The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 56: The Encounter

Hutson concealed himself in a hidden spot, guided by AI chip’s terrain feedback. From the shadows, he silently observed Bessie and the others, monitoring their every move.

Locke took the lead, stopping just fifty meters from where the Stone Giant lay in its slumber beneath the earth. He lifted a hand, fingers weaving intricate sigils in the air as he swiftly chanted an incantation. His voice was steady, commanding.

"Time to wake up, big guy— Stone Surge!"

A deep, thunderous rumble shook the ground. Suddenly, from beneath the soil, a colossal humanoid figure of living rock exploded into view. Its entire form was composed of massive boulders, its body wrenched free from the earth as if an invisible force had propelled it upward. Beneath it, a single titanic stone pillar jutted from the ground, as if it had been used to launch the beast into the open.

RRAAAAGH!

The Stone Giant roared, its deep, guttural voice reverberating through the canyon. Its eyes locked onto Locke, and with a moment’s hesitation, it charged forward.

Locke, unshaken, calmly lifted a hand and whispered his next spell:

"Quicksand Trap."

The ground beneath the giant liquefied, turning into a swirling pit of hungry sand. With its immense weight, the Stone Giant sank rapidly, its lower body swallowed by the enchanted quicksand. Only its upper torso and arms remained above ground, struggling against the shifting mass.

The Alchemist’s Strike

Emma seized the opportunity. She uncorked a vial of inky-black liquid and hurled it at the Stone Giant’s exposed body. The glass shattered upon impact, releasing an ominous, ebon mist that clung to its rocky flesh.

"High-Grade Corrosion Hex!"

As Emma intoned the spell, the black liquid expanded, crawling over the Stone Giant’s body like a living plague.

The beast shrieked.

Smoke rose from its stone hide. The alchemical reaction ate away its rocky exterior, revealing blood-red muscle and sinew beneath the fractured shell.

Hutson, watching from his hiding spot, was unmoved. He had long known the truth: Stone Giants were not pure rock. Beneath their hardened shells, they had flesh, organs, and a vulnerable core.

The giant thrashed, trapped in the quicksand, its entire body smothered by corrosive magic. Its agonized roars soon faded into weak, pitiful whimpers.

Locke, judging the moment right, turned to Bessie.

"Go get Hutson."

Bessie exhaled in relief. Their plan had worked flawlessly so far—every step unfolding just as they had strategized.

Harvesting the Heart

When Hutson returned, Locke raised a hand and cast his final spell.

"Earth Spikes!"

Jagged spires of stone erupted from the ground, spearing through the Stone Giant’s throat and vital joints—but avoiding its heart. The creature convulsed violently, then, with a final shudder, its head drooped forward, lifeless.

Locke dismissed the quicksand spell, the ground hardening back to solid earth.

Hutson remained cautious.

"AI chip, confirm status."

"Target has no remaining life signs."

Satisfied, Hutson stepped forward, drawing out a set of precision dissection tools from his spatial ring.

With practiced efficiency, he carved open the chest cavity, revealing the pulsing, blood-red heart beneath layers of fractured stone.

The true challenge lay ahead.

The Stone Giant’s heart was encased by seventeen thick arteries. Each one had to be severed in a precise order, and immediately sealed with a pre-prepared alchemical paste to prevent the specimen from deteriorating.

The entire extraction process had to be completed within one minute.

With AI chip guiding his every motion, Hutson worked with mechanical precision.

One by one, the arteries were cut and sealed.

Fifty-nine seconds later, he held the Stone Giant’s still-beating heart in his hands.

Carefully, he placed it inside a crystal preservation jar, filling it with a special alchemical solution that would keep it active for two months.

"Done." Hutson handed the jar to Bessie.

She clutched it tightly, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Without hesitation, she placed it inside her own spatial ring and retrieved a small pouch of glowing magic stones.

"Hutson, here’s your payment."

Hutson took the bag of twenty magic stones, allowing AI chip to verify their authenticity.

"Let’s move." Bessie, now eager to return to Moonlight Woodland, was visibly anxious. The quicker they delivered the heart, the sooner she could commission a potion master to refine her advancement elixir.

Locke retrieved the enchanted hourglass and led the way. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

An Unexpected Ambush

As they navigated the labyrinthine stone pillars, Hutson followed from the back, watching the map in his mind.

He noticed something troubling.

Ahead, behind two large stone columns—three figures lay in wait.

Their auras pulsed with strong magical energy.

Hutson’s pulse steadied. He couldn’t alert the others without exposing himself. Instead, he subtly slowed his pace, preparing to retreat at a moment’s notice.

Locke, still maintaining his magical perception, would detect them soon enough.

And then, it happened.

Locke stopped abruptly, his expression shifting.

Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and propelled himself backward.

The others followed instinctively, retreating in perfect sync.

A split second later—a downpour of fire rained upon the spot where they had stood.

Locke’s sharp gaze flickered toward Hutson, surprised that he had also dodged the attack.

Hutson had been tracking their enemies the entire time. The moment he sensed a silent spell being cast, he had immediately activated Wind Spirit’s Blessing, accelerating his retreat.

Then, a voice rang out from behind the stone pillars.

"Well, well... what luck! I didn’t expect to run into wizards from Moonlight Woodland here."

A masked man emerged from the shadows, two others following close behind.

"Malcolm gave clear orders: killing Moonlight Woodland wizards earns a bounty."

His voice was taunting, confident.

"One first-tier apprentice gets you five magic stones.

A second-tier apprentice gets you twenty.

A third-tier apprentice is worth fifty."

A dangerous glint shone in his eyes.

"Looks like today’s a good day."

AI chip Analysis:

Hutson quickly ran a scan through AI chip.

Enemy One: Strength 5.8 | Agility 6.5 | Constitution 6.8 | Spirit 17.2

Enemy Two: Strength 5.1 | Agility 6.8 | Constitution 7.0 | Spirit 18.6

Enemy Three: Strength 6.2 | Agility 5.0 | Constitution 6.7 | Spirit 17.8

Three third-tier wizard apprentices.

Hutson’s heart sank.

Their own side had only two third-tier apprentices, one second-tier, and one first-tier.

The power gap was too wide.

More importantly—Locke and Emma could probably escape.

But Hutson?

Not likely.

Without hesitation, Hutson turned and ran.

He could navigate using AI chip’s map—he didn’t need to fight.

Bessie didn’t call him back. She knew he wasn’t useful in this battle.

The masked men ignored him, eyes locked onto their true prey—the two third-tier wizard apprentices before them.