Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 40 The Uncontrolled Tide of Magic

Rhodes' figure blurred into an afterimage. The explosive power brought by [Swift Steps] combined with [Dragon Vein Physique] left him trailing a dark red path.

No fancy sword techniques are needed; only the most direct and violent slashes are used.

The crimson blade traced a geometric arc, slicing into the monster's abdomen. The flesh at the cut point was instantly carbonized the moment the blade, heated to thousands of degrees Celsius, passed by.

At the same time, a visible purplish-red ripple suddenly spread outwards from the point where the blade struck.

"squeak--"

Before the Void Devourer could even let out a complete scream, its upper body flew out due to inertia, turning into two burning lumps of charcoal in mid-air.

Rhodes frowned, clearly sensing something was amiss.

The burst of energy just now was not an ordinary shockwave; it was a surge of magical energy.

Ripples swept across the damaged stone pillar, and the once lifeless petrified blood vessels seemed to be stimulated by something intense. The restraint runes on the surface suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light, and then emitted a hum that seemed unable to bear the burden.

"Take care of the rest!"

Rod had no time to think. He flicked his wrist, and the residue on the blade instantly vaporized from the high temperature.

Seeing this, Avira on the other side felt much more at ease.

She no longer held back her strength, slamming her shield into the ground and swiftly piercing the core of another Void Eater with her longsword.

Even without the terrifying heat of Rhodes, as a peak Black Iron-level Shield Guardian, dealing with two fragile monsters who have lost their advantage in ambushes is not difficult.

The battle ended in ten seconds.

Only three puddles of foul-smelling slime remained on the ground, slowly dissipating.

However, although the battle was over, the surrounding air did not cool down.

On the contrary, the shockwave caused by the energy collision just now seemed to have toppled the first domino.

The buzzing sound emanating from inside the damaged stone pillar not only did not stop, but grew louder and louder, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

Rhodes's unease instantly overwhelmed his joy of victory. Ignoring the remaining words on the slime, he strode to the stone pillar, pulled out the heavy data logger, and inserted it into the spare interface at the bottom of the pillar.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

As soon as the instrument was connected, the brass pointer went berserk, instantly hitting the red alert zone and frantically slamming against the edge of the dial, producing a sickeningly loud mechanical overload noise.

"Damn it..." Rhodes cursed, and seeing the smoke on the dial from overload, he immediately understood what had happened. "The magic burst just now was the trigger... We ignited something that was already on the verge of exploding."

He immediately looked up and examined the surrounding fog once more.

Stirred by the aftershocks of the battle, the previously still, grayish-white miasma had begun to boil.

A strange purple hue, representing deep magic, spread wildly along with the surging air currents, like thick ink dripping into clear water, instantly engulfing the entire field of vision.

【miasma】

[Magic Concentration Rising (Blue Excellent)]: Ongoing. Current concentration exceeds the surface standard by 300%.

[Spatial Weak Point (Purple Rare)]: Expanding. The veil between the two worlds is thinning.

[High-energy reaction (purple rare)]: Affected by strong external magical disturbances, the magical pressure difference in a local area is unbalanced, and the tidal effect is triggered prematurely.

……

This is by no means a simple leak of magic.

Rhodes recalled the description in the "Illustrated Explanation of Geological Structures"—Aethergard is a layered nest structure, where magic in the deep areas occasionally surges up like groundwater, flooding the surface, which is known as "magic tides."

"Avira! Stop cleaning your sword!"

Rod pulled out the recorder and, without waiting to see if the data had been read, shoved it into his pocket.

"What's wrong, sir? Are there enemies?" Avira was startled by Rhodes' sudden roar and instinctively raised her shield.

"Worse than the enemy. It's a natural disaster."

Rhodes fastened his goggles, turned, and strode off, warning, "The water level here is rising. Those void creatures we just saw were nothing more than small fish and shrimp washed ashore by the tide!"

"Water level?" Avira was completely confused, but her body had already instinctively followed Rod's steps.

"Magic tide! Don't you understand? It's like the rising tide!" Rhodes mounted his horse, turning it around. "Deep underground magic is surging upwards, and this forest is about to be submerged by highly concentrated, polluted magic! When it emerges, it won't just be a few slimes!"

He lashed the horse's rump with his whip.

"Mission aborted! Run if you don't want to become monster fodder! Run at full speed!"

"But... the node hasn't been reset yet..."

"To hell with resetting!" Rhodes' voice was distorted in the wind. "What's the point of resetting when we're about to die?!"

"As long as we have the data logger, this constitutes a 'job change due to force majeure'! Now, run!"

Urged on by their master, the two packhorses galloped off, their iron hooves digging through the mud as they charged back the way they came.

Behind them, deep, resounding rumbles echoed from the depths of the desolate forest, like roars from the abyss beneath the earth.

The purple mist transformed into a tsunami, sweeping in.

-----------------

The chests of the two packhorses heaved rapidly, and the two streams of white mist that spewed from their nostrils were instantly torn into tiny ice crystals the moment they touched the cold night wind.

Rod pulled on the reins and turned to look back at the road he had come from.

The deadly purple fog had been left ten kilometers away, settling into a necrotic bruise on the dim horizon.

This is a leeward depression formed by the weathering of basalt. The rock walls are dry and rough, which cuts off the path of the cold wind and allows the view to cover a fan-shaped area in front.

A perfect campsite.

Rod dismounted: "Let's spend the night here."

Despite having the powerful blood of a dragon's blood, the soreness in my knee cartilage was still very real after the long journey.

"A magical tide of that scale won't recede for at least three to five days. But we've already come this far, so we should be safe tonight."

Avira slid off the horse, her movements noticeably slower than usual.

Even with the lightweighting treatment, that set of plate armor was still a considerable burden after the same long-distance march.

Just as she was about to reach for the baggage on the horse's back, a hand cut in front of her, blocking her movement.

"You're exhausted," Rod said, pointing to a rock smoothed by the wind and sand. "Go sit down and rest."

"But sir, the chores are my responsibility..."

"That's an order," Rodd said firmly. "Your hands are for gripping sword hilts and holding tower shields; this damned knot isn't worth your effort."

Rod had taken over the leather buckles securing the tent; his fingers flew, and his movements as he untied the ropes were practiced and skillful, as if it were an instinct etched into his muscles.

"Look at you now. If those things catch up, you'll have trouble even drawing your sword," he said as he busied himself. "I need my guards to be in top condition, not to exhaust themselves on trivial tasks like starting a fire and cooking. Besides, you've rarely done this kind of work before, have you?"

Ivy opened her mouth, but the words in her throat were ultimately swallowed back down.

She silently walked to the edge of the rock, her fingers pressing on the buckles of the armor's connection points. The heavy metal armor pieces peeled off, falling to the ground with a dull thud.

Without the protection of steel, their bodies, clad only in linen linings, were directly exposed to the sub-zero wind.

A layer of goosebumps instantly rose on Avira's skin, and she involuntarily shivered. She then forcibly controlled her muscles and straightened her spine.

Rod's gaze remained fixed on the work in his hands.

An entrenching tool dug a shallow pit in the hard soil, and a flint struck the ground, producing a few orange-red sparks that ignited the collected dry shrubs.

The army's iron pot was placed on the fire, and water, dried vegetable slices, chopped dried meat pieces, and a few spices were added to the bottom of the pot.

A few minutes later, the rich aroma of melting oil, accompanied by the sound of boiling water, filled every inch of this desolate cave.