Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1466 - 503: Discovery (Part 2)

"Despicable... goblin... release me..."

It was evident that the prisoner held a deep-seated hatred for goblins. Plunged into a state of mental fog and blinded by his condition, he had mistaken Rein for a member of that race.

Because of the distance between them, the prisoner's strike was completely unable to reach Rein.

"You can't even see, yet you are still focused on vengeance..." Rein remarked, shaking his head in pity.

However, his expression shifted in the next instant as he noticed the thumb-thick alloy bars of the cell were actually beginning to liquefy!

"Hmm?" Rein narrowed his eyes, peering intently into the darkness of the cage.

He observed that the intricate patterns etched into the floor—originally a type of Witch Array designed to suppress power—had been compromised. It was no wonder the prisoner was capable of melting the metal grid.

This meant the prison’s ability to neutralize the inhabitant's strength had failed entirely.

Furthermore, unlike the clumsy and robotic movements of the goblin corpses he had encountered, this individual moved with a fluid, coordinated grace. It appeared that the black mist interacted with this creature's power differently than it did with the goblins.

"Did the black mist actually preserve his strength instead?"

While Rein analyzed the situation, his hand was already raised. Six humming, serrated metal rings materialized in the air before him.

This was the Third Level Metal Series Witchcraft known as 'Sawtooth Ring.' Although his opponent's power didn't reach the Epic level, Rein’s own version of the spell—which bordered on the potency of Dawn Witchcraft—was more than sufficient to handle the threat.

While he didn't seek to strike first, he would not hesitate to eliminate the target if they initiated an attack.

This encounter also provided a perfect chance to study the transformative effects of the black mist.

To Rein, the black mist was the most concerning variable in this environment.

As the metal bars finished melting away, the figure extended a crimson arm tipped with lethal claws. Suddenly, the floor surrounding Rein erupted into swirling vortexes of violent fire, each roughly a meter in width.

The crests of these fire whirlpools glowed with a white heat, signaling dangerously high temperatures as they rapidly expanded.

By the time the flames flared up, Rein had already flickered away in a tactical retreat, pointing a single finger at his foe.

"Go!"

At Rein’s command, the six spinning metal rings tore through the air from various trajectories. Each left a shimmering trail of light as they slammed into the Naga-like monstrosity.

"Ssss! Ssss!"

Bolstered by Rein’s Steel Heart Meditation Method and his Super Metal Affinity, the Third Level Witchcraft 'Sawtooth Ring' hit with the force of junior Dawn Witchcraft. The six blades sliced through the creature’s pale red scales as effortlessly as if they were cutting through curd.

In a heartbeat, the monster was butchered into several fragments!

"No!"

In its final moments, the creature let out a furious scream. A massive shockwave of flame then erupted from its severed remains, blasting outward in every direction!

"The power level was roughly at the peak of the Legendary rank, though the influence of the black mist remains an unknown factor," Rein contemplated while looking down at the remains.

But just as the pieces of the corpse hit the floor with a heavy thud...

Suddenly.

A cloud of black mist exploded from the remains. It twisted violently in the air, shifting into various nightmare shapes—one moment resembling a giant mantis, the next a massive, clawed centipede.

Without warning, the mist lunged toward Rein with incredible speed.

"Swoosh!"

Anticipating a sudden counterattack, Rein flicked his finger, sending the six buzzing rings whistling back through the dark vapor.

The black mist churned under the assault, but because it lacked a physical body, the sawtooth rings simply passed through it as if it were common smoke.

The mist was delayed for only a fraction of a second before it resumed its lightning-fast charge toward Rein!

Fortunately, Rein had devised a thorough strategy to deal with this supernatural mist long before the fight began.

His neck suddenly expanded as dark silver scales emerged. His visage transformed into that of a terrifying, massive dragon. As the twisted mist came within two meters, he unleashed a torrent of Dragon’s Breath.

"Roar!!!"

The fire erupted from his jaws as a narrow stream before widening into a massive cone, instantly swallowing the writhing black mist.

"Sizzle!"

The sound of water hitting a red-hot iron plate filled the corridor!

Rein thought he could hear a faint, high-pitched shriek buried in the noise—a dying wail that would have made a lesser man's skin crawl!

A subtle, foul odor filled the air. Rein’s draconic eyes remained alert, scanning the prison for any remaining threats. Only after he was certain the danger had passed did he shift back into his human form.

By partially transforming and utilizing his Dragon's Breath, he had successfully vaporized the strange, shifting mist.

Even so, he did not feel particularly relieved.

"It matches my earlier hypothesis; this essence doesn't seem to possess a permanent physical form."

Rein had suspected this ever since encountering the black morphing beetle. Now, his theory was confirmed.

"Actually, it seems capable of transitioning between a solid state and a gaseous one. Furthermore, it appears that the more mist there is, the more bizarre its transformations become."

"One thing is certain: as the volume of black mist grows, so does its level of aggression."

Rein frowned, mentally cataloging his observations.

The beetle from before wasn't nearly this difficult to manage. However, once the mist reached a certain density, it became immune to physical strikes, which was a significant problem.

Still, these were just initial observations; he needed more data to establish a definitive pattern.

"Boom! Clang! Clang!"

Suddenly, the racket coming from the far end of the hallway grew louder!

Rein spun around, his eyes piercing the shadows of the deep corridor.

It seemed the noise of his recent struggle had awakened other entities within the prison blocks.

He could hear the heavy thud of stiff footsteps, the sound of things crashing, and the ringing of metal hitting bars.

It sounded like at least four or five creatures were approaching.

Rein’s expression darkened as he carefully watched the cell doors on either side of the passage.

"Boom!"

To his right, a metal grille was suddenly warped and torn outward by immense physical strength. A black, cloven hoof—nearly as wide as a man's torso—stepped out into the light.

The creature was a minotaur over three and a half meters tall. Its eyes were the size of copper bells and completely white. One of its horns was snapped off, and a thick mane ran from its head down its spine. Its muscles were like knotted cords, and its cracked skin looked like weathered stone.

The upper torso of the minotaur was draped in black mist, which gathered most densely around its face.

This was clearly another prisoner consumed by the strange mist.

"An ancient minotaur? I thought they were extinct."

"I never expected to find one here." Rein immediately identified the creature by its legendary features.

But the reinforcements didn't stop there.

In front of him, a withered, bony hand gripped the metal bars of a cell on the left. In an instant, the metal began to bend and reshape itself.

"Metal Morphing Spell?!" Rein's eyes narrowed.

Unlike the previous creature that used fire, the energy signatures coming from this corpse were intimately familiar to him; they were the fluctuations of Metal Series energy particles.

A human corpse dressed in tattered wizard robes stumbled out of the cell.

"An ancient human wizard? That outfit... it can't be..." Rein’s eyes sharpened with realization.

He had seen those specific robes before in the Valziger Ruins. They were the official garments of the ancient Valziger Wizard Sect.

Thanks to the protective witch patterns sewn into the fabric, the robes remained largely intact despite the passage of millennia, allowing him to recognize the unique designs.

This meant the corpse's former self was likely a prominent member, perhaps even an Elder, of the ancient Valziger school!

"It seems my earlier intuition was spot on."

Rein felt a surge of excitement!

"Squeak!"

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening echoed from behind him.

Near the entrance of the corridor, a concealed door had swung open.

Rein had noticed the door upon his arrival but had ignored it to focus on the prison cells, assuming it was just a guard room.

A small female goblin corpse stepped out, clad in tight, dark leather armor and wreathed in black mist. Rein spotted a whip hanging from her hip...

"An interrogator?"

"Two in front and one behind. I suppose this qualifies as an ambush."