Chapter 26: Pursuit and Spells
The scene before him was entirely different from earlier. Compared to the previous scorching heat, it was much darker and colder here.
Inside, it was as if a small world had opened up, the terrain rugged and steep, with various unique plants growing on the rocks.
Cassius could recognize a few of them: spore mushrooms, algae green dust, and mad frogmen horns, all plants that only grew in the deepest parts of the underground.
Glow rocks, noctilucent crystals, and phosphorescent mosses, lichens, and fungi dimly illuminated some areas.
There were also unknown piles of crystal stones growing on the cliff walls, shimmering with a ghostly blue glow, casting a dark blue hue on the surrounding rocks.
"Is this... the Gloomy Region?"
"No, that's not right."
The depth here clearly exceeded the range of the cave, reaching a much deeper and more profound area.
It was the dark, unknown world beneath the feet of surface dwellers, commonly known as the Gloomy Region.
However, this section of the Bottomless Cavern seemed sealed off, disconnected from the outside world, more like an artificially created underground realm.
The Red Dragon extended its forked tongue, utilizing its incredibly sharp sense of smell, tasting various pheromones in the air. Finally, it found a familiar scent—it was the blood of that Bluefoot Dragon-snake.
It looked at a corner of the cliff wall. Under the illumination of the noctilucent crystal, the color there was distinctly different from its surroundings. There was a distribution of blue-green bloodstains, and by following these blood trail, it would easily find the escaped prey.
"Found you..."
"Bluefoot Dragon-snake."
He wouldn't let this enemy escape again, so he had to ensure a fatal strike.
Cassius had just gone through an exhilarating battle and had depleted his spells. Thus, he used the power of the surge of spells to recover his spell slots.
Colossal sorcery energy surged into his body.
"Invisibility Spell"
He silently chanted the spell incantation.
Instantly, the seven-meter-long body merged into the darkness once more.
...
In a certain corner, the Bluefoot Dragon-snake weakly licked its wounds.
Its once seventeen-meter-long body was now less than ten meters, its rear end not a tail but a massive, horrifyingly severed section.
Torn muscles, shattered organs, and oozing blue-green blood.
This was enough to show the severity of the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's injuries.
Unless something unexpected happened, its lower body might never fully recover. It would have to let the wounds slowly heal, becoming a "crippled" Bluefoot Dragon-snake, though it still had seven pairs of legs.
"Damn dragon," it muttered.
Thinking of the culprit behind all this—the peculiar Dragon Sorcerer—the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's small, ghostly-blue eyes brimmed with unstoppable hatred, combining blood feud with the grudge of its wounds.
The Bluefoot Dragon-snake never nested in areas where giant dragons resided.
If a dragon tried to nest within dozens of miles of the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's lair, it would have to go and kill or drive it away.
Only when the dragon was too powerful to oppose would the Bluefoot Dragon-snake give up and wander afar to find a new nesting ground.
Its last departure from the lair was for this reason.
A bewildering gust of wind blew past the dark cliff wall, making the Bluefoot Dragon-snake shiver a bit.
"What's this feeling..."
For some reason, the Bluefoot Dragon-snake suddenly felt a throbbing fear from deep within its bloodline. It became alert and involuntarily raised its body, using seven pairs of legs to cling to the cliff wall.
But it was already too late.
"Got you."
The Red Dragon descended from the sky, appearing out of nowhere, directly clutching the Bluefoot Dragon-snake with its powerful claws.
And this time, it grabbed not the torso but the neck.
Cassius had learned from earlier experience, not believing that the Bluefoot Dragon-snake could escape by decapitating itself again.
"Awooo—"
The Bluefoot Dragon-snake looked at the Red Dragon in disbelief.
Its massive body struggled frantically, seven pairs of legs furiously scratching the cliff wall, its body slamming fiercely, attempting to break free from the Red Dragon's chokehold.
"Crash!"
The cliff wall shattered under the impact of its body, debris falling to the ground.
But the Red Dragon did not loosen its grip at all, even opening its jaws to bite into its neck. Its mouth full of sharp teeth deeply pierced the flesh.
Its long, strong tail repeatedly whipped the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's wound, causing blood to splatter.
The Bluefoot Dragon-snake emitted weakened whimpers.
The struggling motions gradually diminished.
The Red Dragon still didn't release its grip, even exerting more strength, almost to the point of exhaustion.
Until there was a crisp "crack," the Bluefoot Dragon-snake's hard bones broke.
Cassius finally let go, relieved, and the huge body of the Bluefoot Dragon-snake fell from the cliff, crashing to the ground.
"Roar—"
The Red Dragon stood on the cliff's edge, spreading its wings, letting out a long, triumphant roar.
[You killed the Bluefoot Dragon-snake (Mana), gaining 7200xp]
[Your occupational level rises to Level 5]
The dense list of spells appeared again, bringing immense joy to Cassius's heart.
Receiving rewards after an exhilarating battle was the most satisfying thing ever.
Upon reaching Level Five, the sorcerer occupation granted two additional Third Tier spells.
Regarding spell selection, Cassius didn't choose the famous Fireball Technique but rather leaned towards support spells.
His dragonkin specialty, Maximized Breath Weapon, already provided sufficient damage, making the Fireball Technique less of a priority.
After pondering for a moment, Cassius made his choice.
[You gain the additional Third Tier spells Blink Spell and Protective Energy Damage]
[Blink Spell]
Third Tier alteration spell
During the spell's duration, there is a 50% chance that you will disappear from the plane you're on and appear in the Ethereal Plane. When in the Ethereal Plane, you can see and hear the original plane, but all things appear in black and white. Other creatures can only affect or be affected by you if they are also in the Ethereal Plane.
[Protective Energy Damage]
Third Tier protective spell
For up to one hour, a willing creature you touch gains resistance to one type of damage you specify: strong acid, freezing, flame, lightning, or thunder.
During the battle with the Bluefoot Dragon-snake, if he had these two spells, Cassius wouldn't have feared its lightning breath so much, thus avoiding hand-to-hand combat.
These two spells appeared in Cassius's mind out of thin air.
They were far more intricate and varied than his previous spells—so much so that the moment they surfaced in his mind, he almost couldn't comprehend them.
After standing and thinking for a long time, he barely grasped the essence of these two spells and could cast them, albeit clumsily.
The complexity and difficulty of understanding each layer of the Magic Web were exponentially greater than the previous ones.
Fortunately, Cassius was an "artistic" sorcerer.
He only needed to grasp their basic workings and twist reality with his will, rather than meticulously calculating and constructing models.
Anyway, Cassius finally made another step forward, touching the third layer of the Magic Web.