This Lich Requests More Remuneration

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: The Wisdom of the Lich Chapter 64: Chapter 64: The Wisdom of the Lich Masstar felt light-headed, his legs weak; he couldn’t even muster the power of Holy Light. In his dizziness, he tried to clench his right fist, on which a ring was placed, ready to unleash a pre-arranged Divine Art that could dispel most poisons.

But as he reached out, a bottle of liquor smashed against his arm.

The bottle shattered, causing no harm to him, but interrupted his attempt to clench his fist.

The Orcish Bartender, holding half a bottle, looked regretfully at the metal can before him. This guy never took off his armor, making a sneak attack difficult.

Masstar knew he was being ambushed and didn’t have time to ponder why as a burst of Holy Light shone upon him, instantly clearing his mind.

It wasn’t the only Divine Art he had for dispelling abnormal statuses, and he wore more than one piece of Magic Equipment.

But just as he regained his senses, a towering Orc swung a hammer at his head.

A golden shield flared up on Masstar’s armor, deflecting much of the hammer’s force, while he quickly grabbed his long sword. As he drew it, he slammed the hilt hard against the Orc, knocking him back several meters, toppling a group of Adventurers who were eager to join the fray.

Masstar, sword in hand, was now enveloped in dazzling Holy Light.

The Adventurers in the bar, though surrounding him, were repelled by the aura bursting from Masstar.

Pointing his sword at the Orcish Bartender, he spoke slowly, “Though I do not know why, do you truly think you can assassinate me with just two poisoned drinks? Are you not underestimating the Conviction Knight Order too much?”

The Orcish Bartender shrugged and said, “I told them that the dose wasn’t enough, but the boss said if we added more, you would notice.”

“Oh, are those your last words?”

Masstar raised his long sword and unleashed a Holy Slash at the Orcish Bartender.

The intense Holy Light brightened the entire bar as though it were broad daylight, and even before the sword fell, the scorching light charred the wooden counter to black.

But the sword never landed its blow.

Two silver long swords emerged at impossible angles from under the counter, piercing through the tabletop and heading straight for Masstar’s groin.

If it were an ordinary sneak attack, Masstar could have ignored it, for his Enchanted Armor could withstand most melee attacks.

But as the blades nearly pierced his armor, Masstar felt an intense sense of crisis, causing his Holy Slash to swerve abruptly, chopping the two swords in half.

The Orcish Bartender narrowly escaped fate, bumping into a revolving secret door and fleeing on the spot.

Before Masstar could pursue, the assailant hidden under the counter had already jumped out.

“What in the world is that?!”

Masstar saw a mass of silvery white, like mercury, lunging at him.

Masstar hurriedly summoned another Holy Slash, intending to slay this bizarre creature.

However, just then, he felt his feet slip; unbeknownst to him, the floor had become covered with a slippery liquid.

“A Grease Spell?! When did this happen!”

The Grease Spell could be considered a jack-of-all-trades spell, applicable to nearly any battlefield, creating a slick layer of oil on the ground that could make one slip.

Although Masstar wasn’t about to slip and fall, the sudden spell distorted his movement, and the Holy Slash only managed to cut away a small part of the creature’s body.

Even as the mercury emitted piercing screams, the majority still slathered onto him.

The Enchanted Armor he wore began to flicker with magical light almost immediately, emitting puffs of smoke, as it visibly corroded at an alarming rate.

Masstar braced himself with his sword, his cloak behind him lighting up with purple magical glow.

A thunderous roar followed, a powerful wave of energy bursting from Masstar’s body, blowing the mercury mass away, shattering the adjacent bar.

Masstar panted heavily, sweat beading on his forehead from the successive sneak attacks.

What was that mercury thing, to cause his armor to deteriorate in a blink, breaking several enchantments, leaving him in utter disarray?

Something was not right today; could it be that the people of Alchemy City had reneged on their word?

Masstar was preparing to use Traceless Step to teleport away, but suddenly found that the space around him was twisting in a strange way.

“Spatial lock?!”

This was a very sophisticated spell, with a powerful spellcaster hiding on the sidelines.

Masstar dared not delay any longer, as those who could cast such a spell, Spatial Lock, were tricky opponents, and even one-on-one, he was not fully confident of victory.

Now there were more than a dozen adventurers of unknown strength around him, and he dared not fight against such a high-ranking mage under these circumstances.

All Masstar wanted to do was escape and get back to his teammates as quickly as possible; he even began to worry that such assassinations were happening elsewhere, which would mean his companions were in danger.

Clearing the path with Holy Slash, Masstar sprinted across the Grease-covered ground, but with each step taken with utter care, he burst out of the bar in less than two seconds.

However, what Masstar saw was not the bustling South Cross Star Boulevard but a thick fog of darkness.

Another simple, yet practical spell—Dark Art.

Creating a dense darkness that couldn’t be dispersed, it obscured everyone’s vision. Even the Holy Light sparkling from Masstar’s body could not penetrate this darkness.

In this pitch-dark environment, Masstar heard a deep voice: “Tsk tsk, toxin protection, Thunderous Wave, Agile Steps… how many spells are enchanted on your equipment? Truly indulgent.”

Masstar, following the direction of the voice, threw out a ball of Holy Fire, which was also a trademark spell of Paladins, modest in power but low in consumption and extremely quick to cast.

The Holy Fire plunged into the darkness, seemingly hitting something, but the other party’s voice didn’t change at all.

“Impressive, truly worthy of the Laine Empire’s elite; your instincts are almost as fast as those of the Mages from the School of Prophecy.”

Masstar didn’t dare to be careless, and continuously applied protective spells on himself, turning himself into a giant orb of light.

“Buying time? A smart man, guessing that we dare not stir up trouble using assassination tactics, lest we involve the people of Alchemy City. Quite impressive, Paladin of the Laine Empire.”

Although the tone was one of praise, Masstar only felt the sarcasm.

The young Paladin thought rapidly to figure out a strategy and eventually chose a risky gamble. Light shone from his feet, and with a powerful leap, he jumped twenty meters, directly out of the range of the darkness.

Enhanced Jump, a special ritual spell, was enchanted on his greaves.

Up until now, the only real strain on Masstar’s strength was casting Holy Slash twice, and he still retained most of his stamina, but he had repeatedly faced lethal threats, emphasizing the importance of enchanted equipment.

After jumping out of the dark enclosure, Masstar finally saw his real opponent—a Lich floating in mid-air.

Masstar’s pupils shrank, knowing he was in big trouble, but suddenly he burst into confident laughter, saying, “You must be the Lich, right? You’re much weaker than I imagined. Are you really Legendary?”

If it had indeed been a spellcaster of Legendary Rank, Masstar would not have been able to cope so easily, and might well have been seriously injured by now.

Amberser shrugged and said, “I’m just a scholar who is devoted to academic research, unlike you warriors who are always fighting and killing.”

Masstar sneered, “A scholar who likes assassinations? Your kind of Undead really are shameless, oh, I forgot, you don’t have a face to begin with.”

Amberser was unaffected by the provocation, and continued on his own, “I have always refrained from carelessness and from arranging assassinations because I couldn’t grasp your measures. Those wallflowers from Alchemy City are not taking sides, not even providing me with information, and I’ve really been afraid of falling into a trap you’ve prepared if I struck first. It’s only recently that I found out how negligent you’ve been; didn’t you ever consider that I would take the initiative to strike?”

Upon hearing this, Masstar immediately felt suspicious.

With the Lich speaking this way, was it possible that someone had let the information slip?

His companions would definitely not betray him, so the problem might lie with the three hundred people they had recently won over.

“But what of it? Not only have you failed in your assassination, but you have also exposed your weakness. Had I known you were this weak, I could have purified you by myself,” said Masstar confidently.

Amberser nodded and said, “Indeed, none of you are Legendary, but each of you is equipped with a set of ultra-luxurious gear, so I might indeed not be your match.”

“What do you mean, you want to surrender?” Masstar sneered.

Amberser shook his head, then said, “No, I have found a more suitable opponent for you. Gareth, it’s up to you.”

With Amberser’s words finished, a gigantic figure that took one’s breath away appeared on the boulevard.

The sound of rattling chains filled the air as a sword, larger than Masstar himself, slashed down from above.