Bloodline of the Wizard
Chapter 128 - 84 Benny, Turnaround and Surprise

Chapter 128: Chapter 84 Benny, Turnaround and Surprise

Ronan stopped in front of a ruined little estate, checking the address Quidi had given him.

The low walls of gray stone were covered with dead ivy, some parts already crumbling and falling off.

Thick spider webs wrapped around the rusty, heavy iron gate.

Through the patterns on the iron gate, he could vaguely see the almost abandoned flower beds and toppled statue stone pillars inside. There seemed to be a small pool, but it was covered with a dark green hue.

"Even as an official member of the Magic Ring, taking on a task just once every six months shouldn’t lead to such destitution..."

Ronan stood at the entrance of the estate, his eyes flickering slightly.

Quidi had mentioned to him before that the estate’s owner had a strange temperament and lots of issues.

From the looks of it now, the problem was much bigger than he had anticipated.

"Knock knock—"

Ronan grabbed the rusty knocker on the iron gate, tapping it gently, the heavy, dull sound echoing between the estate and the street.

"I have accepted the task you posted. Is Benny here?"

Ronan tried calling out a few times, identifying himself.

But after waiting for about two minutes, no one responded.

He thought for a moment and then pushed the gate to walk in.

"Screech—"

The iron gate made a dull, piercing noise.

As Ronan just set one foot into the estate, before the desolate scene inside fully unraveled before his eyes, "whoosh whoosh—"

A dense sound of small objects cutting through the air immediately filled his ears, and intense fluctuations of energy particles arrived in an instant.

A sense of warning suddenly arose in Ronan’s mind, his eyes catching sight of a swarm-like array of black dots coming at him. Instinctively, he launched an [Ice Ball Skill].

This almost had become his habitual reaction by now.

"Whoosh—"

The Expert Level, nearly complete proficiency [Ice Ball Skill] gathered a large number of ice energy particles in the air.

A point of ice light swelled and transformed in an instant into a white ice ball as large as a millstone.

The ice ball spun at a high speed, surrounded by countless fine, sparkling ice and snow....

"Boom!"

The ice ball formed and directly collided with the dense swarm, the latter exploding abruptly at the moment of impact, releasing a series of intense explosive aftershocks.

As the aftershocks emerged, Ronan saw a mass of black dots shooting out from the white, icy mist.

These were thumb-sized metal spheres, each carrying a thin layer of white frost.

Ronan’s expression shifted slightly, and he casually threw out two more ice balls. While blocking the metal spheres, he swiftly retreated backward.

"Boom! Boom!"

The continuous explosions made the already desolate courtyard even more chaotic, with ice frost marks splattered everywhere.

Ronan was chased by about half of the remaining metal spheres, exiting the courtyard. His robe billowed as he stood on the empty long street, his azure eyes gleaming coldly, contemplating whether to use his trump card.

Just then, a hoarse, indifferent voice came from within the estate.

"Is this the only ice magic you know how to use?"

Late Level 1 Stage Wizard.

Ronan felt the spiritual power from the voice, at least five times greater than his own, and made a judgment.

He remained motionless on the long street, yet a large number of ice energy particles continued to gather toward him, and faint snowflakes started to fall around him....

"Forget it. Come inside."

As Ronan’s momentum was about to reach its peak, the hoarse voice sounded again.

Immediately, he heard two dull thuds, and all the metal spheres retreated, flying back. The estate’s iron gate and the wooden door of the gray little house directly opposite simultaneously opened.

Ronan squinted at the dark entrance of the house for a while before finally dispersing the chill around him and stepping forward.

....

As soon as Ronan set foot inside the house, an unusually strong, strange odor hit him.

The smell was like a pile of spicy, pungent tobacco burning on damp, rotten wood.

Ronan frowned slightly and then looked around.

Almost no light penetrated the house, nor were there any lighting tools, and there might have been instruments specifically for light absorption. Even with his much keener eyesight than ordinary people, he could barely make out the outlines of furniture and displays.

It hardly seemed like anyone was living here.

At this moment, the hoarse, indifferent voice came from beneath somewhere ahead.

"Come. Don’t touch anything."

Was it the basement?

Ronan’s eyes flickered as he slowly walked over.

The voice occasionally sounded, and following its guidance, he carefully descended the creaky, old wooden staircase to a dimly lit, cold basement.

The basement was small but had more lighting than above.

The light came from the active rune formations visible everywhere.

The entire basement was a mess, the smell even more pungent and unpleasant, as if many magic potions had spilled on the floor, mixing into a compound scent.

Even Ronan, a daily ice wizard used to dealing with ice frost, felt a faint chill creeping in this basement.

The chill emanated from somewhere directly in front of him, where a person sat. By the glow of the rune formations, Ronan could barely discern the figure.

Contrary to his imagination, the man sitting on the high chair was physically solid, wearing a white shirt with a necktie, and having beautiful brown hair, though streaked with gray at the temples.

The man appeared to be about 40, with rugged, striking features like a marble sculpture.

Though somewhat unkempt, and his thick stubble clearly neglected for a long time, it was evident he was handsome—or had been very handsome at one time.