Liu Li spent the whole day learning about the Dark Cavern, and he checked all the records of the town since its founding, including the Shadow Iron Mine and the black stones that would work magically for mages. But the more I learned, the more doubts in Liu Li's heart grew.

Playing with the black spar in his hand, Liu Li began to sort out the information he had learned so far, trying his best to eliminate those useless ones, and looking for the real reason why Landolia arranged this investigation mission for him.

Regarding the Shadow Iron Ore, although this mineral is an extremely rare strategic material, Liu Li is still sure that this kind of thing has nothing to do with the purpose of coming here, and it is impossible for Landolia to be interested in the mineral. All that's left is the black stone that the empire found in the tunnels where the shadow beasts live. As one of the few high-level mages in the empire, and a major in black elements, Landolia is naturally no stranger to that kind of stone, and even Liu Li used it when he practiced spells.

Blackstone is amazing, it has a negligible elemental content of its own, but it produces a special fluctuation that can help mages stabilize their mental power when casting spells. When a mage casts a spell, the mental power often fluctuates violently, and if it is not properly controlled, the fluctuating mental power will cause the elements in the spell model to become disordered, resulting in cast failure or more serious spell backlash. And the existence of this stone, although it can't make the caster's control of mental power more proficient, can calm those overly violent fluctuations and reduce the possibility of elemental disorder.

The black spar in Liu Li's hand was different from the black stone he had used from the dark cave. Although they can also calm the elemental disorder caused by the shock of mental power when casting spells, Liu Li can keenly perceive the difference: the black stone acts on spiritual power, while the mysterious black spar in his hand directly acts on the element. They also only work on black elements, and Liu Li, who has a complete black rune, can't understand the reason why they produce this magical effect.

"I guess Teacher Lan Duo asked me to explore the dark cave because of this......" Liu Li said secretly in his heart. He knew that even he could feel the difference between the two things, and it was naturally impossible for Landolia, as a high-level mage, not to be unaware. After sorting out his thoughts, Liu Li shook his head lightly and decided not to continue thinking about this question. The information known now is all some records left by history, and Liu Li has never even seen a living shadow beast. In fact, there was only one main reason for Liu Li to stop thinking - he was hungry. Leaving his room, Liu Li couldn't wait to walk to the lobby of the inn, the place that had been converted into a tavern by the innkeeper.

Liu Li was insensitive to alcoholic drinks, but the smell of alcohol wafting from the tavern was not something he could stop, if it weren't for the fact that familiar people were in the tavern, Liu Li really wanted to stay in his room and let the waiter bring the food over.

"Hey, Liu Li, take me over this time, I haven't been active for a long time. As soon as Liu Li appeared, Toru couldn't wait to shout. This young mercenary has not experienced real combat after his martial arts skills have been completed, and he has long been suffocated. It's a pity that Captain Owen has decided to let him inherit the "gray corner" and has not allowed him to participate in too dangerous missions.

"Shut up, you kid. Sure enough, Owen, who was sitting on the side, raised his eyebrows when he heard Toru's words. It's rare to find such a good seedling, and Owen's protection of Toru can be said to be all-round. Although he also knew that it would take more tempering to let this kid inherit the "gray corner", but Toru had just become a martial artist, and coupled with his previous frizzy temperament, Owen really couldn't put his mind at ease.

"Regiment leader, even the teacher said that what I lack most now is actual combat, you can't do this. Toru said aggrievedly. He knew that most of the regiment commanders would let him go this time, because everyone in the entire "Gray Corner" mercenary group was counted, and he was the one who was most familiar with Liu Li. However, it was clear that Toru had provoked the anger of his own head of the regiment, and the big fist hit the back of his head. Liu Li, Squirrel and Lin watched from the sidelines and almost laughed.

"Alas, Liu Li, this kid has a point. Owen shook his head, as if he was going to get rid of the headache, "Let Toru go with you this time, you can help take care of the point." I'll squeeze out some more people, but not too much, the loss was too great a while ago. ”

"That's enough, Captain Owen, you don't need too many people for this expedition. Liu Li did not refuse Owen's kindness, although he had a general understanding of the situation in the dark cave, he did need to be guided by someone familiar with the environment. "Don't worry, I'll promise to bring Toru back intact. ”

"I'm relieved when you say that. Owen was obviously relieved when he received Liu Li's assurance, "You young people talk, I still have to go to the camp to see those old guys." ”

In addition to Liu Li and his party, the only ones who belonged to the "Gray Corner" mercenary group were Che and Hill. Ciel was the first mercenary to attack the Shadowmon in a previous encounter. The long life of a mercenary has made Hill look more mature than her actual age, and now she is approaching seventy years old, and her first impression is that she is lean, and her sharp eyes and short hair make this female mercenary look heroic. The slightly soft facial lines are destroyed by the serious expression, especially the narrow scar on the corner of her forehead that cuts over her eyebrows, as if to describe the terrible battle she has experienced.

"Ms. Hill, it's a pleasure to meet you. Liu Li was not polite and went straight to the point. "Could you please tell us more about the Shadow Beast, so that we can have a bottom in our hearts, so that we don't have any problems when we get it. ”

"You're welcome, just call me Hill. Hill smiled slightly, she knew the identity of Liu Li's spellcaster, as an ordinary mercenary, few spellcasters were so polite to her. Hill slowly picked up the glass in front of him, took a sip of the amber liquor inside, and spoke.

Shadow Beasts, a magical beast rarely seen elsewhere in the continent, usually live underground where the black elemental is abundant. Their cheetah-like posture allows them to move through caves with unimaginable speeds. They have a pointed head, a large mouth at the tip, and a bite force that is not far greater than that of a swamp crocodile of the same size. The Shadow Beasts are covered in a layer of fine scales, and although their scale armor is not very defensive, it has the effect of absorbing light and sound, making their movements underground silent. The Shadow Beast also has sharp claws, sharp claws that can easily tear through refined leather armor, and even the stronger chain armor can't withstand a few attacks, and only heavy plate armor can play a defensive role. However, the plate armor is extremely heavy, and it is difficult to keep up with their speed while wearing plate armor, which makes the warriors who have not reached the level of formal martial artist cultivation not play much role in the battle with them. It is too difficult for ordinary warriors to defeat the Shadow Beast alone, and they can only rely on the cooperation of the team to achieve certain results.

The Shadow Beasts are a whole race, and the strength of each individual in them is also different. Newborn cubs usually live deep underground and are well protected by the colony, and so far no one has even heard of seeing their cubs. And those shadow beasts that have just reached adulthood and already have the ability to hunt alone are generally more than two meters long, and their strength is weaker than that of formal martial artists. However, in the environment of the underground cave, it is often possible to use the advantage of speed to maneuver with the warrior, and it is difficult to be killed even if it is defeated.

The body length of the prime-aged shadow beast can reach more than three meters, and if it fights alone, it can use the advantages of the environment to fight on a par with the first-order martial artists, and even the official martial artists are likely to die in their mouths if they are negligent. There are even more experienced individuals, Shadow Beasts who have survived several battles with humans, who are better at taking advantage of the underground environment and their own speed, and are more cunning. They are warriors of the clan and a nightmare for mercenaries who venture deep underground. They are better at hiding than their counterparts, and by the time you detect them coming at you, you may have already attacked and you won't be able to escape your death.

Above it are instances known as the Shadow War Beasts, which can be over four meters long and even have thicker scales. Unlike their speedy counterparts, the Shadow Beasts fight in a straightforward manner, relying on powerful defenses to rampage through underground caverns, and they are so powerful that their impact can cause caverns to collapse and bury their entire team underground. However, the Shadow War Beasts, who are adept at digging, can dig up the gravel buried on their bodies and continue to wait for the next battle, which also makes them the most feared nightmare for mercenaries who go deep into the cave.

As for the legendary Shadow Beastmaster, no one has seen it with their own eyes, or that anyone who has actually seen it is dead. The only thing that can prove the existence of the Beastmaster may be the terrifying howl that is different from that of other shadow beasts.

As Hill said this, there was an irrepressible tremor in her voice, and she remembered once again the scene she had seen in the underground cavern before, the shock and horror brought by the dense gathering of more than a hundred shadow beasts. Taking another sip of the amber liquid in the cup and calming his mood for a while, Ciel continued: "Actually, the shadow beasts are not without their weaknesses, the scale armor on their abdomen is often more fragile than the rest of their bodies, and individuals other than the shadow war beasts are accustomed to flying and pounce on the first blow, as long as they are detected in advance and seize the opportunity, most of the newly grown shadow beasts will be disemboweled by a blow when their weaknesses are exposed. But they are too fast, and this timing is not so easy to grasp, so most of the time if the number is superior, they will still choose to play steady. ”

Throughout the dinner, everyone listened carefully to Ciel's introduction to the monster he was about to face, and no one bothered him, even the most lively squirrel pricked up his ears for fear of missing a single detail.

Early the next morning, Liu Li, who had finished preparation, came to the door of the hotel, but unexpectedly found that there was an extra member of the team - Eve. As a caravan steward, she didn't want to take any chances, but the Heroic Spirit Bruman in "Bones of Secret Words" was really relieved - the student he had only taken in after his death.