Under the continuous impact of the fiery explosions, the translucent dome of the camp's Protective Magic Array flickered unsteadily.
The suicidal Exploding Leaf-Bugs throwing themselves at the barrier were actually drones spawned by hidden Broodmothers. It was a terrifying, highly effective hunting method: the Broodmothers used their magic to spawn volatile offspring, sent them to blow their prey to pieces, and then safely absorbed the nutrients from the charred remains.
"Leader, we have to find the Broodmothers!" a wizard shouted over the din. "Otherwise, they'll just keep spawning endless waves of explosives!"
The expedition leader gritted his teeth, well aware of how the Exploding Leaf-Bugs hunted. But his Secrecy Sensor wasn't capable of such fine-tuned tracking; it could only detect general hostility. Veins bulged on his forehead as he poured more magic into the Core Hub. "My sensor can't pick out the Broodmothers from a swarm this thick! One of you needs to figure something out!"
Just then, the overburdened Protective Magic Array shattered. Under the relentless, concussive force of the detonations, a massive web of cracks expanded across the dome before a large section simply blew inward. Densely packed Exploding Leaf-Bugs immediately swarmed through the gap.
Four wizards standing near the breach didn't even have time to react. They were instantly covered in the fluttering insects. They shrieked in terror, frantically swatting at their bodies and casting desperate magic, but it was useless. A second later, the four wizards disappeared in a blinding chain of explosions.
"I need two people to reinforce the Shield Radiating Devices! Now!" the leader roared in shock and anger.
Vivian immediately rushed forward, slamming her hands onto one of the glowing Shield Radiating Devices.
Link, knowing his offensive spells weren't suited for a swarm of this size, stepped up to grab another Shield Radiating Device, fiercely channeling his own magic into the device. With the influx of fresh magical power, the crumbling shield flared brightly, the jagged cracks rapidly sealing shut.
Damian leveled his wand at the breach. With a sweeping motion, he detonated the remaining Exploding Leaf-Bugs that had slipped inside the shield, blowing them out of the air before they could reach anyone else.
Immediately after, Damian closed his eyes and pushed his magical perception outward, carefully filtering through the chaotic magical signatures of the swarm. His out-of-world, rune-based perception was capable of incredibly fine-tuned operation—something standard Secrecy Sensors couldn't dream of.
Within seconds, Damian isolated several magical signatures that felt distinct from the rest of the swarm. Unlike the frenzied, erratic magical pulses of the suicidal drones, these signatures were stable, deep, and heavily condensed.
Opening his eyes, Damian pointed his wand directly at the hidden Broodmothers, one by one. With a series of sharp, wordless incantations, invisible kinetic forces crushed the massive insects where they hid in the Dragon-Serpent Trees.
With the Broodmothers dead, the swarm outside the barrier was like water cut off from its source. No new explosive drones were spawned, and the fiery impacts against the shield quickly began to dwindle.
The surviving wizards stared at Damian in shock. To pinpoint specific targets through a chaotic magical storm without the aid of a Secrecy Sensor or an enchanted artifact... that was a feat only achievable by someone possessing the innate talent of True Magical Perception.
In this world, True Magical Perception was an incredibly rare, inborn trait. Wizards born with it almost never encountered bottlenecks when advancing their magical core. The talent made the process of engraving innate spells into their 'Sea of Spirit' exceptionally smooth.
Realizing what they had just witnessed, the looks directed at Damian suddenly carried a hint of awe and deep eagerness. Having that kind of innate talent meant Damian was practically guaranteed to become a powerhouse in the future.
Lilith brushed a strand of pale-gold hair behind her ear, flashing him a brilliant smile. "Lord Damian, we owe you our lives. I wonder... would you be interested in formally joining the Gil Merchant Guild? We could immediately offer you a Senior Consultant position."
The Consultant position at the guild was a highly coveted, idle post used specifically to headhunt top-tier talent. It required virtually no actual work but paid out a massive annual stipend.
Before Damian could even formulate a response, his danger sense flared violently.
The slanted-eyebrow wizard—the man Damian had been secretly keeping an eye on—was making his move. The man's hand glowed with a sickly, concentrated light as he lunged directly at Damian!
But Damian had been ready. The moment the man twitched, Damian's enchanted defensive amulet activated. A translucent, multi-layered shield composed of geometric polygons snapped into existence around him.
The attacker's hand, now engulfed in dark red flames, slammed uselessly against the polygonal barrier.
Without missing a beat, Damian triggered a runic Ring of Repulsion, blasting the slanted-eyebrow wizard violently backward.
At that exact moment, two other wizards suddenly turned on the group. They were the two men who had been whispering with Victor earlier.
They viciously struck the wizards standing closest to them. Caught entirely off guard, the victims were hit by point-blank dark magic and instantly collapsed to the forest floor.
Damian's eyes snapped toward Victor. If the three men plotting with him were traitors, it was glaringly obvious who the ringleader was.
Sure enough, as the chaos erupted, Victor drew an intricately carved obsidian sphere from his robes and smashed it onto the ground.
Thick, oily black mist immediately billowed from the shattered fragments, rapidly flooding the camp.
Victor looked at Damian and grinned maliciously. "Quite alert, aren't you, boy? But it's far too late!"
He swept his gaze over the exhausted, battered survivors. "My Spirits of Corruption will devour everything you are!"
The black mist rising from the dirt began to curdle and condense, forming dozens of twisted, pale, screaming faces.
Damian's pupils shrank. He had seen those faces before.
Link recognized them too, his voice cracking with horror. "It's you! You're the one behind the blood sacrifice rituals in White Stone Town!"
Damian remembered the case files perfectly. Before they had departed for the Winter Forest expedition, White Stone Town had been plagued by a series of horrific, cult-like ritual murders. The ghostly faces floating in the mist belonged to the victims.
Victor threw his head back and laughed. "Figured it out, did you? Yes, those sacrifices were my handiwork. Unfortunately for you, your deductive skills are a bit late! The Spirits of Corruption will hollow out your minds, and you will all become my puppets!"
The pale faces shrieked, scattering through the air and lunging at the terrified wizards.
Spells flew wildly as the survivors tried to defend themselves, but the ghostly faces phased right through most magic. Only fire-based spells seemed to have any effect. In mere seconds, several wizards were overwhelmed, the ghostly faces sinking directly into their skulls.
"Sister!" Lilith screamed in shock and horror.
A pale face had bypassed Vivian's hastily cast protective magic and plunged straight into her mind. She collapsed to the dirt, convulsing violently.
Vivian had been entirely focused on maintaining the Protective Magic Array and hadn't had a chance to defend herself. Lilith had tried to cast a physical barrier to block the spirits, but the ethereal faces had passed right through the magic. Panicking, Lilith had used a defensive artifact to pull herself out of the way, unintentionally leaving Vivian completely exposed.
The expedition leader and Link were also vulnerable, both still physically anchored to the Shield Radiating Devices.
Fortunately, Anna reacted instantly. Fire magic was her specialty. She unleashed a roaring wave of flames that incinerated the pale faces lunging for both her and Link.
"Your magical cores are practically empty, aren't they?" Victor sneered, pulling an uncorked glass vial from his robes. "Did you really think it was a coincidence that a swarm of Exploding Leaf-Bugs attacked right after the first wave?"
Victor admired the empty vial. "After I figured out Miss Lilith's little plan, I had Thor steal a vial of the Secret Medicine. While you fools were busy harvesting fins, I poured it out. Though, I admit, even I didn't expect it to draw an Exploding Leaf-Bug swarm right off the bat. That was a lovely stroke of luck."
Victor's eyes gleamed with twisted pleasure. Victory was already in his grasp. Watching his enemies struggle in despair after learning the truth was the ultimate high.
Damian incinerated one of the lunging faces with a burst of runic fire and rapidly backpedaled.
The three traitorous wizards immediately closed in, casting spells to box him in and entangle him.
Damian slammed his wand into the dirt, triggering another Ring of Repulsion. The shockwave knocked all three men off their feet. Taking advantage of the brief reprieve, Damian quickly scanned the chaotic battlefield, his mind racing as he assessed the grim situation.
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