Age of Adepts

Within the dark underground tunnel, a perfect silence prevailed.

Originally, there weren’t any routes in the Underground world. Only irregular rock fractures and water channels formed after thousands of years of water erosion. However, through the endless excavating efforts by many generations of underground creatures, the winding cave system with many chambers, large and small were interconnected by tunnels of all length, forming an awe-inspiring three-dimensional tunnel system that extended in all directions.

There weren’t any straight paths down here, like the ones back on the on the surface. All the passages were meticulously excavated along rock fractures. Stretching through those ancient water channels, twisting and turning. Sometimes, when the walls between caves were relatively thin, you could hear sound from other passages, but they were still forced to travel a long, winding passage of tens of miles in complete darkness, before reaching their destination.

Countless stalactites were hanging from the ceiling of caverns; stalagmites protruded unevenly from the damp floor. Water continually dripping down through the uneven rock formations, allowing for the ground to be damp and covered with moss.

To be honest, when traveling in such an isolated and quiet environment, it was very easy to feel a creeping sensation. Thinking that just the few hundred tons of rocks and soil on top of your head could collapse at any time, and in turn, crushing you.

Everyone was holding a torch in. The group of ten, including Greem, were formed in a long line, walking slowly and difficulty in the underground tunnel.

The glow of their torches could only light up a region of five meters. From time to time a bone chilling breeze would squeeze out from some unseen cracks in the rock wall, causing the torches to flicker in the wind. The flickering projected their shadows on the other side of the rock wall.

Although they had tried their best to keep complete silence while walking. But the indistinct noise of their footsteps and the sounds that came from their bodies scratching against the rock wall, all of them were still echoed far away in this dark and quiet tunnel. And, this would bring them so much more unexpected dangers in their journey later.

After walking continuously for three hours, the team finally arrived at their first stop on the inspection route.

Strictly speaking, the first three hours journey was just a small assessment before they truly entered the Underground Cave. The real starting point of their investigation and inspection mission started here.

“Alright, this is where we split. Try your best to complete the mission as soon as possible, then we’ll meet back here again. I wish you all the best!” The clear and melodious voice of Sabrina became hollow in this oppressive cavern.

Ten Apprentice Adepts split into five small teams. All traveling to different sites to complete their own mission. The deepest mission site was taken care by Sabrina and Shila. Of course, no one would have any objection when she volunteered for the most dangerous mission, thus, they too had tacitly approved her leadership.

As for the team of Greem and Mary, although everyone was jealous, but they had no choice and gave them the easiest mission. Because if the rest of the group sought momentary satisfaction and gave Greem’s group a tougher mission, which eventually brought them to death. Next time, they would have to complete the ten person mission with only eight members.

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Every single person was wearing a thick black robe, which fully covered every single inch of their skin. This was to prevent their aura and body temperature from exposing their positions in the eyes of those underground creature who possessed infrared vision. After whispering wishes to each other, five small teams disappeared themselves into the darkness, heading to their respective destination.

After split up, Greem and Mary continued walking in the dark tunnel for nearly seven to eight minutes, then they stopped.

Greem listened for any sound that might be audible. When he finally confirmed there wasn’t anything nearby, he casually killed off the torch in his hand. When the last glow of light faded into the darkness, a mystery and bizarre world was made revealed in front of Greem’s eyes.

The illuminating mosses on the cave walls were glowing coldly in the dark. Drawing out a completely different yet bizarre scene in Greem’s eyes, which had temporarily been granted with the ability of low-light vision. Lit up by this faded glow, darkness gradually retracted, replacing by a mysterious world of glittering.

The color of the cold, gruesome-looking cave wall was black, and the region where water gathered was gray. Within Greem’s Elementium Vision, besides from a large patch of green illuminating glow, the world in front of him was full of black and gray colors. However, hidden in a dark corner not far from where he stood, he could barely see a few creepy moving red dots.

Red dots represents the leaking life force.

Judging from the size of the red dots, they should be some tiny creatures. Perhaps Rock Scorpions or wall lizards.

Greem turned around and saw Mary. She was still wearing the same bright red chiffon dress, exposing a large area of her fair skin. But strangely, even though Greem was only three steps away from her, but he couldn’t sense any temperature that all living beings had. If just looking at her with infrared vision, perhaps Mary was no different from a human shaped stalagmite.

Alright, a Vampire’s ability was indeed unpredictable.

With infrared vision, able to hide her vitality aura, and together with her supreme agility, the dark Underground was a perfect place for an assassin like her.

Greem pulled down his hood, took up the lead and resumed their journey, walking along the winding rough slope in front of him.

Their mission site was near an underground pond located seven miles away. They might pass by a couple of Underground creature habitats along their way, but there wasn’t too much of a risk to worry. As long as they paid more attention to their surroundings, they should be able to walk passed them without any issue.

............

Although both of them possessed powerful magical abilities, yet when traveling in The Underground world where dangers were everywhere even Mary, who was an advanced apprentice, was still like a toddler who just started learning how to walk.

Greem thought he had been well prepared, but before he reached one hundred meters from starting point, he was met with the first ambush in this Underground world.

Yes, an ambush!

When Greem was passing by a rock crack, a Rock Python who was hiding within it suddenly darted out, opening its stinking and ferocious mouth, biting toward his neck.

He was caught off guard.

The cold, hard rock wall had provided a well cover for this Rock Python’s indistinct vitality aura. So, when Greem saw a red dot suddenly jumped into his vision, the venomous fangs of Rock Python had nearly reached his face.

If Greem had 10 or above Agility, perhaps he could respond on time. But, his 4 Agility had severely limited his instinctive reflex, forcing him to shut his eyes in great fear while waiting for the brutal bite to hit him.

A Rock Python wouldn’t kill him, but a painful wound was inevitable.

A shrill whistling sound of object piercing through the air beside his ear. Mary, who was apparently walking behind of him second ago, suddenly jumped in front of him. With her fingers pointing like a blade, she sliced through the air with incredible speed. In just a split second, the Rock Python had been sliced into seven pieces.

A pungent smell of blood filled the air within the tunnel.

Greem took a few deep breathes, finally making his racing heart beats returned to normal. His body was wet with cold sweat. Damn Underground creatures, they sure knew how to pick a perfect spot to ambush!

Although the tunnel was dark, Greem felt his face was burning.

He was overconfident. A theory was always just a theory. He thought he had stored a huge amount of skills and experiences required for the adventure, but in real life there was always traps that he could never predict.

After the first setback, two people exchanged their position.

Nimble and noiseless, Mary took the lead. No Underground creature that tried to ambush them could escape from her sharp magical weapon-like nails. Even if it was an extremely close range ambush, she could always slice the enemy into pieces with her supreme Agility.

Thus, within just an hour, eleven Underground creatures were killed by her.

Indistinctly, Greem heard the noise of creatures fighting from the tunnel far behind him. It seemed like a small scale of war was inevitable. In this Underground world, no matter how loud noise was or how small of a wound is, they were both a huge taboo. As both could easily lure bigger and more aggressive Underground creatures.

Although with Mary and Greem’s overall strength, they had no fear in these weak creatures, but they could still bring Greem and Mary unnecessary troubles for their journey.

The first real trouble occurred at the seventh hour after they entered the Underground world. A group of eleven Hooked Horrors struck them.

Hook Horrors were widely distributed in all parts of Underworld world. They looked rather similar to a small dinosaur with its body fully covered in hard scales. When they stood straight, they reached the height of two meters. Although they weren’t considered a large creature, but they had a strong bone, and a mouthful of big, shining, sharp fangs. Their sticky saliva was dripping down from this brutal mouth, looking like they were going to have a big feast.

Unlike other smaller creatures, they didn’t use ambush as their strategy, but patiently waited until Greem and Mary entered their encirclement, only then did they steadily walked out from the darkness. Before seeing their body, Greem was greeted with pairs of pale yellow eyes.

A hard-skin creature like this was tough to deal with, at least, Mary’s sharp claws couldn’t penetrate their strong scales. Without hitting their armpit, eyes, or neck, the weak spots of their defense, Mary’s attack was harmless to them. On the opposite, their slim but sharp upper limbs, located on their chests, could cause her devastating damage.

Together with the tremendous slamming force that came from its heavy body, plus the Paralyze and Slowing effect that was innate to all Earth Elemental creatures, this all made it really tough for an ordinary Apprentice Adept to escape safely with such limited space.

A wry smile emerged on Greem’s face, he shook his head, quickly took out two summoning cores and threw them onto a nearby dirt patch.

Although majority of the underground tunnel was excavated on the solid rock wall, utilizing the hardness of the rock to prevent the tunnel from collapsing, but there was always dirt and sand to be found everywhere. Thus, Greem never lacked the material to shape his Clay Golems.

A soundless roar rang through the air. The Demon Alligator Hunter gradually took its shape beside Greem.

“Oh, good kid! You have a hidden trick!” Mary’s voice came from the darkness.

With Mary’s 17 Agility, freeing herself from these Hooked Horrors was a piece of cake. If not because of Greem, it would just take her five seconds to pass through the enemy’s rather shabby encirclement.

After a few failed random attacks at those Hooked Horrors, Mary gave up trying. She returned to Greem, started to give an examining look at this new, strange golem.

This... it seemed different from the one she saw last time! Could this clay alligator a new golem he obtained, after killed the Giant Alligator King? Apparently, this kid wasn’t as weak as she imagined!

Filling her mind with countless questions, Mary saw Greem walk up to the clay alligator’s back and sit down. Following a mild vibration, the clay alligator moved its huge body, crushing its way to those Hooked Horrors who starting to tighten up the circle.