Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience-Chapter 119 - 027: The battle begins

"Woo-woo-woo!" The horns of war blared, and battalions of soldiers marched in ordered ranks under the Knights’ command into the Forest.

"W-What... What is this place..."

"So terrifying..."

"Are we really going to fight here?"

Not long after entering, the troops were affected by the corruption of negative energy particles in the area. One after another, their faces turned pale as dread seeped into their hearts. The elemental environment here could even impact a Mid-level Apprentice, let alone ordinary soldiers.

At the center of the formation, Rolf frowned deeply. He quickly reached into his Space Ring and took out a bag of leaves, handing them to Isaac, who stood beside him. "Distribute these to the soldiers—everyone gets one to hold in their mouths."

These were Spiritual Leaves and could reinforce spiritual power, serving as a potent defense against the corruption of negative energy particles in such conditions.

"My lord! Over here!"

However, before Isaac could begin distributing the leaves, a Low-level Apprentice at the front suddenly shouted. He was clutching a Crystal Ball that now emitted a blinding light. This reaction only occurred when the marked distance was less than a hundred meters.

"Whizz-whizz-whizz!"

At the same time, a shrill burst of arrow sounds erupted. From within a nearby bush, a volley of bone-white arrows shot out in dense formation. The Low-level Apprentice holding the Crystal Ball, along with the two soldiers assigned to protect him, was immediately pierced through and turned into a human pincushion.

"Aah!!!"

The Low-level Apprentice didn’t die instantly. Screaming in agony, he fumbled with a Magic Potion in an attempt to heal himself. However, an instant later, a Wind Blade sliced out from the same bush, striking true and lopping his head clean off. His cries were abruptly silenced.

Without warning, the battle commenced.

"Clack-clack-clack!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

The grating sound of bone-on-bone grinding merged with the wheezing of hollow throats. Rows of zombies and skeletons surged out from either side of the road, followed by a rain of dense bone arrows aiming directly at the soldiers in the center of the path.

"S-Skeletons!"

"Monsters!"

The majority of the soldiers, having never before witnessed such a horrific scene, were already shaken. Combined with the corruption of negative energy particles in the air, their fear intensified exponentially. Within moments, the previously steady formation fell apart, and many soldiers were utterly stricken with terror.

"Clang!"

Just as the situation threatened to spiral out of control, the sharp, ringing hum of a sword pierced the air. Isaac, his entire body glowing with a radiant silver light, unsheathed his blade and charged forward. Wielding the Cross Sword in his hands, he swung with unrelenting vigor, cutting down several skeleton zombies on the spot.

As an illegitimate child, Isaac had long known that strength was the only means to change his fate. His rigorous and tireless Knight Training had made him one of the youngest warriors to achieve the power of a Mid-level Knight.

"Do not panic! Draw your swords and fight alongside me!"

"Barry, distribute the leaves—one per person, and hold them in your mouths!"

"Fight! Fight!"

Calm and assertive commands rang out one after another. The Spiritual Leaves quickly made their way into the soldiers’ mouths, and the tide of fear began to abate. The formation regained stability.

In the distance, Lynch, who was watching the scene from another bush, furrowed his brow deeply.

Even with the advantage of terrain and a surprise attack, they had achieved only a meager result. To make matters worse, even the High-level Apprentice among the enemy forces remained unshaken, not having made a move.

Difficult...

If he had previously thought he had a fifty-fifty chance at victory, now he was sure his odds had dropped to a mere thirty percent.

"What now?" Avery asked anxiously.

Lynch responded without hesitation: "Retreat."

With their first-strike advantage lost, continuing to fight here was no longer wise. He left behind several Undead Servants to stall their pursuers, then led the remaining undead deeper into the Forest.

Without their command, the already-outnumbered undead forces quickly fell into disarray. Under the combined assault of soldiers and apprentices, they were swiftly reduced to mere husks.

In contrast, Rolf’s side suffered minimal losses—only a single Low-level Apprentice and less than ten ordinary soldiers.

"My lord, they’ve fled in this direction!"

A Low-level Apprentice, holding up a glowing Crystal Ball, pointed in one direction.

There was no hesitation.

"Pursue them!"

The group continued their chase after the fleeing Lynch and Avery, soon arriving at a distorted part of the Forest.

Here, the gnarled and withered trees seemed to awaken upon their approach. Eyes full of malice blinked open along the twisted trunks, glaring at them with unbridled hatred.

"W-What are those things?"

"Eyes... why are there eyes on the trees?" freёnovelkiss.com

"So horrifying..."

Rolf’s expression grew grave. Without missing a beat, he warned, "Isaac, make sure your people stay vigilant. Whatever you do, do not touch those eyes!"

These were Modos’ Resentful Eyes, parasitic creatures of Necromancy, radiating an aura of loathing for all living things.

By their nature, these entities despised the living, but they were fortunately stable in temperament. They would not attack as long as no one provoked them.

However,

Lynch would never allow things to go so smoothly for his enemies.

Just as Rolf’s group reached the center of this eerie part of the Forest, the sound of flapping wings echoed overhead.

"Flap-flap! Flap-flap!"

A winged lizard emerged from within the hazy gray fog, its silhouette sharpening as it approached. Opening its jaws, it breathed a stream of fire that swept over the gnarled trees below, igniting several dried-up trunks in an instant.

"Aah!!!"

Piercing screams of resentment erupted throughout the Forest, as sharp and jarring as war horns echoing over a battlefield.

The once-still trees came alive in an instant.

The hateful eyes embedded in their twisted trunks filled with blood-red veins. Moments later, beams of gray-black light shot out from the eyes, targeting the soldiers around them.

"Aah!"

"My hand, my hand!"

Cries of agony filled the air as the soldiers who were struck found their flesh decaying and rotting rapidly, as if it had been doused with highly concentrated acid. The sound of sizzling and bubbling followed.

The Necrosis Beam, the method of attack from the Resentful Eyes, drained the life force of their victims, rapidly inducing death.

Though individually the beams were not extremely powerful—roughly the equivalent of a single strike—they were not fatal on their own.

The problem lay in the sheer number of these twisted trees, with trunks densely packed with hateful eyes. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Necrosis Beams lashed out simultaneously, wreaking massive carnage on the group.

"Clack-clack-clack!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

At the same time, the grating crunch of bones and the hollow wheezing resumed. Swarms of skeletons and zombies poured into the fray once more.

The battle between the living and the dead had erupted in full force!