Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1224: Mad Shadow

Adam moved cautiously through the dense jungle, his eyes fixed on the deep gouges and the broken trees that marked the path of the massive creature.

The bear’s tracks were easy to follow. Each of its paw prints was big enough to swallow him whole. The prints were pressed deep against the soil, damp with dried-up blood. The stench of iron grew stronger the farther he went, until even the air felt suffocating.

From time to time, he’d come across corpses of wolves. These must have been the more daring ones who had decided to give chase to the injured beast.

Adam’s lips curled into a mocking grin. Even the three alphas together couldn’t defeat the mighty bear. What chances did a few little pups have?

The great battle had taken place a few days ago, the memories still etched deeply in his mind. He’d never seen a battle so devastating, so raw, so... primal. The coordination of the three alphas greatly surprised him, but what shocked him even more was the strength of the bear.

He grinned from ear to ear, and just when he was about to laugh out loud, he buried his fist inside his mouth, nearly gagging from that action. Still, he couldn’t stop his shoulders from trembling as his hollow sockets formed an eerie downward crescent.

Strapped to his back, the mimic shuddered uncontrollably. Still, it did not make a sound. Adam had warned it beforehand. What they had set out to do required secrecy and concealment.

Gradually, the trail led him to the mouth of a cave, half-hidden beneath hanging vines and moss-covered stones. To call it a cave would be an understatement. It was more like a humongous cavern carved on the side of a rocky hill.

Inside, the shadows swallowed the light, but Adam’s senses picked out the faint sound of labored breathing. He made sure to stay far away from the cave entrance, hidden in the crown of a towering tree.

The distance was just enough for him to sense the happenings inside the cave through his Sphere of Resonance.

Adam might not have realized it yet, but in the past two years, his senses had grown frighteningly sharp. He had lost his sight, yet gained far more in return.

Even under the constant ravings of the Faceless Mask, his perception had become formidable. One could only imagine how much greater it would be once the ravings finally ceased...

Adjusting his position in the embrace of the crown, Adam paid attention to the bear inside the cave.

The beast lay sprawled across the stone floor, its massive chest rising and falling unevenly. There were deep claw marks across its fur, and dried blood marked its sides where the wolves’ fangs and claws had ripped into it.

It licked at its wounds slowly, occasionally growling when the pain became too much. The once-mighty bear now looked weary. Its strength was greatly diminished but... not broken. There was a cold gleam in its eyes, letting Adam know that it hadn’t given up yet.

Even in its weakened state, the aura it radiated pressed heavily against Adam’s heart, reminding him of the great danger that the beast still posed.

However, Adam was not here to slay this beast. No, the truth was far from it. He had come here to study it, calculating how long it would take for the bear to heal and lay siege to Feypore again.

The mana-rich region of Feypore held an irresistible allure to the magical beasts prowling this land. That was the reason why the bear attacked it. That was also the reason why the griffin eyed the ruined city.

Adam observed the bear for a few more days, slightly surprised by its healing capabilities. He also learned that the beast’s innate magical ability was related to the element of earth.

After making his observations, he silently slipped out of the beast’s domain.

***

Several days later, Adam found himself far east of Feypore.

He moved quietly along the jagged slopes of the mountain, his charred fingers brushing against the rough stone for balance. The air grew thinner the higher he climbed.

Overhead, deep shadows circled the sky. Mighty griffins soared proudly, their cries echoing across the cliffs. It was quite difficult for the youth to hide from their senses, but in the end, he somehow managed. This caused him to be even more grateful for the stealth artifacts he’d found.

At last, he reached a narrow ledge that overlooked a vast plateau nestled between peaks high up in the sky. Below, hundreds of griffins nested. Their massive wings were folded against their sides as they perched on rocks and ridges, thier sharp eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

Young griffins played in the nests, while the adults came and went, carrying prey in their talons.

What drew Adam’s attention, however, was the towering figure that dominated the griffin colony. Its wingspan greatly dwarfed the others, its feathers gleaming like polished bronze under the light of the sun.

This was the Mana Core-level griffin that Adam had sensed circling the skies above Feypore more than a month ago, when he had just arrived at the ruins of the lost city.

Adam didn’t observe the giant griffin for too long, afraid that it might notice someone ’gazing’ at it. He shifted his attention to the eggs instead, his lips curling into a crazed grin.

As the sun gradually sank behind the peaks, the colony of winged beasts grew uneasy for some reason. The great griffin tucked its wings and rested, the younger ones huddled in their nests, and silence descended over the plateau.

Yet in that silence, something ominous stirred. It was subtle and invisible, like a shadow... a mad shadow.

When the sun rose the following morning, furious cries tore through the air. Much to the beasts’ shock and alarm, they learned that a handful of eggs had vanished overnight!

The griffins screeched in fury and grief, but no culprits could be found.

Meanwhile, over a hundred miles away from the hills, Adam vaulted across the trees with a crooked grin on his face. Suddenly, he landed on a particular branch and stopped.

He turned ever so slightly and spoke in a grave voice:

”Don’t you dare eat those. They’re important to me, understood?”

The mimic nodded reluctantly, safely storing away the griffin eggs inside its magical stomach.

”Gege...”