Chapter 312: Surficial Tundra I
In the skies above the Burrow World, the blood-red moon had hung high for about six months now.
Initially, the primitive creatures that foraged for food on the snowy tundras were shocked by this sudden change and had retreated into the nearby burrows.
However, as the days passed by…
In actuality, the blood-red moonlight had not brought about any significant changes to the Burrow World. In fact, the threat of fearsome creatures that lurked the deeper burrows had forced these starving and scared little creatures back out onto the tundra, so they quickly adapted to the new sight in the skies above.
These low intelligence creatures had not noticed that as time went on, the moon in the skies above had gradually become clearer and had shone a deeper shade of red, as if drops of blood could drop down from it at any given time.
An ominous and chilling atmosphere permeated throughout the corners of this world…
“Huh?”
Grimm, who had only experienced a single Demon-Hunting Expedition stood atop the Void Fortress as he observed the snowy land that was about the become part of his second Demon-Hunting Expedition experience.
Seeing that this world was not as Grimm had imagined, like the Shadow Enigmatic World where large hordes of the Amonro Army had rushed over the moment they arrived, Grimm could not help but feel a sense of doubt in his mind. In contrast to his previous expedition, this world had only peaceful small animals in sight.
Was it that this world did not fear the sorcerers?
After all, for Grimm, it was only a matter of moments during his descent to the Burrow World from the Sorcerer World. Many of the other Demon-Hunter Sorcerers that were armed to the teeth when they arrived had seemingly ignored the creatures in this world. In his doubts, Grimm couldn’t help but feel that his presence here and his dignity had been dealt a damaging blow.
‘Didn’t they say that all foreign creatures trembled under the shadows of the sorcerers…’
The peaceful scenery of this world before Grimm’s eyes, was like a beautiful young woman standing naked before a man. And yet the man remains indifferent, even turning the other cheek, disregarding the sight before him.
‘This really hurts my self-esteem!’
“Ke ke, such fresh air! The Force of Nature is so pure and calm here!”
“Hehe, I’m gonna become the first Demon-Hunter Sorcerer to log into this primitive world!”
Not far away from Grimm stood a few Dark Demon-Hunters, laughing gloomily. Their eyes shining with dark elemental energy, emanating a cruel, cold aura. Their surrounding atmosphere was brimming with an indescribable desire to kill.
Buzz…
The moment the Principal Void Fortress completely descended onto this Burrow World, the sorcerer barrier atop it had gradually dissipated.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Many of the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers that gathered on the Fortress Square had started to rise up in the air. Like the streaks of meteorites that cut through the sky, dragging long elemental tail flames as they plummet towards the ground.
“Hmm? This is…”
In the midst of confusion, Grimm alongside many other Dark Demon Hunters brought along their elemental tail flames as they rushed towards the ground at mach speed.
In contrast, many of the soul slaves remained indifferent, standing in place on the fortress square—unmoving.
Recalling back when they had initially invaded the Enigmatic World, the horde of the Amonros’ Army swarmed the Void Fortress like a tidal wave as soon as it entered into their territory. It was at that moment that the Principal Void Fortress was at their weakest point.
One reason for this was that most of the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers had yet to collect Despair energy. They had yet to establish control over the profundity of life and death in that type of world where its species were well-integrated.
The other reason was that the Principal Will of the Sorcerer World had yet to be unleashed, resulting in Demon-Hunter Sorcerers being unable to activate their sorcerer barriers.
Without the sorcerer barrier and the power of Despair, the fighting capabilities of the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers were cut in half. As such, they could only use their soul slaves to stop halt the incoming onslaught in an effort to buy time.
And yet, in this instance, their arrival to this primitive world was the complete opposite of their previous experience…
The sudden change in the skies above had startled the creatures that wandered the tundra. Ice crystals were kicked up into the air and snowflakes splashed around as these creatures that fed primarily on snow plants scurried in fear instinctively into nearby burrows.
As for the less fortunate ones that still remained above the ground, they were drowned out by a wail of despair that echoed through the tundra skies.
On the snow-capped landscape, the only ones on top of the food chain was this group of Wooly Hail Mammoths.
Their size reached upwards to fifteen meters as they grew into adulthood. Their bodies were covered by a thick layer of hair that possessed the ability to manipulate Frost Energy. The sheer strength from their flesh and bones was able to halt any predators that dared to attack them.
A bewildered Wooly Hail Mammoth was even said to make most of the deeper underground burrow creatures run with their tails between their legs whenever they saw one.
Seven adult Wooly Hail Mammoths formed a defensive circle around four other young Wooly Hail Mammoths. Their eyes were bloodshot, indicating they were in immense rage.
They stood on their hindlegs as they waved their massive trunks in the air before falling back onto the ground with a loud thud. Two large craters cracked open on the icy ground surface, creating a flowering pattern of cracks across the ground as a result of their immense strength.
Their curved tasks that were at least three meters long seemed incomparably sharp. Their gigantic mouths roared deafeningly as Frost Energy swept across the area, forming a nest from icy-coldness that penetrated down to the bone.
They were apex creatures that once roamed the Tundra layer of this world!
Though, at this moment…
“Ke ke ke ke ke, such mystical fur. Not only does it have incredible resistance against Frost Energy, it can even manipulate parts of the Frost Nature Force! This is prime material to make a new sorcerer’s robe for myself!”
“Huh! You dare snatch it away from me?”
“Bastard, I saw this one first…”
Hundreds of Dark Demon Hunters swarmed in. After brief chaos, many of these Demon-Hunter Sorcerers were once again dispersed.
These Wooly Hail Mammoths had seemed to vanish into thin air. The only traces of them left were the pools of blood that stained the ground and fur that floated along the blowing chilly air.
“Caw, this stench is like a black cat’s meat. Damn, it stinks.”
Myna complained as he stood on Grimm’s shoulder. He covered his beak with one wing while the other was fanning the odor away, as a look of disgust was painted on his face.
Meanwhile, Grimm’s face was brimming with wonder underneath the Mask of Truth as he said, “Hmm? No wonder so many Demon-Hunter Sorcerers swarmed onto the mammoths. If one could make a sorcerer’s robe out of their fur…”
Grimm suddenly remembered the Demon-Hunter Sorcerer that blocked Gabriel back when he was on an assassination mission hunting down Hattori the Hidden.
That Demon-Hunter Sorcerer’s robes were burning brightly in flames, and was quite obvious that it was a rare magical tool. The source of those flames was from just a few feathers.
In front of him.
If one were to use the hide of the Wooly Hail Mammoths to make a sorcerer’s robe, it would definitely be far less powerful than the Flame Sorcerer’s robe that he saw. Even so, the additional Frost Energy it granted would definitely not be weaker than Millie’s Ice Marrow body.
In general, as one grew, the additional power that one’s own ability granted was never enough to a sorcerer.
Smiling, Grimm stored his share of loot into the Dimensional Gap. Thereafter, he observed the massacre, the plundering and looting of all kinds of large creature specimens, the bloodthirsty Dark Demon Hunters were engaged in. He silently sighed as he arrived at the snowfields that most other sorcerers chose to ignore.
Strolling along on the tundra landscape, Grimm would bend down from time to time to collect plant specimens growing on the ground.
The plants in this world were completely different from the fleshy plants found in the Shadow Enigmatic World. The most eye-catching characteristic of the plants in this world was its protective layer of ice crystals.
Each of these plants were like specimens in amber, sealed up by ice. Yet it was a form of protection for them, allowing them to continue reproducing and thriving.
In the skies above, teams of Bright Sorcerers trailed in formation alongside a three hundred meter long Voidship. At the same time, there were some Bright Sorcerers that were scouting the landform, perhaps in preparation to construct a Battle Command and a Prism Fortress.
‘Hm?’
Grimm seemed to have heard a faint scratching noise, prompting him to insert his hand using immense power into the ice layer beneath his feet.
As he pulled his hand back out from the ground, he managed to yank out a half meter long small creature that kept making a ‘zz, zz, zz, zz’ noise.
This long creature had a snow-white body, as if the surrounding snow had become part of its body. It had a form resembling a snake, yet it had a pair of sharp claws and a duck-like skull as it wriggled about in Grimm’s grip.
“Is this a Snowthread?”
Grimm muttered as he observed the Snowthread. At the same time, he was slightly disappointed with the second phase of progress that was just completed on the Mask of Truth.
Although he had just found the Snowthread, it wasn’t by the Thermal Vision form the mask’s Boundless Eye. Rather, it was because he felt a slight trembling underneath the icy surface.
In this icy-cold world, the Thermal Vision was a useless sorcery ability.
“Caw caw, look young master, this must be a Snowthread. There are so many eggs inside it too.” Myna yelled out as it plopped by the hole that Grimm had just made.
Grimm looked on curiously. Then, he took a breath in shock. “This many?”
Roughly estimating, there were at least tens of thousands of these eggs inside this worm burrow.
Each of these eggs were only the size of a rice grain, but they were all translucent. Faintly, one could see with the naked eye, the developing embryo of these Snowthreads inside the eggs. These little creatures were like the snow fairies of this world, completely unfazed by the cold.
Some of these Snowthreads had already hatched and were busy munching away at the minerals gathered by their mother that was being held in Grimm’s hands.
So many eggs came from a single Snowthread. Now wonder they were able to carve out the Burrow World from this harsh icy world even though they belonged to the bottom of the food chain here.
As Grimm looked on at these little creatures in wonder, he started forming the Snowthread and its eggs into creature specimens.
One day later.
Every Demon-Hunter Sorcerer had already collected their share of loot. At the same time, they had formed a preliminary understanding of this world’s laws, consequently discovering countless burrow entrance hole in the process.
As for the war of conquest over this primitive world, the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers wouldn’t spend too much time for research in the Sorcerer World like they would towards a “low-level native” world.
What the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers wanted was to better adapt to the laws of survival in this primitive world only.
Among the countless burrow entrances discovered, three were confirmed by the Battle Command’s spells to be the true entrances that connected to the Burrow World. As such, many Bright Demon Hunter Sorcerers gathered outside between these three entrances, establishing a Demon-Hunter Battle Command, turning it into a base of operations for the sorcerers’ complete occupation of this world.