Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2039: Chapter 2040: Fated to Die

”How would you know it won’t succeed without trying?”

”There’s no need to try.” Reeves said, looking past Angel to the glaring orange magma lake behind him.

However, Reeves wasn’t focused on the magma lake itself but rather on the strange patterns continuously leaping out from it.

With profound sorrow in his eyes, Reeves said, ”Even if it could genuinely be saved, it wouldn’t be of much significance. Besides, most of my body has assimilated with the parasite, an assimilation that’s irreversible, much like the Goddess of Spring, Metheor.”

In the Wizards’ Realm, there is a specific term for the half-tree transformation of feathered women: ”Goddess of Spring” Metheor.

By using Metheor as an example, Reeves was essentially saying he had become ”half-mushroomed” and was beyond saving.

Perhaps because the topic of salvation was brought up, Reeves set aside the issue of the ruins he had intended to discuss earlier, and instead started talking about his current situation.

After listening to Reeves’ summary of his current state, Angel’s expression was full of astonishment.

The story was almost unbelievable to Angel; whatever Reeves experienced in the ruins was set aside for the moment. The changes after Reeves was possessed by the Viridian Mist were beyond Angel’s imagination.

Reeves inhaled the Viridian Mist and was controlled by the maze. The initial manifestation was madness, losing all reason and being filled with an aggressive desire toward everything around him.

During that mad period, Reeves destroyed a lot of mushrooms, and Blair, the bee, then trapped him in a barren ridge.

The barren ridge they stood upon was exactly that place.

At first, this was not a magma lake but a dried-up land. After Reeves was trapped here, his madness made him unable to control himself, and he constantly used flame spells around him.

Being an Elemental Fire Mage inclined towards the magma faction, his relentless attacks transformed the high-standing barren ridge into a sunken magma lake.

About ten days after being possessed by the maze, a massive amount of mycelium began to surface on Reeves’ skin. As time slowly passed, Reeves’ body became covered with mycelium, rendering him immobile, and the only action he could perform was frantically releasing fire element abilities under the control of the maze.

As the pure flame power nurtured the land beneath him, a small island of flame ore formed.

Subsequently, Reeves was entirely enveloped by mycelium, his outer form gradually transforming into a mushroom. The human body was concealed within the mushroom.

Months later, both Reeves’ arms and legs had been assimilated into mushrooms. Concurrently, his original flame abilities were compressed, eventually escaping from his riddled Mind Space to form various flame patterns in the magma lake.

As for how these flame patterns turned into Elemental Life, Reeves didn’t know. But he was certain that some unique special ability of the mycelium within him, combined with his original flame, created the multitude of fire elemental creatures.

His internal flame capability continued to be increasingly diminished.

”The power of the mycelium is peculiar, capable of impacting even the Mind Space. My magic vortex is already worn and torn, destined to collapse. Currently, only the power of the mycelium is sustaining it from breaking apart. However, I can sense it won’t hold much longer. In ten days to half a month, my magic vortex will be entirely depleted, and I will die, my soul consumed...”

It’s fair to say that this high-temperature flaming area was entirely created by Reeves alone!

From this, it was already evident how horrifying the maze mist was. Not only did it seek to assimilate you, but it also completely manipulated, exploited, and consumed your every last vestige of worth before finally killing you.

Angel had previously speculated that the maze’s effect certainly far surpassed line infections, as Bee Blair said the maze could contend with an Official Wizard. However, truly understanding it now, Angel was still shocked.

The so-called ability to contend with an Official Wizard wasn’t about killing you but stripping flesh with a dull knife, an even more chilling ordeal.

Of course, from the perspective of the controlled, the maze was undoubtedly the most terrifying parasite Angel had ever seen. Not only does it torment you, it devours you bit by bit.

Nevertheless, from nearby Fire Mushrooms’ perspective, this was absolutely a blessing. The intense fire element energy, the multitude of fire elemental creatures created, and various fire ores... not only would mushrooms in the mushroom forest benefit, even fire apprentices and fire wizards would consider this place a Holy Land for cultivating.

This process of continuously and efficiently extracting, purifying, amplifying, and diffusing an Official Wizard’s full abilities without wasting a shred of energy, facilitating a new energy cycle, was simply the most perfect masterpiece imaginable!

If human wizards could control it, it would become a godsent weapon! Not only could it kill the enemy, but also fatten oneself! Is there anything more beautiful than this in the world?

Yet the more he thought, the more cautious Angel became.

Because if the maze mist genuinely spread, it was inevitable that someone would soon discover these secrets. Yet, even if they did, they could never benefit because the maze mist would always be surrounded by a large amount of Viridian Mist. Even if they knew they could use it for cultivation, it was beyond their control, and they would become the next to be controlled.

But if Angel managed to crack the Viridian Mist through the maze’s young plants, it could send things spiraling out of control.

Angel was loath to underestimate human beings’ worst intentions; once they realized they could create this kind of cultivation sanctuary abundantly, the consequence would not merely threaten Angel’s safety but perhaps implicate numerous innocent wizards, turning them into sacrifices offered to the maze by humans.

Hence, Angel’s mind alarmed operationally in this exact regard. This matter must be contained within bounds, or, ideally, not shared at all, to prevent immeasurable disaster.

”What are you thinking?” Reeves asked, noticing Angel’s vacant gaze.

Angel snapped back and shook his head, ”Nothing much.”

Angel thought again, considering these matters was still too premature since the maze had yet to be released. More pressingly, he needed to extract more intelligence from Reeves rather than fall into a cognitive rut.

Angel asked, ”Isn’t there any way to help you stabilize your Mind Space?”

Reeves shook his head, ”I don’t know, but I see no point. Even if my Mind Space could be stabilized in the end, I would still die because my body has been irreversibly assimilated.”

Reeves’ body no longer consisted of human organs but entirely of mycelium, and they continue to produce the Viridian Mist.

”The parasite... which is what you call the Viridian Mist... as long as it occupies my brain, I’ll lose control. Ultimately gaining control would invariably lead to death.”

Angel pointed at the three maze young plants thrivingly absorbing on Reeves’ neck, ”I can have them continue to absorb, keeping you conscious.”

”These three mushrooms look a bit like... never mind, I won’t inquire.” Reeves paused, ”Even if they absorb, it’s futile, because the Viridian Mist this mushroom produces consumes my energy. They can keep absorbing the Viridian Mist, but simultaneously I’m continuously losing energy. Eventually, energy will be exhausted, leading to death... Moreover, my magic vortex can’t replenish energy anymore, turning this into an inevitable deadlock.”

”I’m destined to die.”

When Reeves said this, Angel was reminded of the message he’d received earlier on the mushroom forum.

—That filthy creature was already in its terminal stage.

Once the maze and humans merged, reaching the terminal stage, death was inevitable.

At that point, no matter which direction was taken, there was no path.

Either succumb to madness, waiting ten days to half a month for death; or remain conscious, dying from energy depletion in a few hours.

No one could change the fate of Reeves’ death.