Chapter 313: Surficial Tundra II
Standing outside the opening of the World Burrow, Grimm bent over and stroked the craggy rock surface under his feet.
It was very hard, yet lustrous, a very obvious evidence of previous tunneling.
The entrance to the burrow had a diameter of roughly a hundred meters. The burrow twisted and turned, the internal space inconsistent in size. There were many branching tunnels that connected to individual caverns.
Although the temperature in the burrows was still very low, the absence of the icy-cold wind blowing made it slightly more bearable. From time to time, one or two creatures’ calls would echo through the tunnels from deeper parts of the burrow.
Because the Principal Will from the Void Fortress had yet to completely saturate this world, most of the Demon-Hunter Sorcerers still couldn’t generate their sorcerer barrier. Consequently, they had yet to enter into the tunnels to explore the deeper reaches of the Burrow World.
From the surface, Grimm looked like he was investigating the condition of the entrance into the Burrow World. However, he was actually following another train of thought in his mind.
Underneath the Mask of Truth, Grimm’s eyes turned hollow, as he stared blankly at the air.
Back at the Sorcerer World when he first saw that the Stigmata Sorcerer descending onto the Void Fortress was Black Isotta, Grimm’s heart skipped a beat. He thought that the world they were going for an expedition in was the one which he himself had discovered and provided the coordinates for back when he was still a sorcerer-apprentice–the foreign world that reaped souls from the Sorcerer World, the unknown realms of the Devil Lord.
When he handed over that shard of mirror, which contained the coordinates of the foreign world to Master Peranos, it wasn’t long until he received the Black Isotta Friendship Key as a reward. He also received a message from the master of the Black Isotta, a Level-6 Stigmata Sorcerer, that confirmed the residual information that contained the foreign world’s coordinates.
Nearly five hundred years have passed since then…
Perhaps, the Devil Lord was residing in the deepest reaches of the Burrow World, where this world’s greatest secrets lay?
Or perhaps this world was yet another discovery by Black Isotta and had no relation whatsoever to the Devil Lord’s realm that he had in mind?
“Young master, that fella over there has been looking at you for a long time.” Myna interrupted Grimm’s thoughts, standing on his shoulder as he said.
‘Hmm?’
Grimm suspiciously looked over to the direction Myna had pointed towards. ‘This fella…’
After a moment of deliberation, Grimm muttered, “Cameron?”
After the Holy Tower battle, Peranos once brought Grimm to Master Orton’s laboratory.
At the time, Master Orton had an apprentice under him. Only after Peranos’ deception of Orton that Grimm was able to participate in the match between the Bright Sorcerers.
It was due to this that Grimm was exposed to one of the Great Three Refinery Sorcerers from the underground abyss–The Wild Instinct Refinery Sorcerer.
The biggest difference between an underground abyss sorcerer and a surficial sorcerer was the use of companion dragons and the use of symbiotic insects.
At Grimm’s skill level for that time, although his intellect and wit allowed him to triumph over Cameron, the truth was, his opponent did not fully utilize his true strength. At the very least, he did not activate his wild instinct transformation.
‘This handsome man with a chiseled face…
‘Oh yeah, I wonder how his cute daughter Barbara is doing right now.’
“Grimm, haven’t seen you for hundreds of years. I’m surprised that you managed to catch the personal attention of Black Isotta, he even called out your name in front of so many Demon-Hunter Sorcerers.”
Cameron, wearing a bright smile on his face walked over to Grimm with another Level 2sorcerer. Behind his silver scale armor hung a long metal spear, and on his shoulder rested a creature that looked like some kind of lizard.
Grimm looked at this little creature with a penetrating gaze.
This was the companion dragon of an underground abyss sorcerer. It’s powerful combat capabilities made it outstanding among other creatures of the same class, making it the perfect companion for an Underground Refinery Sorcerer.
The Level-2 sorcerer beside Cameron was a standard Elemental Bright Sorcerer that looked like an old witch.
This Bright Sorceress looked old, giving off a feeling that she was merciless and wise. However, at the same time, she gave off an air of trustworthiness and justice, making her distinctive from other evil dark sorceresses.
“Nice to meet you Grimm, I am Istanrima.”
The old sorceress took the initiative to greet Grimm. As a Demon-Hunter Sorcerer that was called out by Black Isotta in front of so many other sorcerers, at least in this mission world, even a Level-2 sorcerer would make an effort to get on Grimm’s side.
Grimm made a greeting in return. After their brief exchange, Grimm waited for the old sorceress to leave before continuing his conversation with Cameron.
“She is my squad leader, and one of the very rare sorcerers that are researching into plants. As a practitioner of auxiliary sorcery, she has condensed many Bright Sorcerers’ hearts.”
Cameron said as he looked at Istanrima’s back as she walked away, while secretly accessing Grimm from head to toe.
It was still that old gray-white swirling mask, and yet it was no longer that low-quality magic tool.
Underneath that mask was a pair of deep and wise eyes. Golden strands of blonde hair emerged underneath his sorcerer’s robe, fluttering as the wind blew about. A pressuring aura emanated from the mysterious Sabbatic Goat Staff he held in his grip. The green-red feathered big fat bird standing on his shoulder looked so lively.
Cameron said to himself in his mind, “He has certainly grown much stronger. He now looks like an official sorcerer who has already been around for thousands of years.”
“Hm.”
The dark sorcerer wasn’t particularly skilled at communication. Grimm shifted his gaze to the back of Istanrima before asking quietly, “How’s Master Orton and your daughter Barbara doing?”
Cameron sighed and shook his head bleakly. “My mentor had already gone over to the Great Master’s place to become the head of the academy. As for Barbara, because she did not become a basic proper sorcerer, she had left for good some two hundred years ago.”
‘She died…’
The disparity between a sorcerer and a sorcerer-apprentice was a truth that must be faced directly, even if their relationship was father and daughter.
“I’d like to leave that topic for another time. Have you seen my master? Ever since you guys left, that guy remained heart-broken for quite a while to see his babies go on their own ways.” Cameron continued.
Grimm nodded his head and said, “He’s still the head of the academy at Black Isotta Sorcery Academy. Though, I’d say he only has a few hundred years left for him.”
Finishing this, another thing floated into Grimm’s conscious mind and he continued, “Right, so in the previous Demon-Hunting Expedition, I bumped into Master Deidarion a couple of times.
“Huh? Master Deidarion…”
As sorcerers of the same heritage, as long as their master was still up and about, Grimm and Cameron still belonged to a close family of sorcerers.
The two sorcerers were engaged in their conversation for about a quarter of an hourglass before it was abruptly ended by a droning noise. Not far away, the first completed Prism Fortress had started intensely gathering energy. This was thanks to the laborious Bright Sorcerers that put their collective effort into constructing it at full speed.
Along with other Demon-Hunter Sorcerers, Grimm and Cameron stopped talking and looked over.
Coincidentally, it was only a few breaths after the first Prism Fortress had been completed before the first waves of the Principal Will from the Sorcerer World had started rippling throughout the Eternal Will Laws of this Burrow World.
The intrusion of the Principal Will from the Sorcerer World has completed!
‘Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz…’
One after the other, many sorcerer barriers started lighting up the place, creating flashes of blinding brightness. It was as if countless candles had been lit in the pitch-black sky, awakening the red-eyed savage demons.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
As if no longer able to wait further, part of the group of Dark Demon Hunters rushed into the deep chasms of the Burrow World. Cameron was also called back to his squad to prepare for the real battle awaiting them.
As he flew back, Cameron said out loud to Grimm, “Grimm, four hundred years later, Master will summon all his previous apprentices to Netherheart Sorcerer Academy for some investigation, don’t forget this.”
On the other side, Grimm and other elite Demon-Hunter Sorcerers that were issued the Black Isotta marking gathered high up in the sky, awaiting further commands for their special mission under Black Isotta.