Chapter 540 – The Sleeping Giant

Hidden within the dense forest, the Tar Lake was exceptionally tranquil. The entire “lake water” was composed of vast quantities of tar, with viscous oils accumulating in the area. The dark lake surface was dotted with pale red “oil lotuses.”

Beneath this seemingly serene lake lurked a terrifying behemoth—a fact Punk was certain of. He could sense a powerful soul slumbering beneath the oily surface. Based on several Divination Spell probes, Punk estimated this Tar Beast King’s size to reach over eighty meters, with a magical creature level around sixteen.

As a fearsome beast devoid of intellect, the Tar Beast King rested without a hint of vigilance. Having lived too long without enemies, the dreadful tar behemoth had long lost the good habit of remaining alert at all times. After all, for shortsighted beasts, sleep was for earnest rest—maintaining some awareness to constantly “scan” the surroundings was entirely unnecessary.

Precisely because of this, even as Punk stood at the edge of the Tar Lake, the Tar Beast King continued to sleep peacefully, and quite soundly at that. As a semi-elemental being requiring no respiration, not even the slightest ripple disturbed the tar lake’s surface.

“Truly a beast with no intellect to speak of. Should such carefree slumber be called free-spirited or suicidal?”

Having stood on a moss-covered rock by the lake for a long while, Punk finally confirmed the Tar Beast King was indeed fast asleep, completely unguarded. This utter relaxation couldn’t be a trap or disguise, because even the most deranged magical creature wouldn’t remain unresponsive when a Master-Level powerhouse approached while awake.

The Tar Beast King’s deep sleep was good news for Punk. He was no battle maniac—if an enemy could be dealt with swiftly, safety took priority. The beast’s current slumber was the most advantageous scenario for Punk, especially since this tar swamp was the Tar Beast King’s home turf. Though confident in facing any Master-Level opponent with his numerous trump cards, letting the enemy escape would be troublesome. Delivering a one-hit kill while the foe slept… was the most convenient approach.

Thinking this, Punk’s lips curled into a cold smirk as he gazed at the viscous Tar Lake.

Next, he would prepare a spell potent enough to deliver a “grand gift” to this “stationary target” hiding beneath the tar!

“Master-Level Evocation Spell—Spatial Compression Burst!”

“Metamagic—Mana Compression!”

It had to be admitted—when it came to pure single-target destructive power, Evocation spells were the most efficient. Perhaps the violent elemental energy lacked the versatility of Conjuration spells, and their high mana costs were staggering, but their destructive force never failed to make most professionals shudder!

Thus, to inflict maximum damage on the Tar Beast King beneath the lake in one strike, Punk unhesitatingly chose an Evocation spell he wasn’t very familiar with for the attack.After all, this stupid tarry beast had no sense of vigilance whatsoever. Judging by its appearance, it could easily sleep peacefully at the bottom of the lake for decades more. Punk had ample time to slowly prepare this unfamiliar “Spatial Compression Burst.”

Making a gesture to signal Kane and Smile to move further away, Punk seriously began preparing the spell.

In terms of destructive power alone, “Spatial Compression Burst” ranked among the top even among the Master-Level evocation spells known for their “violence.” The terrifying spatial explosion could not only release massive shockwaves capable of crushing everything, but the spatial fragments mixed within the shockwaves also possessed horrifying penetrating power. Moreover, if the surrounding space wasn’t robust enough, this fearsome small-area, high-destruction spell could trigger a chain collapse of the spatial structure. Violently shattering space was absolutely more dangerous than various radiation-type spells as secondary damage.

However, despite its terrifying power, strictly speaking, this spell wasn’t suitable for actual combat. To maximize the spell’s power, almost any Master-Level mage needed a full one or two seconds to compress a large amount of spatial elements for “charging up.”

In real combat, how could there be such foolish enemies who would allow their opponents to “charge up for a big move”? Even if used for ambushes, such a spell with enormous elemental fluctuations was too difficult to conceal. Coupled with its “touching” slow flight speed… at least Punk and the Grand Arcanist Vedrasha of his time once believed that this thing couldn’t even hit a Formal-Level enemy. It was only efficient for destroying towns, breaking through barriers, and excavating magical metal mines.

But today, Punk felt he had truly broadened his horizons. Although he had heard that many non-intelligent magical creatures were adorably stupid, in his own experience, this was the first time Punk had encountered such a completely unguarded magical creature. Not hitting such a target with a spell would be an insult to the inventor of the “Spatial Compression Burst” spell, which was originally intended for practical combat.

“I suppose the spellcaster who invented this move never expected that such a niche Master-Level spell could accurately hit a Master-Level ‘powerhouse’.”

With a faint smile, the spell release began, and a blindingly white small sphere suddenly appeared in Punk’s hand.

Vast amounts of mana were rapidly converted into the most violent spatial elements. Large swathes of pure white light points scrambled to drill into the small sphere. In less than a second, the “Spatial Compression Burst,” which had been only the size of a ping pong ball, expanded to the size of a basketball. Then… with Punk’s focused magical control, the nearly liquefied spatial element sphere was forcibly compressed back to the size of a “ping pong ball” within another second.

At this point, a small sphere with a somewhat dim color and a texture resembling jade slowly floated in Punk’s hand.

“This is truly a terrifyingly mana-consuming spell. Especially with the enhancement of metamagic techniques, preparing just one such spell consumed a full half of my mana. Just recovering this half of the mana expenditure would take a good three to four seconds. No wonder this thing can’t be used in actual combat.”Gazing at the terrifying orb of condensed violent energy in his hand, Punk shook his head with slight resignation. However… soon enough, with the spell prepared, Punk turned his attention to the vast expanse of the Tar Lake.

“Though it’s an impractical spell, it’s… almost too effective against foolish brutes.”

With an expressionless face, Punk guided the pure white orb into the Tar Lake. Then, fully activating the “Super Swiftness” enhancement on himself, he began rapidly distancing himself from the lake.

According to Grand Arcanist Vedrasha’s memories from his Master-Level days, one must maintain sufficient distance from the epicenter after releasing this spell. After all, the violent outburst of energy from evocation spells… has never distinguished between friend and foe!

(End of Chapter)