An endless desert.
Wild winds howled, sending massive plumes of dust swirling into the sky, blotting out the sun and forming a thick haze.
Across the desert, a party of twelve warlocks rode atop enormous lizards, pressing steadily onward.
"No wonder they call it the Forgotten Land — look at this concentration of elemental particles!"
Leilin glanced at the statistical chart provided by his Chip and shook his head. In comparison, even the South Coast and the Dark Extreme Region were far superior. This place was a desert not only in geography but in elemental particles as well. No wonder only desperate wizards and alien races chose to eke out an existence here.
Leilin estimated that without the ancestral map, even old Gubule would have had no choice but to wander aimlessly through a place like this.
"Actually, ordinary fugitives and wanted criminals only need to flee to Sin City. To the wizards of the Central Continent, being sent to Sin City is already tantamount to exile. Only those truly vicious and irredeemable — the ones driven out of even Sin City and relentlessly pursued — would choose to enter this place. So we must be careful!"
Though Robin had said this more than once, he still issued the reminder, which only showed how seriously he regarded the dangers here.
*Splat!*
Two corrosion globes of thick yellow flew through the air, bursting apart in mid-flight and sending countless droplets raining down.
The moment the droplets touched the yellow sand, they released dense plumes of smoke, and visible corrosion pits sank deeper and deeper into the ground.
"Squeak! Squeak!"
Several earth-yellow shadows shrieked and scrambled away in a flash.
Leilin saw them clearly. Though they had a single head and human-like limbs, they stood no taller than seven- or eight-year-old children, with pointed rat heads, two large white fangs protruding from their muzzles, fuzzy bodies, and long, thin black tails trailing behind them.
"Rat-folk! A type of Beastkin! Remnants left behind by the ancient wizards' laboratories!"
Leilin quickly dredged up what he knew about rat-folk.
The ancient era had been the wizarding world's most glorious age. The ancient wizards had not only conquered numerous planes and worlds but had even captured creatures from other realms to use as slaves or experimental subjects. Many of the current wizarding world's races had originated exactly that way.
"Roya, what do you think you're doing?"
Robin sharply reprimanded Roya, who had just launched the attack.
"Uncle, I was only—" Roya hung his head in shame.
"In this place, you cannot launch attacks indiscriminately! It drains your own strength and leaves openings for other enemies. Besides, rat-folk are an exceptionally cohesive race. The scent of blood from their wounded will draw even more of them. We need to get out of here immediately!"
Robin's face darkened with anger, but remembering that this junior was only just setting out on his first real expedition, he softened his tone slightly.
"I'm sorry!" Roya could barely speak. Though he was no longer young and had long since reached the strength of a Third-rank Warlock, his actual combat experience was probably less than that of some Second-rank Wizards.
The Komoin Giant Snake Warlocks were precious resources within the Ouroboros Circle, carefully sheltered and protected. So even though Roya had studied the relevant knowledge, he still felt helpless when faced with the reality of it.
At Robin's command, the lizards beneath them surged forward.
But it was already too late. Events proved Robin's warning correct — before half a day had passed, they were completely surrounded by a massive horde of rat-folk.
"Damn it! How can there be so many?!"
Roya's face flushed red as he stared at the mob before him — well over two thousand rat-folk packed together, forming a tide that crashed around them on all sides. The overwhelming stench nearly made him retch.
"One of the rat-folk's defining traits is their extraordinary reproductive rate, and they have almost no requirements for living conditions. Other races might find it nearly impossible to survive in the Forgotten Land, but for rat-folk it's no obstacle at all. They can subsist on rotting underground vegetation and maggots, and when truly desperate, they'll even gnaw on sand and gravel!"
Leilin explained calmly to Roya.
"If these trash were out in the real world—" Roya gritted his teeth. Though they had Spiritual Power Potions to replenish their reserves, they still needed to be frugal.
"There's nothing we can do! Ordinary rat-folk already possess tremendous resistance to radiation — nearly comparable to Third-rank Apprentices. Adult elite rat-folk have the strength of full-fledged Wizards. And their leader is exceptionally cunning — I suspect it isn't even here at all!"
Robin closed his eyes, and a white eyeball materialized on his forehead, clearly using a detection spell to search for the rat-folk leader's traces.
Under these circumstances, the best way to minimize attrition would be to directly eliminate the enemy leader — but the rat-folk had clearly anticipated the same thing.
"This is bad! Dal! You lot, prepare to engage!"
Robin opened his eyes and called out to the warlocks behind him. The five Horar Black Snake Warlocks who had been accompanying him stepped forward without hesitation, rings of energy pulsing around their bodies, sending a ripple of agitation through the rat-folk horde.
Robin and the others were the main fighting force — they couldn't afford to waste their strength here. That left the vassals and subordinates to hold the line for now.
"You lot, prepare to assist!" Kasha ordered the three warlocks from her family.
Leilin looked around. He was the only one without any companions or servants. "Forget it — their Spiritual Power and mana are too precious to be squandered here. I'll handle it myself."