Black Hearted Mage

The next morning, the sun rose, its rays bathing the earth and illuminating the entire world. Members of the two magical factions gathered early, ready to explore the cave. They split into two groups: the magicians would clear the spiders, while the guards would chop down trees and clear vines.

Holding a magic lamp, the magicians carefully entered the cave. They avoided using magic as much as possible, choosing instead to use firewood and smoke to drive away the spiders. This not only conserved magic power but also prevented excessive damage to the cave.

A large number of guards were busy in the dense forest, wielding axes and saws, cutting down trees and clearing vines. These wood and vines would be brought to the cave as fuel. At the same time, they would also collect some herbs for emergency use.

As smoke billowed from the cavern, a hissing sound could be heard from deep within. This was the sound of dark-type monsters, instinctively fearing fire. The same was true for the poisonous spiders, who fled deeper into the cave, seeking a safe place to hide.

Bundles of hay and firewood were thrown into the cave by the guards, and the magicians used impact spells to push the blazing firewood forward. These firewoods were added with grease to help with combustion, and the flames were extremely hot when they burned. Smoking corpses of servant spiders could be seen along the way.

Kandel stood aside, watching the scene before him, feeling a pang of remorse. His servant spiders were precious alchemical materials, and it was a shame to see them burned to death. But he also knew that this method of eliminating the spiders was necessary to ensure everyone's safety.

When they reached the three-way intersection in the cave, the fire mage cast a fire wall spell on both roads, and the guards quickly poured rocks into the cave. They immediately added alchemical glue, then continued to add rocks, and then glue again, until both roads were completely blocked, leaving no gaps.

The remaining road continued to move forward. When the dark spider could be seen, the heavy shield guard stood in front and the magician stood behind.

"Old Roman, catch me a living one!"

When Kandel saw the dark spider with black and gray patterns, it was like an old widower seeing a young widow, and his burning eyes refused to leave.

"We can only half-live. We didn't plan to cast a net, and even if we did, we wouldn't be able to open it here. It's too narrow!"

"It's okay to die, as long as the poison sac is not broken!"

Old Roman glared at Kandel fiercely. This damn alchemist must be mentally ill. One moment he wants to capture someone alive, the next moment he'll take a corpse.

While old Roman was hunting the dark spider, Caesars and Bloom were sitting in front of the tent, chatting.

"Bloom, why didn't you go in to explore?" Caesars was a little curious.

"Little guy, the cave entrance is a little big. It's really too small inside. I can't even stand up straight. I heard that the big spider inside can't get out either. It's like me. Being too big is not a good thing!"

Bloom is an extremely intelligent ogre. He looks at things from a different perspective than humans, but he sees things more thoroughly.

"Bloom, I saw a very tall flame man in the underground ruins last time. He looked very much like an ogre, too tall and strong, but he said he wasn't an ogre, but from Frost Town!"

The old ogre sitting nearby, wearing a fur robe, shuddered. He looked around and said in a low voice, "What he said is true. He is indeed from Frost Town and the greatest shaman. Don't tell anyone about this. Don't let the people in the North Tower know. Remember that!"

Kaisas nodded, puzzled. In his opinion, ogres were more trustworthy than magicians. However, he couldn't understand why Shamans were a unique profession for ogres and why some outsiders were also Shamans for no reason.

The originally quiet cave suddenly became unusually lively as magicians and guards emerged one after another, carrying a massive creature—a giant spider that had been dismembered.

Caesars immediately recognized the spider as a Gloom Spider, having read about it in books. However, upon seeing it in person, he discovered that the Gloom Spider was far larger than described in books. Due to its enormous size, it was impossible to carry its entire body out of the cave, so they had to dismember it before carrying it out.

"Put the body here quickly so I can remove the poison sac!"

Kandel, with gray hair, was anxiously directing the guards. In one hand he held a sharp black knife, and in the other a crystal jar larger than a rice bowl, his face showing an expression of impatience.

Old Roman looked at the distraught alchemist and couldn't help but tease him, "Kandel, could you please be a little more reserved? You're a highly respected magician, after all. Why do you look like a highway robber now?"

Kandel glared at Old Roman and explained, "The best time to harvest a Dark Spider's venom sac is within ten minutes of its death. If you miss this window, the toxin's quality will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, while its venom isn't particularly potent, it's a key ingredient in creating the highest-quality antidote."

As soon as the guards put the body down, Kandel no longer paid attention to old Roman and focused on dealing with the body of the Dark Spider.

Caesars watched intently from the side. He saw the pitch-black, sharp knife accurately penetrate the dark spider's head where it met its carapace. As the blade cut in, the carapace easily separated and peeled off, revealing two huge venom sacs within.

The master alchemist's technique was skillful and fluid, each movement clean and precise, without a trace of hesitation. The venom sac and two gleaming metallic fangs were carefully removed and placed in a transparent crystal jar.

At this time, the black magic snake in Caesar's pocket began to become restless, twisting its body constantly and making a faint "hissing" sound, which was obviously a sign of its desire to eat.

"Master Kandel, can you give me some spider meat? My little black snake seems to be very interested in it!" Kaisas asked expectantly.

"Boy, wait a moment until I take out the heart and liver of the Dark Spider. These are extremely precious materials and cannot be wasted!" The great alchemist responded.

The Great Alchemist pushed the Dark Spider's massive head forward, tumbling to Caesar's feet. He continued to wield his sharp knife, removing the Dark Spider's chest carapace to facilitate the collection of rare alchemical materials.

Caesars untied the linen bag from his waist, carefully took out the little black snake and placed it on the ground. The little black snake twisted its body flexibly and quickly got into the head of the dark spider.

Caesars was puzzled, as he knew that black snakes didn't bite their food, but rather swallowed it whole. However, when he crouched down to observe more closely, he was surprised to find the little black snake actually biting the spider flesh and occasionally swallowing the spider's juices. This shocked him greatly; he had never imagined that a little black snake could eat in this way.

Meanwhile, Kandel had successfully collected all the alchemical materials. Without hesitation, he threw the remains of the Dark Spider to the curious Kaisas.

Although magicians enjoyed eating monster meat, they had no interest in the hairy, poisonous Dark Spider. The Dark Spider's flesh contained toxins, and even the mercenaries were unwilling to try it, so the remains had to be handed over to Caesars.

Kaisas silently gathered up the remains of the Dark Spider, secretly celebrating. The Great Alchemist seemed solely concerned with the alchemical materials, not even taking the precious high-level magic core. This undoubtedly gave Kaisas a great bargain, and he was secretly delighted.

The dark spider's head was not big, and only half of it was left after being cut by the great alchemist. Caesars could drag it away by himself.

"Ms. Joanna, why don't you continue excavating the ancient tomb today?"

"The cave inside is very smooth, probably carved out by magic. There's only a one-foot square opening, so no one can get in. This passage is very deep, and even if you cast illumination magic, you can't see what's inside. Fortunately, there are no magic patterns or formations on the stone wall. If you want to get in, you have to make a large wooden plug first, and while you're digging, prevent poisonous spiders from crawling out of the passage!"

"Ma'am, people can't get in, how did they get in?"

Caesar was very confused. He really couldn't understand how the coffin and the person could pass through this one-foot square stone cave.

"In fact, the stone walls and passages inside are not naturally formed stones, but the products of advanced alchemy. In addition, there are two other paths that have not yet been explored." Joanna explained.

Encountering such an ancient and mysterious alchemical product, it's no wonder Kandel was so indifferent to the high-level magic crystal. After some discussion, the two major magical forces ultimately decided to follow the road and use alchemical potions to dig directly into it.

A light rain began to fall outside, but thanks to a large rain shelter above the camp below the rocky mountain, it was protected from the rain. Drains had also been dug around the edge of the camp to ensure that rain would not wash away the insect repellent.

The Northland Tower hadn't brought any artisans with them. Instead, the magic guild was crafting a wooden plug to block the small passageway—a kind of plug that would be movable but also prevent poisonous spiders from exiting. Once the plug was finished, one end needed to be smeared with a pungent alchemical potion.

In the evening, the excavation officially began. Craftsmen drilled holes in the hard, smooth stone wall, while alchemists, wearing protective gear, poured strong acid into the holes. This method slowed down the excavation, but it didn't cause significant vibrations, preventing the triggering of hidden magical traps.

Kaisas had also entered the cave to investigate. The dark magic element inside was very high, but there was something inexplicably strange about that dark element. Acrid smoke filled the air where the alchemists were busy, but the excavation should be progressing quickly, with a considerable amount of rubble being removed every half hour.

"Teacher, the dark elements here seem to be incapable of absorption. I can't capture them during meditation!"

Hearing this, Old Roman frowned. He, too, sensed something strange about this dark element. It seemed different from ordinary dark elements, more corrosive and absorbent. This anomaly might hinder their exploration.

"Caesar, don't be anxious. I need more time to understand the characteristics of these dark elements." Old Roman comforted.

As the mages dug, they continued to observe the situation within the tomb, hoping to open it as soon as possible. The dark elements here were slowly corroding them, and the mages needed to take turns to go out and replenish their magic power. The excavation work continued intensively, and every stone unearthed brought them one step closer to the tomb.

Two days later, the tomb passage was finally dug through, and a huge stone chamber appeared in front. This stone chamber looked very strange, and it was filled with all kinds of strange objects, including a magic transmission machine. This machine was still running, as if it had been waiting for something.

They cautiously entered the chamber and discovered a spider egg the size of a human head above the machinery, surrounded by countless small white spider eggs. It looked creepy. At the back of the chamber was a one-foot-square gelatinous substance that emitted a foul odor, seemingly food for spiders.

The fire mages began burning the spider eggs, while the other mages searched for the source of magic power for the magic machinery. Although they were not afraid of the dark spiders, they still felt a little intimidated by the large number of servant spiders.

The dark, gelatinous substance caught Kandel's attention. He used his magic to examine it before storing it in his storage ring. Old Roman cut off the magical power source of the magic machine and searched the stone chamber. Behind the machine, they discovered a freezing array containing a number of pearl eggs encased in frost.

"Kandel, this damn place looks like a storage room. There is no other exit except that magic door." Old Roman said with a frown.

"It really does look like a storage room. The herbs have all turned to slag, and the ores and metal ingots need to be identified. Have someone move everything out. I don't have the ability to open the magic door!"

The great alchemist looked at several large metal boxes. He guessed that there must be good things inside, but he could only take them out first.

"Kandel, make the magic mark and don't let the people from the Magic Guild tamper with it!"

Old Roman looked at the well-dressed Keynes. This guy came here every day without any effort, and now he was preparing to collect the metal boxes.

"Old Roman, do you think I would do something behind the scenes? You are slandering me. I just came here to see if there is anything I can help with." Keynes retorted.

"Yes, you just come here every day and never use the lighting technique, but you are the first one to collect the box!" Old Roman said bluntly.

Keynes shrugged helplessly. He knew he couldn't convince Old Roman, so he had to leave the metal box silently. He wasn't as strong as Old Roman, and he was in the wrong.