinary crystal cores.
These crystal cores are not subject to mandatory recycling by the academy; apprentices can dispose of them themselves.
Luo Lin put away the voucher, nodded slightly to the deacon, and then turned and left the mission hall without lingering for a moment.
The news that he had single-handedly completed a difficult mission and hunted down the scorpion leader stirred up ripples in the small circle of third-class apprentices in the academy, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, but did not cause much of a stir.
After all, there are many geniuses and eccentrics in the academy, and all sorts of things happen every day. The outstanding performance of an apprentice without a strong background will soon be overshadowed by new topics of conversation.
Only a few observant people noticed this.
During a chance encounter, Lina curiously asked about it, and Rowling simply replied, "It was due to the terrain and a bit of luck," before changing the subject.
Upon hearing the news, Kyle's expression darkened further, but he made no further move.
When Eric the Wizard learned of this, he only briefly inquired about the battle in the laboratory, focusing on the source of Rolin's inspiration for the compressed application of [Acid Splash], and gave a few pointers on the techniques of controlling energy particle compression. He seemed unsurprised by this outcome.
Luo Lin was happy to have some free time.
He currently has ten crystallized manticores, seven of which are of ordinary quality and three of relatively good quality.
He has no intention of selling all of them.
The energy contained in these crystal nuclei is quite pure, making them excellent materials for creating energy guiding devices or specific medicines.
He kept three high-quality crystal cores and one ordinary crystal core as research samples, and sold the remaining six ordinary crystal cores to the academy store in exchange for 480 contribution points.
There are still nearly twenty days until the [Elemental Well] opens.
Rowling did not waste this time; he threw himself back into the study and research of patterns.
He combined his experience from this real-world battle with his daily practice.
He practiced the technique of compressing acid splash to form a more penetrating ray repeatedly.
Although it consumes more mana and requires extremely high mental control, making it unsuitable as a regular method, it is undoubtedly a good trump card.
He named it "acid etching ray," recorded it in his research notes, and began to think about how to optimize the model and reduce consumption.
[Weak Force Field Armor] Although it was on the verge of shattering after taking a hit from the manticore leader, it also gave him a more intuitive understanding of the defensive limits and energy distribution of this spell.
He tried to consciously concentrate his mental energy on the parts that might be attacked while maintaining his armor, thus strengthening those areas locally.
Regardless of the results, this is a direction worth exploring.
In addition, Luo Lin devoted more energy to studying the basic meditation method.
He was just a hair's breadth away from the perfect limit, and he repeatedly savored the knowledge he had read in the book about the foundation and a deeper understanding of his own spiritual sea.
And Eric the Wizard's reminder about "what lies behind the thinking model".
He no longer rushed to break through the bottleneck, but instead, like using his mental power to carefully polish a work of art, he repeatedly combed through every corner of his mental sea, felt the subtle changes in the flow of magical power, and tried to understand the profound meaning involved in each cycle of meditation.
This process is slow and tedious, with progress that is almost invisible to the naked eye.
However, Rolin could feel that his mental energy was becoming more refined, and its compatibility with his magical power was slowly increasing.
During this time, he also took the time to improve the [Minor Nourishing Array] based on Dark Gold Wood.
He used the contribution points he gained from selling crystal cores to purchase some higher-quality energy reversal materials and redraw the magic array patterns, making the flow of life energy more stable and efficient.
The moon orchid is growing well in the improved magic circle, and the flower buds have already formed. It is estimated that it will bloom in a while.
This gave him greater confidence in the practical application of magic arrays.
The peaceful days were shattered by an unexpected piece of news three days before the [Elemental Well] was to open.
Rowling received a message from Wizard Eric, asking him to go to the laboratory.
Upon arriving at the laboratory, he discovered that in addition to Wizard Eric and Buck, there was another unfamiliar, officially recognized wizard present.
The wizard wore a blue robe embroidered with silver threads, had a serious face and sharp eyes, and exuded a powerful spiritual energy that was in no way inferior to Eric's.
"Rolling, this is Wizard Stone from the Elemental Academy of our college."
Eric the wizard explained.
"Greetings, Sir Stone the Wizard."
Luo Lin bowed respectfully.