Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

The leader of the Sorcerers’ roar startled the other four, making them immediately draw their weapons cautiously.

They all took up a defensive formation, sweeping their surroundings.

Nothing.

The only thing before their eyes was the dense, endless curtain of fog.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, the leader of the Sorcerers snorted, "Maybe I’ve gotten too paranoid. This foggy valley is a mysterious, dangerous, and difficult place to enter... there’s no way someone could sneak all the way here without being noticed."

Even so, he remained extremely serious. An almost imperceptible trace of killing intent had made him react purely on instinct.

The others sighed, relaxing their stances. One of them muttered, "It’s always good to be cautious. But anyway... what exactly is this place?"

The woman replied in a dry, emotionless tone, "I discovered the truth through the memories of one of the beasts I dominated. This region manifested a few months ago, shortly before our arrival in this world. No one knows its exact origin, but it’s known that everyone who ventures toward the center never returns."

The figures visibly tensed.

"That only applies to the center," she continued. "On the outskirts where we are, it’s extremely safe, since few dare to approach. Besides, it may be a deadly place for the Beasts, but for us, it’s not that deadly. I haven’t explored this place yet because our mission is more important; we can’t waste time."

While they were talking, Priam had already slipped away to a considerable distance.

The exact millisecond he sensed his anger beginning to fluctuate, he moved like an intangible ghost using his Elemental Physique. Combined with Divine Concealment, he could practically evaporate into thin air without leaving the slightest trace.

Priam stopped far beyond the group’s line of sight, but kept his perception locked onto the five enemies.

’Should I kill them right now?’ He felt the primitive urge to burst from the shadows and start a massacre.

However, an even more interesting idea began to take shape in his mind, making his eyes gleam.

That group of Sorcerers was overflowing with the typical arrogance of those who believed themselves to be at the top of the food chain. Using idiots like these was much more interesting.

Priam curled his lips into a cold smile and took a Wild Spirit Stone out of his spatial ring.

Taking a deep breath, he calculated the trajectory of the air currents with surgical precision and threw the stone upward with carefully calculated force.

The five Sorcerers, who had just finished their conversation, were preparing to explore the outskirts of the valley when they suddenly felt the air being cut by a projectile.

*BANG!*

Before they could even process what was happening, the stone shot out of the fog and struck one of the men directly in the forehead, knocking him down and sending him rolling across the rocky ground.

The other four widened their eyes in alarm, drawing their weapons.

They stared into the surrounding fog with pounding hearts, but visibility didn’t extend beyond three hundred meters.

"WHO’S THERE?!" one of them shouted in panic.

"No need to yell. Nobody threw this," the leader shook his head, assuming an analytical stance.

"If it wasn’t a person, then what was it? A ghost?!"

The leader watched as the injured Sorcerer got back up, cursing. The frontal bone of his skull had cracked, and blood was pouring down heavily. Although it was a painful and ugly injury, it wasn’t enough to kill someone at their level. The man quickly took out a healing pill and swallowed it.

The leader picked up the stone from the ground and examined it.

The moment he felt the vital aura emanating from the artifact, his eyes widened in shock.

"A Wild Spirit Stone?!"

Having dominated and extracted the memories of various Beasts, they all immediately recognized how rare the item was.

The woman showed greedy excitement. "So that’s it! If we can get a decent amount of these stones, the power of our beast army will rise to an entirely new level!"

The other four were ecstatic. Although they knew about the deadly dangers of this valley, their blind confidence in their own abilities spoke louder.

The leader sensed the flow of the fog and nodded with an air of wisdom. "This stone wasn’t thrown by an enemy. It was expelled by the natural energy currents of the valley. There must be a great treasure at the heart of this region feeding this phenomenon."

The five silently agreed. Their earlier caution evaporated in the face of the opportunity. Adjusting their positions, they began advancing cautiously.

Within a few minutes, they all became somewhat concerned. They couldn’t sense the epicenter of all this, much less detect anything from far away. Therefore, they risked wandering around randomly without finding anything.

"There really are more of them around here! Look over there!" One of the men pointed toward the ground, where another stone glimmered among the rocks.

"Keep your eyes open and use your perception to search every inch!" the leader ordered, leading the group straight into Priam’s trap.

"There’s another one here!"

"Damn, I really never imagined this sinister valley was hiding something so valuable. We probably left a fortune behind on the way here simply because we weren’t paying enough attention," the woman sighed, regret weighing on her voice.

The discovery filled the group with frustration. However, going back the same way just to pick stones off the ground would be an unforgivable waste of time. The smartest thing was to keep moving forward.

Until...

*Wooooosh! BANG!*

"Ahhh!"

A stone tore through the fog and struck one of them in the chest with the force of a solid punch, making him stumble backward.

"Damn it! Stay aler—"

*CRACK!*

Another stone shot out of nowhere, tearing through the air like a guided torpedo, and struck the Leader... right between the legs.

The sound was very much like two eggs cracking. Which made the other two men break into a cold sweat.

"GWAAAAAA!!!"

The poor man’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his face turning a corpse-like purple as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his lower parts and groaning in agony that transcended the limits of what was bearable.

*BANG! BANG! POW!*

The sky suddenly seemed to rain miniature meteors. Wild Spirit Stones shot in from every imaginable angle.

The five Sorcerers were hit more than ten times before the barrage even showed signs of stopping.

They couldn’t predict the trajectories, couldn’t see the disturbances in the air, and the fog swallowed any warning signs. The invisible attack left them terrified.

When the hail of projectiles finally ended, they staggered back to their feet, with broken bones, swollen faces... and their entire bloodline of future descendants ruined.

"This... are you sure this is normal?!" one of them stammered, spitting out several broken teeth.

"Get up, you idiots! Use the Corrupt Barrier righ—!"

*SMACK!*

The exact second the woman opened her mouth to give the order, a stone violently exploded against her face. She spun through the air like a slaughtered chicken and rolled through the rocky ground like a piece of shit.

Everyone else went completely catatonic. They quickly rushed to help her and huddled together, desperately activating their defensive auras.

A thick, dark dome appeared around them. Only then, protected beneath the black shield, did they allow themselves to release the breath they had been holding, feeling marginally safer.

...

After an hour, the group crawled several meters beneath the shield, managing to collect a few more stones along the way. Suddenly, a violent fluctuation cut through the wind.

Another stone slammed against the barrier with a deafening crack.

"Now I get it! These stones really are being ejected by the energy coming from the center of the valley. This is the deadly danger of this place," one of them said excitedly.

The leader, still walking somewhat crookedly, was wondering whether he would ever be able to heal what he had lost an hour ago.

"Indeed," his voice was now slightly higher-pitched than usual. He confidently pointed ahead. "The direction of the projectiles can only be the same direction we’re heading. The deadly danger mentioned in the rumors must be these stones. But with all five of us using our full strength, the barrier won’t break. The treasure will be ours."

Guided by a blind mixture of greed and stupidity, the five quickened their pace and happily marched straight toward the slaughterhouse.

Far away, hidden in the shadows, Priam sighed.

He had thrown dozens of stones to lure those dogs in, but it had been worth every penny. Anger and pain had completely clouded their rationality. They were hooked and running straight toward their deaths.

Priam got ahead of them, taking a detour around the main route and reaching the huge clearing containing the mountain first.

With a quick glance around, he found a narrow crack hidden in the valley wall. The opening faced away from the main path; anyone entering the clearing would never be able to see him there.

’The heavens really do love virtuous men,’ Priam celebrated mentally as he silently slipped into the crack. The hiding spot was absolutely perfect—a safe and privileged VIP box from which to watch the impending tragedy.

"YES! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!"

The group had barely passed through the curtain of fog when one of them shouted in pure ecstasy, almost dropping to his knees before the bizarre mountain of glittering stones.

At the center of the mountain, they could all sense something incredible.

An expression of religious fanaticism took over the group’s battered and bruised faces. They trembled uncontrollably.

This mountain of Wild Spirit Stones was merely the appetizer. If there was so much energy on the outside, then the treasure hidden inside could only possess incalculable power—something they could take back to their world.

After calming down, the five reinforced the Corrupt Barrier and began advancing toward the mountain.

When they approached the three-hundred-meter mark, the violent Qi-laden gales became unbearable. Their bodies slid across the smooth ground. They had to channel their entire reserves of corruption into their bodies just to keep the barrier stabilized and continue advancing.

Meanwhile, in his safe hiding spot, Priam focused all his attention on the beast inside the mountain. What infuriated him almost beyond his limits was realizing that the giant Lizard... was still snoring.

’For God’s sake, what time is it and you’re still sleeping?! The thieves are already climbing onto your carpet, you useless bastard!’

The five Sorcerers had already reached the foot of the crystal mountain. But the beast remained in a deep sleep.

’What the hell! Are you on vacation or hibernating?! Wake up already, you crippled lizard! If I’d known you were such a heavy sleeper, I would’ve carried this treasure away on my own shoulder!’

The intruders slowly began climbing the mountain.

Seeing that the group was only a few minutes away from reaching the top and, at worst, destroying everything, Priam’s patience finally ran out completely.

He clenched his fists. He was ready to attack for real, taking on the role of an alarm clock.

At the exact moment Priam gathered the maximum amount of his power, ready to explode...

Two gigantic eyes opened in the center of the mountain’s core.

The terrifying, murderous glow of two vertical pupils illuminated the world around them.

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