Chapter 248: Chapter 249: Transcendent Attribute, Explosively Powerful Improved Magic (10,000-Word Mega Chapter)

“Castro’s Armor (Limited)

Quality: Extraordinary★

Traits: Super Agility (with special forging, agility increases by 100% in the air, and flying speed increases by 100%)

Extreme Sharpness (70% chance to sever armor below Extraordinary★ quality with wing attacks, the lower the quality, the higher the chance of severing)

Super Solid (defense increased by 500%, with additional defense against collisions, corrosion, and piercing)

Super Resilience (immune to Four Circle and below Magic, immune to temperatures below 8000 degrees, immune to spells that disarmor, apply weight, or soften material)

Extraordinary Traits: Self-Repair (enchanted with a special Alchemy Array to absorb magic and repair armor), Transformation (can change size along with the wearer)

Description: The armor forged by the Dwarven Forging Master Valen Barbaric Hammer using mithril and other precious materials, ultimately bestowed with extraordinary power by the Divine.”

Only the crude word “badass” could describe this armor.

Lide’s eyes turned red as he looked at it.

It’s so powerful, these traits are literally explosive.

Super Agility, Extreme Sharpness, Super Solid, Super Resilience, plus two extraordinary traits: Self-Repair, Transformation.

All together six traits, each incredibly powerful, none of them useless.

It’s no wonder, considering nearly 80 pounds of mithril, 50,000 Gold Puck, and 3000 points of Power of Faith, along with the participation of dozens of dwarves and the personal inscription of an Alchemy Array by the Dwarven Forging Master were needed to forge this equipment.

It’s so strong.

Lide was very satisfied.

Other than the high cost, there were no faults.

This set of armor was practically pushed out by money, forging two sets of armor from materials purchased with 100,000 Gold Puck, although Castro’s set was lighter than Koso’s, the cost was no less, materials split half between them.

And the 80 pounds of mithril would fetch an astronomical figure if sold on the market.

With the market price for one pound of mithril around 4000 Gold Puck, these 80 pounds would be worth 320,000 Gold Puck… and mithril is priceless, hard to buy anywhere, even at 5000 per pound, it might not find a seller.

This is a precious metal viewed as a treasure by kingdoms.

Not to mention Lide’s Power of Faith and Valen’s unique Alchemy Array.

The forging of this extraordinary equipment alone cost nearly 400,000 Gold Puck in materials, and considering other resource costs, an additional 100,000 to 200,000 Gold Puck could easily be added.

Especially the Power of Faith, it’s not just about money anymore, power that only the Divine could wield isn’t something you can measure with Gold Puck, can you buy it from the Divine even if you have the money?

Would you dare to blaspheme the Divine? Watch the temple knights beat you severely.

This is an extraordinary equipment piece valued at a minimum of 500,000 Gold Puck, luxury to the extreme.

With his own exclusive extraordinary armor, the already strong Castro received a major enhancement.

An absolute trump card in Lide’s hands, he piled up using Gold Puck.

If the previous 18th level Beastman King Kapp knew Lide spent hundreds of thousands of Gold Puck to forge one piece of equipment, he would have cursed him madly.

Compared to this extravagant tycoon, Beastmen who couldn’t even get enough to eat couldn’t even be called poor anymore; they hardly qualified as people.

It’s damn too extravagant.

Previously, because Castro wore heavy armor, Lide couldn’t take him along, but now with the Transformation trait, he can take this guy anywhere.

Personal bodyguard back online.

Suddenly, as if Lide remembered something, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and he pointed at Castro and shouted dramatically,

“Castro, transform!”

“As you wish, my master~”

Under everyone’s gaze, Castro’s massive body suddenly shrank, in the blink of an eye, whoosh—transforming into a palm-sized mini bat.

The extraordinary armor did not remain in place but shrank along with the newborn king.

Flap, flap~

Lide burst into laughter, extending his hand, a scene that filled him with joy, reminiscent of his childhood dreams while watching animated cartoons.

The mini bat Castro, after fluttering around in the air for a few rounds, gracefully landed in his palm.

At that moment, the armor on Castro did not disappear but instead shrank along with his body,

The armor fit him snugly, the dark metal adorned with silver lines making the small bat look incredibly cute, a clumsy, charming cuteness reminiscent of his collection of exquisite figurines.

Lide was more than satisfied and couldn’t be bothered to let him transform back into his enormous form; he simply tossed Castro onto his shoulder to lie there.

He had all the time in the world to study the Extraordinary Armor and wasn’t in a rush, as there was something even more important waiting for him to explore.

Others might carry a falcon named ‘Bear Throw’ on their shoulders, but he wasn’t outdone—he had a bat, a delicate and adorable one in tiny armor, no less. Just dare to feel threatened or try to out-cute him; it would be the end of you.

Once Castro had shrunk, everyone nearby stared eagerly at him, and Lide, chuckling, waved them off generously.

“Do what you need to do, and I’ll act on Master Valen’s behalf to give you two Sunshine Hours of his time.”

After speaking, he patted his rear and walked away, leaving a crowd of people who immediately broke into cheers and swarmed around Valen.

“Master Valen, why was that place just now…”

“Master Valen, there was a step I didn’t quite understand, could you explain it in detail…”

“…”

Valen, watching as Lide disappeared, shook his head with a bittersweet smile; his lord was truly inscrutable.

But inside, he felt a deep satisfaction, having once again forged a piece of Extraordinary Equipment that bore his name.

Moreover, Valen knew well that only by showing his worth in this city would the city’s rulers regard him, providing Dwarves with better living space.

Lide was ordering him around, and he knew it, but he was also complying—Dwarves had no autonomy left.

He could only display more of his worth, to earn enough respect. That was his way of survival.

Thinking of this, Valen thought of the Dwarves’ recent life in Dawn City, feeling an intricate mixture of emotions. He gazed deeply at the ironsmiths and Dwarves crowding around him, asking questions, and quietly sighed.

Chief Rabiao, the people of Barbarian Hammer Tribe had already integrated into this city ruled by the Holy Light Bloodline…

Have you found the Copper Hammer Tribe? At this moment, I truly hope you aren’t literally hot-headed. Even if the Dwarves of the Copper Hammer Tribe could lead a grand army to attack, they might still not be a match for the Holy Light Bloodline.

The power this city possesses is far more terrifying than you imagine, and its master is overly mysterious and unpredictable.

Moreover, whether our former clansmen will still raise their weapons against this city remains an unknown.

Valen hoped his former tribe could be rebuilt, but deep down, he was reluctant to be enemies with Dawn City. His heart was in conflict.

This city had grown close to him, home to his friends, his clansmen, and even a human ironsmith he wished to take as an apprentice…

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After leaving the backyard, Lide headed straight to his office on the third floor of the City Hall.

He was in high spirits.

Not just because he had forged Extraordinary Equipment but also because of—the System Space he had just activated.

After entering his office, he couldn’t wait to check out another hint provided by the system.

No one knew how tough it was being in a Magic World but not having Storage Space.

However, Magic Storage Spaces were scarce in this world since the Crystal Stones needed for creating such spaces were closely guarded by the dragonkin of the Storm Sea Domain, whose love for treasure surpassed any other race.

Dreaming of obtaining those glittering treasures from them was just that—a dream.

So, this had always led to a severe scarcity of Storage Spaces.

But now, with the System Space finally available, having a Storage Space would solve many of his troubles.

Lide silently invoked the Storage Space.

Then he felt a roughly two-meter cubic Dimension Space with his mind.

It was fascinating; although he saw nothing before him, he sensed the presence of this Dimension Space, a message flashing through his mind that he instantly knew how to use.

With a thought, he stretched out his hand and collected the books and documents from the desk.

The items immediately vanished from sight, positioned wherever he needed them at the moment they entered the space.

As long as he touched them and they didn’t exceed the range of the space, they could be instantly collected; the system made the space easy to use.

2x2x2, 8 cubic meters—neither too much nor too little, but enough to store some emergency supplies.

After putting all the Magic Blood on him into the Storage Space, his peripheral vision suddenly caught Castro still perched on his shoulder,

With a thought, he reached out to bring the Magic Language Bat into his possession, but instantly felt a resistance and was unsuccessful.

“Can’t capture a life??”

Lide furrowed his brow. Why was this?

After several attempts, a message once again entered his mind, the system space was extremely special, unable to contain souls… Forceful retrieval could cause soul collapse.

Soul collapse??

Glancing at the inactive Castro, he shook his head.

If it can’t be brought in, so be it, he thought. Better to keep this creature by his side and throw it at enemies when needed.

With extraordinary equipment on, even a freshly crowned king could withstand opponents of level 19 for a while.

After exploring the system space to his satisfaction, Lide realized he still had things to do and stood up to head down to Harrison’s office on the second floor.

“Good evening, Clan Leader,” greeted Harrison, who had just returned from outside and hadn’t yet sat down when he saw Lide.

“Harrison, has Emi gone out to plunder the population?”

Perhaps due to the prolonged idleness lately, Emi had consistently led teams to plunder populations, and Lide was not inclined to stop him, especially as having a level 15 top-tier fighter was beneficial in the currently chaotic borders.

“Marquis Emi is still at the Mage Tower, it seems there’s an issue that required the Marquis’s urgent attention. Should I send someone to inform him?”

Lide gestured him off, “No need, I’ll head over myself. If you’re free, come with me. I’ve improved two spells; you might want to learn them as well…”

He’d been focused solely on forging equipment before and hadn’t yet imparted these spells to, Bloodline.

These were powerful battle spells capable of significantly enhancing Bloodline powers, effects that were far beyond the capabilities of Small Fireball or Mage’s Hand.

Both the Dragon Scale Shield and the Blazing Fireball were not something merely describable in a few words for their upgrade to the Bloodline.

Upon hearing Lide’s words, Harrison’s eyes lit up. Although he was a level 10 Advanced Mage himself, he didn’t have Lide’s flair for freely modifying spells.

He had envied seeing Lide’s modification of Mage’s Hand and wanted to experiment himself.

He wasn’t greedy and started from studying Mage’s Hand, but even this spell, with only 30 magic nodes, nearly cost him his life.

Initially, minor modifications by Harrison didn’t cause much issue, and the magic rebound was light, but after tweaking around a dozen magic nodes, just one collapse of the magic model nearly ruptured his spiritual sea,

If it weren’t for his carrying Magic Blood and the cover of night, being a Bloodline, he might have ended up a fool.

Magic rebound impacting the spiritual sea often touches the soul, an irreversible damage, which explained the strong taboo among mages against modifying spells. It was far too dangerous.

After that incident, Harrison never dared touch modified spells again, knowing it was a power beyond his reach. What Lide could do didn’t mean he could.

“Clan Leader, which spells have you modified this time?” Harrison couldn’t help asking, his eyes filled with curiosity and longing.

Whether Mage’s Hand or Small Fireball Skill, their effects after Lide’s improvements had vastly improved.

Both spells had now become essential for every spellcaster in Dawn City to learn, even ordinary life-style mages.

It was incredibly helpful for spellcasters from Level 1 to 5.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Lide chuckled, opting not to elaborate.

He was quite looking forward to Emi and Harrison’s surprised expressions, considering it was a result of countless failures in his research, making it equally worthy of a boastful display as those who worked tirelessly in shifts during the Crimson Moon.

The two had just stepped downstairs when a very tall figure, imposing in height, entered.

Grotek from Green City had returned, the Child of the North now even more robust compared to the usual slender and tall bodies of Bloodline, making him quite the anomaly.

“Good evening, Ancestor Crown.”

Lide smiled and didn’t delve into why Grotek had suddenly returned. “Just in time, come with us.”

Huh?

Seeing Lide’s spirited demeanor, Grotek was puzzled but glanced at Harrison behind him and obediently followed.

Without any fuss, Lide urged them to keep up and then transformed into a bat to take flight.

Although Grotek was a pure warrior, the racial talents of the Bloodline didn’t require learning like magic.

Moments later, a large group of bats flew over the city heading towards Moonlight Plain.

The residents below, used to the sight, were mostly unbothered, with some not even bothering to take a second glance.

In a city ruled by Bloodline, nothing was more plentiful than bats, and they were long past being a novelty.

Every transformation into a bat felt quite magical to Lide; at that moment, he was these hundred bats, sharing vision and perception, and he could control each bat at will.

These bats were like his limbs, obeying his commands. It was indescribable how that felt.

The Bloodline’s incarnation as bats was a superb escape skill. When facing a powerful enemy, suddenly transforming into hundreds of bats and flying in all directions with a speed that could burst up to nearly three hundred kilometers per hour, comparable to a top sports car.

As long as the enemy didn’t use exaggeratedly powerful area-effect magic to attack, a few bats could always escape.

As long as one could escape, it could be reborn.

A hundred years ago, during the war with Green City, the Extraordinary Mage Locke wiped out thousands of Bloodlines with a single spell. The Blood Clan Ancestor survived at that time thanks to this talent.

However, since only a few small bats had escaped, most of its strength was lost, and even these few small bats had been corroded by extraordinary force, which directly caused a severe decline in its strength and a regression in level.

That led to many decades of stagnation for the Bloodline… until the legacy of the Blood Clan Ancestor was inherited, finally ending the life of the Blood Clan Ancestor.

It could be said that Lide had done justice to the tragically eventful life of this great Bloodline boss.

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A few minutes later, in the Dawn Mage Tower.

The eight rainbow-colored sub-towers surrounded the central main tower, forming a sight both beautiful and ineffably mysterious.

Mage Towers always symbolized power and authority. No one dared to mess with even the servants coming out of here.

Because this was the domain of the Mage lords.

Although the status of spellcasters had been somewhat lessened in Dawn City, making them more approachable and down-to-earth, only the Holy Light Bloodline were considered true nobles in this city.

But the ingrained influence still granted spellcasters emerging from Dawn Mage Tower a highly respected status in the eyes of the residents, tantamount to that of the City Hall.

On the seventh floor of the main tower, Emi, upon suddenly encountering Lide manipulating magic materials, looked somewhat surprised, apparently not expecting Lide to come for an inspection and immediately came forward to salute.

“Good night, Ancestor Crown.”

“Good night, Emi. How many Bloodlines are still in the Mage Tower?”

Lide nodded slightly, turning his head to glance around the room. The seventh floor was the top floor of the Mage Tower. The room was decorated cleanly and neatly.

The gray oak floor, filled with natural wood patterns, covered the entire room. The surrounding walls were primarily black, exhibiting intense magic fluctuations, clearly marked with powerful magic arrays.

Around the room were two desks surrounded by several large bookcases displaying hundreds of magic materials.

All this was imbued with the unique feel of a magic world.

Before Emi could respond, Lide turned and went to the wide-open clear glass window, placing his hands behind him and gazing intensely from the 27-blade-high top floor across the distant Dawn City.

Beneath the pitch-dark night, magic lamps and torches had already been lit across the city, especially at the city center, where one could faintly see bright lights shining in the night sky.

Compared to the initial pitch-darkness, the scene was utterly transformed, showing signs of burgeoning prosperity, with full bloom not far off.

“Ancestor, currently there are only 30 Bloodlines here. The others have gone out to capture population…”

As currently the most prioritized task in the first sequence, the project of population capture had been ongoing in an orderly manner without any disruption.

Lide nodded slightly, glanced around the room once more—though the Mage Tower was spacious, it didn’t meet his standards.

“Come, let us go to the small square below the Mage Tower. Today, I shall show you what magic is.”

Seeing that Lide was in a particularly good mood, Emi curiously glanced back at Harrison and Grote, who expressed with a spread of hands and a head shake that they too were unaware of what was about to unfold.

But seeing Lide’s high spirits, they were quite cooperative.

Once they stepped out of the Mage Tower, standing in a small square in front of the main tower that spanned over two hundred blades in length and width, Lide looked around at Emi and Grote a few times before finally gesturing for Grote to step forward.

Originally, he had planned to use Emi for the experiment, but now with a more ferociously attacking and direct warrior present, he wouldn’t be polite.

“Grote, attack me at full force.”

Lide waved his hand, and within just 0.3 seconds of spellcasting, a magic shield resembling overlapping dragon scales emerged around him, positioned about half a blade’s distance from his body, protecting him from head to toe.

Hearing Lide’s sudden command, the expressions of several individuals grew peculiar. Attack you?

Ancestor, you are our ruler, dare we make a move?

Grote opened his mouth and then closed it, his tone somewhat sheepish, “Ancestor, how about we choose someone else…”

He dared not strike at Lide, as loyalty in his blood and soul made it impossible for him to draw his sword against Lide.

Lide made a displeased wave of his hand—it was not easy to find an ideal test subject, and being hesitant to strike was really something else…

“Not so complicated, you can’t hurt me, Groot, as a Bloodline, once a Child of the North. You don’t even have the courage to draw your sword against me?”

Groot shook his head like a toy drum, simply stating, “No.”

Lide had a blank expression, thinking, ‘Did I overpraise you?’

“Follow my command!”

Impatient, he gave the direct order.

“As you command, Your Highness.”

Once Groot saw that Lide wasn’t wasting any words and went straight to giving commands, he reluctantly took the giant sword from his back.

As a Northern Warrior, they regard their weapons as vital as life itself; without weapons, they feel more uncomfortable than stepping out undressed, thus Groot always carried his giant sword and wore his armor wherever he went.

This was much like Betty, the Northern Land Valkyrie of the wild Northern Royal Family, whose great sword had never left her side,

Lide even wondered if she carried it while showering or urinating… the thought was beyond control…

“Begin now, bring out your strongest power.”

Excitement also gleamed in Lide’s eyes.

The Dragon Scale Shield was a piece of super magic perfected after countless failures and improved upon the calculations of several large computers working non-stop through countless possibilities during the Crimson Moon,

and even the system rated it as a perfect masterpiece.

He wanted to see if the magic he painstakingly improved could achieve the effect he desired against this Level 16 Northern Warrior.

Groot gripped his longsword, his aura turning sharp instantly.

Northern Warriors, fearless, undaunted!

This group of powerful warriors, who dared to charge at giant dragons, had never had an enemy that made them retreat.

After becoming a Bloodline, Groot’s Northern Bloodline merged with the Bloodline, forming the Blood of Fearlessness, which enhanced his strength further, but at the same time, the fearless courage of the Northern Warriors did not vanish from his heart.

He was a pure warrior, a… warrior who dared not charge at Lide.

“Hurry up, don’t dawdle,” Lide snapped as he saw Groot hesitating to act, “Groot, don’t let the fear in your heart become the demon that stops your charge.

Now, draw your sword!!!”

Don’t let the fear in your heart become the demon that stops your charge!

Conflicted, Groot shuddered as if he had an epiphany; the fog in his mind was cleared at that moment, and the long-stagnant power began to grow… his eyes sparked intensely, and his aura surged wildly.

The air around seemed to solidify like mercury at that moment.

His eyes flickered with utmost solemnity.

“My master, Groot will face your greatness head-on!”

Fearless, dauntless!

The former Northern Warrior, once deemed potentially legendary as a Child of the North, now Bloodline of the second generation, Groot at this moment drew his sword against his master and his inner fears as well.

His body, like a spring compressed to its limit, burst forth, crossing a distance of 50 blades in the blink of an eye.

Lide stood unmoved, directly locking eyes with his opponent allowing Groot’s massive sword to swing down towards him.

At the moment Groot approached, Lide crazily funneled magic into the magic model of the Dragon Scale Shield.

The originally transparent shield now carried a faint Holy Light, and those dragon scale-like small shields seemed to turn substantial, tightly fitting together.

Anyone could feel the indestructible solidity.

Refined Dragon Scale Shield (Extreme Enhancement): Releases a shield to defend against damage, shield strength is determined by the input of magic power, casting time 0.3 seconds, minimum magic power consumption 40 points, upgraded to ultimate strength consumes 50 points of magic power per second.

A simple attribute, but only Lide knew its power; the improved Dragon Scale Shield was five times stronger than a regular Mage’s Shield, and at its peak, it reached twenty times stronger.

It was an unbreakable shield.

And now, Groot struck.

The hand holding a sword, three palms wide and one palm thick, emitted a frosty glow.

Clink~

The blade, carrying a fierce aura, chopped directly towards Lide’s shoulder. Just as Groot thought the shield would be shattered by his sword, sparks flew.

The massive sword, as if striking a thick shield, was directly deflected, and the great counterforce caused his body to stagger. If not for his strong control power, this Child of the North might have completely lost his footing.

Grot reeled from the shock, quickly stepping back to Lide’s side, his eyes flashing with disbelief.

“Your Highness, how, how is this possible!!

I just used seventy percent of my strength!”

The strength of a level 16 warrior should have surely killed a level 14 warrior with the odds in his favour under his attack.

He knew the defensive power of the Mage Shield from years of fighting; never had any mage’s shield withstood a second attack from his greatsword.

He had even controlled his power, fearing he might hurt Lide, but all this seemed like a joke… Since when had a level 14 mage’s shield become unbreakable by him?

This was simply unbelievable.

Emi and Harrison around him were also stunned, this… this did not make sense.

Then, regaining their senses, they looked at the shield around Lide with fervor.

Was this the improved magic by His Highness?

Remembering the improved performances of the Small Fireball Skill and Mage’s Hand from before, both were somewhat excited.

“Again, Grot, use all your strength.”

Lide’s eyes sparkled with more excitement, the Extreme Enhancement of the Dragon Scale Shield did not disappoint. Grot’s previous strike not only defied the durability of a Mage Shield but even ten Mage Shields might not have withstood it.

Now, however, the Dragon Scale Shield had held up.

He wanted to see the limits of this extremely enhanced magic.

Grot’s eyes lit up with a fighting spirit, holding nothing back, the dormant power within his body began to surge, his muscles instantly tensed, compressing crazily like a spring, then—burst.

His body’s speed increased tenfold, creating twelve afterimages in an instant, covering thirty blades’ distance to Lide in less than a second, his greatsword swinging again.

The swooshing sound of the blade was like the scream of a demon.

At that moment, Lide’s Dragon Scale Shield had reached its maximum extension; the small shields merged into a larger shield, with the magic power draining at an exaggerated rate of fifty points per second.

Clang~

The blade collided with the shield~

The sharpest spear against the hardest shield.

Grot only felt a powerful rebound, but he seemed undeterred, his body bursting with even greater force.

Crack~

The blade forcefully shattered the shield, like glass breaking, the Dragon Scale Shield shattered under the fierce attack of this level 16 warrior.

Just as Grot was about to retract his sword, Lide’s body suddenly disappeared, then reappeared fifty blades away; a Dragon Scale Shield appearing around him again.

Grot narrowed his eyes, not hesitating a moment, his body shot forth again, his terrifying speed even stirring up a huge wind, lifting leaves and dust that had not been swept from the cobblestone ground, high into the air.

Meanwhile, Lide wasn’t just passively taking hits; he took something out of his chest and threw it at Grot.

As everyone watched, that object like a hidden weapon grew in the wind.

To Grot’s astonishment, clad in Extraordinary Heavy Armor, Castro descended into the world, his ferocious maw blocking the path of his charge.

The dark armor was adorned with mysterious and ornate silver lines, blending with the giant body made Castro look immensely imposing.

Grot’s speed had reached its peak, leaving no room to dodge; his sword did not yield, slicing directly at Castro’s abdominal armor.

Fear had never been part of his bloodline; no enemy could stop a Northern warrior’s charge!

But…

Clang~

The three handsbreadths wide, one handbreadth thick greatsword felt like it struck a mountain when it hit Castro’s thick armor, leaving only a white mark, as the greatsword itself snapped.

Grot’s body fiercely collided with the actively charging Castro; at that moment, he felt as though he had hit a mountain, the massive rebound sending his raging charging body flying back even faster.

Clang~Crack~

Grot flew back twenty blades before harshly crashing to the ground, pulling out seven or eight more blades before coming to a stop; the cobblestone ground shattered like a spiderweb, his armor broken, blood streaming.

Castro, with just his armor weighing four tons and the Dawn Bat himself another five tons, added to a physique strong enough to wrestle with the bronze One-eyed Giant Kosso for several Sunshine Hours without falling short,

Grot, weighing merely three hundred pounds, was tragically crushed by this behemoth.

It was a classic case of an egg hitting a stone.

Grot had countless ways to fight against Castro, but being caught off guard, he could only witness the might of this steel behemoth.

Castro did not pursue further, but his eyes, protected by his armor, carried a thick smile, clearly amused by Groot’s actions.

Lying on the ground, Groot waited for a moment before standing up, his wounds visibly healing at a remarkable speed in the darkness.

After becoming a Bloodline, this Northern warrior’s already formidable healing abilities had been greatly enhanced.

A typical durable and resilient boss-type.

Such damage was merely superficial to him.

He didn’t even bother to activate his Blood of Fearlessness.

At this point, Lide also emerged from behind Castro.

His expression was very pleased.

A 16th Level Northern warrior needed to strike with full force to break the shield, indicating a very successful improvement this time.

If it had been a regular Mage Shield, it would not have been a matter of breaking or not breaking the shield; Groot would have cleaved both the shield and the person with a single sword strike.

As long as he could withstand the enemy’s first round of attacks, he could use Shadow Jump to escape and have his personal bodyguard, Castro, to intercept the incoming enemies.

This way of fighting was simply unbeatable.

In terms of defeating a 16th Level Groot, Lide felt completely indifferent; all his subordinates were a part of his own strength, and competing in strength against his own was undoubtedly foolish.

When would an emperor arm-wrestle with a general?

“Your Majesty, is this the magic you improved? This shield is too powerful!

It’s hard to imagine that it could withstand the attacks of a 16th Level Northern warrior!!”

Emi advanced with an expression of utmost astonishment, sparing no praise.

“By the Goddess above, this is truly astonishing…”

Groot approached Lide, his armor still smeared with mud, unwilling to discard his broken sword, looking somewhat disheveled but still spirited and showing no frustration from Castro’s sudden attack.

Because, the words Lide had just spoken had greatly elevated him.

Lide looked at Groot with a slightly changed expression, sensing something unusual about this Northern warrior’s aura.

His heart filled with surprise.

“Groot, did you level up??”

Huh?

It was only then that Emi and Harrison turned their heads to look at this Child of the North.

At that moment, they immediately felt a stronger aura emanating from Groot.

Groot nodded, his tone excited, “Your Majesty, your recent words helped me find my own path, I’ve gained an enhancement…”

Hearing this, Lide’s expression became quite complex. Was the indigenous upgrading method really so irrational? Reaching an epiphany and leveling up just like that?

Was he cheating or what??

Then he thought about the 50,000 experience points he still lacked for leveling up, feeling a wave of frustration.

After a moment, Lide regained his composure, his expression slowly turning into one of pleasure, as if he indeed had some traits of a life mentor.

Previously, the 19th Level Heart-eating Demon, Wales, had been coaxed by him into touching the path of the extraordinary. Now Groot had been enlightened by his words.

Might he just as well hold a discussion conference every day? Wouldn’t his levels skyrocket then?

“Very well, the path is one you carve out for yourself, only by finding your own path can you see the direction to the extraordinary,” Lide looked at Groot appreciatively.

It seemed as if he was not just a 14th Level, but truly a mighty existence beyond the extraordinary.

Groot felt nothing amiss and bowed deeply to Lide, “Your Majesty, your wisdom might astonish even the Creator God, I will not let you down.”

Lide nodded without saying more, unable to see Groot’s specific attributes, thus uncertain of how much the Child of the North had improved after leveling up.

However, he was now 17th Level, certainly a significant step up from 16th Level.

This was an extra surprise for today.

“Emi, this magic is called Dragon Scale Shield, a spell I refined with countless efforts. When the next batch of our people returns, make sure everyone learns this spell.”

Emi’s eyes widened, hesitating for a moment before speaking, “Your Majesty, is it not too… for the third and fourth generation Bloodline to learn Three Circle Magic?”

“Three Circle Magic?” Lide’s expression turned strange, “No, this is Second Circle Magic.”

“Second Circle Magic?!”

Emi and Harrison shouted in unison.

Their eyes were filled with disbelief.

A shield that could block a full-on strike from a powerful warrior like Grote was just Second Circle Magic? Was this a joke?!

When had Second Circle Magic become so powerful?!

Lide nodded, “Yes, Second Circle Magic, the Dragon Scale Shield is an improvement on the Mage Shield…”

It wasn’t just Emi and Harrison who were shocked, Grote’s expression was priceless too.

They all knew what a Mage Shield was—managing to block an attack of the same level was considered good.

But now, this improved magic shield was able to withstand a strike from the 16th level, no, the 17th level Grote before shattering—it was unimaginable.

Even though Grote hadn’t activated his Blood of Fearlessness and wasn’t in his peak condition, he was beyond a 14th level mage’s capability to defend against ordinarily.

But now, it had blocked him, how could they not be shocked—especially since it was just Second Circle Magic.

“All Bloodline members who have achieved the fifth level can learn Dragon Scale Shield, and moreover,” Lide continued, and with a flick of his hand, a basketball-sized fireball appeared, floating in the air.

What caught the eye was the egg-sized deep red core at the center of the fireball.

The blazing heat emanating from the fireball made Emi, watching from ten paces away, feel frightened.

“Your Grace, what is this?”

Lide didn’t elaborate but simply waved his hand toward a garden about thirty paces away, aiming at an ornamental boulder.

Whoosh~

The Blazing Fireball trailed a long flame tail, drawing a perfect arc in the air.

Crackle~

Boom~

The orange-red fireball struck the boulder.

Thud~

The dark night sky instantly brightened.

A boulder, two paces high, was immediately shattered, its upper half scattering debris.

What happened next was even more shocking—the fireball exploded a second time, the core of the Blazing Fireball shattered, releasing an indescribable terrifying energy.

Then, a vivid crimson area emerged around the shattered boulder. Under everyone’s watch, the boulder began to melt within seconds, droplets of magma dripping from its top.

The scorching magma hissing as it flowed into the ground, the scene resembled a mini volcanic eruption, utterly awe-inspiring.

After several seconds, the extreme heat slowly dispersed.

Now looking at the boulder again, aside from the third that was blown apart, the rest had melted like ice cream into magma.

After waiting for a moment, what remained of the original boulder at the garden was barely half a person tall, the cooled magma had re-solidified, connecting to the original rock pieces, resembling a blooming black flower at this point.

The group stared at this scene, speechless for a long time.

“This, this is also Second Circle Magic?”

Emi’s voice trembled inexplicably.

“Of course, this is an improvement of the Big Fireball Skill.”

This is an improved Big Fireball Skill?

I’ve lived for decades and never seen the Big Fireball Skill improved to this state! Is the damage of this exaggerated Bursting Fireball not far exceeded?

Although they knew their leader was formidable, seeing a Second Circle Magic being improved to be stronger than a Third Circle Magic still left them deeply shocked.

Looking at Lide again, their eyes were filled with ineffable fervor.

“Your Grace, with these two spells, the strength of the Bloodline will see a fundamental enhancement! Dawn City… will truly become the dawn!”

Harrison asserted confidently, a glint in his eyes.

He could almost envision the grand sight of the Bloodline army, shielding themselves with Dragon Scale Shields against fierce enemy attacks, and casting spells that could instantly melt rocks like meteor falls from the sky.

Such a war would be an unimaginable nightmare for the enemy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com