127 Magic Beasts from Hell Part 2 (2/2)
Boom! Swoosh…
The loud sound of thunder caused the earth to shake. It was almost as though the sky was breaking apart. Saleen stared dazedly at the forest. He was going through a major psychological transformation. What the books said would not always be correct.
Without a sun, there were still plants in this interdimensional space that could stay alive by directly absorbing the energy of the elements, and there were still powerful magic beasts active in the area. The volcanoes provided a good source of thermal energy to create clouds and rain. The natural lightning was not caused by the sun.
Many mages could fly, but not many dared to go deep into the clouds for the purpose of research. Lightning that formed naturally was too scary and even a Grade 9 sorcerer would not be able to stand a chance against lightning.
A desire arose within Saleen’s heart. He wanted to uncover the truth about lightning. If he did become a sorcerer in the future, he would find a way to look within the clouds to discover how lightning was formed. Clouds were formed by the condensation of water vapor. If he could grasp the secrets of the formation of lightning, he would be able to control such powers. Even if the powers of that lightning were minimized by a few thousand times, it would still be powerful magic.
As the heavy downpour approached them, Saleen did not hide inside of the barrack. Since gaining his special magic chords, be it water elements or water in nature, he had gained a sense of closeness to them. Saleen did not even need to cast an Underwater Breathing spell to be able to move around freely in the water like a fish.
As the sounds of thunder continued, Saleen stood under the rain and felt the water elements in god’s hell thickening. Slowly, he felt as if his body was gaining a special connection with the storm. It was almost as if he was standing within a Fog of Confusion, his senses magnified to the point where they nearly reached the forest.
Saleen focused his senses up into the clouds. Before he had gone two kilometers up, an unknown burst of energy attacked him, breaking down his senses. He broke out into cold sweat; this energy was immense, but it was not gathered and had not been targeted towards his senses. If this energy were to reach the ground, it would easily destroy the camp that Lex had created.
Any magic shield, scroll, or array would not protect them against such an assault. It was almost like a giant hammer was within the skies and the six of them were like the desserts from the palace, sweet and crispy.
Saleen calmed himself down, his desire not extinguished. However, he knew that without adequate protection, breaking down the mysteries of lightning would only be a dream. From outside of the clouds, he had not even been able to defend himself from the burst of energy deep within them. Perhaps only the gods could do it. He did not know if Joey could, but at least for now, he dropped the idea.
He turned back and took a look at the barracks behind him, thinking about the god’s ring on Lex’s finger. The god’s ring could defend against the power of god’s punishment. He wondered if it could defend against the lightning. If it could, would Lex be able to take him for a walk among the clouds?
Saleen had not spent a lot of time with Jason, but he had learned the most from him. His desire for magic could not be considered crazy, but his determination was the same as his teacher’s. He was not one to give up.
Out of one hundred people, one person could become a mage. This seemed to be a lot, but how many of them would give up everything to practice magic? When a mage practiced, they needed to be alone and would need more gold coins than even the wealthy. Along the way, they would come across many dangers as well.
Many mages lost their way and struggled solely for money and power. How many could become sorcerers in the end? The successful would always be the minority. Many gave up when they were only magic disciples to learn swordsmanship, medicine, or arts. Some even became accountants, or worse, bandits. Low-grade mages joined mercenaries to earn money and satisfy their desires for knowledge. Even when a person became a grand mage, they would need to prepare to build a magic tower. Some accepted the help of the wealthy, but they could not choose the location of their magic towers and could only become mages for the wealthy.
Only those like Jason and Lex who had a great deal of money could race along the path of magic. This wealth did not only consist of gold coins, but knowledge as well.
Even if he had the chance to study magic, a poor man like Saleen would probably have stayed a disciple and spent his life helping other mages if it had not been for the help of Jason.
The storm lasted for over two hours before the clouds began to disperse. Saleen felt much better and was no longer as unsteady and erratic. Without the rain, he could not expand his senses as much as he had been able to earlier, and they soon returned to normal. His magic robes were still dry, not a single drop of rain seeped through. The temperature that had been raised by the volcanic explosion had cooled down rapidly, and a satisfyingly cool breeze blew past.
Saleen picked up the alchemy binoculars and thoughtlessly looked at the forest. After the rain, the forest seemed to resemble a giant magic beast, absorbing the powers of the water elements, ready to expand to a shocking size at anytime.
A magic beast appeared within Saleen’s field of vision. Its gaze was set directly on the camp, appearing cold and brutal.
It was the red furred magic beast from earlier. It cocked its head and growled, and hundreds of purple eyes appeared within the lush forest. One by one, magic beasts of the same type appeared, following their leader and starting to gather towards the camp.