Another World's Versatile Crafting Master

by Stayrr

Lin Li accidentally enters another world while playing with his smurf mage account just after he maxes out all kinds of crafting skills, bringing with him various top-grade materials. Although his character is practically powerless, what he gains in return is unprecedented magical talent! Can he survive by himself after being thrown into another world?

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Another World's Versatile Crafting Master

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Lin Li accidentally enters another world while playing with his smurf mage account just after he maxes out all kinds of crafting skills, bringing with him various top-grade materials. Although his character is practically powerless, what he gains in return is unprecedented magical talent! Can he survive by himself after being thrown into another world?

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Read Another World's Versatile Crafting Master - Chapter 1 - Prologue online free - NovelFull

Chapter 1: Prologue

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As per usual in the mornings, Lin Li logged in on his smurf 1 account—which was a mage—the first thing after he went online.

Bright Moon City was particularly busy on Sundays. The continuous stream of players was more than double in number when compared to other days; it was overcrowded even in the private warehouse where the fees were more expensive.

"Could you please help—" Lin Li finally made his way to Suo Lan and was about to ask the pretty administrator for help in getting his mail item.

But he was pushed away from the back before he could finish his sentence.

"Didn't you see the words outside clearly? This is a private warehouse, what is a low-level player like you doing here?" Those words came from a level forty-something warrior who was followed by a group of four or five players. He seemed to be the leader of their small team.

After the warrior had spoken, the rest of the players expressed their discontent one after another. "Something's wrong with this low-level guy; he's coming here and taking up a space for nothing."

"Who knows. Maybe he thinks the rich are here and so would like to get some money for a potion to level up."

"Why not go to the auction house for money? That's where all the rich men are. If anyone happens to be in a good mood and throws some gold coins your way, you will never have to worry about not getting enough money for the level-up potion."

Lin Li only glanced at these wasps, then once again calmly wedged his way through to reach Suo Lan. "Would you help me get the mail items posted yesterday?"

"Sure, please wait."

The onlookers watched as various mine ingots were being taken out of the private warehouse. There were the common mithril and thorium, and also rare adamantine and fiend iron. The sheen unique to magical metals sparkled in the private warehouse, dazzling the eyes of the players. The commotion died down instantly, and only sounds of players swallowing their saliva could be heard in the private warehouse…

The players had yet to shift their gazes away from the bulk of ingots when the pretty administrator took out another pile of stuff from the warehouse—over a hundred pieces of black dragon skin stacked neatly together. The fine and closely woven dragon scales were breathtakingly lucent under the sheen of the magical metals—this was genuine black dragon skin. It was the perfect combination of magical and physical defense. Gear made from the dragon skin was of a legendary scale at the very least. Hundreds of black dragon skin pieces meant hundreds of pieces of legendary gear at the very least!

And this was not the end. Beneath the stack of black dragon skin were over twenty pieces of smelted divinity metals.

The entire private warehouse seethed with excitement at the sight of these divinity metals.

"Look, these look like the legendary divinity metals!"

"Look like? These are the divinity metals. Oh, God! More than twenty pieces, did this low-level mage just rob a dragon?" The guy had guessed it half right, Lin Li had indeed raided a dragon's lair. But at the same time, while raiding the dragon's lair, he had finished off the Dragon of Destruction Azardas.

There was no lack of professional blacksmiths in the crowd. No one knew the value of the divinity metals better than them.

The properties of equipment made out of divinity metals might not stand out in the beginning, but the longer you use it and the higher the level you attain, the more its fearful growth characteristics would show—albeit slowly. Many professional blacksmiths had predicted on official forums that if a player began using equipment made out of divinity metals at level one, then when he reached level 70, the equipment could reach an epic level at the minimum even if it might not be an artifact!

Was this beast intending to give anyone a way out at all, having over twenty divinity metals out at once?

The players could only watch as Lin Li swept the twenty pieces of divinity metals into his bag, their expressions ones of those who had witnessed their wives entering a hotel with other guys…

But then, Suo Lan retrieved a scroll from the warehouse yet again, and all life had escaped from the players' eyes. He was a beast capable of producing two pieces of epic equipment at ease, and in addition possessed over a hundred pieces of dragon skin and over twenty pieces of divinity metals. What else could he not do?

However, everyone had a breakdown the time the scroll was handed over to Lin Li.

"The Wishes Spell! That is the scroll of Wishes!" only players who knew their stuff exclaimed as the scroll was passed.

"How is that possible! Did you see it correctly?"

"It really is! That is really the scroll of Wishes!"

The private warehouse had just quieted down for a few minutes, but the appearance of the scroll threw the place into a frenzy again.

"Powerful" might be an understatement in this case. Having the scroll of Wishes meant the player could tell the System Lord one wish. As long as the wish was not against the rules of the game, anything could be granted. The player could wish for an endless pool of wealth or the most powerful equipment. He could also wish for the Lord to kill any legendary creature for him, or even ask for a vast land with rich natural resources to build his own kingdom on.

At this time, the looks cast on Lin Li had a certain degree of other meanings to it.

But Lin Li heeded them not. He stretched out two fingers and lightly picked up the scroll, put it in his bag, and strode out of the private warehouse.

As Lin Li walked along the canal towards the trade zone, there were dozens of men with devil tails trailing behind him.

They really came along… Lin Li glanced back and couldn't help but feel excited. Playing bandits without looking into whom they'd be dealing with. They had better follow closely. Just wait till I settle the business on hand, I'll be putting on my hunter form for a good talk with them.

In reality, Lin Li's hunter form was stationed in the auction house at the moment. He was a super hunter holding the legendary weapon, Stars of Fury. The mage was just a smurf account he used in the warehouse. However, he seemed to have an extraordinary luck. He had created a mage smurf intending to use it as a warehouse, but he had gotten one with top levels of mental and intellectual abilities, a mage of the highest grade. Lin Li always had trouble deciding what to do with such an exceptional smurf.

Finally, he thought he couldn't let such an outstanding smurf go to waste. Hence, he began training the smurf in various kinds of professions.The fellow was one of a hardy character. It was either no training at all, or all training at once. As long as it was a life skill to be learnt, he'd learn it all. Now, a level one mage like him had mastered all five basic skills—forging, alchemy, pharmaceutics, magical enchantment, and inscription—to the highest level. In addition to these, his knowledge on medicine, minerals, cooking, scroll making, and other general skills had also increased beyond the highest level.

Lin Li took his time to walk to the trade zone. He stopped in front of a blacksmith shop.

Over a hundred pieces of mithril poured noisily into the furnace. Lin Li waited on the side for two minutes, then, disregarding whether the mithril was melted, he took one piece out and began hammering once it was on the anvil. The players behind him saw in between fits of sparks mithril valued at over a hundred gold coins hammered into a piece of scrap iron in an instant.

Top-class blacksmiths used mithril in their forging, hence it was natural to turn mithril into scrap iron. However, it made no difference to Lin Li whether the mithril was hammered into scrap iron. He was neither short on those few hundred gold coins, nor was he short on those few pieces of mithril. In fact, he had his own private mineral veins in places like the Glistening Plains and Thousand Pinnacles, but no one knew about it…

What was the big deal about scraping a few pieces of mithril as long as the skill points increased?

Lin Li began busying himself again in the midst of those blacksmiths looking as if they were going to cough up blood. He took the mithril pieces one after another, and after using up almost half an hour, finally managed to scrap all hundred of them. Of course, his forging skills had improved significantly.

Right after mithril was thorium, then fiend iron, which was followed by adamantine…

After the million gold coins' worth of minerals was hammered into scraps, the system prompt tone that was ever so pleasant to the ears rang out. "Congratulations! You have advanced to become the Master of Forging!"

Lin Li massaged his aching shoulder. He took a look back at the stupefied onlookers before packing his tools and turning in the direction of the pharmacy.

Again, another million gold coins worth of herbs smashed and an advancement to become the Master of Pharmaceutics.

Followed by metallurgy…

… and magical enchantment…

… and finally inscription…

It was already noon when Lin Li finally reached the mastery level for all five skills. The group of players who had followed behind watched in shock as they witnessed Lin Li ravaging the materials. They had felt pity for him at the beginning, but were completely numb by the time he finished. The onlookers even started guessing whether Lin Li came from some rich family and took to gaming to vent his frustrations after encountering some stress at home.

Lin Li finally stopped to catch his breath after successfully upgrading his skills to the mastery level. Just when everyone thought he'd finally call it a day, he took out the scroll of Wishes from his bag.

"What is he trying to do?" The power of the scroll of Wishes was almost terrifying. Lin Li had just taken the scroll out when the players behind him made all possible preparations for a formidable enemy. After all, not only did this fellow not seem normal from the start, he was holding the scroll of Wishes, the freakiest item of all. Should he take things too hard and ask the System Lord for a huge massacre, they'd be digging their own graves standing here.

"You think too highly of yourselves…" Lin Li glanced at the players who looked as if they met their mortal enemy. Did he have nothing else to do other than using the scroll of Wishes on them? Couldn't they be more self-aware and decide if they were worth the price?

As the scroll of Wishes gently unfolded, a rainbow appeared suddenly on the skies of Bright Moon City. As the colorful rays shone down lightly, the whole city seemed to be enshrouded in a dream. A majestic voice rang through the solemn and divine choir, a voice that appeared to come from afar yet nearby at the same time.

"What is your wish?"

Lin Li gazed at the rainbow. He hesitated slightly before taking a deep breath, then said, "My wish is to increase the levels of all my life skills!

The instant the wish was made, the rainbow transformed into numerous beams, descending gradually from the sky like a seven-colored ribbon, wrapping Lin Li up. Lin Li could vividly feel that with every breath he took, it was as if there were countless beams infused into his body. As the last beam was absorbed, limitless knowledge gushed from his brain. Forging, alchemy, pharmaceutics, magical enchantment, and inscription, and even general knowledge in medicinal, mineral, and other categories. These seemed to be with him from birth, integrated with the existing memories he had, and he had them at his fingertips.

Lin Li checked his skill form. Four of the main skills had indeed reached the level of a guru, and most of the general skills were also beyond the level of a master. Thinking back to the year since the opening of the Endless World, there had never been a guru well-versed in all five series; even a master in one was hard to find.

Life skills were incomparable to individual levels. As long as you put enough time into gaining individual levels by defeating monsters and completing missions constantly, you could accumulate enough experience points to level up. However, once you had reached the highest level for a life skill, it would be extremely difficult to make any progress. Only powerful characters like Lin Li would think of smashing top-grade materials to earn skill points. Thinking back, he had spent almost five million gold coins on these five basic skills. Other than Lin Li who had just raided a dragon's lair, who else could afford it?

The mastery level was more like a division. When one had reached the mastery level, it was not a matter of money anymore. Perhaps there wouldn't be the slightest increase in your skills even if you had succeeded in forging ten thousand times, but a failure in forging might allow you to obtain a huge improvement in skills. No one would dare say there would be a day where he could reach the level of a guru, even when there was only a small gap to overcome to achieve it.

Of course, the difference between a guru and a master was a vast chasm.

The mastery level would only allow you to create legendary items, and there might only be one success in a thousand tries. But at the guru level, you could create legendary items at will. You could even create epic items, though there would still be a certain rate of failure. However, a guru could not be mentioned in the same breath as a master.

As for legendary items, it was not something the mortals could imagine. Someone who was able to create artifacts, no matter what profession he was in, was a person there'd only be one title for—the Divine Smith!

The scroll of Wishes was a good item. It could be used to attain millions of wealth, kill a legendary creature, or even build your own kingdom. Each was no doubt a fine choice. But Lin Li constantly felt that using it to become a professional guru was the wisest choice of all.

Lin Li took a look at the fading rainbow. Slowly, he picked up the remaining materials for training and kept them in his bag. After witnessing a miracle, the players no longer had the thoughts of banditry in their minds. They watched dumbstruck as Lin Li packed the materials, but no one dared to move an inch.

Someone who could produce numerous top-graders at hand and spend millions of gold coins by the knock of a hammer and a shake of the medicinal bottle was not someone they could afford to mess with. Other things aside, he could simply employ someone for a few thousand gold coins to wipe them off their accounts. Banditry? More like suicide.

After putting all the materials in his bag, Lin Li planned to switch to his hunter account for a good talk with the onlookers. But then, all of a sudden, a sharp siren sounded.

"An unknown failure occurred in the system. All players are requested to go offline immediately!

"An unknown failure occurred in the system. All players are requested to go offline immediately!

"An unknown failure occurred in the system. All players are requested to go offline immediately!"

The siren sounded thrice. Lin Li was about to go offline when he realized he had lost control of his character.

He had yet to grasp the situation when the feeling of losing control extended to his own body. It felt as if his soul and body were being separated. He could see himself but couldn't feel his existence. The surroundings became soft and velvety. No matter how he struggled, he could not break away from the hopeless sense of impotence.

Lin Li gradually felt his stream of consciousness floating away. He could even see another image of him lying sluggishly on the chair. Lin Li jerked his head up in horror. It was pitch-black above him—real darkness, without a hint of foreign matter. Even if there was a sliver of light shining into it, it would be devoured by the endless dark, with nothing left behind.

"Which despicable fellow hid a black hole in my house!?" The question popped up in Lin Li's head before the last bit of his consciousness faded into the darkness…

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Chapter 2: The Pharmaceutics Rookie

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lin Li woke up in a log cabin. Probably due to the hasty construction, the cabin looked a tad shabby. There was no furniture except for a chair and a bed in the room. The door was unlatched and a pungent odor of medicine wafted through the crack in it, so Lin Li could not open his eyes for a long time.

The Bull's Strength potion? But it doesn't smell quite right… Lin Li took a few sniffs and pondered for a long time before he finally understood. Damn! It's a failed one, no wonder it didn't smell right to me. But who's the genius adding leaves from the Wisdom Tree to the potion? Was he not satisfied that the conflicting smell of the combination of the four ingredients was not strong enough?

The concoction was just a high-grade potion. A pharmaceutics guru like Lin Li could easily find out the reasons for failure just by taking a whiff. But it didn't mean anyone else could. He had yet to sit up from the bed when he heard an exasperated grunt through the crack in the door.

"Impossible! There was no mistake this time, how could it fail again? Is there a problem with the ingredients? Yes, there must be a problem with the ingredients. Great! This dang old man, selling counterfeit goods at my doorstep! l'll make sure you give me my money back!"

Another fit of temper from the owner of the voice. Lin Li was just about to cover his ears and go back to sleep when the door that was unlatched swung open.

An old man in his sixties or seventies stood behind the door. He had white hair and a face full of wrinkles, but his actions were full of vigor, displaying no signs of old age at all. He wore a long white robe dappled with stains, probably due to the frequent use of potions. There were black and blue traces everywhere on his robe, which made it look kind of messy.

"Kid, I know you're awake. Stop pretending you're asleep and get up quickly." The old man pushed the door open and sat on the vine chair in a huff. In his mind, he was probably still thinking about the failed Bull's Strength Potion.

"I just woke up…" Lin Li knew that the old man was fuming, so he hurriedly turned over and climbed out of the bed.

However, the look on Lin Li's face changed the moment he uncovered his quilt.

The Robe of Wrath! He was actually wearing the Robe of Wrath!

It was indeed the Robe of Wrath. Lin Li was sure he couldn't be wrong. In order to attain this legendary robe with a space to hold thirty scrolls in it, he had spent almost forty thousand gold coins along with a piece of epic equipment and had barely managed to obtain this remarkable magical robe.

It can't be this odd… Lin Li raised his right hand nervously, thinking he must have seen it wrong. There couldn't be a ghost in broad daylight!

However, the ring on his thumb proved yet again that his vision was fine. The Ring of Endless Storm, with mythical space being its most singular attribute, possessed an almost infinite space in it. It was said that there was a big secret hidden in the ring. Lin Li attained two mythical equipment pieces when he went into the Well of Sun—the Stars of Fury held by the hunter and the Ring of Endless Storm right in front of him.

The ring was just too familiar for Lin Li to remember it wrong.

Looking at the Robe of Wrath he was wearing and the Ring of Endless Storm on his finger, Lin Li felt that he had no need to open the portal to the other dimension again. He was certain that it contained over a hundred pieces of dragon skin and over twenty pieces of divinity metals, along with the numerous top-grade equipment and materials he had accumulated previously.

What… What kind of damned situation is this? In fact, he had vaguely guessed that something bizarre must have happened to him when he had woken a while back. But he would never have guessed it would be strange to this point.

The entirety of the Endless World actually appeared in reality!

Both the Robe of Wrath and the Ring of Endless Storm were equipment from the Endless World. They were only statistics, but now these statistics were present in the real world. Everything felt so real. The Robe of Wrath was constantly emitting its peculiar warmth and the Ring of Endless Storm lay quietly on his thumb. Lin Li could totally feel that he could open up the near infinite space that was in the ring with just a thought.

"May… May I ask where in the world this place is?" Lin Li's voice was so hoarse that it surprised him. He was afraid the old man would mention a place he was familiar with. A load of data appearing in the real world was not frightening, what was really frightening was him becoming a load of data—just like the plot that often appeared in horror movies. A wisp of resentful soul sojourning in the network, relying on various killing websites to find a substitute.

"You don't even know this place?" The question was nothing out of the ordinary, but the old man stared with eyes wide open.

"I don't know…" Lin Li nodded honestly.

"Then what are you here for? This is the Sunset Mountains, one of the most dangerous places in the south of the Anril Continent. Even an old fellow like myself would only dare to come here for a few days' stay every July. You little kid, you have guts, swaggering into the place without even knowing where this is!"

Lin Li knew it was a big deal when he heard the unfamiliar name of the Anril Continent. Other than transmigration, he had no other explanation for it. However, even Lin Li himself felt a little strange. For no reason at all he had become a transmigrator, and yet he felt relieved. The first thing on his mind was, surprisingly, something else, for he thought, Transmigration it is. Better than becoming a resentful soul on the internet…

"Alright, kid, though I don't know why you came here"—the old man glanced at the Celestial Cane placed on the side of the bed, and with an impatient look on his face, turned to face Lin Li—"and of course have no wish to know why… In any case, the Sunset Mountains are not a place for excursions. If you're looking for some thrill or would like to train yourself out of boredom, then I'll offer you one advice. Go back where you come from and don't ever come seeking death in the Sunset Mountains again."

Not waiting for any reaction from Lin Li after he finished his sentence, he stretched out his hand and pushed the unlatched door open, once again burying himself among his beakers and test tubes.

You're the one looking for thrill, your whole family is looking for thrill! Lin Li stared at the unlatched door as he cursed bitterly in his heart. It was only after cursing that he felt sorrowful again. Transmigration had become his reality, but this was an entirely foreign world and he had not grasped even the most basic concepts of it. To go back where he had came from… He'd like to go back indeed, but how?

Moreover, what the old man said at the end sounded like an admonition and a threat. It didn't sound too good, but Lin Li understood the meaning behind it. The Sunset Mountains were definitely not a peaceful place. Now that he couldn't even tell the directions here, mishaps could happen if he just walked out of the place foolishly.

"You only have ten minutes. If I find that you're still not packed and gone by the time I complete this bottle of Bull's Strength potion, don't blame me for chasing you out." Lin Li had yet to come to a decision on his part but the old man outside the door was not at all polite, directly chasing him out.

Lin Li took a smell of the medicine and knew the old man had added leaves from the Wisdom Tree once again.

"If I were you, I'd be in a hurry to scoop those two leaves out. Otherwise, not to mention ten minutes, the beaker in your hand will explode once again in less than ten seconds." Lin Li's laugh sounded unusually nasty.

"Pack your stuff immediately and get out of my house!"

The angry roar had yet to die down when a muffled sound of explosion was heard from behind the door. A plume of smoke followed and the pungent smell of medicine wafted through the door's crack, and Lin Li found it hard to open his eyes again. Then the door was flung open and the old man rushed in, completely ignoring that his head was covered in bruises from the explosion. He grabbed Lin Li and demanded, "Speak! How did you know it would explode?"

"What's so strange about it…" Lin Li maintained his nasty smile and broke off mid-sentence. With his finger, he pointed at his collar where the old man was grabbing.

"Sorry, I was too agitated." The old man laughed embarrassedly. He released him somewhat awkwardly and smiled as he helped Lin Li straighten his crumpled collar.

"Actually, the reason is too simple." Lin Li smiled in contentment. He took a seat on the vine chair and began, "There are four main ingredients for the Bull's Strength potion. They are the Dracaena grass, the Thousand-knot Vine, the Nightmare Flower, and the Troll's Blood. The medicinal properties of the ingredients clash with one another, but there is a delicate balance between them. It is not wrong to add some supplementary ingredients to improve its medicinal properties, but something like the leaves of the Wisdom Tree… I can only say you're too smart for your own good. Although the leaves are usually used to balance the conflict between ingredients, their other effect is to calm the mind. Putting a herb with calming effects into a potion that strengthens the body is like putting a cat into a rat's cage."

"So this is it, I've thought…" A master's knowledge of medicine meant one could speak of these as easily as if having all the words at hand. The old man was completely convinced by Lin Li's eloquence, but at the same time, he couldn't help but size up Lin Li with an odd look. He couldn't quite figure out the kid in front of him anymore. He possessed an almost perfect talent in magic but was extremely weak. He'd figure Lin Li was at the standard of a level-one mage at most. But, coming to the Sunset Mountains alone, he had too much guts to be called a rookie.

But what really eluded him was the kid's ability to explain the principles of the Bull's Strength potion. He was not really a master in potion crafting himself, but the Bull's Strength potion was an ancient potion recipe he got from the High Elves Relics. Not to mention average pharmacists, it was impossible to find information on the power of the Bull's Strength potion even in the Anril Pharmacists Association. But coming from the kid's mouth, it sounded like it was something common and easy to understand, just like buying vegetables from the market. At the thought of this, the old man could not help but wonder if there was any justice in this world.

When Lin Li finished explaining the principles of the Bull's Strength potion and began analyzing the pros and cons of similar potions, the old man watched him as if Lin Li was a dinosaur.

The old man had completely forgotten about wanting Lin Li to leave. Looking at the darkening sky outside the log cabin, the old man was eager to invite Lin Li to stay, and even prepared a sumptuous dinner for him. After rounds of beating around the bush during dinner, Lin Li was gradually able to make out a general outline of the unfamiliar world in his mind.

This was a world of swords and magic. The old man in front of him, whom he had come to know as Andoine, was a mage by profession, and a powerful one at that. Although Andoine did not elaborate on how powerful he was, Lin Li could tell from his confident tone that this somewhat unkempt old man was definitely more powerful than he had imagined him to be.

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Chapter 3: The Magic Genius

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lin Li stayed in the Sunset Mountains for the following month. Other than occasionally guiding Andoine in pharmaceutics, he spent most of his time learning magic. He discovered he had a gift in magic, and even old Andoine, who had lived for over a hundred years, had to admit he had never seen someone with such an exceptional talent in magic as Lin Li.

Lin Li mastered three kinds of elementary magic in three days. This unbelievable progress got Andoine doubting if there was any justice in this world. He had spent a month getting into meditation and had been praised by his teacher for being a genius at that. Then, what would become of the guy in front of him? Was he a monster or a maniac?

Only Lin Li would know how he came to possess such near-demonic gift in magic. It probably had something to do with the attributes of the mage smurf—high levels of mental and intellectual abilities. It was all thanks to these demonic attributes that he could easily understand highly complex spells and arrange magic elements without effort as if he was born knowing it. He could recite any complex spell with ease just by hearing it once and learn the order of magic elements in the shortest time no matter how difficult they were.

Andoine ceased teaching any new magic skills when Lin Li mastered the tenth elementary magic. Instead, he got him to practice the sequencing of the ten elements.

Though tedious training made one lose interest quickly, Lin Li showed no signs of annoyance. He knew very well that despite being a terrible pharmacist with a nasty temper, old Andoine was undoubtedly an authoritative figure in the field of magic. His opinions might not be precise, but it was far better than having himself, an amateur, fumbling about on his own.

The tedious training continued for a month, until one morning…

Like any other days after breakfast, Lin Li resumed his training on elemental sequencing.

This was not the conventional way of magic training. Usually, the mage would start off with sequencing the magical elements, and then unleash the magic through reciting a spell. But Andoine had adopted a different approach in his teachings. He made Lin Li summon the magical elements and had them arranged by making use of Lin Li's mental strength. Instead of unleashing the magic through spell, he jumbled them up and made Lin Li go through the whole process repeatedly until his mental strength finally wore off.

On other days, Andoine would keep himself busy in the pharmaceutical lab after breakfast. However, he stayed in his room that day and quietly watched Lin Li train. It made the latter uncomfortable to know that someone was watching him, so he stopped and looked at the old mage as he asked, "Have you learned the formula of the Clarity Potion I taught you a few days ago?"

"Uh, not yet…" Andoine turned red in embarrassment when asked about the Clarity Potion. Indeed, when compared to Lin Li's extraordinary gift in magic, he had nothing to show in regards to his talent in pharmaceutics. Lin Li had demonstrated over ten times the making of a simple Clarity potion, but he still could not get a grasp on it till this day. In fact, he nearly caused an explosion in the lab just the day before. No matter how thick-skinned Andoine was, he blushed involuntarily at the mention of the topic.

"Are you alright? Why haven't you been able to master it yet?" Lin Li's expression that was clearly one of someone who'd expected better from Andoine made the latter wish he had a hole to crawl into. "So, what are you waiting there for instead of going back to the lab? Do you need my demonstration again?"

"No need for it, I'll study it myself…" Andoine rubbed his hands awkwardly. After a few moments, he seemed to recall his goal. Putting on a serious face, he said, "Umm… Let's not talk about this today, I have something to tell you."

"Oh?" They had been together for more than a month, yet this was the first time Lin Li saw Andoine serious. He could not help but be curious.

They stepped out of the log cabin. Andoine thought for long while before asking Lin Li, "Do you know why I stopped teaching you new spells, and instead had you practice elemental sequencing?"

"No," Lin Li replied honestly. "I know nothing about magic anyway. I'll just practice whatever you ask me to, surely you won't harm me?"

"You kid have some conscience at least." Andoine nodded with satisfaction, a relieved smile on his aged face. "I have lived for over a hundred years and have never seen anyone as gifted as you. You are a monster, kid. I think even the legendary Geresco couldn't have been more gifted than you are."

"Geresco?" Lin Li knew he was gifted, but he had never imagined he'd be this powerful. He knew more or less from the old man who Geresco was. He was the most powerful mage in the Dark Ages, the strongest of mortals nearest to the divine. The God of Mages who single-handedly defeated the entire Magic Legion of the High Elves. Lin Li could never have imagined his own magical gifts to be this strong.

"But don't get too excited just yet." Seeing how bewildered Lin Li looked, the old mage chortled. "Talent is one thing, but achievements are another. From what I see, you are inferior to Geresco in at least two ways. First of all, you are not focused enough. In magic, only people who are absolutely focused can achieve real success. Too much knowledge is sometimes not a virtue. Take pharmaceutics as an example, you know that better than those old fellows from the Pharmacists Association at such a young age. A lot of energy is spent on pharmaceutics, how much time would you have to study magic?

"What's really deadly is the second aspect: you've been exposed to magic too late. According to the records of the Dark Ages, Geresco was born into a family of mages. His parents were famous mages of the Dark Ages. He had been exposed to magic from birth; by the time he got to your age, he had already surpassed the standards of a Magic Shooter, and you're just beginning to learn the lowest level of magic.While a late start can be compensated for by talent, it does not give you a solid enough foundation. There are no shortcuts in the world of magic, and all powerful spells are nothing but talk until a solid foundation is laid.

"That is why I stopped teaching you new magic." At this point, Andoine laughed guiltily. "Actually, at the beginning, I just wanted to make an exchange. You'd guide me in pharmaceutics, and I'd help you in magic. Though it might not be much help, it shouldn't be a problem for you to reach the level of a Magic Shooter within ten years.

"But I soon regretted it. Your talent is too great, such talent may not appear for thousands of years. I can't bear to see you going down the wrong path, so instead of teaching you new spells, I let you practice the most basic sequencing of elements every day. Never underestimate the tedious practice. Every world has its own rules, and the world of magic is no exception."

After more than a month in this unfamiliar world, Lin Li felt warmth for the first time. He bowed to Andoine respectfully and said, "Thank you."

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After the long talk with Lin Li, Andoine seemed to have forgotten about the matter.

As usual, he spent his time in the potion lab, making Lin Li's blood run cold with the things he did from time to time.

Lin Li had been wondering whether the stubborn old man would be blown up one day.

But for the time being, his body was still intact despite being subjected to various accidents every day.

It was not until the seventh day after the long talk that the stubborn old man, who was still in one piece, called Lin Li out of the log cabin.

"How about helping me?"

For reasons unknown, Lin Li constantly felt that the smile on the old man's face was somewhat sinister.

But thinking it over, he had been living as a freeloader for the past month and still had magic to learn from him. It was hardly justifiable if he couldn't even offer a little help. Hence, he braced himself and replied, "Tell me about it. I'll do my best to help if it's within my means."

"Actually, it's no big deal…" Andoine rubbed his hands embarrassedly. "You know, I've been unlucky these days. There have been many accidents in the lab for a few days in a row. Although the accidents weren't serious, they cost me a lot of ingredients."

"Afraid it's not just bad luck…" Lin Li muttered to himself. After living here for more than a month, he could see that old Andoine's attainments in magic were truly unparalleled. But in pharmaceutics, he was worse than an apprentice who had just started out. An apprentice would at least learn how to do it gradually, but Andoine completely ignored the proper steps and chose to take up challenging tasks from the beginning. Now that there was a potion master around to clean up whatever trouble he caused, the old man became more brazen in his actions, making it seem as if there was Spring Festival celebration every day in the lab. If there were no explosions someday, it would be because the old man had taken the wrong medicine.

"But, fortunately, I did an inventory count this morning. Most of the ingredients are no problem, only the wild steelbloom stock suffered the biggest losses…"

Only a large number of wild steelbloom was lost—that was indeed a stroke of good luck in the midst of bad. Compared to the leaves of the Wisdom Tree, wild steelbloom was much more common. The only condition for its growth was shade. The darker and damper the place was, the more it thrived. Such environment could be found anywhere—there were countless such places just in the Sunset Mountains alone.

"So, you want me to…" Lin Li had guessed what Andoine was about to say. Thinking it was not a big deal picking wild steelbloom for him, and that there was nothing else he could do but practice elemental sequencing anyway, Lin Li answered coolly, "No problem. If you can't excuse yourself for the moment, it'll be the same if I go and pick some for you."

"Thank God…" Old Andoine heaved a sigh of relief and explained rather embarrassedly, "I am waiting for some very important news these days; it's really hard to find time to go. It's great that you're willing to help!"

After inquiring about the location where the wild steelbloom grew, Lin Li went out without much delay.

It was the first time he wandered far from Andoine's cabin since having transmigrated here.

Walking in the dark forest, Lin Li felt complicated emotions. He was split between curiosity and nervousness.

Being both curious and nervous, Lin Li naturally could not have noticed that Andoine had recited a spell the moment the former stepped out of the cabin. Following the completion of the spell, a figure of Lin Li began to emerge on the crystal ball in front of him…

According to Andoine, not far away—only a few minutes of walk from the log cabin—was a spot where the wild steelbloom grew. It was said that the place had once been the nest of Manticores, but they had died out during the last black tide. No one knew which demons had killed them, and even Andoine could only guess based on the traces in the surroundings. According to him, they had probably encountered their nemesis, the Black Dragon, during the black tide.

Lin Li stood outside the nest. It had only been a year, but the nest was completely deserted.There were weeds all around and a bed of wild flowers bloomed in brilliance at the entrance of the cave.

Lin Li could only feel a rush of cold, damp air on his face as he approached the overgrown cave. As soon as Lin Li came near, he knew he had not found the wrong place. The cave was dark and damp—the perfect place for wild steelbloom to grow.

As in most places where the wild steelbloom grew, the cave entrance was dark and damp, and the surrounding stone walls so slippery it almost felt like touching a giant python. There was no light in the darkness ahead. Lin Li had no choice but to light a torch and explore the depths of the cave with it as his only source of light.

In fact, Lin Li saw a sea of wild steelbloom not long after entering the cave.

But he did not pick any, and instead continued to explore with the torch in his hand.

It was because he remembered that there was another herb which had the same habitual nature as the wild steelbloom, the ghostskin. It preferred dark and damp environment, and mostly grew in caves. However, the ghostskins were buried deeper and hidden better than the wild steelbloom.

Lin Li's experience told him that the ghostskins were more likely to be found where the wild steelbloom flourished best.

He wanted to find out whether his past experiences could be applied to this world.

So, he didn't even look back.

The route ahead seemed to be getting wider; it was only a small cave when he just came in, but as the forest grew deeper, the cave seemed to have turned into a maze.

Lin Li circled the maze for a long time and went through one passage after another before he suddenly saw light ahead.

It was a stretch of underground wilderness, empty and vast. Seas of wild steelbloom prospered on the wild land. The blaze of purple and red was interspersed with dots of gray, the color of ghostskin.

Lin Li felt his heart leap upon seeing the little gray dots among the flowers.

No one in this world could ever understand how Lin Li felt at the moment—not even Andoine who was the closest to him.

His experience in the Endless World could be adapted to the world of Anril.

What did this imply? This implied that in the world of Anril, Lin Li was also a master of all professions!

It included not just professions like pharmacy, metallurgy, and forging. It was more on the knowledge aspect, like the knowledge of herbs—he also had a mastery level in it!

It was not until the ghostskins had been gathered that Lin Li was able to contain his excitement. This was probably what made him the happiest since he had transmigrated. Lin Li knew very well what it meant to be a master of all professions. It was almost like being an omnipotent superman. With a background like that, his future in this unfamiliar world seemed to become clearer.

It took Lin Li almost an hour to gather all the ghostskins from the underground wild land. Even with his assets, he was not willing to let go of any of it. Compared with the wild steelbloom, ghostskin had too many uses. Besides refining the Wisdom Potion, it could also be found in potions that had broader applications, like the Hastening Potion and Fossilizing Potion.

Wild steelbloom was also picked by him on the way. But a Herb Master like Lin Li would not be interested in that kind of cheap herb. He simply picked some, thinking it'd be enough for the old fellow to squander away, and refused to waste any more energy bending over his back.

Lin Li was about to leave the cave after finishing his errand when he inhaled a foul stench.

The stench was thick with blood, like a pool of fresh, viscous blood.

Lin Li had yet to regain his composure when a low roar came from behind him.

He turned his head in a hurry, just in time to see a dark-red shadow lurking there.

"F*ck!"

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Chapter 5: The Manticore

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Just as Lin Li turned around, the dark-red shadow sprung on him along with a gush of foul wind like a horde of ferocious wolves.

It was fortunate that Lin Li had been living in Andoine's log cabin for more than a month. In this past month, though he had only learnt ten low-level spells, he was far more adept in his execution of the spells than an average mage.

Lin Li pulled back before the red shadow came close and begun reciting the Delaying Spell in haste.

After unleashing the Delaying Spell, he quickly recited the Illuminating Spell.

What was originally a low-grade magic spell used for lighting released an extraordinary power in this dark and damp cave. A cry of horror ensued—the savage beast was badly wounded.

Lin Li took advantage of this opportunity and retreated another dozen steps. In the blink of an eye, the distance between them had been drawn to a safe one.

Only then did Lin Li have the chance to see the appearance of the monster that had attacked him from behind.

It was a dark-red lion with a tail that was much longer than the average lion's. The tail had an inverted hook at the end, giving off a faint blue shimmer under the afterglow of the Illuminating Spell. Lin Li could see clearly that it had attacked neither with its claws nor teeth a while ago, but instead swooped in on him with the inverted hook on its tail.

Even if Lin Li had been blind, at this moment, it would still have been clear to him as day—it was a Manticore, the level-five magical beast that Andoine had mentioned!

"Old bastard Andoine…" Lin Li cursed between clenched teeth, paying greetings to all eighteen generations of Andoine's family in his heart. How irresponsible of the old fellow, sending him to the cave lightly without having any idea whether there were any Manticores inside.

In the little log cabin, Andoine watched the scene on the crystal ball and blurted out a praise. "Nicely done!"

Lin Li's performance was far beyond his expectations. He was calm yet efficient. Even when the Manticore's tail was right in front of him, he never stopped reciting of the Delaying Spell. The Illuminating Spell that followed right after was even more so a stroke of genius. Even Andoine himself had not thought that the Illuminating Spell could be put to such use.

Dealing damage to a level-five demon with a level-one spell was a feat that even Andoine himself had not accomplished.

With the delicate touch of the Illuminating Spell, it brought the distance between Lin Li—who had been just exposed to magic for barely more than a month—and the level-five beast infinitely close.

The badly wounded Manticore was still ferocious. But it had lost both its eyes, so most of the time it was merely expressing its anger and malice. Wild roars echoed throughout the cave; the strikes that seemed like lightning came down repeatedly, most of the time missing their target.

Lin Li was constantly struggling to keep up amidst the relentless attacks.

The Delaying Spell was used alternately with the Hastening Spell, allowing Lin Li to escape from the lion mouth again and again.

He seemed a little clumsy with this. But Lin Li knew that all he needed was a chance. A chance for him to recite his spells.

Lin Li had waited for long before he finally got his chance.

He'd even exposed himself to the claws of the Manticore for this opportunity.

It was because he knew very well that the most terrifying thing about the Manticore was not its claws, but the inverted hook at the end of its tail.

After unleashing another Delaying Spell, Lin Li suddenly broke his stride. He did not turn and run after unleashing the Delaying Spell like how he did before. This time, he stood rooted to the spot, and large verses of spells poured out of his mouth as if he had not noticed the advancing Manticore right in front of him.

There was a thick smell of blood carried by the Manticore's roar.

Lin Li could even sense the chill of its claws…

Just as the claws fell, a wave of wind blade tore the air apart. Then, it tore apart the soft abdomen of the Manticore as well. The cries of the Manticore were filled with despair; the sharp claws were so close, so very close to tearing the body of the human in front of it apart. But it was this small distance that became a gap never to be crossed…

At that moment, Lin Li had not forgotten to shoot an icicle to clog the wound of the Manticore, preventing the gushing blood from spilling over Lin Li's body.

The action fell into the eyes of Andoine, who deemed it a waste of power. He stomped his feet in anger and chided, "Wastrel!"

In the eyes of the old mage, magical power would always be the most precious of things. Even the smallest amount of power could let you unleash the last spell—enough to save your life. What Lin Li had done was a crime in Andoine's eyes, wasting his power just for the sake of keeping his clothes clean!

Though, of course, there was more or less some helplessness in his scolding.

Andoine knew that the kid in the crystal ball was not an ordinary mage. He was a born psychopath, a psychopath with a super-deformity of the mind.

It was still unclear to Andoine where the limit of the kid's mental strength was. All he knew was, if another mage were to practice the highly intense elemental sequencing daily, it would probably take him less than an hour to tire out and return to his room to meditate. But Lin Li was perfectly fine. The kid's mental strength seemed to be endless. To go through how many hours of practice all depended on his mood. Andoine had only ever heard him protest in annoyance, but never out of exhaustion.

That was the truth. Unleashing a few more low-grade spells had no effect on Lin Li at all.

He was crouching next to the body of the Manticore, studying its inverted hook with interest.

The inverted hook was still shimmering with blue light, and a rush of sweet stench jolted his brain as he went closer.

This was a sign of lethal poison.

Lin Li had always liked stuff that carried poison because it meant a deadly force.

So, without much hesitation, he pulled a dagger out of the Ring of Endless Space and very carefully nicked the inverted hook off the tail. Then, as gingerly as ever, he put it back into the Ring of Endless Space.

"…" Andoine was at a loss watching the scene from the crystal ball. Was he really a mage with a knowledge of the mystical? No matter how the old man looked, he thought the kid was more like a thief instead…

Regardless of how Andoine thought, Lin Li came back safe and sound with a pile of wild steelbloom.

"I need an explanation!"

Lin Li was still brooding over the encounter with the Manticore in the cave.

"What is magic to you?" Andoine did not explain but instead posed a question.

"A kind of skill, a skill that will allow your strength to become more powerful." The present Lin Li was not the piece of clear rock that knew nothing when he first came to this foreign world. He had developed his own understanding of magic under the influence of Andoine.

"Then, what is the purpose of making your powers stronger?"

"To kill!" Lin Li suddenly understood some of it.

"That's right!" Andoine smiled, feeling pleased. "In the eyes of the mortals, magic is a skill that is mysterious yet elegant. But to a real mage, the only purpose of magic is to battle. A mage that lives is a mage that's really successful! You have learnt enough low-grade spells this past month, and obtained a certain degree of skills. But it's far from enough. Without the experience of life and death, and the shower of fresh blood, you will never become a true mage."

"So you didn't tell me there was a Manticore in the cave on purpose?"

Andoine's reply was simple. "It's just a level-five beast, there's no need for a special reminder."

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In the following few months, Andoine frequently lacked in herbs.

Using this as an excuse, Lin Li was frequently called upon by Andoine to fight different types of magical beasts.

From Manticore to a Three-eyed Blood Wolf, then from Thunder Beast to a Bloodthirsty Lizard. In slightly over a month, Lin Li killed literally all the magical beasts of the Sunset Mountains that were of level-seven and below.

After struggling in battle with a highly invasive manticore initially, Lin Li eventually could easily kill a level-six beast. Lin Li only possessed ten low-level magic spells, however, he was clear that he had become stronger. In the opinion of Andoine, Lin Li had begun to feel more like a real mage.

Each time he peeked through the crystal ball to observe Lin Li's battles with the creatures, Andoine always felt that Lin Li felt distant and unfamiliar again…

From the beginning, Andoine believed that inexperience could be overcome—just like an inexperienced archer hiding in the distance becoming an experienced mage using magic to control the situation to make the enemies die in despair and helplessness. This transformation took only a month for Lin Li. It should be known that, in the current Guild of Magic, there were still quite a few who wore the hat of the wizard but were doing the work of an archer.

Lin Li's improvement was indeed so quick that it was unbelievable for an old mage like Andoine.

Mentioning the inexperienced Lin Li slightly a month back would only make Andoine feel strange and distant.

Three days ago, in a battle with the Thunder Beast, Lin Li completely rid himself of the shackles of the spell recitation through performing the Delaying Spell merely with a gesture of a hand. The old mage begun to feel distressed.

What else can I still teach him? Andoine stared at the crystal and pondered for a long time, asking himself what other skills he was able to teach Lin Li.

Although it was only the Delaying spell, it brought shock to Andoine as it felt like a spell over level-eighteen.

He remembered very clearly: when he'd first unleashed his low-levelled spell, he was thirty years old and had just become a mage.

In the following few days, Andoine was troubled as he was completely clueless what else he could teach Lin Li.

Because of his troubles, Lin Li managed to get a few days of a rare break.

After Lin Li practiced elemental sequencing, he sneaked into the pharmacy. Using the spirit divinity's grass that he had obtained a few days back, he made himself a few bottles of Hastening Potion. Andoine had forbidden him to use such stuff since quite a while ago as too much reliance on medications, drugs, or foreign objects would inevitably affect his improvement in magical capabilities.

However, today he noticed that the old mage, Andoine, seemed to be distracted.

While Lin Li was busy in the pharmacy lab, the old mage would usually come in to check instead of staring distracted out at the window.

The old mage only returned back to his normal state when a few bottles of Hastening Potions were completed.

"How many times have I told you that too much reliance on medication will only bring you more damage than benefits? Why are you not listening to my advice?" Upon saying that, Andoine heaved a sigh. "Forget it. In the future, I will not be able to supervise you over the crystal ball every day. Perhaps the medication will be able to save your life when you meet with some trouble."

"What happened?" For the past few days, Lin Li felt that Andoine's attitude was weird. Now that he heard the old mage utter such a thing, Lin Li hastily became aware of it and was so stunned that he even forgot to keep those Hastening Potions that he had made.

At that time, Andoine begun to look pale. He held onto the chair, slowly sat down, and placed the crystal ball—which he had never allowed to be out of his sight—aside. Thereafter, he did not answer Lin Li's question. Instead, he asked, "Have you been staying here for three months?"

"About there," Lin Li answered distractedly. He curiously stared at Andoine as he realized that the old mage looked pale and tired today.

"When I've found you, I did not realize that I have found a magic genius." The old mage laughed, his husky voice tinged with emotion. "Until now, I still can't believe that you have never learnt magic before."

"That was due to limited conditions, because nobody could teach me…"

"I know that you carry some secret and you have no intention to share it. I have no intention to probe, either." He brushed off Lin Li's true reply as an excuse with a wave of his hand, indicating that Lin Li did not need to explain anything. Andoine then said to himself, "In the beginning, I just could not bear to see you waste your talent. At that time, I did not expect that you could have done so well. It wasn't until the last two days that I realized I have nothing more to teach you!"

Lin Li wanted to humbly say a few words of consolation, however, he realized that the atmosphere was not right. He thought to himself, Might as well keep my mouth shut and listen conscientiously to what Andoine has to say.

"For the past two days, I have been pondering what else I could teach you. It wasn't until this morning that these questions could no longer trouble me… This morning, I received a letter from an old friend. In his letter, he stated that there is a very important thing that he requires my help in."

"So you are ready to chase me off?"

"Basically, that is the case." After finishing what he had to say, Andoine pulled out a thick envelope from his mage robe. "In any case, by continuing to stay in the Sunset Mountains, you will not be able to learn anything useful anymore. Why don't you let me recommend you to another place? There, you can choose to continue to learn something more or do the things you have always wanted to do."

"What place is it?"

"Take this letter to the Jarrosus City's Guild of Magic and look for someone by the name of Gerian. He will help you to arrange everything." Andoine handed the thick envelope to Lin Li. "By the way, there seems to be some problem with your identity. It won't matter, because if you don't wish to use your original identity, you can use the one I have prepared for you. The information is in the envelope. You just have to take some time to memorize it."

"Thank you." After listening to the old mage's gentle and thoughtful exhortation, Lin Li suddenly felt that his eyes were moist. In order to lighten the atmosphere, he gave a reluctant smile and asked casually, "When are you planning to leave?"

"About half an hour later." The old mage laughed and gave Lin Li a pat on his shoulder. "It wouldn't matter as this will not delay me too much. I guess I will probably be able to head to Jarrosus City after a week or two. When that happens, I will bring you to my private pharmacy. I had hidden a purple set of crystal beakers; it's a treasure that I have gotten at a great value…"

Subsequently, Lin Li could no longer remember what Andoine had said. It was only when Andoine's back disappeared into the distance that Lin Li suddenly recalled an important matter.

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Chapter 7: Wyvern

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

With Andoine's long-winded instructions still ringing in his ears, Lin Li had to feel his way through the dense forest alone. As he fumbled along the way, he whined, "Did the old man make a mistake? He knew how to prepare a new identity for me but forgot to prepare a map?"

Andoine was probably the only person in this world who understood Lin Li best. He knew there was a problem with Lin Li's identity, so he had prepared a new one for him. But perhaps he would never have thought that it had not been just a problem of troublesome identity for this fellow—in fact, he had none at all. The Sunset Mountains stretched for thousands of miles. How could Lin Li, who had come from another world, find his way out?

Andoine was not to be blamed for his negligence. Who would have expected that a magic genius skilled in pharmaceutics could have such weak sense of direction?

Barely a day after Andoine had left, Lin Li packed up all his stuff. However, it had been ten days and he had yet to figure out the bearings in the Sunset Mountains.

The woods were dark and gloomy, and the ground was covered with decaying leaves. His feet sank with every step he took, as if he was walking on mud. The rancid smell was so disgusting that Lin Li had trouble keeping his eyes open. Specks of faint green light flitted in the dark, while the incessant howls from the wolves struck fear into Lin Li's heart.

Lin Li had been walking around in this forest for three days. Ever since he stepped into this forest, Lin Li's spirits were permanently dampened. This cursed forest was like a huge labyrinth. Regardless of where he had started out from and how hard he had fumbled to find his way out, each time he felt exhausted and sat down to rest, he'd find the trees in front of him ever so familiar…

It continued until this morning, when Lin Li finally heard some voices.

Lin Li had just passed through the dense woods when, all of a sudden, he saw the leaves billow in the bushes ahead—three figures were hurtling through the sea of leaves.

"Damn! Damn! Living humans!" He had always bragged about what a refined person he was, but he blurted out two "damns" within moments. He was just too excited that he actually saw three living humans.

Although these three living humans might soon become dead, at least they were alive at the moment.

The leaves of the bushes ahead stirred; three wounded people could be seen fleeing from the forest. Among them, a middle-aged man seemed to have been seriously injured. A long wound extended from his chest to his waist; warm blood gushed out from the fresh wound, leaving a long blood trail on the ground covered with decaying leaves.

A young man and a woman held onto the middle-aged man as they fled. The young man was wearing a mage robe made with fine craftsmanship; he seemed to be a mage with a good family background. In particular, the staff he held in his hand was a rather decent one even in Lin Li's eyes.

Unfortunately, it was difficult for a mage to play a role in the current situation. The weak mage had become a burden with the vigorous running; hence, it was the beautiful girl with the long blond hair looking after the two men most of the time. The girl, who was pretty to begin with, wore a tight red vest, which outlined an infinite lovely curve in the high-speed running. She held onto the wounded man with her left hand and carried a dagger in her right hand. The temperament she displayed as she scanned her surroundings was such that Lin Li could not help but take a few more looks at her.

What was chasing them was a raging Wyvern. Its rage originated from the gash on its abdomen. It was a long and deep wound, apparently left by a sharp weapon.

Exciting! Lin Li stared at the Wyvern fervently as it appeared.

Andoine had introduced all kinds of magical beasts living in the Sunset Mountains back when he was living in his log cabin. At the mention of the Wyvern, Andoine had added gleefully, "The Wyvern's blood makes a good Rampage Potion."

Of course, only Andoine would dare to say such things. For an ordinary adventurer, a level-seven magical beast would definitely have the power to turn three living people into deadmen in a flash.

Razor-sharp talons, flying at the speed of wind, and extremely corrosive acidic spout—these allowed the Wyvern to have what it took to survive on the edge of the Sunset Mountains. Ordinary magical beasts like the Manticores dared not provoke them. A raging Wyvern spewing endless acid from the sky was probably a nightmare for anyone.

Lin Li was afraid as well. But he was even more afraid of this cursed forest. If he wished to walk out of this forest, he could not let the Wyvern turn those three into corpses. Sometimes, the reason for doing a good deed was just as simple as this.

Granted, given Lin Li's character, he would make sure not to suffer any loss when he was compelled to perform a good deed…

He saw the Wyvern take a dive, splashing acid on the bushes. In an instant, a plume of green smoke emerged, and a burst of fizzing sounds followed. Before the green smoke could disperse, the sight of lush green trees was transformed into one of fallen branches and yellow leaves.

The trio who were trying hard to escape were spared from the acid, but they had to stop in their tracks briefly to avoid it. Normally, it might not have been a problem, but at present, they happened to be under the Wyvern. As the trio looked up, they saw a shadow zooming in on them, sharp talons glimmering in the dark.

At the same time, Lin Li had finished the recitation of the Ice Armor Spell.

As the last of the spell broke out, a hard layer of ice armor covered the middle-aged man. While stopping the bleeding of the wound, it also made the Wyvern's strike fall in vain. An excruciating pain shot up from the Wyvern's talons, like having caught onto steel, and the Wyvern roared in fury and agony.

The trio, who were still reeling from shock, took the chance to extricate themselves from the Wyvern and went on to hide in the thick grove.

Then, they saw a young man wearing a mage robe walk out from the forest, reciting an unintelligible spell. A shot of icicle tore through the sky and plunged into the wound on the Wyvern's abdomen. The icicle was not sharp, and would not be enough to penetrate the tough skin of the Wyvern. Even if it pierced through the wound as it did this moment, this low-level spell would not deal much damage to the Wyvern.

The only thing the icicle could do was to aggravate the wound on its body. The initially deep, long wound was as though a ravine all of a sudden. Blood poured out like rain, and even the viscera were surging about in its abdomen…

What was really fatal was that the icicle got stuck in the wound from the start. The icicle not only punctured the viscera of the Wyvern, it also prevented the wound from closing. Blood flowed out gaily like from a reservoir with its gates opened.

After all these, Lin Li unleashed a Delaying Spell to make matters worse for the magical beast.

The bloodied Wyvern was already at its weakest. Now that the Delaying Spell was cast, it was like an old bullock pulling a broken cart, trundling along. No matter how hard it struggled, it seemed that the distance of a dozen steps was a gap it could never cross.

The wail of the Wyvern was filled with despair, and such emotions accompanied it till it breathed its last.

"Oh no!" After confirming the level-seven magical beast was dead, Lin Li was suddenly reminded of something. What a waste! All this blood that have been spilled could make a substantial amount of Rampage Potion…

Upon seeing that the Wyvern was dead, the wounded middle-aged man held onto the surrounding branches and struggled as he walked out of the grove. He had wanted to thank his life's savior and had just taken two steps when he saw the latter holding a glass bottle, desperately squeezing the body of the dead Wyvern.

"Is there really no more? Please… Squeeze a little more, just a little bit more. At least let me make a bottle of Rampage Potion…"

His actions reminded the trio of a vampire, and sent chills down their spines…

At last, it was the wounded middle-aged man who plucked up his courage and approached him with caution. "Mr Mage, thanks for your generous help…"

Hearing the middle-aged man's expression of gratitude, Lin Li was reminded of the proper business at hand.

"You are welcome, it was an act of convenience." Lin Li put the stopper back on the glass bottle that was half-filled with the Wyvern's blood and gingerly put it away into the pocket of his mage robe. Grinning, he introduced himself, "You can call me Felic. By the way, may I ask how the three of you have come to provoke the Wyvern?"

This was the new identity that Andoine had prepared for him. Lin Li had thoroughly memorized it along the way, and now said it so naturally and fluently as though Felic was his real name all along.

The middle-aged man had not expected the seemingly powerful yet mysterious young mage would be this amiable and easy to approach. He was rather flattered and expressed his sincere gratitude all over again before introducing his party of three to him.

The injured middle-aged man was called McGrenn, one of the many adventurers in Jarrosus City. He had entered the Sunset Mountains after accepting a quest from the Adventurers Guild to obtain a Manticore's tail. The beautiful lady with the long blond hair was his daughter Ina; she was an adventurer just like him.

As for the mage who looked like he came from a good family, McGrenn was vague in his introduction of him. He only mentioned that his name was Cromwell, and that he was a warm-hearted mage they had met on the way.

Lin Li stifled a laugh at this. A warm-hearted mage? More like he's trying to court your daughter. Who else would be that idle, coming to the Sunset Mountains being warm-hearted and all…

"Everything was going well in the beginning. After a few days of search, we found a lone Manticore, so we'd deployed a trap near the place where it nested this morning." A bitter smile came across McGrenn's face. "And then, we hid in the forest, waiting for it to fall into the trap. But who knew the trap would attract two Wyverns instead of the Manticore? God knows what happened; a trap that was meant for the Manticore had provoked the Wyverns' attacks on us in the forest. I'd killed one of them, but was badly hurt by it before it died. Cromwell had no choice but to bring Ina and I out of the forest… And then, fortunately, we met you. If it hadn't been for you, I really wouldn't have known what to do…"

"How unfortunate…" Lin Li looked regretful, but rejoiced secretly in his heart. Luckily they had encountered the Wyverns; if not, where would he have gone looking for people to lead the way? This cursed forest was much trickier to deal with than a Wyvern…

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Chapter 8: Accident

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lin Li felt a lot more relaxed with McGrenn leading the way. After all, the latter was a veteran adventurer with nearly 30 years of hunting experience. To quote McGrenn, in this 30 years, he had spent more time in the Sunset Mountains than in his own home.

The forest that was initially like a labyrinth seemed more pleasant all of a sudden.

It only took half a day for the party of four to walk through the dense forest.

The trees ahead were gradually thinning, and the woods were no longer dark. Warm sun rays fell through the gaps in the trees and landed on their bodies. Warming up with the sun rays was Lin Li's mood—he was finally able to leave the cursed Sunset Mountains.

After studying the map, McGrenn told Lin Li, "It would probably take another day to get out of the Sunset Mountains."

"Then what about tonight?" Lin Li was somewhat worried. The Sunset Mountains were a dangerous place, and they could encounter ferocious magical beasts anytime—especially during the night, as many magical beasts that were rarely seen in the day would leave their nests then, lurking in between the ravines and waiting to pounce on the sleeping prey.

Every night spent out in the open in the Sunset Mountains was equal to putting life in danger.

"Not a big problem." McGrenn looked calm. "I know of a safe place. We just need to speed up; we should be able to reach it before dark."

"That would be great." Lin Li nodded and said nothing more.

"Mr Felic, can I ask you a question?" Just as he was about to push on with the journey, the beauty with the long blond hair hurried up to him from behind.

The blond beauty was still wearing the red vest. It revealed a gorgeous curve with her tall figure and slender legs that was further outlined by the vest. Perhaps it was due to the rush of the journey, but a tinge of red glow appeared on her fair face. Her long blond hair hung straight and dazzled in the sun.

The forest paths were narrow, so it was hard to avoid being close when two people walked side by side. Breathing in the faint scent coming from Ina's body, Lin Li suddenly felt his head hurting. He wasn't sure what happened on the way, but the blond beauty seemed to like asking him questions.

If it were on other occasions, Lin Li would definitely be delighted.

This fellow had been an otaku before he transmigrated, and he'd not met any pretty girls before. After the transmigration, all he saw was the old face of Andoine. He was not some Buddhist monk who practiced abstinence. Being approached by a pretty girl was too good a thing to ask for, so how could there be any reason to turn her away?

However, the situation was giving Lin Li a headache, for he had no idea how to answer Ina's questions.

"Mr Felic, are you from Jarrosus City?" How should Lin Li answer this kind of question?

"Erm… This… I guess not really…" Lin Li was fretting over it when, fortunately, he thought of something else and hurried to change the topic. "Oh, right. Ina, don't you need to kill a Manticore for this quest? I heard Mr McGrenn mention just now that you both had just laid down the trap when the Wyverns discovered it. What will happen to the quest now that you had not managed to hunt down any Manticore?"

"It would be considered a failure, and I'll have to compensate some money." The topic that Lin Li had chosen wasn't bad at all—the blond beauty finally stopped asking her questions after Lin Li had mentioned the quest. Her pretty face revealed a hint of helplessness. "The Manticores live in groups, so the probability of encountering a lone one is extremely low. We had followed them for a few days before coming across one, but it was ruined by the two Wyverns."

"That was a pity…" Lin Li rejoiced while he came to a decision. When they reached Jarrosus City, he would definitely have to come up with a flawless background. Otherwise, it would be a loss of face when he was asked by the beauty and couldn't easily engage in a conversation with her.

To avoid another questioning of his background from Ina, Lin Li took the initiative to bring up some topics to chat with her. For Lin Li, the content of the conversation was not important, what was more important was not to let her have the time to raise questions.

Lin Li was really good at chatting. Even a seasoned old veteran like Andoine had always felt that he was unable to outspeak him, much less an innocent girl like Ina.

It took Lin Li absolutely no effort to bring the rhythm of the conversation under his control.

The fellow had led the conversation completely out of point with that half a bottle of Wyvern's blood. He did not even mention the Wyvern's blood first, but only casually spoke of the strength of a level-seven magical beast. The blond beauty, full of curiosity, naturally picked up the topic. A pair of sky-blue eyes blinked inquisitively at Lin Li as she asked why he had collected the Wyvern's blood at the end.

With the half a bottle of Wyvern's blood as a conversation starter, there were just too many topics to choose and continue from. He had heard many anecdotes from Andoine back when he had to face him all day long. Now it was easy using them to lead young girls on.

In addition, Lin Li was also eloquent, and he told the stories with fine sense of humor. Occasionally, when it came to professional knowledge, he appeared profound and authoritative. Even Andoine had little to say in front of him, let alone Ina, an adventurer who only knew how to fight magical beasts.

A mage who was powerful yet mysterious, humorous and witty, yet possessed extensive knowledge was a total lady-killer in front of a young girl who was just beginning to think of love.

The blond beauty walked with her head down along the forest path, listening to the interesting stories and feeling the manly aura coming from the young mage. For reasons unknown to her, she suddenly felt her face burn.

Both of them were chatting merrily and had not noticed the other mage turning pale.

Cromwell felt as if he was being cut by a knife.

When he had first met Ina at the Adventurers Guild, he was smitten by this blond lady with a pair of slender legs.

The untamed beauty exuded by Ina had a near-fatal attraction for Cromwell, who was born into a mage family.

Cromwell had used all kinds of means to win the heart of this long-legged beauty.

This time, he even went with her into the Sunset Mountains to prove this way that he was equally reliable!

Cromwell felt that he was nearing success.

If it had not been for Lin Li's appearance, he would have been the one to save the father and daughter pair.

What irked Cromwell the most was that the sudden appearance of this mage seemed to have posed some kind of threat to him.

Ina had never laughed so brightly when she was talking to him.

Cromwell could not understand how that abject-looking mage could be better than him in any way.

He was born into the most prominent mage family in the Felan Kingdom, and his father was someone who had a say in the Mage Association. His family was strikingly rich with the accumulation of over thousand years of wealth after the Dark Ages, and his uncle Fario had held the position of the Minister of Wealth in the kingdom all along.

What did the mage Felic have? Other than being slightly younger than Cromwell, he could not even afford a decent mage robe.

This person had to disappear! Cromwell stared after Lin Li's back and sneered.

The party of four set off in the direction of Jarrosus City, each carrying their own secrets.

They had walked into another dense woods before the sun set. According to McGrenn, as long as they passed through this forest and walked a little farther, they would be able to see Jarrosus City.

"It'll be impossible to reach it tonight, we'll just have to make do with whatever we have nearby." McGrenn led them forward. Very soon, they found a cave.

The cave was not too deep. It took just a torch to illuminate it whole. The stone walls were exceptionally dry, and traces of bonfire could be found on the ground. It seemed that it was not just McGrenn who'd ever wanted to spend the night in this cave.

"This is the place I've mentioned earlier. Everyone can rest at ease for the night. I have stayed here for a dozen times, and not once have I encountered any danger." McGrenn skillfully lit up a bonfire and instructed the long-legged beauty beside him, "Ina, there is a water source in the north of the forest, about two to three hundred meters away from here. Take the water bag and fetch some water back."

"Yes, Father."

Cromwell could hardly sit still upon seeing the long-legged beauty go out of the cave. He stood hastily and said, "I'll go with you…"

Lin Li noted that the expression of the middle-aged adventurer did not seem too good after Cromwell had chased out of the cave. Of course, he would not ask about this sort of thing; instead, he smiled and went back to warm himself by the fire.

"Mr Felic…"

"Just call me Felic, it will do…" Lin Li was rather troubled. He had mentioned it several times on the way, but McGrenn still insisted on calling him with honorifics.

"Alright. Felic, is this your first visit to Jarrosus City?"

"I guess so," Lin Li answered vaguely. "Some fellow had told me to go to Jarrosus City to look for someone…"

"Do you need any help? My family has been living in Jarrosus City for decades. It would not be a difficult task to help you find someone," the middle-aged adventurer asked enthusiastically.

"Won't have to trouble you for now. My friend has given me an address, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find…" Andoine had not really specified what the Mage Association was like. Lin Li was afraid it might be a secret organization—what would he do if they decided to kill him for bringing McGrenn along?

"After we have reached Jarrosus City, feel free to contact me if you require any form of help. If it hadn't been for you, my daughter and I would most likely have been…" McGrenn was immensely grateful to Lin Li for his life-saving grace.

The two men were chatting away when, suddenly, a scream broke out in the distance.

"Something terrible has happened!" It was Ina's voice. McGrenn's expression changed as he grabbed the weapon beside him and dashed out of the cave.

Lin Li did not tarry, either. He cast the Hastening Spell and followed after the middle-aged adventurer.

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The voice came from the direction of the water source McGrenn had mentioned before.

The two men ran out of the cave back to back, just in time to see Cromwell sprinting back like a rabid dog.

"Monster… monster… monster took… took Ina away!" Cromwell looked extremely wretched, his luxurious mage robe covered with mud and leaves as he gasped for breath between words.

Lin Li could not help but shake his head seeing this.

This fellow was indeed hopeless. It was no wonder McGrenn had looked displeased when he chased after Ina. If Lin Li had a daughter, he definitely would not want her to associate with a weakling like him, either…

"What monster? Say it clearly!" McGrenn's eyes turned red with anxiety as it concerned his own daughter. He glared feverishly at Cromwell, his eyes void of the distant courtesy he had previously.

"Just… just now… just now, when I went with Ina to fetch water, a monster suddenly emerged from the side! It… it… it took Ina…"

"F*ck!" Lin Li dropped a swear and couldn't care less about the weakling anymore. He cast another Hastening Spell on himself and cut through the dense forest with the speed of wind.

Behind the forest was a gentle stream, probably the water source that McGrenn had mentioned. Beside the stream, a water bag lay quietly on the fallen leaves. There was still some water in it, gurgling out onto the ground.

Lin Li bent down and picked up the water bag. He put it by his ear and gave it a shake, promptly realizing it was still half full.

"They shouldn't be too far away!"

Then, he took a look at the footprints on the ground, which were all in a jumble. There were footprints of all sorts—big, small, deep, shallow. The small ones should have been left by Ina and Cromwell, but the big footprints made Lin Li gasp in surprise.

"Leviathan Gorilla!" Lin Li believed what he saw. These were definitely the footprints of level-eight magical beast, the Leviathan Gorilla. Back when he was living in the mountains, he had seen them once or twice outside Andoine's cabin, only that old man would always make light of them as a couple of little ruffians looking for trouble that were driven away by him.

Andoine could see them as little ruffians, but not Lin Li. Level-eight magical beast was no joking matter. Even in the Sunset Mountains, it was definitely in the middle of the food chain.

But Lin Li heaved a sigh of relief when he identified it as the Leviathan Gorilla.

If it were other magical beasts, Ina would probably be dead by now. It was only when encountering the Leviathan Gorilla that her life was not in danger for the time being. The Leviathan Gorillas were not so keen on killing like other savage magical beasts. Just as Andoine had said, they were just a bunch of troublemakers.

"Ina should've been taken by a Leviathan Gorilla."

"Leviathan Gorilla?"

"An oddity in the Sunset Mountains, a magical beast that is not keen on killing. If I'm right, Ina should be crying now, but she's not in any danger for the time being." Lin Li stared at the cluttered footprints on the ground and added softly, "From the looks of the footprints, there should be only one Gorilla."

McGrenn was slightly relieved to hear that the situation was not as bad as he had imagined.

The two men paid heed to Cromwell no more as they began their search by following the footprints along the stream.

Lin Li had guessed it right. Still far away, the two men heard Ina crying.

The cries came from a dense forest. From afar, the trees in the dense forest seemed to be particularly tall and the leaves seemed to be of utmost luxuriance. Between the tall trees were bestrewn tenacious rattans, joined together to form what looked like a giant net.

Lin Li had heard Andoine mention that this was the unique way of construction for the Leviathan Gorillas. They used the rattans to weave a giant net, which would cover wherever their territory expanded. To the Leviathan Gorilla, this giant net was both its nest and its most powerful weapon. With it, the Leviathan Gorilla could do many things that other high-level magical beasts could not.

The long-legged beauty who was caught was currently being trapped in the giant net.

"Go away! You monster… stay away from me!" Ina was struggling desperately in between her cries.

The two men rushed forward upon hearing her.

As soon as they were under the tree, they saw Ina being tied up in the giant net. The rattan was entwined in several layers, like a Chinese rice dumpling. The Leviathan Gorilla, which had somehow gotten a paintbrush from somewhere, was drawing circles on Ina's face as it made weird gaggling sounds of laughter.

"F*ck!" Lin Li suddenly got a sense of what a freak this Leviathan Gorilla was. As a magical beast, it had caught a human not to tear or chew her apart, but to draw circles on her face with a brush. How was that not a freak?

"Ina!" They were father and daughter after all; McGrenn was as anxious as ever watching Ina wailing from under the tree.

He was so anxious he had forgotten there was a level-eight magical beast on the tree.

"Father, be careful!" The long-legged beauty's shout had yet to settle when Lin Li heard a deafening sound followed by a muffled thud. McGrenn, who was just calling out his daughter's name, was knocked unconscious by a coconut that fell from the sky before he could avoid it.

"Kakakaka!" The Leviathan Gorilla was greatly excited seeing the coconut fall onto the human. It cackled as it hopped around, and it even wiggled its bottom at the two men.

"…" With McGrenn's experience as a lesson, Lin Li hurried to hide behind a tree in case that darned gorilla made another sneak attack with the coconut again.

Just as he was about to lean behind the tree, he suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground; the next moment, his whole body was upside down.

"Damn!" Lin Li had not expected there to be a hidden rattan underneath the tree where he was hiding. One end of the rattan was tied into a slipknot, while the other was in the hands of the Leviathan Gorilla. It only took the darned gorilla one pull and Lin Li was caught.

But Lin Li reacted fast as well. He was ascending in the air at full speed, yet he was exceptionally calm. There wasn't any recitation of spell; with only a peculiar hand gesture, the sound of a wind blade piercing the air was heard.

He had managed to cut off the insidious rattan with the wind blade spell. At the same time, he cast another Feather Fall Spell on himself, and with that, Lin Li escaped from the trap at last. But what followed was another coconut volley.

Who knew where the darned gorilla got the coconuts from—at least hundreds of them came smashing down in a mess.

Lin Li was racked by the barrage.

The Leviathan Gorilla was a real level-eight magical beast. A smash with a coconut thrown from its hand had knocked out even a warrior like McGrenn, not to mention Lin Li who was in no sense strong.

Lin Li felt as if he was being shot by a cannonball every time a coconut landed on his body.

It was just too rough. The coconuts smashed down one after another, such that Lin Li could not even hold his head up.

There were some opportunities in between for Lin Li to fight back, be it that two shots of wind blade or a few shots of icicles. But all these spells had mostly landed on the tough rattan.

The Leviathan Gorilla controlled the giant net like it was a flexible arm. Most of the spells were actually blocked in the midst of twists and turns.

Even if there were one or two spells that had gotten through the giant web and hit the Leviathan Gorilla, it was difficult to do any real damage to it.

The resistance ability of a level-eight magical beast was poles apart from that of a Manticore. For Lin Li, the effects of these spells would only provoke the Leviathan Gorilla's rage, causing it to smash the coconuts on him a little harder.

Those numerous shots of wind blades and icicles would probably exhaust the mana of another mage. Only a freak with a serious abnormality of mental strength like Lin Li could persist under the rain of coconuts.

However, even Lin Li was starting to lose heart in this situation.

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Chapter 10: Frost

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The strength of level-eight magical beasts was just too powerful. It was luck that they had encountered the Leviathan Gorilla, an oddity. If it had been other brutal and savage level-eight magical beasts, he would probably have been torn to pieces by now.

By the time Lin Li had recovered his breath from the shower of coconuts, he was already covered in patches of black and blue, like a person applying various dyestuff on the body as a part of performance art.

"F*ck you darned gorilla…" Lin Li hid behind a tree, panting heavily as he desperately tried to come up with a plan.

This darned gorilla was an absolute freak. It was a level-eight magical beast, and it had reached a frightening degree in both speed and strength. Moreover, it was fighting on its home ground. The giant net was like an impenetrable defense; even the razor-sharp wind blades couldn't sever the rattans.

This was really killing him…

Lin Li had just caught his breath when the Leviathan Gorilla on the giant net began to cackle again. Lin Li looked up just in time to see another pile of coconuts this fiend had brought back. Lin Li was distressed at the sight. If he did not get rid of the giant net, he would really be killed by those coconuts today.

Hang on… Giant net?

Suddenly, an idea flashed across his mind, and he felt as if he had grasped something.

Just then, the Leviathan Gorilla launched a new round of attacks. This time, the coconut shower was more violent and brutal than before. The coconuts fell one after another, and although they did not hit Lin Li, they landed on the giant tree beside him with a loud crash.

Lin Li's scalp tingled upon hearing the sound.

"Let's do this!" There was no time for Lin Li to dwell on it in this situation—it didn't matter whether the idea would work or not, he had to do it no matter what.

Lin Li finally found an empty space amidst the coconut shower. He took a leap to the side and managed to hide behind a few giant trees. The trees here were lined together, forming an excellent area for concealment. At least for the time being, the Leviathan Gorilla's coconuts would not reach here.

After earning a temporary respite for himself, Lin Li dared not hesitate any longer. He opened up the Ring of Endless Storm and pulled out a bottle of blue potion.

It was a Clarity Potion made from the succus of ghostskin and leaves from the Wisdom Tree. It could greatly increase the scope of magic cast. Because Andoine had always objected to his excessive reliance on potions, he had only concocted three bottles. Lin Li's heart ached as he downed a bottle, for it meant he had one bottle less…

After he had finished the Recovery Potion, Lin Li glared menacingly at the giant net above him. "Darned gorilla, you've got guts!"

"Kakakaka!" The Leviathan Gorilla could not care less. After a fit of cackles, it resumed drawing on Ina's face with even more joy than before.

"I'll tear down your lousy net and see if you can still laugh!" It was the first time Lin Li took out his own staff from the Space Ring since leaving the log cabin. It was the only thing Andoine had gifted him—a magic staff embedded with the magical crystal of the Frost Troll. Lin Li had named it Winter.

Holding the Winter Staff in his hand, Lin Li felt a familiar rush of magical wave all over his body. A low yet lengthy recitation of spell sounded among the trees. The surrounding air's temperature seemed to drop to the freezing point in an instant with the abstruse and mysterious recitation. Ina stopped crying and stared down blankly at Lin Li as she took in the powerful magical force. Even the Leviathan Gorilla, which was in the giant net, had forgotten its weird cackles. The inborn instinct of a high-level magical beast had told it that it was in danger.

"Frost!" The last of the spell was broken by Lin Li, and the crystal at the tip of the staff glowed brilliantly. A wave of cold current radiated from Lin Li and swept through the giant net.

Wherever the cold current passed, a vast expanse of white could be seen. Under the frigid cold brought on by the Frost Spell, every rattan in the range was chilled to ice. The range wasn't wide, perhaps only a few dozen meters, but it was enough for Lin Li.

After the Frost Spell, he cast another Wind Blade Spell.

The target of this Wind Blade Spell wasn't the Leviathan Gorilla in the giant net, but the rattan that was frozen to ice.

"Snip!" The air was filled with ice flakes in the midst of jarring sounds.

All the moisture in the rattan was taken away after being frozen by the Frost Spell. Although the Wind Blade Spell couldn't cut through the tough rattan, it was more than enough to break ice.

After a dozen shots of wind blades, Lin Li had managed to carve a hole in the giant net.

The tiny hole grew in size as Lin Li continued to deliver the wind blades.

By the time the hopping, cackling gorilla realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The giant net had lost its balance and was collapsing; no matter how it jumped, it could not prevent the whole net from tearing.

"Wooo!" Finally, the Leviathan Gorilla fell head-first down the giant net amidst the screaming.

Falling with it was Ina, who was wrapped like a rice dumpling.

Lin Li caught Ina before she hit the ground before turning around to cast a Delaying Spell on the Leviathan Gorilla.

Without the giant net as a shield and a coconut in hand, the Leviathan Gorilla was no better than a toothless tiger.

"That'll teach you to laugh again!" Lin Li helped Ina loosen the restraints on her body, not forgetting to deliver the wind blades at the same time.

For most of the day, Lin Li had to suffer from the shower of coconuts. Now that he had gained the upper hand, he was done being polite with the Leviathan Gorilla. Dozens of wind blades were shot out with a swoosh, such that the darned gorilla couldn't even lift its head. The Wind Blade Spell was a low-level spell, but after breaking away from the restraint of the chant, it had become the most direct and effective mean of attack. Along with the support of an abnormal mental strength, the wind blades were like a river, flowing unceasingly…

Even a powerful level-eight magical beast could not withstand the terrifying cluster of wind blades. It could rely on its tough skin to resist a couple of shots, but with dozens of wind blades flying in the air, the quantitative change had led to a qualitative change—the Leviathan Gorilla's tough skin had become a joke.

Even the toughest of skin could not withstand the repeated cuts of countless wind blades.

"Wooo…" The cries were exceptionally tragic. Blood was seeping out endlessly from the wounds; in just the blink of an eye, the Leviathan Gorilla's fur was tainted red.

What made matters worse was that Lin Li also used the Delaying Spell in the midst of those wind blades from time to time. Under the constraint of the Delaying Spell, the Leviathan Gorilla was utterly tormented. It could not flee nor catch up with him, and if it stayed grounded, it'd be ripped by the wind blades.

A mighty level-eight magical beast beaten to the ground. Where did its previous arrogance go?

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Chapter 11: Ring and Canvas

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Finally, the Leviathan Gorilla had given up all its dignity as a level-eight magical beast. Its cries were full of pleas for mercy; it hunched and bowed with hands folded in front, all but kneeling on the ground giving kowtows to Lin Li.

"This darned gorilla actually knows to surrender seeing that it can't win the fight?" It was an eye-opener for Lin Li. No wonder Andoine had said they were merely a bunch of troublemakers, drawing circles on faces if they won and begging for mercy on the floor if they lost. Was this really a level-eight magical beast?

Lin Li was rendered powerless facing a rascal like this.

Lin Li was naturally unwilling to let it off this easily. But it'd be meaningless to kill it as well. Lin Li racked his brains over and over, and felt as if his head was about to explode. The anger that stemmed from his frustration was instinctively released on the gorilla, and this time the guy did it without the wind blade. He pulled out a cane and began lashing, cursing as he did it. "This one's for the kidnapping and blackmailing! This one's for smashing me with the coconut! This one's for the queer laughter directed at me! Right… Where was I? Forget it, let's start all over… This one's for the kidnapping and blackmailing…

The incessant beatings raining down on the Leviathan Gorilla had it seeing stars. A mighty level-eight magical beast, when faced with the cane, did not even dare to shun it. Lin Li finally stopped the beating resentfully when his arms started to turn weak. The poor Leviathan Gorilla was beyond trampled, burying its head into the ground.

McGrenn and Ina watched, dumbfounded. They had formed some idea of Lin Li's abilities along the way and knew he was a powerful mage, but they had never imagined him to be this powerful. The scene of the infinite wind blades attacking made them feel as if they were in a dream.

McGrenn was considered a veteran adventurer and had come across many mages in his adventures, but he had never seen a mage as perverted as Lin Li. Just the wind blade earlier on was definitely denser than the Leviathan Gorilla's coconut barrage.

By the time Lin Li had the Leviathan Gorilla rolling on the floor from all the beatings, McGrenn and Ina had turned completely numb. From what they saw, this young mage was a total monster…

"Let's see if you dare to be arrogant again." It was only when Lin Li had been satisfied with the lashings that he cast away the cane in his hand. After taking a glance at his surroundings, he motioned at McGrenn and Ina for them to flee the scene.

But the action fell into the eyes of the Leviathan Gorilla, who thought he was going to come back with a different cane. After that fat beating it went through, the gorilla was scared out of its wits. No longer caring about feigning its death, it hastily bounced from the ground and sobbed while begging for forgiveness while pointing to a giant tree in the distance.

"What?"

"Wooo wooo!"

"Wooo? For what?" Lin Li kicked the Leviathan Gorilla in annoyance, his eyes following the direction its finger indicated. "Surely you didn't have a pretty Leviathan Gorilla hiding there, now preparing to offer her to me?"

"Woooo…"

"Do you not know something else other than sobbing?"

"Woooo…"

"…"

Lin Li couldn't stand this gorilla that only knew how to whine, so he followed its lead to the giant tree for a look.

A thick layer of leaves lay under the giant tree; unlike the rotten leaves in the dense forest, the leaves here were unusually dry and crisp. Some even carried a tinge of green—apparently, someone had just plucked them from the tree.

Not waiting for an instruction from Lin Li, the Leviathan Gorilla swept the fallen leaves aside and revealed a huge and deep hole in the tree.

"Woah!" Lin Li glanced into the tree hole and suddenly felt that the darned gorilla was indeed a genius. It had turned the tree hole into a treasure chest. What was in there included a weaponed armor covered in rust, glistening glass beads, a pile of colorful dyestuff, and even a canvas that was coated with mess.

After all the fuss, this rascal led him here, thinking it had some treasure to offer, but instead he was showed a pile of junk? Lin Li did not know if he should find it funny or feel angry.

He was about to turn and leave when he suddenly felt a faint spell of magic in that mess. This feeling was too familiar to Lin Li. Whether it was the Ring of Endless Storm in his hand, or the Robe of Wrath on his body, they were constantly transmitting a slight wave of magic inadvertently.

"There really is good stuff hidden here?" Lin Li was stunned. Something that could give off a faint spell of magic was definitely something that was not ordinary. Even the staff that old mage had given him was not qualified enough to do it.

Lin Li had no time to deal with the Leviathan Gorilla in his surprise. He bent over in a hurry and began choosing his pick in the tree hole.

His feeling was right. After tearing the colorful canvas away, Lin Li quickly found a ring among the pile of glass beads.

The color and luster of the ring looked rather dull. Though the materials used were unknown, its craftsmanship was delicate and sophisticated. Fine patterns swirled around a black diamond, like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon. The slight magical wave that he felt came from this black diamond.

Lin Li was instantly attracted to the diamond when he first laid eyes on the ring.

It was an almost instinctive intuition. Lin Li knew that this was definitely a powerful magical gear, at least comparable to the Robe of Wrath he was wearing.

"Alright… Since you're so sincere, then I shall gladly take it…" Lin Li patted the Leviathan Gorilla's head in a way that looked like he was teasing a child. He was in a fairly good mood, probably due to the acquisition of the ring, and the Leviathan Gorilla did not seem to look as repulsive as it had before.

"Kya kya kya!" The Leviathan Gorilla giggled, looking glad, though it was not known if it was because Lin Li had accepted the ring or because it could finally send the pestilence away.

Lin Li's mood was lifted with the acquisition of the magical equipment by chance. He had no further interest in making things difficult for the Leviathan Gorilla, so with a kick on its butt, he said, "Scram!"

The Leviathan Gorilla seemed to have received an amnesty while being kicked, and dived into the depths of the forest with a puff.

Lin Li was about to leave after getting the ring when the colorful canvas caught his eyes.

Only then did Lin Li notice that, underneath the mess of dyes, there seemed to be something else.

Feeling somewhat puzzled, Lin Li picked up the canvas.

After a detailed examination of it, Lin Li realized there seemed to be some squiggly symbols on the canvas.

"The High Elves' print!" Lin Li was taken aback. Andoine had hidden a significant number of spellbooks in that small log cabin of his. Some of were written in the High Elves' print, but because Lin Li had just been exposed to magic and his foundation was not solid enough, Andoine had never allowed him to touch the stuff.

Lin Li could not understand the texts, but he knew at least that anything that had to do with the High Elves was definitely not something that was ordinary.

So, without any hesitation, he tucked the dirty canvas into his arms.

Cromwell was staring at the bonfire, dazed, when the three of them had returned to the cave.

"Ina!" The zealous mage was surprised seeing McGrenn and his daughter come back in one piece. The monster that had taken Ina was too powerful. It had the speed of lightning, sending him to the ground and snatching Ina away in the blink of an eye. Never had he expected the two of them to bring Ina back safely.

Thinking back to the terrifying monster, he was reminded of his earlier actions—he had fled in panic and left Ina to fend for herself.

For a moment, Cromwell felt his face burn as he stood rooted to the ground. It felt wrong to stand or sit; finally, Lin Li came to his rescue.

"It's late, everyone should rest early."

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The next day, the party of four arrived at Jarrosus City at noon.

"Felic, this is Jarrosus City." McGrenn was enthusiastically introducing the bustling city to Lin Li as they walked along the lively streets. "Not far ahead is the Adventurers Guild. I usually spend my time there when there are no quests. If you need any help, you can find me at the Emerald Tavern."

"Damn! This Jarrosus City is huge…" Being accustomed to the tall buildings in a metropolis, Lin Li felt a wave of novelty as he entered the exotic city. His eyes had not taken any rest at all as he followed behind McGrenn, busy with taking in his surroundings.

Cromwell could not help but frown as he watched Lin Li from behind. What a country bumpkin who had not been exposed to the world…

His emotions were complicated as he was remorseful yet indignant. But, more than that, he felt hatred towards Lin Li.

He had utterly regretted plunging into the Sunset Mountains. He would not have encountered the Leviathan Gorilla if he had not entered the Sunset Mountains, and he would not have fled without taking Ina with him. There were many ways to win Ina's heart, but he had chosen the most stupid one.

He was completely stunned the moment the Leviathan Gorilla took Ina away. A level-eight magical beast was so powerful that Cromwell could not help but shiver just standing in front of it. He tried to run after Ina, but his legs wouldn't budge. The confidence from the past had vanished and all that remained was endless fear.

At last, fear had triumphed over reason, and Cromwell chose to escape.

All that followed was simply a nightmare to him.

He had fled in panic back to the cave, but this low-life mage managed to save Ina. Ina's attitude towards him changed, no longer being polite. There was only disdain now, the kind of disdain that she regarded him as air. Until now, Ina had still not looked him in the eye—not even once.

Cromwell was not dumb and knew what this meant. It meant that he had lost all hope in winning Ina's heart.

After the initial remorse, Cromwell naturally pinned all the blame on Lin Li. It was because of his arrival that he had lost the opportunity to fight the Wyvern and save both Ina and her father. It was also because of his presence that he had performed badly in front of the Leviathan Gorilla.

He had even come to believe that these were all part of Lin Li's plan. This damned mage already had the thoughts of competing for Ina, and that was why he had appeared in the Sunset Mountains at that very moment.

Cromwell, caught up with his conspiracy theories, had no time to think what a difficult task communicating with a level-eight magical beast was.

For the zealous mage, Lin Li was the root of all evil. As long as he got rid of him, he could be together with Ina.

Lin Li entered Jarrosus City—this was undoubtedly the best opportunity.

As the heir to the family, Cromwell knew very well just how powerful his family was in Jarrosus. Even the leadership of the Guild of Magic were unable to ignore the suggestions of the Merlin Family. Once Lin Li joined the Guild of Magic, Cromwell would have his own ways to deal with him.

At this thought, there was finally a smile on Cromwell's gloomy face.

It was probably the reason why Cromwell, who had not spoken a word to Lin Li along the way, took the initiative to ask, "Mage Felic, are you going to report at the Guild of Magic? If you need help, do feel free to ask me. The Merlin Family does have a say in the Jarrosus' Guild of Magic."

"Report?" Lin Li was just looking around when he did a double take at the word.

"You don't know?" Cromwell swore silently at the country bumpkin, but kept the smile on his face. "The Supreme Council has made it clear that all mages above level five must report to the city's Guild of Magic upon their first arrival."

"Hold on… What's the Supreme Council?"

"You don't even know of the Supreme Council?" Lin Li's ignorance had been an eye-opener for Cromwell. Feeling his vanity greatly satisfied, he couldn't help but swear inwardly at the country bumpkin again. "The Supreme Council was established after the Dark Ages, and its full name is the Supreme Council of the Anril Guild of Magic. The purpose of its establishment is better supervision and management of the guild. Of course, the mage families are not included in the management—like the Merlin Family."

"Oh…" Lin Li nodded, but asked again doubtfully, "So the Guild of Magic is considered a subsidiary of the Supreme Council?"

"Sort of. But the Supreme Council usually isn't directly involved in management."

Lin Li did not question further. In his mind, he thought, Anril World is much more complicated than I expected it to be .

Just as he was absorbed in his thoughts, the party had reached the doorstep of the Adventurers Guild.

It was an enormous building, taking up most of the street. The decor was simple and plain, and if seen from the outside, you'd never expect it to be the largest and richest institution in all of Anril. Behind the front door was a spacious hall; according to McGrenn's introduction, this was where they usually received their quests. The hall was packed with all kinds of adventurers—some were waiting for new tasks while others had already collected them and were preparing to leave. These adventurers covered almost every profession Lin Li knew, from mages to warriors and from archers to thieves. Most of them carried a faint smell of blood on them. Lin Li knew that it was the legacy of years of fighting demons.

"Felic, take a seat here first. Ina and I are going to turn in our quest; we'll be back soon."

McGrenn was about to turn and leave when Lin Li stretched out his hand and pulled him back. "Didn't you fail the quest?"

"We have to turn in failed quests as well, or we won't be able to receive new ones."

"Then, do failed quests give you any trouble?"

McGrenn shook his head. "There is no trouble at all, just some loss of money."

"Wait a second for me here."

He found a quiet corner and silently opened up the Ring of Endless Storm. From inside the ring he took out half of the Manticore's hook, which he had nicked off from the dead Manticore he'd encountered when he was out picking wild steelbloom for Andoine.

"Is it alright to turn in this for your quest?" Lin Li handed the half piece of Manticore's hook to McGrenn.

"You…" The middle-aged adventurer had not expected that the problem he was so worried about could be solved so easily. Thinking of all the help Lin Li had rendered them along the way, the middle-aged man who was bad at words didn't know what else to say for a long while. He merely repeated, "Thank you, thanks…"

"You're welcome, I've got no use for it anyway…" Lin Li smiled. "I have things to do, so I won't be going with you anymore. If anything happens to you in the future, you can find me at the Guild of Magic. I should be staying there for some time if nothing else happens."

"Mr Felic!" Lin Li had just stepped out of the Adventurers Guild when he saw Ina running after him. The long-legged beauty's blond hair flew in the air; Ina's pretty face was flushed, her expression one of bashfulness and carrying a hint of reluctance to say goodbye.

"Hm?"

"Mr Felic… I…" Ina's small, fair hands were clenched as she was cheering for herself mentally. But after a few stammers of "I", all she said at last was: "Goodbye, Mr Felic."

"Goodbye, Ina."

Lin Li smiled and was about to turn around when he suddenly felt a gush of sweet wind. Ina, who was blushing just a moment ago, finally summoned up her courage and stuffed an item into the palm of his hand. "This is for you!"

After passing the item to Lin Li, Ina's ears had turned red with embarrassment. Without waiting for Lin Li to respond, the long-legged beauty fled back into the Adventurers Guild like a frightened white rabbit.

Lin Li was stunned as he stared at the figure that had just left. He stood at the street for a long time until he finally remembered the item in his hands.

It was a newly-sewed scroll pouch. The craftsmanship was a tad rough, but nevertheless, it was meticulously sewed. He could almost feel Ina's warmth on the pouch as he held it in his hands…

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Chapter 13: Emerald Tower

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The Guild of Magic was located at the southern end of Jarrosus City. It was a huge building as well, no less so than the Adventurers Guild. The Guild of Magic was also known as the Emerald Tower in Jarrosus City. Standing on the streets, one would be able to see the tall spire of the tower from a distance.

Lin Li had asked several passers-by on the way and very soon found the direction to the Emerald Tower.

The Emerald Tower was unusually quiet as compared to the bustling Adventurers Guild. Lin Li stood outside the gate for a long time, but did not hear a sound at all. There was only a faint wave of magic coming from the tower. The magical wave was majestic and mysterious, and it made Lin Li feel as if what he was facing was an insurmountable mountain.

Walking in through the gates of the Emerald Tower, what he saw was likewise a spacious hall.

At a glance, the hall was empty, and not a single person was in sight.

"What kind of situation is this…"

Lin Li stood at the door, bewildered. Just then, he heard a commotion coming from the upper story.

"Shadow City wants the control of the Demon Fall Valley? Sure! But you'd better be prepared to bleed!" A furious roar came from upstairs. Lin Li saw a round gray figure just as he looked up.

"President Gerian, you're too irrational…" The man who was driven out of the door by the round figure was a middle-aged man in his forties. He wore a tight black leather jacket and emitted a thick smell of blood from his body. When he turned around, Lin Li suddenly felt as if he was being targeted by a venomous snake.

Hold on… President Gerian?

Lin Li suddenly recalled—the name that the middle-aged man had called out seemed to be the one of the very person that Andoine had told him to look for.

At this thought, Lin Li was unable to restrain himself from taking another look at the plump figure.

Only then did Lin Li notice how old the figure in the gray mage robe looked. He had a kind countenance and was fair and chubby. Even when he was angry, he still looked cheerful. Lin Li felt a little dizzy; a fat old man like him who looked more like a businessman than a mage was actually the President of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, Archmage Gerian!

"President Gerian, you are too irrational. Rejecting the friendship of Shadow City will only bring disaster to Jarrosus Guild of Magic." The middle-aged man dropped such a sentence on him and left the Emerald Tower without another look back. He only took another look at Lin Li when he passed by, and the feeling of having been targeted by a venomous snake tightened Lin Li's heart.

How does that man walk without a sound? Could he be possessed by a ghost? Lin Li's character was not that of one who was willing to lose out. He had been unsettled by the gaze, and so he naturally had to curse in his heart.

"Come if you dare! As long as you dare to lay a finger on the Demon Fall Valley, I'll chop the claws off your hands!" Who knew there'd be another even more fiery-tempered one? The middle-aged man had already gone far, but the fat old man never stopped berating. After some time, he finally noticed a presence in the hall. With a frown, he glared at Lin Li and asked, "Who are you?"

"You're President Gerian, right?" Lin Li hastily turned over his pockets. He took out Andoine's letter and handed it over. "I am Felic. Mage Andoine had told me to look for you. This is a letter he wrote to you."

"It's Andoine, that old chap!" The fat old man's eyes lit up at the mention of Andoine's name. The frown that was on his face dissipated, his chubby face radiant with smiles, and he looked just like an amiable businessman. "Where's the old chap? Why are you here alone?"

"Mage Andoine said he had something to see to; he'll only return to Jarrosus City in a week or two."

"Oh…" Gerian nodded and began to read the letter in his hands.

Gerian had found it odd from the start. Although Andoine was a member of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, he had been immersed in pharmaceutics and had not done anything serious in the guild for decades. He'd occasionally show his face once in a while, but only when he needed ingredients for his recipes. Had the wind changed for the old chap to write someone a letter of recommendation…?

But as he read on, the expression on the plump mage's face changed. His eyes, narrow as he smiled, were as wide as those of a bull. He raised his head a couple of times to look at Lin Li as he was reading the letter. Finally, his hands that were holding onto the letter seemed to be trembling as well.

This… If what was said in the letter was true, was this guy still a human?

Look at what the old chap had said—a magic gift that was comparable to that of Geresco, the God of Mages!

The fat old man's pupils dilated when he saw the name. He had grown up listening to the legend of the God of Mages. Gerian could count with his eyes closed exactly what the noblest mage of the Dark Ages had done in his time. He was the only mortal that could fight the gods, and there was the legend of him annihilating the Magic Legion of the High Elves with his own power. Gerian had always thought that such a person would only exist in myths.

Gerian would definitely regard it as a joke if it came from the mouth of someone else. But he knew deep down in his heart that Andoine was a man of his words. He had never exaggerated anything once in the hundred years he had lived.

I've found a treasure… I've found a treasure… Gerian eyes were still on the letter, but his heart was bursting with joy. He wished he could pick up the letter and give it a few kisses. Jarrosus Guild of Magic had been down and out for decades, and now the opportunity had presented itself for them to turn things around!

Before the old man's joy could subside, another paragraph had caught his attention.

"Furthermore, he is a Master of Potions…"

Master of Potions… You must be kidding! Gerian rubbed his eyes as hard as he could, thinking he had seen wrong.

Gerian picked up the letter once again after he was done rubbing his eyes.

Damn! Really a Master of Potion!

Gerian had gone completely Spartan in his mind. This… was much more terrifying than a genius in magic!

Who had ever seen a Master of Potion under the age of seventy—let alone at this time, thirteen hundred years after the Dark Ages? Gerian took a peek from behind the letter and carefully sized up this young man named Felic. The mage robe looked rather worn, but the magical wave coming from it was exceptionally clear. From Gerian's perspective, he could tell that this was not an ordinary magical item just by one look. He was tall and thin, with a face that looked slightly childish. He was probably not any older than 20 years old…

The letter also mentioned how powerful this young potion master was: powerful enough to outdo anyone in the Pharmacists Guild!

J… J… Jackpot… We have hit the jackpot this time!

A Master of Potion under the age of twenty… Gerian was trembling with excitement at the thought of it. From now on, the Pharmacists Guild was nothing to him! He would not have to go begging on their doorstep for a few bottles of potions, and would not even have to make contact with those pharmacists who had their eyes on the ceiling! Hell, what big shoes they wore when they didn't even have large feet! He had a potion master here with him now—there was no need to face their terrible attitudes anymore!

"Mage Felic?" The old man was utterly out of breath after finishing the letter. His fixed gaze on Lin Li was a glimmering green, sending a chill down Lin Li's spine. "Andoine has told me all about you in his letter. According to him, you have not gone through a level certification?"

"Level certification?"

Gerian knew he had said something nonsensical upon seeing Lin Li's confused eyes. He had slapped himself out of dismay and cursed himself silently. What a fool I am! This kid had just been exposed to magic three months earlier and had been learning from Andoine, how would he know of any level certification?

"Simply put, it is to certify your magic level. In my opinion, this is necessary for you because it is only after being certified that you will be able to receive spells corresponding to your level from the Guild of Magic."

Gerian kept a smile on his face when he was explaining what the level certification was, but in his heart, he felt an indescribable nervousness. This was about a magical genius who could rival Geresco, and even more about a Master of Potion under the age of twenty! Gerian even felt he was more nervous now than when he had advanced to an Archmage.

"Then, when can I get certified?" Lin Li reply was straightforward—he'd also like to know which level he was currently at.

"Anytime!" Gerian pulled Lin Li up the stairs. His chubby face was completely distorted from trying so hard to hold back his emotions. He wanted to pull Andoine into his arms and give him a few pecks on his cheeks. The old chap had been too lovely, he had to thank him when he returned to Jarrosus City.

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Chapter 14: Level Certification

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"Kevin!" the old man screamed as he got to the second floor. "You lazy punk, get out here! There are things to do!"

A long silence. The fat old man got angry and the tightly shut door was kicked and split in half with a thud. Lin Li stood at a side, stunned by what he just saw. How was the old fellow so strong? Was he a mage or a beast?

"President Gerian…" The room was in ruin; inside was a thin, young mage who looked to be about twenty or thirty years old. He stood dumbfounded, looking at the door. He was about to say something but the fat old man shot him a fiery glare, and he could only swallow the words back down his throat.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Mage Felic, a new mage. He has decided to go through the level certification in Jarrosus' Guild of Magic. Bring him down to process the documents; I'll look for someone to arrange the certification. These little rascals are getting more brazen, hiding in the room early in the morning. I wanted to teach that bastard from Shadow City a lesson, but couldn't find any helpers to back me up…

"Oh, right. Felic, this is Kevin, the famous nice guy in Jarrosus Guild of Magic. You'll follow him to handle all the paperwork, I'll come and find you later."

The fat old man went off swearing, leaving Lin Li and Kevin standing there in a daze.

"Heh heh, the President's character… Uh… He's more straightforward, you'll slowly get used to it in the future." The young mage lifted the two broken pieces of door from the ground as he explained to Lin Li with a smile.

"Straightforward indeed…" Lin Li laughed. The fat old man was much more interesting than Andoine.

Gerian's kick was harsher than a beast's attack. The lock that was behind the door was broken with his kick. Kevin lifted the door up and examined it for a long while, soon realizing that it was impossible to repair it. He could only lean the broken door against the wall, and with a bitter smile, he said, "Let's just wait for the President to call for a repairman. I'll bring you down to process the documents first."

"Sorry to trouble you."

On the way down, the two of them chatted from time to time and gradually became familiar with each other.

The fat old man was right, this young mage Kevin was indeed a nice person. Lin Li had asked a dozen questions along the way; if it was someone else, they'd long be annoyed, and only a good-hearted person like Kevin would answer each and every one of them—without losing patience, no less. He would explain twice if Lin Li couldn't comprehend the first time, and only when Lin Li finally understood did he stop the explanations.

"That is to say, after the level certification, I'll be a member of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic?" After listening to Kevin's introduction of some general knowledge regarding the level certification, Lin Li finally understood the reason behind that fat old man's sheepish laugh earlier on. It turned out that there was another meaning behind having this level certification.

"On paper, at least." Kevin nodded and continued, "But the Guild of Magic is a relatively loose organization. Strictly speaking, mages have far more rights than obligations in the guild. After the level certification, you will have the right to use all the guild's facilities like the library, laboratory, and the meditation spot. If you make a significant contribution to an area of study, the guild will also provide you with a large amount of money."

"Sounds pretty good… Then, what obligations do I have to fulfil?"

"Obligations… Other than admitting that you are a member of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, there seems to be no other obligation. At least in Jarrosus Guild of Magic, the President won't force you to do anything. Even if he does, you have the right not to agree. After all, the guild is a loose organization, there's no subordinate relationship between the mage and the guild."

"Then, why do I feel that you seem to be afraid of the President?"

"He's my uncle…" Kevin smiled bitterly. "Not just kicking my door, even if he beats me, I can only bear with it…"

"…"

The certification procedure was easier than expected. It was considered done once the form was filled out.

The questions on the form were almost all about magic. Other than the name and age columns, there were no questions on the family or address. Lin Li had spent half the day worrying over it, and revised the fake identification Andoine had made for him once more.

After filling out the form, Kevin brought Lin Li up to the third floor. They passed through a few corridors and finally saw Gerian, who had long been waiting for them.

The old man was incensed. His hands were making exaggerated gestures as he swore.

Not far in front of him, a middle-aged mage was listening in silence, his expression aggrieved and frightened. He nodded while retreating carefully at the same time, as if afraid that the old man's rage would fall upon him.

"Go and tell that fool from the Merlin Family to scram this instant. If they dare to make such requests again, I'll burn their nest down with a torch!" The swearing old man showed a slight restraint in anger when he saw Lin Li approaching and spared the poor middle-aged mage for the time being. "Go now!"

"Yes…"

As if being granted an amnesty, the middle-aged mage turned and ran faster than a hare could. He only shot Lin Li a curious glance as he brushed past him on the way out.

"The Merlin Family?" Lin Li frowned at the mention of the familiar name. But after thinking for a long time, he still failed to recall where he had heard that name.

Lin Li had yet to recognize the name when Gerian had stepped forward to meet him. He wondered which year the old man was born in as his mood changed from one moment to another. A while ago, he was still swearing in a towering rage, and with a turn, he reverted to the amicable smile on his chubby face. "How was it, Felic? Have you processed the documents?"

"Yes, it's done."

"Great!" Gerian's face beamed with delight. Without any further questions from Lin Li, he hurriedly brought the two of them to the hall on the third level.

A crystal ball was placed in the middle of the hall. Around the crystal ball lay two kinds of mageweath.

As an Inscription guru, Lin Li knew too well about the mageweath. One of it was the magical shield field, used to weaken the power of magic; the other was the elements annihilation field, used to reduce the conflict among elements. When these two high level mageweaths were used at the same time, they would produce an effect similar to keeping demons away.

"Impressive…" Despite being an Inscription guru, Lin Li could not contain his surprise when he saw the mageweath. High level mageweath was complicated by itself, but there was someone who could actually set up two mageweaths at the same time. The difficulties faced in the process were not as simple as a basic mathematical equation.

"From now on, we will begin the level certification. You don't have to care about anything else, just transmit your powers into the crystal ball." Gerian could hardly wait once they entered the hall. "Don't be afraid of breaking the crystal ball. Just focus on the output, I'll deal with the rest."

Lin Li nodded and placed his hands on the crystal ball.

He was not afraid that the crystal ball would break. With the protection of the two mageweaths, even if Andoine had been here, he probably wouldn't have been able to break the crystal ball as well.

The power gushed out like tide water, and the crystal ball began to glitter.

As the light on the crystal ball glowed brighter, so did the smile on Gerian's face.

Five minutes had passed, and Lin Li had no intention of stopping.

At ten minutes, sweat began to break out on Kevin's forehead…

At fifteen minutes, Gerian's pupils began to dilate…

At twenty minutes, both of them had the impulse to hit the wall. Was this a human or a monster?

The hall was eerily quiet, and only the sound of Gerian and Kevin's breathing could be heard. The crystal ball was giving off a dazzling glow, lighting the whole hall into brilliance. Both Gerian and Kevin were astounded. Before this horrifying performance, they could only stare at the crystal ball, and the thought of recording Lin Li's data slipped right out of their minds.

The horrifying performance went on for almost thirty minutes before Lin Li finally let out a long sigh and stopped the transmittance of power into the crystal ball.

He found both of them dazed when he turned his head back.

"What happened?"

"You… You… Are you a human or a monster?" Kevin asked cautiously, as if afraid that Lin Li would turn into a demonic beast and pounce on him.

"Twenty-eight minutes…" Gerian stared at Lin Li with his eyes and mouth wide open. With a confounded look on his face, he mumbled to himself repeatedly, "Miracle… Miracle!"

Any mage would know what it meant to have a magic output that lasted up to twenty-eight minutes. Most spells, with the exception of a few channel spells, required only an instantaneous burst of energy. In other words, it was only at the moment of unleashing spells that magic output was needed. A minute of continuous output could be converted into at least a hundred instantaneous bursts of power. The mental strength of a human was limited, after all; even a top mage like Gerian could only maintain five minutes of magic output at the time he had been advancing to the Archmage.

He would never have imagined there'd been such a monstrous character like Lin Li in the world.

Twenty-eight minutes of continuous output meant a few thousands of low-level magic spells. Even if they were legendary spells, this would be enough to unleash a dozen of them. Gerian had really wanted to ask Lin Li whether he was truly a human.

What was the scariest of all was that even after twenty-eight minutes of continuous magic output, Lin Li had shown no signs of fatigue at all. The kid had even approached them in great spirits and asked, "How was it? How did I do?"

Gerian was about to answer when Kevin, who was standing beside him, slapped his hand against his forehead and let out a cry. "Oh no!"

"What?"

"I forgot to record his mental strength!" At the moment, Kevin wanted to drop dead. It was his responsibility to record the data, but he had been so engrossed in watching that he had forgotten about doing his job. Kevin wanted to hit his head against the wall. He was so doomed; something so important had gone wrong in his hands. With Uncle Gerian's character, even if he didn't die this time round, he'd probably still have to get skinned.

"Fool!" Gerian, however, did not throw a fit—not physically. Instead, he scolded him in a fit of rage. "Record for what! A mental strength that can support an output of twenty-eight minutes… Even if you did record it, no one would believe it."

Then, he took a look around and made sure no one was eavesdropping on them. With a menacing stare directed at Kevin, he threatened, "Destroy all other evidence except the magic level. Also, do not reveal the things that have happened today no matter who asks about it—and that includes your father. If news is leaked, let's see how I'll deal with you!"

Kevin hurriedly agreed. He was so scared that he broke out in cold sweat.

In the end, Lin Li's level in magic had become the least important of things.

With a stroke of the pen, Gerian filled in an "8" under the column for magic level. With that, a level eight mage certification was considered complete.

"Mage Felic, on behalf of the guild, I officially welcome you as one of us. From now on, you are a member of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic. If there are things you don't understand, do ask Kevin," Gerian announced with a smile of satisfaction on his face as he gathered the level certification records.

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For the next few days, Lin Li was up to his ears in work.

Gerian had arranged Kevin to run his errands, but he still had to do a lot of work by himself, for example copying spells in the library.

Looking at the mountainous pile of magic books in front of him, Lin Li finally understood why that old fellow Andoine always said that there was no end to the world of magic. With so many books, it would take him a few years just to read the table of contents, not to mention studying the spells that were recorded in them.

Lin Li had been sitting in the library for two days. There were about twenty or thirty spells recorded in the magic book, all of which he thought were useful.

He had only two criteria when it came to choosing the magic books. One, the spell had to be short; two, the magical elements had to be simple.

Most mages would have scoffed at these criteria.

Among the same level of magic, the longer the spell and the more complex the structure, the greater the power. Since it all consumed the same magical power, who wouldn't choose the one with greater power? It was just like playing a game of mahjong—with a good set of tiles in hand, who wouldn't want to give pure hands or something a shot?

But to Lin Li, the intensity of power was not important at all.

"I don't wish for the best, but I wish for the most!" With the support of an enormous mental strength, Lin Li never had to worry about exhausting his magical powers, much less about his mental strength being unable to hold out.

Instead, the prolonged recitation of spells might put him in more danger. Since he couldn't solve the problem of his recitation speed in a short time, Lin Li simply chose the easier magic to learn. His powers wouldn't be exhausted anyway; if one didn't work, he'd use several more. With dozens of magical powers blasting down, what wouldn't be knocked down?

Gerian took time off in between to look at what Lin Li was doing. After witnessing his weird selection criteria, the fat old man couldn't help feeling the jitters on his back…

Look at what the twenty or thirty spells were about.

Mind control, warlock's eyes, arcane missile, fragility, paralysis, power shield, power amplification, hysteria, delirium, fossilizing…

Other than a few purely offensive spells like the arcane missiles, everything else was ruthless control spells.

Gerian said nothing, touched his nose, and slipped out. Once out, he muttered to himself, "Is the kid really the disciple of Andoine?" He didn't know Andoine had a taste for such things…

Copying the spells was a burdensome thing to do, particularly for a dabbler like Lin Li who had a poor foundation in the local language. Other than the lingua franca of this world, all other languages were Greek to him. So, he had to go through different language guides as he wrote the spells down into the magic book.

He had spent almost two days on those twenty or thirty spells.

When he looked up from the pile of books the next day, it was already evening.

Lin Li did a long stretch and returned the books to their original positions. He was about to leave the library when he saw Kevin walking in.

"Felic, are you done with copying the spells?" Kevin saw Lin Li packing up the books just as he entered. "Right. President Gerian wanted me to tell you that he's waiting for you in the hall on the ground floor and would like you to go to him once you're done with copying the spells. He looked like he had something to tell you."

"What's so urgent?" Lin Li was all ears. The fat old man had just come to the library in the morning, why hadn't he said anything then?

"He didn't say why, just asked you to come."

"Oh… Sorry to trouble you."

Lin Li left the library. Very soon, he found Gerian in the hall on the ground floor.

The fat old man, who was in a good mood today, was instructing two young mages.

"Fools! Can't you all be any dumber? You couldn't even complete such an easy elemental sequencing, what is in your minds all day?" Of course, his approach was out of the ordinary as always.

The two young mages were bruised from all the lecturing, but they had not the courage to speak up for themselves. They could only lower their heads in grievance and listen earnestly to the lecture of the fat old man. They seemed to have found their savior when they saw Lin Li coming down, and quickly threw him glances that called for help.

"President Gerian, I heard you were looking for me?" Lin Li shook his head seeing those two poor fellows, but he began by greeting the fat old man.

"Felic, you've come." It had indeed helped the two mages out of their predicament. Gerian had no time to lecture them seeing that Lin Li had come. "Come, come, I have something to discuss with you."

"You two…" Halfway in his strides, Gerian seemed to recall something, but after a moment of hesitation, he waved at the two unlucky mages. "Forget it, scram as far as you can…"

For reasons unknown, Gerian seemed extra cautious along the way. He brought Lin Li to the reception room so that no one could interrupt them.

If one were to ask where the safest place in the whole of Jarrosus Guild of Magic was, it would undoubtedly be the reception room. There were seven Warlock's Eyes at the door, providing an all-dimensional surveillance of each and every occurrence in the surrounding. Behind the tightly shut door was a magic probing mageweath, emitting a faint wave of magic. Under the influence of the mageweath, any magical spying activities would never go unnoticed by Gerian.

Lin Li knew it wasn't a trivial matter upon seeing how serious Gerian was. He pulled a chair and took a seat, quietly waiting for Gerian to start.

Gerian was looking extremely cautious today; even in the reception room, which was the safest of all places, he couldn't seem to be at ease. He cast another Life Sensor Spell, and after making sure that there were no living people around, he started whispering, "Tell me, when did you offend the Merlin Family?"

"The Merlin Family?" It was the second time Lin Li heard Gerian mentioning the name; the previous time was a few days ago, when he was going through the level certification. He remembered the fat old man throwing a huge tantrum, threatening to do something to the Merlin Family…

Lin Li was still in a daze when he suddenly recalled someone.

Cromwell! That's right, it's Cromwell!

When they had first reached Jarrosus City, the zealous mage had mentioned the very same name. If Lin Li had remembered correctly, his exact words were… "If you need help, do feel free to ask me. The Merlin Family does have a say in the Jarrosus' Guild of Magic."

"You mean… Cromwell?"

"That's right, it's him." Gerian nodded. "Do you still remember the day you came?"

"Yes."

"That day, after you went with Kevin to process the documents, someone working under Cromwell had come calling. Hmph, this fool had put in a request for me to kick you out of the guild. He must be blind!

"I didn't have the time to care about it, and only sent Colin to warn them that they had better not find any trouble with you." At this, Gerian let out a muffled groan. "But this idiot doesn't know where to stop. This morning, he sent someone else here again, and this time, he dared to threaten me, saying that if I don't do according to his wishes, he'll convince his family to terminate all business contracts with the guild."

Lin Li did not say anything. He watched Gerian with a grin on his face.

Gerian had been in charge of the Guild of Magic for decades; he was no ordinary character. He would probably have been devoured long time ago if he couldn't even deal with someone like Cromwell.

Since he had brought this up voluntarily, he had to have a plan in mind.

From what Lin Li saw, the fat old man's rage was merely just an attitude, an attitude of support for himself.

So, Lin Li did not utter a word, and waited for Gerian to speak.

"Hmph! He must be blind, not even looking at whom he's threatening." Sure enough, Gerian then announced in a towering rage, "Although Jarrosus Guild of Magic has been facing some difficulties these few years, we are not that down-and-out to be threatened by others! Since I was the one who got you into the guild, I will take responsibility for it. Whoever dares to touch you will have to ask for my permission!"

"Thank you, President!"

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Lin Li was more or less surprised when he came out of the reception room.

Ever since the Leviathan Gorilla incident, Ina had never given Cromwell any pleasant looks. Lin Li knew then that the warm-hearted mage had been enthusiastic for nothing.

But he had not expected Cromwell would vent his frustration of not winning Ina's heart on him.

Lin Li felt quite wronged, it was as if he had been bitten by a mad dog for no particular reason. He hadn't cared much for Ina from the beginning, but he was still targeted by the mad dog Cromwell.

He dares to bite me? Then he'd better be prepared to be beaten! The more Lin Li thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.

Just as he was feeling aggrieved, he heard footsteps shuffling from behind.

"Felic, are you free?" Kevin advanced with a smile and greeted Lin Li. "If there's nothing to do, can you accompany me to town? I have some things to buy."

Lin Li thought over it carefully and realized he had nothing to do indeed. He had taken down the spells from the library and the procedures for joining the Guild of Magic had been completed. Moreover, Kevin had been running around these days, giving him much help. It wouldn't seem kind of him to reject such a small request.

"Sure! I wanted to take a look around Jarrosus City too."

The two guys left the Emerald Tower after informing Gerian. They walked along a deserted street towards Jarrosus City.

The streets outside Emerald Tower were unusually quiet. There were occasionally a few passers-by, but most appeared to be in a hurry.

Kevin was not much older than Lin Li, and was one of the first few people he knew in the Emerald Tower. After being in contact for a while, they had become pretty familiar with each other. The two had a chat as they walked along the street. As they were both level-eight mages, the topic of their conversation would naturally be about magic.

Of course, Kevin's level-eight was different from Lin Li's level-eight.

After all, one had just been exposed to magic for a few months, while the other had already spent over 20 years on it.

Lin Li could not be compared to Kevin on general magic knowledge. So, most of the conversation was Lin Li asking common sense questions and Kevin answering them.

The way one questioned and another answered had kept the journey away from boredom.

After walking for over ten minutes, the streets gradually became more lively.

Not far ahead was the Adventurers Guild Lin Li had once visited.

This was probably the most flourishing place in the whole Jarrosus City. A large number of stores was scattered around; numerous adventurers would come and go every day, bringing forth huge demand and supply. Adventurers could buy a variety of equipment from the nearby stores, or sell the materials they'd acquired on quests to these stores. The course of contact had brought great prosperity to the street.

After taking a look around the street, they walked into a magic store called Gilded Rose.

At least half of the magic stores in Jarrosus City were called Gilded Rose. According to Kevin, they all belonged to a mage family called Mannes. Like the Merlin Family, this family was one of the most prominent families in the Felan Kingdom, only that one had entered politics, while the other did business.

Since the Dark Ages, the Mannes Family had been running magic business. Over the past 1300 years, a huge amount of wealth was accumulated by them. Gilded Rose Magic Store was located in every corner of the Felan Kingdom; even in the most remote countryside, you could still find the signboard of Gilded Rose.

The decoration of Gilded Rose was full of mysterious aura. As he walked into the hall, Lin Li could easily feel the unusual magical wave in the surroundings caused by the large number of magical items that repelled and interfered with each other.

As soon as he walked into the hall, Lin Li was blinded by the dazzling array of magical equipment. It was indeed the largest magic store in the Felan Kingdom. From what Lin Li saw, every mage robe and magic staff here was decent stuff.

Lin Li was browsing before the counter for a while before a female attendant in uniform came to greet him.

"Greetings to you, Mr. Mage. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"…" Lin Li was about to open his mouth when he suddenly stopped short, for it was not until then that he had remembered something important—he had no money, not even a penny!

From when Andoine had brought him into the cabin till he had joined the Guild of Magic, a whole three months had passed and Lin Li had not spent a penny. As a poor transmigrator, he had no need to use money, and therefore did not think of earning it. It was only on this day when he walked into the Gilded Rose that Lin Li suddenly found himself without even a penny on him.

He had his eyes on a necklace and was about to ask the uniformed lady to show it to him when he had discovered this embarrassing fact upon touching his pockets. The smile on Lin Li's face froze and after a long while he chuckled lamely. "I'll have a look… We'll see later…"

It was indeed embarrassing. Fortunately, Kevin came over to his rescue.

"Felic, are you free? Help me take a look at this magic staff. What do you think?"

Kevin held a staff of primitive simplicity in his hands. The body of the staff was covered in fine and delicate mageweath, and a red crystal was embedded at the top. Judging from the scorching aura of the magical crystal, it should be a staff for amplifying fire spells.

Apart from a slight deviation in the mageweath structure, this was a good enough staff. Lin Li nodded. "Nice staff. I wonder how much it costs."

"It's not too expensive, around three to four hundred gold coins. It's hard to get a staff like this with this price nowadays."

"…"

Watching the expression on Kevin's face like he had snagged a bargain, Lin Li felt his scalp tingle. Three to four hundred gold coins was not considered expensive?

He thought of McGrenn and his daughter, who had risked their lives in the Sunset Mountains to kill a Manticore for a reward of mere fifty gold coins. For a staff like this, they'd have to kill almost ten Manticores before they could afford it…

"This is what being a mage is about, a lot of money is needed. You'll get used to it in the future." Kevin had probably guessed what was on Lin Li's mind looking at his expression. He motioned for the uniformed lady to give him the bill as he explained in a low voice, "A staff like this would go for at least five hundred gold coins in other magic stores."

After buying the staff with three hundred and fifty gold coins, Kevin went on to buy other items, spending over a thousand gold coins in all.

As Kevin was checking out, Lin Li suddenly felt that he should make some money too.

"Kevin, you're familiar with Jarrosus. Do you know where the adventurers usually go to sell magic materials like the magical crystals they've gotten?"

"Magic materials? Usually, they'll hand such things to magic stores like the Gilded Rose and entrust them with selling them, but part of the fee will be deducted after the transaction. You can also go behind the Adventurers Guild if you don't want to pay the fee. There's a black market there, you can trade small items like herbs for bigger items like magical crystals from magical beasts there."

"Shall we go take a look?"

"I was just planning on buying some materials from there too…"

There was a deep, dark alley beside the Adventurers Guild. After the two guys came out of the Gilded Rose, they walked along the small lane. A few steps later, loud clamor reached their ears.

The black market behind the Adventurers Guild was an entirely different world from the mysterious and elegant Gilded Rose.

There were no rich magical auras or female attendants in uniform; all it had was a thick stench of sweat and endless arguments.

Walking into the black market was like walking into a Colosseum.

It was often a price difference of a few silver coins that made a group of people contend in furor.

"Come on! Are you blind? This is a damn authentic Thorned Beast fur and you find it expensive for a hundred silver coins? You can make a leather armor out of it and it'll last you forever! What goddamn world we are in, a hundred silver coins for a life and it's still not worth it…"

"You want to make a leather armor with this damn thing? Go back and make a diaper for your son with that. Stop talking rubbish with me, I'll take it for 50 silver coins at most. If you're unwilling, I'll go to another store!"

"50 silver coins for a Thorned Beast fur? Are you still f*cking asleep? Forget it, I'll take it that I'm doing a good deed and sell it to you for 80 silver coins, how's that? If you don't want it, scram. Don't block my damn way to fortune!"

The fierce bargaining was an eye-opener for Lin Li. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he'd have thought there was some deep hatred between the two men just listening to their voices.

"Felic… Felic!" It was a ruckus all around. Kevin had to shout into Lin Li's ears for him to hear. "Squeeze to the front a little more!"

"What?"

Kevin raised his voice higher and pointed his finger to the front. "I said! Squeeze! Forward!"

"Oh!"

With all their strength, they finally squeezed out into a gap in the crowd.

"Here it is." Kevin panted heavily. He stopped in front of a small hut.

Lin Li looked up. There was a sign outside the hut that looked like it was ready to fall off anytime. A few big words were written on the sign in dexterous calligraphy—Jarrosus Exchange.

"…" Lin Li almost choked in his breath. How could such a dilapidated house be associated with trade?

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Chapter 17: Magical Crystals Trade

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"What are you doing?" Lin Li wiped the cold sweat off. He was about to enter the hut when two burly men came up and blocked him with raised arms.

The burly men were shirtless, their expressions ferocious and ugly. At a glance, they seemed to have come from knocking around places, fighting and killing. Lin Li touched his nose and replied timidly, "I came to sell items…"

"Sell? Scram to the side! Take a look in the damn mirror, is Jarrosus Exchange a place for you to enter at your own wish?" With these words, Lin Li was pushed out of the door.

Lin Li stumbled a few steps back. "Can't we talk nicely without any pushing?"

"Scram immediately!"

Seeing that Lin Li wanted to continue his ramble, the two men became enraged and held their fists up.

Kevin was gasping for breath at a side when he looked up and witnessed the conflict between both sides. Just as he was about to open his mouth to stop them, it was already too late. The burly men attacked and the young mage sighed regretfully.

"Ah!"

Then came a succession of cries, which seemed to have startled the noisy black market into silence at once.

"Damn. You really thought anyone wearing a long robe would be a cultured person?" Lin Li was beaming. The crowd of onlookers couldn't understand how this seemingly harmless young mage could be so vicious in his strikes. The two burly men had yet to deliver their attacks when they were each sent a dozen meters away by an Arcane Missile, and were groaning in pain on the ground at the moment.

"Can I go in and sell my items now?" Lin Li approached with a grin and bent down to ask that the two men who were still groaning in pain.

The two poor men were nothing but rogue gatekeepers. They mostly bullied derelict adventurers as they watched the gates, and had never met a real mage before. Those two Arcane Missiles were a low-level spell, but as they landed solidly on their chests, even the strongest in body could be half killed. At this time, they looked at Lin Li as if they had seen a ghost, and hurriedly nodded in trepidation. "Yes, yes…"

Lin Li smiled with satisfaction. He took a few steps forward and asked doubtfully, "I won't get chased out?"

"No, no, no…"

Kevin watched from the side, dumbfounded. After some time, he let out a sigh in resignation. This young mage's character was rather similar to Uncle Gerian's, both ruthlessly vindictive. It was no wonder Uncle Gerian thought so highly of him…

Lin Li walked into the exchange in high spirits amidst the groans of the two unlucky morons.

Kevin caught up from behind, a bitter smile across his face. "The Exchange goes by a membership system. I had yet to pull out my membership card when you already knocked them out. You're quick to take action…"

"Why? They have backing?" Lin Li asked casually with a grin.

"Of course. How can a place like Jarrosus Exchange not have the protection of some sort of force?" Kevin's head throbbed at the mention of this. "The one that protects this place is Old Odin, the largest underground force in Jarrosus. The important thing is, Old Odin has always maintained a good relationship with the Guild of Magic, and has been friends with President Gerian since young. You've beaten them up without a word; it'll be hard for President Gerian to explain it to Old Odin…"

"I've beaten them up anyway. We'll talk about it again when they come calling on the doorstep."

It was empty inside the Jarrosus Exchange; not a ghost could be seen except for an old man who was dozing off at the counter. Lin Li went in and knocked on the counter dozens of times before the old man opened his eyes with a sleepy face. He yawned as he grumbled in a quiet voice, "Young people nowadays are really mean, waking up an old man taking an occasional nap. Ai, I'm already this old, wonder how many more good naps I can take…"

Lin Li touched his nose sullenly. This old fellow could talk more crap than Gerian…

"Hurry up and state your business, don't hold up an old man's rest." There was no energy in the old man's voice; it sounded as if he was on his deathbed.

"I heard from my friend that the Jarrosus Exchange buys in all kinds of magic materials. I have a few magical crystals at hand, and was thinking of bringing them here to see if I could exchange for some money to tide me through," Lin Li said. The other party was an old man after all, and was not as strong as the two unlucky morons at the door. Even if he was unhappy with him, he'd have to suppress his anger.

That was why he cut to the chase and pulled out the scroll pouch Ina had given him from his pockets.

What followed were the clattering sounds of dozens of magical crystals rolling out onto the counter.

Kevin's scalp numbed as he saw the shiny magical crystals. He didn't even have to look closely to sense that they were at least level-five with the element waves emanating from the magical crystals. Magical beasts were not cows that one raised at home and could milk as and when one wanted. It would probably take more than ten days to collect these magical crystals of level-five and above even if a mercenary team was deployed.

Kevin couldn't comprehend just how so many high-quality magical crystals came to fall into the hands of Lin Li.

The one with the biggest reaction was the old man behind the counter.

The old fellow was just looking sleepy a moment ago, but his eyes shone when the large number of magical crystals rolled out from the scroll pouch. He shot up from his seat with a swish and threw himself onto the counter, his actions fast and agile—he did not look like an old man at all.

"Manticore… Bloodsucking Lizard… Thunder Beast, damn! There's also a Wyvern!" The old man lay on the counter and counted with his eyes lit, occasionally whispering or shouting. His facial expressions could not be more perverted.

"These… these are all yours?" The two guys had waited there for half an hour before the old man finally looked up from the pile of magical crystals.The way he looked at Lin Li was one of a big gray wolf looking at a small white bunny.

"Basically…"

Lin Li nodded reluctantly. He was about to ask the old man if he would take them when the old man pounded the desk. "8000 gold coins for all, will you sell?"

"8000 gold coins?" Lin Li was bewildered. Being a transmigrator, he had no idea about money in the world of Anril. He had to turn his head around and ask Kevin for help.

"10,000!" Kevin spat out a figure resolutely.

"Hold on… I need to have a discussion."

10,000 gold coins was a huge amount, after all; the old man couldn't make the decision by himself. He hurried out from behind the counter after informing them. The two guys waited there for long before they saw the old man return with glee on his face. This time, there was no hesitation from him as he kept those dozens of magical crystals away. "Deal!"

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Chapter 18: Suppression

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lin Li was in a bright mood when he walked out from the so-called Jarrosus Exchange. Back when he was in the Sunset Mountains, forced by Andoine to kill magical beasts, it had never occurred to him that he could sell the magical crystals for money. He thought it was a waste to just leave them there, so he picked them up each time he killed a magical beast. Who would have thought that, two months later, he could earn his first income from these magical crystals.

Because of his different experiences, Lin Li probably understood the power of money better than most mages in this world.

Initially, he did not have the time to think about it. But after a reminder from Kevin, he recalled his experiences in the Endless World. Had he not had that near-infinite amount of money, he wouldn't have possessed so many top-grade materials, much less trained all his life skills to the highest level.

10,000 gold coins might seem like an enormous amount in the eyes of others. But to Lin Li, it was just a beginning.

That afternoon, Lin Li raided over 20 herb stores. When he had hired a horse wagon to bring the herbs back to the Emerald Tower, Gerian almost cried in excitement.

He had waited for decades, and at last Emerald Tower had its own potion master. Damn the Pharmacist Association, go to hell!

And then, both of them went into the reception room again; this time, the content of their conversation was kept secret even from Kevin.

Kevin only knew that Gerian was beaming with satisfaction as he emerged from the reception room and announced on the spot that, from the day onwards, everything within the Emerald Tower would be open to Felic unconditionally. He was free to go anywhere and look up anything he wanted.

This was probably the most exclusive privilege in the Emerald Tower apart from Gerian's, particularly for a mage who had just joined a few days ago—it was absolutely a miracle.

Almost none of the mages in the Emerald Tower could understand why Gerian made such a decision. To them, it was a joke. Even the pride of Jarrosus Guild, legendary mage Andoine, had never enjoyed such generous treatment before. What right did this young mage, who had just joined the guild for a mere few days, have to deserve such favorable terms from Gerian?

For a moment, Emerald Tower was in chaos, and all kinds of rumors were in full swing. There were speculations whether the relationship between them was normal or not, and questions whether Gerian was being fair. There were even a few petulant ones who threatened to pull out from the guild if Gerian did not rescind his decision.

Jarrosus' Guild of Magic had been lacking in talent, and the withdrawal of a few mages who were of at least level-nine would be a devastating disaster. Almost everyone thought Gerian would compromise—otherwise, the Jarrosus Guild of Magic would completely disappear from Anril before the Supreme Council's assessment in three months' time.

However, they were all wrong. Gerian was not only unwilling to compromise this time, he had also taken an unusually tough approach.

Within three days, rumors in the guild were forcibly suppressed. The mages who threatened to quit were kicked out of the Guild of Magic that afternoon.

The tumult had come and gone; it was almost over before it began, and everything seemed to be back on the original track. Lin Li still spent his days in the library, occasionally hanging out with Kevin outside of the emerald tower to see if there was anything good in the magic stores. The fat old man was still keen on instructing young mages in his own unique way as ever…

The only issue was probably the mages who were kicked out of the guild.

Not to mention Gerian, even Lin Li heard it several times.

These guys had been coming together lately, but no one knew exactly what they were discussing.

Everything looked the same except for this.

Under Gerian's tough approach, the small ruckus was crushed. But everyone knew that, in fact, these suppressed voices never really disappeared. They were merely waiting patiently.

Once there was a slip-up from Lin Li, or if Gerian could not come up with a convincing reason, these voices would come out from the shadows again, louder than before.

But to Lin Li, this was not a big deal.

He had been so busy since he'd returned from the Jarrosus Exchange that he did not have the time to care about such matters.

Every morning, Lin Li would head straight to the library. He had too much knowledge he needed to catch up with. Sitting in the quiet library, Lin Li felt as if he was back to the time before his college entrance examination. When he had finally looked up from the pile of books, he'd often go back to the potion lab without having his meals. There, herbs worth thousands of gold coins were waiting for him.

What Lin Li had to do was to turn the thousands of gold coins' worth of herbs into potions.

Even Lin Li, a potion master, could not help but have a headache when faced with so many herbs.

Moreover, there was that old fellow Gerian, who ran to the potion lab in the name of concern more diligently than anyone. In particular, the way he drooled when he looked at the bottles of finished potions made Lin Li want to drive him out of the lab.

That day, the two of them had reached an agreement in the reception room.

Lin Li would have the next highest privileges second to the President in the Jarrosus Guild of Magic. Correspondingly, the guild would have the priority rights to purchase the potions he produced. That was the reason behind the fat old man running to the potion lab everyday.

As a matter of fact, the two men—young and old—did not differ much in their core personality traits. Both were philistine—only that one was arrogantly philistine, while the other had kept it low-key.

The agreement was, of course, full of the spirit of utilitarianism.

One wished to maximize the benefits of pharmacists, while the other wished to maximize the use of guild resources for his own work. Neither of the two jerks was good.

Lin Li was satisfied with the agreement. Being a transmigrator, he knew the power of publicity more than anyone else. Especially in a world of swords and magic, if you had a giant like the Jarrosus Guild of Magic standing behind you, you could sell the medicine more readily than others.

A large amount of herbs was placed into their different categories, and the empty pharmacy was once more filled with the fragrance of herbs. According to Lin Li's plan, the first batch of herbs would be used in low-level potions as much as possible. After all, this was just the beginning; it was far from the point of showing off all of his skills.

But with his ability as the potion master, even if it were some low-level potions, it'd be enough to make Andoine's eyes lit up. Heaven knew how many years had passed since the mages in the Emerald Tower had a smell of the Calming Potion…

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A delicate fragrance filled the potion lab while the potion in the beaker gurgled.

Lin Li added nectar from the peacebloom into the beaker as he meticulously calculated the ratio of the three potions. He only raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead occasionally, quickly burying his head back in work.

Behind him were bottles of completed Arcane Magic Potion.

Gerian had come to watch a few times. When he saw the bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, the fat old man nearly bit his tongue off. It had been on his mind even without looking at them, but now that he had seen them, he was behaving like an aggrieved woman who hadn't been satisfied for decades, refusing to leave the potion lab and insisting on getting two bottles for him to have a taste.

Lin Li tried every possible way to dissuade him, but eventually he got him a bottle and sent the aggrieved hag away.

Other than that hag, Kevin also dropped by a few times to take a look.

But the young mage was much more restrained than the fat old man. After greeting Lin Li at the door, he would squat in the corner and draw circles. When something happened, he could also help Lin Li; all he wanted was to witness the skills of a potion master.

It took him almost a week to use up over thousand gold coins' worth of herbs.

It was Wednesday when Lin Li dragged his tired body out of the potion lab.

Lin Li went to Gerian the first thing after he came out, and the old and young pair hid in the reception room once again. Their discussion took almost the whole afternoon, and both emerged with sly smiles on their faces.

Lin Li could finally get a good sleep after finishing all these.

Lin Li was dizzy from exhaustion after so many days of work. He fell asleep and did not wake up till Friday.

By the time he woke up, news had spread through Jarrosus City.

"I heard that Jarrosus Guild of Magic discovered a High Elves relic not long ago and obtained many master potions from it!"

"No, no, I heard they poached a Potion Master. This time, the Guild of Magic hit the jackpot. It was said that the Potion Master had brought a pile of potions with him from the Pharmacists Guild!"

"Brag all you want. Who doesn't know what the Guild of Magic have been like these years? The fellows from the Pharmacists Guild have their eyes on top of their heads; if they really poached a pharmacist from them, I can chew off the spire of the Emerald Tower!"

"I really don't know what they were thinking. Those are potions of the mastery level, they should be keeping them and drinking them in secret, but instead they decided to sell them! Damn… You few, don't leave! Lend me some money, I should buy a bottle too!"

"Dream on! With what little money we have, it's not enough to buy a bottle. Hmm, it's probably enough to buy a bottle cap…"

And the source of all these was a word from Gerian.

"This Sunday, the Guild of Magic will be auctioning 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion in the Emerald Tower!"

The mages in Jarrosus, especially those who came from the mage families, could not even remember how many years it had been since they heard of "Arcane Magic Potion".

Although the Jarrosus Guild of Magic had been down and out in the recent years, due to the agreement made during the Dark Ages, they could more or less get some aid from the Pharmacists Guild. Although the aid was paid for with Gerian's old face, they were still happier than the mage families.

The mage families had great wealth and enviable power, but the Pharmacists Guild was not as much an object of wealth and power.

Every pharmacist had the rights to look down upon all of these.

The skill they inherited from the High Elves Dynasty was in itself the most precious wealth in the world. If a potion master wished so, he could easily destroy a magic family with a flip of his hands. There were too many strong people in the world willing to go through fire and water for a bottle of potion.

Perhaps only a giant like the Merlin Family had a small chance of getting a master potion, but it was really only a small one…

The entire Jarrosus City was in a complete frenzy ever since Gerian had released the news.

Competent forces were scrambling to make money.

The Merlin Family, determined to acquire these 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, even disposed of several properties in the heart of Jarrosus City in order to gain more bargaining chips in the competition. After all, old Gerian had said that the Guild of Magic would only recognize money this time. Whoever gave the highest price would have the best opportunity, and friendship or whatnot would have to wait after the items were sold!

It was said that Gerian gave a flat refusal even when Old Odin came calling. Everyone in Jarrosus City knew that both of them wore the same pair of pants growing up. The Merlin Family, which was just about to extend a friendly hand, immediately pulled back after hearing that even Old Odin had been turned away…

"How are the properties in the city center handled?" Matthew Merlin was 53 years old this year. He had been the head of the Merlin Family for a decade, but he had never been as agitated as today. He paced back and forth in the living room, stepping on the soft carpet, but his mood could not be calmed for a long time.

The 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion was a godsend of an opportunity for the Merlin Family.

He had never seen any force taking out so many bottles of Arcane Magic Potion at once. Even the Pharmacists Guild had never been so generous. When he'd first heard the news, Matthew Merlin, who had never let his feelings show, was so excited that he dropped his wine glass on the spot.

That was 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, which meant 30 chances to permanently enhance magic power.

Although this opportunity was only for mages below level-five, weren't they what the Merlin Family had the most?

For most mages, level-five was a difficult gap to cross.

After crossing this gap, one would be entitled to wear a long mage robe and be called "respected mage". But if one could not cross the gap, they would be a pathetic mage apprentice for life.

A mage and a mage apprentice. It was one of heaven and one of hell…

With the Merlin Family's influence now, should there be another 30 mages beyond level-five… At the thought of this, Matthew could almost see the glorious future of the family…

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Chapter 20: Father and Son

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"It's almost done. There are two places which are a bit of a trouble. The buyers are biting onto the prices and not willing to compromise; I've sent someone to negotiate with them, so we should be expecting some good news soon."

Cromwell's expression was respectful, but there was a triumphant glint in his eyes. He had always wanted to prove that he was capable of managing the family in addition to his magical talent, so he had done his best to be perfect in the real estate disposal. In just one day, five properties worth more than 180,000 gold coins were disposed of; in such an urgent situation, he made sure the family did not suffer much loss.

In Cromwell's opinion, it would have been difficult even for his father to do it better than him.

"Fool!" But it was Old Merlin's angry outburst that awaited him. The wine glass in the old man's hands fell to the floor again, and the fingers pointing at Cromwell were shaking slightly, accompanied by the sound of rapid breathing. "Who told you to negotiate with them? Who gave you the rights to negotiate with them? Do you know that this is a matter of life and death for the Merlin Family?! You actually took the liberty of making such decisions on your own… do you still have any regard for me?"

"Father…" Cromwell was completely dumbfounded. Old Merlin's anger was like a stick in the dark, beating him into bafflement. For a moment, the feeling of injustice welled up in his heart, and he just stood there speechless for a long time.

"Ai…" It was his own son after all. After the scolding, Matthew's anger had subsided a little. The old man sighed helplessly. "Why do you not think over it? If I hadn't been pressed for time, how could I have sold the properties in the center of the city? Did you really think us, the Merlin Family, would be lacking in money? What we are lacking is time! The amount of time left for us is too short: only two days. After two days, those 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion will appear on the auction. It'd be better if they could delay a few more days and I could dispose of some more properties. This way, our odds would be better during the auction…"

"But…" Cromwell had no idea that Old Merlin would be so determined this time. "Are those 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion really so important to our family? Even without the potions, we already have 40 mages level-five and above. Other than the Guild of Magic, no one else in Jarrosus has this kind of power. Why do we need to fight so hard for 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion?"

"Hmph…" Old Merlin rolled his eyes. He shot an exasperated look at Cromwell, a look that also expressed that he'd expected better from him. "I've long told you not to hang out with those old fellows in the family, why won't you listen? Look at what they've taught you, these short-sighted geezers… 40 mages above level-five… It only looks nice! With these 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, what we will come to have are 70 real mages, and not some ridiculous mage apprentices!"

Old Merlin had a murderous glint in his eyes at the mention of this. "Also, has it ever crossed your mind what will become of our Merlin Family if these Arcane Magic Potions fall into the hands of other families?"

Old Merlin's words plunged Cromwell into deep thoughts. He stood there, absorbed in the meaning of his father's words. Cromwell was not an idiot, and after a few moments, he began to grasp the key to his words. Cromwell felt his limbs turn cold at once, and as he opened his mouth to speak, he felt his throat was unusually dry. "You… you mean… Merlin Family… will… will be replaced by other powers?"

"Yes." Old Merlin's expression was serious. "The 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion may be an opportunity or a disaster for our Merlin Family…"

"I get it, Father!"

"These two days, other than disposing of the properties as soon as possible, it'll be better to hang around the Guild of Magic as well. It'll be good if you can get to know the origin of this batch of Arcane Magic Potion. Even if you can't, you'll first have to establish a good relationship with the Guild of Magic. This time, they have most likely gotten themselves a potion master. When you go, bring those few level-fourteen spells from the family with you. Gerian will likely understand my intentions…" Old Merlin sounded a little dejected. "From now on, the Guild of Magic is not the Guild of Magic of the past…"

"Okay, I'll get right down to it!"

"Hold on…" Cromwell was just about to leave when Old Merlin called him. "A few days ago, I seemed to hear that you were having a bit of a bad time with the Guild of Magic because of a young mage?"

"About this… I can explain…" What was done secretly was exposed on the spot by the Old Merlin, and Cromwell's expression was now a flustered one.

"How much do you know about that young mage?" There was not much reproach in the look on Old Merlin's face.

"I know a little." Cromwell was slightly relieved and went on, "This mage is called Felic, I got to know him when I was in the Sunset Mountains. He had encountered a Wyvern and I was the one who saved him. But this person did not know gratitude and wanted to deal with me again and again. Then, I heard he had joined the Guild of Magic, so I wanted Gerian to teach him a lesson…"

"What about his strength?"

"About level-six."

"Small character of little significance…" Old Merlin shook his head. "Your fault is that you shouldn't have let Gerian know about it. Try to see if you can rope him in this time when you go; if you can't, then…"

As he spoke, his gaunt fingers ran across the neck, indicating he was to "eliminate" the problem.

"Remember, if you do it, do it cleanly."

"Understood!"

Although he had been berated, Cromwell was in a good mood when he left Old Merlin's study. What could only have been done in secret was unintentionally approved of by Old Merlin. To Cromwell, this was more important than anything else. With the strong support of the Merlin Family, it was easier to kill a derelict of a mage than to crush an ant.

As for trying to woo him… This had never crossed Cromwell's mind at all. As long as he took out those level-fourteen spells, even Gerian had to take him seriously. Was there any need for him to woo a down-and-out low-level mage?

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Chapter 21: Black Lotus

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The storm brought on by the Arcane Magic Potion swept in many of the powers in Jarrosus City.

From eleven mage families to six underground forces, almost everyone was struggling to raise money. Prime real estate, top-grade magical crystals, rare magic materials and magic equipment… All these uncommon items seemed to have flooded the market overnight. Prices were dropping day by day as if taking a dive from a high platform.

The whole Jarrosus City had become crazy. All the powers qualified for the competition were fighting to force their way into the Emerald Tower.

As for the Emerald Tower, it was of course the center of the storm.

After Gerian had tossed the news out, he'd been staying in the Emerald Tower, feigning illness.

"Visitation? Ai… I'm really sorry, President Gerian is seriously ill; it's a malignant infectious disease. If you're infected, it will lie heavy on our conscience. Why not go back first and come back again a few days later?"

Sometimes, the circumstance was a scary thing. Just after two days, someone as honest as Kevin was poisoned into lying every time he opened his mouth. He spoke of the infection with an anxious expression of pain as if Gerian had not been just ill, but had been infected by a plague instead.

Everyone knew what was going on, but there was nothing they could do about the fat old man Gerian. Everyone was at Gerian's mercy now, and what they were waiting for was to rip him off at the auction. So the members of the ten mage families came and left, and then the members of the six underground forces came and left too…

The seriously ill Gerian, however, was hiding in the basement, grinning. He counted the Arcane Magic Potions again and again and listened to the noise coming from the hall, the grin on his face growing wider as he did that.

He no longer remembered how long it had been since the Jarrosus City had been so astir. For the last twenty years, the Guild of Magic had been the top influence in Jarrosus City. But those with discerning eyes knew that it was only because the Supreme Council still existed. Without the support of the Supreme Council, the guild would have fallen apart in an instant.

Before the emergence of the Arcane Magic Potion, who truly had regard for the Guild of Magic? The same went for Old Odin, whom he shared a friendly relation with. If he had not been the President, that old chap who controlled all the assassins in Jarrosus would not have given the Guild of Magic any respect.

Even that little rascal from the Merlin Family had dared to come to his doorsteps to make a demand.

"Pff! Kicking Felic out of the guild… Hats off to him for thinking about it."

"Ai, I am too brilliant!" Thinking back to his decision, Gerian couldn't help but revel in it. It was all because of this decision that the Guild of Magic had become what it was today. 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion had made the guild the focus of the entire Jarrosus City. If these fellows who were fighting crazily were to know there were another hundred-plus bottles in the cellar, what expressions would they have on their faces…?

As the initiator of the potion storm, Gerian knew Lin Li's worth more than anyone else. In his opinion, the Arcane Magic Potion was just the beginning, and it was still far from demonstrating the true worth of Lin Li. In fact, even Gerian himself wondered what kind of surprises would this almost miraculous potion master bring to the Guild of Magic…

Just as everyone was going crazy over the thirty bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, Lin Li was hiding in the potion lab alone the whole morning.

Lin Li knew about the stir created by the Arcane Magic Potion. If it happened in a different period of time, he would have taken pleasure in receiving the attention. But he had no mood for it now.

He found something interesting in the potion lab.

It was a few black petals. He had most likely been too tired the past two days, and walked into the potion lab again in a daze this morning when he woke up. He wanted to leave once he came to realize where he'd gone, but then he suddenly spotted the flower petals among a pile of potion dregs.

The black petals were mixed in the dregs; if not for Lin Li's good vision, he'd not have been able to differentiate the petals.

In the beginning, Lin Li did not take it to heart. After all, gathering herbs was a troublesome task. Other than a herb master like him, an average person would inevitably pick up some weeds while gathering herbs. Who knew how many weeds he'd picked out from the herbs while he was concocting the Arcane Magic Potion the past few days…

Picking up those few petals was an instinctual reaction, just like how one would naturally grasp a woman's breasts when he had his arms stretched out in front of her chest—it was not a hooligan's behavior, but an extremely natural reaction…

Anyway, Lin Li picked up one petal in his hand.

It was then that he realized things were wrong.

Upon closer inspection, this petal was actually the legendary black lotus!

This… this… Isn't this too phony?

Lin Li could never dream that he'd discover the petals of a black lotus among the peacebloom dregs.

Although using peacebloom as the main ingredient of the Arcane Magic Potion produced fairly good effects, the growing environment of these herbs was not at all harsh. Simply put, they could grow anywhere. As long as there were mountains and water, there would be peacebloom.

The legendary black lotus, however, was on another end of the scope. Its growing environment was unbearably harsh—it had to be rich in magical elements and boast an extreme temperature high enough to melt steel. Most important of all, it had to be watered with molten lava coming from the core of the earth. The molten lava, however, could not be poured directly on the black lotus; instead, it could only be run slowly about a meter away from it…

All the conditions mentioned above were indispensable. Should there be any slight variance, the black lotus would wither away in the shortest of times even if it somehow managed to grow.

Aside from such perverted conditions, the emergence of the black lotus was universally acknowledged as impossible. Lin Li had put out a high price for news on the black lotus in order to achieve a breakthrough in pharmaceutics, but not the slightest simmer of bubbles could be seen even after putting out a reward of hundreds of thousands of gold coins.

The reward had been out for a few months; Lin Li gradually began to give up on the black lotus which only existed in the legends. He had not expected that, a few months later, he'd arrive in another world and discover the trail of the black lotus by chance.

"Could I be this lucky?" Lin Li gazed at the petal in his hand and couldn't suppress his excitement any longer.

If news of his luck coming upon a few black lotus petals among the peacebloom went out, it would scare some people out of their wits…

Lin Li quickly opened up the Ring of Endless Storm and took out two bottles of potion—a blue one and a red one. Sticking to the ratio of three-to-one, he carefully poured them into a beaker. Once the two potions mixed, they immediately gave off an acidic smell, which filled the potion lab.

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Chapter 22: A Visitor

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

This was a small trick Lin Li had learnt long ago. Mixing the Recovery Potion together with the Sobriety Potion would produce a cocktail potion with the simplest structure and most intense conflicting properties. Through this, the attributes of a certain herb could be perceived directly.

Lin Li gingerly picked up a petal and slowly immersed it in the beaker.

When that speck of black came in contact with the potion, a fizzing pop could be heard. The liquid in the beaker churned violently, and white mist arose from it. The acidic smell that had permeated the potion lab seemed to be swept away in an instant, and replacing it was a rush of refreshing fragrance.

"It is indeed the black lotus!" Lin Li placed the beaker in his hands down on the table, as if he was afraid he'd drop all the black lotus petals into it.

Black lotus was frequently used in mental strengthening. One of the most powerful end products using it was the legendary Ephemeral Divinity Potion. In that twenty seconds of brief divinity, the user possessed an almost-infinite mental strength and was immune to any mortal spells. This thing was definitely the deadliest of weapons. It could block almost anything from humans to gods, and could kill with just a glare.

Granted—this thing was just a legend.

No traces of the Ephemeral Divinity Potion could be found even in the formulas of pharmacist gurus. Perhaps only someone at the level of a Divine Smith would have it…

In addition, the black lotus could also be used to create mental strengthening potions like the Infinite Magical Ability, Arcane Field, and more. Although they were less freaky than the Ephemeral Divinity Potion, these potions were far more realistic than the illusory Divine Smith level formula. At least Lin Li had mastered their formulas when he had reached the level of a pharmacist guru.

Besides, these potions were not your average kind. They might not be as freaky as the Ephemeral Divinity Potion, but they were definitely almost there. In particular, the Infinite Magical Ability Potion was as enchanting as one wanted it to be. These three instantaneous phenomenal spells were enough for a mage apprentice to defeat a legendary mage.

Of course, to possess potions with such horrifying powers, the materials needed were not at all ordinary.

Other than the legendary black lotus, a great deal of rare herbs was also hard to find. After the completion of the potion, sap from the Eternity Tree had to be added in. Only the sap from the Eternity Tree would be able to provide magical support to the three legendary spells.

Anyhow, the black lotus could only be met but not asked for. Just these few petals would drive most pharmacists crazy. Moreover, these petals provided a clue for Lin Li to figure out the place pharmacists dreamed of—the spot where a black lotus was growing.

The black lotus petals were gently kept into the Ring of Endless Storm. Lin Li was mindful of his hands for the whole time as if he was afraid he'd bruise the treasure by accident.

He was finally done with the work and ready to leave when he met an acquaintance as he walked out of the potion lab.

This fellow actually dared to come to the Guild of Magic! Lin Li was unnerved watching Cromwell enter the Emerald Tower in a distance. Didn't he just threaten Gerian a few days ago about what to do? And the next minute, he came calling on the Guild of Magic, right? The Gerian today was not the Gerian of yesterday. Ever since he had got ahold of the Arcane Magic Potion, it was as if an old man had met an old army doctor. Without a few smokes of the cigarette everyday, he'd not be at ease.

This fellow had come in so casually, wasn't he afraid that Gerian would take the chance to vent his emotions?

The whole Jarrosus City was all about the fat old man now that he had the Arcane Magic Potion in his hands. Given the vindictive nature of the old man, he would never let Cromwell come to a good end for offending him!

"Felic! I couldn't find you anywhere, so that's where you're hiding…" Lin Li was contemplating whether to hide in a corner and watch the upcoming show when he heard Kevin's voice coming from the hall.

Lin Li looked up, only to see Kevin with a face full of sorrow.

"What's with the expression?" Lin Li knew best the kind of crap Gerian had arranged for Kevin to do these two days. The fellow smirked unkindly upon seeing Kevin's sorrowful face. "How was it? I bet you've reaped some profits these few days?"

"Don't even mention…" Kevin's pretty face was smothered into a ball of worry. "You don't know how I managed to pull through these two days. I haven't taken a break since morning. The people coming for Uncle Gerian were unceasing, everyone was asking how his illness was. I've told the lie about that infectious disease at least eight hundred times, if not a thousand. I've even come to suspect I'll say the same things in my dreams…"

"Then you'd have to get the time to sleep." Lin Li dropped another blow on Kevin heartlessly. He stretched out his hand and pointed at the noisy crowd outside the Emerald Tower. "Look at the number of people. By the time you play them off, it'll probably be morning."

"…"

Kevin was so engrossed in the chit-chat with Lin Li that he was caught unwittingly by Cromwell.

After being reprimanded by Old Merlin last night, Cromwell was even more anxious to prove himself. Early this morning, he walked into the Emerald Tower carrying a few level-fourteen spells. He had even planned out the plea he would give in his mind.

In his mind, he had imagined Gerian being overjoyed when he presented him with the spells. Then, he'd start pulling strings, talking about the deep and long-standing friendship the Guild of Magic and Merlin Family shared. And when the atmosphere became harmonious, he would represent the Merlin Family, and with a tactful and sincere tone, ask to purchase the thirty bottles of Arcane Magic Potion.

"Perfect!" A reserved smile came to Cromwell's face at the thought of that exciting moment.

Except, no matter how reserved his smile or how perfect his plan was, there had to be a chance for him to carry it out first.

As soon as he walked into the Emerald Tower, Cromwell found that things were quite different from what he had imagined. The mages, who were nothing but polite when they saw him on other days, regarded him as air today. Even the most enthusiastic ones merely nodded to say hello. Cromwell thought he was mistaken, but it had happened several times; at last, he began to panic…

He had already messed up in his handling of the estates. If he couldn't even get this done well, it would be hard to keep his position in the family.

So, Cromwell put on his best behavior, something that he rarely did, and tried his best to force a smile on his face, taking the initiative to befriend the mages in the Emerald Tower.

Cromwell smiled as his heart bled.

He was the son of Matthew Merlin, yet he had to lower his head and be the one taking the initiative to befriend these low-level mages. To the arrogant Cromwell, this was worse than killing him.

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Chapter 23: A Slap In The Face

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

What Cromwell could not tolerate was the attitude of these damned mages. Those high and mighty faces almost drove Cromwell crazy. He could not accept how these people who had tried so hard to butter up to him could now laugh so contemptuously at him.

Cromwell could not remember how he'd managed to pull through that morning.

Each time he was forced to show a friendly smile, all he received in exchange were several cold shoulders.

Until a moment ago, when he finally saw Kevin.

Cromwell, who had dealings with Kevin several times before, knew that if there was an honest person left in the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, it would definitely be Kevin. In Cromwell's mind, it was much easier to talk to an honest person.

"Mage Kevin, long time no see!"

"Uh… Long time no see, Mr Cromwell." Upon seeing Cromwell, Kevin's head began to ache. If possible, he wished he could say "Better not see!" instead.

It was a pity they'd already seen each other. Cromwell, who was like a drowning man clutching at any straw that could save his life, rushed up and shook Kevin's hands—whether the latter wanted it or not. "Long time no see, long time no see…"

Lin Li, who was standing at a side, was of course ignored.

Cromwell had thought that now that Gerian was down with a serious illness, the person who should oversee the Guild of Magic would naturally be his nephew, Kevin. What reasons were there not to cozy up to the guild's in-charge and instead engage in a chat with a mage in dire straits? Besides, as the heir to the Merlin Family, Cromwell could not afford to lower himself and initiate a greeting with a low-level mage.

Lin Li was good at taking hints. As Cromwell's expression fell into his eyes, he knew exactly what was going on in his mind…

But it was better to accept being ignored lest he should be approached with a smiling face and too embarrassed to make trouble for him in the future.

Cromwell had thought of his plea before he came, but because he had to hold it back for the whole morning, he had almost gotten sick from keeping it in for too long. Now that he finally caught up with Kevin, he'd never give him a chance to resist. He had not let up ever since he had a grab of Kevin's hands. He began with the friendship they had shared since childhood, and then went on to talk about the deep and long-standing friendship between the Merlin Family and the Guild of Magic.

The bombardment of words and favor had made Kevin extremely drowsy and miserable.

"Brother Kevin, to be honest, I really admire you. Father once told me that you are the only young man in the whole Jarrosus City with a stronger gift in magic than me. I had not believed him then; only last year, when you had surpassed level-eight in the mage certification, did I realize Father's vision was not wrong…"

Upon hearing this, an honest person such as Kevin himself could hardly restrain from cursing. You son of a watermelon—one should avoid the face of the person he was beating up! Didn't he know about that?

Kevin glanced guiltily at Lin Li and thought, Surpassing level-eight surprises you? If you knew someone who had just been exposed to magic for three months surpassing level-eight, wouldn't you be scared crazy right on the spot? Not to mention you, your father would probably be driven crazy too if he saw the crystal ball glowing for twenty-eight minutes…

Lauding me as a magic genius in front of this someone, isn't he trying to push me into a pit of fire!?

Kevin finally saw a silver lining when the sun was about to set; he had waited long for Cromwell to ask about Gerian.

"I'm so sorry, the President has been overly exhausted recently, and so he has not been feeling very well. He's resting in the Emerald Tower at the moment." Kevin was awfully agitated when he delivered the sentence. It was as if the race that had been enslaved for thousand of years suddenly saw the dawn of victory at the end of the Dark Ages.

"That's too bad…" Cromwell's expression was aggrieved. "Then, can I see him? My father had told me to bring him a small gift when I left home this morning."

At last. Kevin had waited for this sentence after being tortured for the whole afternoon…

"Visitation? Well… I'm really sorry. President Gerian is seriously ill this time, and it's a malignant infectious disease. If you're infected, it will lie heavy on our conscience. Why don't you go back first and come back again a few days later?"

Kevin had repeated this for at least a thousand times in the past two days, but never had he felt this joyful saying it. The words came as he opened his mouth, and he spoke without feeling burdened, much less worried that he'd sleep-talk in the night. He even felt a stone lifted off his heart after he'd finished the sentence…

"…"

The smile froze on Cromwell's face. This was not the result he had expected after all the meticulously prepared pleas, smiles, and flattery. For a moment, Cromwell stood at a loss, staring blankly at Kevin.

He could not comprehend how things had become like this…

"…" Even Lin Li was shaking his head as he listened from the side. Circumstance was a scary factor—even an honest person like Kevin was poisoned into lying as he opened his mouth.

The smile that was meant to be a sign of resignation was deemed an ineffable sarcasm in Cromwell's eyes. Kevin's refusal had his breath stuck in his chest, and he suddenly found an outlet to vent it out…

"What are you laughing at?!" Cromwell's fair face was badly contorted, and a pair of gleaming red eyes were fixed on Lin Li in a glare. That bearing and expression looked as though he was about to devour Lin Li alive.

"Mr Cromwell…" Kevin was just feeling elated earlier on, and never imagined this was how things would progress in the blink of an eye. When realization finally hit him and he was about to step in, things were already too late. Cromwell's eyes were fiendish, his expression contorted. His agitated outburst rained spittle on Lin Li's face…

This is the end… Kevin knew things were bad as he recalled the two unlucky men outside Jarrosus Exchange. He had figured out Lin Li's character after being together for a long time—his character was almost like Gerian's. As long as he wasn't provoked, everything could be talked about nicely. But once the fellow was provoked, he would not show any mercy to anyone he laid hands on. He would not move unnecessarily, but once he did move, he would definitely move in the direction of death.

Although the Guild of Magic had some frictions with the Merlin Family, they were after all the top influence in Jarrosus City. If anything happened to Cromwell here, it would not be up to Kevin to imagine the chaos that would happen in Jarrosus City.

"Do you have any manners at all? The things I've discussed with Mage Kevin were top secrets that belonged to the Merlin Family and the Guild of Magic. What's your status now? Have you forgotten your name after worming your way into the Guild of Magic, having the guts to eavesdrop on our top secrets? Won't you scram yet?" What made Kevin troubled was Cromwell not knowing what he was doing as he continued his reckless clamor.

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Chapter 24: Shot In The Face

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Kevin wanted to die after hearing the malicious bawl coming from Cromwell. He wanted to slap that fool across the face and ask him whether he knew whom he was swearing at. That person was the most privileged one in the Guild of Magic, and even Gerian had to welcome him with a smiling face. But now, he was being pointed at and asked to get out. Kevin felt himself turning crazy…

It's the end… it's the end… Kevin's heart was thumping as he watched Lin Li, who was still smiling.

Amidst Cromwell's outcry, the guild hall seemed to have fallen into silence in an instant. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Cromwell.

Their expressions were full of sympathy and compassion at first. Then, they turned to one of watching an idiot with a congenital disability.

Gerian said nothing for the past few days, but in their hearts, they had already associated Lin Li with the 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion.

It was just too obvious. Gerian had just granted him the best privileges in the Guild of Magic, and in the twinkling of an eye news of 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion came out. Even the blind could see the link between them.

If there was anyone in the Guild of Magic that could never be messed with now, it would undoubtedly be the young mage wearing a worn mage robe standing in front of them.

Even Cromwell's father, Old Merlin, who was said to be on par with Gerian in terms of magic attainments, would have no other way out except to die if he messed with the young mage—let alone someone like Cromwell.

Someone who could bring out 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion at once would not mind having another 30 bottles out. Under this fatal temptation, who knew how many assassins would be out there, waiting for Cromwell? Yet he was still clamoring endlessly, not knowing how the word "death" was spelled.

Among all those present, perhaps it was only Cromwell who did not understand.

Ever since returning from the Sunset Mountains, Cromwell had not felt this joyful before. The resentment that had been amassed for a long time exploded today, and the fury he had held in his chest finally found an outlet to vent it. Every word was vicious to the core and full of sarcasm, from the worn mage robe Lin Li was wearing to his inability to afford even a magic staff, his unawareness of his own status yet participating in such an important conversation…

Satisfying! Cromwell had never felt this satisfied in a long time!

But satisfaction was intriguing. It was like that very thing, coming when the satisfaction was to the fullest…

Cromwell was as such.

He was satisfied, but just as his satisfaction reached the fullest, he saw Lin Li lifting his right hand.

There were no other gestures, and no complex spells.

There was only an intense magical wave and a muffled thud.

Immediately, Cromwell felt as if he had been hit in the face with a hammer. In that moment, Cromwell even felt like his whole face was shattered; it was an incomparable force, bursting on his face all at once.

The force was extremely powerful. Cromwell hardly had the time to let out a cry before being knocked off. He flew a whole dozen meters like a kite with broken strings; at last, he landed heavily on the steps of the door, with all eyes on him.

Cromwell felt nothing except coldness and dampness. His head was heavy and spinning, as if someone had just clamped the door on him. His nose seemed to be broken as well, a gush of warmth flowing out from his nostrils. It mingled with the water stains on his face, with him not knowing if it was blood or water…

He clearly saw what struck him was a waterspout.

It would indeed come for those who were satisfied to the fullest. But Cromwell was unlucky; it came for him, but it came on his face…

The hall hushed all of a sudden. The dozens of mages present, including Kevin, had been studying magic for at least 20 years. They could easily see that the magic Lin Li used was a level-two Waterfall Strike.

A level-two Waterfall Strike wasn't intimidating at all; what was intimidating was the way Lin Li had used it.

There was no redundant gesture nor sound of chanting at all.

It was merely a lift of the hand, and the Waterfall Strike was unleashed. This was a genuine instantaneous burst of power!

Even a mage apprentice knew that it was not the mental strength or the mana that limited a mage's ability to fight—it was the time taken to prepare. Complex hand gestures and lengthy spells kept the mage in a battle walking a tightrope. Most of the mages in the world were studying the same question—how to unleash magic in the quickest way.

As for the interpretation of "quick", it would no doubt be the instantaneous outburst.

But it was just too difficult…

Absolute control of the mental strength, accurate allocation of the mana, and the complete breakdown of the elemental structures…

It had gone beyond the scope of knowledge and technology, and belonged entirely to another level.

Perhaps some mages above the level ten could unleash two level-one and one level-two spell in an instant with their decades of accumulated experience, but for many mages, instantaneous outburst was nothing but a distant dream.

But everyone had witnessed how a level-two spell was unleashed instantly today.

Furthermore, the one who had used this level-two spell was a young mage not over the age of 20.

All these had exceeded their imagination…

"Demon, demon…" A grey-bearded mage in the crowd looked on with a glazed expression.

His words were a complete representation of the crowd's thoughts. Other than a demon, no one could come up with another word to describe the young mage.

For a moment, the hall was alarmingly quiet. Except for the sounds of rapid breathing, only Lin Li's light footsteps could be heard coming from the steps.

Lin Li kept the smile on his face. He even greeted Cromwell politely as he approached. "Long time no see, Mage Cromwell."

"Long… long time no see…" Cromwell backed down subconsciously. Due to his wounded nose, there was a faint twang in the broken voice.

Lin Li had killed a Wyvern right before his eyes back when they were in the Sunset Mountains.

But Cromwell had always thought that this low-life mage was never his rival.

It was only luck that he'd managed to kill the Wyvern with that shot of icicle piercing right into the Wyvern's wound. If not for that, he'd long be torn to pieces by the Wyvern.

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Chapter 25: Old Merlin

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Cromwell had always believed that Kevin was the only young man in the Guild of Magic worthy enough to be mentioned in the same breath as him. He had believed that the mage—three years older than him and three years ahead of him to be certified level-eight—was his only rival in Jarrosus City.

As for Lin Li… he was nothing but a low-level mage.

But now, he crumbled with a bang before such a low-level mage.

There were no explanations and no reasons. It was merely a simple yet brutal Waterfall Strike, and it thoroughly shattered the pride Cromwell held for over 20 years.

While on the floor, Cromwell suddenly realized just how frail he was.

Lin Li bent over Cromwell, the smile never leaving his face. Only his eyes revealed a menacing light, such that Cromwell never doubted he'd kill him with a lift of his hand.

Endless fear welled up from the bottom of his heart, as if he was back in the Sunset Mountains in an instant, faced with the terrifying Thunder Gorilla. He shrank back involuntarily once more.

"Enough!" Just then, a voice came from below the steps.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Cromwell, who was just sinking into fear, was like a drowning man clutching at a life-saving straw. "Father!"

"Shut up! Don't you find yourself embarrassing enough?" Old Merlin emerged from the crowd. He wore a black mage robe, his right hand clutching a green staff. He exuded an aura so powerful that even on the steps a distance away, Lin Li could sense an irresistible pressure.

"Mage Felic, thanks for disciplining my child on my behalf." Old Merlin looked sincere and bowed slightly at Lin Li. But when he looked up, his eyes divulged a hint of murderous intent. "But some things should be left to me, the father. Young man, it never hurts to be a little kinder."

As Old Merlin's voice settled, the magical elements in the surroundings turned into a violent wave, like a giant vortex spreading across the area. Lin Li felt an unprecedented pressure standing in the center of this vortex. He had to clench his teeth tightly to ensure he wouldn't bend under this immense pressure.

At the same time, Old Merlin's mental strength was surging like torrential tide, dealing an impact with every wave to the center of the vortex where Lin Li stood.

"You're too polite." Lin Li clenched his jaws, sparking an abnormal mental strength all of a sudden, barely enduring the battle with Old Merlin where he faced too huge a gap in the first place.

But between a level-fifteen archmage and a level-eight mage, mental strength alone would be far from enough to compensate for the huge disparity in power.

It was an all-dimensional disparity, not only in power and experience, but also in the comprehension of rules.

At this moment, Old Merlin seemed like a veteran who had mastered the rules of the game bullying a newcomer who had just entered the gaming circle.

Once you surpassed level-fifteen to reach the realm of an archmage, your understanding of the entire world of magic would be on completely another level. No matter how strong Lin Li's mental strength was, or how near-infinite his mana was, he could never overcome such disparity in level.

What he could do now was to hang on and persevere.

But even so, he could not hold on for too long.

For Lin Li could clearly feel the giant vortex spinning at a crazier speed…

After waves and waves of mental strikes, he was on the brink of collapse.

It was a feeling of desperation. In the midst of the huge vortex, Lin Li felt that he had no room to fight back.

An archmage is indeed impressive… It was the first time Lin Li had met an adversary impossible to overcome ever since he had transmigrated. A profound sense of frustration sprung from his heart.

In fact, at this time, Old Merlin was feeling no more peaceful than Lin Li.

The young mage before him was no more than 20 years of age, much younger than Cromwell. But in the control of power, he was several times stronger than Cromwell, who had displayed an outstanding talent from a young age. Old Merlin had also observed in the probe earlier on how horribly strong this young man's mental strength was. He had given it his all, yet he couldn't figure out where his limit actually was.

Old Merlin knew very well it was all because of his deeper understanding of the rules that he was able to dominate the battle.

There was a difference of ten levels between both sides, and in the end this would be the way to decide the winner in this battle.

Mage was a highly hierarchical profession, and each level implied a great progress in power. The gap between an archmage and a mage was vaster than the sea of darkness. It was only in levelled battles, such as those between Old Merlin and Gerian, that competition was the rule.

An archmage oppressing a mage was an absolute crush…

But the crush that was expected eventually came to such a situation at present. Even Old Merlin could not help but be startled.

The only thing that pleased Old Merlin was that this unequal yet ridiculous battle was at last coming to an end…

Thinking it over, Old Merlin felt pathetic. He was an archmage, yet he was taking pride in defeating a mage.

The giant vortex spun insanely, and the waves of mental strikes were each one wave higher than another.

Just as Lin Li thought he would be swallowed by the giant vortex, a familiar voice rang from within the Emerald Tower. "Matthew, I see you're really getting out of it."

The next moment, Lin Li felt the weight lifted off his body. The giant vortex seemed to vanish without a trace in an instant, as if it had never been there before. Old Merlin still stood at the bottom of the steps a distance away; his eyes shifted from Lin Li to the depths of the Emerald Tower.

Gerian came out of the tower, looking as clumsy as ever. His round figure was moving rather than walking.

"Cut the crap, Gerian. You've got to give me an explanation for what happened today."

"Give you a f*ck…" Gerian retorted with a glare. "I say, Matthew, you're old enough now, shouldn't you be more sensible? Demanding an explanation when you bullied someone from my guild, do you really think I'm easy to bully now that I've gained weight in these two years?"

"…"

As Gerian's voice fell, the atmosphere outside Emerald Tower turned intense. All hearts were lifted to their owners' mouths. This was not a battle between Lin Li and Old Merlin like the one before—that was merely payback from a father for beating up his son. Now, both men standing there were archmages over level-fifteen, and were likewise two of the top powers leading Jarrosus.

Once the two powers turned against each other, the whole of Jarrosus would fall into turmoil.

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Chapter 26: Helpless

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

"You sure?" Old Merlin placed a foot on the step. Cromwell lay not far from where he stood, but Old Merlin did not even look at him. He pointed his green staff at Gerian, the huge magical crystal that was embedded at the tip of the staff emitting a misty green flame.

The violent magic wave seemed to bring along a gust of strong wind outside the Emerald Tower. Dust and scraps of paper on the ground were picked up and swirled like little dancers in the sky.

A compelling aura was felt from Old Merlin. It was different from the confrontation with Lin Li earlier on; this time, the aura was even more violent and powerful.

Only then did Lin Li know how lucky he was as he felt the power contained in the aura. If Old Merlin had not suppressed him with his mental strength and attacked directly instead, Lin Li would probably have ended up lying flat on the steps long before Gerian came to his rescue.

It was totally two different worlds for a level-eight mage and a level-fifteen archmage.

Old Merlin was wrong for choosing a field Lin Li was best at. That was an abnormal mental strength that even a legendary mage would be jealous of.

But even in this field, Old Merlin, with his understanding of the rules, had won without a doubt.

Lin Li stood watching Old Merlin from afar. He could only see one word from him: difference.

As Old Merlin walked up the steps, Gerian tightened his grip on the staff.

A powerful aura—as powerful as that of Old Merlin—radiated from Gerian.

His body, originally overstuffed, was as imposing as a mountain in that instant.

It would only take a moment for two of the most powerful mages in Jarrosus to collide with a dazzling spark.

"You had long wanted to teach me a lesson after putting up with me for so many years, right?" Gerian's manner was as calm as before even in the midst of immense pressure.

"Cut the crap, Gerian!"

Old Merlin's expression was firm, but in his heart, he let out a sigh.

If Cromwell hadn't failed him, he wouldn't have challenged Gerian, who was an archmage just like him, with no assurance of winning.

Those 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion were important, but what Old Merlin was more interested in was the Guild of Magic that had its own pharmacist. After all, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. The Guild of Magic, which had been down and out for decades, could still stand against the Merlin Family in Jarrosus City. How would it look if they were to have a pharmacist of their own?

For an archmage like Old Merlin, he had sent Cromwell to convey their good intentions, and had even presented four level-fourteen spells that had been in their family hoard.

Apart from the 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, what he had wanted to do more was to repair the relationship with the Guild of Magic.

How could Old Merlin not see with that wisdom of his that the Guild of Magic with its own pharmacist would eventually unify the whole Jarrosus City? Of the many forces in Jarrosus City, the Guild of Magic would definitely be dominating all in the future.

Since the rise of the Guild of Magic was something that couldn't be stopped, Old Merlin thought it wise to extend a friendly hand to them before it happened.

Besides, Old Merlin had been doing it well for the past 20 years. He had not had any conflict with the Guild of Magic, and had even materialized some business dealings with them. Old Merlin believed that as long as he was sincere, Gerian, judging by his character, would have made the same wise choice as he did.

Therefore, he had sent Cromwell with four level-fourteen spells.

But this rascal had ruined everything.

Just two days ago, he had even sworn to him that the young mage named Felic was merely at a level five or six, and had just joined the Guild of Magic for no more than ten days.

At the thought of this, Old Merlin was so angry he felt his lungs were about to explode.

Just look at how he had performed, unleashing a level-two Waterfall Strike in an instant. How was that the strength of a level five or six mage? This was probably the general standard of most Magic Shooters…

And look at Kevin's expression standing before him. He was Gerian's nephew, and undoubtedly the second-in-command in the Guild of Magic. Yet he had to do things as he pleased, how could he be an insignificant character?

But it was too late for anything. In fact, even Old Merlin had not imagined this young mage Felic would be so ruthless. There were no greetings or negotiation, only a direct Waterfall Strike with the lift of his hand.

The Waterfall Strike had shattered not just the pride Cromwell had held for over 20 years, it had also shattered the plans that Old Merlin had before.

The instant Cromwell was swept out of the Emerald Tower, Old Merlin knew everything was over. The Merlin Family had lost all in the competition for the Arcane Magic Potion, and it had also completely blocked the path to restoring its friendship with the Guild of Magic.

No one would choose an ally who harbored resentment—even if it was only the ally's son who harbored the said resentment.

… Unless Old Merlin was willing to disown Cromwell and choose another successor.

But everyone knew it was impossible. Old Merlin had only one son, and Cromwell was his only choice.

Old Merlin had only one choice at the moment—to defeat Gerian!

Gerian and he had always been two of the most powerful mages in Jarrosus City. It was only by defeating him that he could establish himself as the number one mage in Jarrosus, and allow the Merlin Family to tide through the future crises peacefully.

Before the absolute power of the number one mage, the mage families that had been waiting for their chance would most likely remain well-behaved for a period of time.

At the same time, Gerian's defeat would also silence the Guild of Magic for a long while. They would have to gather their strength again and wait for the next opportunity to rise.

The time might not be long, but it would be sufficient for the Merlin Family in their preparations…

For Old Merlin, this would be the best outcome for this whole event.

But, if possible, he wished he would not have to go that far.

After becoming an archmage, there were many things that often did not have to be seen with the eyes. Just by feeling, Old Merlin was sure that Gerian's power would not be any weaker than his own. The winner of the battle between the archmages would probably have to be decided by luck.

Old Merlin would never do anything uncertain in his life. He had never given everything to luck, like what he was doing now.

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Chapter 27: The Battle

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The green flame rising up from the magical crystals raged on, and at the same time, the surrounding magical wave had reached its peak.

With a short and rapid recitation of the spell, a red flame lit up on Old Merlin's hands. With a stamp of the staff in his hand, everyone present seemed to feel space distorting in the surroundings. Stalks of red lotus with long flaming tails in tow emerged as if from hell and bombarded the Emerald Tower amidst their howl.

Just as the stalks of red lotus were about to erupt, Gerian held up the staff in his hand, which was followed by a likewise short and rapid recitation of the spell. Almost immediately, a water-blue barrier was erected outside the gates of Emerald Tower. The stalks of red lotus fell into the water curtain like stones falling into water as ripples appeared on the barrier's surface.

"Damn you, Old Merlin!" An angry roar came out of the tower, accompanied by Gerian's furious interrogation. "What does you mother do? You son of a b*tch, are you trying to tear down the Emerald Tower?"

Old Merlin paid no heed to his fury; his lips continued their rapid recitation of the spells. The green flame burned fiercely from the magical crystal at the tip of his staff, and another layer of fire rain came falling down, hitting the blue water curtain with a sizzle.

"You've got guts!" Gerian let out a furious bellow, and the blue water curtain was instantly stretched to its limit. He made a strange gesture with his fat hands, and magical elements came pouring out from the ground all at once.

And the source of magical elements was right beneath the steps where Cromwell lay.

Old Merlin's expression changed, and he aimed his staff right onto Cromwell's shoulders. Before the latter could understand what was happening, the magical crystal at the top of the staff exhibited a peculiar distortion as if it had changed into a pair of giant hands in just an instant, clutching Cromwell in it.

Cromwell felt weight leaving his body, and then he was pulled to the back of where Old Merlin stood.

Almost concurrently, two razor-sharp rock spines broke the earth and thrust themselves out of the ground.

Cromwell looked back and felt nothing but a tingling scalp.

If he were to let those two rock spines stab through his body, even if there were ten Cromwells there, they'd be done for all together…

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gerian took a big stride and lunged out of the tower. With the support of the Levitation Spell, his plump body was floating in the air as soon as he came out. There was no hesitation at all; large verses of spells came streaming out from his mouth, his fat hands constantly making abstruse and incomprehensible gestures.

Old Merlin pushed Cromwell aside and met Gerian without fear.

The magical elements outside the Emerald Tower swarmed madly. Each time the grandiose magic collided, it'd spark off resplendent rays of brilliance. As Old Merlin levitated into the air, both exchanged almost ten strikes. Each attack was no less an extremely powerful top-level magic.

Lin Li stood at the bottom of the tower a distance away. He'd realized his previous battling styles were in no sense perfect after watching the battle of the two archmages.

Instantaneous outbursts of numerous low-level magic could indeed take an unexpected effect. But in the face of absolute power, a low-level magic would be rendered a joke. Not to mention how he'd go about blocking Old Merlin's fire rain, if he were to throw wind blades at the blue water curtain Gerian had drawn up, it would probably take years for him to break it.

This was a typical battle of the mages, so their battling styles were no doubt the most traditional.

There was no control at all, and no counter-control as well.

What they were battling with was absolute power. The one that had stronger magical power and a more abundant level of mana would eventually emerge as the winner.

Of course, it was not to say that instantaneous outbursts of magic were inferior. But, sometimes, instantaneous outbursts were not everything.

The two archmages possessed the ability to unleash low-level magic instantaneously, and were even adept at that as compared to Lin Li. But they had never showed any instantaneous outburst of magic since the start of the battle, for they knew clearly that the instant magic outbursts they could unleash would never pose a threat to the other.

As for long recitation of spells, it would be only be a death-seeking move in a battle of this level.

Even if it was only a second slower, it'd be enough to send people to eternal doom.

Both had chosen the middle course almost undesignedly. Short and rapid recitation of spells together with swift gestures had created a magnificent and ever-changing battle.

After figuring out the crux of the matter, Lin Li was even more absorbed in the battle, not batting his eyelids once. Every gesture and recitation were etched in his mind. With every fierce collision, Lin Li gradually figured out answers to questions he had before, and at the same time, questions he had never thought of before arose in his mind.

If there was anyone who benefited the most from the battle, it would undoubtedly be Lin Li.

The teachings and influence of a legendary mage had laid the most solid foundation for him. His extraordinary talent had also given him higher comprehension than ordinary people. A battle like this would be a grand and exciting one in the eyes of others, but never as enlightening as it was to Lin Li.

When the battle reached its climax, Lin Li even forgot his own existence. He had totally immersed himself in the magical collision. His heart and soul all fluctuated with the battle, and his nerves trembled with the magical elements.

It was an almost abstruse state, and Lin Li, being immersed in that state, was as if in another world by himself. In this world, he was approaching the nature of magic with unbelievable speed.

Boom! Both sides collided again. The aftershock brought on by the collision of two enormous lumps of mana radiated off and pushed Lin Li a few steps back. Sparks of scorching meteors fell from the sky, leaving behind glamorous trails.

The earth-shaking strike had finally brought the magnificent battle to a close.

Among the blazing light, two silhouettes descended slowly, a sign of mana exhaustion.

"Damn!" Lin Li had never imagined a classic and perfect battle like this would end up with both parties exhausting their mana.

Countless powerful spells had at last exhausted all mana of both parties.

They had exhausted their mana almost at the same time. The slow descent was merely a buffer with the Levitation Spell.

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Chapter 28: How Many Times Do You Wish to Recover?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Gerian held onto his bucket-thick waist as he gasped for air. The fat on his body rose and fell with dramatic gasps, and cold sweat broke out on his pale, chubby face. Although he was still staring at Old Merlin fiercely, everyone present knew that he was a spent arrow now.

Old Merlin was no better. He had to rely on Cromwell's support in order to stand firm on his feet when he landed.

But, for some reason, Old Merlin's pale face carried a hint of a smile.

Gerian had given up. Things were obvious—both were archmages, and both had exhausted their powers. No one could do anything to each other now, so how could he still smile with such confidence?

In fact, Gerian felt a tinge of joy as soon as the mana was exhausted on both sides. Neither had the strength of an archmage now, and he had dozens of people standing behind him. It would be a challenge the moment when they'd rush forward and surround the Merlins. Not to mention, he had a physical advantage. Just think, a two or three hundred pound man pouncing could easily crush him flat…

Hence, Gerian could not figure out just why Old Merlin was all smiles in victory when he had such a huge advantage over him.

The old fellow glared at Old Merlin. "You can still laugh after being beaten by me? Are you a damn ostrich?"

Old Merlin was barely able to steady himself with the help of Cromwell and still looked weak. He had heard Gerian's yell but chose to ignore it, clinging onto his chest as he broke out in a violent cough. Old Merlin looked like an old man with one foot in the grave, worn and weak, without the bearing of a great archmage.

However, regardless of how weak he was, Old Merlin's had a confident smile on his face all this while.

It made Gerian all the more unhappy to see it. He dragged his weak body and set forth towards Old Merlin. He would not let the mages in the guild lift a finger. He was going to crush that bastard Old Merlin all by himself.

But as Old Merlin's smile gradually expanded and his emaciated right hand reached into the pockets, Gerian's expression stiffened all of a sudden.

He saw Old Merlin pulling something out of his pockets.

It was a sky-blue crystal. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the sparkling crystal reflected a colorful halo.

That halo was gorgeous yet blurry, like the most beautiful of dreams.

A pure magical aura was emitted from the crystal. There were no traces of impurity in the aura at all. It was authentic and clean, gentle and soft, like a flowing river from the countryside, moistening the earth without a sound.

The confident smile of Old Merlin was even more unfathomable under the gleam of the crystal halo.

"If you had a Strong Energy Crystal, you'd probably be smiling like me now…" Though he was answering Gerian's questions, his eyes were fixed on the crystal on his hand. He was somewhat enchanted by the colorful halo, and also somewhat unwilling to shift his eyes away from it.

The whole Emerald Tower became silent as Old Merlin's voice spread throughout it.

Everyone's attention fell upon the halo; all kinds of emotions intertwined—confusion, shock, greed, and uncertainty—creating a strange atmosphere within the Emerald Tower.

The people present were mages of at least level-five and above. Other than a dabbler like Lin Li, who had never heard the great name of the Strong Energy Crystal, it was something that almost every mage yearned for. Its powerful calming effect prevented the bite of mana when unleashing spells. To a mage, the bite of mana was much more fearful than the opponent. In addition, the Strong Energy Crystal could amplify the effects of meditation. As long as one had the crystal by their side, the meditation's effects could be raised to a terrifying level.

But the real power of the Strong Energy Crystal was that it could completely restore mana.

For a mage, nothing was much more valuable than mana.

Full restoration of mana could change almost everything at the critical moment.

For example, the battle between two archmages right before their eyes. Being the most powerful mages of Jarrosus City, and having exhausted the last of their mana, with Old Merlin's condition worse than Gerian's as he could not even steady himself, it seemed to be over. But right at this crucial point, Old Merlin had taken out the Strong Energy Crystal…

Gerian's expression changed when the sky-blue crystal was taken out. His pale chubby face turned to a terrible color of bluish-white. It was nearly an expression of despair. It did not matter who, there would only be profound anguish for anyone in this situation.

Both had exhausted all their mana, but the enemy possessed the opportunity to restore all his mana at the most critical time. There was probably nothing else in this world that could feel more helpless than this…

Gerian stood glued to the ground. The gaze he had on Old Merlin was a lifeless one. He had never felt so powerless before. What had obviously been an evenly matched enemy became one that could throttle him to death in an instant as effortlessly as crushing an ant.

After the initial stupor, the mages in the Emerald Tower seemed to have realized all of a sudden what the Strong Energy Crystal meant. It meant that Old Merlin could kill Gerian anytime now, sending the Guild of Magic into depths of despair once and for all.

But as soon as realization hit them, almost all the mages had an expression of vivid fear on their faces. Everyone knew that the Guild of Magic actually belonged to Gerian alone. It was all because of Gerian that the guild was able to survive such a difficult time for 20 years and was able to stand against the number one mage family, the Merlins.

Once Gerian collapsed, it would be the end of the Guild of Magic…

Perhaps it was only a dabbler like Lin Li who had not understood the situation. He stared puzzled at Old Merlin, thinking about how despicable that old fellow's smile was. Could it be that he had a secret weapon with him? As it was a good habit to ask when one didn't know, he nudged Kevin with his elbow and asked humbly, "What is that thing that the old fellow has in his hands?"

"Strong Energy Crystal." Kevin was distracted. He was worried about the circumstances Gerian was in. But after the repeated questioning from Lin Li, he explained the origin of the Strong Energy Crystal in a simple way. "Other than the effects of calming the mind and strengthening meditation, it also has the power to restore mana. Although such power can only be used once, under this situation, I'm afraid Uncle Gerian…"

"Restore mana?" Lin Li was astounded. That old fellow Gerian looked to be a smart person and knew how to exploit his own surplus value usually. How could he see a broken crystal this day and be scared silly by it? Was it possible that the battle with Old Merlin had damaged his brain…?

Restore mana… Lin Li touched his nose. He felt like asking Gerian, "How many times do you wish to recover?"

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Chapter 29: Red Bull Drink

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Old Merlin squeezed the crystal ball in his right hand and all at once traces of light escaped from the gaps between his fingers. The pure and clean aura gushed into Old Merlin's body at an unimaginable speed. With that surge of power, color had returned to the pale and frail face.

Everyone could clearly feel that Old Merlin was recovering his mana at lightning speed. The depletion brought about by the earlier battle was quickly recovered to the full by the Strong Energy Crystal. In just a few seconds, the seemingly frail old man would become the most powerful mage in Jarrosus.

Outside the Emerald Tower, the sky was covered with layers of thick, dark clouds…

A bitter smile came across Gerian's face. The winner of the battle between the most powerful mages of Jarrosus was actually decided by a crystal.

Everyone was in despair, including Kevin. All was for naught in the face of a mage with a fully restored mana. Though they had plenty of people in the Emerald Tower, none could help Gerian…

Old Merlin's smile spread across his face. It seemed like the situation was too far gone beyond repair.

Just when everyone thought that the defeat of the Emerald Tower was a foregone conclusion, Lin Li shook his head helplessly. "Looks like his brain was really damaged…"

The voice wasn't loud, but enough for everyone around to hear. Immediately, about four or five mages turned around; the stares they gave Lin Li were filled with rage—even Kevin's. He was the one most familiar with Lin Li out of all others. And it was due to this that he knew how much Gerian valued Lin Li, and how much pressure Gerian had endured when those privileges were given to Lin Li.

Never had he expected Lin Li to say such a thing when Gerian was at the most dangerous of times.

Kevin's face turned unusually surly as he looked at Lin Li with rage and contempt in his eyes. "Mage Felic, you really disappoint me…"

"Why are you all looking at me like that…? Also, Kevin, if you're to be disappointed, you should be disappointed in that old fellow." Lin Li shook his head resignedly and slowly pulled out a sky-blue bottle from his pockets. "If his brain wasn't damaged, he would have asked for help long ago. Does he really think that he could take the whole Jarrosus City being an archmage…"

Under the deepening eventide, the sky-blue bottle flared an even dazzling glow than the Strong Energy Crystal.

It was likewise gorgeous yet blurry, emitting the same pure magical aura.

When the beam of halo penetrated from Lin Li's hands, the few people who were glaring at Lin Li were dumbfounded almost at the same time.

Kevin blushed, then showed a look of surprise on his face. As for the mages behind him, all of them let out cheers!

The cheering alarmed everyone, including Old Merlin and Cromwell. All kinds of looks were shot in their direction—looks of doubt, surprise, and suspicion.

And then they saw Lin Li emerge from the crowd.

"Looks like you're really getting on age, even your brain's stopped working…" Lin Li whispered quietly. Under Gerian's astounded stare, he stuffed the sky-blue glass bottle into his hand.

"This is…" Gerian was slightly confounded, but very soon sensed mana tumbling in the glass bottle. It was pure and clean, just like the Strong Energy Crystal in Old Merlin's hands.

"This is similar to the Strong Energy Crystal. I remember it was called the Awakening Potion or something," Lin Li added softly, "but I prefer to call it the Red Bull drink."

"…"

Who had the time to study the Red Bull drink with him at this critical time? Before Lin Li's voice faded, Gerian had already removed the bottle cap and poured the Awakening Potion into his mouth. He took in the pure mana contained in it while savoring the sweet yet sour aftertaste in his mouth.

As soon as he gulped down the Awakening Potion, Gerian knew what the outcome would be.

The speed of mana recovery brought on by the Awakening Potion far exceeded that of the Strong Energy Crystal Old Merlin held in his hands. Almost instantly, the exhausted mana was restored to its peak.

Feeling the magical wave coming from Gerian, another cheer broke out from the crowd outside the Emerald Tower.

This was the miracle of a pharmacist!

Everyone's heart was filled with the joy of having survived a disaster. If it hadn't been for the bottle of Awakening Potion, there would probably not be any Guild of Magic in Jarrosus in the future. The ups and downs of life were indeed exhilarating. The mages who were clutching their hearts a moment ago could now await the chance for victory.

They had even outlined a scene in their minds—Gerian taking on Old Merlin again after recovering his mana. When both sides exhausted their powers once again, the crowd at the Emerald Tower would rush forth and knock Old Merlin out completely. Of course, other than President Gerian and Mage Felic, the most glorious position must be left for oneself…

Unfortunately, Lin Li did not give them any chance at all. The mages, immersed in their imagination, soon saw Lin Li's hand reaching into his pocket again. This time, what he took out was yet another sky-blue glass bottle, likewise with the dazzling halo and the pure magical aura.

"Let me give you another bottle on account of how excitingly you fought…"

"…"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the crowd outside the Emerald Tower collapsed.

Particularly Old Merlin, who felt a throbbing pain in the heart as he held onto the Strong Energy Crystal…

The Strong Energy Crystal was hard to come by. Even with the power and wealth of the Merlin Family, only one had been found for so many years. But when it came to the Guild of Magic, just look at what this young mage Felic had done…

It was enough to stuff the Awakening Potion which was no less precious than the Strong Energy Crystal into the hands of Gerian. But Gerian had just finished a bottle, and he immediately stuffed him another one based "on account of how excitingly you fought"… The most precious Awakening Potion, when it came out of his mouth, was like a carrot that was being stuffed into his hands…

Old Merlin wanted to ask if there was any justice left in this world…

Everything was over…

Feeling the powerful aura coming from Gerian, Old Merlin let out a slight sigh and released his grip on the Strong Energy Crystal. All was meaningless. Even if he could absorb as much mana as he could from the Strong Energy Crystal, he would be almost on par with Gerian at his peak.

To Old Merlin, that meant defeat.

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Chapter 30: Duel

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

What Old Merlin had was merely a Strong Energy Crystal, which could only be used once. But what the Guild of Magic had was a potion master who could gift away an Awakening Potion, and he had just gifted two at once.

If the previous Awakening Potion had brought Old Merlin disappointment, then this bottle had no doubt left him in despair.

A fully recovered Gerian was enough trouble; now that he had another Awakening Potion in his hands, how could Old Merlin fight him?

Looking at the young mage who was all smiles, Old Merlin was filled with regret.

All along he had been guessing, who exactly was that mysterious pharmacist in the Jarrosus Guild of Magic?

He had once thought it might be Gerian himself, or Kevin who was near his thirties. He had even thought it might be the mages outside the Emerald Tower, those who were well stricken in years but average in their performance. But he had never expected it would be a young mage not even over the age of 20!

To be honest, it would be hard to fault Old Merlin for it. Everyone knew that years of accumulation were required in pharmaceutics. There were no shortcuts in this field, and even more so there were no so-called geniuses. Regardless of how intelligent one was, it was necessary to accumulate experience through the failures in the long quest to seek a way to reach the top.

If he had known that he was the pharmacist, he would have killed him earlier on. He'd not have cared if Gerian had stepped in to help. As long as he killed the pharmacist, the Merlin Family would not have any more rivals in Jarrosus City. Who would care if he hurt himself along with Gerian in that battle? Surely the Merlin Family of today could defeat the Guild of Magic after it lost Gerian.

But now, it was too late to say anything.

Gerian had completely recovered. With his protection, he had no chance to lay his hands on that pharmacist.

For the first time, a dejected expression came across Old Merlin's face.

He knew that he had lost, and he had lost utterly at that.

From the beginning where he had sent Cromwell to convey their good intentions, until when he finally relied on the Strong Energy Crystal to challenge Gerian.

He had counted every step beforehand, but it just happened that all the steps had gone wrong.

Cromwell being swept out of the Emerald Tower by a Waterfall Strike, Gerian being able to stand again with a bottle of Awakening Potion… All these were because of the young mage named Felic. Unwittingly, this young man had become the most fearful enemy of the Merlin Family, even more so than the most powerful mage of Jarrosus, Gerian.

In order to let the Merlin Family cruise through future crises, they had to first get rid of this terrifying young mage.

Old Merlin took a look at Cromwell, who was standing by his side, and then at Lin Li, who was smiling away. Finally, he clenched his teeth and came to a painful decision.

"I lost." Old Merlin's voice was dry, but everyone had heard it clearly.

"Hahahaha…" Gerian laughed with no manners at all, and even the people on the streets could hear his arrogant voice. "Need you say? Go and look in the mirror, you're beaten all swollen by me…!"

Old Merlin had been mentally prepared before he opened his mouth, but now that he heard what Gerian said, he had the urge to cough up blood. Did this old fatty know what was shame?

Old Merlin told himself desperately that he had to bear with it!

"Did I lose to you?" Old Merlin shot Gerian a glare, and shifted his focus onto Lin Li. "The one I have lost to is this young pharmacist!"

"What's the difference?" Gerian laughter was unbelievably pompous. "You have restored your mana anyway. If you're indignant, you can still fight me and see who is the most powerful mage in Jarrosus City!"

"…" Old Merlin's face turned purple with rage, and he paid greetings to all 18 generations of Gerian's family in his heart. A rematch? That son of a watermelon. He had the Awakening potion in his hands now, only a lunatic would fight him once more…

"Forget it, Gerian. I'll admit that you are the most powerful mage in Jarrosus City." In order to swallow the fury, Old Merlin had almost chewed his teeth till they bled. He said with tears for every word, "But what's the point? Even if you are the most powerful mage in Jarrosus City, does this mean you can shield and connive? Everyone has clearly saw Mr Pharmacist here humiliating the heir of the Merlin Family. If the Guild of Magic is unable to give an explanation for this, I will make sure there's a battle between the two most powerful influences in Jarrosus City!"

"It will not do you any good!" Though Gerian's tone was tough, his facial expression had changed.

After having the potion master, the Guild of Magic already had the opportunity to rise. So long as they auctioned off the 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, the Guild of Magic would be able to grow to a considerable degree in a short time. By that time, the 11 mage families and six underground forces would all have to adjust their behavior toward the guild.

At this critical point, Gerian would definitely hate to battle it out with the Merlin Family.

Although Gerian was not afraid of the Merlin Family—more so, he had the confidence that he could destroy them with the help in pharmaceutics Lin Li provided—it was not in line with the Guild of Magic's interests. The conflict between the two most powerful forces would just end up in a Pyrrhic victory, and this would leave room for other powers.

It was for this reason that Gerian had not acted rashly. He had gained a definite upper hand, and if he was willing, he could always rely on one bottle of Awakening Potion to kill Old Merlin and his son outside the Emerald Tower. But what for? The Merlin Family was not the Guild of Magic, their strength came from wealth and authority. Losing Old Merlin, an archmage, would not be fatal to them, yet the revenge that'd come later on would plunge Jarrosus City into chaos.

"For the dignity of the Merlin's Family, I'd sometimes take on thankless tasks." Old Merlin had gained the upper hand for the first time in the conversation.

"Dignity?"

"That's right!" Old Merlin's expression was serious as he pointed his staff towards the crowd where Lin Li stood. "Since this pharmacist had the guts to humiliate the heir of Merlin Family, then I guess he'd have the guts to take on the humiliated's challenge!"

Upon hearing these words, Gerian shot Cromwell a peculiar glance and burst out laughing. "This is your so-called dignity? Is it possible you're still half awake, thinking that the little rascal from your family would have the chance to defeat Mage Felic?"

"All I want is a chance for a fair match. Only the two of them, and no one can interfere!"

"After so long, just for this?" Gerian's mood lit up immediately. Only then did he understand that the old fellow had threatened him just to let his good-for-nothing son fight it out with Lin Li.

Considering the disparity in strength between the two sides, he had agreed almost readily when he suddenly recalled that Lin Li was not an ordinary member of the Guild of Magic. He did not express his stance immediately, but instead turned to ask Lin Li, "What do you think?"

"We'll just battle…" Lin Li was somewhat indifferent. Although he wasn't so optimistic like Gerian, he knew very well Cromwell's strength. So long as Old Merlin did not interfere, all would be well. No matter what schemes he came up with, it would be hard for Cromwell to pose a threat to him.

After the battle today, he'd had a deeper understanding of magic. Absolute power was definitely more important than skills. Even if one did not have an extraordinary gift, he could rely on brutal power to make a clean sweep off everything, like what Old Merlin had done to him at the beginning.

"A month later, I will invite the leaders of all forces in Jarrosus, they'll be the witnesses of this duel. Do you think it's fair enough, Gerian?"

"Doesn't matter. Your son is a piece of cake anyway…"

"Hmph!" Old Merlin could not keep it in at last. With a flick of his sleeves, he left with Cromwell in the midst of Gerian's arrogant laughter.

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Chapter 31: Breakthrough

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After the battle between Old Merlin and Gerian, the Merlin Family seemed to have quieted down all of a sudden. And together with the Merlin Family, the pharmacist from the Guild of Magic had also stayed quiet.

The revelation that Lin Li was that pharmacist spread like wildfire following the battle between the most powerful mages in Jarrosus. Now, more than half of Jarrosus City knew about the young pharmacist named Felic in the Guild of Magic, and that he was not even 20 years of age. Perhaps due to the overwhelming glory of being a pharmacist, many people actually overlooked the fact that he was also a level-eight mage.

Mmm… In actual fact it was level-nine.

Lin Li had learnt too much from the battle between Gerian and Old Merlin.

For the subsequent few days, he had not stepped out of his room. He did not even have the time to care about the auction of the Arcane magic potions. He'd locked himself up in the room and calmly pondered over every bit of the battle. Lin Li studied repeatedly each spell and gesture that both of them had used.

After he had left the Sunset Mountains, Lin Li vaguely felt that he had encountered some sort of hindrance in the progress of his magic.

It was a strange feeling, like being blocked by something.

He had been training diligently every day, and he also knew that he had an exceptional talent. But he couldn't seem to overcome that ridge.

He was helpless and aggrieved…

But there was no other way. What Lin Li could do was to practice and read all kinds of magic books more diligently, hoping to make up for all this with diligence.

But the effect of such effort was rather frustrating.

The daily practice of elemental sequencing had indeed brought Lin Li's mastery of magical elements to a high level. He could even unleash the level-two Waterfall Strike instantaneously, something which many archmages above level-ten were not able to accomplish. Reading all kinds of magic books desperately had also allowed him to be gradually rid of the awkward status of a novice mage, becoming a full-fledged one instead; at least most of the time now he didn't have to ask Kevin about everything when he had encountered problems.

But that ridge was still there…

It was still the feeling of impotence. It was like there was a mountain in front of you which you could not get around in any way.

This situation lasted for a long time—until a few days ago, when the battle between the strongest mages of Jarrosus took place outside the Emerald Tower.

Lin Li gained so much from the battle.

The direct exchange between the two great archmages was even more effective than a legendary mage's precepts and examples.

The subtle control of magical elements, the precise distribution of mana, and the flexible use of various kinds of spells, et cetera, et cetera, not only opened Lin Li's eyes, but also exposed him to a world he had never imagined before.

The kind of feeling was like a closed door suddenly opened.

It was a sense of enlightenment.

It was only then that Lin Li suddenly understood why Andoine had said he had nothing more to teach him back in the Sunset Mountains. Some things just couldn't be described in words. If you understood, you understood, and if you didn't, you'd still not understand no matter how much was said. When the magic power reached a certain level, language seemed to become pale and powerless, and no amount of preaching would be as real as fighting one another.

Feeling that the mountain was loosening up bit by bit, Lin Li plunged into a state of excitement.

He had locked himself in his room for several days, his mind full of the battle between Gerian and Old Merlin.

It was not until the fourth morning that he came out of the room.

When Kevin saw him, his eyes were bloodshot and his whole body looked terribly gaunt, but Kevin could only feel the word "powerful" coming from that weak and gaunt person.

At first sight, Kevin almost thought he had mistaken Lin Li for someone else.

Although Lin Li was a gifted superman and possessed the hidden identity of a pharmacist, Kevin never felt unable to contend with the former when he stood in front of him. Kevin even felt he was better than the young mage in some ways.

But only four days passed and Kevin could feel that Lin Li had already left him far behind in magic.

He was somewhat surprised, and somewhat dismayed…

Kevin could not help but feel dejected hanging out with a freak like Lin Li every day.

Kevin was among the top talents among the young people in Jarrosus City. He had been exposed to magic since he was sensible, all the way until he had become a level-eight mage at the age of 25. Even the proud Cromwell had to admire him given his speed in advancing. But in front of a demon like Lin Li, his genius had suddenly come to nothing. From ignorance to a level-eight mage, and then another breakthrough from level-eight to level-nine and above, it took him only a mere three months. How was he any different from a beast?

"Good morning, Felic."

"Good morning, Kevin." After the greetings, Lin Li dragged Kevin to the level certification hall without another word.

The glow from the crystal ball confirmed Kevin's earlier speculations. Lin Li's magic level had indeed gone beyond level-nine, and even reached the peak of level-nine.

Even though he was prepared, Kevin sighed a little helplessly when he saw the light from the crystal ball. This was too freaky. A young man under the age of 20 had attained a top level-nine in magic; it would only take him just one more step forward to reach the realm that all mages dreamed of—the Archmage!

Perhaps only someone like Kevin, who grew up with traditional magic education, knew how many mages had been dreaming of being an archmage all their lives, and how many had never been able to achieve that dream. If they knew that a young man who had only been exposed to magic for three months had come so close to being an archmage, who knew if they would be so very ashamed and resentful that they'd kill themselves over it…

It was fortunate that Kevin had gotten used to it. Ever since he'd met Lin Li, the young mage had been working miracles. An unprecedented magic genius and enigmatic potion master… Kevin was more or less numb after the repeated surprises. Even if one day Lin Li suddenly picked up a hammer and stood by the fire forging iron, Kevin felt that he would probably only mutter "monster" and then lower his head to do his own thing…

"Oh, right. Felic, I heard people from the guild say someone came looking for you yesterday." Kevin suddenly remembered after they walked out from the level certification hall.

"Looking for me?" Lin Li was slightly confounded. Other than people from the Guild of Magic, did he have other acquaintances in Jarrosus?

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"Apparently it's a beautiful female adventurer."

"Blond hair, long legs?" Lin Li was surprised at first, but quickly recovered. The only beautiful female adventurer he knew in this Jarrosus City would probably be Ina.

"Seems like it. Why, is it your girlfriend?"

"Kevin, you were infected by Gerian's nosiness… Where is she now?"

"I had someone settle her down in the reception room. Wonder if she's still there…"

"…" Lin Li knew the father and daughter too well. If they had not encountered something that could not be solved, they would never have come looking for him. Lin Li was somewhat anxious at the thought of this. He rushed out of the level certification hall and hurried over to the reception room as he complained, "Why didn't you tell me earlier…"

"I wanted to tell you…" Kevin rolled his eyes. "As soon as you locked yourself in your room, the President warned that anyone who tries to disturb you will have their heads screwed off by him. Do you think I'd still dare to come?"

"This old fellow…" Lin Li grumbled, but in his heart, he was slightly touched. Gerian, that old fellow, was thoughtful, afraid that Lin Li'd be disturbed at the critical moment of his breakthrough.

The two of them reached the reception room promptly. As soon as Lin Li pushed open the door, a weeping beauty came into sight.

"Mr… Mr Felic…" The long-legged beauty choked in between sobs. "Please help my father…"

"Calm down first, Ina. Tell me slowly." Lin Li was at a loss after hearing the cries from the long-legged beauty. He hurriedly pacified her, "Tell me first, what exactly happened to Mr McGrenn?"

"Father… Father is dying…" Ina's pretty eyes were red and swollen from all the crying. Under Lin Li's constant reassurances, she managed to hold back the sadness and began to speak intermittently, describing what'd happened.

That day, after parting at the gate of the Adventurers Guild, McGrenn and his daughter successfully completed the quest with the Manticore's tail Lin Li had given them. According to their usual habits, they would often rest for a period of time after one quest was completed before taking another. She wasn't sure what happened that day, but after turning in the quest, McGrenn insisted on going to the quest notice board to have a look.

It was also coincidence that as soon as the father and daughter arrived at the quest notice board, they noticed a new batch of quests had just been announced.

One of the quests was to go to the Forest of Whispers in search of an ancient castle. McGrenn chose this task at first glance. The Forest of Whispers was heaven compared to the Sunset Mountains. The most powerful magical beasts there were no higher than level-ten, and they were pitifully few in numbers. If you were lucky, you wouldn't run into one even if you stayed there for two or three years.

The quest was also simple—they only had to find out the exact location of the castle.

A detailed map of the Forest of Whispers was sold in the Adventurers Guild for a mere ten gold coins. The features of the castle were also clearly described in the mission—a black castle that appeared only after dark. Completing the quest was only a matter of time with these two clues. Moreover, the reward was as high as 100 gold coins, which was much more cost-effective than hunting for Manticores in the Sunset Mountains.

So, McGrenn coolly took the quest. He did not rest in Jarrosus City that day. After a little restocking of supplies, he took Ina and set off for the Forest of Whispers.

As McGrenn had expected, the quest went smoothly.

Both father and daughter did not encounter any danger along the way. It took a little over a week to find the ancient castle mentioned in the mission.

McGrenn was overjoyed at the time, and after marking the location of the castle on the map, he planned to return to Jarrosus City.

But it was at this moment when the accident happened.

McGrenn, who had just put the map into his backpack, suddenly collapsed without any warning.

Ina was scared stiff at the time…

What was the scariest was that there was no wound on McGrenn's body, and it didn't look like he was attacked by any mental spells. Everything seemed the same—except that McGrenn was asleep. According to Ina's description, McGrenn's current situation could only be described as being asleep; even after returning to Jarrosus City, he could occasionally be heard snoring softly.

But McGrenn had slept for too long.

From the day the castle was found, to the day the two returned to Jarrosus City, McGrenn had slept for seven days. He did not wake up once or eat anything in those seven days. He was in deep slumber, and his body was languishing day by day.

According to Ina, McGrenn had been worn down to a shadow of his past self when she came this morning.

Lin Li frowned as he listened to Ina, but he could not recall what kind of magic could have caused that. Thus, after much thought, he decided to have a look.

"Ina, bring me to Mr McGrenn first. I can't think of any solution yet."

"Yes." Ina nodded obediently. Since her father collapsed, the girl's heart had been at sixes and sevens. Under Lin Li's constant reassurances, she recovered some of her previous vigor.

Lin Li was rather anxious and did not have time to inform Gerian. He found Kevin and told him, "My friend's in trouble, I have to go take a look. Help me inform Gerian later."

"Oh, no! I forgot to tell him about this…" Lin Li had already stepped out of the Emerald Tower when Kevin suddenly recalled something important. But when he wanted to chase after them, he found that both of them had long gone out of sight.

McGrenn and his daughter did not stay far. After coming out of the Emerald Tower, they turned a few streets and soon reached an old house.

This house looked like it had been there for ages. As they walked up to the bedroom on the second story, Lin Li could feel the wooden boards tremble under his feet.

The room was clean and tidy, though the furniture was slightly shabby; even the blankets that had been draped over McGrenn had several patches.

He remembered McGrenn telling him that the reward for hunting level-five magical beasts like the Manticores in the Sunset Mountains was only a few dozen gold coins, so Lin Li more or less understood the father and daughter's situation.

But Lin Li kept it to himself and said nothing to Ina.

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