The black sun hangs high

Chapter 34 Foul-Smelling Hair
The intimidating power of the sword-wielding hermits lies not only in their superhuman fighting prowess, but also in their inherent charisma.

That kind of ruthless temperament, more so than swords, magic, and guns.

It's as if the knight statues wielding giant swords in the city have stepped down from their pedestals and are straddling the road.

Now, under the torrential rain, a majestic and tall figure stands silently in the middle of the street. His robes and the armor beneath them are adorned with numerous basic ritual patterns. Through the combined effect of these magical patterns, an invisible barrier constructed of magic envelops the sword-wielding hermit's body. Thus, when the rain falls, it parts on its own beside this silent figure and slides down the transparent wall.

The swordsman's appearance was not much different from the other one that Hugh had seen before. The difference was that this one was not wearing a metal mask, but had a wooden face with countless scars, like a stone carving.

On this face are a pair of eyes that radiate a cold, eerie light, and at this moment, those eyes are fixed on the Magic Path Pendulum hanging below the fingers, swinging back and forth.

Unlike the cheap pendulums provided to guards and police officers, which only reveal obvious traces of magic, these magical pendulums specially supplied to sword-wielding hermits are often deliberately crafted in the shape of a fine-scaled sea serpent with its head and tail connected.

In the ancient legends of Merlinle, the elegant and highly intelligent Scaled Sea Serpents can sense the most subtle magical fluctuations in the ocean, and the Inner Sea, the invisible spiritual ocean that connects all living beings in Vaan, can also be sensed by them.

The pendulum of the magic path was shaped in this way so that the sword-wielding hermits, who serve as the sharp blade of the Law Committee, could accurately capture and distinguish all anomalies in magic power, just as the fine-scaled sea serpents hunt, precisely finding all traitors and wild mages for the Law Committee and completely eliminating these unstable factors.

"Click... click..."

The Magic Path pendulum swayed steadily, and with a slight sound, the faint traces hidden in the damp air were finally captured by the Magic Path pendulum. The fine-scaled sea serpent carvings that coiled into a ring began to slowly rotate, and a deep, sea-like magical radiance slowly flowed out from the sea serpent-shaped pendulum. They floated around and gradually spread out under the rain curtain.

As the blue light extended and spread, the previously invisible traces finally became visible.

It was a faint, almost invisible thread of magic. The sword-wielding hermit squinted as he watched the thread stretch along the wide road and eventually drift into a dark shop.

"Got you."

A hoarse voice came from under the hood.

The silent enforcer slowly turned around, slapping his right hand three times heavily on the spellbook at his waist. A series of basic protective and auxiliary spells at the Stream and Raindrop levels, such as "Blade Protection," "Curse Protection," "Arrow Deflection," and "Acupuncture," were immediately applied to the sword-wielding hermit. In an instant, the luster of these spells intertwined and merged, eventually disappearing into that burly body.

After that, the swordsman drew his longsword, which was forged with a large amount of demon-suppressing silver, and headed toward the shop.

The clothing store was naturally pitch black, but neither the darkness nor the huge, patterned glass window could affect the sword-wielding hermit in the slightest. Through the darkness, he accurately judged the situation inside the clothing store, so he did not hesitate and immediately tore off a page from a magic book and pressed it hard against the wall of the store.

A strange and spectacular scene unfolded.

In a sudden tremor, the shop's huge glass windows and doors crumbled in the blink of an eye. However, this act of destruction, which should have made a huge noise, did not make a sound. Broken glass shards, wood chips, and brick dust flew out slowly under the influence of different magic. Amidst these flying debris, the sword-wielding hermit stepped into the ravaged shop with heavy but silent steps.

He put away the Magic Path Pendulum, no longer needing its help. This body, which had consumed countless magical potions and endured countless rituals, clearly sensed an unfamiliar magical fluctuation, just like many of the novice wild mages he had hunted in the past—disordered, chaotic, and carrying an alluring scent of panic and fear.

Past experiences and the repressed life they lead have almost erased all the ordinary desires of the sword-wielding hermits. It is precisely because of this that they are always fascinated by fighting different enemies, because only when they encounter their targets and prey can they be given enough stimulation. It is also because of this that a considerable number of sword-wielding hermits are always obsessed with torturing and killing those who dare to offend or defy Merlinle.

Those wild mages who have only recently mastered magic, are no match for the sword-wielding hermits, and only know how to escape, are the best targets.

The burly figure took a step deeper into the shop, and a ferocious smile immediately appeared on his ugly, scarred face. The swordsman locked onto his target, which was the staircase on one side of the shop's interior. Clearly, his target had already escaped to the second floor.

He took a deep breath and strode towards the stairs. He couldn't wait to see the scurrying rat pinned to the wall by his sword. Then, he could break the rat's limbs as he always had, slowly slice through the flesh with a knife, put the summoned magical maggots into the wounds, and use his spiritual interrogation to drain the last shred of the rat's sanity amidst its cries...

However, just as the sword-wielding hermit stepped onto the stairs, a slender figure suddenly appeared above the stairs. As this figure raised his palm, the magic in the air immediately began to surge, and the darkness that enveloped him seemed to tremble as if it had come to life.

The Kalron's Tentacle, considered a manifestation of the Sea God's will, surged towards the sword-wielding hermit on the stairs like a black wave. These tentacles, emerging from Hugh's palm, seemed to possess their own will, dispersing in mid-air. Three of them lunged at the sword-wielding hermit's waist and legs, while two wrapped around his arms. The remaining tentacles' ends sprouted hard keratin, which instantly transformed into spears capable of piercing the human body, swiftly striking the sword-wielding hermit's vital points.

However, as a spellcaster in the Legal Council, the sword-wielding hermit revealed a side of himself that was completely different from ordinary mages at this moment.

He suddenly raised his longsword and slashed down hard at the black tentacles rushing towards him.

The blade, forged with a large amount of precious demon-suppressing silver, displayed an astonishing effectiveness at this moment. The menacing magical tentacles began to crumble the instant they touched the blade, and in the blink of an eye, those tentacles attempting to pierce the sword-wielding hermit's body from the front had all turned into black powder. The sword-wielding hermit's smile became even more twisted. He took a step forward, continuing to slash with his blade, trying to completely tear apart the magic used to obstruct him. However, at this moment, he felt severe resistance. Looking down, he saw that two tentacles had somehow wrapped around his legs from the side. He immediately changed the direction of his blade and severed the tentacles that dared to block his way.

But that's not all.

More tentacles appeared at the spellcaster's call, rushing toward their target in front of them. Even if they dissipated on the spot under the restraint of the magic silver, they would try their best to hinder the opponent's progress, or thrust forward as much as possible before dissipating, trying to cause more damage to their target.

The sword-wielding hermit sensed something amiss. He realized that the magic used by the other party wasn't particularly powerful, but its nature was completely different from ordinary raindrop or stream-level magic. Even complex summoning spells would collapse the moment they encountered a large amount of magic silver due to the disruption.

But these tentacles are different.

Although they cannot fight against the Demon Silver, they only begin to disintegrate when they come into contact with the blade. Moreover, each of these tentacles seems to be an independent entity, and neither slashing nor swinging can effectively restrain them!
"An interesting guy."

Realizing that his prey was no ordinary creature, the swordsman immediately let out a low roar and fiercely wielded his longsword. The broad, sharp blade forcibly tore a gap in the tentacles. He strode forward and, using the magic attached to his body, forcefully tore off a tentacle that was trying to bind him. Then he charged toward the spot where the wild mage had been standing.

However, Hugh had already left the spot.

After mobilizing most of his magic and forcibly releasing a large amount of Calron's Touch, Hugh immediately abandoned his advantageous position. He quickly retreated to the other end of the second floor of the shop and forcefully pushed open the window.

The rumble of thunder and the thick steam rushed into the room. Amidst the onslaught of raindrops, Hugh, with trembling hands, took a metal sphere from his pocket that he had obtained from the dream world.

Now, his life and death are completely in the hands of this alchemical bomb that he can't trust at all.

"A whole basket of fresh hair from swamp witches... such a stinking exchange, don't disappoint me."

Hugh turned his head and saw that the imposing figure, exuding a sense of oppression, had already arrived on the second floor of the store. Without hesitation, he pressed his thumb down hard on the metal mechanism of the alchemical bomb.

A crisp metallic sound rang out from Hugh's palm, and the power contained within the alchemical bomb immediately began to operate. Countless fine and dangerous green fluorescent lines instantly appeared on the originally smooth, silver-gray metal sphere. These ugly lines spread rapidly from the mechanism towards the surface of the sphere, filling it completely in just two breaths.

"Wild Mage..."

"Wild my ass!!"

A dull thud came from the stairwell, but Hugh didn't bother to respond. He flung the violently trembling alchemical bomb into the center of the room, then climbed up to the second-floor window and leaped out into the street amidst the torrential rain.

There was no roar, no flames, and no shockwaves.

None of the scenes that matched Hugh's imagination of the "explosion" occurred.

Hugh landed on the street. With the boost that magic gave to his frail body, he rolled around on the rain-soaked road in a sorry state. Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly felt a terrifying tremor coming from the air.

An extremely pungent and terrifying odor emanated from the two-story building. At the same time, in the flashes of lightning across the night sky, Hughes caught a glimpse of a terrifying scene that was far beyond his expectations.

Inside the clothing store, large clumps of black shadows writhed and exploded, seemingly filling the entire building in an instant. But that wasn't all. Amidst the suffocating stench, these terrifying curly hairs spread like overflowing water, rapidly extending through every possible opening. The windows on the second floor and the breaches in the walls on the first floor became their targets.

Hugh cursed inwardly. The scene was too horrifying. Seeing the large clumps of indescribable, foul-smelling hair spreading toward the area where he was standing, he dared not stay in place any longer.

In this situation, regardless of whether the sword-wielding hermit could survive such an environment, Hugh was destined to be unable to conduct an inspection. He only felt a pang of regret for the precious magical items and equipment the hermit was carrying before immediately running towards the end of the street.

The weather effects of "Sea God's Roar" were continuous. The torrential rain would last all night. Amidst the rumbling thunder and flashes of lightning, the black substance that resembled the hair of a swamp witch was still slowly extending. Like the greedy roots of some plant, it kept drilling into any crack that could accommodate it. Finally, after completely covering the entire store and the large street in front of it, this terrible change slowly stopped.

The night in Seren was destined to be quiet.

Everything was shrouded in the thunderstorm, and no one knew what had happened on this street near the Legal Committee's headquarters. When the other spellcasters from the Legal Committee arrived following the distinct magical fluctuation, all they could see was a house filled with foul-smelling, black hair.

(End of this chapter)