Chapter 370 – The Sleeping Giant Dragon

For an unscrupulous spellcaster, devising a “brilliant scheme” might not be easy, but concocting a “ruthless plot” is never difficult—and Punk was undoubtedly a highly unscrupulous spellcaster.

Standing on the solid ground scorched by flames, gazing at the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano, which towered twice the height of Mount Everest on Earth, Punk fell into deep contemplation.

As a majestic volcano, the cloud-piercing “Sleeping Dragon” truly deserved the title of “Dragon.” Legend had it that the crater above the clouds was even larger than the mouth of a true Legendary Dragon, and the entire Hoth Mountains were “created” during an eruption of this volcano seven thousand years ago!

Although this piece of information carried a somewhat “legendary” nature, based on the results of numerous Divination Spells, Punk could confirm that the volcano was entirely dormant. The magma rich in fire elements in the Earth’s crust had even completed its accumulation. All it needed was the final elemental outburst to ignite the chain reaction of fire elements, and this “Sleeping Dragon” would once again unleash its terrifying, all-consuming wrath.

Of course, according to natural processes, the accumulation of the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano would still require a considerable amount of time. The most conservative estimate placed this process at least two to three thousand years. During these millennia of safety, most inhabitants living near the volcano had no need to worry about an eruption—an event far beyond their lifespans. They could happily enjoy the abundant minerals brought by the volcano without any concerns.

However… all of this was contingent on the absence of an unscrupulous spellcaster intending to accelerate the volcano’s accumulation process just a little.

Generally, such a situation would not occur. After all, the City of Enchanting Maple Flowers, nestled right beside the volcano, was guarded by a “righteous, benevolent, and honorable” Holy Warrior, who watched over this dormant volcano that was both a source of wealth and a danger. Even in the most extreme scenarios, triggering a volcanic eruption would inevitably lead to widespread devastation and loss of life, rivaling the inhumanity of spreading plagues. Mages attempting such acts would often be detected by Divination Spells before they could put their plans into action, and… without exception, they would face the “righteous” judgment of benevolent deities!

But… such deterrence from the powerful held no sway over Punk, who possessed the “Haitzita Magic Box”!

Indeed, Punk intended to trigger the eruption of the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano.

According to predictions, when this terrifying volcano erupted, the long-suppressed scorching fire elements would unleash destruction and sustained lethality upon ordinary creatures comparable to a low-level Legendary Spell! At that time, the raging flames would inevitably plunge the entire Hoth Mountains into an endless apocalypse, bringing despair and ruin to both the Dragon Roar Kingdom and the Maple Leaf Kingdom.Under such circumstances, Punk was certain that Ovakain would desperately rush to stop his plans no matter how severely injured he was. After all, the Dragon Roar Kingdom was this black dragon’s greatest weakness. Punk now knew that to protect this nation, Ovakain would spare no cost. Even knowing the volcano was laden with traps set by Punk, he believed the Dragon Emperor of the Dragon Roar Kingdom would still drag his wounded body to confront Punk at all costs!

As for whether this insane plan would face obstacles or subsequent repercussions, Punk expressed no fear whatsoever.

It had to be admitted that the power of the Haitzita Magic Box was nothing short of cheating at the Master-Level and even lower Legendary tiers. In fact, Punk genuinely suspected that its creator, the Luminary Moon Archmage Haitzita “Kindhand,” had half-stepped into the Radiant Sun Tier. He had actually managed to permanently solidify the originally one-time Luminary Moon-tier Legendary Spell “Prophecy Silence” onto the Haitzita’s Magic Box. This allowed the holder to completely ignore all divination methods below the Luminary Moon-Level. Even Radiant Sun-tier experts would be unable to detect any traces of the Haitzita Magic Box without expending considerable effort on exhaustive divination.

With this bug-like Legendary Equipment, Punk feared no interference from gods or meddlesome Legendary beings. After casting a bunch of divination spells, they would likely only obtain some worthless data about fire element surges. Punk’s existence would be thoroughly concealed under the protection of “Prophecy Silence.”

Moreover, most gods could only rely on their Churches for intelligence gathering, while the majority of Legendary experts were busy minimizing their presence under the scrutiny of the River of Fate. With Haitzita’s Magic Box, Punk faced no danger of being targeted by Legendary Experts.

Pensively gazing at the majestic and imposing “Sleeping Dragon” volcano in the distance, Punk meticulously reviewed his plans in his mind. Overall, the benefits far outweighed the risks.

Regardless, after that intense battle, Punk found he had successfully advanced to level 17. He now had full confidence—as long as he could leverage the terrain and conditions within the volcano to set up various trump cards, he had at least an 80% chance of permanently burying Ovakain Acidmaw within the volcano, truly making the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano live up to its name!

However…

At this thought, Punk slowly turned to face the solemn-looking Benlajie.

“Well, when it comes to critical moments, those who hold you back are always the incompetent allies by your side.” It seems… there are still some troublesome obstacles to deal with.”

Meeting Benlajie’s determined gaze without hesitation, murderous impulses once again stirred within Punk’s heart.

“Benlajie Nokani! Your little princess has become a noble queen. Why don’t you hurry and assist her in handling state affairs? The future of the Maple Leaf Kingdom needs early planning, doesn’t it?”

Seeing the unprecedented resolve in Benlajie’s eyes, Punk’s tone turned flat and icy.

Staring into Punk’s profoundly cold and depthless pupils, this time Benlajie did not choose to retreat.”Cyan… old friend, my intuition tells me you’re contemplating something utterly insane, and your thoughts are bound to be extremely intolerable to me…”

As a warm breeze gently swept through, Ben Lajie’s expression shifted from initial timidity to growing determination.

“Cyan, perhaps a madman like you can’t comprehend this, but I must admit—a first adventure can truly bring earth-shaking changes to a professional. Though as a mage who’s been hiding in the Mage Tower doing business since childhood, my ‘first adventure’ came rather late… I might have undergone significant changes nonetheless. I’ve finally realized I simply cannot remain indifferent to children’s suffering. Do you understand this feeling, Cyan?”

Through the faint, hazy sunlight, one could see that Ben Lajie’s face no longer carried that cynical, carefree attitude. Instead, it was replaced by a resolute expression—a kind of firmness belonging to the strong that was entirely different from before.

However, to Punk, this change in Ben Lajie’s mindset only meant trouble. By now, he found it increasingly hard to tolerate this constant liability.

“So this is your decision… or should I say, have you truly attained sufficient resolve, Mr. Nokani?”

Staring coldly at Ben Lajie’s determined face, Punk’s voice grew progressively deeper. In his palm, a faint white glow flickered intermittently.

It was a Master-Level divination spell for detecting alignment. Its current white flickering conveyed only one meaning—Benlajie Nokani’s alignment had changed. The formerly “Lawful Neutral” spellcaster had now become… “Lawful Good”!

(End of Chapter)