Chapter 61

Focusing his mind, as if isolating himself from the outside world, Gao Deng finally chanted the incantation in his mind perfectly. Arcane energy seeped out from his palms, turning into a cold chill.

It was as if the Goddess of Winter had suddenly descended, filling the entire passage with her bone-chilling breath. Centering on Gao Deng, frost condensed, the cold spread, and the temperature plummeted.

"Dason's Chilled Prison."

Gao Deng silently recited the spell's name, releasing all the icy energy. These small creatures, Abyssal Ferocious Rats, were already poorly adapted to drastic temperature changes. Moreover, coming from the Abyss, a land of fire and lava, they had no real experience with cold or ice. Under the assault of the low temperature, these evil little creatures instantly withered and stiffened, losing their ability to attack and move.

The two rat herders, apart from controlling the Abyssal Ferocious Rats, had no other means of attack. Seeing the rat swarm frozen, they looked panicked, unsure whether to flee or continue fighting. However, Gao Deng wouldn't give them the chance. A few complex gestures changed rapidly, silver light flowed from his fingertips, and a storm of missiles was unleashed, killing the enemies.

After a period of research and improvement, Gao Deng's self-created Missile Storm spell had greatly increased in power. He could now release eighteen magic missiles at once, and with the support of "Apprentice in Evocation," the damage was astonishing.

The two rat herders were blown to pieces by the intense force field energy released by the missiles, dying in agony. Gao Deng sighed in relief and began to check his wounds. His pants and boots had multiple bite marks, and his skin bore many tooth marks, but fortunately, Gao Deng's constitution was good, and the wounds were not too deep. Most importantly, after consuming the Golden Oak Acorn, he was immune to all diseases and plagues. The putrefying heat virus on the Abyssal Ferocious Rats' teeth could not infect him.

"You're injured," Shelley said worriedly, looking at Gao Deng.

"Just minor injuries. How about you?" Gao Deng looked at Shelley, who was dressed lightly and shivering from the cold, and cast "Resist Elemental Damage" on her. This spell allowed the recipient to remain unharmed in environments ranging from -45°C to 60°C.

The girl shook her head, unwilling to trouble Gao Deng further, but after the spell was cast, she visibly relaxed and smiled sweetly at her lover. "It's a pity I don't have a weapon to help."

"Maybe we can find a weapon for you in the castle."

While chatting with Shelley, Gao Deng took out a dagger and began to kill the frozen Abyssal Ferocious Rats one by one. To conserve mana, he had to use this clumsy method.

The Ya-Snake people didn't have much valuable stuff, and their wooden staves could only be used by their own kind. However, the gains from this battle were significant. Gao Deng killed two rat herders and over twenty Abyssal Ferocious Rats, earning over two hundred experience points. Now, his experience pool had 1746 points, almost half of the 4000 needed for the next level.

"Maybe I can reach level 5 before we leave the castle."

Since the enemy was the Ya-Snake people, who had better reconnaissance capabilities than his own, Gao Deng decided to change his strategy. Continuing to wander around would likely lead to another ambush. The best plan was to find a safe place to hide, wait for the ritual to end and the magic field to disappear, and then find a way out.

They continued downward, reaching the third underground level.

"Left," Gao Deng pointed. The areas near the stairs had surely been thoroughly explored by the Holy Trinity Baptist Church, with the most patrols and the highest chance of being discovered. He thought it was better to leave the main passage.

Not far ahead, a completely dark, lightless, and long corridor appeared. Looking at the impenetrable darkness, Gao Deng felt a bit uneasy. As the saying goes, "Do not enter the forest, do not probe the darkness," who knew what unknown dangers lay ahead. But to reach their destination, this was the only way. After a brief exchange of glances with Shelley, he decided to continue.

However, before proceeding, Gao Deng needed to make thorough preparations. He first drank a potion of "Combat Readiness" to ensure he could detect enemy ambushes in time. Then he summoned an animated shield to protect his flanks. Finally, he cast "Light" to illuminate the path ahead, and held a wand of "Melf's Acid Arrow" in his right hand and a magic scroll in his left. Only then did he begin to advance cautiously.

The journey was peaceful, but as they approached a fork in the corridor, a sudden change occurred!

A massive double-bladed battle axe whistled through the darkness, the large blade reflecting a cold, eerie light from the "Light" spell, sweeping towards Gao Deng's neck.

Under his mental control, the animated shield collided with the massive death axe at the last moment. The enemy's strength was immense, probably even a grown ogre would be no match. The shield and axe clashed, sparks flying, and the shield was swept aside.

But this gave Gao Deng precious time.

He instinctively crouched, relying on the predictive ability from the "Combat Readiness" potion and his agility, which had reached 14 after consuming the Golden Oak Acorn, narrowly avoiding decapitation.

The axe grazed his scalp, cutting a few strands of hair with the sharp air current.

Gao Deng rolled backward, retreating three meters, and without hesitation, raised his wand and fired five "Melf's Acid Arrows" in quick succession.

The acid arrows disappeared into the darkness. A deep, metallic voice, as if coming from a tin can, echoed: "Not bad reflexes, but you can't escape. The scent of blood on you will lead me to you, no matter where you run. Those egg-laying Ya-Snake people may be stupid, but they served their purpose."

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the quiet corridor. From the darkness emerged a giant man over two meters tall, clad in thick, menacing blood-red iron armor. His face was hidden behind a full helmet, but his eyes, filled with death and killing intent, were unforgettable—of course, as was the massive double-bladed battle axe in his hand. Gao Deng suspected that even a fully grown hill giant could be beheaded with one strike from this axe. Using it on ordinary humans was truly an overkill.

However, worrying about the power of the enemy's weapon was meaningless now. Gao Deng stumbled backward, trying to create distance, and in this almost unbalanced state, he read the incantation from the magic scroll—thanks to his strict training in spell concentration, he completed this difficult task.

"Web!"

A white, sticky, thick web appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the axe warrior. Although the warrior's immense strength would allow him to break free in a short time, Gao Deng at least managed to halt his advance.

"Shelley, throw it!" Gao Deng shouted, and the half-elf girl immediately threw a bottle of yellow, slippery liquid at the axe warrior's feet. This was an "Oil of Slipperiness," which, like the first-level spell "Grease," created a slippery area, making it difficult for the enemy to move.

Gao Deng didn't linger, but pulled Shelley and ran backward. If facing other enemies, he would have immediately cast a fire-based evocation spell to ignite the slippery area and the flammable web, burying the enemy in flames.

However, all the enhanced "Melf's Acid Arrows" Gao Deng had fired only left shallow etch marks on the red-spiked armor of the axe warrior. Gao Deng recognized the armor as "Blood Shadow Spikes," a heavy armor that emphasized defense and effectively resisted fire and acid damage. In "Ancient Era," this was the most practical superior magic armor for evil melee players before level 12.

Knowing that fire was ineffective against the enemy, Gao Deng didn't let Shelley waste the "Inferno Gel." He had given her all the items and potions that didn't require spellcasting, so she could still be useful without a weapon.

While retreating, Gao Deng didn't forget to use a third-level "Summon Monster" scroll to create some trouble for the axe warrior.

A massive black bear appeared in front of Gao Deng as the scroll burned out, radiating positive energy and the holy aura of Heaven's Mountain.

"Attack, Celestial Bear!" Gao Deng pointed at the axe warrior, and his loyal summoned creature roared and charged forward.

However, the tall, red-armored axe warrior showed no fear as the massive Celestial Bear charged. He merely coldly snorted, and a black aura spread, overwhelming the summoned creature.

"Despair Aura! This is a Black Knight!" Gao Deng was startled.

Paladins, who serve good deities and have powerful combat abilities and can cast divine spells, are a formidable class. In contrast, those who serve evil deities and are devout warriors are called Black Knights.

Paladins and Black Knights are like the two extreme opposites of light and darkness.

The originally fierce Celestial Bear, suppressed by the Despair Aura, lost its fighting spirit. The Black Knight tore through the web, raised his battle axe, and in the dim underground corridor, a deep, night-like black arc cut off the bear's head.

"Smite Good," a skill that deals extra damage to good-aligned creatures. Its counterpart is the Paladin's "Smite Evil."

Gao Deng didn't expect to encounter a Black Knight, who was more troublesome than an ordinary warrior. Moreover, the enemy's level was clearly much higher, and his equipment was excellent.

This was a crushing defeat.

"Run, Gao Deng Freeman. As long as you're in the castle's underground, you can never escape the fate of being beheaded!" The Black Knight, having easily killed the Celestial Bear, his aura rising, shouted arrogantly.