Volume 7: Spring Thunder and the Awakening of Insects
Chapter 1: A Dangerous Situation
Returning to the outer fortress gate, a chill slowly seeped down Komer’s spine. The gate had closed silently at some point, and Komer could clearly see the surprised yet challenging looks in his two companions’ eyes. Clearly, this unexpected change had stirred their fighting spirit. Komer felt ashamed inwardly—seemingly, as the protagonist, he had been suppressed by an unseen atmosphere since entering the fortress, far less carefree than these two. Having stepped through this gate, he was willing to risk his life; once on this path, there was no need to hesitate further.
With this thought, Komer’s concerns diminished. He had an inherently wild and unrestrained personality; otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted so impulsively back then. This wildness, ingrained in his blood, hadn’t faded with age. It had only been suppressed by the memories and personality of the crystal’s original owner. But as the power of the crystal waned, the magic absorbed into Komer’s body gradually transformed into his own strength, allowing his true nature to resurface. After absorbing some of King Canifer III’s personality traits, he gradually broke free from the constraints of his original character. Even Komer himself noticed subtle changes in his personality—seemingly, a touch of caution and composure had been added to his wild impulsiveness. He was glad that King Canifer III’s obsession with emotions hadn’t affected him; in his view, that almost self-destructive approach to emotions was undoubtedly inhumane toward oneself.
Rebri stopped in front of the suspension bridge, carefully observing its structure and potential dangers. Though his spiritual senses couldn’t detect the cold aura he had encountered before, he dared not slacken in the slightest. These undead creatures or necromantic beings were almost everywhere. The gloomy lands were not only sacred sites for dark mages but also ideal habitats for them. The dark energy allowed them to operate in broad daylight, shielding them from sunlight’s harm. Moreover, these undead could use this dark energy to enhance their strength. Some special creatures could even retain their intelligence and memories even before dying, though this was a rare case. Faced with outsiders invading what they considered their territory, these undead would certainly not give up fighting easily. Their apparent weakness meant they were hiding somewhere they believed allowed them to launch a sudden attack.
Judging from the structure of this castle, it is itself filled with many strange features. The passages are so wide that it gives the impression of two separate castles. There is even a moat beneath this suspension bridge. Although the moat is dried up, the bottom is still covered with various dark, viscous substances, and its depth cannot be measured. Above the gate arch, two thick wooden pillars extend outward, connected to the end of the suspension bridge by ropes made of some unknown material. The peephole right above the gate arch is pitch black; due to its high position, it is impossible to see what’s inside.
A sudden warning flashed through Rebrí’s mind. Almost at the same time, Komer and the Dark Knight sensed the approaching danger. A blazing fire shield appeared out of nowhere above Rebrí’s head. Shadows moved like lightning, and webs were cast, but all of them were sucked into the seemingly attractive fire shield. Strange screeching noises and a foul smell of burning filled the air. Countless spider-sized creatures leaped out from the peephole, rushing at the magicians at the front. The expanding fire shield enclosed all the attackers. Neither Komer nor the Dark Knight participated in attacking these beautiful yet repulsive giant spiders. They simply kept their eyes fixed on the gate ahead, using their dark senses to detect any other threats.
The oily spiders instantly shrunk into dark clumps in the flames. Their sharp screeching sounds were extremely grating. Rebrí frowned, waved his sleeve, and the ashes of the spiders disappeared into the moat beneath the suspension bridge with the wind. Face spiders?! These are exotic face spiders that live in dark and damp environments. They move swiftly like the wind, come in various sizes, but they are not magical beasts. Instead, they are extremely vicious and aggressive creatures on the Land of Azure. As creatures inclined toward darkness, they should not normally attack magicians with dark auras like himself. Yet, it was strange that these face spiders suddenly attacked him. Clearly, someone was behind this. Rebrí’s deep gaze fixed on the unfathomable peephole above, as if trying to pierce through the endless darkness.
“Mr. Lebray, is there any problem?” Comer’s sense had scanned the surroundings several times, but he found no useful clues. The entire ancient castle seemed to have fallen back into slumber. Those face-spiders appeared as if they had emerged from deep underground, attacking without warning or reason. Such an illogical incident had indeed happened right after entering the castle, raising concerns about what lay ahead.
“Hmm, we need to be careful. The creatures in this castle have already sensed our presence. I suspect those face-spiders were sent by someone. Although they haven’t been able to harm us, I’m worried that as we go deeper, more dangers will arise. We must be mentally prepared.” Lebray’s gaze now carried a hint of wariness. With such a large castle, there were countless places to hide and launch ambushes. Though all three had exerted their senses to the fullest, many dangers couldn’t be detected by mere senses alone—only through quick thinking. This kept the explorers on high alert, easily leading to exhaustion.
“Mr. Lebray, I think we should work together and conserve our strength. We could take turns using our sensing abilities. If we stay close together, the area we need to scan will be much smaller, allowing us to save our energy. That way, if we encounter enemies, we can face them calmly.” A faint smile always graced Comer’s lips. The vastness of Damolensk Castle made it difficult to search every corner, and it was easy to be caught off guard. Therefore, they had to save their strength to deal with whatever might happen.
“Hmm, that makes sense. Who should go first?” Lebray agreed with Comer’s suggestion. After all, they were exploring an unfamiliar territory, and no one could guarantee what would happen next. Why not do everything possible to conserve strength for when it was needed?
“I’ll do it. I’ll use the Eye of the Dark Spirit from dark magic to expand our current detection range, ensuring we all have enough time to react. Of course, this is just routine detection. If anything unusual happens, I can’t guarantee anything.” Comer spoke calmly and confidently, though with a hint of concern. Having encountered an attack even before entering the inner castle, this expedition wouldn’t be easy.
The messy magician and the Dark Knight exchanged surprised glances, then nodded. “Very well. Then please go to great lengths, Lord. I never expected someone of your young age to have already mastered the Eye of the Dark Spirit. Truly, you are a genius in our field. I really hope we can have a thorough exchange and discussion after this expedition.”
“Hehe, please forgive me for making you wait. I’m also looking forward to discussing the laws and mysteries of the dark world with you both,” Cohmer said with a slight smile. His eyes suddenly sharpened as he silently recited a spell. A purple-black orb-shaped glow slowly emerged from deep within him. Cohmer felt his sense of perception spreading outward like a tide over a dam, flowing everywhere like a liquid that penetrated every nook and cranny, thoroughly sensing everything it passed over. When he felt exhausted, he realized his mental energy could only cover such a large area. He silently recited another spell to stabilize the spell, then nodded at the two who had been watching him, signaling that they could move forward.
The gate leading to the inner fortress was a double-door structure similar to that of the outer fortress, but much smaller in scale. The outer fortress’s gate was wide enough for three carriages to pass side by side, while the inner fortress’s gate could barely accommodate two. It was made of copper-plated wood of unknown origin. Due to years of disuse, green rust covered the entire gate, giving the entrance a gloomy appearance under the dim sunlight.
Cohmer’s Eye of the Dark Spirit had already extended beyond the gate inward. There was nothing there—no signs of ordinary or undead creatures, only utter silence. Rebril fixed his gaze on an unremarkable emblem in the corner on the right side of the copper door. A strange flame slowly rose and drifted toward the emblem. The rust disappeared quickly under the influence of the flame, making the emblem stand out sharply.
Rebril seemed pensive. “Sorrenberg, look. Isn’t this the secret emblem of the Melanda family among the dwarves?”
The Dark Knight’s gaze also fell on that large emblem featuring a bearded figure holding a halberd. It was an emblem shaped like a human head, which was extremely rare in the world of mortals but quite common among the dwarves. To commemorate their ancestors, dwarves often used their ancestors’ portraits as family emblems. Some families renowned for their design and architecture even liked to engrave their family emblems in inconspicuous corners of their works to identify the builders and designers. The Melanda family was an ancient and highly prestigious family among the dwarves, having long lived on the western borders of the Azure Continent. It was unclear why they would leave an emblem here—could it be that Damorlesk Castle was their creation? It seemed unlikely, but then how else could this emblem have come about?
“That’s right, it’s the Melanda family’s emblem. Such intricate lines can only be engraved with such force and depth using a dwarf’s axe and chisel. Ordinary people can hardly do this, nor do they need to.” The usually taciturn Dark Knight nodded without saying more.
“Hmm, I wonder if we’re just unlucky or blessed by fate. If Damorlesk Castle is indeed a masterpiece of the Melanda family, then we’ll need to think carefully about this expedition. Besides being skilled in above-ground construction, the Melanda family is especially adept at intricate underground structures. The famous Prometheus Maze in the west is a joint creation of them and another renowned dwarf family—the Shellen family. Countless treasure hunters have perished there.” Rebrí’s expression darkened, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memories.
“So, Mr. Rebrí, do you mean we should give up now?” Komer asked in his usual calm tone.
“No, that’s not my intention. At the very least, we need to understand the above-ground structures of the castle. As for the underground ones, I think if we’re not entirely sure, it’s better to wait until some of my other friends arrive before making a decision.” Rebrí rarely retreated, but this time he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. “I’m not afraid of those heretics and creatures, but if we get trapped in a maze, it wouldn’t be worth it. Some of my friends specialize in this area, and I believe their arrival will bring us hope.”
“Alright, then let’s start with our exploration on the surface first.” Komer didn’t argue further; the other person’s reasoning was valid. Entering those underground labyrinths with no certainty was not a good idea, so it was better to thoroughly understand the surface structures first. Once experts in this field arrived and provided assistance, the chances of a successful exploration would be much higher.
The light of dissolution slowly spread from Rebrí’s palm toward the copper-painted, rusted door. It was a simple light-based magic used to dispel dust. Any impurities attached to the door would be exposed instantly under this straightforward and practical magic. Of course, this magic didn’t carry much destructive power.
As if washed by sunlight, the copper door seemed much brighter. Rebrí, wearing gloves, gently pushed it open, and the door slid open silently. With a slight wave of his hand, a puppet appeared before the three of them. Komer was shocked—he hadn’t expected this guy to be skilled in puppet magic as well. A few days ago, this guy had gone out to gather materials, and he had thought he was making some special item or scroll. Who would have thought he would end up creating a puppet? The puppet had a stiff face; although its shape imitated that of a human, it had an extra arm on its back holding a short sword. The craftsmanship was extremely poor—such a puppet couldn’t inspire any sense of beauty. Magicians unanimously believed that only puppets of artistic quality possessed true spirit, enabling seamless communication with their owners and allowing them to fully demonstrate their unique abilities. Those shoddy puppets were merely tools for combat and hardly deserved to be called puppets; calling them props might be more appropriate. And the puppet Rebrí controlled probably fell into the latter category.