Chapter 250: Chapter 235: Companions? I Have No Companions
Deep in the corridor, the light was erratically swallowed by the surrounding grayish-white vines, dimming the view.
Ian relied on his Spiritual Perception to make out the blurry contours of his surroundings.
"Ian, there are two of them around the corner ahead."
Gaga’s voice echoed in his mind, hushed and wary.
"They’re not moving, just standing there. Their Spiritual Power is constantly scanning in our direction..."
Ian didn’t break his stride. His expression remained calm, but a faint golden glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Ever since stepping into this side passage, which was blocked off by Silent Extinction Vines, he had felt a faint, almost imperceptible gaze on him.
It wasn’t the chaotic malice of a Demon, but a more restrained and sinister covetousness.
Like a viper lurking in the shadows.
’They’re really not afraid to die, coming after me like this.’
The corner was thirty meters ahead.
Ian’s left hand was tucked into the pocket of his Wizard Robe, his fingertips gently stroking the cold Ring of Overlapping Peaks as his right hand hung naturally at his side.
Inside his sleeve, thirty-six Floating Crystal Cones had silently moved into position, hovering soundlessly.
"They’re moving... approaching us, but not quickly."
Gaga warned him again, its mismatched eyes glinting in the shadows.
"Ian, the corner of the left one’s mouth is twitching. He looks like a hyena that’s just spotted a juicy piece of meat."
"Got it," Ian replied mentally, his tone devoid of any emotion.
He rounded the corner.
Sure enough, two men were standing there.
Their footsteps were so light they nearly blended into the dead silence of their surroundings.
But in this silent world, even the slightest movement was jarringly loud.
The two men were about thirty meters away, positioned on his left and right at a slight angle to flank him.
They were the same two Liquidation Wizards who had entered the corridor earlier.
One was as tall and thin as a beanpole, the hem of his dark blue long robe stained with dark red blotches.
The other was short and stout, his right hand hidden in his sleeve, a faint green light glowing from between his fingers.
The moment they saw Ian, an unconcealable glint of greed flashed in their eyes.
"Oh? If it isn’t Wizard Marcus."
The tall, skinny Wizard’s lips twisted into a smile.
"What a coincidence. To think we’d run into an acquaintance here, in the countless forks of the Eternal Silence Corridor."
Though he called it a "coincidence," he imperceptibly took half a step.
The movement put him and his companion into a pincer formation, blocking off the widest part of the corridor.
Ian stopped walking. His calm gaze swept over the two men before finally landing on the tall, skinny Wizard’s face.
"Do you need something?"
"Nothing important," the tall, skinny Wizard chuckled.
His gaze flickered to the Dimension Bag at Ian’s waist.
"It’s just that these ruins are dangerous. With Wizard Marcus all alone, I’m afraid..."
He didn’t get to finish.
Ian had already attacked.
There was no warning, no wasted words, not even the slightest precursor ripple of Energy.
The instant his opponent was halfway through the word "afraid," Ian’s lowered right hand shot up!
SHHFF!
Three hairlike threads of Energy burst from his palm.
Two were ice-blue and one was golden-red. The moment they left his hand, they spiraled together.
They formed a single, pale purple thread that tore through the air, aimed straight between the tall, skinny Wizard’s eyes.
It was too fast!
The tall, skinny Wizard had no time to react. All he felt was a cold sensation between his brows.
The pale purple thread pierced his skull, and then the entire world went silent.
The Entropy Change Domain erupted in an instant.
Two diametrically opposed Powers clashed violently within his body.
It churned his flesh, bones, spiritual channels, and even his Soul into a chaotic slurry.
THUMP.
His body crumpled to the ground, an expression of sheer astonishment frozen on his face.
From the moment Ian attacked to the wizard’s death, the entire process took less than half a second.
"You!"
The short, stout Wizard’s pupils contracted. He never expected Ian to be so decisive.
He certainly hadn’t expected his opponent’s attack to be so blindingly fast!
But no Liquidation Wizard who made it into these ruins was a weakling.
In almost the same instant his companion collapsed, the short, stout Wizard slammed his Poison Staff into the ground.
"Spreading Corruption!"
A turquoise Poisonous Fog erupted from the Poison Sac on the head of the staff.
It formed a dense green ring fifty meters in diameter, enveloping both himself and Ian!
The Poisonous Fog was highly corrosive and had a neuro-paralytic effect. A single breath would cause an ordinary Liquidation Wizard’s body to fester and their movements to become sluggish.
But Ian didn’t even bat an eye.
His Furnace Body Tempering Skill circulated at full power. The Jade-like Radiance beneath his skin flared, instantly vaporizing and purifying any toxins that tried to invade his body!
At the same time, he raised his left hand and made a grasping motion.
HUMMM!
An invisible Gravity Field erupted from him, violently compressing and twisting the surrounding Poisonous Fog.
It formed a counter-rotating vortex.
"What?!" The short, stout Wizard’s expression changed drastically.
He could feel himself losing control of the Poisonous Fog he had released.
The carefully concocted corrosive Energy, drawn by some invisible power, was beginning to turn on him!
"Damn it!"
The short, stout Wizard gritted his teeth. His left hand rapidly formed a series of seals, and a grayish-green Shield materialized before him.
But it was too late.
Ian raised his right hand again.
He spread his fingers, aimed his palm at the short, stout Wizard, and then...
...gently closed his fist.
Gravity Collapse Ball!
A black dot the size of a grain of rice appeared out of thin air on the short, stout Wizard’s chest.
There was no sound, no light—only the ripple of space being violently twisted and compressed.
The short, stout Wizard looked down, staring at the "hole" that had suddenly appeared in his chest.
The hole was only the size of a fist. Through it, the wall behind him was visible.
But the flesh, bone, Shield, and Long Robe surrounding the hole...
...all matter was rapidly collapsing inward, as if being devoured bit by bit by an invisible maw.
"N-No... impossible..."
The short, stout Wizard opened his mouth, trying to speak.
But before any sound could escape, his entire body was sucked into the miniature Gravity Singularity.
POP.
With a faint pop, the black dot vanished.
All that remained was a small pile of grayish-white dust, the remnants of a body crushed by extreme Gravity.
From the moment the two wizards launched their attack to their complete annihilation, the entire process took no more than three seconds.
Ian lowered his hand, his expression as calm as if nothing had happened.
"Gaa..." Gaga muttered.
"Ian, you’re too fast, gaa. I didn’t even get to warm up..."
"There’s no need to waste time," Ian said coolly.
"In a place like this, any hesitation can be fatal."
He crouched down and quickly searched the two bodies.
Or rather, one body and a pile of Ashes.
Inside the tall, skinny Wizard’s Dimension Bag, he found a few bottles of Middle Level Healing Potion, some common Alchemy Materials, and more than a dozen High Level Magic Stones.
The short, stout Wizard’s Poison Staff was decent, and the Poison Sac on its head was still pulsing faintly.
But Ian had no interest in Poison Witchcraft, so he casually tossed the staff into a corner of his Dimension Ring.
"Broke," he commented.
Gaga rolled its eyes. "You think everyone’s like you, gaa? Doing Alchemy and looting resources all day?"
Ian didn’t answer. He stood and looked toward the patch of Silent Extinction Vines ahead.
Though the battle had been brief, the Energy fluctuations had disturbed the sensitive plants.
Sure enough, the once-still vines began to squirm slowly.
On the surface of the grayish-white "veins," tiny thorns bristled one after another.
The surrounding light began to dim, and all sound vanished completely.
This wasn’t the natural silence of the environment, but some kind of Power actively devouring the sound.
It was the Vine’s signature ability: the Silent Field.
"Here they come." Ian’s eyes narrowed.
In the next second, dozens of vines shot out like vipers!
They moved with incredible speed, leaving grayish-white afterimages in the dim light.
Their thorns tore through the air without making a sound.
Each Vine’s attack trajectory was cunning and vicious, sealing off all of Ian’s room to dodge!
But Ian had no intention of dodging.
He stood his ground, raising his right hand and spreading his fingers.
Frost Ash Beam—at full power!
This time, it wasn’t a hyper-compressed thread.
Instead, three thumb-thick beams of Energy erupted from his palm. The ice-blue and golden-red spiraled together the moment they were released.
They formed a pale purple Domain ten meters in diameter!
The Entropy Change Domain—fully unleashed!
SSSKKRR!
The moment the vines entered the Domain, their speed plummeted.
Frost and scorch marks appeared on their grayish-white surfaces simultaneously. Extreme cold and searing heat alternated in milliseconds, causing the vines’ structures to rapidly grow brittle and disintegrate!
But the Life Force of the Silent Extinction Vines was terrifyingly tenacious.
Even though they were severely weakened by the Entropy Change Domain, more than a dozen vines still broke through the blockade, their thorns aimed straight for Ian’s vital points!
"GAA!"
Gaga flew from Ian’s shoulder, its wingspan instantly expanding to three meters. Its feathers took on a deep, shadowy sheen.
Nascent Shadow Messenger—Shadow Manipulation!
The shadows on both sides of the corridor suddenly came to life!
They peeled away from the walls, forming pitch-black tentacles that precisely snared the vines that had broken through the Domain.
Shadow and vine tangled, tearing at each other...
Though unable to completely suppress them, it was enough to slow the vines’ attack by a fraction of a second.
And for Ian, that was more than enough time.
He raised his left hand, made a grasping motion, and another black dot the size of a rice grain appeared in his palm.
The black dot shot toward the ground ahead.
HUMMM!
Invisible waves of Gravity rippled out from the black dot.
Everywhere they passed, the floor, walls, and ceiling collapsed inward!
The Silent Extinction Vines rooted in the walls were brutally torn from their anchorages by the terrifying Gravity.
The grayish-white "veins" snapped apart, spraying viscous, dark red sap.
"HSSSSSS!"
An inhuman, sharp screeching echoed through the air—an Energy vibration emitted by the vines as they took damage collectively.
Although the Silent Field absorbed most of it, the remaining sound was still painfully sharp.
Expressionless, Ian raised his right hand again.
Frost Ash Beam—Sweep Mode!
The pale purple, spiraling beam swept out like a scythe, slicing through the vines that had been yanked out by the Gravity.
At the cuts, one half of the wound froze into ice crystals while the other melted into charcoal.
The chaotic Energy of interweaving ice and fire spread wildly down the vines’ "veins" toward their roots.
A few moments later, all the vines at the end of the corridor stopped squirming completely.
Vast swathes of the grayish-white vines withered and shriveled up.
They finally dissolved into pools of viscous, dark red liquid that gave off a nauseating, putrid stench.
"Done." Ian lowered his hand, his breathing as steady as ever.
Gaga landed back on his shoulder. Its small eyes scanned the wreckage on the floor, and it couldn’t help but click its beak.
"Ian, your fighting style is... really violent now, gaa."
"As long as it’s effective," Ian said coolly.
He walked over to the remains of the vines, crouched down, and used an Alchemy Saber to carefully scrape some of the dark red sap into a specially sealed Crystal Bottle.
The sap of the Silent Extinction Vine possessed the property of "existential Annihilation," making it a precious material for Refining certain special Potions.
"Let’s go." Ian put away the Crystal Bottle.
He rose, stepped over the remains of the vines, and headed deeper into the corridor.
Gaga followed behind, muttering quietly.
"About those two guys... aren’t you afraid Herman will come after you?"
"Come after me?"
Ian didn’t break his stride, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"In a place like this, death is the most common currency. If Herman can’t even understand that, he wouldn’t have survived this long."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"Besides, they made the first move. I was merely... acting in self-defense."
Gaga tilted its head. "But you didn’t even wait for them to actually attack, gaa..."
"If I wait for them to attack first, I might get hurt."
Ian’s tone was placid. "In ruins like these, getting injured is a death sentence. Therefore, any potential threat must be snuffed out before it can even sprout."
This was his current code of conduct.
Once he strikes, he leaves no quarter.
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