Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)
chapter-142

Chapter 142: A Sudden Increase in Speed

According to Asabanor, Ivanovich came in the flesh to that world’s birthplace many years ago. The high priest did not seem to have reacted yet, but Xiao Lin understood the reason.

There was one other aspect Ivan had in common with Xiao Lin, other than their gender: they were both SS-level talents. If anyone else could enter that world safely, that person was likely another SS-level talent: Lilith.

“So, she does have a SS-level talent!” Song Junlang had previously told him about it. Other people had their suspicions, but there was no direct evidence. Xiao Lin had unknowingly received a 100% confirmation at that moment.

Lilith had also come to the world known as The Final Land. Where was she now? The high priest must have also gone to her and sought her cooperation, but Xiao Lin was not sure whether Lilith would agree. If she did, he would be facing a much greater danger.

However, before that, Xiao Lin felt that he still had to worry about the headache in front of him.

The skeleton army coming out of the palace area quickly rushed in swarms toward the streets and alleys, carrying out a thorough search of the city. Asabanor was very confident. The city was his creation, and he was the apex predator that no prey could escape from.

After realizing that, Xiao Lin understood that whatever his plans for escape would only delay time. He did not know anything about the skeleton army’s effectiveness in combat, but the ease with which they could dispose of him was certainly as effortless as pinching an ant.

Death was the last thing on his mind. He had not seen all of Planet Norma yet and still had relatives which he fondly remembered on Earth. Xiao Lin absolutely did not want to die in that rundown place where no one would know about his whereabouts.

Xiao Lin bit his lips and once again pinched the jade pendant on his chest. That was the last barrier he had, but he had used it a second time before the white light came and did not know how many illusory dragons were left.

“Just do it! At least it’ll help me stall them!”

After making up his mind, Xiao Lin quietly waited in a certain corner for the arrival of the skeleton army. The Lightstream Jade was a passive defense mechanism, meaning Xiao Lin could not release it actively. He could only wait for danger to arrive.

The ancient Thunder Kingdom’s capital was much smaller than New Washington City, lacking clearly divided areas such as trade districts and the like. It was composed only of disorderly, intertwined, spider-like streets. The sea of skulls was huge in number, and it was as if a white tide quickly spread to Xiao Lin’s vicinity.

The skeletons that had been awakened from their deep sleep would have faint green flames dancing in their hollow eye sockets. That was a symbol of vitality for the undead. After feeling the approach of death, the Lightstream Jade on Xiao Lin’s chest once again shot out a dazzling golden light, and just like the last time, the dragon power condensed into a golden dragon upon release, producing extremely powerful combat power.

Xiao Lin was looking forward to it. The powers peculiar to dragons soared into the sky, causing the tide of the skeleton army to lull for a moment. In fact, the uniquely-dragon based force had no effect on the undead creatures and it was the high priest Asabanor who controlled them from behind the scenes. After sensing the dragon’s power, Asabanor’s spirit was visibly shaken, but the skeleton army’s actions resumed once again.

However, the golden dragon did not appear as expected and the blood-colored sky was still empty. Xiao Lin was immediately dumbfounded. Where was the promised golden dragon? Did the dragon power run out? It was nevertheless very strange, because despite not knowing what dragon power was, the special feeling he felt earlier told him that it had to be dragon power.

There was no time for him to think too much. After the skeleton army discovered his tracks, they quickened their pace. Their bones crackled as they marched on the stone bricks. Each skeleton held a knife made out of bone. The blade was gray, and although they lacked the cold sharp light, there was a creepiness to them.

Without the golden dragon, Xiao Lin had no choice but to bite the bullet and make an escape. He turned and ran, then heard a bang when he directly hit a wall and fell to the ground. Xiao Lin touched his forehead painfully and stared blankly at the shallow depression on the wall with an incredulous look.

“How is that possible!”

Xiao Lin exclaimed. His surprise came not from hitting the wall, but from the speed at which he burst out earlier.

It was too fast! If the speed he demonstrated earlier was like a cheetah, then his previous speed was no different than a tortoise.

He moved so quickly that he began doubting whether that body really belonged to him. Could he have been possessed by the high priest, who was neither human nor ghost?

Xiao Lin’s agility attributes were not high and he was well aware of his own speed. Even though his gravity training in New Washington did play a role, he was not naïve enough to think the effect would reach such an outrageous extent. His reaction could not keep up with his body’s rhythm, resulting in him accidentally hitting the wall.

“Let’s try again!”

Xiao Lin left the small alley first, then ran like nobody’s business on the straight road. It was an exhilarating feeling, as if he was flying. His speed had been greatly improved, and in the blink of an eye, the skeleton army was already far behind him. After a few minutes, they had completely disappeared from sight.

Xiao Lin’s speed dropped instantly and he reverted to his usual speed levels. He halted his footsteps with a look of confusion. In an attempt to sort out his thoughts, he replayed the entire sequence of events to find out the reason for the sudden increase in his speed.

Xiao Lin’s eyes suddenly lit up. If all other impossible factors were eliminated, the only remaining possibility must be the correct answer, regardless of how baffling that possibility was.

The first thing he wanted to do was summon the illusory golden dragon, but it did not appear as expected. However, he proceeded to discover that his speed had increased suddenly just as he was about to escape…

That was the only thing he did. Although he failed to summon the golden dragon, his speed increased dramatically for some unknown reason.

The only possible explanation pointed to that.

He was startled by that, but Xiao Lin was still uncertain whether it was actually the case. Although he had the urge to try again, the Lightstream Jade’s power had to be passively activated, and he did not want to risk exposure to the skeleton army.

The skeleton army’s pursuit soon stopped. Xiao Lin wondered if the dragon’s power had frightened the high priest, or whether the high priest had other ideas. The skeletons did not return to the palace, but simply fell asleep on the spot. The green flames in their eye sockets extinguished temporarily.