I am a wizard! Not a warrior!

Chapter 44 Half-Demon Wizard

"Alright, let's go back!"

Roland waved and rode the golden-armored dragon eagle back to Gran City.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the golden-armored dragon sculpture landed at the city gate.

The Adventurers' Guild Hall was still bustling with activity as adventurers exchanged information.

When Roland and his three companions entered the hall, many eyes turned to them.

After all, fourth-tier adventurers are not common.

"Look, the Justice Squad is back."

"Is that young man a new member of the Justice Squad?"

Amidst the whispers, Roland walked straight to the counter.

Lilith, the receptionist, a half-orc girl with cat ears and a tail, brightened up: "Mr. Roland, you're back! Did you complete the mission?"

"It's done." Roland placed the magic map on the counter. "The cannibals and cannibalistic demons in Redfruit Town have been eliminated. The town is safe."

After quickly glancing at the magic map, Lilith exclaimed, "Mr. Roland, you're amazing!"

"You actually only took half a day to complete the mission in Red Fruit Town."

"Thanks to my teammates' help," Roland said modestly.

Lilith nodded and said, "You killed 2 Tier 4, 10 Tier 3, 23 Tier 2, and 123 Tier 1, in total..."

"Eri, use your card."

Roland said, quite nonchalantly.

"good,"

Yili nodded and took out her Lianjin Card.

Roland looked at Lilith: "Are there any quests related to demons? I need some demon materials to craft equipment."

"Ideally, it should be tier four!"

Lilith smoothed her hair and pondered for a moment: "Demon-related... Let me see."

She went to the back, rummaged through the papers for a while, and then took out a piece of parchment.

"There really is one. It was just delivered as a mission. Something strange has been happening in the Blackwood Forest to the north recently. Villagers have reported seeing 'winged red creatures' attacking livestock, and trees deep in the forest are withering abnormally."

"Suspected to be the work of a demon or related creature, the mission is rated level four."

"This is it." Roland took the mission sheet and the magic map.

"Wait, Roland," Ilya suddenly spoke up, "The Blackwood Forest is three days' journey from Gran City, and that forest is adjacent to the entrance to the Underdark."

"If it really is the work of a demon, it may not be an isolated case."

"The Underdark?" Luo Yong frowned. "Isn't that the territory of dark elves and subterranean creatures?"

“Exactly,” Elizabeth nodded. “Demons rarely appear alone on the Prime Material Plane unless there is a summoner or a spatial rift.”

"The situation in Blackwood Forest is likely more complex than the mission description suggests."

"Most importantly, those dark elves have a history of summoning demons."

"If they are indeed dark elves, they are able to shield themselves from the Cloud Mountain Eagle's detection. Rushing in could easily lead to danger."

Roland pondered for a moment: "Is that so?"

"Then I'll use my clone to go take a look. Luckily, I have a clone spell."

The clone spell was dropped by a minotaur warrior. He killed more than a dozen minotaur warriors, but unfortunately, duplicate monsters don't give attributes, only spells.

"Alright! We can settle in Blackwood Town, 100 miles from Black Dream Forest, first, and then you can send your clone to scout."

After thinking for a moment, Yili nodded and said...

"Can,"

Roland nodded.

……

The next morning, the team gathered at the city gate.

The group, riding in the golden dragon sculpture, moved very quickly, covering a three-day journey in just two hours.

Outside Blackwood Town, Roland and his companions arrived at a deserted spot.

"You guys set up camp first. I'll use my clone to scout ahead," Roland said after glancing at the map.

"Okay, boss."

The dwarf with the golden beard nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

Yili and Luo Yong both nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

"Clone Technique!"

Roland opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of white energy, like steam.

Then, the energy transformed into the shape of Roland.

The clone technique = exhaling a burst of energy that can be transformed into a controllable clone.

The clone's attributes are only one-quarter of the original's, and all attributes are reduced by 2.

Although Roland knew that his reconnaissance did not rely on the Cloud Mountain Eagle and that the Dark Elf's magic might not be able to hide his information, it was better to be safe than sorry.

A combination of clones and Cloud Mountain Eagle is more reliable.

"Go, Cloud Mountain Eagle."

Roland looked at the Cloud Mountain Eagle on his shoulder.

"Hey!"

After nodding, Yunshan Eagle transformed into white mist and pushed forward.

At the same time, Roland's clone also rushed towards the Blackwood Forest.

"Boss, can I see the little devil you tamed?" Goldbeard asked curiously.

Roland glanced at Golden Beard and then raised his right hand, the demon tattoo on the back of his hand glowing slightly.

With a thought, a flash of red light appeared, and the little devil Grash appeared in the open space.

"Great master!" Grash prostrated himself on the ground as soon as he appeared. "Grash obeys your commands!"

Golden Beard leaned closer to observe, and the little devil shrank back in fright, but dared not run away.

Elizabeth asked thoughtfully, "Roland, can you sense its thoughts?"

"A vague connection," Roland said, closing his eyes to sense it. "I can perceive its fear and obedience, but its specific thoughts require focused interpretation. However, I can forcefully command it."

"Ask it about the Blackwood Forest," Elizabeth suggested. "Demons should have a connection."

"Demons have this ability?"

Roland was somewhat surprised

"you do not know?"

Yili looked at Roland with the same surprise.

"Cough cough,"

Roland coughed twice and looked at Grash: "Can you sense your kind?"

The little demon trembled: "Master...Master, Grash can sense...a similar aura in the north, but much stronger than Grash himself."

"And... there's an aura of darkness, a darkness that doesn't belong to the abyss."

"What do you mean?" Roland frowned.

"It's like... the aura of a shadow creature, but not exactly the same," Grash tried to describe. "Grash has heard in the Abyss that some wizards summon demons and shadow demons simultaneously to perform some kind of evil ritual..."

"Dual summoning?" Ilya's expression turned serious. "That requires at least a level 4 spellcasting ability. Roland, we need to be careful. Wizards are the most troublesome, especially wealthy ones."

"Um,"

Roland nodded, then withdrew the little devil.

A flash of red light appeared, the little devil disappeared, and the tattoo on Roland's hand seemed clearer.

"Roland, it seems the demons in the Blackwood Forest were summoned by the Dark Elves. I suggest we retreat."

Yi Li said in a deep voice,

"No need to rush, let my clone investigate first."

Roland raised his hand, stopped speaking, and focused on controlling the clone.

A short while later, Roland's clone and Cloud Mountain Eagle arrived at the edge of the Blackwood Forest.

The mist formed by the Cloud Mountain Eagle could not drift into the Black Mist Forest, as it was blocked by something invisible.

"Yili guessed right, Yunshan Eagle's detection ability failed. Fortunately, I have a clone."

Roland thought to himself as he controlled his clone to walk forward.

The scene before me was unsettling; the trees at the edge of the forest had begun to wither, their leaves turning an unnatural grayish-black.

A faint smell of sulfur filled the air, mixed with the odor of rotting plants.

"The demon's influence has spread to the outskirts of the forest." Roland crouched down to examine the ground, picking up some dark red powder with his fingers. "Sulfur powder, the effect is actually this great."

Roland activated his senses, and his more than 20 sense points swept across the surroundings like radar. He vaguely sensed a chaotic and evil energy fluctuation deep in the forest, as well as another, more concealed, and cold dark aura.

"Two different evil forces," Roland opened his eyes. "Glash is right, there are more than just demons."

Roland cautiously entered the forest. The deeper he went, the more eerie the scenery became.

The tree was completely dead, its bark peeled off, revealing black wood underneath.

Occasionally, animal bones could be seen on the ground, their flesh seemingly stripped away completely. The smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger, mixed with a sweet, rotten stench.

After walking for a while, Roland looked at a big tree and saw three deep claw marks on the trunk, surrounded by charred marks.

"A demon's claw mark, and it's quite large."

"Judging from its appearance, it is either a third-tier Terror Demon or a Berserker Demon."

Roland narrowed his eyes, quickly recalling the information about the demon.

He didn't spend all that time looking at the monster encyclopedia for nothing.

Continuing forward, Roland saw a human corpse nailed to a dead tree, its chest hollowed out, but strangely, there was no blood.

On the ground around the corpse, some faint shadows were wriggling.

"The work of the Shadow Fiend?" Roland recalled the information about the Shadow Fiend: "This corpse has had its life energy drained."

As Roland was thinking, the shadows suddenly coalesced into form—three creatures, like two-dimensional silhouettes, rose from the ground. They had no facial features, only a pair of eyes that glowed red.

At the same time, heavy footsteps came from the bushes on the right, and two demons, each over two meters tall and with crimson skin, emerged.

They were muscular, had two horns on their heads, and held burning giant swords in their hands.

"Dread Demon, Tier 3"

"Shadow Fiend Servant, Tier 3!" Roland quickly assessed.

"Roar!" The Terror Demon launched the first attack, its greatsword, wreathed in sulfurous flames, slashing towards Roland.

Roland neither dodged nor evaded, but drew his bow and nocked an arrow: "Blood Arrow!"

A jet of blood shot out, instantly piercing the chest of the first ghoul.

But the demon was extremely resilient; it only staggered for a moment before its wounds began to heal.

"Regeneration?" Roland raised an eyebrow. "Then let's try this—Fire Breath Dragon Flame!"

The second arrow was fired, transforming into a pillar of fire that engulfed the two ghouls.

Then, Roland fired three arrows in quick succession, accurately hitting the core of the Shadow Demon's minions. They emitted a silent shriek and vanished completely.

Although Roland's clone is not as powerful as his original body, it still has 25 points in strength, constitution, and agility, making it difficult for a few third-tier monsters to take it down.

Roland examined the remains of the ghoul, his brow furrowed: "These demons were indeed summoned."

Thinking it over, Roland picked out a piece of bone engraved with runes from the charred remains. It was a "summoning beacon," used by wizards to guide and control demons.

"In other words, the summoner is deep within the forest." Roland gazed into the darkness of the forest. "Let's keep going. I can feel that energy fluctuation growing stronger."

Roland set off again, and as he ventured deeper, the road became increasingly difficult to traverse. The dead trees twisted into bizarre shapes, as if frozen in agony.

Occasionally, one could hear inhuman roars coming from afar, but strangely, no new enemies were encountered.

A dozen minutes later, Roland arrived at a clearing in the woods, and the sight before him made him gasp.

In the center of the open space, a huge magic circle was in operation.

The outer layer features crimson runes representing the abyss, while the inner layer consists of deep purple patterns symbolizing the shadow realm.

At the core of the magic circle floats a beating black heart, each beat radiating a nauseating, evil energy.

Around the magic circle, a dozen or so black-robed figures knelt and chanted softly. Even more astonishingly, there was a summoning gate on each side of the magic circle.

A billowing sulfurous smoke revealed the vague outline of a demon.

Another one is like a black hole, from which Shadow Fiends flow continuously.

On the high platform directly in front of the magic circle stood a humanoid creature dressed in a dark red robe—it had a humanoid outline, but its skin was dark purple, it had curved horns on its head, and a pair of broken bat wings on its back.

"A half-demon wizard," Roland's pupils contracted, "a hybrid of beings from the Abyss and the Prime Material Plane, a natural spellcaster, at least at the fifth rank!"

The half-demon wizard seemed to sense Roland's arrival and slowly turned around.

Its face has no nose, only a pair of completely black eyes and a gaping mouth that stretches to its ears.

"Ah... a new sacrifice." Its voice was like the scraping of metal. "Perfect, the ritual needs more life energy. Seize him!"

The black-robed cultists raised their heads, their eyes, hidden beneath hoods, were fanatical and empty. They stood up and drew their weapons—these were not ordinary humans; their skin bore demonic marks, their eyes were bloodshot, and their fingers had transformed into claws.

"A corrupted cultist," Roland calmly analyzed, "possibly at the third tier, not a serious threat. The real danger is this fifth-tier guy."

Half-demon wizard

Rank: 5th-tier Wizard

Strength: 19 [Equipment Effect 20]

Agility: 19 [Equipment Effect 20]

Constitution: 22 [Equipment Effect 24]

Intelligence: 28 [Equipment Effect: 29]

Perception: 23 [Equipment Effect 24]

Charisma: 23 [Equipment Effect: 24]

Skill:……

Roland looked at the half-demon wizard, quickly checked the information, and then moved, a pair of huge dragon wings appearing on his back as he soared into the sky.

At the same time, Roland drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Rainstorm Technique!"

boom!

Countless raindrops shot out from the two summoning gates.

"!"

"A fifth-tier spell!"

The half-demon wizard's pupils contracted, somewhat unable to believe that the person in front of him could unleash a fifth-tier attack, when he was clearly only a fourth-tier wizard.

"Demon Shield!"

The half-demon wizard raised his hand and waved his hand, instantly casting the fifth-tier spell, Demon Shield.

A red, lava-like shield rose up and enveloped the summoning gate.

Seize! Seize! Seize!

Roland's clone only has 25 points of strength, and the equipment it's wearing is fake, or rather, it's just a clone and can't provide any increase in spell power.

Therefore, Roland's attack was ineffective.

……

At the same time, Roland looked at Ili and said, "Let's go. The enemy is dangerous; he's a level 5 half-demon wizard. We're no match for him."

"Go back and report it!"