The contest between apothecaries often came down to both sides' accumulated knowledge and the breadth of their expertise.
Like this time — if Leilin hadn't recognized the type of potion the green-skinned barbarian across from him had crafted, it could have actually posed a real obstacle.
But once he had seen through the other side's setup, deciding the victor became a simple and effortless affair.
When it came to things like accumulated knowledge, how could the green-skinned barbarian across from him possibly be a match for someone who had the Chip?
"You..." The green-skinned barbarian's fingers trembled wildly, clearly shaken.
"What's wrong? Were you planning to use the Star Mark talisman on your ring to activate the Frost Chill Potion soaked into your belt, or go straight for the Corrosive Poison Arrow Potion on your back?"
Leilin looked the green-skinned barbarian up and down, the mockery on his face growing more pronounced.
"Oh! Wait, no — it looks like you're using those as a distraction to activate the Wind Spirit's
Various expressions flickered across the green-skinned barbarian's face — no small feat, given the creased terrain of its features — and they all ultimately resolved into pure terror.
"Aaaah! You're a demon! A demon!"
The green-skinned barbarian apothecary let out a scream and, abandoning its own kind and companions, was the first to flee the battlefield.
Its status here was clearly very high. The moment it fled, the other green-skinned barbarians froze in shock, then some of them screamed and quickly followed, abandoning the battlefield as well.
"Well done!"
On the other side, however, Kasha was not faring nearly as well.
When choosing her opponent, she hadn't had the Chip to rely on — she could only go by her own judgment. In the end, she had selected a bear barbarian shaman that possibly possessed Crystallized-level strength.
This bear barbarian shaman possessed not only unbelievable strength but also a terrifying constitution. Even Kasha's Petrifying Gaze could only cause it to stiffen for less than a second, with absolutely no other effect.
Even more First-level and Second-level spells hurled at its head only kicked up tufts of dark fur, inflicting no meaningful damage.
As for Third-level spells? Not only were the spell models exceedingly rare, but casting them in a place like the Forgotten Lands required an enormous price.
Not everyone was like Leilin — a Potion Grandmaster capable of forcibly replicating Third-level spell effects through alchemy.
"Woooo!"
At that moment, the skull banner strapped to the bear barbarian's back began to erupt with sound again. A series of horn-like blasts rang out from the banner in rapid succession.
"ROOOAR!"
Several nearby bear barbarians heard the horn blasts and immediately went berserk, their eyes turning blood-red as their offensive power surged, catching Luo Ya and the other warlocks off guard and inflicting heavy losses.
"It's a Blood Frenzy! The ordinary bear barbarians are doing it too! But what about that one?"
Leilin immediately shifted his gaze to the bear barbarian shaman.
With the horn blasts, the bear barbarian shaman suddenly threw its head back and roared at the sky, pounding its chest muscles with thunderous force.
Thick, bulging blood vessels coiled across its arms, chest, and back like the gnarled roots of ancient trees.
Crack! The bear barbarian shaman's skull split open, revealing a massive brain-like organ that had begun to glow and radiate heat.
"ROOOAR!!!" Amid its frenzied howling, the bear barbarian shaman's body began to swell rapidly. Already standing two stories tall, it shot up another dozen meters, transforming into a colossal humanoid bear monster.
And from this enormous creature, a terrifying wave of energy erupting at the Crystallized
"Cr-crystallized!" Bitterness filled the corners of Kasha's mouth.
But the bear barbarian monster wasn't about to wait for her to recover. Its enormous paw blotted out the sky as it slammed down toward Kasha!
Under that horrifying force, the very air seemed to solidify into something tangible, rushing at Kasha ahead of the blow.
BOOM!
Kasha's figure was sent flying backward, crashing through and demolishing a multitude of buildings.
"Blazing Fireball!"
Several massive fireballs exploded against the bear barbarian monster's head, but the grooved brain-like tissue showed not the slightest damage. The attacks did succeed in provoking its fury, drawing its attention to one side.
"Kasha, how is it? Are you dead yet?"
"Is that any way to ask?" Bricks and rubble exploded outward, and Kasha's figure emerged from the debris.
But her condition was far from good. Her clothes were shredded, revealing the fine snake scales beneath. She had fully entered her serpentine form — not only were Comoin Scales covering her entire body, but her eyes had turned into vertical slits.
Even in this most defensive form of a Comoin warlock, a massive wound had opened on her arm, the limb visibly twisted, with even the bone clearly damaged.
"I used a force-redirecting technique I learned before to divert most of the impact to my left arm!" Kasha held up her visibly twisted and deformed left hand, explaining with a bitter smile and hurried words. "I didn't expect this bear barbarian's attack power to be so ferocious! It's incredibly dangerous today!"
It seemed that being overpowered by a monster that relied solely on brute strength and constitution was a significant blow to her pride.
A wry smile appeared on Leilin's face as he quickly pulled Kasha aside, dodging a massive black foot.
BOOM! The building from before was completely obliterated, leaving a huge foot-shaped crater in the ground.
"What we need to figure out now is how to shake this thing off. The Alliance's reinforcements are almost here, and some of the wizards we lured away are about to come back. The traps we set won't hold them for long — we have to think of something!"
Leilin said this rapidly to Kasha, his voice carrying far enough to reach Robin's ears as well.
"ROOOAR!!!"
The colossal bear barbarian monster was now rampaging indiscriminately — attacking the Alliance's green-skinned barbarians and fallen wizards, the Ouroboros Circle's warlocks, and even the bear barbarian tribe's own warriors alike.
"AAAH!"
A Horall Black Snake warlock was seized in the bear barbarian monster's massive palm, letting out a scream of terror.
"Die, you monster!" His face twisted in frenzy as he screamed, terrifying light coalescing in his hands and forming into a massive axe that he brought crashing down in a devastating horizontal slash.
CRACK!
The axe, carrying the terrifying power of a Third-level spell, struck the bear barbarian monster's chest — and sent a shower of sparks flying.
THUD! THUD! The bear barbarian monster stumbled back two steps, shook its head, and continued roaring.
With a flick of its hand, it tossed the Third-level Horall Black Snake warlock into its mouth and began to chew.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Blood, flesh, and entrails streamed from the corners of the bear barbarian monster's mouth.
Its terrifying bite force, combined with its astonishing constitution and razor-sharp fangs, turned the colossal bear barbarian monster's maw into a horrifying grinder, reducing the warlock to fragments.
"No! NO! Orf!"
Luo Ya shrieked — it seemed another warlock from their family had fallen. On the other side, Robin's face had gone dark as a storm cloud, especially when he saw several streaks of light rapidly approaching. A look of steely resolve entered his eyes.
"Get into the mystic realm — I'll cover the retreat!"
He thrust out his hand. "Illusory Terror!"
Invisible threads spread out like a massive net, trapping the opposing human gray-robed wizard to one side, while faint, eerie laughter echoed from the void.
Then he positioned himself before the colossal bear barbarian monster, buying time for Luo Ya and the others.
"Unsealing formula — complete!"
At that moment, a warlock who had been stationed by the underground river shouted as well.
From his fingertip, a bright crimson talisman shot forth at high speed, plunging into the vortex of the underground river.
SZZZT! A massive blue net immediately materialized from the river's surface.
"Open!" Blue light flickered in Leilin's eyes as the Fallen Longsword in his hand traced a peculiar arc, slashing across the entire net!
Black light flashed, and the blue net shattered instantly, revealing the black vortex entrance to the mystic realm behind it.
"Quick! Quick! Quick! Hurry!"
The warlocks immediately leaped into the vortex, vanishing in a burst of silver spatial light.
"Senior Robin! Let's go!"
Leilin swung the Fallen Longsword toward the camp, unleashing the terrifying Comoin toxin once more, then leaped into the vortex without a moment's hesitation.
"ROOOAR!" A glimmer of rational thought flickered in the colossal bear barbarian monster's eyes as it charged madly toward Robin.
"What a waste! This was something I just got my hands on!"
Robin glanced at the enormous monster and hurled a black sphere from his hand.
SNAP!
Countless vines materialized in midair, adorned with green leaves and tender shoots, weaving together into a great green net that ensnared the bear barbarian monster within.
"Orb of Binding! This is an ancient, one-time-use magical artifact passed down from ages past. Even a Crystallized Wizard can be held back by it for at least a minute!"
Robin sighed and leaped into the vortex as well.
A flash of silver-white light, and his figure vanished in an instant.
At that moment, several streaks of light from the distance rushed into the camp. The light faded to reveal several figures within, all wearing grim expressions.
"Duoguo, stop! You fool!" A bear barbarian with golden fur immediately stepped forward, bellowing in a strange, guttural roar.
This roar carried a specific frequency that caused the bear barbarian monster to cease its movements.
"It seems someone has broken into the mystic realm! I can smell that revolting scent of warlock bloodline..."
The green-skinned barbarian chief in the center sniffed the air and spoke with certainty.
"The Ouroboros Circle, is it? Even they must abide by our rules in the Forgotten Lands!" Accompanying these two wizards was a human wizard, a strange brand marking his face — some kind of sigil or identifier.