Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shard of Divinity

Hagrid began to move, first putting on the beast mask. The mask, shaped like a wild boar, looked somewhat comical, but once he donned it, his aura changed instantly.

He walked nervously toward the crowd of monsters, poised to bolt at any moment. Though none of these creatures matched him in strength individually, as a mere fourth tier, he couldn’t simply disregard the threat posed by their overwhelming numbers.

The monsters gathered by the lakeshore eyed the oddly dressed Hagrid with suspicion, but sensing the aura emanating from him, they gradually relaxed their guard.

The mysterious entity at the bottom of the lake could heal their wounds, but it also warned them against fighting among themselves nearby—otherwise, they'd be blacklisted and lose the chance to be healed. Thus, everyone here maintained an uneasy peace; only after treatment, upon leaving, did they return to their primal instincts.

Blackwater Lake was vast, and although the Blackstone Forest teemed with monsters, only those wounded came here for healing, so there were still empty spots along the shore.

As Hagrid made his way to the lake's edge, Chu Yun also found a weak point in the mirror world’s defenses. This corner was occupied mostly by first-tier and even zeroth-tier monsters.

With a casual cast of a magic blast, he opened a relatively safe path and approached the lake, though he did not dive in. He lacked a potion for underwater breathing, and his swimming abilities were mediocre.

Moreover, the lake's depths did not allow for swift passage between worlds; only the mirrored surface permitted such traversal.

If he wished to seize the shard of divinity, the best moment would be when Hagrid surfaced. Achieving this would not be easy—Hagrid was a fourth-tier powerhouse, stronger than Sivana before him, with a much wider range of vigilance.

To take the shard, he would first have to defeat Hagrid in the mirror world. Just as Matthew hadn’t acted yet, Chu Yun also refrained from immediate action, planning instead to wait until Hagrid had actually obtained the fragment before executing his plan.

Hagrid reached the lakeshore and drank the underwater breathing potion Matthew had prepared, though he wondered why the man carried such things without reason.

Seeing Hagrid enter the water, the monsters on the shore showed little reaction. There were already other aquatic beasts in the lake, and the shard of divinity had even been swallowed by the lake’s strongest monster.

Unfortunately, it could not absorb the fragment.

Forewarned by Matthew, Hagrid had anticipated this outcome. But the strongest creature in Blackwater Lake was merely a second-tier water python, which posed little problem for him. As a pay-to-win knight, he not only possessed formidable strength but also a wealth of equipment and tools for dealing with monsters.

Blackwater Lake was so named not because its water was actually black, but due to its proximity to Blackstone Forest and, more importantly, because it was incredibly deep.

Bottomless, Blackwater Lake received sunlight only at noon; at other times, its depths were dark and inscrutable.

Diving beneath the surface, Hagrid soon encountered monsters and battle erupted—the flickering flashes of lightning were likely attacks from water pythons and the lake’s electric eels. The water was so deep that nothing could be seen from the shore, but the drifting blood hinted at the fierce combat underway below.

Suddenly, three water arrows shot up from the lake’s depths, causing Matthew’s eyes to widen.

This was their secret signal: if Hagrid truly found the shard at the bottom, he would use a magic scroll to cast Water Arrow, notifying Matthew.

“It’s time to act,” Matthew whispered excitedly, pulling out his spellbook and beginning to chant.

Sensing the surge of magical energy, the monsters by the lake let out uneasy roars.

Immediately, the guards lying in ambush launched ranged attacks, drawing the monsters’ attention and buying Matthew precious time.

The spell Matthew was preparing was an area-effect spell, requiring a lengthy incantation.

Fortunately, their foes were monsters; upon noticing that the attacking guards carried crystals rich in elemental power, the monsters shifted their focus, pursuing the fleeing guards instead.

Nearly half the monsters left Blackwater Lake to hunt the guards—fewer than expected, but most of those who departed were the stronger beasts. The weaker ones dared not join the pursuit or leave the lakeshore, fearing they might become prey themselves.

Some remained due to lingering injuries and were unwilling to depart.

At last, Matthew completed his incantation—a third-tier spell, “Rain of Fire.” Endless flames cascaded from the sky. The monsters on the shore were struck, but Hagrid, submerged, remained unharmed.

Most of these monsters couldn’t swim, so under the onslaught of Rain of Fire, they had no choice but to flee.

The spell’s duration could be extended by draining Matthew’s mental energy; he maintained the Rain of Fire, waiting for Hagrid to surface. With so few monsters left near the lake, escape was possible if they acted quickly.

Hagrid’s situation underwater was grim, but when Matthew’s mental energy was nearly depleted, Hagrid finally dragged his exhausted body onto the shore. Dozens of slender water pythons still clung stubbornly to him.

“Damn it, the bottom of Blackwater Lake is a nest of water pythons—I nearly didn’t make it back.” A blaze flared atop Hagrid’s light armor, burning the creatures to death.

He had many magical items that couldn’t be used underwater, making him quite passive. The light armor he wore was specifically for diving. This battle had consumed a great number of scrolls and items, and even wealthy Hagrid felt the sting.

After all, some equipment couldn’t be bought with money alone; merchants now resorted to lottery draws for limited edition rare magical items. His monthly salary was almost entirely spent, and his home was so full of unused gear he could outfit a full knight squad.

Matthew hurriedly ceased the Rain of Fire, urgently asking, “Well? Did you get it?”

Hagrid nodded, patting the box at his waist. “It’s right here. Let’s go.”

No sooner had he spoken than a horde of water pythons surged from the lake. These serpents could move both in water and on land; the strongest could reach second tier, but most were third tier. Their advantage was speed and numbers in water.

On land, their advantage diminished, but now even the remaining monsters on the shore began to attack.

“What’s going on? Why are they attacking me?” Hagrid’s heart sank with foreboding.

Normally, the monsters wouldn't attack together when the water pythons were on the offensive.

Matthew launched a massive fireball, slaying the beast lunging at Hagrid, then urgently said, “Looks like the box isn’t blocking the effect very well. Now, either we discard the shard or run back to the knight order. The monsters we lured away are already returning.”

Hagrid was shocked. “Is there really no other way? Should I just absorb it now?”

“It’s useless. No matter how compatible you are with it, you can’t absorb it all at once—it’ll take at least half an hour. If you’re unlucky, it could take ten days or more,” Matthew replied calmly, as if he had foreseen this scenario.

PS: There’s a world map in the review section. Readers from other sites can visit the original portal for a look.