The moment Roy noticed the other party, they noticed him as well.
Immediately, both sides became fully alert.
"What are you doing here?" a young man with a gaunt figure and sunken eyes stood up and shouted.
Roy replied, "That's a question I should be asking you. Why would someone from Nickmansha appear here for no reason?"
All seven Ancestor Towers of the Seven Towers Alliance are located on this continent known as Mystic Island.
This artificially created layout ensures that the seven towers are far apart, with little interaction between apprentices.
Only after venturing into the Star Sea and being summoned to the Otherworld or the Plane Battlefield would there be any communication or contact.
The other party was clearly caught off guard and, in a fit of anger, retorted, "That's none of your business!"
Roy slowly stepped forward, exuding the confidence of an advanced knight and a seasoned senior apprentice.
The group immediately felt threatened and summoned a small army of undead, consisting of dozens of zombified Fishmen, to block his path.
Their movements were stiff, and their aura was eerie.
At that moment, a whistle sounded in the distance. A senior apprentice clad in black robes rode an Undead Warhorse over the hill and appeared on the other side.
In his hand, he held an Ogre Skull Artifact with long horns, followed by a dozen or so Murloc Warrior Zombies.
"Senior Apprentice Raymond!" the group turned to him, their faces lighting up with relief.
As the senior apprentice Raymond approached, he sized up Roy and asked, "Are you an apprentice from Okmi Wizard Tower?"
"Indeed," Roy replied, also assessing him and silently gauging their respective strengths. The conclusion was that this man was not to be underestimated.
Roy could sense a high concentration of Wizardry Energy emanating from him.
"We came here to investigate after hearing rumors about this place. The situation in Chalkland has also reached the other Wizard Towers.
However, we have no intention of getting involved in that mess. Our greater interest lies in the rampant Magical creatures here," Raymond explained his purpose proactively.
Roy couldn't immediately determine whether this was a gesture of goodwill or an attempt to deceive him.
He glanced at the Magical creatures by their side, which had indeed been transformed into undead Flesh Golems through Necromantic Wizardry.
"You've certainly hit the jackpot!" Roy remarked sincerely. In an environment overrun by Magical creatures, this place was practically a treasure trove for the Nickmansha Wizard Tower.
"These are just low-level Magical creatures, not even comparable to normal zombies. We'll need to refine them properly once we return," Raymond said modestly.
"Your targets must extend far beyond these Fishman corpses, right?" Roy thought of the giant tribe living in the Windlands.
And also...
The Stitched Monsters roaming the area!
At this thought, his heart stirred slightly, but he didn't say much, only warning, "It's best not to cause trouble here!"
Not long after, Roy took the initiative to retreat, leaving Raymond and his group behind.
"Lord Raymond, should we..." someone stepped forward, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"Idiot!" Raymond shot him a glance. "We're on someone else's turf now, and that guy is also a senior apprentice. He's not so easy to deal with."
"Let's not worry about that for now. The ley lines here have mutated, and it's possible that some unique monsters have naturally spawned. It would be great if we could hunt them," another person said in a serious tone.
Raymond's face showed a hint of excitement: "Excellent, these are all materials!"
...
While the group was discussing, Roy had already moved far away from their resting spot.
Although he wasn't afraid of them, he remained highly vigilant.
Only when he felt it was unlikely they would catch up did he find a piece of wood and drift down the river to erase his tracks.
This also happened to be the direction towards where he had previously slain the Fishman Lord.
After about half an hour, he arrived there and, based on various eyewitness reports and research, continued to track the Stitched Monster.
This tracking lasted the entire afternoon.
Finally, his efforts paid off, and just before it got completely dark, he found the target he was looking for.
However, as he followed the trail over the hill, he unexpectedly encountered Raymond and the others again.
They were besieging the Stitched Monster!
"This thing is devouring negative energy!"
"Not good, the Fishman zombies are being drained!"
The intermediate apprentices exclaimed in shock.
Suddenly, a long chain appeared.
It was unclear whether it was made of sinews, iron chains, or vines, but it instantly spanned over ten meters and hooked an intermediate apprentice who was hiding behind the necromantic army, pulling him over.
"Ah!"
Amidst the screams, the Stitched Monster tilted its head back and swallowed him whole, the apprentice disappearing into its belly in an instant.
The monster's belly visibly contracted sharply, and the bodies fused together like mud, its body tensing up.
The screams abruptly ceased.
In the midst of the crowd's exclamations, the Stitched Monster cut down several Fishman zombies and charged forward.
It was then that Roy saw clearly that the Stitched Monster wielded a long, massive cleaver.
The weapon, as if used by a giant, had a blade as wide as a human body.
With a swift motion, another apprentice was cut in half at the waist, screaming in agony.
Blood sprayed out like a fountain.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
In the next moment, one after another, heads on the Stitched Monster's body spewed corrosive blood and smoke in all directions.
Seeing this, Raymond turned and fled without hesitation.
The other two also hurriedly followed, abandoning their summons.
But despite its massive size, the Stitched Monster was far from clumsy.
It moved with incredible speed, relentlessly pursuing the three.
"Perfect opportunity!"
After they had gone a bit further, Roy went to the base of the hill and searched the body that had been cut in half.
These people had come from afar with ample supplies, their packs filled with Mana potions, Healing potions, and the like.
Roy didn't hesitate to take all of it.
Various spellcasting materials like bone powder, flesh chunks, and blood jars were things he didn't quite understand, so he didn't dare to touch them.
However, he did find a notebook that seemed to contain study notes.
After briefly confirming that it wasn't laced with poison or curses, he wrapped it in cloth and carried it with him as he continued searching nearby.
"Lucky! The Stitched Monster actually dropped a piece of flesh here!"
Soon, he made a discovery.
It was an arm that had been severed by Raymond's Bone Tooth Spell, not made of ordinary human flesh but molded from Chalk Soil.
But after a closer inspection, Roy couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.
"It doesn't have that feeling..."
[Alchemy Talent Acquiring (0%)]
The illusory panel remained unchanged.
"Could it really be that the only way is to defeat that Stitched Monster and extract its heart to see?"
Doing so might
provoke Olen, but it could also weaken his power.
More importantly, it would allow Roy to continue investigating the origin of his Inherent Essence.
Having made up his mind, Roy set off again, following the traces of their battle.