Chapter 68: The Veil and the Shadow

A shroud of morning mist enveloped the entrance to the silent valley.

Lia lay concealed on a high slope, a kilometer away.

This vantage point offered an excellent view, providing a clear panorama of the essential path leading to the ruins below.

The Veil of the Hidden enshrouded her, perfectly blending her with an ordinary rock.

Yet, Lia knew in her heart that this Tier 5 spell would not render her completely undetectable.

Against a gaze capable of piercing a Tier 7 force field, only absolute physical distance offered a semblance of false security.

She plucked a palm-sized leaf, using her nail to carve a small hole in its center.

With a subtle movement of her fingertip, a bead of morning dew was drawn from a leaf vein, hovering in the air.

Her mental energy permeated the droplet, beginning the process of reshaping its most microscopic structure.

She altered its surface curvature.

She adjusted its internal density.

A spell model, based on the principle of light refraction, instantly formed in her mind.

The droplet’s form solidified accordingly, becoming a crystalline optical convex lens.

She then placed it over the small hole in the leaf, completing a rudimentary telescope.

Lia raised this ‘water-drop lens’ to her eye.

The distant enemy landscape was instantly magnified, every minute detail laid bare.

She began to wait patiently.

Before long, the seasoned young mage entered her field of vision.

He walked with a steady gait, each step purposeful, his hand casually resting on the pouch at his waist, clearly concealing his most trusted alchemical tools.

Lia adjusted her angle, observing the situation within the ruins from various perspectives.

Approximately half an hour later, another figure slowly emerged from the depths of the valley.

It was the three-ringed mage.

He still wore his dark grey leather armor, his steps unhurried.

In Lia’s mind’s eye, the points of light representing the two figures rapidly converged.

The young mage spotted the other, immediately halting his steps, lowering his center of gravity, his body tensed, entering a defensive stance.

Through the water-drop lens, Lia could clearly discern the wariness on his face.

The three-ringed mage stopped a dozen meters away, watching him with an expressionless gaze.

The young mage seemed to be assessing the situation, then proactively spoke, saying something.

From his lip movements and gestures, Lia surmised that the content was likely a proposal for cooperation.

He pointed towards the depths of the valley, then gestured to himself, making a sign for them to journey together.

The three-ringed mage stood motionless, offering no reaction.

Just as Lia assumed he would refuse or even initiate an attack, the three-ringed mage gave a slight nod.

His movement was visibly stiff.

The young mage visibly relaxed, his guard lowering somewhat, as he stepped forward and exchanged a few brief words.

Subsequently, the two proceeded, one behind the other, with the three-ringed mage leading the way, officially heading deeper into the ruins.

Lia moved her makeshift telescope, keeping their figures consistently within the center of her vision.

The three-ringed mage possessed an intimate knowledge of the ruins.

He consistently managed to preemptively avoid hidden traps and unstable collapse zones, always choosing the safest path.

Along the way, several bone-armored beasts launched attacks.

The three-ringed mage’s combat style remained mechanical.

There were no superfluous movements, no emotional fluctuations, only the most efficient energy output and the most precise, fatal strikes.

The young mage, meanwhile, used spells to harass and restrain, creating opportunities for him, his combat experience proving genuinely rich as he neutralized attacks from blind spots multiple times.

The two delved deeper, eventually stopping before a stone structure that was still relatively intact.

The three-ringed mage pushed open the heavy stone door, observed for a moment, then was the first to step inside.

The young mage hesitated at the entrance.

However, his innate desire ultimately triumphed over caution; he took a deep breath and followed him in.

The two figures vanished from the lens.

Lia lowered the leaf, rubbing her somewhat dry eyes.

Now, all that remained was to await the outcome.

What lay within that building? Another fabricated treasure hoard?

Or perhaps… a genuine trap?

How would that old monster deal with this second intruder?

Time trickled by, second by second.

The valley was utterly silent, save for the wind whistling through the shattered remnants of walls, emitting a mournful sigh.

Lia’s mood grew increasingly restless, the unknown within the building gnawing at her.

Just as she was on the verge of losing patience, a sudden, dramatic shift occurred!

One wall of the stone house violently exploded outwards!

A disheveled figure burst from the dust and smoke—it was the young mage!

He was covered in wounds, his robes tattered, his face a mixture of terror and fury, as if he had encountered something incomprehensibly horrifying inside.

He bolted, without a backward glance, towards the valley’s exit.

Immediately after, the three-ringed mage’s figure also surged from the broken wall, relentlessly pursuing him.

The three-ringed mage was also in poor condition; his left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and he bore several wounds deep enough to expose bone, yet his movements seemed devoid of pain, his speed utterly unaffected.

The young mage pushed himself to his limits, frantically running while simultaneously grabbing a handful of shimmering dust from his pouch and scattering it behind him.

A barrier of turbulent air instantly formed, briefly obstructing his pursuer.

He seized the opportunity to widen the distance once more.

He was on the verge of escaping the ruins and fleeing into the dense forest.

Just then,

A distorted shadow appeared without a whisper of warning, directly in the path of the young mage’s escape.

Lia couldn’t even discern the shadow’s details.

She instinctively raised her hand.

She only saw the shadow casually raise its hand.

The young mage, who had been sprinting at full speed, appeared to have slammed into an invisible wall, his entire body instantly rigid, before he softly collapsed.

‘That shadow… could it be the old monster?’

‘He actually intervened personally!’

Her heart seized.

She tightly clutched the leaf, pouring her entire mental energy into the water-drop lens, attempting to discern the true form of that distorted, shimmering figure.

Just as she was observing intently,

That blurred human figure paused.

It slowly turned its head.

A frigid gaze, seemingly oblivious to the nearly two kilometers of spatial separation, locked onto her precise location!

Though she did not meet its gaze directly,

Lia distinctly felt that gaze sweep over her.

The Veil of the Hidden still held, but she dared not gamble!

‘Run!’

The thought flashed through her mind instantly.

Lia did not hesitate for a moment, backhanding the leaf-telescope into the dirt.

Her mental energy swept over the area, erasing every trace of her presence.

Her feet pushed off with sudden force, her body shooting like an arrow from a bow towards the reverse slope!

Simultaneously, another scroll, already clutched between her fingertips, instantly activated!

The element of wind roared beneath her feet, transforming into the most violent propulsion!

Her speed instantly soared to its limit, her entire form becoming little more than a phantom skimming the ground.

Less than ten seconds after Lia’s departure,

That distorted human figure appeared at the exact spot where she had been lurking, stirring a faint breeze.

It looked around.

It was utterly devoid of anything.

Only petals and leaves drifted in the wind.

The figure tilted its head, seemingly somewhat perplexed.

Ultimately, it discovered nothing, its figure flickering, and it vanished from the spot, taking the unconscious young mage with it.