The moment Querete announced his name, Lan Lin silently called out in his mind: "Chip! Scan the target's data in front of me!"
"Ding! Task established, scanning... A protective field envelops the surface of the target. Data cannot be collected!"
As expected, the Chip gave the same response.
"So, as long as I break through the field on the target's surface, I can scan it?"
Lan Lin kicked off the ground with his foot, unleashing his full, tremendous force. He shot toward Querete like a cannonball.
Boom!
Lan Lin's right arm bulged, his strength of 7.1 clenched into a fist that smashed directly into Querete's chest.
The sound rang out like a giant hammer striking leather. A flash of fire blazed from Querete's body, and he was sent flying backward.
Lan Lin stood where Querete had been, glancing at the back of his hand.
A large patch of black scales had surfaced directly on his skin, and on top of the scales, several thin wisps of flame were fading away.
"Target force data obtained. Cross-referencing with database!"
"Identified: the opponent's innate talent is a High-Temperature Field, inflicting flame burn damage of 24 degrees on objects within a certain range!"
"Target force degradation: 4.6. Estimated 20 attacks to completely shatter the opponent's defensive field!"
The Chip projected the data onto Lan Lin's field of vision.
"Cough, cough..."
At that moment, Querete, who had fallen to the side, pushed himself upright. His face was still dusted with dirt, making him look rather disheveled.
"What speed! What power! It's a shame you only recently advanced—how many First-level Spells have you learned? Two? One? Or just the innate Field itself?"
Querete patted his chest and bellowed.
For newly advanced Wizards, the period right after their promotion was often their weakest. They hadn't memorized many First-level Spell Models, and they had few accumulated disposable scrolls or Magical Items.
After his roar, Querete immediately began chanting a spell.
The energy particles in the air became visible, radiating a bright golden-yellow glow.
"That kind of power... at least 20 degrees..."
Lan Lin's expression turned serious. His Comoin Scales currently had a spell resistance of only 27 degrees—quite good among newly advanced Wizards, but still unable to block every First-level Spell.
Only by continuously drawing on his own bloodline power would the Comoin Scales grow ever stronger.
And right now, if the opponent's attack exceeded 27 degrees, it would pierce straight through his defensive field.
"I can't let him cast!" Lan Lin's eyes narrowed.
Whoosh! A wave of dark luminescence rippled across his entire body. Layer after layer of fine scales surfaced across his skin, not even sparing his face.
In the blink of an eye, Lan Lin's body was covered in a coat of serpentine scales, making him look something like a half-snake humanoid.
The pitch-black scales, radiating an ancient aura, reflected a deep, cold gleam. It made Querete's heart tighten.
"This kind of defensive field? So powerful!"
"Die!" Lan Lin bellowed, his figure even faster than before, lunging straight at Querete.
Querete cried out, and suddenly a ring of green luminescence erupted from his body, transforming into a thicket of thorny spurs that blocked Lan Lin's advance.
Bang! Bang!
Lan Lin's expression didn't change. He threw his fist forward. After two blows, all the thorn-spurs were smashed to fragments.
With the Comoin Scales now covering him and paired with his enormous strength, Lan Lin had utterly transformed into something resembling an ancient leviathan, carrying an unstoppable, overwhelming aura.
Watching Lan Lin trample through the thorn-thicket as though flattening weeds, Querete's face turned grim.
"Damn worm! Whatever tricks you have, bring them on!"
Lan Lin roared, feeling as though every drop of his blood was about to ignite, and with it, his desire for battle grew ever stronger.
"Curse you!" Querete chanted his incantation while constantly shifting positions, instantly activating several low-grade Magical Items to slow Lan Lin's advance.
Though these low-grade Magical Items lacked high power, many were of the binding type. Breaking through them required some effort.
After Lan Lin shattered yet another layer of ice, Querete finally completed his First-level Spell's incantation. A massive blue fireball slammed directly into Lan Lin's body.
Boom!
A wave of flame spread outward, melting the surrounding earth and carving out a vast crater.
"Haha... No one survives after being hit by my Corrosive Fireball!"
Querete laughed triumphantly, the thrill of eliminating a genius before they could bloom surging within his chest.
But then Querete's expression changed dramatically, as though he had witnessed something impossible. He stumbled back several steps.
"H-How is that possible? He's still alive?!"
In the center of the blue inferno, a figure parted the flames and walked straight out.
Lan Lin's clothes had been completely burned away, revealing his body covered in scales. The Chip's notifications rang continuously in his ears.
"Host遭受 energy attack — Type: Flame, Corrosion. Estimated power: 20 degrees. Actual power: 26 degrees. Host's innate talent — Comoin Scales activated! Energy expenditure: 34. Host unharmed!"
"26 degrees of power... it nearly broke through my defense!"
Lan Lin felt a chill of lingering fear, which immediately gave way to a surge of murderous intent!
Boom!!! His figure flickered and appeared directly in front of Querete. His scale-covered fist, carrying immense force, smashed into Querete's chest.
Whoosh! A bright red flame erupted from Querete's chest, enveloping Lan Lin's fist.
Bang! Querete's face flushed red as he was sent flying.
Lan Lin strode forward, ignoring the flames on his body, and seized Querete by the throat.
"Run! Go on and run!"
Lan Lin's face was savage as he hammered blow after blow into Querete.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The deafening sounds rang out continuously, and the ground trembled as though an earthquake were underway.
Finally, after a full round of pummeling, Querete let out a pained cry and the flames on his body vanished entirely.
"Defensive field on the target's body has been shattered. Collecting data..."
The Chip's voice cut through, pulling Lan Lin slightly back from the edge of his frenzy.
"What's going on? I actually lost control like that?"
Thinking back on how he had charged in without dodging or evading, tanking the opponent's spell head-on, Lan Lin felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead.
Normally, he would never have acted this way. And that frenzied barrage at the end was entirely out of character for him.
"Querete? Liliter — Strength: 4.5, Agility: 3.7, Constitution: 5.6, Spirit: 31, Spiritual Elemental Attribute: Fire! Progress: 30..."
The data on Querete, who lay on the ground, was being collected by the Chip and projected before Lan Lin's eyes.
"Spiritual Elemental Transformation? No wonder his Corrosive Fireball hit so hard!" A flash of realization crossed Lan Lin's face.
After advancing to the First-rank
This was where Elemental Affinity became crucial. A Wizard who did not specialize in the element with the highest affinity would find it nearly impossible to push their elemental transformation progress above 80—meaning they could never advance to Second-rank Wizard!
Moreover, as the Spiritual Elemental Transformation progress increased, it would enhance all spells of the corresponding element.
Querete's Corrosive Fireball originally had a destructive power of 20 degrees, but with the boost from his Spiritual Elemental Transformation at 30%, it had reached 26 degrees—nearly breaking through Lan Lin's defenses.
Furthermore, this enhancement only applied to the element one had chosen for transformation. In Querete's case, all his fire spells received a 30% boost, while spells of other elements remained unchanged. For water or ice spells, the power would even decrease.
But why would a Wizard with innate fire-element energy particle affinity ever use water or ice spells?
Blue luminescence flickered continuously in Lan Lin's eyes. This was the first set of First-rank Wizard data he had obtained—it would be invaluable for understanding himself, refining his database, and comparing data against Warlock records.
"Just... kill me! The Liliter Family won't let you get away with this!"
With his innate Field shattered—even a Wizard's sea of consciousness would suffer damage. Querete, lying on the ground, was already on the verge of death.
"How did I suddenly become the villain?"
Looking down at Querete's face, which wore an expression of "loyal unto death," Lan Lin felt a sudden urge to laugh.
"You want to die? It's far too early for that."
Lan Lin forced a potion down Querete's throat. The latter's eyes rolled back and he passed out cold. Restriction runes and energy-isolating arrays were branded onto his body.
After a hasty sweep of the battlefield and collection of spoils, Lan Lin grabbed Querete and left the area.
With a Constitution of 8.5, Lan Lin could run for an entire day without much fatigue. His earlier choice to ride a horse had been purely for convenience.
After sprinting for hundreds of miles, Lan Lin finally had the composure to check his own physical condition.
The sudden loss of control during the battle had him worried.
"Chip! Pull up my earlier body monitoring data. Investigate the cause of the loss of control!" Sitting by a stream and letting the cold water flow over his skin, Lan Lin finally managed to suppress the fury in his heart.
"Ding! Task established! Pulling monitoring data!" The Chip's voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.
"14:23 — Host's data showed abnormal fluctuations. Blood flow rate increased by 45%. Comoin Giant Serpent bloodline activity surged dramatically!"
The Chip projected an analytical chart before Lan Lin's eyes. Through comparative analysis, it showed that during intense combat, the Comoin bloodline in Lan Lin's body released a peculiar hormone with effects similar to a high-efficiency stimulant, driving Lan Lin toward irrationality.
"So this is the source of Warlock emotional instability?"
Lan Lin murmured, then asked: "Chip, list solutions!"
"Ding! Solution One: Abandon the Comoin Giant Serpent bloodline. Solution Two: Take a Tranquility Potion. Solution Three..."
The Chip quickly laid out several viable courses of action before Lan Lin's eyes.