Chapter 374 – The Battle of Benlajet

Unlike someone like Ben Lajie who only sharpens his spear before battle, Punk had long understood that Ben Lajie was coming for him the moment he sensed a massive wave of dangerous magical energy flying toward him. Under such circumstances, Punk naturally didn’t believe his utterly inadequate “verbal persuasion” could convince this stubborn old fat man. Thus, he had prepared for combat from the very beginning.

Although Punk appeared calm and composed as if everything was under control, Ben Lajie’s speed from making up his mind to arriving had somewhat taken Punk by surprise. Having just completed the preparations for triggering the volcano’s eruption, Punk’s actions were still somewhat rushed when facing Ben Lajie in battle.

It should be noted that to prepare for the eruption of the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano, Punk had to start two or three days in advance, individually inspecting the lava conduits hidden within the massive fire element crystals. He then had to spend time calculating the volcano’s overall structural stress, the energy pressure levels of the magma, the decay rate of the fire elements, and even incorporate the overall crustal composition of the Hoth Mountains into his plan. For the entire “volcanic eruption” plan, the giant Fire Element Crystal Orb was merely a fuse. The most challenging part was using extensive Divination Spells to survey and determine where to ignite this “fuse.” The idea that one could simply drop it down the crater to trigger an eruption, as Ben Lajie suggested, was nothing short of a joke.

The sheer scale of this undertaking was far beyond what an ordinary spellcaster could accomplish. In short, triggering the eruption of the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano was nowhere near as easy as it might seem. It required a mage to possess vast knowledge in alchemy, enchantment, evocation, and the divination school. This alone was enough to stump all spellcasters like Ben Lajie, whose knowledge accumulation fell short.

Punk, with his Netheril heritage, was not daunted by Master-Level knowledge. Even so, completing the entire project took him a full three days. It was precisely because of this that Punk had been stalling for time with Ben Lajie earlier—secretly, he was putting the finishing touches on the energy rune arrangements.

Now, thanks to Ben Lajie’s talkative nature, Punk had completed his final adjustments.

In Punk’s view, Ben Lajie’s urgency was utterly meaningless. While it was true that Punk intended to trigger the “Sleeping Dragon” volcano, it would only happen after he successfully lured Ovakain. After establishing the eruption procedure, Punk’s first task was to disperse energy fluctuations to “declare war” on Ovakain. By then, it wouldn’t be too late for Ben Lajie to intervene—though, of course, Punk would have already dealt with this “unstable factor” before his “duel” with Ovakain.

The current outcome was no different from Punk’s plan. There was still plenty of time before the battle with Ovakain, and after resolving Ben Lajie, time was more than sufficient. At this point, Punk’s series of plans—though not particularly wise, were precise enough—had essentially been accomplished.To be honest, considering the difficulty of implementing the “Volcano Eruption” plan, Punk felt he could completely push this matter onto Ovakain. After all, in the eyes of most people, a black dragon with a spellcasting level as high as nineteen was far more likely to trigger a volcanic explosion than Punk. As for evidence… Would you rather trust an evil Chromatic Dragon than the testimony of a Senior Mentor from the Thought of Truth?

Of course, all plans would be carried out after dealing with Ben Lajie. As for now…

Punk, who had concealed his form and was preparing spells from a distance, decided to quickly resolve this “good partner” of his who loved meddling in others’ affairs!

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It had to be admitted that in terms of combat, Ben Lajie’s reactions were much slower than Punk’s. It wasn’t until the illusion in front of him slowly dissipated that the fat old man realized the battle had already begun.

However, perhaps the old fellow had genuinely studied the “Evocation Mage Combat Manual,” as he didn’t foolishly release his perception to search for the enemy as Punk had imagined. The moment he noticed Punk had disappeared, Ben Lajie merely paused for a moment before unhesitatingly hurling an “Exploding Fireball” at the massive Fire Element Crystal Orb.

“Evocation Mage Combat Manual” Article 36: If your enemy conceals their form, do not immediately rely on perception, which you are not adept at. Instead, promptly release large-area spells or attack the people or objects the enemy is protecting, as this is often more effective.

Based on this simple and rigid “combat rule,” Ben Lajie almost didn’t think twice before attacking the seemingly fragile Fire Element Crystal Orb. In his view, that massive elemental crystal orb must have cost Punk a great deal of effort. By attacking it with a powerful evocation spell, he would surely force Punk to intervene and protect it!

Well, yet another fool who had read too many books. As for Ben Lajie’s performance, Punk’s evaluation was just two words—idiot!

Indeed, the Fire Element Crystal Orb was very important to Punk. Crafting so many energy circuits wasn’t easy, and refining large quantities of high-purity fire element crystals had forced Punk to practice the alchemical spell “Element Purification” to the point of instant casting. However…

“Nokani, do you think you’re fighting a golem in a laboratory? If I knew you were coming to cause trouble, would I be foolish enough to leave important items nearby without setting up defenses?”

Watching the scorching fireball arc through the air and strike the Fire Element Crystal Orb, Punk couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

Without any surprise, the incandescent flames never made contact with the Fire Element Crystal Orb. About one centimeter away from the target, the Scorching Fireball, carrying its terrifying explosive power, was blocked by a thin, faint red light screen.

“Master-Level Evocation Spell—Fire Elemental Protection Wall”!

In battle, death arrives in an instant, opportunities must be created, and mistakes are intolerable!

And now, Ben Lajie had already made a critical mistake at the very start of the fight!It’s important to remember that Ben Lajie didn’t know any Metamagic techniques—Dual Casting was completely beyond his capabilities. Precisely because of this, after wasting his first spell in this battle, the opening left by this evocation-specialized mage became exceptionally large. Such an opportunity… Punk would never let it slip!

Almost the moment Ben Lajie’s “Exploding Fireball” left his hand, Punk’s spell was already striking from an extremely tricky angle behind Ben Lajie.

“Master-Level Summoning Magic—Chaos Mist”!

Metamagic – Mana Compression!

“Mr. Nokani, I believe your ‘Evocation Mage Combat Manual’ must have stated that when a mage without Metamagic encounters a peer who possesses it, fleeing should always be the top priority. But clearly, you fool never listen to advice, do you?”

Dispelling the now-defunct “Superior Invisibility” from his person, Punk softly mocked the panicked Ben Lajie as he turned around, while simultaneously releasing the fully-constructed spell from his hand.

(End of Chapter)