A few days into the war, the land of Cthulhu was badly damaged. The ground near the battle area sank almost a hundred meters. Adam and a group of mages, in charge of fixing and protecting Camp 760, arrived there using magic.
Camp 760 was now destroyed and turned into a battlefield with strange creatures fighting the mages who came to help. There were constant blasts of energy, making shockwaves like strong winds.
When the mages arrived, three level-four mages told everyone to make sure their armor was fully working. They worked together to make a shield spell that protected everyone.
They found themselves in the middle of the fight, facing a barrage of radioactive energy attacks.
This gave the mages who were struggling a moment to catch their breath. The two leaders of the strong mages told Adam's team leader, "This is your responsibility now," and left with their group.
They had to protect other places too and staying too long at Camp 760 could lead to surprise attacks by the radioactive creatures.
The three level-four mages didn't even say thanks. In wars, all mages were united. If one place was in trouble, others had to help. Any mage who was afraid or betrayed others would be shunned by everyone.
Suddenly, a massive energy attack came from a distance. Mage Stanley showed his powerful Elemental Trueself and stopped the attack with a wave of metal element. He said, "You all know how to fight. Just one thing: make sure you stay safe and clear the camp of all these creatures quickly. Leave nothing behind. Let's start."
After speaking, the three level-fours charged into the enemy lines, seeking level-four radioactive creatures to execute a decapitation strategy.
The other mages displayed astonishing execution at this moment. As soon as Stanley finished speaking, they spread out instantly, maintaining a distance that allowed maximal use of their magical power without harming each other, yet close enough to support their comrades.
They automatically formed a cross-battle formation. After a few rounds of magical bombardment, one group would retreat, and another would take over, maintaining continuous attack.
Apart from Adam, all the mages possessed an Elemental Trueself. When deployed, they shone like neon lights, flickering in various colors. Their powerful magics created a saturated attack, covering every inch without exception. The elements complemented each other, making the mage legion appear both dangerous and elegant.
The body-refining mages presented a contrasting style. Wielding elemental weapons, they charged to the forefront of the battlefield, engaging in close combat with the monsters.
This was Adam's first time witnessing the combat style of body-refining mages.
The Transformers, like Woll, transformed into beings over thirty meters tall, turning into a type of creature Adam had never seen before. The Enhancers grew in proportion, their muscles bulging, with magical power visibly flowing over their skin and mage armor. Every movement they made seemed to shake the earth, and each swing of their weapon caused the air to wail under its burden.
Each body-refining mage was a battle enthusiast, reveling in the fight and the kill, uncaring even in the face of numerous wounds. Injuries only fueled their fighting spirit, showcasing a thrilling sense of power.
Adam was actually the weakest among them, so he took on a supportive role.
Since all mages had received magnetized mage armors through the Mage Network, Adam gained some control capabilities. At the back of the formation, he fully deployed a strong magnetic field.
Sensing the changes within the range, no mage hesitated, granting him partial control. In an instant, everyone became a moving magnetic field, its strength corresponding to their individual power. The greatest beneficiaries were the three level-four mages, who could now move through enemy lines almost ignoring the radioactive energy attacks.
The attacks of the radioactive creatures weakened step by step as they entered the magnetic field. At this point, it was as if Adam, with his modest power, had cast a buff across the battlefield.
But that wasn't all. Adam could, to some extent, harness the residual magical energy radiating from the mages, gathering this otherwise lost energy for his own use, exerting strength far beyond his level.
Within the magnetic field, Adam could calculate the position of each person, the frequency and intensity of collective spells, the mages' cooldown speeds, and other data.
He constantly waved his magic wand, sending down thousands of elemental missiles in a continuous stream, perfectly filling the gaps in combat and increasing the efficiency of the saturated attack.
At this moment, Adam even felt that he might have chosen the wrong path. His magic, his abilities, were seemingly tailor-made for a battlemage.
"Well done!"
The change on the battlefield was clear, and everyone knew it was because of the mage without an Elemental Trueself, standing behind them. The mage closest to Adam, while getting his magic power back, turned, gave Adam a thumbs-up, and said with real feeling, "I haven't felt this good in a fight in a long time."
Suddenly, the radioactive creatures they were fighting started to change. The powerful attacks from the three level-four mages forced the level-four radioactive creatures to step in. They flew up, leading the mages to a different part of the battlefield.
Even though they were outnumbered, the strong mages were holding their own, three against twenty.
The weaker creatures also changed, becoming more effective for fighting. They stopped acting alone and turned into something like gun towers. Their scattered energy attacks became more focused. They didn't take turns; when their energy was low, the stronger creatures would eat the weaker ones to get more energy. Those about to die split at the last moment, creating new radioactive creatures.
Their energy attacks changed too, becoming tricky and hard to predict. Some could even move through space. After going a certain distance, these attacks would disappear and then show up again somewhere else.
Adam could sense these sneaky attacks because of his special ability to feel energy changes in the magnetic field.
Maybe the previous camp lost because they didn't expect the creatures to change their attacks in such a strange way. But in a direct fight, without a big number on their side, the creatures couldn't beat the mages in terms of skill.
This time, most of the mages fixing the camp were level-three, with fewer than ten at level-two, and only Adam at level-one. When so many strong mages worked together, their combined power was much more than Adam had ever thought possible.
The fight between the two groups lasted an hour. When the three level-four mages came back from the sky, victorious, bringing down some captured and unharmed level-four radioactive creatures,
Stanley ordered everyone to join in a final, all-out attack.
Adam didn't join in. Stanley called him over.
"Your magic with electromagnetism is very impressive, especially in group fights," Stanley said, changing back to his normal look and playing with a small magnetic field in admiration. "After this, would you think about becoming a battlemage? I bet you'd be really good at it."
"Thank you, but I haven't thought about it yet," Adam replied.
Stanley didn't seem bothered by Adam's answer. "Of course, it's up to you," he said. "And you've really done well with your mission to explore, especially if those weird ores and creatures from this world turn out to be so valuable."
He pointed at the radioactive creatures and added, "Your job here is done. Your magic is impressive, but you're not ready for big battles, and it's not the best use of an Explorer to have you fighting."
Battlemages each have their own roles. Adam had worked with the supply team before, collecting ores and capturing less dangerous creatures cheaply. His reasons for being in this battle were to learn how mages fought and to catch some stronger creatures.
Now he was planning to leave Cthulhu and go back to the world of mages.
The fight between the mages and the radiation lords was still going on in the void. The starship could only tell that the mages were still alive, but it couldn't track their energy anymore.
Winning was still far away, and given how things were, the conflict on Cthulhu looked like it would last a long time. Adam didn't want to stay here longer.
As an Explorer, Adam had a lot of privileges. After he finished exploring, he didn't have to stay for the war. The command center agreed to let him go back and said he could leave anytime through a special teleportation portal.
After thanking Stanley again, Adam packed several creatures in special containers and said goodbye, "Then, I'll get the reward for catching them when I get back to the Tower. Thanks again for your help."
...
The teleportation was smooth, with no problems. When Adam opened his eyes, he was back. The feeling of the magical energy and elemental power made him feel home.
The devil, now a magic wand, wanted to be free. He looked at Adam sadly but didn't say anything.
Adam knew what he wanted, but he couldn't let go of the devil at this moment. There was a lot of work to do, and he needed the wand for these tasks.
The teleportation hall was as busy as usual, with many people coming and going. Nobody really noticed Adam, except for an alchemy golem on duty, which came up to him and said, "Explorer Adam, welcome back. Do you need to get your deposited slaves and items from the Tower right away?"
When Adam got back to the starship before, he had already sent different kinds of living creatures back to the Tower using a separate teleportation system. These creatures, along with forest elves and a young dragon, were now safely kept in a special area in the Tower for battlemages. This area was very secure.
Adam decided to get his things, and the alchemical golem took him to a disorganized space.
The process to check his identity was simple. It just needed a soul link with the Mage Network. After that, the room changed, showing thousands of forest elves and one dragon.
The creatures were scared; Adam could feel their fear, including Lina's. It was hard for them to suddenly be in a strange place without any introduction.
When Sophia saw Adam, she got excited and started to fly towards him. But then she remembered something and landed a bit away, staying quiet.
The alchemical golem said, "Beings that don't have a pact with any mage can't go into the world directly. Mage Adam, you can either keep paying for the storage space or make the pact here. If you keep renting, it will cost twenty pure ether crystals every day."
Nothing in the Tower was free, not even storing things. Adam agreed to pay and only took Lina, the creatures, and the raw ores with him.
As he was leaving, Sophia looked sad, getting smaller and her eyes losing their brightness.
...
"Master? So many... Masters?"
In the lab, Lina stared in shock at the many 'Adams' filling the room, her green energy going everywhere. She had just lost her new but fake power in the world of the mages and felt weak and reliant again. The sudden change had confused her, and now, seeing something that didn't make sense to her, she was unable to understand what was happening.
The devil, annoyed and in a bad mood, thought he should be having fun instead of dealing with these creatures.
He patted Lina's head roughly, making her energy scatter. He felt that without these troublesome creatures, he would be enjoying himself now.
Adam told the devil to explain things to Lina, while he went to one of the 'Adams' in the lab. He was keen to find out if the lab had finished its experiments while he was gone. This was important for him to know if he could move up to a level-two mage and, more importantly, if the All-Adam Lab was worth it.
