Versatile Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-994

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Scorching sunlight came down from above. Schools of fish that needed the ultraviolet rays to kill the bacteria on their skin swam to the sunken reefs, and would occasionally sweep past Mo Fan’s feet. Their scales were glowing brightly under the sunlight.

More fish gradually showed up. Mo Fan felt like he could easily kill a few of them by stomping his foot. He started playing with the fish, since he was bored. He basically unleashed a tiny electric current to paralyze the fish so they were having trouble keeping up with the other fish and kept ramming into the others.

Speaking of which, if the fish actually had a better texture, Mo Fan would not mind turning into a grilled fish master and letting Mu Ningxue have a taste of his craft… didn’t he once have an idea of opening a restaurant with the name Song of Ice and Fire? He should be practicing more whenever he had the chance…

Mo Fan was having the time of his life when he suddenly felt a strong vibration originating from deep under the ocean. Even the firm reefs were shaking quite vigorously!

As the undercurrent cames, the schools of fish that were enjoying their sunbaths immediately fled like headless flies.

Mo Fan felt his legs turning numb. He could clearly feel the force was coming from extremely deep underneath them, yet the vibration was still strong despite the great distance!

“What’s going on?” Bobby had fallen asleep on the boat. He immediately rose to his feet when he heard the resonance.

“We are in trouble,” Lingling said in a deep voice. Her eyes were fixed on the monitor.

“Don’t tell me the maggot went to disturb those Lightning Explosion Cuttlefish?” Bobby moaned.

Lingling shook her head.

“Hehe, then it must have decided to turn into a Sea Monkey… alright, I guess that wasn’t a great joke,” Mo Fan said with a hint of self-mockery.

“It’s currently at a depth of around twenty-four hundred meters. The Black Sea Drake must have noticed something. It just roared to intimidate the invisible intruder. The quake from before was caused by the Black Sea Drake’s breath,” Lingling explained.

“That little asshole, why do I think it’s purposely trying to set us up?!” Mo Fan cursed.

“Let’s go back, we’ll let it run its own course,” Bobby took over the pilot cabin and fired up the engine.

Was the little maggot being serious? How could it possibly think that it could take on the Black Sea Drake? The only time Bobby would hear about a Black Sea Drake was from a tier-one Hunter Group, and they would purposely keep the casualties a secret.

“We can’t go back now, the maggot is most likely going to die! If we don’t take care of the Drowning Curse now, more than five hundred people will die within a year, and that will go up to a thousand in two years! Although someone will still come up with the vaccine after several years, it will only be done after countless people have fallen victim to the Drowning Curse,” Lingling said grimly.

The determination on Lingling’s face even surprised Bobby. He could not imagine he had just heard the words from a little girl who was only around ten years old. It was like the thoughts had occupied her heart for a long time. She did not hesitate or back off when she was expressing them!

“It’s true that we can turn away and ignore the threat, but it’s also undeniable that people are going to die to the potential threat, and among them might be the beloved daughter of a father from a healthy, ordinary family. If the family ended up in despair after losing the daughter, then we are actually no different than the culprit’s accomplice!”

Mo Fan suddenly recalled a line he saw from an old diary. His heart shuddered when he linked it to the determination on Lingling’s face.

Previously, Mo Fan had accidentally seen Lingling’s diary that she normally placed under her pillow at the Clearsky Hunter Agency. A sentence was written in it clearly, and it was the last page of the diary. The pages after it were completely blank.

Mo Fan could easily guess that it was the last words that Lingling’s father had left for her. The Senior Hunter had told her daughter that, but he never came back.

The threat that was mentioned in the entry was the Red Demon, the super demon that the Essence Orb gave birth to!

Even though Mo Fan had never seen Lingling’s father, who had been a Senior Hunter, he could not help but feel respectful whenever he saw the strong beliefs as a Hunter that the Senior Hunter had passed down to his daughter.

“Mo Fan, what do you think?” Mu Ningxue asked Mo Fan softly.

“I am a Hunter too, so it’s pretty hard for me to turn around and leave now. Besides, the reward is insane! The Black Sea Drake might be tough, but we’ll find a way to deal with it. Let’s try! Even if we fail, it’s fine because we’ve already tried our best,” Mo Fan said.

Lingling glanced at Mo Fan with glittering eyes.

She liked to partner with Mo Fan because of how fearless he was; daring enough to infiltrate the devil’s nest, and take on even the scariest demon!

“The maggot is currently hiding at the same spot, not daring to move. However, as soon as the Black Sea Drake relaxes, the creature is surely going to try sneaking into it,” Lingling said after analyzing the situation.

“A maggot without an ambition to become a dragon isn’t a good maggot. What an ambitious little creature!” Mo Fan mused.

“We have to come up with a plan. We have no chance of beating the Black Sea Drake in a fight,” Mu Ningxue said.

Mu Ningxue’s strength was not necessarily affected by much when she was fighting underwater. Her Primary Element was Ice, which was actually slightly stronger in the water.

However, she alone could never take on the Black Sea Drake. She needed Mo Fan’s help, but he also had to be in his best condition.

“You guys can go ahead, I’ll be leaving first,” Bobby said in a trembling voice.

Were these guys insane? Were the two of them and an underage girl seriously trying to take on a Black Sea Drake?

It isn’t about serving justice as a Hunter, it was actually trying to get themselves killed in the dumbest way! Either way, there was no way he could convince himself to stay. The Black Sea Drake would easily reduce him to ashes with a single stare. He would never treat his own life as a joke!

“Bobby, don’t panic yet. The Black Sea Drake is pretty strong, but it doesn’t necessarily stand a chance against my fists on land. You’re the most familiar with the ocean among us; is there any way we can lure the Black Sea Drake onto here?” Mo Fan said.

“You? Are you trying to pull off a great joke here? I’m more familiar with the Black Sea Drake than any of you here! How could a Mage without fully-grown hair like you possibly handle a creature like that?” Bobby said.

“First of all, it’s not like I have never fought a drake before. I’ve actually killed one in China, so you can think of me as a dragon hunter! Second, my hair is fully-grown already. You can ask her about it,” Mo Fan said seriously. He even glanced at Mu Ningxue after saying the last few words.

Mu Ningxue was most likely too occupied with figuring out a way to lure the Black Sea Drake onto the land. She was not paying attention to Mo Fan’s false accusation.

“Bobby, I’m sure you have already witnessed our strength. It wasn’t like we don’t stand a chance against a Commander-level creature. You only need to help us lure the Black Sea Drake to the surface, and we’ll handle the rest. I believe you have a stronger grudge against the Drowning Curse than any of us here. If we don’t put an end to it, more people are going to die, just like your brothers,” Mu Ningxue said calmly.

Perhaps Mu Ningxue had a relatively trustworthy face, or perhaps her request was impossible to reject when she did not have the icy attitude. Bobby seemed to be struggling to make his decision.

“The maggot is making its move,” Lingling said.

Everyone frowned. Their hearts sank too.

“Are you sure you can handle the Black Sea Drake on the surface?” Bobby asked seriously.

“Didn’t you already verify our identities? Both of us are Two-Star Hunter Masters,” Mo Fan said.

Both Mo Fan and Lingling were promoted to Two-Star Hunter Masters after taking out the Black Vatican at Chongming Island. Mo Fan’s rank was finally the same as Lingling’s!

It was impossible to fake their identities as Hunter Masters. Bobby slowly calmed down and said, “I do have an idea, but I don’t think it’s any safer than fighting the Black Sea Drake underwater.”

“Just tell us, the maggot is already on the move. If we don’t do anything soon, it will die as soon as the Black Sea Drake notices it,” Lingling said.

“Isn’t there a bunch of Lightning Explosion Cuttlefish in the reef cave between one to two thousand meters?” Bobby glanced at the water and continued with a lack of confidence, “The Lightning Explosion Cuttlefish are a hot-tempered, sensitive bunch. When they feel threatened, these creatures with bad eyes will start releasing electricity. The rest of the cuttlefish will realize their comrades are in danger when they see the lightning, so they will also start conducting electricity…”

The intelligent Lingling immediately realized what Bobby was planning.

“By startling the Lightning Explosion Cuttlefish, the whole area will turn into a huge electric field. Even though the Black Sea Drake has some lightning resistance, it surely won’t be able to hold on for long, forcing it to leave the water!” Lingling said with glittering eyes.

Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue nodded too. It was a brilliant plan! If the Black Sea Drake tried to go back into the water, it would have to suffer the strong electric current, meaning it would either die or suffer serious injuries!

“When I was investigating the place, I discovered a Commander among the Lightning Explosion Cuttlefish, and it is very likely that the creature has just become a mother. It will react to the slightest sense of danger, so if we can provoke it at the right time, the ocean will soon turn into a no-entry zone of lightning!” Bobby added.

“I’ll set up this place so the reefs won’t conduct the electricity, so you two can take on the Black Sea Drake here,” Lingling said.

The sunken reefs served as the best fighting ground for the group, since the water had only reached their knees. Mo Fan would not be affected as long as he was on reef, and if Lingling was able to set the place up beforehand, it would be free from the electricity unleashed by the cuttlefish!