Advent of the Archmage

Hoo, whoosh!

At the cave entrance outside Lirico City, Link waved the Dragon King's Fury magic sword. After a few strikes, he nodded in satisfaction.

"My strength has mostly recovered. Even though I can't use magic and don't have any battle techniques, my basic swordsmanship can be used to its fullest."

Strangely, Link and Riel weren't rejected by the laws of the Firuman Realm. After returning, their power didn't change. This meant that Link was still at the pinnacle of Level-10 and Riel was at the lower stages. They were both Legendary fighters.

Riel already knew Link's plans, but he still needed a few days to recover. He couldn't help. However, the dwarves and Yabba were both residents of the Hengduan Mountain Range. He was much more familiar with the Yabba race than Link.

At this time, he stood outside the cave, looking at the mighty magic shield before the Lirico City. He explained to Link, "The Yabba shield isn't only defensive. They also have great offensive power. Look carefully at the fireball flying to the shield."

Link squinted and quickly saw the profundity. He discovered that when the cannons outside the city were about to reach the magic shield, strands of purple light would appear. They were bent like lightning and were extremely fast. They flashed and extinguished. They hit the fireball in an instant, activating it beforehand.

The benefits of this were obvious. Causing the fireball to explode beforehand reduced the damage to the shield to the max.

"Did you see?" Riel asked. "Those purple lightning streaks are small and can only reach around 150 feet, but they're shockingly powerful. They're at Level-9. They are controlled by an intelligent core and actively attack anything that tries to approach the shield until all are obliterated. So if you go to send a letter, you have to let the Yabba know your purpose. If you just approach the shield, it can be very dangerous!"

"I see." Link's brows knitted.

If that was the case, Link couldn't approach without warning even with his power at Level-10. If a bunch of purple lightning bolts attacked him, he'd be fried to crisp.

If Link could cast spells, it would be easy to make a signal. He could even teleport straight into Lirico City. But now, he was disturbed by the Void's aura, and he couldn't get rid of it. He'd have to think of something else.

Link stood outside the cave and observed the geography.

Lirico City didn't have city walls, and it was actually quite large. It spanned the entire valley. There were even Yabba houses not too far from the cave Link was at now.

Even though the shield was mighty, it actually only enveloped the center of Lirico.

Most Yabba homes were made of wood. Some were made of stone, but they were few. These wooden cabins were scattered about. Each one was finely made with their own garden and grassy yard. Some were set on fire, billowing with black smoke. Others were taken by demons.

Many demons flew in the air. There were only 30 Winged Howlers, but there were thousands of Level-5 or Level-6 demons. They sealed off all paths approaching Lirico. Flying demons had exceptional vision. High-level ones, especially, were comparable to dragons. Under the scrutiny of so many demons and the inability to use an invisibility spell, it was a hassle for Link to approach the shield.

"What should I do?" Link hit his forehead.

"What about a bomb?" Riel suggested. "I have some that we use to bomb mountains. It's not that powerful, but it's loud. It's enough to attract attention. What do you think?"

Riel took out a few fist-sized metal nuggets. They looked like grenades from earth, but these were magic bombs. Each one was carved with many runes. Link could feel that there were fire elements sealed inside.

Link took one and looked. They were made intricately with a turntable on the surface and tick marks. They were time-delayed explosive equipment.

"Great!" Link was overjoyed. Getting an idea, he asked, "Can sound pass through the shield?"

If it could, he might not have to risk getting through the demons. He could detonate the bomb outside and use the frequency of the sound to pass the message. With the Yabbas' intelligence, they should be able to understand.

But unexpectedly, Riel shook his head. "No. The shield blocks most types of energy. Not even light can pass through easily, let alone sound. Look at the shield. Things look blurry inside, right? It's even blurrier from the inside. It's basically opaque."

"That's illogical. Isn't it hard to observe the outside, then? What if something changes outside?" Link was shocked.

Riel waved his hand quickly. "No, it's very logical. This is all from precious experience. Like the soundwave barrier, for example, is because the Yabbas have learned their lesson. You know, they're pretty weak. One thousand three hundred years ago, they had a conflict with the Dark Elves. In one battle, the Dark Elves used a Level-8 Thunder Roar. The strong sound waves passed through the shield and killed 60 percent of the residents from the vibrations… It was horrible."

Alright, Link's nice plan was ruined by the Yabbas' experience.

Riel pointed at a few lighthouses. "Those are for observing the outside. The Yabbas have actually left some leeway. Look at the statues outside the city."

Link looked over and saw statues of varying sizes. There were many inside the city, but they were all broken. "Aren't those decorations?"

Riel nodded. "Yes, but they're also magic detectors. Through them, the Yabbas can look outside the shield. However, the demons seem to know this secret too. They've all been destroyed by force. I think that the Yabbas inside the shield know vaguely what's going on outside but they can only guess at the specifics."

"There must be a spy within them," Link said.

"There must be. Very few people know that secret. The dwarves and Yabba are close, and I'm the brother of our king, so I know a bit." Riel sighed.

Link decided to let this go for now. He must approach the shield first. "How many bombs do you have?" Link asked. "Give them all to me."

There were 15 bombs, but it wasn't enough. Riel turned his hands over. "There are no more. I only brought them with for fun."

"Alright." Link hit his own forehead. "Then I'll set out. Be careful and hide."

"No problem. This is a cave, and I've recovered some power. I can still kill some demons."

Link nodded. He walked to the cave exit and checked the direction. He took out a bomb, adjusted the tick mark and hurled it to the left. His power was a bit too much now. The tiny bomb was less than two pounds. With the throw, it whooshed out and flew more than 2000 feet. Just as it was about to land, it detonated.

The bomb was only at Level-5, but as Riel had said, it was really, really loud.

Link saw a blue-white fireball three times bigger than a Level-4 Flame Blast shoot into the air. Around it, there was an obvious white shockwave.

Three seconds later, the shockwave reached the cave Link was at. Boom, boom! The huge explosion came like mountains crashing into the sea. The cave also started cracking, and many broken rocks fell down.

The demons flying in the air instantly noticed the commotion.

Now was the time. Link shot out of the cave. Using the foliage as a disguise, he sprinted and traveled 500 feet in three seconds. He jumped into a cabin that he'd aimed at.

He'd controlled his speed too. If the geography was flat and he ran at full speed, he could easily travel 650 feet in a second. This was the powerful strength he possessed after entering the Legendary level. He couldn't be compared to Nana, but for a living creature, it was frightening.

After jumping in from the window, a shadow flashed before Link. It was a low-level demon, around Level-4. It was probably taking a break here. Seeing Link appear, it probably felt Link was danger and tried to run.

It was about to get to the door. Link arched his back and lunged while slicing down with his sword. With a squelch, the demon was halved.

The room was silent.

The Yabbas were short, so their houses were built low as well. However, it was still more than seven feet tall. As long as Link didn't make big movements, he wouldn't hit his head.

There were three corpses on the ground—two big and one small. It was probably a Yabba family. The father's body was already gnawed at by the demon, and less than half of it remained.

Seeing it, Link sighed. He walked to the window on the other side and looked out.

Now, he was 6500 feet away from the shield. Not only did he have to get close to it, but he also had to let the Yabbas inside know that he was coming. Otherwise, he'd just be looking for death.

Link didn't advance hurriedly. He looked at the shield in deep thought. I can't send a signal with the bomb and light won't work. I can't use magic either. How do I alert the Yabbas?

After a long while, Link still had no clue.

What do I do? What do I do?

While thinking, Link's gaze fell on the Yabba corpses on the ground and got an idea.

If there are bodies, it means that the Yabbas outside Lirico didn't all leave. With so many houses here, it's very possible that someone's still alive. If I can find a living Yabba, he can give me a way into the city safely.

With that thought, a message appeared in Link's vision.

Mission Activated: Survivor

Mission: Search for surviving Yabbas in the ruins outside Lirico City

Mission Reward: Assassin Robe (Epic)

The game system had started rewarding equipment, and it was called the Assassin Robe? The name sounded contradictory.

Whatever. Just accept it now and worry later!