Wizard: Adventures in Two Worlds
Chapter 47 - 047 The Black City Incident

Chapter 47: 047 The Black City Incident

The Black City was perilous, rife with dense gloom and fire toxins, and teeming with half-dead creatures, ferocious beasts, and other abnormalities.

However, the danger mostly lay underground.

The surface was much safer.

Valuing his life, Carl had no plans to explore the underground mines since arriving in Black City. He only muddled through on the surface. Even his transactions with Ayala and the others were conducted above ground.

He hadn’t expected...

How did so many monsters pop up?

Leaping onto a rooftop, Carl furrowed his brow, a sense of retreat already forming in his mind.

Throughout his journey, he had encountered far more monsters than ever before: Earth Wolves, worms, and all sorts of half-dead creatures.

The danger had greatly increased!

A gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall. He was here for benefits, not to fight monsters to the death.

"AH!"

A scream came from ahead. Carl’s eyes shifted slightly, and his body turned into a black shadow as he sped forward.

Martial Arts—Eagle Body Step.

Having witnessed Iron Fist Abei’s skills, he had also resumed practicing the Knight’s Martial Arts, which he had almost abandoned. Thanks to his perfect bodily control within the Divine Domain Fragment, his Martial Arts proficiency was also advancing by leaps and bounds.

Leaping over a wall, several familiar figures came into view.

It was Ayala and her group.

Six youths were being besieged by a group of stone lizards. This underground creature had tough flesh, as if clad in stone armor, possessing astounding defensive power. Their sharp claws and tongues were also formidable.

After holding out for some time, their situation had become precarious.

"Be careful!" Ayala yelled, violently pushing away the companion beside her, but she herself was knocked to the ground by a stone lizard.

Damn!

Her heart raced as she struggled to get up, only to see the stone lizard already opening its mouth wide, its tongue trembling slightly. The lizard’s tongue was covered in barbs and shot out at a shocking speed—contact guaranteed losing a chunk of flesh. A hit to a vital spot could even mean instant death.

Just then, BOOM!

A blast of flames erupted among the lizards, and the massive shockwave sent the stone lizards sprawling.

Carl appeared nearby, his left hand raised, repeatedly making a pressing motion.

Fire Seal!

Fire Seal!

Fire Seal!

Having taken a Potion beforehand, his Magic Power was ample, allowing him to cast Spells without restraint.

Basin-sized fireballs whistled out, striking the stone lizards and exploding upon impact. Even if they missed, their impact on the ground created a significant shock.

A moment later, Carl stopped, looking at the mangled corpses scattered on the ground, his face slightly pale. It wasn’t from fear, but a reaction to the excessive use of spiritual power.

It seems that even with a Potion, continuous spellcasting places a great strain and shortens the Potion’s effect, he thought. Hibell had said one Potion could last for half an hour. But with continuous spellcasting... a few minutes would be pushing it!

However, after constructing the Magic Model, the power of his Fire Seal had increased significantly. Previously, the fireballs it produced were only the size of a human head, but now they were as large as a basin. One fierce assault had wiped out the group of stone lizards.

"Uncle!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Ayala ran towards him, her face beaming with joy. "Thank goodness you helped us in time! Otherwise, we would have been dead for sure."

"What’s going on?" Carl steadied his breathing, scanning the scene. "Why are so many monsters emerging on the surface? In this situation, you shouldn’t have come out."

Ayala sighed. "The situation underground is even worse. Besides, we agreed to meet here. Wouldn’t we be breaking our promise if we didn’t show up?"

Carl shook his head. This was no time to worry about keeping a promise.

"As for the situation in the city..." Ayala glanced back, then continued, "I heard there was an outburst of gloom from Pit No. 2, turning at least a thousand people into half-dead. And for some reason, all the underground creatures are fleeing to the surface. The specifics are still unclear."

"Let’s head back to Laka Market first," Carl said. "It should be safer there."

If even Laka Market, garrisoned by the City Guard, wasn’t safe, then no place in Black City would be.

"Okay." Ayala nodded vigorously.

With Carl, a ’great master,’ joining them, their journey to Laka Market was fraught with alarm but ultimately safe.

The market was bustling with people, a cacophony of voices filling the air. Most faces were panic-stricken, filled with uncertainty about the future.

"Dana," Ayala said to a girl, "go find out what’s happening."

"Yes."

Dana was a girl with coarse features. Her limbs were sturdy, and her voice was booming. Although a woman, her strength in the team was second only to Ben’s.

Carl looked toward Ben in the crowd. "How is Ben doing?"

"I’m holding up." Ben, who had been seriously injured earlier, was pale and needed support to walk. He grinned and said, "Feels like I’m not dying just yet."

Ayala said, her face troubled, "Gloom has invaded his body. We need wisteria to cure it, but in times like these, who knows if the City Guard still has any? So many people have been affected by gloom these past two days; wisteria is being consumed rapidly. Its price has skyrocketed in the market."

Carl squatted down to check Ben’s wounds, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

The so-called ’gloom invasion’ could occur in two ways: prolonged exposure to areas with dense gloom, or attacks from half-dead creatures. Ben’s case was the latter. Something had left four deep claw marks on his back, and the surrounding skin had begun to rot. If not treated in time, the gloom would infiltrate his bones and nerves, and Ben would also mutate into a half-dead creature.

Wisteria, also known as Resurrection Herb, specifically countered gloom. However, due to its extremely harsh growing conditions, its supply was limited and expensive.

"Big Sister!" Dana returned quickly, panting. "Someone said a ruin appeared beneath Pit No. 2, and the City Lord personally led people there. Also... the City Guard just put up a sign in the market center. It mentioned some kind of reward, but I can’t read, so I’m not sure about the details."

"A reward?" Ayala asked, puzzled.

"I’ll go check it out," Carl stood up. "Wait here for me."

The crowd in the market was restless, everyone pushing inwards, likely having heard the news as well.

Not far ahead, a huge wooden sign, as tall as a two-story building, came into view. It was covered in large characters, clearly visible even from a distance.

He learned from the crowd’s conversations that to deal with the outbreak of gloom from Pit No. 2, the City Guard was calling on all citizens to help eliminate the sources of the disturbance—namely, the various ferocious beasts and half-dead creatures. In return, the City Guard offered various treasured supplies for exchange. The more creatures one killed, the better the rewards.

The wooden sign listed the items available for exchange and their prices.

At the very top was the opportunity to leave Black City, requiring one hundred ’creature tokens’—proof of killing one hundred such creatures.

And this was not the most demanding requirement.

Besides leaving Black City, killing these creatures could also earn Dharma Seals, breathing techniques, Exotic Beast Meat, Life Potions, and more. Leaving Black City was probably listed first due to the high interest in it.

Take Dharma Seals, for example. Different Dharma Seals had different exchange values, but even the cheapest one was more expensive than leaving Black City.

Hmm?

A thought flickered through Carl’s mind, his gaze returning to the wooden sign.

Something he had glimpsed earlier... Life Potion!

There it was, prominently listed: the Life Potion, which could help Knight Attendants condense the Life Seed and achieve the status of a formal Knight.

THUMP!

THUMP! THUMP!

Carl’s heart pounded in his chest, his blood boiling.

He had initially been uninterested in this, even planning to leave Black City quickly and return only after the incident had passed.

But now...

He was tempted!