Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 513: Heart of the Insect Race

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

There was no deafening explosion, just an extreme light expanding silently and steadily from the chrysalis core.

Wherever the light passed, everything—whether it be the Insectoid, biological structures, or the massive living tissue of the chrysalis—disintegrated and vaporized in an instant, as if they never existed.

When the light faded, the area where the chrysalis once stood was now replaced by an incredibly smooth, massive hemispherical crater.

The rock and seabed substrate at the edge of the crater looked like glass, showing signs of being instantly melted by high temperatures and then rapidly cooled.

And the massive Level 2 chrysalis, along with countless defensive forces and Insectoid guards around it, had completely vanished without a trace.

As the devastating pure white light gradually dispersed, the area where the chrysalis originally was had been overtaken by the seamless, immense hemispherical crater.

The rock and seabed substrate at the crater’s edges appeared glassy, gleaming unnaturally, from being instantly melted by high heat and quickly cooled down.

However, unlike the utterly obliterated chrysalis and countless Insectoid guards reduced to nothingness,

at the very bottom of that giant crater, there pulsed a deep violet light, as if it was the condensation of all life and malice.

Duke also noticed this thing; he knew what it was.

It was a Heart of the Insect Race about the size of a house, formed by highly concentrated life energy and psychic power, covered in natural vein-like patterns resembling blood vessels and nerve bundles, emitting a breathtaking energy wave.

This was the essence of the entire Void Insect Race chrysalis, containing the vast life source power it had plundered, and its value was immeasurable.

Herbert hovered at the edge of the crater, his gaze calmly sweeping over the still-pulsating core, then turned towards Duke in the distance.

"Duke," he communicated directly via spiritual power, with an uncharacteristic hint of gentleness, "you personally financed and assembled a slave biological battle group to resist the insect tide, and timely discovered and accurately located this Level 2 chrysalis. According to the custom among wizards, the spoils rightfully belong to those who contributed and discovered. This Level 2 chrysalis core, containing immense life energy, might be of help to you; it’s yours."

Herbert’s voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable tone.

He clearly regarded this as a form of compensation and acknowledgment of Duke’s previous significant contributions and efforts. A Level 3 Mage personally allocating such a precious spoil to a Level 1 Mage was, in itself, a great affirmation.

Normally, Herbert should have taken a portion; that would be more in line with the rules, possibly even a significant portion.

Because even though Duke discovered this, Herbert expended more power to ultimately eliminate the chrysalis, so he deserved more.

But Herbert did not take any of it, instead giving it all to Duke.

This was indeed a form of compensation for Duke, but it was not from Black Sail or the Wizard Council, solely from Herbert himself.

Currently, neither Black Sail nor the Wizard Council had much energy to spare for the affairs of Florence Continent, and Duke’s efforts would likely not receive much compensation.

From the higher perspective, those like Herbert truly contributed the most effort, while Duke merely maintained one Maple Hill County.

But Duke did not do this for reward or compensation; he merely wanted to defend such a small place as Maple Hill County.

Herbert knew that the higher-ups would probably not give Duke much reward or compensation, but he also knew Duke had indeed put in a lot, which is why he made such a decision.

The core of the Level 2 chrysalis was indeed extremely precious, containing vast life energy, a treasure even for Level 3 Mages.

Duke was startled in his heart, looking at the enticing yet dangerous dark violet core at the pit’s bottom.

He immediately understood Herbert’s intention, without any pretentious declines. On the path of the Mage, resources were crucial, especially those of this magnitude, rare and invaluable.

He solemnly responded, "Thank you, Lord Herbert!"

Herbert nodded slightly, saying no more, only gesturing for Duke to go collect the Heart of the Insect Race.

Duke, knowing the value of this item, immediately dove down to prepare to retrieve the massive Heart of the Insect Race.

Herbert clearly had exquisite control over power, able to leave behind the Heart of the Insect Race while attacking the Void Insect Race on a large scale.

However, just as Duke was about to touch the core, a sudden change occurred.

A deep, resonating trumpet sound, as if from the throat of a deep-sea beast, came vibrating through the water.

Soon after, from the shadow of a seabed canyon to the side, the water flowed violently, and a group of figures rushed over.

There were about a dozen of them, led by a tall male of the Sea Race, wielding a trident made of coral material.

He had skin that shimmered with a light blue gloss, visible gill slits behind his ears, and wore ornate armor woven from the leather of some deep-sea creature and luminous pearls, his eyes sharp and wary.

The warriors behind him all had formidable auras, clearly elite among the Sea Race.

"Stop!" The leading Sea Race commander shouted in a common language with a strange rhythm, his voice unusually clear in the water, "All in the ocean belongs to the Sea Race! This alien demon’s remnants should also be handled by us. Mage, stand down immediately!"

The trident in his hand pointed directly at Duke, accompanied by his will and strong water pressure, attempting to prevent Duke from collecting the core.

This Sea Race member was clearly a formidable Level 2 Life.

Duke paused, feeling the formidable pressure, his brow furrowed, but he did not retreat immediately, instead casting his gaze upward towards Herbert.

Herbert’s figure appeared silently in front of Duke, easily dissolving the pressure emitted by the Sea Race commander.

He maintained his calm demeanor, but the vast, abyssal aura of a Level 3 Mage naturally spread, causing the once-stirring sea water to come to a standstill.

The group of Sea Race warriors suddenly found their breath constricted, clear apprehension written across their faces.

"Claim to govern all?" Herbert’s spiritual power information carried a soul-piercing force as he looked at the Sea Race commander,

"If I recall correctly, according to the peace treaty, this part of the open sea beyond a hundred nautical miles from Florence Continent is resource-poor and not within your Sea Race’s claimed domain. Your elders themselves once declared this area worthless. So, seeing an alien entity you can’t handle being eliminated, you intend to pick up the remains and overturn the agreement you made?"