Black Hearted Mage

On a dark and windy night, the people at the Thorn Flower Trading Company were busy and nervous. They carefully carried a huge box containing a precious item from the Abyss Plane - a dark red monster egg.

After several hours of traveling, the monster egg finally arrived safely at its destination and was handed over to Kaisas. When he opened the box and saw the half-meter-sized dark red monster egg, he couldn't help but gasp.

The surface of this monster egg is not shiny at all. Not only that, it is also covered with a large number of tiny protrusions. It feels very rough to the touch, like a pebble formed by volcanic rock that has been baptized by time.

Kaisas curiously reached out and touched the uneven surface of the monster egg. As soon as his fingertips touched the surface, he immediately felt a distinct warmth emanating from within. There were unexpected words etched on the surface of the monster egg. Although the writing was a little blurred, it was still possible to make out the important message: the monster egg needed to be transported to the volcanic area for incubation as soon as possible.

This mysterious magical beast, called the Lava Hound, is a diligent scavenger of the Abyssal Plane. It possesses an astonishing devouring ability, capable of devouring almost anything. Whether it's the remains of demons hidden within the Church of Saint Laurent, terrifying ghouls, or even bizarre aberrations, it can serve as its food.

Deep beneath the earth, at the border between the Roland Empire and Saint Laurent, lie the remains of a demon, dead for tens of thousands of years. Despite the passage of time, the remains still exude an extremely dangerous aura. Anyone who dares approach or come into contact with them will be corrupted by an invisible force. A less powerful individual might instantly lose their sanity, becoming a mindless walking corpse. Even those with greater strength might manage to maintain consciousness, but their bodies would be horribly deformed, transforming into terrifying monsters.

Aberrations and ghouls share a fatal weakness: they are constantly in a state of extreme hunger, seemingly unable to satisfy their hunger at any given time. This very fact is the key to everyone's horror and tingling sensation. Even more terrifying is that the saliva they secrete contains a powerful, corrosive and corrupting energy. If unfortunate enough to be bitten by these monsters, the wound will be rapidly corrupted, and this corruption is as swift as a plague, spreading at an alarming rate in a short period of time.

At this moment, Kaisas was staring intently at the mysterious monster egg in front of him, thinking to himself: "This thing appears at the perfect time!"

He couldn't help but sigh that the person who named this monster egg "Scavenger" was really talented, because this horrible corrupt and decadent energy could actually be enjoyed as delicious food for it.

The normally majestic golden-eyed black demon snake was now filled with a deep fear of the demon beast egg. Ever since the egg was brought here, the little snake had been hiding in a corner of the stone house, trembling in fear, not even daring to poke its head out.

Looking at the eggshell again, there was a record engraved in ancient script. According to it, everything in the world is considered food in the eyes of the lava dog. Fortunately, however, this lava dog egg had undergone some special bloodline modification, so it could obey Caesar's orders.

Reaching the Southern Continent is no easy task, as it lies across a vast, dangerous swamp. If one doesn't want to risk crossing this treacherous land, there's only one remaining option: a longer detour, but this means passing through rugged, rocky mountains.

In order to hatch the lava dog as quickly as possible, Caesars rushed towards the Thorn Flower Trading Company in the quiet morning of the next day, just as the sun rose. He knew that if he wanted to reach his destination smoothly, he had to find Rodman as a guide.

However, fate always seemed to play tricks on him. When Caesars rushed to the Thorn Flower Trading Company, he discovered that his timing was truly unfortunate. The trading company's female manager was Rodman's mother. Seeing Caesars's anxious expression, she shook her head helplessly and told him the depressing news: Rodman had already embarked on his journey to the southern continent more than half a month ago.

Now, Caesars was in a dilemma. Without a sturdy raft made of white crocodile leather, it would be almost impossible to cross the swamp safely. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and decide to take the long and difficult detour.

Over the next few days, Caesars was forced to pause his hurried pace to prepare for the journey to the Southern Continent. During this time, the once rough-surfaced monster egg underwent some changes. The inscriptions etched upon it gradually vanished without a trace. This situation made Caesars feel even more pressed for time. He knew he could not delay any further and must depart for the Southern Continent immediately, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Caesars anxiously hired a carriage and hurriedly embarked on the long journey to the Stone Kingdom. He sat in the spacious and comfortable carriage, his eyes constantly gazing out the window at the passing scenery, his heart filled with anticipation and anxiety for the egg.

At the same time, the three old elves, thousands of miles away, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. They knew the terrifying power of the lava dog. Although this creature might not be considered powerful in the chaotic Abyss, it was practically invincible on the Roland Continent.

The mysterious egg was carefully protected, its exterior covered with three layers of sturdy seals. When the words carefully etched by Raven on the eggshell gradually faded, the first layer of seals would automatically be lifted. To completely remove the layers of seals, it would only take a few months.

Because the laws of the Abyss Plane were far more powerful than those of Roland's Plane, a crucial and dangerous action had to be taken before unlocking the third seal: dropping the egg into the scorching hot magma. Otherwise, a single operational error could easily lead to a series of unpredictable and catastrophic consequences.

Over a month passed in the blink of an eye. After a long journey, Caesars finally arrived at the southern continent. The egg, once resembling an ordinary stone, had undergone a remarkable transformation. Its two outer layers of skin had quietly faded, revealing the still dark red interior. Furthermore, the egg's surface was now incredibly smooth, as if meticulously polished. Furthermore, the heat it radiated was increasing daily, to the point where even a close approach would reveal the unbearable heat. If it weren't for the thick animal hide bag he'd prepared to wrap it in, Caesars wouldn't have dared to touch it.

The active volcano was already within sight. The egg was already absorbing the fire element furiously, revealing dazzling crimson lines. These strange lines resembled magic patterns, but Caesars couldn't understand them at all. These were the high-level magic patterns described in the ancestral notes. Only those with a certain level of strength and understanding of the laws of the abyss could explore these magic patterns.

Beneath the towering volcano, mercenaries were digging along the edge of a lava river. The pit was about five or six meters deep. They were probably digging for fire crystal ore, or perhaps a rare metal ore.

"Mr. Magician, please wait a moment!"

As Caesars passed by the mine, an old mercenary in his forties or fifties shouted. He was covered in dirt, as if he hadn't bathed in a long time.

"Is something wrong?"

The southern continent was too hot. There were monster eggs in Kaisas' backpack, and he didn't use low-level ice arrays, so he didn't wear the elf transmogrification mask.

"Master Magician, do you have any extra drinking water? I'd like to buy a month's supply. One of my three water bladders burst, and I don't have enough to drink to return to the Stone Kingdom!"

The old mercenary said this with some embarrassment. He took out two fire crystals from his storage ring as a bargaining chip for the water.

In other places, a bucket of water would cost just a few copper coins, and two fire crystals would be worth over a hundred gold coins. In the volcanic region, water is extremely precious, and the nearest water source is thousands of miles away. Without sufficient water, one would be doomed.

"Okay, I'll sell you a bucket of water!"

Caesars took out a large wooden barrel and took the other party's two fire crystals.

"Thank you, Master Mage!"

Caesars waved his hand slightly, then swiftly advanced along the edge of the massive mine. His footsteps moved with incredible speed, his target pointed directly at the scorching lava river not far away, which seemed to melt everything.

The closer they got to the lava river, the higher the temperature grew, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and burning. At this point, Kaisus could clearly smell the scorching aroma of the animal hide backpack he was carrying. If he didn't quickly drop that extremely dangerous monster egg into the roiling lava, it wouldn't be long before Kaisus was completely consumed by the raging flames.

You know, this monster egg is no ordinary beast. Its level is so high that even the space ring cannot accommodate it. In desperation, Kaisas could only tirelessly carry this heavy and dangerous burden all the way, and finally reached this unbearably hot southern continent after a long journey.

When they were about a hundred meters away from the lava river, a voice suddenly came from behind: "Master Mage, your backpack is smoking!"

The caller was none other than the veteran mercenary who had just concluded a deal with Kaisas. Upon hearing this warning, Kaisas suddenly felt something was amiss, a burning sensation radiating from his back. He quickly reached out to remove the animal hide backpack, which was already emitting thick smoke, and without hesitation, ran towards the lava river.

However, man proposes, God disposes. When Caesars was halfway through his run, he suddenly felt his hand lighten. Looking down, he saw that the flaming harness he'd been holding tightly had been burned through, and the terrifying monster egg had long since broken free, tumbling heavily onto the hard ground.

At this moment, the monster egg, having absorbed the fire element, turned a brilliant crimson, like a burning gem, even appearing slightly transparent. Through the translucent eggshell, one could vaguely see something inside struggling, as if trying to break free.

Caesars stood only twenty or thirty meters from the roiling, scorching river of lava. Gazing at the massive, crimson egg on the ground, radiating an astonishing heat, he unhesitatingly cast a powerful dark impact spell. However, surprisingly, the spell fell on deaf ears, having no effect on the searing egg. It remained firmly planted, unmoved.

When Kaesas used the Mage's Hand, it had no effect on the monster egg.

At this point, the egg seemed to have absorbed sufficient fire elemental energy, its surface shimmering with a strange light. As time passed, the third seal, which had once tightly bound the egg, began to show signs of loosening, and it seemed that the seal was about to be released prematurely. Faced with such a difficult situation, Caesars was extremely anxious, but for a moment, he could not think of any other effective solution.

At this critical moment, with nowhere else to go, Caesars gritted his teeth and, with all his might, launched a fierce kick at the red-hot egg. With a whoosh, the dazzlingly hot monster egg flew towards the lava river in a graceful parabola like a cannonball.

Then, with a loud "plop," a few tiny sparks flew from the lava river. The egg briefly floated above the blazing magma, like a lonely fallen leaf drifting with the current. But soon, it began to slowly sink, eventually disappearing into the thick, dark red magma.

Caesars didn't dare to let his guard down, and stood still, observing nervously. He saw the dark red lava river before him still flowing slowly, with only occasional small ripples, and nothing special to be seen.

After a few minutes, the surrounding heat seemed to subside, no longer feeling unbearably scorching. The surface of the slowly flowing lava river became somewhat darker in color, and the magma became more viscous, flowing more slowly.

Kaisas made a careful investigation and found that the free fire elements in the surrounding area were rapidly decreasing. The surface of the entire lava river had begun to solidify and turned into black volcanic rock.

A gust of wind blew, bringing a surprisingly cool feeling. In the middle of the lava river, a small area underwent a change. The black rock there was melting, quickly transforming into golden-red, scorching magma.