Gaming Sword Magician

Chapter 186: RedCliff city

"Ahhh!" Jin woke up with a terrified shout. His back was drenched in sweat as if he had seen a nightmare.

"Uncle, what was that terrifying roar? It sounded eerily familiar!" Fiorin asked. Her heart palpitating in fear.

"This" Other people might be confused by the potential shout, but as an expert himself, Butler Azan could tell what it was. However, this was the first time he was lucky enough to hear it.

He wasn't excited but a look of fear has etched on his face!

"This is the roar magical beast's make after their advancement. The King of Sand had made an advancement to C-rank!"

"No! Will Life Taker be able to survive against a C-rank beast? Uncle, should we go and help him out? Maybe, he requires it," Fiorin was extremely worried. 

"Miss, there's no need to worry. If something had happened to him then this formation would have surely shown disturbance or vanished entirely," Butler Azan replied.

"What do you mean?" Fiorin confusedly asked.

"Formation items are linked to their owners. At the death of the owner, this link is broken and the formation items become ownerless. Ownerless formation items stop functioning causing the formation to disappear. Since the mana-wall formation is still working and protecting us that means Life Taker is still alive," Jin answered before Uncle Azan could say anything. He wasn't like the other young master and was trying to become a formation master. Thus, he had shown extreme expert when he learned that Whittaker is a formation master.

"Huh?" Azan felt the sand beneath his feet shaking.

"Uncle, what happened?" They asked.

"Somethings coming! Step behind me" He warned them and stood before them. They all looked beyond the formation wall and saw the terrifying king of sand mostly blurred by sand.

"Kuah!" With a powerful screech, the towering magical beast stood beyond the protection formation wall and gazed at them.

From its previous length of ten meters, it had grown to around sixteen or seventeen meters, its shell had changed color to silver. Plus, the aura emanated by the savage magical beast has increased tremendously. It had clearly grown stronger and even more fearsome than before!

It was clear that the fellow before them had achieved a breakthrough. They couldn't even hurt it when it was merely D-rank but now that it has reached C-rank all hope was lost.

Peng Peng Peng!

The pressure it emitted shook the formation wall and made Fiorin, Jin, and Butler Azan look at it with a pale face. The only thing separating them was a mana wall formation but who knows how long it can last under the attacks of the C-rank beast.

From the looks of it, it might even break under a powerful blow!

Shing! Suddenly, the mana wall formation vanished and this brought fright on their heart.

It didn't even last a single blow!

"What the freak!" At the sudden disappearance of the formation, they shouted unfair in their heart which palpitated in fear so fast that it threatened to explode.

"Retreat," Butler Azan shouted and they rapidly retreated with pale faces.

Before the breakthrough, it was already as fast as C-ranker. After the breakthrough, its speed has reached greater heights. In mere seconds, it blocked their path.

Gulp! Looking at the overwhelming beast, they gulped in fear.

Are we gonna die?

However, contrary to their expectation, the towering King of Sand laid down rather than eating them.

"Hop on," A boyish voice resounded.

Their gaze wandered to the source of the voice and they saw Life Taker sitting at the back of its neck.

"This Life Taker, how did this happened? Why is the beast so obedient?"

"I tamed it. It is absolutely loyal to me now. Isn't that right, King Eighteen?" Whittaker asked his tamed beast.

"Kuah (Yes, master! King Eighteen is eternally loyal to you!)"

The disdain and resentment it held in those eyes had vanished completely. At this moment, its eyes were filled with admiration and respect.

Pu!

What's this???

Looking at the beast acting docile and cute like a tamed cat, Fiorin and the others were surprised.

Where was the mighty King of Sand?

They only saw a monster acting cute to earn favor from a young boy!

"Brother, you really are amazing." The two kids excitedly praised Whittaker. Their gaze unable to conceal the fervent admiration they felt towards him.

Now only was he a formation and talisman expert but also a beast tamer!

What a... expert!

"Alright. Get used to this kind of thing, because you'll be experiencing more surprises in the future," Whittaker had understood that wherever he goes, he was bound to surprise everyone with his talent and actions. That's why he thought that it was better to warn them. He continued by saying, "I am heading to the Red Cliff city and will drop you guys there if you want to come with me. Do you?" 

Actually, he didn't want to leave them in the desert. They were weak and meeting a single group of Scorpion-kin could bring about their doom. He didn't want them to die. Hence, he was lending a helping hand to them. 

"We'll be coming with you," With a leap, Uncle Azan sat on the back of the beast and gestured for Young Jin and Fiorin to climb on as well.

She used an incantation to use wind magic and fly to its back while Young-Jin stomped his feet on the ground and jumped on its back.

"Can you give me the map of the desert?" He asked. He needed the map to ascertain his general location and the path that leads to RedCliff city. Although he knew that by going north-east in the desert, he would eventually reach that city. However, having a map was better than having one.

"Sure!" Fiorin handed it over to him.

"Thanks,"

To take care of everyone, Whittaker quickly led and continued the journey. With the previous experience, he was even more cautious this time. He exercised both effects of the Life Guide Skill to sketch out a map of the desert and his surrounding.

By using the active effect, he could see the mini-map displaying a sketch of a hundred meters radius of his surrounding. Also, he could see the general location of the magical beasts and Scorpion Kin within the desert. 

By using the passive effect, he recorded the sketch of the desert. The location of these places and their details can not only be sold for a good price but also be used by him if he ever returns to this place. 

He led them in a path where there weren't any ambush waiting for them. He didn't want to waste his time fighting with Scorpion-kins.

Along the way, they met all sorts of strange magical beasts. They came in all shapes and sizes. From Huge Slugs that leaves behind a sandy trail to ants with metallic legs. Some looked like humanoid rats while the others looked no different than a huge version of insects. However, they scattered left and right and made a run for their lives the very moment they witnessed the King of Sand.

He chatted with them and found out that not only was their home located in the RedCliff City, they were actually the children of the RedCliff city master!

"Shouldn't there be a lot of guards escorting you then? What were you guys doing in such a dangerous place without any, can you tell me?" He asked slightly curious about why they would come all the way to this dangerous desert.

"Um..." They didn't know what to say.

They didn't provide a valid answer until Azan said, 

"It's okay to tell him. He won't harm us,"

Then Fiorin continued by showing him a flower with three hearts, "This is the Desert heart Mystic Flower. It's the main ingredient needed to make the Heart Rejuvenating Elixirs. My mother is suffering from an incurable heart disease and she doesn't have long to live. Making this elixir is our last hope of saving her..." 

In the middle of her sentences, her voice cracked. By the last sentence, she was unable to continue hence uncle Azan explained the rest. 

"There were only a handful of people who volunteered to search for the Desert Heart Mystic Flower. Not many had the guts to enter the Scorpion-Kin desert for the sake of master. From that handful of peoples, only we three survived."

On the tenth floor, the desert heart mystic flower could only be found in the Scorpion-Kin desert. Moreover, it was extremely rare to even find one. 

"What happened to them?" Whittaker asked about the handful of people that came with them.

"They died in an ambush set up by the scorpion-kin," Jin replied sadly.

Tears and rage appeared in Jin's eyes and he was unable to not cry. He was just a young boy, just like Whittaker, and losing someone precious hurts him emotionally. Whereas, sadness also welled up in Uncle Jin's and Fiorin's eyes.

"Now, now..." Hearing her brother cry, Fiorin also started sobbing and Uncle Azan had to calm them both down.

Whittaker felt guilty for asking a painful question but he didn't know better.

The journey continued and they reached deeper into the desert as they head towards the North.

The deeper they went into the desert, the presence of mana in the environment drastically dropped. However, he still had some mana recovery potions in his storage so he wasn't pressed by the scarcity of mana in the environment.

No doubt, the King of Desert was the fastest creature in the sand and that's why many beast tamer would kill to have a companion like it. As time passed, the group headed further into the center of the desert. Soon, they reached the northern area of the desert in no time and thereafter, stepped out of the desert in the same day.

Right before them, the RedCliff City appeared!