Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

A city might be flourishing, but the filth where the rats were swimming in the sewers would still be quite disgusting when the pipes were dug up.

It was the same for the old tree!

It looked just like an environment-friendly old tree in the swamp, yet when Mo Fan revealed its true appearance under the mud with the Chaos Magic, the soldiers either fainted or vomited after seeing it. It was so disgusting that the people felt like their throats were stuck with bones as they breathed!

The dead soldiers were not moving on their own, nor were they turned into Undead.

They were already dead, but their bodies were stuck on the branches, which was controlling them to drag their comrades into the mud, too!

At first, the claws were grabbing at the soldiers to prevent them from breaking free.

The claws then controlled their corpses like string puppets. The dead bodies were stronger and were able to move around more freely.

The Life-Hanging Flies’ job was to decompose the dead so that the Skeleton Demon Tree could absorb their nutrients.

The Skeleton Demon Tree had to control corpses manually, so their movements were as stiff as puppets. After they decomposed into skeletons, they would become part of the Skeleton Demon Tree after their bones were connected to it.

The Life-Hanging Flies were the Skeleton Demon Tree’s digestive system!

They were active in the swamp close to the Skeleton Demon Tree. They would quickly reserve a seat on the Skeleton Demon Tree’s prey as soon as targets entered its territory.

The people only knew they were close to death when they saw the Life-Hanging Flies. They had no idea how they actually died, nor what happened after they fell into the mud.

The locals treated the Life-Hanging Flies like a curse, yet little did they know, the Life-Hanging Flies were actually the culprit’s gastric juices. The soldiers were already inside the culprit’s stomach after setting foot into the swamp!

The soldiers who had died not long ago only had small amounts of flesh left.

The Skeleton Soldiers started moving again under the control of the leaves. They sounded like the annoying clanking of a few hundred metallic shelves knocking into one another.

The tree was turned upside down, revealing its true appearance in front of the soldiers. However, it did not seem embarrassed or panicked, as it was controlling its skeleton puppets to stare back at the soldiers instead!

Killing its enemies with traps would leave them confused, but since its disguise had already been torn apart, it did not mind hunting the soldiers directly!

The old tree was able to turn its trunk around. It started spinning like a machine.

Its branches were flung wildly, carrying the skeleton soldiers who were stuck on them.

White bones, bones that still had rotten flesh on them, claws that were moving around freely, and a few hundred skeletons soon formed a huge tornado!

The sight was rather terrifying, yet for some reason, the skeletons were like enjoying a ride on a carousel in Mo Fan’s eyes.

Mo Fan shook his head.

Perhaps the old ladies had been showing off their wishes when they were young on the Internet lately, so Mo Fan assumed the dead bodies also had a wish to enjoy a ride on a carousel before their deaths.

But not everyone could remain calm and collected like him in a situation like this. Many soldiers of the Federation were vomiting white froth. Their eyes were full of the creature’s ghastly appearance, and they could no longer think of the Magic Orbits. Their minds were filled with the sight of the bones and claws.

“I swear I won’t take another look at the monster again.”

“I swear I won’t turn into a part of that monster even if I die.”

“Use your magic and kill it, then! Otherwise, the things you are worried about are going to happen!”

The soldiers dissolved into chaos. Many even stepped into the swamp by accident amid the chaos.

They were scared, and began running for their lives.

They ended up falling into the swamp as they were fleeing for their lives. They would soon become a family if they did not climb out of the swamp in time!

Mo Fan’s Chaos Magic was not applied to the whole swamp. It was only active close to the tree, which was surrounded by a spacious swamp.

If every tree turned out to be a Skeleton Demon Tree, they would find themselves in the Skeleton Demon Trees’ den. Trying to run away was no different from presenting themselves at the dining table!

Mo Fan’s powerful magic was not going to stop his comrades from getting themselves killed. However, he would have to fight these Skeleton Demon Trees with his true strength.

Lt. Colonel Mason was still grumbling. He always repeated the same sentence, “I’m going to kill anyone who dares to move backward!”

Unfortunately, he would struggle to kill everyone that was running away, even if he had a machine gun. The soldiers had completely lost their minds after seeing the monster in the swamp.

“Why would a creature like this be hiding in a swamp so close to the city?” Zhao Manyan wondered.

“What are we doing now?” Mo Fan asked.

“We are fighting a war.”

“Exactly, it’s part of the enemy’s tricks!” Mo Fan harrumphed coldly.

“A…a trick?” Zhao Manyan said with a weird expression, “I would think it’s more of a trump card than just a trick!”

Lt. Colonel Mason subconsciously drew closer to Mo Fan and his friends. Forneus seemed to have blessed his three stupid men too. He should be safe if he stayed close to them!

“That thing is too scary. Half of the soldiers have run away before the fighting even starts,” Mason spoke up.

“There should be…” Mo Fan was about to say something when he suddenly noticed a dark blue light flickering above the swamp.

Mo Fan grinned. Just as I thought…!

“Come, let’s go over there!” Mo Fan told Zhao Manyan.

Mo Fan was stepping on the mud. He used the Earth Magic to form something like a surf board under his feet.

He slid forward along atop the mud in a cool manner, like he was not surrounded by deadly bones. He headed deeper into the swamp, where the water was fully covered with algae.

—

Mu Bai had restrained someone in a black outfit with his Ice Chains.

The man was wearing a brown bandanna; he was a member of the Brown Rebels!

He was holding a staff with a skull on it. The skull’s shape was very similar to the Skeleton Demon Tree. He was the one directing the Skeleton Demon Tree to kill the soldiers of the Federation Army.

Zhao Manyan stared at the man and blurted out in surprise, “A necromancer?”

“Hehehe, it’s a surprise to see someone with a brain from the Federation,” the necromancer grinned maniacally.

“We’ve seen through your tricks!” Mu Bai snapped.

“I’ve already killed forty-five hundred and seventy soldiers! It will soon reach five thousand after I’ve killed you all! A war is indeed like spring for a necromancer!” the necromancer crowed excitedly.