Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2756: Chapter 2757: Simos

Void Creatures?

Everyone was momentarily stunned upon hearing this name, and instinctively raised their heads to look at those constantly clamoring void creatures outside the arena.

Generally speaking, Void Creatures do not specifically refer to a certain group of magical creatures, but is a generic term. Any magical creature in the void can be called a Void Creature. Therefore, the magical creatures surrounding the arena could be reluctantly considered Void Creatures.

The Vixen also noticed everyone’s gaze and sneered coldly, ”I’m not talking about these domesticated creatures.”

”Not this type of creature, could it be a special name?” Grey Trader wondered.

The so-called special name is actually a unique designation.

The void is vast, as Jon puts it, the void is essentially the concept of the universe. From the macro view of the universe, the types of magical creatures are endless; however, from the perspective of a wizard, void creatures are much fewer, with only a handful commonly seen. Most magical creatures, a wizard might never encounter in their lifetime.

Such rarely discovered void creatures, even if their numbers are large, as long as their range of activity does not overlap with the territory of the Wizards’ Realm, wizards rarely see them and thus they are given special treatment and named with unique designations.

After all, when wizards conduct research, they definitely see things from their own perspective.

Just like Void Traveler, which is a special designation.

However, Void Travelers are still very rare, basically no wizard has ever researched them, so they are recorded only by their unique designation.

If a certain void creature with a special designation has been deeply researched by wizards or communicated with in some way, understanding its means of attack, traits, lifestyle, then it may further have its own clan name, code name, or even an individual name.

For example, Chaos Shulomon, Chupacabra, ’Multiple-headed’ Egodogo... these sound like human names but are actually names of void creatures.

These names are not necessarily given by wizards; they might also be said by the void creatures themselves, or learned by wizards through indirect understanding.

These named creatures also count as special names.

Upon hearing Grey Trader’s inquiry, the Vixen nodded, ”Yes, it’s a special name.”

Grey Trader recalled the Vixen’s look of shock upon seeing the robe before and the unexplainable desire in her eyes, hesitantly asked: ”Is it the Chupacabra?”

The Chupacabra is a small-sized void creature, with a goat’s head, a human’s body, and a scorpion’s tail, resembling the Abyss Sheep Demons, though the Chupacabra’s physical qualities are far below that of Sheep Demons, with a body only half the size, mostly around one and a half to two meters tall.

The Chupacabra has a distinctive characteristic: almost all Chupacabras are blind.

But saying they are born blind is actually inaccurate.

The Chupacabra’s skull has eye sockets, and at birth, there are spherical crystals similar to eyes, which according to wizard research, have light-sensing abilities but cannot see objects. As the Chupacabra grows, these spherical crystals gradually shrink until there is nothing in the eye sockets, pitch black.

Many wizards speculate that Chupacabras might be a distant branch of Sheep Demons far from the Abyss World, unable to compete with the mainstream branch of Sheep Demons in the Abyss, unwilling to be swallowed and extinct, they fled the Abyss and survived with difficulty in the void. And the degenerate eyes are proof of that.

Since if the Chupacabra’s eyes could grow out intact, then they would only differ from Sheep Demons in size, their appearance would be almost indistinguishable.

Even though Chupacabras are not as physically strong as Sheep Demons, nor do they have eyes, they do have something remarkable.

For instance, powerful spiritual power and spatial instantaneous movement ability.

Many wizards joke that Chupacabras trade their physical frailty for powerful spiritual power, trade their eyes for spatial instantaneous movement ability. Though merely a joke, many wizards actually believe this might be the truth. And the proof... is still the eyes.

According to the theory of evolution and devolution, the Chupacabra’s eyes should have been eliminated long ago, why do they still have eyes in their youth, yet they disappear when grown? Wizards have researched with this theory, finding that the Chupacabra’s eye sockets are like a box, and the eyes are like sacrifices, very much resembling a ritual using eyes as an offering.

If this truly is a ritual, then it constitutes an internalized ritual, meaning: the ritual has been internalized.

Obviously different from the externally observable rituals, unless a naturally intelligent young Chupacabra is willing to communicate proactively, it is quite difficult to determine if this is truly a ritual.

Nevertheless, whether the guess is true or not, the powerful spiritual power and highly efficient spatial ability do indeed greatly enhance the Chupacabra’s ability to survive in the void.

Think about Void Traveler, surprisingly a weak organism yet swims comfortably in the void.

Grey Trader mentioned the Chupacabra because the Vixen had expressed long ago that she wished to use Chupacabra organs to modify her body, allowing her to better adapt to the void environment for future needs.

Yet, any void creature with a special designation is a rare creature; the Chupacabra is no exception.

Though wizards have mostly understood its traits, that doesn’t mean it’s discovered frequently. It’s just that the encounter rate is slightly higher than other specially designated void creatures, but in general, it is still rarely seen.

Moreover, the Chupacabra’s spiritual power is strong, often using its spatial ability to flee before a wizard discovers them, making them nearly uncatchable.

The void is also the Chupacabra’s domain; it is exceedingly difficult for wizards to catch them.

For over ten years, the Vixen has scoured major auctions and even visited the underground trade association of Lujima Loren Bill, but every time came back empty-handed.

Grey Trader is too aware of the Vixen’s obsession with the Chupacabra, so recalling the Vixen’s prior agitation led him to guess it was about the Chupacabra.

Grey Trader considers his answer almost certain, however, the Vixen shakes her head with a dark look in her eyes: ”It’s not the Chupacabra, it’s... Simos.”

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena.

Dox, eyes alight, caressed Kaier’s robe with a face full of ecstasy: ”Is this, is this really Simos’ skin?”

Angel: ”You’ve already asked this question five times, how many more times do you plan to ask?”

Dox completely ignores Angel’s tone and mutters to himself: ”This is the first time I’ve seen Simos’ skin, right? It’s really beautiful, when I’m stroking it, I feel my very soul trembling!”

”It’s the first time I’ve touched such a skin that fits my touch perfectly. So perfect, so moving... It’s as if my name is written on this skin.”

Dox stands spellbound gazing at Simos’ skin as if staring at his lover.

”Did you hear it? It’s calling out my name, it’s saying, I wait for you, I am yours, I will belong to you!”

Not just Angel, even Kaier is disgusted by Dox’s shamelessness and desperately backs away. But Dox clings to his hand, not letting go, even pressing his face against it.

Yes, he just pressed his face against Kaier’s forearm, while feeling the coolness of Simos’ skin on his face, he continuously breathes in, as if to smell his lover’s fragrance.

”Smells so nice, is this Simos’ scent... is this the fragrance I’ve smelled in my midnight dreams?”

Vay couldn’t stand it anymore; although he’d been hurt psychologically and didn’t want to speak, seeing Dox act like an obsessive fan, he couldn’t help but retort: ”Have you been so deluded you can’t tell good or bad scents anymore? What you’re smelling isn’t Simos, it’s Kaier’s sweat stink.”

Dox insists, ”No! It’s a fragrance! It’s a faint cool scent, one that haunts my dreams!”

Vay: ”There’s no cool scent, you’re hallucinating!”

”No, absolutely not!”

As Vay prepared to continue mocking, Black Earl’s voice sounded in the Mind Ribbon: ”There is indeed a different scent, and it smells quite familiar...”

Vay didn’t believe when Dox spoke, but when his own master said so, could there really be a scent?

Vay hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Kaier’s side and buried his head in the robe as well.

Now Kaier is like a big tree, with a koala hanging on each arm, one Vay and one Dox.

Vay inhaled deeply for a long time before he caught a faint cold scent beneath the pungent metallic smell on Kaier.

Although this cold scent was very faint, its presence was undeniably strong.

Vay’s talent-boosted sense of smell was more acute than many witches who loved fragrance.

This faint cold scent was the most contrasting scent Vay had ever encountered. Though the smell was light, it left a deep impression once detected; it was akin to the cool and serene fragrance of an alpine flower, yet it carried an intoxicating and irresistible allure.

It was more captivating than many enchantments infused with Shulomon’s enticing fragrance.

In the words of some fragrance-loving witches, it was more advanced. Subtly and without leaving traces, it made people flock to it, gradually driving them mad.

This was the first time Vay had smelled such a scent.

However, his master said this scent seemed familiar, could it be that the master had smelled it before?

”Simos... does it have such a fragrance?” Vay asked the Black Earl as he recalled the information he knew about Simos.

Simos is a void creature that, from birth, possesses strength close to that of a wizard, and in its growth phase, its strength can generally reach above True Knowledge. They are well-versed in the ways of space and can move short distances without obstacles in the void... although short distances, in the vast environment of the void, they are quite far.

Their bodies are considered small among void creatures, but they are still four to five times larger than humans. They resemble hawks and falcons, with what appear to be wide, large wings on each side, but in reality, these are not wings; their function is more like a gecko’s tail.

When encountering danger, Simos can sever these ”wings,” consuming the spatial power stored within to achieve pinpoint teleportation. Simultaneously, the severed wings cause spatial collapse at the original location, unleashing some space storms.

In simple terms, it’s like wizards using a Plane Corridor in times of crisis; it’s an escape technique. However, Simos need not worry about backlash, and it can be released instantaneously, threatening the enemy and preventing them from tracking its location.

However, this ability has its drawbacks. For instance, it requires leaving a void path mark in advance to sever its wings in search of survival. Moreover, since it’s a pinpoint teleportation, if the location after teleportation is also surrounded, it becomes awkward. Lastly, although the wings can regenerate like a gecko’s tail, it takes decades for them to regrow. During this period, Simos, if encountering a strong enemy, can only live cautiously.

But despite many drawbacks, they do not overshadow its merits.

Simos’s ability to sever its wings for survival makes it nearly impossible for wizards to lock onto it.

All wizards know that every part of Simos is precious. Whether it’s skin, bones, or flesh, it’s all useful, especially the skin and bones, which can replace many lost spatial materials. Even if not refined into alchemy tools, it can serve as the main casting material for Plane Corridors, and due to its innate spatial nature, it does not deplete after a single use, allowing for repeated use.

But knowing this, what use is it if you can’t catch it?

Furthermore, the strength of Simos basically exceeds the True Knowledge Level. True Knowledge Level creatures and True Knowledge Level wizards are two different concepts. And void creatures at the True Knowledge Level and magical creatures at the True Knowledge Level are yet different concepts.

In the same rank, void creatures do not fear wizards at all. Therefore, wizards capable of hunting Simos in the Southern Domain are very few in number. This also makes Simos’s materials even more rare and precious.

At least the Southern Domain hasn’t seen materials from Simos in a very long time, and each time they appear at an auction, they stir up a frenzy. Although the majority of the frenzy is deliberately stirred up as a prelude to the auction, in the Wizards’ Realm, where information dissemination efficiency is low and information authentication is quite effective, the momentum built by public opinion signifies its value.

Therefore, when Dox learned it was Simos’s skin, he almost drooled with covetous desire and shamelessly uttered a bunch of words. Knowing Dox well, Vay understood his intention, probably wanting to try his luck... After all, Angel could generously lend out Simos’s skin, maybe a few cheeky words could allow him to benefit?

Recalling so much information related to Simos, Vay found that no information mentioned Simos having a scent.

Such details might seem trivial to ordinary people, but in the Wizards’ Realm, due to the existence of Fragrance Alchemists, scents generally are not overlooked.

Since none of the information mentioned Simos having a scent, it’s very likely that Simos’s scent isn’t special?

After analyzing and reaching this conclusion himself, Vay felt somewhat unsure and looked to the Black Earl.

The Black Earl pondered and said, ”Magical creatures in the void generally do not have a scent. They suppress the dissemination and transmission of pheromones.”

The reason is quite clear—exposing one’s pheromones in the void is akin to a hunter exposing their position in a dark forest; predators can track you down by scent and hunt you.

Therefore, most void creatures do not emit pheromones, which means they don’t have a scent. However, this is not absolute; there are still some void creatures that do emit a scent.

However, the scent emitted by this kind of void creature is something most void creatures would keep away from.

This is because those who dare to reveal their scent are either powerful enough to fear no challenge, or too weak and need to lure or ambush, using scent; the former can’t be beaten, so others evade them; the latter aren’t worth the effort, those using such petty tricks are negligible, not worth wasting time on.

And Simos, he’s not powerful to the point of fearing no challenge, but neither is he so weak that he needs petty tricks, so he fits squarely in the middle—void creatures that actively conceal their scent.

”Master means, this is not Simos’ scent? Then what scent is it?” Vay hesitated for a moment and said cautiously: ”Is it a scent from a human?”

If it’s a scent from a human, then isn’t it related to Lord Chaowei as it’s not from Kaier?

Of course, this scent certainly isn’t Lord Chaowei’s, given the time they’ve spent together. If Lord Chaowei had this scent, it would’ve been noticed long ago.

But if it’s not from Lord Chaowei, could it be from Lord Chaowei’s... lover?

This cold fragrance tinged with allure, if it’s body scent or fragrance, is nearly impossible to come from a man. Then it could only be a woman closely related to Lord Chaowei?

The Black Earl understood Vay’s thoughts: ”This is the scent of the Abyss. For specifics, you can ask Angel yourself.”

Angel actually wanted to speak long ago, but since Vay and the Black Earl were conversing, he felt it was inappropriate to interrupt. Now that the Black Earl mentioned him, he immediately spoke up: ”This is the scent of Pannas Charm Demon.”

To be precise, it’s the scent of the saliva of the Pannas Charm Demon.

Back then, the Pannas Charm Demon ’Jun’, after experiencing the sea symphony in Lassudral, gave Angel a Simos’ corpse as a reward.

—spat out from its mouth.

The Pannas Charm Demon, being a powerful charm demon of the Abyss, naturally had some transcendent qualities in its saliva, but over time, these transcendent traits gradually faded, yet the lingering exotic aroma in the saliva remained.

This is also the source of the fragrance mentioned by the Black Earl.

Angel only explained the origin of the scent on Simos’ skin but did not elaborate on how it got there. They tacitly did not question further, as probing into privacy would be awkward.

Vay turned to Dox: ”Now you know, the scent you smell when dreaming is not that of Simos’ skin, but the scent of the Pannas Charm Demon.”

Dox glanced at Vay and scoffed: ”Whatever the scent, at least it’s not of mushroom barriers.”

Vay’s pupils narrowed, clutching his chest, he staggered back a few steps... the impact visibly stunned him, and his expression turned blank.

In the eyes of others, Vay seemed colorful at first, but now suddenly he appeared black and white. Even the style of painting turned from realistic to abstract.

Dox paid no attention to the disarmed Vay and instead turned to Angel, his eyes filled with flattery and eagerness, his intentions obvious.

Angel naturally grasped Dox’s intent and chuckled lightly: ”If you can offer something I’m interested in and of equal value, I’m not opposed to a trade with you.”

Simos’ skin is indeed precious. Even without refining it, it can augment spatial abilities to some extent, and being a rare material, Angel treasures it immensely.

Since obtaining Simos’ skin, until now, he has only refined an armor for Earl Mi to shield against the Seed of Distortion. His own armor is still in the sketch phase, normally, Angel wouldn’t easily trade it.

However, exceptions exist.

Developments can outpace plans.

Since Heideland followed Angel, he has had a stable Void intelligence station. When contacting Wang Wang, he often heard about happenings in the Void, including Simos’ whereabouts and even the spatial beacons set by Simos.

Due to this ”Void intelligence station,” Angel actually has a chance to acquire Simos’ materials again, so his words aren’t unfounded.

If Dox truly can bring forth something that piques his interest, Angel doesn’t mind enduring the pain of giving it up.