DipNovel Chapter 15: Level 7 Magical Beast
Chapter 15: Level 7 Magical Beast
On the twentieth day, Lin Yun began to venture deeper into the Monster Mountain Range.
This area is now frequented by level six magical beasts, and the air is filled with an even stronger aura of magical beasts. The ancient trees are even denser, their canopies blocking out the sun, making it almost impossible for sunlight to penetrate. The ground is perpetually dark, covered with thick layers of decaying leaves, emitting a damp and musty smell.
Beibei perched on his shoulder, its little nose twitching as it warily surveyed its surroundings. Its senses were far more acute than Lin Yun's, and during their time in the Monster Mountain Range, it had repeatedly detected hidden threats in advance.
"Beibei, can you find any trace of a level seven magical beast?" Lin Yun asked.
"Chirp!" Beibei jumped off his shoulder, landed on the ground, sniffed the ground with its little nose, and then darted off in one direction.
Lin Yun followed closely behind.
After passing through a dense forest and crossing a ridge, Beibei suddenly stopped. Its body arched, its fur stood on end, and it emitted a low hiss—a warning when it encountered a powerful enemy.
Lin Yun immediately released "Probing Wind".
The aura he sensed sent a chill down his spine—three hundred meters ahead, a powerful and violent life force clung to a giant rock. The intensity of that aura far surpassed that of any magical beast he had encountered before.
Level 7.
Moreover, it's not just any ordinary level seven.
Lin Yun cautiously approached and finally recognized the owner of that aura—
Black-striped leopard.
This was a black leopard-like magical beast, three meters long, its entire body covered in ink-black fur with dark gold stripes, like flowing lava. Its limbs were thick and powerful, its claws gleaming with a metallic sheen, and a long tail swayed slowly behind it, its tip sharp as a spear.
At this moment, it was lying on a giant rock, its eyes half-closed, seemingly resting. But Lin Yun knew that magical beasts of this level had extremely keen senses, and it had likely already discovered him.
Beibei hissed more urgently on Lin Yun's shoulder, its little paws gripping his collar tightly. It was warning Lin Yun—this creature was very dangerous, don't make any rash moves.
Lin Yun took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
The Black-striped Panther, a level seven wind-type magical beast, is renowned for its speed. Its charging speed can reach over 100 meters per second, its claws can tear through steel, and its tail spear is a deadly ranged weapon. Among the level seven magical beasts of the Monster Mountain Range, the Black-striped Panther, while not the strongest, is definitely one of the most difficult to deal with.
But Lin Yun did not back down.
He needs this battle. He needs a real life-or-death battle to touch that barrier.
"Beibei, you're in charge of harassing its flanks and rear, don't engage it head-on," Lin Yun said in a low voice. "Leave the front to me."
Beibei chirped and jumped off his shoulder, disappearing silently into the bushes.
Lin Yun slowly stood up and walked out from behind the giant rock.
The black-striped leopard's eyes suddenly opened.
It had a pair of vertical, eerie green pupils, cold and cruel, devoid of any emotion. It stared at Lin Yun as if he were an intruder who had trespassed into its territory—a prey that overestimated its own strength.
"roar--"
A deep roar rolled from the black-striped leopard's throat, echoing like muffled thunder through the forest. It slowly stood up, its muscles bulging beneath its fur, the dark gold stripes seeming to come alive, flowing gently across its black coat.
Lin Yun did not wait for it to make the first move.
He raised his right hand, and a purple lightning bolt shot out—
"Raiya!"
The black-striped leopard didn't even move, just slightly tilted its head, and the lightning bolt grazed its ear, struck the rock behind it, and blasted up a pile of rubble.
Wow, so fast!
No, it wasn't speed; it was its ability to anticipate danger far beyond Lin Yun's imagination. It didn't move at all; it simply relied on instinct to judge the trajectory of the lightning bolt and made the smallest possible evasive maneuver.
Lin Yun's heart sank.
This kind of opponent is much more difficult to deal with than those magical beasts that rely on brute force.
The black-striped leopard seemed enraged by the attack. Its body dipped slightly, and then—
Disappeared.
No, it didn't disappear, it was just that it was too fast, so fast that Lin Yun's naked eye couldn't even detect it!
Lin Yun almost instinctively unleashed "Guardian of the Wind," simultaneously rolling to the side—
"Rip!"
Three deep claw marks appeared where he had just stood, leaving half-inch-deep grooves in the rocky ground. Had he been a fraction of a second slower, those three claws would have landed on him.
Lin Yun got up from the ground, his back soaked with cold sweat.
That's too fast. His Wind Guardian can't keep up with that speed at all.
The black-striped leopard landed five meters behind him, its eerie green vertical pupils coldly fixed on him, its long tail swaying slowly behind it. It didn't rush to launch a second attack, as if toying with its prey.
Lin Yun gritted his teeth and quickly adjusted his strategy.
In terms of speed, he couldn't outrun the black-striped leopard. In a head-on collision, his defenses couldn't withstand its claws. His only advantage was the diversity of his seven magical elements.
He needs to limit its speed.
"Ground Thrust!"
Dozens of stone spikes suddenly shot out from under the black-striped leopard's feet. But the leopard was faster—it leaped lightly onto a nearby tree, and all the stone spikes missed their mark.
Lin Yun didn't stop. He waved his left hand, and a streak of light blue flashed—
"Water Curtain Sky Splendor!"
A curtain of water unfurled before him, not for defense, but to obscure his vision. At the same time, he conjured a wind blade in his right hand and slashed towards the treetop where the black-striped leopard was located.
"Wind Blade Slash!"
The treetop was severed and crashed to the ground. But the black-striped leopard had already leaped onto another tree the instant the canopy fell, its speed terrifying.
Lin Yun's heart sank deeper and deeper.
Ground Thrust, Water Curtain, Wind Blade—three spells were cast in quick succession, yet he couldn't even touch the black-striped leopard's fur. Its speed and reaction far exceeded his expectations.
The black-striped leopard seemed to have grown tired of this cat-and-mouse game.
Its body sank again, and then—
A black lightning bolt flashed across the sky.
Lin Yun only had time to stack a layer of Light Armor and Earth Guardian Holy Armor on his body before the black-striped leopard's claws arrived.
"Bang!"
The first layer of light armor was torn to shreds like paper. The second layer, the Earth Guardian Armor, lasted less than half a second before shattering with a crash. Claws pierced through the defenses and slammed into Lin Yun's chest.
Blood splattered.
Lin Yun was sent flying, his back slamming into a large tree, the trunk, as thick as a bowl, snapping in two. He landed on the ground, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.
A sharp pain shot through his chest; three deep, bone-revealing wounds stretched from his left shoulder to his right rib, blood gushing out. Had the Earth Guardian Armor not absorbed most of the force, this claw strike would have been fatal.
"Cough..." Lin Yun coughed up a mouthful of blood and struggled to get up.
The black-striped leopard stood where it had been, licking the blood from its paws, a cruel satisfaction flashing in its eerie green vertical pupils.
Beibei burst out of the bushes, blocking Lin Yun's path, and let out a sharp hiss at the black-striped leopard. Its body arched, its fur stood on end, and a power that was completely disproportionate to its small size burst forth.
The black-striped leopard's ears twitched, seemingly wary of Bei Bei's presence. But after glancing at the wound on Lin Yun's chest and then at Bei Bei's small size, it ultimately chose to ignore the little creature.
It slowly walked towards Lin Yun, each step unhurried.
Lin Yun gritted his teeth, pressed his left hand on the wound on his chest, and cast a light-type healing spell.
"Healing techniques".
A white light flowed across the wound, and the bleeding gradually stopped, but the wound was too deep to heal quickly. The intense pain made his consciousness somewhat blurred, but he forced himself to stay awake.
Can't fall down.
If you fall, you're really dead.
He still had trump cards up his sleeve. He still had most of his peak level six magic power from seven elements unused. In the previous battle, he had been using low-level magic to probe and wear down his opponent, but now—there was no need to hold back.
Lin Yun took a deep breath, and the magical power within his body surged like boiling magma.
The black leopard was only ten meters away from him.
Lin Yun suddenly raised his head, a flash of seven-colored light disappearing from his eyes.
"Earth Shattering Technique!"
He pressed his hands to the ground, and earth magic surged wildly into the earth. Suddenly, the ground beneath the black-striped leopard cracked open, a bottomless fissure like the gaping maw of a giant beast, ready to devour it.
The black-striped leopard cried out in surprise and leaped to the side. But this time, it was a little slower than before—the area of the Earth Shatter spell was too large, and it had to leap with all its might.
Lin Yun seized this fleeting opening—
"Gravity Spell!"
Earth-type advanced magic: Gravity.
This was the highest-level earth magic he had learned from Delin, capable of increasing gravity several times over within a certain area. The black-striped leopard had barely landed when its body suddenly sank, and its limbs visibly bent.
Although it only lasted less than a second, it was enough.
"Lightning Chain!"
Purple lightning chains flew from Lin Yun's hand and wrapped around the black-striped leopard's hind legs. Electricity surged through its body, and the leopard let out a painful roar.
But it was, after all, a level seven magical beast. The lightning chains only bound it for less than two seconds before it broke free. Wisps of smoke rose from its black fur, but the ferocity in its eyes burned even brighter.
The black-striped leopard roared and, ignoring its injured hind leg, pounced madly at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun did not retreat.
He knew that against an opponent of such speed, retreat meant certain death. Only by attacking back could he have a chance of survival.
"Water dragon bullet!"
A jet of water shot out from his hand, slamming into the black-striped leopard. The leopard was thrown off course, but its sharp claws still grazed Lin Yun's right arm, tearing away a patch of flesh.
Lin Yun groaned, his right arm drooping down, blood dripping from his fingers.
But he didn't stop.
A beam of light magic materialized in his left hand—
"Spear of Light!"
The light spear shot out, and the black-striped leopard, unable to gain leverage in mid-air, was struck in the side by the spear. White light exploded on its body, a large patch of its black fur was scorched, and the dark gold stripes were greatly dimmed.
The black-striped leopard fell to the ground, rolled twice, and struggled to its feet. It had a charred wound on its side, and its hind legs were trembling slightly—the damage from the lightning chains had significantly reduced its speed.
But it did not run away.
The dignity of a level seven magical beast would not allow it to flee when facing a level six mage.
The black-striped leopard let out a deep roar, and the dark gold stripes on its body suddenly lit up, like burning magma. Its speed increased abruptly, becoming faster and more ferocious than before—
"roar!"
Lin Yun knew that this was its final outburst.
He took a deep breath and mobilized all the remaining magical power within his body. The seven elements of magic surged wildly within him, like seven different rivers converging into a torrent.
This was something he had never tried before—the combined casting of seven magical elements.
"Earth's Binding!"
The ground beneath the black-striped leopard's feet suddenly softened, turning into a swamp that sank its limbs into.
"The Shackles of the Wind!"
Invisible wind ropes wrapped around its body and tightened.
"A Cage of Water!"
Water elements coalesced into a giant water sphere, enveloping the black-striped leopard within.
Three binding spells were cast simultaneously, restricting the Black-striped Leopard's movements to the extreme. But it was, after all, a level seven magical beast, and it struggled frantically. The earth bindings were cracking, the wind shackles were breaking, and the water cage was also teetering on the brink of collapse.
Lin Yun gritted his teeth and used his right hand—the one that wasn't injured—to condense the last spell.
It wasn't lightning, nor light, but fire, which he rarely used in battle.
"Fire Dragon Technique!"
A fire dragon burst forth from his hand, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at the trapped black-striped leopard. The fire dragon was extremely hot, distorting even the air itself.
The black-striped leopard let out a desperate roar, struggling to break free of all its restraints, but it was too late.
The fire dragon crashed into it, exploded, and engulfed it in raging flames.
The flames died down.
The black-striped leopard lay on the ground, its body charred black, the dark gold stripes completely faded and devoid of their former luster. Its chest rose and fell slightly, making a final struggle, but it could no longer stand.
Lin Yun stood there, panting heavily.
He had three deep, bone-revealing wounds on his chest, a long gash on his right arm, and was covered in blood. His magical power was almost completely depleted, and he barely had the strength to stand.
But he won.
At the peak of level six, he defeated a level seven magical beast.
Beibei jumped down from the tree next to it, perched on the black-striped leopard's head, chirped twice, and patted its head with its little paws to confirm that it was completely dead. Then, it scurried back onto Lin Yun's shoulder, nuzzled his cheek with its little head, and made soft meows.
Lin Yun smiled wryly and reached out to pat Bei Bei's head.
"I almost died here," he murmured.
He collapsed to the ground, leaning against a large tree, gasping for breath. The wound in his chest still throbbed, and he couldn't lift his right arm. He rummaged through his bag for medicine and poured it on the wound. White foam billowed up, and the pain made him gasp.
But he dared not stop.
This was, after all, deep within the Monster Mountain Range, and the smell of blood would soon attract other monsters. He needed to recover some strength as quickly as possible and leave this place.
Lin Yun closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. His magical power slowly recovered within him, like water returning to a dried-up riverbed. Beibei perched on his shoulder, vigilantly watching their surroundings, protecting him.
Half an hour later, Lin Yun opened his eyes. His magic power had recovered to less than 30%, but it was barely enough. He struggled to his feet, walked to the black-striped leopard's corpse, and took out its magic crystal.
A level seven magic crystal, the size of a fist, entirely black with faint dark gold patterns flowing inside. This was his most precious trophy.
"Let's go, Beibei." Lin Yun put away the magic crystal and turned to walk towards the outer edge of the mountain range.
Beibei chirped and followed in his footsteps.
Three days later, Lin Yun returned to a safe cave on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range.
Over the past three days, he has been traveling while simultaneously recovering from his injuries and restoring his magical power. With the help of light-based healing spells and healing potions, the wound on his chest has scabbed over, and he can now move his right arm again.
But he was not in a hurry to return to the academy.
In this battle, he gained not only a level seven magic crystal, but also a completely new understanding of magic.
Against the Black-striped Leopard, he was neither fast enough nor strong enough; a single spell posed no threat. But his seven-elemental rotation and combined spellcasting gave him a chance to win.
Earth magic restricts movement, water and wind magic provide auxiliary control, lightning and light magic are the main attackers, and fire magic delivers the fatal blow—each of the seven magic elements has its own role, and only by using the right magic at the right time can its maximum power be unleashed.
This is the significance of cultivating all seven systems.
It's not about leveling all seven magic elements to the same level, but about choosing the most suitable combination of magic for different combat scenarios.
Lin Yun sat cross-legged in the cave, closed his eyes, and savored every detail of the battle. His mental strength was slowly increasing, his magical power was gradually solidifying, and the invisible barrier seemed to have developed a slight crack.
"Just a little bit more," he murmured.
Beibei curled up beside him, its small body rising and falling, fast asleep. It was exhausted these past few days, secretly protecting Lin Yun in every battle, ready to intervene at any moment.
Lin Yun opened his eyes, looked at the moonlight outside the cave, and smiled slightly.
He won against the level seven magical beast.
But he knew this was just the beginning. Deep within the Monster Mountain Range, there were level eight, level nine, and even Saint-level monsters. His journey was far from over.
However, that's a matter for the future.
Now, he needs to recover from his injuries, consolidate the gains from this battle, and then—break through to level seven.