Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 411 - 410: Nothing Beats Dancing

Chapter 411: Chapter 410: Nothing Beats Dancing

"What... what happened to me?" The person who had been saved stood up, dazedly rubbing their body all over, a puzzled look on their face as they spoke.

Ji Burlen provided the answer, addressing the rescued person, "Brooke, you were almost killed by a strange curse just now, it was I who saved you with a spell. The pain you just felt was caused by the spell accelerating the growth of the damaged parts of your body, there’s no need to be so alarmed.

And now, tell me what exactly happened in the hall while I was away! Speak in detail, and don’t miss a single word. What exactly happened to make things the way they are now!"

"Yes, Steward Ji Burlen," the rescued person named Brooke replied, not daring to show any dissatisfaction and quickly said, "Actually... everything was normal, I and the others have been staying here. It all started suddenly, with coughing, and then I felt an unbearable stabbing pain in my chest, which grew worse and worse until finally, I collapsed on the floor. It seems everyone was in a similar condition, probably..."

As he was speaking, Brooke suddenly stopped.

Ji Burlen’s eyebrows rose, about to ask the reason when his gaze sharpened in the next moment.

Brooke then suddenly bowed his head, covering his mouth as if trying to suppress some physiological impulse, but unable to do so, and soon the sound of coughing erupted again.

"Cough, cough! Ptui, ptui!"

With each cough, blood splashed from between Brooke’s fingers, splattering onto Ji Burlen’s face, who was just an arm’s length away.

Ji Burlen remained expressionless, motionless, while Brooke’s body swayed and then fell limply to the ground with a "thump."

Clearly, although Ji Burlen’s spell had taken effect, it had not solved the root of Brooke’s problem.

Brooke and the others were all infected with fungal spores, which caused them to cough up blood.

These fungal spores were no ordinary threat; they were brought out of Alex’s ancestors’ tomb by Richard, who had nearly died himself; only the Bacitracin had saved him from disaster.

After taking them out, Richard conducted extensive screening of these fungal spores and used a "Spell Gene Mixer" known as the Drifting Bottle to genetically optimize them, painstakingly crafting the final product. This final product was infinitely more lethal than the original spores, even Richard handled it with extreme care, fearing contamination. Because once contaminated, even Richard was not confident he could survive with the remaining Bacitracin and some experimental antibiotics at his disposal.

Thus, once these fungal spores were released into the subterranean base, and as they spread with the air, entering into each person’s lungs through the respiratory system, they effected a terribly lethally outcome.

And this lethal effect was continuous and progressively worsening.

After all, fungi are alive!

Yes, fungi are life! They grow, mature, divide, and reproduce!

For the fungi, the human organs are like a constant 37-degree Celsius incubator rich in proteins and moisture without any competitors. In such an environment, if the fungi didn’t wildly occupy, attack, and devour, it would be as if they were betraying their very purpose.

So even if Ji Burlen used magic to help the infected Brooke reconstruct a brand new lung, it would be useless. Fungal spores still existed inside Brooke’s body, and the spores in the air continually entered Brooke’s body, easily causing a secondary infection, leading to coughs and blood vomiting.

In fact, unless the spores were all cleared, even if Brooke received two, three, four new lungs, he would go through a third, fourth, an infinite number of reinfections.

This was not a curse, but it was more terrifying and more evil than a curse!

Because this is science!

The science of biological weapons!

...

Ji Burlen watched as the standing Brooke collapsed again, his face turning as dark as the bottom of a pot, refusing to believe in defeat as he used an air hand to grab another person on the brink of death, once again casting a life-system spell to heal them. But the result was no different—the healed person began to cough again soon after, blood spewing as they coughed.

"Damn it!"

Ji Burlen cursed aloud, his eyes wide with fury, sweeping his gaze across the hall where the people were writhing in agony, their expressions varied. After a long hesitation, he made a decision.

"Come over here!" Ji Burlen shouted, addressing everyone, "Get closer to me! I’ll use the most powerful spell to heal you!"

Having said that, Ji Burlen flipped his hand and a golden flame appeared in his palm.

The crowd, by walking or crawling, moved closer, and Ji Burlen brought the golden flame to his mouth and then swallowed it.

"Gulp!"

With the flame disappearing into Ji Burlen’s mouth, an overwhelmingly potent aura burst forth from him.

"Humming sounds filled the entire hall as the air surged wildly, and Ji Burlen’s feet slowly left the ground, floating in mid-air.

At this moment, Ji Burlen’s eyes turned a rich black—devoid of any whites—like an endless darkness.

"Ke... Niou..."

Ji Burlen’s lips parted, uttering the lengthy incantation, and nearly everyone in the hall could feel the surging mana waves within Ji Burlen. The next moment, the waves reached their limit and burst forth.

"Restore everything to me!"

Ji Burlen shouted.

"Shua!"

Light!

Golden light!

With the shout, a blinding golden light shot out from countless pores on Ji Burlen’s body, illuminating the entire hall.

At this moment, Ji Burlen was like the sun, sending rays of light in all directions.

Within the light, faint voices could be heard. If you listened carefully, it wasn’t clear, yet it mysteriously felt like a praise, a hymn to a great being.

It rendered the spirit clear and devout, filling hearts with immense joy, as if any pain or suffering was unworthy of mention.

This was the very power of a spell, not only healing bodily injuries but also healing wounds of the spirit.

Alteration class Life system spell—Holy Light Ceremony!

The golden light persisted for quite some time, only fading after a long while, and people who had fallen to the ground started standing up one after another.

"Hmm? This is..."

Those who stood up examined their bodies, feeling their physical state, and an expression of joy mixed with surprise emerged: "Restored? I’ve actually been restored!"

"Yes, you have been restored!" Ji Burlen, floating mid-air, slowly descended to the ground and spoke to the people. His face was as pale as paper at this point, unnervingly so.

"Hu—"

Ji Burlen steadied himself, took a deep breath, and looked around at the people: "I used magic to forcibly restore your health. But this effect has a time limit. Once the magic energy infused into your bodies is depleted, you will instantly revert to your previous state.

And the reason you were like this, if I am not mistaken, is that someone who sneaked in has cursed us with some method!

So, if you want to live, you must catch the person who infiltrated our base before the spell’s effect wears off, and get the method to break the curse from his mouth. Now, do you understand?"

"Yes." All the people in the hall answered in unison.

Just then, a black shadow wearing a bird beak mask quickly swept past the hall’s door and disappeared around the corner.

"It’s the enemy!" someone who saw it lifted their leg to give chase.

"Shua!"

Ji Burlen, however, flashed in front of the person intending to act, blocking them.

"Steward Ji Burlen, what are you..."

Looking in the direction where the black shadow disappeared, Ji Burlen said with utmost seriousness: "Don’t hurry. Since the opponent is still in the base, they absolutely cannot be allowed to escape. Therefore, we can’t just chase them simply, lest we fail as we did last time. We must devise a plan. Hmph, if the opponent wants to play hide-and-seek with us, then let’s play properly."

"Then..."

"From now on, everyone follow my command!"

"Yes."

...

On the other side, while Richard was Rushing, his thoughts were spinning: Phase two of the plan, ah, that was just phase two. Now, phase three of the plan... begins.

The opponent has planned to pursue? Good, then let’s dance together—dance on the edge of a knife!

...