Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Pursuit
"Wait!" The masked man reached out to stop Herag.
He was silent for a moment, though his expression was invisible, his hesitation was palpable.
"Do you have anything else good?" Herag asked impatiently.
The masked man then took out a block of ice, inside which was a giant, beating heart.
"The heart of a Stone Giant!"
"Why is it frozen?"
...
"This is a Stone Giant’s heart. Normally, even with this together with Moonstone Grass, it wouldn’t be enough to trade for the Resentful Doll. However, I used Cold Insect Grass to freeze this Stone Giant Heart, which can maintain its vitality for a full two years!"
"With this and Moonstone Grass, it should be enough to trade for your Resentful Doll."
The masked man held the ice block in his hand and spoke to Herag.
Herag was genuinely tempted now; this thing was of great value to a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice.
The heart of a Stone Giant was an essential primary material for the Dawn and Dusk Potion, necessary for advancing to a Third Class Wizard Apprentice.
The main issue with this material is that it cannot be stored for long, so generally, only when a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice reaches the advancement conditions do they hunt Stone Giants.
For Wizard Apprentices in the Wizard Organization, this isn’t too difficult because they have channels for hunting Stone Giants.
But for these independent Wizard Apprentices, things are different. They have no idea where to find a Stone Giant.
Even if there are any, they are usually near major Wizard Organizations.
These people going there are at great risk.
Cold Insect Grass is also a rare Magic Potion material, its value even higher than the heart of a Stone Giant.
Using Cold Insect Grass to freeze a Stone Giant’s heart is extremely extravagant, but for these people, it is the only way.
The masked man himself is also a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice; this item was surely prepared for himself.
Now that he’s brought even this out, it shows that he really wants the Resentful Doll.
Herag was worried about where to find a Stone Giant heart for his next advancement; this frozen Stone Giant Heart was just what he needed.
He thought for a moment and said, "This is not bad. If you add that Ice Cone Technique book, I’ll make the deal."
The masked man was silent again for a while, then took out the spell model for Ice Cone Technique: "Fine."
His words were cold, and anyone could hear the chill in his tone.
Herag wasn’t afraid of offending him. He didn’t think the masked man would give up on the Stone Giant Heart, and there would likely be trouble afterward.
Given the situation, why not profit a little more?
The transaction quickly began, witnessed by the management of Luoya Town, as the two exchanged their items.
"Shenlan, check if these items have anything attached that can enable tracking."
Herag immediately began inspecting the items, believing the masked man would likely tamper with them.
"Checking in progress..."
"No traces found."
Shenlan’s inspection results were unexpected to Herag. None of the items had any residual magic power or anything similar.
After completing the transaction, Herag put everything into his Space Ring.
Normally, within the Space Ring are different spaces.
Even if there were tracking methods, it would be impossible to track items in another space.
Herag went straight to the central large stone of Luoya Town, placed his hand on the stone, and then infused it with magic power.
Then, the world spun, and he vanished from the spot.
After Herag left, the masked man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, also standing next to the large stone.
According to Luoya Town’s rule, one person must wait ten minutes after another leaves before they can leave.
The masked man didn’t dare break this rule, so he stood earnestly next to the stone, waiting for ten minutes to pass.
When the time was up, the masked man immediately transported himself away via the large stone.
...
Once Herag landed, he glanced around and then determined his direction by sensing the position of the stars; he began to run towards Ryan City.
The horse he came with was no longer an option to retrieve; he had to quickly leave this place.
His current position was not ideal, somewhat off-track from his arrival direction, and farther from Ryan City.
After running at high speed for an hour, Herag sensed someone catching up behind him.
He turned to see the masked man chasing after him on horseback.
Herag turned and cast two Corrosive Arrows, one aiming at the horse and another at the man.
To evade the Corrosive Arrows, the masked man immediately jumped off the horse, rolled several times on the ground, and got back up.
"Shadow Insect Swarm." The masked man chanted spell syllables, summoning a large swarm of mosquito-like black creatures.
The swarm, dark and dense, rushed towards Herag.
"Dark Energy Shield!"
"Ice Shield!"
"Mana Shield!"
Herag quickly cast three shields on himself, and the swarm continuously battered against them, consuming their protection.
"You’ve mastered so many shield spells!" The masked man was surprised.
People like them, who hadn’t joined a Wizard Organization, generally mastered fewer spells.
Many didn’t even have a single shield spell, yet Herag had cast three upon himself right away.
"Counting the earlier Corrosive Arrows, he’s already used four spells." The masked man felt a bit grim; he realized Herag wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
But retreating was not an option; the Stone Giant Heart was too important to him, and he must retrieve it.
Herag drew his longsword and, taking advantage of the thick shields’ protection, accelerated towards the masked man.
The swarm completely obscured his shields; normally, one would definitely not see their surroundings.
Herag remained unaffected, advancing quickly with steady steps.
Seeing this, the masked man had no choice but to recall some insects for defense, while a Bone Spike formed in his hand.
Herag charged fearlessly, continuously casting Corrosive Arrows to harass the masked man.
The masked man had only one Mana Shield, which soon became tattered under the assault of Corrosive Arrows and could no longer hold.
As Herag was about to close in, the large Bone Spike in the masked man’s hand completed its formation.
The next moment, Herag disappeared.
Shocked, the masked man seemed to realize something.
But by then, it was too late; a longsword pierced his chest.
"Flash step..."
The masked man slowly uttered these words before falling heavily, his swarm dissolving soon after.
He never expected Herag to actually master the Flash Step spell, the most difficult spell among the Level 0 Spells.
First, obtaining the spell model was incredibly rare, accessible only to members of Wizard Organizations.
Second, learning it was highly challenging, often requiring immense time and effort and still not guaranteeing successful mastery.
As he fell, the masked man suspected that Herag probably belonged to a Wizard Organization; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to master so many Level 0 Spells.
He treated Herag as an independent Wizard Apprentice, underestimating Herag’s strength. His obsession with the Resentful Doll and Stone Giant Heart made him rash, leading to his demise.