A shadowy figure with weak melee abilities is only somewhat troublesome for Henrik when it comes to closing the distance.
And when the Old Hunter dodged three waves of fireballs with two successive rapid dashes, the shadowy figure’s life was as good as gone.
After dealing with the fireball shadow, Henrik sheathed his unfolded serrated cleaver and walked toward Lann.
The young man seemed to still savor the sensation from earlier.
Using [Eldritch Sight] to guide his swordsmanship trajectory, he had just directly shattered the opponent’s magic structure itself.
Which was akin to achieving a certain degree of [Magic Dissection].
In fact, if Mentos were to calculate, it was also likely to plan a trajectory to slice through flames.
But the nature of the two is different.
Mentos would calculate the air model, calculate the airflow the Lady of the Lake’s Sword could generate... After a series of calculations, it would physically slice through the flames using the Lady of the Lake’s Sword’s sturdy and thin blade and the wind it stirred.
That’s merely physical separation.
Simply destructing the phenomenon brought about by the magic, without touching the magic itself.
In front of him, Lann clenched and unclenched his hand.
Perhaps this novel sensation could accomplish more incredible feats in the future.
"Did your [Eldritch Sight] give you a hint?"
Henrik said beside Lann.
This enemy didn’t have tangled hair or sticky blood, just a mass of shadow. So he easily didn’t need to clean the serrated cleaver.
"Not really..." Lann lowered his hand, smiling easily at the Old Hunter. "Just discovered a new usage."
"Then let’s keep moving, don’t waste time here. Once you reach Byron Vis and meet Master William, you can have further insights."
The Old Hunter shrugged, taking the lead toward the large gate of the plaza.
The gate opened, and the academic sanctuary that once enjoyed great repute in the Yanyan Region, after decades, welcomed visitors from outside once again.
The heavy door creaked, but Lann could sense that Henrik, initially a bit excited and a little happy, had feelings akin to riding a roller coaster.
Suddenly plunging into a valley.
What appeared before them was not what an academic sanctuary should look like.
The impression of intelligent and passionate students was gone, and wise and rational professors were also absent.
Byron Vis, having been abandoned for decades, looked like the most standard dark castle from a fairy tale.
A huge moon hung in the sky, while withered, grotesque, towering branches cast clawing silhouettes against its backdrop.
Only after opening the gate himself for a long time did Henrik let out a sigh.
"As one gets older, they are always happy to see things unchanged. But when hopes are dashed, that’s another story."
"I understand." Lann patted the Old Hunter’s shoulder in comfort. "This long and arduous night, one should have a hopeful outlook."
Yan’an truly is a peculiar place; it was just passing through a gate, yet it felt like entering a completely different world.
The two followed remnants of the path inside, and even Henrik, who had high regard for Master William, was currently uncertain whether that academic titan was still alive.
Or if he even retained normal knowledge and wisdom.
Whether they obtained knowledge about [Eldritch Sight] or clues about ancient god powers, the informed must at least maintain human communicative ability.
Since they were here, they could only press forward.
But after walking on the stone path overtaken by soil for a short while, the Old Hunter and the young man simultaneously sidestepped a step.
The gap between the two, who had been walking side by side, suddenly grew over two meters wide.
And when they fully yielded this space, the buzzing sound above their heads, like bees’ wings fluttering, gradually increased to an audible level for humans.
In the background of the night, an ugly monster, flapping its insect-like wings, fell between the two from the branches.
If they hadn’t sidestepped, it might have directly pressed them underneath.
It was a creature that induced a sense of disgust from the heart.
Roughly humanoid, but wearing a tattered, oversized robe, reminiscent of those worn during a patient’s surgery.
Multiple pairs of insect-like appendages grew on its back, haphazardly arranged, making one’s scalp tingle.
But the most eerie and unsettling part was its head.
The head had become a massive walnut-shaped lump, and in every groove and crevice of this ’walnut,’ dull yellow eyes grew.
Henrik reflexively fired a shot with the Hunter’s Pistol from his hand at that uncanny head.
The Old Hunter’s marksmanship was unquestionable, especially since the monster was now wedged between two individuals, leaving no room to avoid.
Thus, before the monster even hit the ground, Henrik’s shot directly caused it to tilt its center of gravity in mid-air, toppling toward Lann.
What awaited was a blade bright like a serene lake.
The precise and graceful swordsmanship fully utilized the monster’s tilting momentum.
Lann’s sword merely rested on its neck, then deftly flicked upward, and torrents of blood began to spray out.
The walnut-like head also rolled to the ground.
"What is this thing?!"
Only after slashing, having snapped out of the combat mindset, did Lann feel how twisted and unnatural the monster’s appearance was... exuding malice and frenzy from its outward form alone.
"It should be... a product of Byron Vis’s experiments. Look, all those eyes on its head indicate its research direction was to enhance [Vision]. Precisely the kind of sense you have—[Eldritch Sight]."
Henrik’s tone was unpleasant.
"Damn it, these test subjects have escaped too! Is there really anyone alive in the academy?"
They’d be better off if no one was alive.
Lann muttered to himself.
Twisting people into such forms... whether the church or academic Byron Vis of Yan’an, their methods are utterly insane.
The two continued, encountering several more of these ’walnut heads’ on the way.
These monsters put both in bad moods, but fortunately, dealing with them proved not problematic.
They were so light that their grotesque fly wings on their backs allowed for brief, airy lifts. Yet due to this, they were also more easily knocked away.
Typically, Henrik’s shot would unbalance them, swiftly followed by Lann’s blade delivering the coup de grâce.
At the end of the road was a towering iron gate.
The solid iron gate seemingly applied some mechanism and technology. No matter how Lann pushed with slight effort, it didn’t even budge.
A handle to activate the mechanism was positioned two meters behind the gate. The rıghtful source is NoveI★Fire.net
If Henrik had come alone, he likely would have conceded, prepared to seek another way in.
But after coming this far with Lann...
The Old Hunter, arms folded across his chest, leaned against the gate. His eyes, a slit between the triangle hat and the mask, silently watched Lann.
Though he said nothing, his meaning was clear—
The young man jumps high and has good legs, doesn’t he? Time to show off.
Lann shrugged, taking two steps back.
Wearing armor, he jumped straight up, his feet nearly reaching 1.7 meters in height.
This gate was five to six meters tall, but there were many places on the iron gate one could leverage.
The splendid view that remained baffling to the Old Hunter showed Lann, clad in heavy armor, ’wickedly’ arriving at the top of the grand gate, flipping over, and lightly landing beside the handle.