Chapter 956: Onward Under The Cursed Grounds
When it came to those who understood the very foundations of magic itself, Izroth could be considered ranked among the top individuals in the Mortal Realm.
However, in terms of magic application, he was far from being on the same level as people like Kryxelsia, Valentine, or the Phantom Queen. After all, magic was not something that existed in the Seven Realms.
Though this was not to say that Izroth's magic application skills were poor.
Because of his deep understanding of the foundations of magic and natural comprehension skills, Izroth had no trouble displaying an advanced level of magic application.
Whereas the average magic caster would struggle to freely manipulate the surrounding earth, Izroth could do so without much difficulty—even with his current low skill mastery.
'The skill mastery for Molding Earth has already increased by nearly twenty percent. It was moving much faster initially, but its progress has slowed considerably. It seems that the previous assumption I made about repetitiveness in magic development turned out to be true.'
Izroth quickly discovered that while performing repetitive tasks with Molding Earth gradually increased his skill mastery at a steady pace, it was doing something unique that invoked extraordinary growth.
That's why, along the way, he had been secretly changing the forms of the structures used to stabilize the tunnel. The mass and purpose remained the same; however, each was almost like a unique piece of art. This kind of method was ideal since it did not require any additional mana.
But that was not the only reason for Molding Earth's rapid growth.
Izroth's passive skill Magic Fundamental Mastery also had a part to play in it.
One of the benefits granted by the passive skill made it so that when learning or growing magic-based skills, the speed in improving upon them was increased by 10%.
At first glance, this amount may seem somewhat negligible. However, when a skill was being used consistently, such as Molding Earth, it allowed the skill mastery to develop at a frightening speed.
"This was a ridiculous plan. Are you even human? How can you dig for so long without rest? Consuming so many mana potions to replenish your mana—are you not afraid of permanently damaging your mana pool?" Ranazera commented with a slight groan.
Given the personality she'd displayed up until this point, Izroth believed that Ranazera was not the talkative type. However, not long after he began constructing the tunnel, she had been speaking virtually nonstop. There was no specific direction or purpose to the words she spoke, and the topics brought up were of a wide variety. But, one would be foolish to think nothing of it.
'She's quite persistent. Though I expect no less from someone in her position.'
It may seem as though Ranazera was speaking without purpose; however, Izroth saw through her intentions from the very beginning.
Despite being captured, the sixth princess was still trying to draw whatever information she could out of Izroth—regardless of how insignificant or useless it seemed.
If it were someone else, they might have answered casually since the questions appeared relatively harmless. After all, most people in Izroth's position would be beyond ecstatic, having captured a member of an enemy kingdom's royal family due to the rewards and fame it would bring them. That's why it was not uncommon for those types of individuals to lower their guard when approaching the finish line.
Unfortunately for Ranazera, she came across someone like Izroth.
"It will take much more than some dirt to slow me down. As for my mana pool, while your concern is appreciated, it is misplaced." Izroth replied calmly.
It was common knowledge among players that consuming too many potions within a short span of time could lead to a special type of poisoning.
For example, if one consumes too many mana potions, they could suffer from mana poisoning. If not handled properly, it could lead to permanent damage to one's mana pool.
Needless to say, since Izroth had already experienced what it was like to have a fractured mana pool, he was in no rush to go through that again.
As for how Izroth avoided being mana poisoned after consuming so many mana potions nonstop, it had to do with a combination of his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat. But, if it were just this much, it still would have been risky for Izroth to consume so many mana potions within such a short time frame. This was even more so, considering he was still suppressing the effects of Glacia's Black Winter Fence.
That's why Izroth used nothing but high-grade mana potions.
High-grade potions contained fewer impurities and would not produce the effects of mana poisoning as rapidly as consuming low-grade potions.
'With Molding Earth constantly improving, there should be no issue keeping the effects of mana poisoning at bay. As long as I maintain this pace, I can meet up with the 9th Division and allied forces before they begin their attack on the Night Lord's Crypt.'
Amaharpe and its allies may have done their best to keep the upcoming assault on the Night Lord's Crypt under wraps, but Malentansium and Tempest had their own information network. There was no guarantee that their plan had not already been exposed. In fact, it was more likely their plan had long been uncovered.
However, even if Amaharpe and its allies managed to keep it a secret by some miracle, it did not take a genius strategist for Malentansium to realize that their enemies would undoubtedly take advantage of the Night Lord's revival to strike. Either way, they would be prepared for an all-out war!
While Izroth had confidence in Commander Aurie's strength, as well as Niflheim and Menerva's competence when it came to leading the 9th Division in his absence, he still felt the need to be there at the frontlines.
For one, there would be many hidden dangers on such a large-scale battlefield—be it traps or strong individuals.
The 9th Division was not bad for a newly formed group; however, against those with a plethora of experience, they would be at a clear disadvantage in terms of general strength.
But, just those reasons alone were not enough to garner Izroth's concern. After all, despite its inherent challenges, this sort of battle would be a good experience for the 9th Division's overall development.
What Izroth wanted to ensure was that the resurrection of the Night Lord Zarolas never came to pass.
'After what took place in the Dream Domain, if Zarolas is revived, he won't rest until Commander Aurie, and I are destroyed. I'll have to see to it that he remains buried—permanently.'
Izroth was no stranger to powerful enemies. However, unlike most of his foes in RML, Zarolas could not be killed using standard methods.
Since he was a Night Lord of the skounae race, Zarolas possessed an artifact known as a Spirix. As long as his Spirix remained intact, he could revive an endless amount of times.
Izroth believed that having an enemy like that around in the Mortal Realm would undoubtedly bring about countless future disasters on a grand scale.
Of course, in the end, even if the grudge Zarolas had against him did not exist, Izroth had an obligation to do what was best for the Mortal Realm.
It was well known that the skounae had close ties to the Nether Realm and Netherworld Monarch—both of which were eternal enemies of the Mortal Realm. Needless to say, Zarolas was no exception.
Seeing as how Izroth was given the perfect opportunity to remove a significant threat to the Mortal Realm from the picture once and for all, how could he let it pass him by?
"We'll be increasing our pace from here on out. I suggest you do your best not to fall behind." Izroth said calmly.
"Are you sure it's something you can even handle? I'd rather not be buried alive in this place along with you." Ranazera frowned.
Even a skilled magic caster specially trained in earth magic would find it a daunting task to keep this kind of pace, relying solely on mana potions.
Ranazera knew that if something happened to Izroth this far underground, there was nothing she could do but accept her fate.
"I still have some treasures that can allow me to escape; however, it is uncertain whether or not they will work this far underground. Not to mention, even if I do successfully escape, there is still the issue of this strange item that seals my power. If he is the only one who knows the method of removal, then..." Ranazera thought to herself with furrowed brows.
As Ranazera mulled over the questionable decision of her captor, Izroth wasted no time entertaining the Tempest princess' words.
Not long after he spoke, the swiftness at which he cleared a path forward and simultaneously created stabilizing structures increased severalfold.
Ranazera was taken aback by Izroth's huge leap in pacing when manipulating the surrounding earth.
But, more shockingly, what she feared most did not come to pass, as there was no visible drop in the tunnel's quality.