met free 020: Identification
020: Identification
"Next month is the time when the Nightmare Beasts will awaken. Before then, I will arrange for people to send you away from the Gray Mist Forest, and I will summon you back after the Nightmare Beasts finish feeding."
"During this period, you should put aside your work and go back to prepare. The relocation will take place on the 28th of this month. Once the specific relocation time is confirmed, I will arrange for Dyson to contact you. Please remember not to leave the area of the Gray Tower."
......
I am finally coming!
Although he had foreseen it all along, Lin Qi still couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when the moment actually arrived.
On the one hand, they fear the coming of the end of the world.
On the one hand, I feel fortunate to be the lucky one who holds the ticket to board Noah's Ark.
"Luckily, I have precognitive abilities..."
At this moment, Lynch was extremely grateful that he had transmigrated to a familiar world. Otherwise, he would have been like the other apprentices in the Gray Mist Forest, completely unaware until darkness fell, and ultimately dying in despair, becoming food.
"But that's far from enough..."
Lin Qi knew that in this terrifying world, danger was lurking at all times, and the future of the entire plane was destined for destruction.
In this dark world, nothing is reliable. Only the strength in one's hands is the foundation for survival. Only by possessing sufficient strength can one truly control one's own destiny and survive future destruction!
Silently encouraging himself, Lin Qi didn't delay and immediately took out the Appraisal Technique given to him by Wizard Hossman.
"System, learn!"
As the command was issued, the familiar rush of information washed over me once more. Unlike the spell models or knowledge systems of the past, what flooded my mind this time was more of a ritual framework, communication rules, and a cold, hard agreement of cost-payment.
How to draw a standard identification circle, how to use specific materials to stabilize and direct the ritual, how to construct spiritual prayers to inquire of the supreme being known as the "All-Knowing Eye" or "Shadow of Truth," and the most crucial rules of sacrifice.
The essence of authentication is to exchange "truth" for the "answer" to the target information by using matter or energy that conforms to the rules as the "price".
A moment later, a system notification sounded: [Apprentice-level Appraisal Skill mastered.]
Lin Qi opened his eyes, a calm understanding of the rules now in his gaze. He immediately began to prepare.
First, he cleared a clean floor. He took out fine mithril powder from his material bag and carefully outlined a circular magic circle about one foot in diameter on the floor according to the diagram in his mind.
The magic circle is composed of several concentric circles and complex geometric symbols nested inside and outside, with an abstract pattern resembling a simplified eye at its core.
Next, he used a quill pen dipped in "monster blood" to trace along the mithril lines. The dark red blood quickly seeped in, giving the silver lines a faint glow.
After finishing, he gently placed the dark gray metal fragment in the "pupil" position at the very center of the magic circle.
Next is to pay the "activation fee".
Based on the knowledge, to initiate an apprentice-level assessment ceremony, the basic "access fee" is ten standard magic stones.
Lynch counted out ten magic stones from the magic stone bag that Hossman had just given him and placed them evenly in the grooves of several specific energy nodes on the outer edge of the magic circle.
"Using mithril as the guide, spirit blood as the catalyst, and magic stones as the fuel... Begin!"
Lin Qi recited a short activation prayer in a low voice, while simultaneously injecting a wisp of spiritual energy into the core of the magic array.
"Buzz..."
The ten magic stones placed on the node lit up simultaneously, their light quickly absorbed by the magic circle. The entire pattern composed of mithril and blood suddenly came alive, rising into a hazy grayish-white halo.
The halo gathered and twisted about a foot above the magic circle, and finally, with a "rip," space seemed to be torn open by an invisible force, creating a vertical crack!
Seven-colored, non-material light flowed along the edge of the crack, while the depths of the crack were a void deeper than the darkest midnight.
Immediately afterwards, a huge, cold, emotionless pale golden vertical eye slowly emerged from the void.
It has no eyelids, no eyelashes, only a complex pupil that keeps rotating, as if it contains endless stars and knowledge.
The moment this "eye" appeared, all the light in the dormitory dimmed, as if it had sucked it away. A feeling of being indifferently "watched" by a supreme being enveloped Lin Qi, sending chills down his spine.
The pale golden vertical eye turned slightly, its "gaze" landing on the metal fragment. With just a glance, it seemed to see through it completely, from its material structure to the dust of history.
Immediately, a cold, neutral voice resonated directly within Lynch's mind:
[The cost to analyze the complete structure of this spell: fifty standard magic stones.]
Fifty magic stones!
Lin Qi's eyes twitched. The hundred magic stones he had just received and hadn't even had a chance to warm up were about to be mostly gone! He didn't even know what kind of thing they would be identified as.
But at this point, there's no reason to back down.
Take a gamble!
He gritted his teeth and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately counted out fifty magic stones from his magic stone bag and pushed them all towards a specific area at the edge of the magic circle.
The moment the fifty magic stones touched the edge of the magic circle, they instantly "melted," transforming into fifty solid, milky-white energy streams, which were then completely absorbed by the pale golden vertical eye above.
The pupils of the vertical eyes seemed to rotate at a slightly faster speed.
Immediately, a thin, grayish-white beam of light shot out from the vertical eye, accurately striking a blank parchment scroll that Lin Qi had prepared beforehand and laid out next to the magic circle.
The parchment scroll silently floated up, and its surface began to rapidly reveal dense text, patterns, and complex runes composed of some kind of luminous energy. The entire process lasted for about three breaths.
As the last ray of light seeped into the sheepskin, the scroll gently floated back onto the table.
At the same time, the pale golden vertical eye in mid-air seemed to have completed its task, and closed slowly without any hesitation, disappearing silently into the air along with the spatial rift.
The light of the magic circle went out completely, leaving only the mithril powder that had run out of energy and turned gray, and the dried bloodstains on the ground.
The laboratory lights returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
Lin Qi, disregarding his heartache over the magic stones, immediately stepped forward and picked up the sheepskin scroll.
The once blank surface is now covered with neat and intricate graphics and text. At the top is a line of ancient and elegant cursive script:
【Phantom Cat Demon Bloodline Guidance and Inlay Technique】
[Imprint: The Ancient Wizarding Empire - Shadow Courtyard]
The mark indicates its origin as the Shadow Court, an ancient wizarding empire that has been extinct for thousands of years.
The principle is explained in detail below: This is a technique that uses special rituals and catalytic agents to guide and graft some bloodline factors of the Phantom Cat Demon, thereby controlling the modification of the recipient.
Individuals who successfully undergo modification will receive, but are not limited to:
Night vision and dynamic vision are greatly enhanced.
• Significantly improved agility, flexibility, and balance
• Gain basic "Shadow Affinity", reducing your presence in dim environments and making your movement more stealthy.
• The fingertips can extend into retractable, sharp, keratinous claws.
• Sensory enhancement
The latter half of the scroll details a complete list of all the materials needed for the transformation, the complex potion preparation process, the method for drawing the ritual array, and the most crucial bloodline guidance and spiritual resistance incantations.
"Phantom Cat Demon Bloodline..." Lin Qi murmured repeatedly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
This is a high-level apprentice-level monster, whose strength is among the best of the apprentice-level.
A low-level apprentice-level spell model is worth at least a hundred magic stones, while a high-level apprentice-level one is worth at least several hundred magic stones or more.
This was a great deal!
Lynch carefully rolled up the sheepskin scroll, a cold smile curving his lips.
While the cost of magic stones is painful, this investment seems poised to yield exceptionally high returns.
The shadow of the gray tower outside the window remained heavy, and the awakening of the nightmare beast was imminent. But at this moment, Lin Qi had another trump card in his hand, which might allow him to seize benefits or protect himself in the chaos of the future.