Chapter Thirty-Four: The Thunderbone Staff

"Master Mage, it's all thanks to your help—otherwise that beast would have escaped!" The speaker had lost an arm and bore injuries all over his body; he was one of the second-tier warriors who had charged at the forefront. Earlier, he had been at the center of the camp when Chu Yun's mana explosion detonated the first Thunder Orb—otherwise he would have met a dire fate. For this, he felt immense gratitude toward Chu Yun.

"This Thunderwater Ray was actually being controlled by a beastmaster from the Lalafell tribe. Her body is over there." Chu Yun had searched for their belongings, but most had been destroyed by magic, leaving only a second-tier magical necklace. The necklace was a bit too small for Chu Yun, and clearly made for women, so he decided not to wear it but rather to modify or sell it in Blackstone City.

Magical equipment was even more valuable than Fire Crystals and could fetch a handsome price.

"Lalafell tribe? Why would they attack us?" The crowd was puzzled.

An elderly merchant spoke hesitantly, "Have you heard about an incident two years ago? I was in Boulder Town at the time, and the people involved were from the Lalafell tribe, so it left a deep impression."

"Back then, a Lalafell merchant was trading in Blackstone City. While tending to his own chocobo, he also helped treat an injured horse next door. In the process of communicating with the horse, he learned of its owner's crimes."

Another adventurer interjected, "Are you talking about the Mad Lion Adventurers incident?"

"That's the one. The Mad Lion Adventurers brazenly ambushed the fire crystal caravan of Viscount Carl, thinking no one would ever know. But the Lalafell merchant uncovered their secret."

"That Lalafell merchant exposed their crime, which led to the adventurers being hunted down and suffering heavy casualties. However, their leader escaped and later became the infamous Black Lion Bandits..."

The Lalafell merchant’s actions earned the leader’s hatred, and he began to seek out information about him, lying in wait to ambush him. Eventually, the Black Lion Bandit leader caught him on the road.

The bandits did not let him off easily. They subjected him and his companions to inhuman torture, then hung their bodies in camps along the travelers’ routes.

This incident nearly caused the Kingdom of Aerno to sever ties with the Lalafell tribe. Fortunately, Blackstone City later dispatched forces to eliminate the bandits, suppressing the chaos.

"But I’ve heard the merchant’s family is still hunting the Black Lion leader, and one of them is a beastmaster—could it be them?"

Chu Yun produced an identification he had found on Eve’s body. Though Eve had been killed by an explosion, her belongings remained untouched by fire.

"Eve Striker... Yes, that’s her. I remember she even made it onto the Earthwalkers’ registry," another adventurer said.

With that, the truth was clear. Still, they felt somewhat wronged—after all, the Black Lion leader was nowhere to be found here.

"Perhaps it's connected to the recent monster rampages. They’ve never been known to slaughter innocents before."

Whatever the cause, the battle was finally over.

Everyone began searching for and rescuing the wounded; Chu Yun also offered free healing to several warriors who had fought in the vanguard. When his mental energy was down to about ten points, he excused himself to his tent to meditate—in truth, he was entering the Mirror World to collect his second round of spoils.

The Thunderwater Ray had only dropped a single light orb, and it didn't contain experience points; otherwise, Chu Yun would have leveled up immediately. After all, elite monsters gave five times the experience of normal ones.

Although he didn't get experience, Chu Yun received something even better. Experience could always be farmed, but rare items depended on luck.

[Thunderstrike]
Tier: 1st Tier, Evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 25 meters
Spell Components: Incantation, gesture
Duration: Instant
Effect: Release a bolt of lightning, dealing 2–8 base lightning damage to a targeted enemy, with a chance to inflict paralysis.
Description: For every additional unit of mental energy expended, increase damage by 3, up to a maximum determined by Intelligence.

Though Thunderstrike’s overall damage might fall short of the continuous burning effect of Burning Hands, its long range—able to strike enemies up to 25 meters away—and its paralyzing effect made it quite formidable.

Elemental affinities had their own advantages and could trigger unique reactions. Water combined with lightning was already a proven strategy.

The more elemental spells Chu Yun possessed, the greater his flexibility and combinations in battle.

Ordinary mages, even those specialized in spell slots, needed to spend considerable time and effort studying new spells, especially for higher tiers.

Chu Yun, on the other hand, could learn them instantly, saving a great deal of time—a fact that pleased him greatly.

He also collected the experience orbs dropped by the fallen adventurers, bringing him closer to leveling up.

Class: Wandering Mage Lv4 (517/800)
Experience: 235

After handling his affairs in the Mirror World, Chu Yun returned to his tent to meditate. With Paimon guarding the entrance, security was assured, and the aura of the second-tier elite Thunderwater Ray would likely keep other monsters away; there would probably be no more attacks tonight.

Paimon had truly distinguished himself this time, displaying remarkable loyalty. Chu Yun rewarded him with plenty of raspberries and food, and at that moment, Paimon was savoring his treats, inwardly relieved that he had made the right choice.

By the time Chu Yun’s mental energy had fully recovered, the camp’s rescue efforts were nearly complete. Quite a few adventurers were waiting outside his tent.

"Hmm? Is there something you need?" Chu Yun asked with a frown, puzzled.

One of the second-tier adventurers he had healed stepped forward respectfully. "Master Chu Yun, the Thunderwater Ray is your trophy. How would you like us to handle it?"

The Thunderwater Ray’s carcass was enormous—fully ten meters long. As a second-tier elite monster, every part of it was valuable and would fetch a high price.

Especially since Thunderwater Rays were cloud-dwelling creatures rarely seen on land, this one was particularly precious.

Though Chu Yun’s magic had damaged much of the Ray’s material, a significant portion remained intact and could be sold.

"You all played a considerable role in this fight as well. Here’s my decision: I’ll take the hide and the thunderbone; you may divide the rest among yourselves." The most valuable part of the Ray was its unique hide, which didn’t take up much space or weight once removed.

As for the magic core—even elite low-tier monsters such as this one didn’t possess one.

The thunderbone was the Ray’s most prized organ, used to channel lightning spells and ideal for crafting lightning wands. It could also be used directly as a wand after minimal processing.

Chu Yun knew this from absorbing the Ray’s light orb, so he was well aware of the Ray’s value—he was claiming nearly 80% of the spoils’ worth.

Yet the others expressed no dissent; on the contrary, they were deeply grateful. Even aside from the hide, the Ray’s flesh and bones were quite valuable and would help offset their losses from the battle.

Those Chu Yun had healed volunteered to carefully skin and clean the hide for him, then delicately extracted the thunderbone to present to him.

The thunderbone was a full meter long, pure white and with a fine texture. Besides boosting lightning magic, it also enhanced the casting of other spells.