SWNOVELXO Chapter 11: Pale Lick
**"Two minor enchanted items, and the Pale Tongue Scroll..."**
"The Pale Tongue spell is difficult to cast but powerful in output. The materials for the spell are hard to find, and a ready-to-use scroll is even rarer... Lege, you must have paid a hefty price for this, didn't you?"
"Using all this on us, don't you feel the least bit of remorse?"
Dick looked at the items, his face stiffening slightly, though he still attempted to mock casually.
Lege remained unfazed, even smiling wider.
"What a joke. A Mandrake Root is worth multiple scrolls. I wonder... how many of those could you each handle?"
The faces of the four suddenly shifted between uncertainty and suspicion.
Dick looked at the Mandrake Root and then gritted his teeth.
"The Mandrake Root was a task given by the wizard. Lege, are you sure you're not going to return the wizard's property?"
Lege chuckled and yawned. "Such a big hat you're putting on me!"
Dick scoffed and exchanged a glance with his companions. Despite the lingering resentment, they all turned away.
"Fine. The wizard will deal with it later."
As they turned to leave, Dick covertly moved his hands.
In the next moment, he spun around and shouted, "Since you won't return it, then die!"
Before the words had even finished, his companions moved into action.
One of the second-tier apprentice wizards crushed a vial of blood at his waist, causing red light to snake up his arm and form an illusory limb, which reached toward Lege, aiming primarily to grab the Mandrake Root from his waist while also attacking him.
Another apprentice tapped his chest, and orange light leaked from his gray robe. Sparks flew as he ignited a piece of black oilstone and threw it toward Lege.
The youngest, a first-tier apprentice, had fewer tricks up his sleeve. He clasped his hands together and cast a defensive spell.
The enemy moved fast, but so did Lege. He reacted even before the four had fully turned.
The scroll shattered into pieces, and with a sharp screech, a pale ripple rushed toward the nearest wizard apprentice, swiftly closing the gap.
The apprentice had just released the illusory limb, making his movements sluggish. Though he reacted, he couldn't dodge in time and could only barely avoid a fatal blow.
The Pale Tongue didn't reach his face but licked across his shoulder, stripping the flesh of color. With a gust of wind, the skin peeled off in tatters.
Beneath, his bones were exposed, ghastly and clear!
In an instant, the apprentice lost all combat ability, his body trembling with pain as he couldn't even scream. The illusory limb shattered into energy particles.
Meanwhile, the flaming black stone shot toward Lege, but he didn't flinch.
The three snake slaves had already shielded him, and the stocky one only shifted slightly to block the projectile.
The snake slave was burned through, and the scent of charred flesh filled the air.
The black stone, though powerful, lost all its momentum, unable to cause further harm.
After the brief skirmish, Dick's group had accomplished nothing. At most, they had inflicted a minor wound on the snake slave, but one apprentice had been rendered utterly useless.
"Lege... is unbeatable!" Dick's face darkened as he thought, his eyes flickering with a new resolve. Without a word, he spun on his heels and fled.
The young apprentice, who had lacked any fight in the first place, added a speed boost spell and hastily followed Dick.
The two apprentices who had made the initial moves were momentarily stunned.
Seizing the opportunity, Lege tore open another Pale Tongue scroll.
This time, the spell enveloped one of the apprentices' faces, and wherever it touched, flesh peeled off, exposing the dull skull beneath.
The apprentice staggered and fell to the ground, flames erupting from his hands and setting his robes ablaze.
Perhaps it was luck, or misfortune—either way, the apprentice died almost immediately, spared the agony of being burned alive.
Lege's cold gaze didn't linger, turning instead to the remaining injured apprentice.
The apprentice had snapped out of his daze. Driven by survival instincts, he immediately ran for it.
Lege stood still, watching the three retreat, not intending to give chase.
The Pale Tongue may be powerful, but every use of it cost him, and who knew if the fleeing wizard would be worth the expenditure?
Lege had no desire to cause further trouble. The fight was nothing more than an act of self-defense.
Though he hadn't exhausted his physical energy, the tension had been taxing on his mind. As he relaxed, weariness crept in.
Suddenly, he heard a faint thud.
Lege glanced over indifferently, not bothering to inspect closely.
It was the snake slave, who had been severely burned by the lingering fire oil, collapsing from the damage.
"I've heard the Fire Stone spell is wicked, and now I see it for myself."
"If it weren't for the snake slaves shielding me, even a grazing hit could have been fatal."
"Such a pity... 'The Skinned Toad' has shed its old skin, but it's still not the type of 'companion' one can get along with..."
As he muttered, he observed the fallen wizard apprentice, whose skull had shattered, with brain matter leaking out like curdled soy milk.
Meanwhile, the bright flames still greedily licked at his body, charring and distorting it.
Lege thought for a moment, ordered his snake slaves to put out the fire, and carefully removed the apprentice's clothing and trinkets.
He didn't immediately search for spoils. Instead, his gaze lingered on the blood-soaked path of his horse.
The sounds of battle, the smell of burning wizard flesh, and the bloodstains that had long permeated the air...
All these were like beacons in the dark, drawing the attention of some lurking creatures in the Moon Lake Desert.
He couldn't afford to stay here much longer. To be cautious, he should leave immediately. If he waited too long... it wouldn't be as simple as driving Dick away.
With that in mind, Lege gathered his things quickly and hurried off with the remaining two snake slaves.
As for the apprentice's corpse... something else would take care of it.
---
The battle site was not far from the Nightfall Academy. Soon, Lege saw the terrain change.
The jagged stones disappeared, replaced by clusters of red crystals that emitted a soft red glow, casting a dreamlike light on the area.
At the same time, the air grew misty, as if he were seeing through frosted glass, with fine particles floating in the air.
This was the origin of the Moon Lake Desert's name—the Moon Lake.
Only after entering the Moon Lake region did one truly enter the Nightfall Academy's jurisdiction.
Here, apprentice duels were strictly forbidden. Violating this rule would earn the attention of the Shadow Guard, and they were not known for being lenient!