Chapter 236: Chapter 122: Using a Map Hack to Hunt Demon Creatures
As Zorn and the others piloted the Dark Sea Demon Ship to attack this particular Magic Ring Tower.
At that very moment, fierce battles erupted simultaneously at the five core Magic Ring Towers on Saint Nuoya’s Golden Island.
It wasn’t just the five core Magic Ring Towers. All the other Magic Ring Towers, large and small, as well as important garrisons and key fortresses.
At this very moment, all were shrouded in the gloom of war.
A large number of pirate ships swiftly approached the harbor.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The steam cannons roared without end.
Countless steel cannonballs, spells, and other attacks relentlessly rained down upon the important towers and military fortresses of Saint Nuoya’s Golden Island.
On this seemingly quiet, yet turbulent night.
The flames of war, personally ignited by Saintisman, now raged back to burn Saintisman itself.
When Zorn killed the formidable Level 10 Crystal Wall Knight with a single arrow.
The few Level 8 and Level 9 Transcendents guarding the Level 8 Jade Magic Ring Tower were still putting up a desperate last stand.
They continuously cast spells at the Dark Sea Demon Ship.
Vainly hoping to turn the tide of battle.
When Zorn proceeded to kill the two Level 9 Transcendents—a Sun Mage and an Ethereal Walker.
The remaining Level 8 Transcendents inside the Jade Magic Ring Tower were finally gripped by fear.
If they continued to defend this place, they would all die here.
Acknowledging that they stood no chance against that terrifying Witchcraft, they immediately fled the Jade Magic Ring Tower.
These Level 8 Transcendents were quite powerful themselves.
After fending off a few waves of attacks from the Sea Demon Ship, they vanished in the direction of Saint Nuoya’s Golden Island.
Once the few Level 8 experts fled, the remaining resistance here instantly crumbled.
Under the command of several of their officers, a large number of pirates borrowed the power of the Dark Sea Demon Ship to leap directly into the Jade Magic Ring Tower and hunt down the fleeing low-ranking soldiers.
"Hahaha... Zorn’s methods are as impressive as ever!"
Captain Jack Jones roared with laughter as he looked at the Jade Magic Ring Tower, which they had conquered with so little effort.
If the Blood Sail Pirate Gang had tried to take the Jade Magic Ring Tower on their own, they might not have succeeded even with heavy losses.
But with Zorn Corick, it was a completely different story.
He was shocked just witnessing the terrifying power unleashed by the Curse Linkage earlier.
It gave him a newfound respect for the legendary Ancient God Curse.
They entered the Jade Magic Ring Tower.
Jack Jones began setting up a ritual to guide the power of the Golem of the Magic Ring Tree and have it take root here.
This was the only way to resist reinforcements from any potential Upper Rankers.
Meanwhile, Zorn began to collect the Wandering Souls of the one Level 10 and two Level 9 Transcendents he had just killed.
Killing and harvesting amidst the chaos of war was the Evil Spirit Wizard’s specialty.
The battle inside the Magic Ring Tower continued.
Zorn, however, took the few Wandering Souls to the very top of the Magic Ring Tower.
Zorn gazed out at the pitch-black sky, the small island town now burning in several places, and the distant Saint Nuoya’s Golden Island, from which the sounds of battle echoed.
Under the full-scale invasion of a large number of pirates, the entire Saint Nuoya Island Group had already fallen into complete chaos.
’Chaos! Let there be chaos! The more chaotic, the better. Only in complete and utter chaos can I truly fish in troubled waters.’
Zorn muttered to himself.
He sat down cross-legged and began to absorb the Wandering Souls containing Spiritual Essence.
At the same time, Captain Jack Jones’s ritual began, guiding the power of the Golem of the Magic Ring Tree to take hold of the tower.
As the power of the new Tree of the Magic Ring invaded.
The collision of the two Magic Ring powers made the entire majestic Magic Ring Tower groan and tremble unceasingly.
Zorn could even feel the clandestine struggle between the experts of the Jade Apostles and the Golem Divine Race.
At first, the Jade Magic Ring Tree, already entrenched in the tower, undoubtedly had the upper hand.
But thanks to the ritual guiding the power of the Golem of the Magic Ring Tree.
Gradually, the two forces became evenly matched.
Then, the power of the Golem of the Magic Ring Tree gained the advantage.
Finally, the power of the Golem of the Magic Ring Tree flooded in, completely purging the power of the Jade Magic Ring Tree.
During the entire confrontation.
Zorn not only felt the auras of the experts from both sides, but also the aura of the Lord of War, Joe Moriff.
He seemed to be merging with the Jade Magic Ring Tree.
’I must have hit him too hard.’
’Did he sacrifice himself just to stay alive, or to prove his worth?’
Zorn was lost in thought.
Then, he refocused his thoughts.
His Experience, which was previously at 88% of Level 7, had now reached 95%.
Those fresh Wandering Souls had provided Zorn with a considerable amount of Spiritual Essence.
And the Demons to come would provide even more.
Especially those Great Demon Lords.
They themselves would max out the intensity of the "Spiritual Essence."
’If you want to level up fast, Demon Creatures are your best bet!’
It was a common catchphrase among Players, one that perfectly captured the simplest, most direct way to level up.
The Middle Rank Level spans from Level Six to Level 10.
The Upper Rank Level from Level 11 to Level 15.
The Holy Crown Level from Level 16 to Level 20.
The Legendary Level from Level 21 to Level 25.
The higher one climbed, the more astronomical the required resources became.
Trying to level up slowly through cultivation was impossible, even for someone like Zorn who could exploit bugs and use hacks.
He still had to rely on the "kindness" of the Demon lords for a boost.
He had to rely on war—destroying the enemy’s Tree of the Magic Ring and absorbing the source of the World to level up quickly.
The only reason Players could level up so quickly was by following the game’s major story arcs, which allowed them to soar.
If they missed an arc or failed to keep up, they would inevitably fall behind in Levels.
At that point, they would either have to quit that character or just play casually.
But this time, Zorn had a firm grasp on the surging tide of this new era.
He would destroy every Tree of the Magic Ring that dared to stand in his way.
As he was thinking, Zorn looked into the surrounding darkness.
’We’ve only finished invading four Magic Ring Towers. The fifth... is still being contested.’
’But it’ll clearly be over soon.’
’And...’
Zorn squinted, his gaze fixed on Saint Nuoya’s Golden Island.
’The Golden Island is already under attack and slowly descending into chaos.’
’But the Demons haven’t shown themselves yet. They’re clearly still trying to hide their strength and tactics, planning to launch a vicious counterattack against this wave of invaders. Then they’ll seize the Magic Ring Towers and establish their own kingdom of the Demon Tree.’
’But... with me here, I won’t let you stay hidden for long.’
As his thoughts settled, Zorn turned to Captain Jack Jones nearby.
"Captain Jack, I’m planning to head to the core area of the Golden Island. I might be able to pick off a few more enemies."
The original plan was to first stabilize the outer Magic Ring Towers, wait until the Golem of the Magic Ring Tree was stable, and then have everyone advance on the Golden Island to launch a final assault.
However, this Magic Ring Tower had already been stabilized.
And with the Dark Sea Demon Ship, which excelled at both offense and defense, standing guard here, there was no worry that the enemy could counterattack this Magic Ring Tower.
Moreover, the Magic Ring Towers in several other locations were also being conquered.
A significant portion of Saintisman’s forces had clearly been recalled to the Holy Land Continent.
They most likely no longer had the strength to counterattack here.
With this in mind, Jack Jones nodded.
"Be careful, then."
"Yes, I will."
With a single step, Zorn became a black shadow that flashed out of the Magic Ring Tower and appeared on the coast.
After a few more flashes, Zorn was out over the ocean.
A wave surged up, carrying Zorn as he sped across the surface toward the open sea.
As he moved, Zorn handled a black object in his hand—the Demon Curse Mirror, which was jet-black with a border of Scale Armor Runes.
This Demon Curse Mirror was a special item he had commissioned from Miss Craftsman before setting out to sea.
Demon Creatures were exceptionally cunning, and their methods were formidable.
They could transform into humans, conceal their auras, and blend into crowds, making them difficult to discover.
Zorn was certain that those Demon Creatures had long been secretly entrenched in various places throughout Saint Nuoya.
For example, they might devour a human, take on their appearance, and continue living their life.
Or they might possess a Transcendent’s body or soul, using them as a "mount" to command their actions.
In short, those Demon Creatures were extremely cunning and difficult to find.
If the experts of the Golem Divine Race and Saintisman were left to fight each other to a standstill and barely managed to conquer the Golden Island, they would then face a frenzied counterattack from the Demon Creatures.
This was where his expensive Demon Curse Mirror came in. It was one of the "Special Witchcraft Artifacts" developed by expert Players known as "Demon Slayers."
It was commonly known as a "map hack."
Upon activation, the artifact could scan a large surrounding area, quickly filtering and pinpointing the locations of Demon Creatures.
The Demons might want to launch a Surprise Attack from hiding, but their currently scattered positions would only make them perfect prey for Zorn.
When it came to hunting Demons, the Players were professionals.
Since Zorn was counting on the Demon Creatures here to significantly raise his Level, he had naturally come exceptionally well-prepared.
Silently, Zorn entered the bay, crossed the beach, and set foot on Saint Nuoya’s Golden Island.
Although the Golden Island was already in utter chaos, Zorn moved through it with the ease of a leisurely stroll.
As he walked, he activated the Demon Curse Mirror, pouring a thick stream of Evil Energy into it.
On the radar-like display, 5 points of light appeared.
And next to the five points of light, their Levels were also displayed.
The display showed their Levels: three were Level Six, one was Level 7, and one was Level 8.
The advantage of having a one-sided map hack was on full display, maxing out Zorn’s edge at this very moment.
’Five of them in such a small area... Just how many Demons are hiding on this Golden Island?’
’And in the Ancient Ruins deeper within, there are probably more than a few Level 10 Grand Demon Lords.’
His thoughts turning to the Demons, Zorn looked toward their locations.
’Even a Level Six Demon is a great tonic for an Evil Spirit Wizard.’
With a low laugh, Zorn silently entered the Mirror World.
It wasn’t long before Zorn launched a Surprise Attack, easily trapping a Level Six Demon Creature with Life Absorption.
GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE...
Against his Level 3 Life Absorption.
This Level Six Demon Creature was completely powerless to resist.
As he absorbed the Level Six Demon Creature, Zorn felt as if he were draining a giant sack of Experience.
A thick, pure Energy poured into his body, immediately beginning to nourish his physical form, soul, spirit, and his Evil Spirit Sequence.
The feeling was so comfortable it almost made Zorn want to moan.
Not until he had completely drained the Level Six Demon, turning it to a pile of ash.
Did Zorn withdraw his palm, feeling slightly unsatisfied.
’The effect... is actually this good?’
’In the normal course of events, very few Evil Spirit Wizards survive long enough to reach the game version where Demons appear.’
’Even if they do make it to this version, they’re just barely clinging to life, pathetic and weak.’
’They’re in no position to fight powerful Demon Creatures.’
’But even so, there were always rumors in the Player community that Demons were a great tonic for Evil Spirit Wizards.’
At this thought, Zorn’s heart pounded with excitement.
’For an Evil Spirit Wizard to not only survive, but thrive and reach an era that shouldn’t belong to him... this feels incredible.’
’It’s not just the Demon Creatures; it’s the same with absorbing the Trees of the Magic Ring.’
’I won’t just easily reach Level 8; it might even be possible to go straight to Level 9.’
Zorn suppressed the turbulent excitement in his heart.
’Demons are a tasty treat, but I still need to stick to the plan.’
’Yes... First, I’ll set up the Evil Spirit Calamity ritual!’
’Saintisman, the Jade Magic Ring, the Lord of War... they love the flames of war, don’t they? Hehe... In that case, let’s add some calamity and Death to the fire, and make this war that makes the World weep burn even more fiercely!’
