Warlock of the Magus World

by Stayrr

What happens when a scientist from a futuristic world reincarnates in a World of Magic and Knights? An awesome MC is what happens! A scientist’s goal is to explore the secrets of the universe, and this is exactly what Leylin sets out to do when he is reincarnated. Dark, cold and calculating, he makes use of all his resources as he sets off on his adventures to meet his goal. Face?

2. 29

Read Warlock of the Magus World - Chapter 29 – Rank 0 Spell online free - Novel Full

Rank 0 Spell

"Of course! I will always remember the teachings of my mentor!"

Leylin hurriedly nodded his head and took out 20 magic crystals from the black pouch hung on his waist.

20 black magic crystals fell onto the table and let off a dark lustre.

"Very well! This is a crystal ball with the introduction to magic spell models recorded on it. You can study it, but remember to practice it only after you have been promoted!"

Kroft took a fist-sized crystal ball off the wooden shelf at the side and handed it to Leylin. Golden words seemed to ripple inside it.

Leylin stooped over to take it and pocketed the crystal ball.

These crystal balls were tools to record information in, and they could store more information than sheets of parchment. However, they could only be used once, and the information inside would fade away after someone viewed the contents, and hence, they were rather costly.

Deep in the night, Leylin sat on the bed within his dorm and held the crystal ball in his hands.

"Magi have named the spells that acolytes are able to cast rank 0 spells, to differentiate from the spells that Magi can cast.

"No matter if they are a level 2 acolyte or level 3 acolyte, they are only able to use rank 0 spells! Furthermore, they need to be first class Magi to be able to cast them without injury, and this is often a sign of becoming an official Magus!"

"The principle of magic spells models is to construct a model in your mind with your spiritual force. After that, you use the nature of your spiritual force to attract the external energy particles and transform them intricately, turning them into a spell!"

"To put it simply, the spiritual force is the primer, and the spell model is the catalyst. The primer is always the same, but under the effect of different catalysts, different types of energy particles will be attracted to it to form a different spell!"

Leylin concluded and put the crystal ball away.

"Constructing a spell model is a complicated matter. In addition, your spiritual force will be impaired once you fail and will need at least half a month to recover. This is a bottleneck that even fifth-grade acolytes are unable to breakthrough with ease. However, I can minimise my failures with help from the A.I. Chip!"

"After advancing to a level 3 acolyte, I must construct a spell model and even buy the various spell models. This would be a big expense if not for my improvement in Potioneering; normal acolytes would have to risk their lives many times over before they earned enough magic crystals!"

From this, Leylin could discern the bloody price one must pay on the path of a Magus.

Compared to the magic crystals earned by risking his life as a level 1 acolyte, he would earn more by selling potions.

"Monopolising the market will yield the greatest profits!"

"All these are none of my concern, what I have to do now is to advance to a level 2 acolyte!"

A level 1 acolyte could only store a slight amount of energy particles in their body and have a basic magic resistance. However, their usage of energy particles is rather shallow, and hence, they are unable to cast magic.

As for a level 2 acolyte, the greatest difference is that they are able to cast rank 0 spells.

A rank 0 spell that is amplified by the spell's model will have a greater destructive effect compared to the simple usage of energy particles.

"I have almost finished with the construction of my 24 mind runes. Tonight, I will advance to a level 2 acolyte!"

There was resolve on Leylin's face.

One night passed.

In the dorm, Leylin opened his eyes.

"I have finally advanced to a level 2 acolyte! I can sense that the energy particles in my body have increased several times more than when compared to a level 1 acolyte!"

[Beep! spiritual force can now be represented in figures, proceed with the conversion?] At this moment, the voice of the A.I. Chip sounded.

"Hm? It seems to be two days faster than expected! What happened?"

[The spiritual force of the Host has increased and there is an unknown effect on the A.I. Chip. Processing speed has increased!]

A screen was projected by the A.I. Chip and it was littered with many curved lines and numbers. From this, one could see that the processing ability of the A.I. Chip had been raised last night.

"It seems like the A.I. Chip has indeed undergone some qualitative changes after transcending worlds. Now that it has fused with my soul, the increase in spiritual force when my soul became more powerful has indirectly affected the A.I. Chip!"

Leylin's guessed that the subject of souls was the most unfathomable. Although Abyssal Bone Forest Academy claimed to be a pioneer in this area, they only managed to experience and grasp a few behaviours and patterns of the ectoplasmic beings. Moreover, only an official Magus was qualified to browse this information. For Leylin, it was still a long journey ahead.

"My A.I. Chip having the ability to represent my spiritual force in numbers is also a good thing. Bring out my current stats!"

[Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte. Strength: 2.2, Agility: 2.4, Vitality: 2.7, Spiritual force: 4.1, Status: Healthy]

The A.I. Chip projected a 3D image in front of Leylin eyes and displayed his stats.

"The spiritual force can finally be shown in numbers. My spiritual force stat is almost equivalent to that of 4 people combined?"

Leylin looked at the image and asked, "A.I. Chip! Investigate the reason for the decreased growth after advancing to a level 2 acolyte!"

[Mission establishing, inspection in process!] [Reason discovered: The Host has more resistance!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

"As expected! Using radiation to increase my stats has its limits! I wonder what methods those official Magi used to strengthen their bodies?"

Leylin touched his chin.

There was also a small district between the Academic Area and the Trading Post. It was where the academy sold higher-levelled goods. Although the items had set standards, they were more expensive. The service of the staff was also bad and they were extremely cold.

Leylin came to the front of a counter. Behind the glass casing was a grave-looking old lady who wore a deadpanned expression as if Leylin owed her a lot of magic crystals.

"Sorry to bother you!" Leylin bowed slightly. He could sense the energy waves of a level 3 acolyte radiating from this old lady.

"A.I. Chip! Inspect!"

"What do you want?" The old lady's voice sounded. It contained a gloomy and chilly air, like a cold, glossy fish scale, and gave people goose bumps.

[Beep! Name: Unknown. Strength: 2.0, Agility: 2.1, Vitality: 3.5, Spiritual force: 7.6, Status: Healthy ]

With the A.I. Chip providing the information, he confirmed that this old lady was indeed a level 3 acolyte, but her spiritual force was rather low as if she had been injured before. However, it was still a piece of cake for her to deal with Leylin.

"The A.I. Chip can already inspect the stats of the acolytes and other living organisms. It just cannot get past the defensive abilities of a Magus still!"

Leylin mustered the best smile he had, "Would you let me have a look at the basic spell models?"

"Take it!" The old lady flung a dusty large book over to him and did not seem even slightly bothered about whether he was going to buy it or not.

"I'm not angry! I'm not angry!" Leylin psyched himself and opened the book.

A spell model and the corresponding introduction appeared in his vision.

"Secondary Energy Fireball. Description: Summon a formidable fireball to attack your enemies. Prerequisite courses: Foundations of Negative Energy, Construction of Spell Models."

"Shadow Sphere. Description: Use Shadow Energy to construct a fairly covert sphere. Prerequisite courses: Necromancy Studies, Transfiguration."

"Acidic Aqua Shot. Description: Create an acidic ball with immense corrosive properties. Able to correct the trajectory slightly. Prerequisite courses: Foundations of Negative Energy, Psychology."

"Umbra's Hand. Description: Ability to use Negative Energy to form a concealed palm in the shadows for attacking. Extremely covert. Prerequisite courses: Shadow Studies, Basic Evocation.

"All of these are the most basic spells, are there any that could be advanced further?" Leylin's brows furrowed.

"None! We only provide the basic spell types here. As for the rest, get them from your mentor!"

"Give me the spell model for Acidic Aqua Shot and Umbra's Hand!" Leylin inhaled deeply.

"One will cost 10 magic crystals!" The old lady seemed to be annoyed.

After handing over 20 magic crystals to the lady, Leylin obtained two thick books made of parchment paper. 'Umbra's Hand' was written on the cover of the top book, in the Byron language.

This counter was obviously constructed in a manner that let the sales staff always sit in a taller position than the customers. Leylin was a little pissed off at having to look up at the old lady.

He carried the two books and turned around, not wanting to stay for a moment longer.

"Leylin!" On the way back, a voice sounded and Leylin halted in his footsteps.

A male wearing leather armour ran over, "Earlier, I saw a silhouette of someone who looked like you, and it was indeed you. We haven't met for a long time!"

Kaliweir greeted.

The leather armour he wore was rather damaged and looked rather pitiful as it was not repaired.

"You are…… Buying spell models? Have you advanced to a level 2 acolyte?" Kaliweir looked at Leylin who was holding the two spell books, seemingly startled.

"Yeah! I have just advanced! So I bought them to learn from!" Leylin answered.

"A.I. Chip, inspect Kaliweir!"

[Beep! Kaliweir. Strength: 2.6, Agility: 2.8, Vitality: 3.1, Spiritual force: 4.1, Assessment: level 2 acolyte]

"It seems like Kaliweir advanced not long before I did, this data shows the stats of an acolyte who had just advanced!"

Leylin evaluated secretly.

Ever since the previous incident, our team has taken up very few missions. Raynor has also advanced to a level 2 acolyte recently and wanted to try learning a spell model. It's a pity that he has yet to pass a few basic theory lessons after failing them several times……"

Kaliweir placed his hands in his pocket, obviously wanting to look cooler.

After sizing up Leylin's new grey robes, he said, "You are indeed worthy of being a Potioneering student, having so much money!"

Leylin smiled. Not only do the grey robes of the acolytes have spells which remove stains, the fabric was also good. The defensive capabilities could be comparable to leather armour so the price was rather hefty. Many acolytes did not have the capability to buy another after damaging their set of robes.

However, Leylin was different; he even had two more sets stored in his wardrobe.

Recently, my success rate has increased a little and I earned more magic crystals. However, after buying the spell models, I have spent them all again!" Leylin put on a helpless expression.

"Yeah! Each and every cost in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy is too high!" Kaliweir's expression was not too good. He came from a first-class noble family in the Chernobyl Islands, but he discovered he was actually extremely broke when he got here.

"Speaking of this, after we have all advanced to level 2 acolytes and mastered our spells, shall we all take up a mission?"

Leylin asked.

"Really? That would be great!" Kaliweir was extremely gleeful. It seemed as though he had been considering it for a long time.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Experimenting With Spells

Leylin and Kaliweir discussed the finer details and then bade farewell to each other.

Leylin contemplated deeply before deciding to go on a mission with Kaliweir and his team.

He still had a lot of potions which he did not dare to sell, so he could only seek for alternatives.

Moreover, converting the knowledge gained from learning a spell into battle experience requires a continuous process of battling.

Regarding battle experience, Kaliweir and his team's average strength were similar to his and they also came from the same region. Everyone also knew each other beforehand which was naturally better than being with an unfamiliar group of people.

Furthermore, Kaliweir has undergone a long period of arduous training and has learnt a lot. Since he could be considered to have an abundant of experience, Leylin was more at ease with his team.

"When I master the spell model, my plan is to follow Kaliweir and his team on a mission and accumulate some experience. After that, I'll leave the academy on my own and seek alternative ways……"

Returning back to his dorm, Leylin picked up the Umbra's Hand spell book.

The yellow cover of the spell book was extremely sturdy like leather, and there were some patterns on it which sent an icy cold feeling from Leylin's fingertips into his body.

The book was tightly bound by a metal chain and the ends were clipped in the fashion of a belt.

"Learning the Umbra's Hand requires research in Shadow energy and Evocation. I've learned both long ago!"

Via selling potions, Leylin continuously improved his knowledge by acquiring advanced information on the Shadow element and studying them.

"The incantation for opening it – Mansidala!" Leylin spoke in a low voice.

After hearing the incantation, the book suddenly trembled and, amidst the trembling, the black chains automatically untied by themselves and the pages started to flip through.

"A.I. Chip, begin recording the information!"

Leylin continuously looked at the spell book containing the model of Umbra's Hand. Only after quickly flipping through it once and hearing the notification from the A.I. Chip that it had fully recorded the content, did he put the book down.

"The construction of a spell model is the foundation for a Magus to cast spells. This process includes a series of complex variation as well as the precise construction of the spell model itself. To learn a spell, 3 months is needed at the very least!"

As he learned of the difficulty for a Magus to cast spells, Leylin sighed. Without the A.I. Chip, he could only learn to cast spells after countless attempts and failures.

[The recording of data is finished, beginning analysis!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

"How long will it take?"

[Estimated time taken: 106 Hours 32 Minutes!]

"106 Hours 32 Minutes! That is the equivalent of four to five days, this speed is extremely fast!" Leylin nodded his head.

He stood up, patted his body, and placed the two spell books away neatly.

He then walked to one side of his dorm. Originally, this section was utilised for reception or other uses but Leylin changed it into a mini experiment lab for potion brewing.

Although it was rather dangerous to experiment here, with the A.I. Chip he could guarantee that nothing would go wrong.

"I'm going on a mission in a few months' time! I better focus on brewing a few potions as preventive measures for sudden events!"

Leylin lit a candle and begun his potion brewing.

The education system in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was rather loose. From what Leylin saw, it was most similar to the ancient times of one teacher to one student.

The academy was only providing land and the most basic of services. As for everything else, like acquiring advanced information, one had to learn from a professor, the chances of which were very slim.

Moreover, there weren't any compulsory missions that one must take on. As long as a person could pay the school fees and did not meet a bad professor, one could normally stay here for 5 years!

Of course, when there was no motivation, one's power would lessen as they did not seek to improve. At least in Leylin's case, he had not come across such a wonderful thing like receiving a few pieces of magic crystals each month for free.

To obtain magic crystals, one could only take up a mission and go outside of the academy using their life to fight for them!

The world of Magus has always upheld the principles of fair trade.

In the following dozen days or so, Leylin devoted his time to analysing the spell models and purchasing items like grains and nutrients for the mission he was going to take up.

One afternoon, Leylin came to the spell experimenting area.

"The spell experimenting area is a place that the academy has specially set up for acolytes and Magi to test the prowess of their spells. After all, various spells have immense might and there is also the problem of radiation. If the experiments are not managed properly the academy will be blown to bits!"

The spell experimenting area was located on the left-most of the academy, a remote area.

The surrounding white marble rock walls were stacked neatly and seemed to be extremely sturdy.

Various runes were written on these walls, two of which Leylin recognised. One was for the isolation of radiation contamination, and the other was for reinforcing the walls.

"Are you going to test your spells?" Leylin walked to a counter where a big, bald guy smiled jovially at him asking.

"Yes, I would like to. Are there any places for me to do so?"

"We have two large areas designated for the acolytes and Magi. You are only allowed to enter the area for acolytes and, within that area, space is divided into shared and single rooms. Shared rooms mean experimenting with your spells alongside another person. There might be interruptions caused by this but, it is inexpensive. As for single rooms, the fees are much more costly!"

"What are the rates for a single room?" Leylin asked.

The baldy's eyes shone since it was obvious that there was a promising client here, "Three hours for 1 magic crystal. Our single rooms even have specialised measuring devices which can calculate and report the might of your spells. Furthermore, we have…… It's absolutely worth it!"

"Give me one!" Leylin handed over a magic crystal to the big guy.

"Alright! Please hold on!" The big guy registered him quickly and handed back a black crystal-like item.

"This is your room card! Number 32!"

Leylin nodded his head and entered the spell experimenting area.

On both sides, the runes on the white marbles glowed with a sparkling light. Some of the rooms obviously had occupants, but there were no sounds coming out from them and only the sound of Leylin's footsteps could be heard the corridor.

"As expected! The noise isolation is really effective!"

Leylin nodded his head and, after locating his own room, swiped the black crystal on a black platform right outside the door!

*Ka-cha!* The door opened and a mechanical female voice sounded, "Welcome! You have three hours; please notice the allocation……"

The interior of the room was huge! The area was similar in size to a basketball court from Leylin's previous life.

In the middle were a few human shaped targets wearing leather armour, metal armour and fur.

To the far right, there was a screen on the wall and below it was the instructions on how to operate it.

– A Magus can attack a target with a spell, and the screen will automatically record the power of the spell. –

"The facilities here are very advanced and seem to have an intelligence of their own. However, it's a pity that it is formed by magic, a different route from what my previous world took!" Leylin exclaimed silently.

"Let's try with a physical attack first!"

Leylin's muscles on his right arm bulged as he walked to the front of a white coloured target wearing leather armour.

* Bang !* Leylin moved and, with a low voice, he shouted and punched the middle of the leather armour, leaving a faint trace of an impression.

The screen on the right flickered, and a few words appeared.

"Classification: Physical Attack. Degree of power: 2. Damage to target: Minimal."

"It seems like these targets aren't made of common materials!" Leylin muttered to himself.

"Degree of power" is the official standard that Magi use to measure the extent of their might. A single unit, as a standard, is equivalent to the energy that can be completely released by 1 gram of magic crystal.

"This method of measurement isn't bad. A.I. Chip, in the future you can increase the content regarding this area!"

[Recording is done, defragmenting in process!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

"Ha!" Leylin pulled out the cross blade hanging on his waist and brought about a strong gale as he viciously cut down.

* Qiang! * A gap split opened on the leather armour revealing the white coloured wound beneath.

"Classification: Physical Attack. Degree of power: 3. Damage to target: Slight."

Seeing the screen, Leylin nodded his head, "I used all my might to cut down with the cross blade earlier but it only gave this kind of damage to the target! It seems like I can put my mind at ease and learn magic!"

"A.I. Chip, transmit the 2 spell models over!" After this period of continuous research, the A.I. Chip had already analysed the 2 spells completely. The last step was to transmit the information into Leylin's hippocampus1 which would then enable him to grasp these two rank 0 spells immediately.

[Beep! Transmitting in progress!] With the A.I. Chip's mechanical voice replying, Leylin felt a lot of memories regarding the techniques and procedures of casting these 2 spells surfacing in his mind.

Every step felt extremely familiar. It was as if they were personally practiced by him countless of times.

"Bring out the data of these 2 rank 0 spells!"

"Acidic Aqua Shot: rank 0 spell. Casting time: 3 seconds. Effective distance: 7 Metres. Consumption: 2 spiritual force, 2 magic power"

"Umbra's Hand: rank 0 spell. Casting time: 4 seconds. Effective distance: 10 Metres. Consumption: 2 spiritual force, 2 magic power"

"magic power is the amount of energy particles that are stored within the body. It is limited by the upper limits of the spiritual force!"

To cast a spell, one does not only need to use their spiritual force as a primer but must also understand that the magic power within their body will be consumed as well.

Leylin suppressed his excited emotions, "A.I. Chip, Record in detail my spell casting process !"

"Pandora – Graygonger!"

With the Byron language's incantation sounding from Leylin, a ball of dark green liquid suddenly appeared at the upper area of his right hand. White bubbles continuously frothed outside of it.

"Let's go!" Leylin flung the acidic ball in his hand and the green liquid streaked across in an arc, landing on a target wearing leather armour.

* Ssssii! Ssssii! *

The corrosion of the physical target sounded nonstop as it continuously dissolved while emitting a huge amount of white smoke. At the same time, an odour that pricks at the sense of smell wafted in all directions.

After a few seconds, the human target had been corroded, leaving only a pair of white legs behind.

"A.I. Chip, estimate the degree of power!"

[Beep! Degree of power: 5]

Leylin turned to look at the screen at the right. At this moment, the words on the screen changed and a new record was shown.

"Classification: Magical corrosive attack. Degree of power: 5. Damage to target: Severe."

"En! It seems like the A.I. Chip and this screen have the same estimated values so I won't need to come here in future. I should be able to estimate the degree of power in my spells with the A.I. Chip."

Leylin nodded his head and begin experimenting with another spell.

"Umbra's Hand!"

Following Leylin's incantation, a black coloured hand suddenly appeared under a target which wore steel armour. It grabbed the target's throat forcefully and, with a crashing sound, the target's head fell onto the ground.

"Classification: Energy attack. Degree of power: 4. Damage to target: Severe."

1. Hippocampus – Memory recall area in the brain.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Patrolling Mission

Seeing the evaluation on the screen, Leylin began to compare the merits and drawbacks of the two spells.

"Although the might of Acidic Aqua Shot is greater, enemies can dodge it easily. It also requires constant fine-tuning with spiritual force. As for Umbra's Hand, it is a little weaker, but it's extremely covert and is best used for a sneak attack!"

"These two spells have been chosen by me with utmost care. Not only do they satisfy my Dark elemental affinity, materials are not needed to cast them either, which is extremely convenient!"

Leylin's eyes suddenly flashed, "A.I. Chip, is it possible to optimise these two spells?"

[Beep! Affirmative! Consumption for optimisation: 19 spiritual force points, proceed or not?]

"Definitely not! I don't want my spiritual force to be exhausted that quickly! Why does it require so much?" Leylin's expression was a little unsightly.

[Optimising Acidic Aqua Shot requires 9 spiritual force points. Requires advanced information: Farl's comprehensive collection of spells, Theory of missiles……] [Optimising Umbra's Hand requires 10 spiritual force points. Requires advanced information: Detailed Evocation Studies, Dark Energy Analysis……]

"Alright, it seems like there is no hope for now!"

Leylin closed the screen, "Besides, a simple spell already requires 2 points of spiritual force. I can barely use it a few times at present!"

"A.I. Chip, bring out my current stats and show it in a concrete manner!"

[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte. Strength: 2.2, Agility: 2.4, Vitality: 2.7, Spiritual force: 0.1(4.1), Magical Power: 0(4) – Magical Power is in synchronisation with spiritual force. Status: Healthy] [Skills: Cross Blade Technique, Potioneering] [Spells: Acidic Aqua Shot: rank 0 spell. Casting time: 3 seconds. Effective distance: 7 Metres. Consumption: 2 spiritual force, 2 magic power] [Umbra's Hand: rank 0 spell. Casting time: 4 seconds. Effective distance: 10 Metres. Consumption: 2 spiritual force, 2 magic power]

At Leylin's command, a 3D image of himself was projected, with various information appearing alongside him.

"It is much clearer this way! The two spells fully consumed my spiritual force and Magical Power earlier, no wonder I feel a little dizzy now!" Leylin rubbed his temples as they were hurting a little.

"With this constraint of spiritual force and Magical Power, learning more spells is not feasible. What's left is for me to prepare a few more potions! If only I had a magic artifact, my strength would definitely have a significant increase…"

In the academy, the Mission Area.

There were all sorts of acolytes gathered here, and most of them had gloomy expressions. Their bodies also reeked of blood and held traces of injuries.

Occasionally, a few grey-robed acolytes who radiated strong magical energy would carry large monsters on their backs, garnering the envy and attention of others.

In the centre of the Mission Area was a black coloured rock wall, where various missions were arranged.

Green-coloured words glowed against the black wall, and it looked a little eerie.

Among the many missions, some were written in blood red and gave off an ominous feeling. Most of the missions listed were dangerous, but the rewards were also better.

In the corner of the square, a few people stood around patiently as if they were waiting for someone.

"Leylin hasn't arrived yet?"

Raynor crossed his arms in front of his chest, seemingly a little bored.

"It isn't the designated time yet, what are you in a hurry for? Since he already agreed, he will definitely be here." Kaliweir replied as he polished a black cleaver, the smooth blade stained with traces of blood.

"Leylin? Are you talking about that Potioneering acolyte, Leylin?" A green-haired girl's eyes shone.

"It is said that his Potioneering talent is only second to Merlin. Furthermore, he has already begun to brew potions and earn a huge amount of money, why would he still want to join our team?"

"He originally came from the same area as us, so it's only natural to join us for missions!" Raynor laughed.

"Then you guys must definitely introduce him to us later. If we are able to approach an acolyte who knows Potioneering, we might not need to risk our lives on missions in the future anymore!" A red-haired girl laughed heartily. Her body was extremely voluptuous.

Raynor's eyes unconsciously scanned over this girl's perky chest, and then he suddenly felt parched.

"My apologies! I'm late!"

Leylin wore leather armour with his robes on the outside, which looked a little bulky. A Cross Blade hung down on his waist, and a crossbow was slung on his back together with a large black sack.

"We have just arrived too!" Kaliweir sheathed his cleaver and smiled.

"It's just us five?" Leylin looked at the group. He recognised Kaliweir and Raynor, but did not see Beirut and the rest.

"Beirut and the others are third-grade acolytes, but they have not advanced to level 2 acolyte yet. They only have a bit of resistance to magic spells, so the outside is too dangerous for them. This is also our first time going out after the previous failure and I don't wish for any more casualties!"

Kaliweir explained.

Leylin suddenly understood. Although he was a third-grade acolyte, his talent was comparable to a fourth-grade acolyte with the A.I. Chip's help, and he might even surpass them in learning spells.

Beirut and the others were only in the level 1 acolyte range. Bringing them out was no help at all, and they might even be a burden. Hence keeping them within the academy was also good for them. It was realistic, yet cruel.

"Come! Let me make the introductions!" Kaliweir smiled.

"The green haired girl is Lilisse, and the one beside is Neela. They are both apprentices under my mentor and advanced to level 2 acolytes two months ago…"

"Hello! Sir Leylin!" Neela's eyes shone and she took the initiative to approach Leylin.

"It is really lucky to be able to go on a mission with you this time!" Neela stuck out her chest and spoke coquettishly in a very nasal pitch.

Seeing this scene, Raynor looked elsewhere, his expression a little gloomy.

"I only have a little talent in Potioneering and I must even thank Mentor Kroft, it was him who…" Leylin rubbed his nose. He knew that he only needed to reveal a bit of desire and this beautiful girl would pounce into his arms. However, he had been concentrating on cultivation lately and had very little wants in this aspect.

Furthermore, after so many of his wild trysts in his previous world, to him, Neela was only a girl who was good looking.

"Alright, what are the contents of our mission?" Leylin took the initiative and asked, interrupting what Neela was going to say next.

"As this is our first time going on a mission together, I am preparing to take on the simplest one: patrolling the academy's perimeters and cleaning up a few Red-Eyed Ravens, what do you all think?"

In fact, the four of them had discussed this before so Kaliweir was really only asking Leylin.

"Alright! My rank 0 spells have not been fully grasped yet!" Leylin agreed.

This team of theirs was newly formed, so taking on a simple mission to improve their teamwork was within reason. From this, it could be seen that Kaliweir had matured a lot after Hank's death and his way of doing things was now better thought out.

"A.I. Chip! Scan!" Leylin commanded silently.

[Beep! Raynor. Strength: 1.8, Agility: 1.9, Vitality: 2.5, Spiritual force: 3.7. Status: Healthy] [Lilisse. Strength: 1.9, Agility: 2.5, Vitality: 2.4, Spiritual force: 4.3. Status: Healthy] [Neela. Strength: 2.7, Agility: 3.4, Vitality: 2.9, Spiritual force: 4.6. Status: Healthy]

"Ever since the processing capability of the A.I. Chip increased, its perceptive ability has also increased. Not including the Magi, all the acolytes in the academy right now are unable to escape the readings of the A.I. Chip."

Leylin thought silently. These readings must naturally prioritise not alarming the other party. As official Magi have a layer of force field around them constantly, the A.I. Chip would definitely be discovered if it was to attempt to take readings of them.

However, as long as regular acolytes are within Leylin's scope, their every stat will be read by the A.I. Chip.

"From this data, everyone has indeed advanced into level 2 acolyte. However, I never thought that Neela was the strongest of them. It seems like this girl has also practiced the Knight's breathing technique. Her body and strength are not to be underestimated!"

These few people had just advanced, and even if they had bought spell models before, they might not be able to comprehend it. Furthermore, the models have to be constructed in the mind, so they were definitely unfamiliar with it. After all, rank 0 spells are still very dangerous to a level 2 acolyte. Without complete control of them, there is a chance of failing and even causing a backlash!

Based on just their physical strengths, Neela could possibly defeat the three of them in one fell swoop if no one was to use any spells.

This Neela, who seemed to be infatuated with and wanted to approach him, was actually the strongest out of the team of four. It was likely that even Kaliweir did not know of this. The corners of Leylin's lips arched into a smile.

To be in full control of rank 0 spells, regular level 2 acolytes must practice for at least 3 months to half a year. However, for him, he will learn the spell in a flash once the A.I. Chip has completely analysed the spell model and transmitted it to his hippocampus.

As for the might of any of the rank 0 spells, they are not something the level of a Knight can resist. Perhaps Grand Knights have a slight chance at that.

Obviously, Neela's data was only at the level of a Knight. Even if she had a secret technique, Leylin was not the slightest bit afraid.

While Leylin had been taking the readings, Kaliweir had already run to the counter and accepted the patrolling mission.

After the discussion with everyone, they set off and left the academy.

Leylin's eyes could not help but squint as the piercing sunlight shone down.

"Come to think of it, I have already stayed underground for over a year. Now that I have come out, it does seem a bit like a thousand-year-old corpse rising from the ground again.

Leylin used his hands to block the sunlight. His snow white hands were a sickly pale colour, like an ill person who lost too much blood. It was due to him staying underground the whole time and spending very little time basking in the sunlight reflected from the mosses in the gardens.

Of course, most acolytes from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy have this problem.

In any case, as long as their strength increased and they used their spiritual force, raising a point of two of their vitality was not a problem at all. Therefore, they did not need to go out everyday to bask in the sunlight.

"Let's go!" Kaliweir took the lead.

Looking at the huge graveyard behind them and the two statues of the protectors, Leylin turned his head and followed the rest of the team.

"We are going to patrol the southwest area of the academy, where quite a few Red-Eyed Ravens have been showing up recently. We need to clean up their numbers, as well as a few other living organisms. Of course, all of the materials that we acquire will belong to us. Moreover, everyone receives a remuneration of 3 magic crystals."

After the five of them walked out of the graveyard, Kaliweir picked a spot and took out a huge map and spoke as they crowded around.

On the faint yellow parchment paper, the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was located in the centre and occupied about ten percent of the total area.

There were a few simple routes around it, and there were descriptions of the places written in black colour. A few dangerous places were also marked in red with warning signs.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Red-Eyed Ravens

"Red-Eyed Ravens? We met with some when we first arrived at the academy but they were easily killed off by Professor Dorotte. He used a spell that seemed similar to Acidic Aqua Shot." Leylin stroked his chin and recalled the scene of when he first entered the academy.

"We had better hurry there and begin our patrolling. This mission requires us to bring back the right claws of 10 Red-Eyed Ravens as evidence of completing the mission……Do you guys have any other questions?"

Kaliweir ended with a question, displaying the bearings of a leader. After he saw Leylin and the others shake their heads, he continued and said: "Since we are teammates, let us not hide anything from each other. Each of us should report our general strengths so the others can have a better understanding! I'll go first!"

"I'm Kaliweir, I have a Knight-level constitution and know a secret technique. I also know a rank 0 spell!"

"Kaliweir, I never thought that you'd have learned a spell already! It seems like you're ahead of me… I'm Neela, I have Knight-level physical qualities and a secret technique. I am still learning the rank 0 spell "Weary Hand" but I'm unable to use it yet!" While saying this, Neela looked at Kaliweir with a little surprise.

"I'm Lilisse, I……I am still training to be a Knight, but my instructor says my dart-throwing isn't bad. I don't know any secret techniques as of yet!" Lilisse said shyly.

"Raynor, Preparatory Knight. I don't know any spells but my archery skills aren't bad!" He never thought that Kaliweir and Neela would have already begun to learn spells and was a little embarrassed. Patting the wooden bow on his back, he continued, "Don't worry, I will not be a burden to all of you!"

"Leylin, Preparatory Knight. Right now I have learnt a spell!" Leylin rubbed his own nose.

"Even you have learnt a spell……Oh! I'm sorry!" Raynor said a little disconcertingly. He originally came together with Leylin so he knew that Leylin's aptitude was only a third-grade acolyte. Never did he think that Leylin's accomplishments would already exceed his aptitude as a fourth-grade acolyte.

"No worries!" Leylin shook his head and indicated that he did not mind it.

In fact, Raynor's meditation efficacy was much faster than Leylin's. It was simply that he did not have enough magic crystals to exchange for information and other precious resources. Hence, he was gradually losing out to Leylin.

"You are indeed worthy of being called 'Sir Leylin'! You know what outsiders are calling you now?" Neela said in admiration.

"Oh? I don't mind hearing about how others are evaluating me!"

"A Potioneering genius who is seen once every fifty years! If you did not already have a mentor, the other Potioneering professors would have invited you to be their apprentice!" Neela's pitch was very high and sparks almost seemed to jump out of her eyes.

Seeing Neela's fiery gaze, as well as the expressions of Lilisse and the others, Leylin smiled bitterly.

To sell his potions faster, he could not help but take on the role of a Potioneering-genius acolyte. Fortunately, he had his senior Merlin to take the brunt of the attention off him. If not for this, the attention given to him would be much greater.

"Oh right! Leylin, you should have enough resources if you always sell potions right? Why would you still need to come out?"

Raynor asked softly.

"About this? I felt bored being cooped up in the academy. Besides, I have just learnt a spell so I need to familiarise myself with it!"

Leylin's main purpose was to gain more experience and make preparations for travelling out alone to look for a black market in the future. However, such a thing could not be mentioned.

"Alright! Let the gossip end here! Our destination is not far away but it will take some trouble to get there! If we don't move out soon, the sky will turn dark!"

Kaliweir pat his hands, picked up his cleaver and led the party.

"Let's go!" Leylin followed behind.

"I want to walk with you!" Neela walked by Leylin's side, not masking her intentions in the slightest.

Lilisse followed next, with Raynor at the back.

"Be careful, the area near the school is vacant land, but now that we have entered the forest, there will be a lot more danger!" Kaliweir continued walking as he reminded the party.

Leylin did not bother with Neela who was beside him. Instead, he paid more attention to his surroundings while also maximising the A.I. Chip's detection range.

This was his first time coming into contact with the dangerous world outside of the academy so he could not help but be more alert.

Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was built in the depths of a black forest and there was a forsaken graveyard on top of the school. There were only small shrubberies and short trees around the school so the danger was not that great. However, after entering the forest, the countless trees acted as natural camouflage. It had always been the hunting ground of many predators. Leylin could still recall that when they first arrived here, they met with a sneak attack.

[Alert! Alert! An unknown creature is approaching. Threat to the Host's body: Mild!]

As the A.I. Chip's voice sounded, light blue lines formed an image in Leylin's vision. From the projection, Leylin could very clearly see a red line snaking its way to them.

"Whoosh!"

A black shadow suddenly leapt out from the grass and viciously bit at Kaliweir's neck.

Kaliweir's expression did not change as the black cleaver in his hands swung down, knocking the black shadow away.

The black shadow fell on the ground and revealed its true appearance. It was a snake that was one metre in length, with faint traces of blood on its body and only one eye on its triangular head.

"This is an Iron Thread One-Eyed Snake, be careful of its poison!" Neela warned.

Right at this moment, Lilisse, who was behind them, suddenly struck and three throwing knives were launched towards the beast.

The Iron Thread One-Eyed Snake's body coiled to avoid two of the blades but the last one slashed at it as it passed, leaving a gash.

"Heh!" Suddenly, Kaliweir ran forward and swung his black cleaver down on the snake's head. With a cold flash, the head of the snake was cut off instantly!

The snake, which had lost its head, coiled in a circle, still bleeding profusely.

"Ah!" Lilisse was startled.

"It's already dead. This is just a natural reaction for the body. Haven't you learned about neurology?" Neela harrumphed.

"Only the poison sac and the skin of this Iron Thread One-Eyed Snake is useful. Whoever wants to collect the materials better hurry and do so now. The blood will attract many other living organisms here!" Kaliweir slowly spoke while putting away his cleaver.

"I will do it!" Raynor stepped forward and, after a short while, the five of them continued on their journey.

"A.I. Chip! Was the information from earlier recorded?"

[Beep! The recording is done! Iron Thread One-Eyed Snake, Snake type. Strength: 1.1, Agility: 2.1, Vitality: 1.6. The blood sample has been collected and the composition of muscle has been recorded!]

The A.I. Chip's feedback was timely. Leylin nodded his head and hastened his footsteps.

Ten-odd days later, inside the black forest.

A Red-Eyed Raven blinked its alert eyes and perched on a branch as it constantly ruffled its feathers.

*Whoosh!* Suddenly, a white arrow was shot.

"Caw!" the Raven flapped its wings to move away. While it was evading, there were another three flashes of white light, belonging to the throwing knives that were shooting towards it.

Dodging in an elegant arc, the Red-Eyed Raven avoided the knives and landed in an open space.

"Kill!" A shadow hopped out from some shrubbery, two hands grasping a cleaver, and hacked towards the Red-Eyed Raven. It seemed like the arrow and the throwing knives earlier had all been there to force the Red-Eyed Raven to the ground.

A black cleaver brought about a gale as it hacked at the Red-Eyed Raven.

"Caw Caw!" The Red-Eyed Raven cawed loudly, letting off an unpleasant noise.

There was a flash of human-like resentment in the raven's eyes and a pair of black claws met with the cleaver.

*Clang!*

Although the Red-Eyed Raven was a little larger than the average raven, it was only about the same size as a chicken. It had unexpectedly used its black claws to push back the Knight wielding the black cleaver.

"Caw!" The Red-Eyed Raven cawed again, and a few black feathers drifted down from its body.

Taking advantage of the retreating Knight, the Red-Eyed Raven actually went forward and clawed at the Knight's face with its sharp claws!

"Pandora – Greygonger!"

A hurried and quick incantation sounded and a ball of green liquid flew out suddenly, hitting the Red-Eyed Raven squarely on its body.

*Psshhh!* White mist rose continuously, and the cries of a Red-Eyed Raven sounded.

A few seconds later, the screams from the Raven completely vanished, and all that was left was a ditch. Lying inside were a few feathers which did not have enough time to corrode.

"Are you alright, Kaliweir?!"

The shrubbery shook and a few figures made their way through it.

Kaliweir shook his head, "No worries! Although the Red-Eyed Raven has the strength of a Knight and can even fly, it is still not an opponent for us humans who wield weapons!"

Looking at the person in the middle, "Leylin! The timing of the Acidic Aqua Shot earlier was good!"

"It was all due to everybody's teamwork!" Leylin smiled.

Kaliweir then walked to the large ditch, used a branch to brush away the feathers, and picked up 2 black claws from inside.

The side of the black claws was extremely sharp. They released a chilling lustre as if reflecting the difficulty of dealing with its original owner.

"Although the might of the Acidic Aqua Shot is great, it also corroded the Red-Eyed Raven greatly. Apart from its hard claws, there is nothing left…" Kaliweir said with a tinge of regret.

"Hmph! If not for Leylin, you guys might have paid some kind of price to kill the Red-Eyed Raven!" Neela harrumphed at the side, seemingly displeased.

"That's true!" Kaliweir sheathed his cleaver. Right now he had matured a lot and knew that Neela was rather spiteful, so he was not angry at all.

"With this Red-Eyed Raven, we have gathered enough materials. Should we head back to the school to complete the mission?"

Seeing that Raynor and the rest were looking tired, Kaliweir asked.

"Naturally, we have to go back! The forest is too dangerous. We couldn't even have a good sleep during the night!" Neela said immediately.

Lilisse and Raynor hurriedly nodded their heads too.

As for Leylin, he also felt a little exhausted as the forest had been riddled with danger. Even though he had the A.I. Chip to warn him, he was still in a heightened state of anxiety for a prolonged period. His mind felt extremely weary as well, and right now he was beginning to miss the hot water and bed in the academy.

"Alright! Then let us go back first!"

Kaliweir was a little regretful as he carefully put away the claw of the Red-Eyed Raven, "What a pity! With our abilities, we could definitely kill more of the Red-Eyed Ravens. They are worth much more money than the Iron Thread One-Eyed Snake from before……"

"There is no end to earning magic crystals but right now, our team, as a whole, is completely exhausted and we have reached a dangerous state. If we do not hurry back to the academy, I'm afraid that we will make mistakes during our next hunt, which may even result in death!"

Leylin's voice was cold and distinct. He was a person who kept his cool at all times, and he wouldn't lose his bearings over a little profit dangling before him.

"Alright! Then let us go back!"

Kaliweir only hesitated a little and then nodded his head in agreement.

Hearing Kaliweir's words, the expressions of the other four turned much better. Even Neela, who was feeling spiteful, also loosened up and smiled brightly.

The party packed up quickly and started on the trip home.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Violent Hilly Bear

The chirping of insects could be heard in the quiet forest from time to time, and the lush branches and leaves of the trees covered the sun completely. Sunrays occasionally shone through the gaps like beams of light.

" Caw Caw!" Familiar sounding cries could be heard ahead.

Kaliweir, who was leading at the forefront, furrowed his brows, "Why are there so many Red-Eyed Ravens!? These creatures are very aggressive towards humans! If we do not clean their numbers up in time, they will attract more of their kind which will be extremely troublesome!"

"What now? Should we take a detour?" Raynor asked.

"I'm afraid that might not work, they have already discovered us!" Leylin looked at the image in the A.I. Chip and said without looking back.

The sound of wings flapping gradually got closer. Kaliweir laughed, "Since they have voluntarily come to look for us, we shouldn't hesitate to welcome them!"

The expressions of the others were at ease. After this period of polishing their teamwork, they all have a set of strategies that were customised to deal with the Red-Eyed Ravens.

"Not good! There are 2 of them!" Leylin looked at the screen and his expression changed suddenly.

Kaliweir was startled. As per Leylin's warning, there was indeed another black shadow behind the first Red-Eyed Raven that flew over, and its size seemed to be bigger than others of its kind.

"We're in trouble!" Kaliweir's brows furrowed, "Leylin and Neela, you two deal with the one in front! As for the other one, leave it to us three!"

"Prepare well!" Leylin said to Neela behind him and drew the crossbow that was slung on his back.

"Measuring wind power and humidity! Adjusting trajectory…"

*Whoosh! * A black line streaked across the sky and pierced through the Red-Eyed Raven's body, bringing along a few feathers with it.

"Caw!" The Red-Eyed Raven at the front let out an angry cry and flew towards Leylin.

It actually seemed like it did not sustain any injuries.

"Let's lure it away!" Leylin's expression did not change, and he put down the crossbow that was in his hands.

Thanks to the A.I. Chip, he was very clear that the arrow earlier did hit the Red-Eyed Raven, but the vitality of these crows was rather high, being almost similar to a human Knight. Their feathers were extremely hard too; hence, it did not receive much damage.

The weapons of regular humans do not pose much threat to the creatures of the Magus World.

Seeing Leylin and Neela luring a Red-Eyed Raven away, Kaliweir made up his mind. He shouted loudly, "Raynor and Lilisse, stall the other Red-Eyed Raven that is behind and give me time to prepare my spell."

Raynor and Lilisse looked at each other and then dashed towards the Red-Eyed Raven at the back.

As Raynor ran, he grabbed the bow on his back and shot towards the sky. A few throwing knives accompanied the arrow.

"Caw Caw!" The huge Red-Eyed Raven flapped its black wings and slapped the arrow and knives down.

"It actually used its bare wings to knocked the arrow away!" Raynor's face turned pale and his footsteps halted.

However, the Red-Eyed Raven that was significantly larger than its counterpart had already swooped down and its huge claws cut into Raynor's shoulders, leaving a gash.

Raynor was pinned to the ground by the Red-Eyed Raven.

"Save……Save me!" Raynor shouted and pleaded.

*Bang!!* Just as the Red-Eyed Raven was about to peck down, a bright light flashed. Lilisse raised a huge sword that was even larger than her and swatted the Red-Eyed Raven away.

"Bam!" An iron wire that was made into a net was thrown in front of Raynor.

"I'll stall it, hurry and take the chance to throw the net!" Lilisse, who was usually quiet and a little shy, now seemed to be a completely different person.

"Okay!" Raynor looked at Kaliweir, who was still preparing the cast his spell, and picked up the net.

Lilisse had obviously trained with swordplay before, and the huge steel sword brandished in her hands turned into a silver flash as she knocked the Red-Eyed Raven away to the side.

"Ha!" With a beautiful sweep, Lilisse knocked the Red-Eyed Raven down onto the floor, making mud and grit splatter everywhere.

"A good chance!" Raynor's eyes flashed, and the sharp pain transmitting through his shoulder made his eyes a little bloodshot as he spread the steel wire net and trapped the Red-Eyed Raven within it.

"Caw Caw!" The Red-Eyed Raven continuously thrashed inside, and it seemed as though it would break free from the steel wire net at any moment.

"Kaliweir, hurry!" The Red-Eyed Raven's feathers are too thick, I can't deal much damage to it!"

Lilisse shouted anxiously.

"Thank you for your efforts!" At this moment, Kaliweir finally finished his spell, and a dark red coloured fireball was blazing in his hands.

"Hurry and move!" After Kaliweir shouted, Lilisse and Raynor hurriedly scattered.

"Let's go! Negative Energy Fireball!" With a fling of Kaliweir's hands, the dark red fireball streaked across with a booming sound until it landed perfectly on the Red-Eyed Raven's body.

*Boom!* A huge sound reverberated continuously in all directions, along with a surging heat wave.

The intense wind from the explosion also burned a huge crater in the ground, and the surrounding plants and shrubbery did not escape from it either.

"Nice one!" Raynor had run a little too slowly and was swept onto the ground by the wind behind him. His clothes were stained with mud. However, when he looked at the Red-Eyed Raven, he was indescribably happy.

"Haah…" Kaliweir panted too, "This Negative Energy Fireball takes too long to cast and I need someone to help me stall the enemy. However, its might is extremely great!"

Lilisse straightened her fringe. As she looked towards the direction that Leylin and Neela had run in, there was an obvious tinge of worry in her eyes, "I wonder how they are doing now?"

"Don't worry! Leylin and Neela are very strong, and we also managed to deal with the bigger one ourselves…" Kaliweir comforted her. This was the first mission that he had taken in a year, and he, too, wanted the perfect ending.

"We're alright!" Just as Kaliweir was speaking, both Leylin and Neela walked out from a thicket of bushes.

A few black feathers clung to their bodies, but they did not seem to have sustained any injuries.

"Where is the other one?"

"Over here!" Leylin raised the black claws in his hands, and then looked at the huge pit. "Wow, this fellow. I reckon that had at least 6 degrees of power, it seems like Kaliweir is pursuing lethal spells.

"Since everyone is okay, let us hurry back, I have a bad feeling about this!" Kaliweir's face darkened, "The monsters lurking around the school these days seem to be a little too much!"

"I agree, were the academy missions before this dangerous?" Leylin asked.

"That's not right! Even if we accepted a patrolling mission like this, we needed at least 1 month to find 10 Red-Eyed Ravens. However, we have exceeded that amount in just 10 days!" Neela explained beside him.

"After we return, let us report this situation, I feel there's something amiss!" Lilisse said suddenly.

"If there are any problems it'll be for the Magi to solve! We had better leave here as soon as possible, I don't feel safe out here!" Raynor added.

"Nicely said! Let us hurry!" Kaliweir said as he threw the broken iron wire net aside and picked up a black claw.

As everyone did not have any objections, the team hurried back.

"Why would these 2 Red-Eyed Ravens obstruct us on our return trip back to the academy? Could it just be a coincidence?" Leylin suddenly felt uneasy and hastened his footsteps.

The rest of them seemed to have the same ominous feeling, and the team hurried along.

"Do you think those 2 Red-Eyed Ravens earlier were guarding some treasures? You know, ravens have a habit of collecting shiny items!"

Neela, who was at the back of the group, saw the gloomy expressions on everyone and said half-jokingly.

"Those are normal ravens. Although the Red-Eyed Ravens also have the word raven in their name, their bloodlines are closer to that of a Bramble Thorny Bird. Therefore, they don't have the habit of searching for treasures, but instead have an acute sense for a few special plants. In fact, Magi often raise Bramble Thorny Birds too, to use them to search for those special plants!" Leylin replied, not turning back.

"How do you know that?" Raynor was obviously not convinced.

"Bramble Thorny Bird's origins and how to raise them. It's on the level 3 bookshelf in the library, I read it recently." Leylin replied blandly.

"Oh! Leylin! You're so awesome!" Sparks could be seen in Neela's eyes again.

Raynor turned away.

"Eh?" Leylin took a sniff and suddenly smelled a very fragrant scent.

"Stop! Did you guys smell anything?" Leylin hurriedly halted.

The group stopped. "Smell what?" Kaliweir's expression tightened, and he gripped the cleaver in his hands.

"I seem to have smelled a very fragrant scent!" Leylin explained.

"Fragrance? There are only odours that make people want to vomit in this forest! And now it is getting more serious!" Raynor interrupted.

"I actually smelled a whiff of Jasmine Flowers mixed with Black-Oiled Roses!" Lilisse wrinkled her nose.

"Everyone be careful! There is the stench of a wild beast!" *Shiing!* Kaliweir unsheathed his cleaver. This situation was obviously strange. Leylin also placed his hands into his waist pouch.

*Hu!* A gust of wind blew over. It carried a fishy stench that stung the nose.

*Grooarrr!!!* The roar of a ruthless beast sounded.

The plants in the surrounding black forest also bent from the pressure caused by the beast's roar.

Kaliweir's face changed greatly, "Be careful, it's a huge one!"

*Boom Boom!* The heavy steps rang. Leylin and the rest saw the appearance of the creature.

It was a huge black bear and its skull was split open as if exposing its brain. There was also a 'V'-shaped, white mark on its chest, like a lightning scar.

"Be careful! It's the Violent Hilly Bear; each one is comparable to a level 3 acolyte! Last time, it was this fellow that we met!"

Kaliweir's pupils shrank to the size of a pin, "Be careful of its roaring attack. It was this attack that killed Hank previously!"

"Damn it! Let's disperse and run!" Raynor's face turned pale and he suddenly turned around and scooted off.

"This coward!" Neela fumed and her face turned red. The Violent Hilly Bear increased its speed because of Raynor's sudden escape.

"There is no choice left! This exceeds our capabilities, so let's scatter and run. Let's hope to meet each other back in the academy!"

Kaliweir smiled bitterly and made his decision.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

A Knight's Breakthrough

After Kaliweir finished speaking, he took out a black powder-like substance from his robes and sprinkled it onto his legs. He suddenly appeared taller and upon closer inspection, it seemed that not only had his height increased, but there were also tufts of black fur growing out of the bottom of his shoes.

With this black fur, Kaliweir's speed increased tremendously and he disappeared from the forest in the span of a few steps, with a speed faster than Raynor's.

"The seed from a blade of Nimble Grass? It seems like Kaliweir used it to protect his life, but the aftereffects of this seed are not small!"

Leylin muttered, looking towards the two girls at his side, "It is a little embarrassing to say this, but we had still better split up!"

"Since we chose to come out here and take such risks, we should naturally be prepared to lose our lives! To be honest, the fact that you were able to stay behind those two guys has already shocked us !"

Neela said as she took out a green potion in a test tube and threw it on the floor. A green-coloured hurricane swept up and enshrouded Neela and Lilisse within its centre.

"See you at the academy!" Enveloped in a whirlwind of green, the two girls disappeared from Leylin's vision.

"Everyone has a trump card, huh?" Leylin smiled, moving his feet and disappearing from the forest.

In a flash, the party of five began to split up, with everyone using their own methods to escape from the scene.

Leylin's footsteps never faltered, and the trees on either side of him disappeared into the distance as he sped ahead.

"The attack power of the Violent Hilly Bear is extremely high, while its speed is just average. In the party of five, Kaliweir used the Nimble Grass, while Neela and Lilisse used a speed-enhancing potion. As for me, I have the strength of a Knight, and therefore, my speed is pretty good. However, Raynor, the first to run, has the slowest speed amongst the five of us and is also in the greatest danger. If he did not prepare any trump cards, it is highly likely for him to die here."

"I should be able to escape from this Violent Hilly Bear's hunting grounds with Raynor as a decoy, so I had better not use this potion just yet!"

As a Potions Master, Leylin was still rather rich despite not being able to sell his goods in bulk. Naturally, he had prepared several trump cards that could protect his life, without which he would not have the confidence to come outside to train.

Every step he took was perfect, his every move and action seemed to blend in with the forest and he did not receive any obstructions from any branches or vines, his actions as smooth as flowing water. His speed was actually almost the same as Kaliweir who had used the Nimble Grass.

"Groarrr!" A vicious roar sounded.

Suddenly, a black figure appeared in front of Leylin, and with it came a huge bear paw.

"Impossible! How could it have made a detour to be in front of me? Was Raynor unable to draw it away ?"

Greatly startled, Leylin's body reacted, his conditioned reflexes causing him to take out his cross blade and begin slashing in front of him.

*Clang!* Leylin hurriedly used the huge recoil travelling through the cross blade to turn his body around and escape the attack range of the bear's paw. He did not have a good grip on the cross blade and as a result, it flew out of his hands.

*Bang!*

At this moment, Leylin did not hesitate to throw a fire red potion at the Violent Hilly Bear.

The moment the test tube exploded, a scorching red flame suddenly engulfed the Violent Hilly Bear.

Leylin did not stay to watch the scene. Instead, he immediately turned around and ran.

"The explosive potion's might may be great, comparable to an average rank 0 spells, however, it still lacks the power to penetrate the Violent Hilly Bear's thick hide.

"Groarrr!" The Violent Hilly Bear's roar sounded from behind, and it seemed to be getting closer to Leylin.

Leylin turned around to look, and his eyes almost popped out, "This is illogical!"

He saw that the Violent Hilly Bear's head was a little charred, but the rest of the body remained undamaged. The explosive potion seemed to do nothing else apart from further enraging the Violent Hilly Bear.

The Violent Hilly Bear's massively oversized body seemed to be as light as a feather and did not hinder its speed in the slightest, allowing it to tail behind Leylin.

"A.I. Chip! Take readings!"

Leylin gave a command, but the A.I. Chip did not reply even after half a day and only a faint static noise could be heard.

"A.I. Chip! A.I. Chip!" Leylin called out again, but it was to no avail.

"Damn it, just what exactly is happening?"

Leylin's face distorted in frustration. The A.I. Chip was his greatest trump card in this world. Suddenly losing it had turned him a little crazy.

*Thwack!* The Violent Hilly Bear caught up to Leylin once again, and it swatted with his massive paws as if it was swatting at a mosquito.

"Umbra's Hand!" Leylin hurriedly chanted and a black coloured hand rose from the Violent Hilly Bear's shadow, firmly holding on to the bear's paw.

The huge bear roared nonstop but was unable to escape from the Umbra's Hand.

Seizing this opportunity, Leylin hurriedly ran off. "The Umbra's Hand's effect will only last for a few seconds! I must hurry!"

Leylin fled miserably.

"Damn it!" Leylin grumbled yet again, "What on earth is going on? This Violent Hilly Bear is stronger than my expectations, and it has such a swift speed too!"

In the black forest, the grass and shrubbery blew in the strong wind and the occasional insect cry could be heard from time to time.

"At last, I have finally escaped for now!" Leylin ran for a dozen-odd minutes before he dared to turn back and look. The dark forest resembled the mouth of a huge beast, seemingly wanting to swallow him whole.

"Caw! Caw!" Just when Leylin had finally caught his breath, the abominable sound of ravens could be heard in the sky.

Leylin raised his head and looked. There were ravens that were much larger than the Red-Eyed Ravens from earlier. Furthermore, there were three of them! Once they spotted Leylin, they immediately swooped down towards him.

"My cross blade has already been lost and my spiritual force and Magical Power are almost drained too. Am I going to die here today?"

An ominous premonition rose in Leylin's heart.

A black talon came slashing at him, and Leylin hurriedly attempted to dodge it. In spite of his attempts, the claw of the raven etched three gashes into his back.

The immense pain clouded Leylin's vision, "No! I don't want to die! I have not qualified as a Magus yet! Or seen the rest of the world! How could I just die a silent death here !"

As he tumbled to the ground, Leylin picked up a green rock from behind him.

"Ha!" Jumping back up, he viciously smashed the rock down onto the Red-Eyed Raven's head!

*Bang!* This time, Leylin used all of his strength, and the Red-Eyed Raven swayed as it fell onto the floor.

"Caw! Caw!" Angry cries were heard in the sky. Seeing that their comrade had died like that, the other two Red-Eyed Ravens immediately cried out and swooped down to avenge it.

"Bring it on!" Leylin lowered himself slightly, coiling his body into position, like a leopard who was about to catch its prey.

He felt every artery in his body expanding quickly, and the blood continuously surged, circulating huge amounts of energy into the various parts of his body. A warm current gradually rose in his lower abdomen, and the wound on his back no longer seemed as painful.

"Die!" Leylin shouted, and flung the rock in his hands out ruthlessly. This time, he seemed to have used all his energy, and the warmth in his body constantly responded to him. The rock let out an ear piercing whistle and directly struck one of the Red-Eyed Ravens.

"This is……Internal life energy!" Leylin was mildly shocked. He had attained the qualities of a Preparatory Knight long ago. Moreover, he meditated constantly, so he was almost comparable to that of an actual Knight. However, he had not been able to ignite his internal life energy until now, and he never thought that he would be able to have a break through at this point.

Right at that moment, the warm current in his lower abdomen travelled to his two eyes, and a piercing pain in his eyes made them water.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was extremely blurry, as if he was shrouded in mist. However, the faint blue words of the A.I. Chip had finally reappeared.

[Beep! The host has suffered from an unknown effect…… Abnormality in the current state!] [Ho…… Host is hallucinating!]

The screen of the A.I. Chip displayed was intermittent as if it was suffering from a very strong interference.

"Hallucination!" Leylin was startled. However, at this moment, the other Red-Eyed Raven had already swooped down right in front of him. Behind him, there came a violent roar from the forest and a massive bear paw vehemently struck out at Leylin with a hooked claw.

Facing such a life-threatening attack, Leylin grit his teeth and actually closed both his eyes.

The sharp claws pierced his body and he felt an immense pain. However, it was not as painful as he thought, and Leylin's body did not fall.

"It really is like this, huh?" Leylin's lips curled upwards.

"A.I. Chip! Show me my current state!"

The A.I. Chip's display merely appeared more distinct in the darkness.

The lines full of red-coloured warnings about the abnormal status was extremely striking, but Leylin had actually not realised it before.

[Beep! Detection over! The Host has breathed in very potent and delicate hallucinatory gas particles! The five senses were affected! To expel or not?]

"Begin expulsion immediately!" Leylin commanded.

[Beep! Reserve energy has been used, expulsion in progress!]

The A.I. Chip indicated that the expulsion was complete, and only then did Leylin open his eyes.

Right now, he was situated inside a shrubbery, and the Violent Hilly Bear and Red-Eyed Raven disappeared without a trace.

There were many cuts on his body from the barbs in the shrubbery, and blood was dripping from them. However, there were no gashes on his back.

"It seems like it really was an illusion. What I saw earlier was completely artificial!"

Leylin looked at his surroundings again. On the left, there was a tree that had fallen, and he saw traces of scorch marks in his surroundings.

"Although what I saw was fake, my reactions were all real. The explosive potion and Umbra's Hand uprooted the tree, and it is very likely that I mistook the tree for the Violent Hilly Bear!"

Leylin felt a little regretful. The explosive potion had cost him plenty of magic crystals, and he had spent a whopping amount before buying the formula and ingredients from Woox. But now, he had actually used it against a tree.

"However, it's not like I didn't reap any benefits." Leylin looked at the prompt shown by the A.I. Chip earlier.

[Secretion of adrenaline in the Host's body has rapidly increased, blood flow has increased by 58%!] [The Host has ignited internal life energy and broke through the boundaries of a Knight!]

"It might have been an illusion all along, but the igniting my internal life energy and advancing to a Knight was real!"

"It is also thanks to my advancement into a Knight that led me to realise that something was amiss, if not, I would have died just like that!"

Leylin was a little afraid, "A.I. Chip! Record the status I was in earlier when I broke through into a Knight!"

[Beep! Recording is done, name: State of advancing to a Knight]

"This state may be the key to igniting internal life energy! However why would it have some resemblance to the magic powers of my previous world? It seems extremely unconventional!"

Leylin harboured a few suspicions. This Knight's advancement method was extremely perilous. Many of the situations required luck, otherwise, there might be an excessive secretion of adrenaline, opening up the possibility of being poisoned to death.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Returning To The Academy

"I wonder how Kaliweir and the others are doing now?"

When Leylin feebly picked himself up, he felt like his whole body was going to fall apart.

"Even with the A.I. Chip, I have fallen into this state, let alone their situations. I had better find them quickly, it would be really terrible if they were to fall into a trap or encounter other wild beasts.

Leylin drew out a red-coloured potion from his waist pouch and opened the wooden plug. He poured the red liquid onto his wounds.

*Hiss!* White mist continuously rose up from the wound. Leylin gritted his teeth, his face a little twisted.

After the white mist dispersed, a red membrane was covering the wound, and the bleeding had already stopped. It had also closed the wound. Leylin waved his hands around and noticed that his movements were not restricted.

"This hemostatic potion is very good, but it's so painful when it's being used!"

Leylin grumbled, drew out another blue coloured potion, and gulped it down. The blue potion was sweet and carried the fragrance of white bread. Leylin felt his body getting much better and also recovered some strength. He walked out from the shrubbery and leaned against a big tree to rest.

"A.I. Chip! For that hallucinatory gas, are there any remedies against it?"

Since he knew that the only danger over there was the hallucinatory gas particles, Leylin did not mind rescuing his other party members.

If it really wasn't possible, then Leylin would just turn his head and return to the academy to inform the professors while praying for them.

[Suggestion: Freshwater has good protective properties against the infiltration of the gas particles!]

The A.I. Chip replied.

"Freshwater, huh?" Leylin opened his water bottle and soaked a handkerchief, wrapping it over his nose and mouth before heading back to their previous location.

"I thought that I had run very far away, but I haven't even gone a thousand metres!" Leylin retraced his footsteps. Moments later, when he returned back to where the party of five had split up, he was a little speechless.

"A.I. Chip! Scan the area in front and form a map!"

Since he knew that the path in front was filled with hallucinatory gas particles, Leylin still felt very vulnerable despite his safeguard.

[Beep! Scan completed!]

An image appeared in front of Leylin's eyes. Where the five of them were earlier, there was a depression with huge mushrooms growing out from it.

These mushrooms were extremely big and almost as tall as a human being. Each one was a mysterious purple colour, with many black spots faintly forming the image of a human in pain.

"What type of mushrooms are these?"

[Comparing to database! Similarity level: Spider-Faced Mushroom 98.7%, Spear-Lining Mushroom 74.5%, Purple Umbrella Flower 23.3%]

"Spider-Faced Mushroom?" Leylin thought back to an image he had seen in a picture book from the library.

"The Spider-Faced Mushroom is a very mysterious plant. It is able to emit extremely strong hallucinatory gas particles, and people with weak constitutions and other intelligent beings will not be able to resist them. They will often attract flying beasts and live together in harmony with them. It seems like the two Red-Eyed Ravens from earlier were attracted to them."

Leylin noticed a few bones at the stem of the purple mushroom, some seemed to belong to humans, and some were from various creatures.

"However, these kinds of dangerous plants should have been cleaned up around our school area, unless they were moved here only recently!"

Leylin conjectured and suddenly felt chills over his body as if he had discovered a part of a conspiracy.

Shaking his head, "This is not something that I can attend to now. I had better hurry and look for Neela and the others and then leave immediately!"

With the help of the A.I. Chip, finding the others of his party members proved to be extremely easy.

Raynor was lying not far away, with one of his thighs impaled on a branch. It seemed like he had run into it himself.

Not long later, Kaliweir was found too. At this moment, he looked like a lunatic, cleaving at a huge black boulder. He could not even see Leylin walking over, and was knocked out by Leylin in the end.

As for Neela and Lilisse, they were the luckiest. Not long after they left, they had been entangled within some vines. When Leylin found them, they were still clad in the glow of the green hastening potion and were actually not injured at all.

Leylin brought the four of them far away from the Spider-Faced Mushroom. When he found a stream, he tossed all of them into the water.

This was the suggestion given by the A.I. Chip.

With the bone-chilling cold water from the stream invading the noses and throats of Kaliweir and the others, their bodies began to convulse violently.

"Cough Cough!" Kaliweir and the others started to cough violently.

Leylin moved the few of them onto flat ground and laid them on their backs. He then picked up a weapon and got into a defensive stance.

"What happened?" Kaliweir rubbed his aching head and propped himself up.

"Do you still remember what happened earlier?" Leylin came in front of Kaliweir.

"Yes! I remember now, we met with the Violent Hilly Bear and even some Direwolves!" Kaliweir touched the gash on his face.

"Was it you who saved us?"

"Indeed! However, what we encountered were not ferocious beasts. I'll explain it when the others have woken up!" Leylin pointed at the others, who seemed to be regaining consciousness slowly.

When the few of them left the domain of the Spider-Faced Mushrooms and gulped down huge amounts of fresh water, their minds started to clear again.

Leylin explained the matter of the Spider-Faced Mushrooms to them. As for himself, he said that he was lucky to avoid their situations because he had an item that could resist hallucinations.

After listening to Leylin, the expressions of Kaliweir and the others weren't very good at all.

"Leylin! Thank you! I owe you my life!" Kaliweir said solemnly.

"Us too!" Neela and Lilisse spoke at the same time. As for Raynor, he opened his mouth but no words came out from it.

"I suggest that you all better tend to the injuries on your bodies first!" Leylin pointed to the puncture in Raynor's thigh.

"Alright. I have some medicinal powder here. Do you need it, Raynor?"

Kaliweir felt for the item on his body, and then retrieved a bottle of medicinal powder from his waist pouch and gave it to Raynor.

Leylin took a whiff and knew that it was medicine from the regular world. While it had certain effectiveness, it was still incomparable to a hemostasis potion.

The party slowly treated the wounds on their bodies. Raynor was the most injured, and his lips were as pale as snow. His legs were wrapped very thickly with gauze. Kaliweir managed to find a stick for him to use as a crutch, so he could at least manage to walk.

The physiques of Magi already begin to differ from those of regular humans. With the help of potions, wounds that are not too severe will usually finish healing in a few nights.

"What should we do next?" Kaliweir looked at Leylin. Although he was the party leader in name, Leylin's performance made him bow his head.

"Can you still walk?" Leylin asked Raynor.

"I can definitely walk! Don't… don't leave me behind!" Raynor hurriedly propped himself up with the crutch.

"Then we had better hurry and set off!" Leylin thought of the Spider-Faced Mushrooms and of his own predictions. He had an ominous feeling about the recent events.

"That's right!" Neela and Lilisse agreed in unison, it seemed like they were afraid of this place already.

"My Hastening Potion! That was something that I spent 5 magic crystals on!" Along the journey, Neela lamented.

"That is still okay, look at me!" Kaliweir adjusted his sack; the most important things were the 12 Red-Eyed Raven claws in it as they were the proof of completing the mission. He then pointed to his ankle.

On his legs, tufts of black fur already covered his calves and began spreading to his thigh area.

"Although a seed from the Nimble Grass can allow you to run quickly, their reproductive abilities are too great. After using them, you will definitely be contaminated. If you don't hurry back to the academy to take care of it, you might soon become a furry man!"

"Outer appearance is one thing. The most important thing is that if the Nimble Grass live on a human's body for a long time, there will be poisonous properties! At that time, you can only amputate your leg!" Kaliweir said with a resolved expression, "Hurry!"

Although he still wore a deadpanned expression, his footsteps had obviously quickened.

After suffering from the Spider-Faced Mushrooms' attack, the five of them became easily frightened on the way home. Any rustling of leaves or blowing of the wind would make them feel nervous for a while.

When they finally saw the Abyssal Bone Forest Graveyard, Leylin swore that he had never found this graveyard so lovable before now.

"Password!" This time, the two-headed dog asked in a female voice.

"Abyssal Bone is paramount!" Kaliweir said slowly.

The password changes whenever a certain period of time has passed. However, the password will naturally be told in advance to those who go out on a mission, like them.

"Correct!" The two-headed dog allowed them to pass and returned to being a statue on the platform.

Leylin finally heaved a sigh of relief when they entered the academy's gates.

Although there were no deaths on this mission, they still met with several dangers along the way. If not for the A.I. Chip's help, it was very likely that their party would have been wiped out completely.

"Let's go! We'll first hand in our mission!" Kaliweir's expression loosened and he smiled. As for Lilisse and Neela, they both seemed relieved as well.

The five of them walked towards the Mission Area. Kaliweir queued in front of the counter while the other four waited to the side.

"Neela, did the missions cause so many injuries or deaths in the past?"

Leylin felt that the atmosphere was a little off. The number of casualties in the Mission Area had obviously increased, and there were curses and sobbing heard from time to time.

"We don't usually have this many! I can guarantee that!" Neela looked at the many acolytes with darkened expressions on their faces. It seemed like not only did they fail their missions, but they had also paid a heavy price for them.

"Look! The missions have been refreshed!"

Leylin raised his head and saw a notice hanging in the upper corner of the black wall, with striking red words.

"Attention! There has been a significant increase in the dangerous creatures around the academy. We hope that the acolytes who go out in the future will be more cautious. If you aren't a level 3 acolyte, we recommend that you stay inside.

These words were a size bigger than the others and were written in a striking red font.

Behind the warning, there was a new mission written in red.

"Mission: Find out the source of the abnormalities in the academy's vicinity. Reward: 500 magic crystals, high-grade information on 3 topics at will, or an improved spell model. This mission is categorised as extremely dangerous, be prudent when accepting this mission!"

"500 magic crystals, high-grade information on 3 topics, or even an improved spell model!" Leylin exclaimed.

"If only I had that many magic crystals!" Lilisse was also intimidated by the generous reward.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Bottleneck

"Didn't you read the notice? If you aren't a level 3 acolyte, then going out is practically throwing your life away!"

A voice sounded, and Kaliweir appeared behind Neela.

"You're back?" Leylin asked.

"Yeah! Here is the reward for our mission. 15 magic crystals!" Kaliweir opened the pouch and there, sat 15 magic crystals.

"According to our prior agreement, each of us gets 3 magic crystals!" Kaliweir divided the magic crystals and then opened a large black sack. It was filled with many Red-Eyed Raven claws, as well as feathers, eyeballs and other miscellaneous materials.

"There is also this stuff! Only the Red-Eyed Ravens' two claws have some worth. Each one can be sold for about 1 magic crystal. As for the other materials, they're worth roughly 15 magic crystals in total! Do you guys have any questions? If not, we'll be dividing them accordingly!"

The Red-Eyed Raven claws were only needed to prove that the mission had been completed. After it has been confirmed, the acolytes are allowed to keep them, and they can be considered additional income.

"I have no problem with that!" Leylin smiled. This time, he merely wanted to gain experience and was not too fussed about the number of magic crystals.

This time, earning 30 magic crystals at once could be considered a lot. However, there were also the expenditures of this mission to factor in — Neela and Lilisse used a hastening potion, and Kaliweir used the seed from the Nimble Grass. As for Leylin, he had used an explosive potion, hemostasis potion, and a strength potion. All these expenditures amounted to over 30 magic crystals.

If they were to calculate everything, the mission would be considered a flop and would not even compare to Leylin's brewing of potions to earn money.

Seeing as Leylin had agreed, Neela, Lilisse, and Raynor could only nod their heads.

"In this mission, Leylin, you did the most. If not for you, we would have long been dead, so it's alright if you take a little more!" Kaliweir was extremely sincere, and it seemed as though he had made up his mind about this long ago.

"I don't need it!" Leylin smiled and picked out two of the Red-Eyed Raven claws, as well as some other materials, from the bag. After estimating that the things he had taken out were worth around 6 magic crystals, he stopped.

"These will be enough for me."

"Alright, then we will redistribute the items again..." Kaliweir felt a little forced, but Lilisse and Raynor were obviously happy about it.

All of them, more or less, had wounds on their bodies. Something seemed to have happened recently to the academy, and accepting missions would no longer be a possibility if it turned out to be dangerous. The group quickly exchanged their contact information and left the mission area.

Kaliweir left the fastest. By now, the black fur had already grown to his thighs, making his legs look like those of a gorilla, and it seemed like he could not wait to seek help.

"Goodbye!" Lilisse and Raynor bade farewell too.

"Could you tell me your dorm number?" Neela stuck closely to Leylin's side while whispering into his ear.

Warm air blew into his ear and he felt a little ticklish.

"I'm not in the mood for that! Maybe next time!" Leylin declined. Right now, his body still ached faintly, so how could he be in the mood to do it?

"Alright! I'll be waiting!" Neela laughed coquettishly and gave him a light peck on the cheek, before running away quickly.

Leylin shook his head and turned around, returning to his dorm.

As he opened his door, he saw that everything in the room had remained the same as before his departure and a feeling of security washed over him as he entered.

"The mission did not even last for a month, so why do I feel like a lot of time has passed?"

Leylin shut the door, placing the cross blade, sack, and other items aside before lying on his bed.

He enjoyed the soothing comfort provided as he rested on the soft bed.

"A.I. Chip! Show me my current stats!"

[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte, Knight. Strength: 2.5, Agility: 2.7, vitality: 3.0, spiritual force: 4.2, Magical Power: 4.0. Status: Healthy]

There was an overall increase in the stats; his Strength, Agility and vitality had all increased by 0.3, while his spiritual force increased by 0.1.

"After advancing to a proper Knight, all my stats have risen. As for my spiritual force, this is the result after one month of continuous meditation!"

Leylin gazed at the 3D image of him, "A.I. Chip, calculate how much more the internal life energy in my body raises my stats."

After a Knight ignites their internal life energy, there will still be a breakout period for their stats to increase. However, Leylin had already increased his stats plenty through meditation, so the effects may be diminished slightly.

[Establishing task, calculation in progress…...]

[Beep! The simulation has ended. Expected increase in Host's stats: Strength: 0.6, Agility: 0.3, vitality: 0.1!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

If my stats were at 1.9 like the average person, this internal life energy would be able to raise all my stats by at least 1. However, now that my foundation is so high, raising it will be even more difficult!"

Leylin reasoned.

"The Farlier Family is only a newly established line of Knights. They have no training methods to pass on for after one turns into a Knight, so I have no inkling of how to advance to a Grand Knight."

Although there should be information regarding this aspect in the academy, the potential of Knights are much inferior to that of Magi, so I can forgo this goal for now!"

Ever since he entered the academy, Leylin had devoted all his time and effort to his Magus studies and delayed his training to become a Knight.

Even a Grand Knight will only end up as a follower or servant of an official Magus. Besides, a Knight's journey will end after becoming a Grand Knight. As for Magi, they can continuously advance, so Leylin naturally chose the path with a better prospect.

"Besides advancing to a Knight, this map is the only benefit of my trip outside this time.

Leylin projected the image of a huge map.

Faint blue lines formed the general outline of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy as well as its surroundings. It was even more detailed than the one Kaliweir had.

On this map, the path that Leylin and his party had taken was the clearest. Furthermore, the vicinity of where the Spider Faced Mushrooms had been found was even marked as a dangerous zone.

This map was formed through his own exploration, the scanning from the A.I. Chip, as well as the map that Kaliweir had.

It could not be said to be completely free of mistakes. But this was definitely the most detailed map amongst the acolytes. He would be able to fetch a price of at least 2 magic crystals if he were to sell it.

In the centre of the map, green words highlighted the location of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

"From this map, it can be seen that our Abyssal Bone Forest Academy is only taking up an insubstantial area on the south coast. It could also be said to be in a rural area.

"Furthermore, with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in the centre, the Death Seas would be to the south. To the north, it would be the Mountain Plains of Despair; to the west, Sage Gotham's Hut; and lastly, the Poolfield Kingdom to the east.

The north and south area are all forbidden regions, with countless dangerous creatures residing within them. Some with differing bloodlines, some of which have been contaminated. They are also haunted by evil spirits that are filled with grievances. Any acolyte stepping foot in those regions would die ten out of ten times.

"As for Sage Gotham's Hut, it is another faction of the Magi. I have heard that there are some conflicts between Sage Gotham's Hut and Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, so I can't go there either."

"The only one left for acolytes to explore would be the Poolfield Kingdom."

Leylin thought indifferently. The factions in this world were similar to those of the Japanese during the world war, where various factions were divided in accordance to their territory and they controlled the various kingdoms from the dark.

In these kingdoms, the Magi bloodlines would be either royalty or nobility. As for the Knights, their bloodlines would commonly be those of wealthy families.

"In regards to their social hierarchies, the Magi would be like the feudal lords of the Warring States and the Knights would be the warriors and soldiers serving under them. Furthermore, they don't have a lone sovereign governing them as a whole; there are as many small kingdoms as there are stars in the sky, fighting solely for their own benefits in a chaotic era.

"There are a few Magi families supporting the Poolfield Kingdom behind the scenes. The kingdom has a total of 19 provinces. Each area is extremely vast, with many small Magi families, wandering Magi, and travellers living there. They would definitely not come to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy to make any trades, so there should be some kind of small markets over there. I'll try concealing my identity and head there to sell my potions!"

Leylin's Potioneering skills were only average, but with the help of the A.I. Chip, his succession rate for brewing had long surpassed his senior Merlin and could even be comparable to that of his mentor, Kroft. However, all of this had to be kept with the utmost secrecy. As such, Leylin did not dare sell too many of his potions inside the academy.

However, once he advanced to a level 3 acolyte, he would reach a bottleneck. Without a vast amount of resources to use, one could only slowly progress with time.

Even a fifth-grade acolyte, without resources, would require at least 3 years advancing to a level 3 acolyte!

Leylin was only an average, third-grade acolyte, and could only rely on this bit of income on the surface. To satisfy the requirements for advancement, who knows how long he would have to wait.

"A.I. Chip! Simulate the requirements that I need to advance into level 3 acolyte!"

[Prerequisites for level 3 acolyte: spiritual force: 7, mastery of at least 3 spell models, 500 grams of Reactive Elixirs required to aid with breakthrough.]

"Learning the 3 spell models is easy, but the Reactive Elixirs will be troublesome to obtain. I will need at least 500 magic crystals!"

Leylin's expression was extremely solemn. As a Potioneering acolyte, he naturally knew what Reactive Elixirs were. These potions were not the same as elementary potions like the strength potions or hemostasis potions. However, they required someone to have reached the basic level of Potioneering. There are those which increase spiritual force, vitality, or even potions that can reinforce the mind runes at an alarming rate. The demand is always greater than the supply for them.

"500 magic crystals is a little too much. However, after I have finished mastering the elementary Potioneering techniques from Mentor Kroft, I can then start practicing with basic potions. I might only need to purchase 100 magic crystals worth of ingredients to make the potions myself."

"It seems like the most important thing will be to get my spiritual force up to 7!" Leylin appeared to be deep in thought, "A.I. Chip! According to my current status, how long will it take to meet these prerequisites through meditation?"

[Using the Host's spiritual force as a base, simulation in progress!]

[Beep! The simulation has been completed. Estimated time needed: 8 Years 6 Months and 15 Days!]

The A.I. Chip responded without any emotions.

"That long?" Leylin's face turned pale, "What's the problem? It only took me a little over a year to raise my spiritual force to 4.2 from the stats of an ordinary human... "

[The host has gained a resistance towards meditation, changing to a higher tiered meditation technique is recommended. Another option is to find ingredients that are compatible for raising the effects of meditation!] The A.I. Chip projected a screen, with the various data and results on it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ancient Potions

"According to the A.I. Chip's simulations and extrapolations, the elementary meditation technique is most useful when used to construct mind runes. However, after a level 2 acolyte has finished constructing their 24 mind runes, they can only progress slowly with time…"

"No wonder even fifth-grade acolytes get stuck at the bottleneck to advance to a level 3 acolyte!"

Leylin looked at the results of the mathematical formulas and entered into deep thought.

"I have been in the academy for this long, but I haven't heard of any acolytes who own an advanced meditation technique. Furthermore, the apprentices of the other professors all stop progressing for at least a few years after they have reached level 2 acolyte standards. It seems like even the professors can do nothing regarding this matter of meditation techniques, so I can give up on it first!"

"As for the use of ingredients, there was some basic level potion formulas that could help in the raising of spiritual force. However, the price for them is rather high and the ingredients are also very costly. Even the results are rather appalling…"

"However, my succession rate will definitely be higher than other Potioneering Masters because I have the A.I. Chip. Therefore, increasing my spiritual force with this method is highly feasible!"

Leylin made up his mind. "What's next is to collect formulas for potions that can raise my spiritual force. In addition, I should sell my potions outside and obtain more potion ingredients!"

"However, it seems rather dangerous outside the academy right now, so how am I supposed to go find those black markets or small-scale trading groups?"

Leylin's brows furrowed again. "With these problems, the professors inside the academy will definitely not sit around and do nothing. The problems will be resolved after a while; I had better get the potion formulas for increasing my spiritual force before anything else."

If the problems outside could not be solved by even the Magi, then Leylin would definitely be at even more of a loss. Thinking this, he soon entered a dream state very quickly.

The next morning, Leylin sought out Professor Kroft.

"A potion formula that can raise spiritual force?" Kroft was a little surprised.

"The success rate of brewing these potions is too low and the resources required are extremely expensive. Many Potioneering Masters have lost their family fortunes over this, and only those with a strong family background are able to reap the benefits…"

Although Leylin's Potioneering talent was highly outstanding, Kroft still felt that his apprentice had set his goals a little too high.

"Sir, you know it too. My aptitude is only third-grade acolyte. For a third-grade acolyte to progress to a Magus, there is an even greater bottleneck. Breaking through to a Magus is easiest when it's done at a young age, so I want to give it a gamble."

Leylin spoke softly.

"Oh… You!" Kroft sighed and sat down slowly, "I do have a few basic potion formulas for raising the spiritual force, but I signed a contract preventing me from reselling the formulas when I got them from other parties. As for my own formulas, you are definitely not able to afford them…"

"How many magic crystals are they worth?" Leylin's heart sank, but he still asked.

"Haha! I knew you wouldn't give up. 5000 magic crystals, and that's only because you're my apprentice!"

"Siii!" Leylin sucked in cold air, and then laughed bitterly, "It seems like I have no hope!"

"Developing a potion formula for raising spiritual force requires a Potioneering Master to spend a dozen, or even several dozens, of years on continuous experimentation, and the consumption for this is immense. Moreover, possessing an exclusive formula usually boosts a Potioneering Master's family development. Hence, it is within reason for potion formulas to be this costly."

Having a monopoly will yield the greatest profits. Leylin nodded his head slowly.

However, it also depends on who owns the formula. If it was an acolyte instead of a Magus, even Leylin would have harboured some bad notions. However, Kroft was an official Magus, and he had the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was behind him as his patron. Furthermore, his human relations were not bad; hence, he did not have many worries.

"However, if you really have this goal, you might not be completely without answers!"

Just as Leylin was prepared to take his leave disappointingly, Kroft spoke these words.

"It seems like I have a chance!" Leylin was secretly elated and hurriedly bowed.

"Although I am unable to give you my personally-developed formulas, I still have a few formulas from the Magi of old, and they were obtained when I went exploring several times before, so you can use them and give it a try!" Kroft said slowly.

"Formulas from the Magi of old?" Leylin felt a little uncertain.

"Indeed! Magi were the most prosperous back in the ancient times. Not only did they construct the Byron empire which spanned over several continents, they had even set their sights on several other distant worlds, conquering different planes one at a time!" Kroft's face was a little flushed. It seemed as though he held the utmost fascination towards the prowess of the ancient Magi.

"It's a pity that the Byron Empire collapsed one night, due to some unknown reason, and the legacies of these ancient Magi were lost. We, as Magi in more recent times, have only risen to power through a few remnants of the research and documents left behind by the ancient Magi…"

Little by little, Kroft spoke of the story behind the scenes. This information was never mentioned in the historical books in the academy.

"I wonder how mighty these ancient Magi were?" Leylin put on a fascinated expression, and asked:

"Those formulas, are they all defective?"

"Indeed! You're very smart! Although the effects of these formulas are good, many of the ingredients have already ceased to exist. At least, I have never come across them in the 200 years of my life…"

Kroft said unhurriedly, "However, many Potioneering Masters still feel some affection for these ancient formulas because they all wish to find a substitute for them. Even if they have only a fraction of the original models, their effects are extremely useful!"

Leylin was elated. With the help of the A.I. Chip, he would definitely save a lot of time and effort when researching them.

On the surface, he still put on a frowning and worried expression, "So… You want me to find substitute ingredients?"

"Indeed! Potioneering Masters often rely on flashes of inspiration for their successes. Many new types of potions are developed on this basis. If you really want to, you can try your luck! However, the success rate will be extremely low!"

Kroft's face darkened. It seemed as if he was reminded of his past failures.

"Sir! I still want to give it a try. Even if I won't be able to develop a new formula, I can still improve my skills in brewing!" Leylin gritted his teeth.

"I can rest assured if this is your thinking!" Kroft nodded his head. After rummaging through the shelves behind him, he managed to find some dusty scrolls.

"The formulas of the ancient Magi are all here."

When Leylin received the scrolls, his hands dipped. They seemed to be made of some unknown material with an extremely high density.

Casually flipping to a green coloured formula sheet, Leylin was intimidated by the numerous scribbles of the ingredients required.

"Ghost Spirit Flower, Seven Leaves Grass…… The poison sac of a Human-Faced Snake……The hair of a resentful ghost…"

Leylin had never even heard of over half of the ingredients listed there. As for the remaining one-third, they were precious treasures even to a Magus, and looking at them made Leylin's eyelids flutter wildly.

"How is it? You're shocked, right? I had the same expression as you when I first saw them too! However, if you were to brew a potion in accordance with the ingredients listed, I dare say that it would be useful even for an official Magus!" Kroft smiled a little.

Leylin flipped through several other formulas. He tried to find something that would suit the level of an acolyte and would have the easiest to obtain ingredients. A good half an hour later, he had barely managed to sift through and find two.

"I'll just take these two, the Azure Potion and the Tears of Mary!"

These two potions were better suited to Leylin's current conditions.

"Alright! These two potion formulas suit you well!" Kroft nodded his head, "Each one is 150 magic crystals, so the total would be 300 magic crystals!"

Although this was a dozen times cheaper than a potion formula for raising the spiritual force, Leylin still felt a little heartache. He drew out all of the magic crystals in his pockets, and the magic crystals clattered and piled up into a small mound in front of Kroft.

Within this mound, there were several pieces with greater energy undulations. These were mid-grade magic crystals, and the value of one was equal to ten regular magic crystals.

"There are 250 magic crystals here, and I'll add this blade of Snake-Patterned Grass!" Leylin wore a look of reluctance as he drew out a small cloth pouch from his robes. After opening it, there lay a blade of silver-coloured grass. It even had the pattern of a snake's scales on its surface.

This was something that he commissioned Woox to obtain after a long period of time. However, having extracted a few of its properties, this blade of Snake-Patterned Grass was not very useful to him anymore.

"Oh! Snake-Patterned Grass. Although it is rather damaged, its properties are still intact. I estimate it to be worth about 50 magic crystals." Kroft's eyes shone as he inspected the blade of silver grass.

"The trade has been established! These two formulas are now yours!" Kroft smiled and nodded his head.

Leylin then pocketed the formulas for the Azure Potion and Tears of Mary and bowed to Kroft, bidding farewell before leaving the room.

"300 magic crystals! That was all the income I've earned from selling potions this year! The ingredients needed for these two potions are also very precious. I can only hurry and head outside the academy to sell my accumulated potions before I can exchange them for experiment resources…"

Leylin felt a little heartache. However, his success were way higher than what the others were estimated to have, and apart from selling potions in the academy, he had still managed to amass many other potions. If he were to sell them outside the school, he would definitely earn a huge amount of magic crystals!

Ever since he obtained the two potion formulas, Leylin's mind was filled with ideas on how to earn more magic crystals and brew potions.

"Leylin! Leylin!"

A girl's voice rang and interrupted Leylin from his dazed state.

"It's you, Bicky! I'm sorry, I was thinking about some things!"

Leylin sized up the girl in front of him. After a year of growth, Bicky's figure had even grown to be more provocative. Especially those two perky mounds on her chest, they had already begun to take shape.

"Hmph! Even you are like this! Fayle is the same too!" Bicky pouted.

"Haha!" Leylin glossed over it, "What's the matter, is Fayle ignoring you again?"

"That's not it! Fayle has been treating me well recently, and we even had dinner at the dining hall on the second floor yesterday!" Bicky said cheerfully, "Only, he seemed fixated on the academy's recent mission, the one with blood-red writing, wholeheartedly wanting to claim the reward!"

"500 magic crystals, high-grade information, and even an improved spell model. If I wasn't just a level 2 acolyte, I would most likely be tempted too!" Leylin joked.

"What were you thinking earlier?"

"Nothing much, only that selling potions within the academy are rather disadvantageous for me and I want to try selling them outside!" Leylin spoke with a half-truth.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Nyssa

Regarding the matter of wanting to sell his potions outside the academy, Leylin felt that there was nothing much to hide.

Other Potioneering acolytes were sure to have these thoughts too, but no one would expect Leylin to sell such a surprising amount.

He must conceal his identity when selling the potions, but everything will be fine as long as he is not recognised.

"The acolytes in the academy are indeed clever, keeping the prices down!" Bicky nodded her head. "Why don't you learn from our senior, Merlin. He signed a contract with a Magus family, where they provide potion ingredients to him for free and will buy all of the potions he makes!"

"I like my freedom!" Leylin shook his head. He knew a little about Merlin's decision. Merlin had signed a contract with a Magus family. The family would provide huge amounts of ingredients for him to practice brewing and would also provide him with viable resources to aid him in breaking through to an official Magus. But after he becomes a level 3 acolyte, Merlin will have to provide a certain number of potions for the family every month. Furthermore, he would have to join the family after becoming an official Magus.

This was how Magus families roped in lowly acolytes.

Without the A.I. Chip, Leylin might have embarked on a similar path. Or worse, having no family wanting to take him in because his aptitude was too poor.

"Bicky, your family resides in the Poolfield Kingdom if I recall correctly, do you know if there are any markets or places for people to trade their goods?" Leylin asked.

"Of course! However, the situation there is extremely complicated. There are many wandering Magi and fugitives, so it is very chaotic and dangerous!"

"I know, but I don't have to go there personally. For instance, I could always hire someone to do it for me." Leylin began to spout nonsense.

"In the academy's Mission Area, acolytes can also give out missions as long as they have enough magic crystals and are able to make a deposit."

"That's true! In that case, I will send a copy of the information to your room later!" Bicky nodded after giving it some thought.

"I will be really grateful for that! I'll buy you a meal in the second level dining hall next time!" Leylin was elated.

"Alright!" Bicky smiled and her two eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.

As time passed, Leylin continued to analyse the two formulas with the A.I. Chip's help. He also started to search for rank 0 spells that could conceal his aura or change his appearance.

Bicky had sent the information regarding the Magus bazaar long ago. However, Leylin did not dare go out until the strange happenings outside the academy were resolved.

In the third level cafeteria that handed out free food, Leylin was eating a meal with Bill. Today's meal consisted of white bread with fish paste, as well as steak and fruit juice.

"What? Perry is dead? But he was a level 3 acolyte!" Leylin was a little startled. Perry was a fifth-grade acolyte and also had a good mentor. Four years ago, he had risen to a level 3 acolyte and could be said to be an influential figure in the academy.

"That's right! He accepted the mission to investigate the happenings around the academy and even formed a party for it. There was another level 3 acolyte in the party too!" Bill's face darkened."

"With a formation like this, only an official Magus could have killed Perry." Leylin surmised. Perry was sure to be carrying a magic artifact, and he was one of the strongest among the level 3 acolytes, not to mention any powerful, life-saving items his mentor could have given him. And yet he still died, making Leylin even more fearful of the danger surrounding the academy.

"Not necessarily, they might have been overwhelmed by numbers! I heard that when Perry was found, his lower body was missing and his innards were all eaten. At a glance, it's clear that these are the doings of the Beastmen!"

"Beastmen?" Leylin recalled the contents of a book he had read. According to the book, there were two explanations of their origins. One described them as the failed experiments of a Magus, and the other called them a type of human subspecies.

However, a common point in both explanations was that these Beastmen were extremely savage and cunning.

"Weren't they always in the Desolate Lands of Despair? Why would they be roaming here? They're even attacking acolytes; don't they know that this is simply provocation?" Leylin was a little puzzled.

"The brains of Beastmen were always poorly developed, who knows what they could be thinking. But they have never dared to provoke Magi, otherwise, they would have been long extinct." Bill added.

Whenever the academy's official Magi go outside, their paths are not blocked, nor do any strange happenings occur. It seems as if these Beastmen concealed themselves in advance.

However, they would attack with all their might whenever they met with an acolyte. It was a standard case of bullying the weak while fearing the strong.

"They won't be this rampant for much longer! Perry is an apprentice of Professor Harosi. He's known for worrying about losing face and shielding his shortcomings, so he'll definitely take action!" Bill said confidently.

One reason why the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy did not take action against those Beastmen was because the Beastmen were too weak and posed no threat whatsoever to an official Magus. On the other hand, they give acolytes a chance to hone their battle skills and gain experience. However, the situation had changed now that an apprentice was dead.

However, Leylin still felt that it was absurd for these Beastmen to suddenly appear in the academy's vicinity. As with the Spider-Faced Mushroom incident from before, he felt that it was all part of a larger conspiracy.

"However, I'm not the only smart one in this academy. If I can think of it, others are sure to as well. Why are there no rumours as of yet?"

Leylin thought deeply, "This situation is a little odd, I had better make some preparations in advance."

"Leylin!" A voice called from behind him, and it seemed to be wavering a little. Leylin turned around and saw Guricha, one of the acolytes who had come to the academy with him and possessed the aptitude of a second-grade acolyte. The energy waves radiating from his body showed that he was still a level 1 acolyte.

"This is a friend of mine, I'll take my leave first!" Leylin said to Bill.

"Go do your thing!" Bill smiled.

"Is there a problem?" Leylin walked over to Guricha and asked softly. Guricha was usually a rather reserved person and was always being berated by Kaliweir and the rest, so he seldom hung out with them. There had to be a problem if he sought out Leylin this time.

"This… We do indeed have a problem! Could you come with me for a while?" Guricha asked.

"Alright!" Leylin agreed since he wasn't doing anything.

"Let's return to my dorm!" Guricha brought Leylin to his dorm.

Leylin looked at the room number, '1913'. It was quite a distance from his dorm, no wonder they did not see each other much.

"Let's go in! Don't be too shocked!" Guricha said preemptively.

Leylin inhaled deeply and placed his left hand into his waist pouch before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Once he entered, a disgusting stench infiltrated his nose. It was rather similar to a mix of sewerage and the smell of a rotten corpse, and it almost made Leylin puke.

Enduring the sickening stench, Leylin examined Guricha's room. Its layout was similar to his but there was a girl sitting on the bed now, and beside her was a figure wrapped in a black cloak. The stench was coming out from the cloaked figure's body.

"Hello, Dodoria!" Leylin recognised her. She was also someone who came to the academy with him. Her aptitude was even worse than Guricha's, only a first-grade acolyte, and barely qualified as a level 1 acolyte even now.

As for the black-robed figure, according to the A.I. Chip's scan, their energy waves were a little strange. Sometimes the readings showed that they were not even a level 1 acolyte, at times it showed that they were at the peak of a level 1 acolyte and could almost advance to a level 2 acolyte. Furthermore, the radiation on their body was exceptionally strong.

"Hello, Leylin!" Dodoria forced a smile, but both her eyes were red and puffy as if she had just cried.

"What exactly is happening?" Leylin felt that the problem lay with this black-robed figure.

As expected, Guricha checked that the door was closed and then, forcing out a smile, he said to Leylin, "You have said hello to Dodoria already, but there is one more person, Nyssa. Do you still remember her?"

"Nyssa?" Naturally, Leylin remembered the little girl who had the aptitude of a first-grade acolyte and got along with Dodoria rather well. She had also come from the same place he did.

"This…" The black-robed figure was huge and swollen, like an extremely fat person, and even gave off a disgusting odor. It was very difficult for Leylin to link this figure with the petite and pleasant little girl from the past.

"Nyssa, take off your cloak! Leylin is not an outsider! Besides, you still need his help!" Guricha said.

"That's right!" Dodoria encouraged, sitting by her side.

After listening to the exchange, the black-robed Nyssa hesitated for a while and then slowly took off her cloak.

"Ugh!" Leylin covered his mouth, his eyes wide, looking extremely shocked.

Just how on earth was this a "Person"!"

Scars littered her face, and there were even signs of stitches. She had the snout of a pig, her head was bald, she was missing an ear, and had coarsely spaced teeth. A thick, repulsive, yellow fluid continuously flowed out of her mouth. Her facial features looked like they had been messed up by someone and then put back together.

Looking at her appearance, two words surfaced in Leylin's mind: "Suture Freak". Right now, Nyssa's appearance was like someone casually taking parts of a creature's corpse and sewing them together.

With such a horrendous outer appearance, and compared to Leylin's image of how girls normally look like, Leylin finally understood why Nyssa chose to cloak herself in a black robe.

"This……What is going on exactly?" Leylin's face darkened.

"Do you still remember the additional conditions that we there when we were choosing our mentors?" Guricha reminded.

"You mean to say……Aiding in the experiments!" Leylin got a shock. He had originally thought that the conditions offered by the professor were too good, and now it turned out to be a trap!

"That's right! We didn't have any magic crystals, so the choosing of our mentors was at random. Nyssa was allocated to a professor who specialises in Transfiguration!"

"He treated Nyssa well, not only did he impart her with a lot of knowledge, he even promised her 1 magic crystal a month if she participated in his experiments!" Dodoria said, while wiping off the tears in her eyes with a handkerchief from time to time.

"Three days ago, Nyssa was poisoned by the radiation of a spell, and she has been like this ever since then," Guricha explained gloomily.

"Human experiments?" Leylin's heart sank. He knew that there were many Magi in the academy who did human body experiments in secret. However, they seldom operated on their acolytes directly.

"Although there are many Knights and peasants he could have experimented on, acolytes are of good calibre because they have the highest resistance to spells!" Nyssa finally opened her mouth. Her voice was hoarse with old age and even carried a metallic ring to it.

"That's right!" Guricha continued, "Cough cough… I, too, have been aiding my professor in many of his experiments. Although there are no irreversible changes yet, a few residual effects are beginning to appear…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Two Methods

"A.I. Chip, examine Guricha!"

Leylin ordered. Immediately, an image of Guricha was projected and Leylin noticed some pathological symptoms in some of his organs, the lungs in particular.

Acolytes are already capable of resisting spells, so how strong would the radiation have to be for an acolyte to be unable to withstand it?

Leylin's face changed, "What did the academy say about this?"

"What could they say? Nyssa signed a pact with her mentor before the experiment and even declined any compensation!" Dodoria exclaimed as she sobbed.

Leylin was silent. Many low-grade acolytes, with no magic crystals, could only be assigned to different professors randomly. If their luck was good, they would meet professors like Kroft. If their luck was bad and they were to meet with professors who liked to experiment on humans, then they could only blame themselves for being unlucky.

Additionally, many of the acolytes could not resist the enticements from their mentors and would cooperate with them for experiments, so even outcomes like death were a possibility.

A few acolytes would die from experiments in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy each year. In comparison, Nyssa, who was able to keep her life, was much luckier than those who died.

"So why did you look for me? If it's to help seek revenge or any other justice-related matters, then I'm afraid I won't be of any help."

Leylin did not allow any room for negotiation right at the start. To challenge a Magus with the powers of an acolyte, he would only do that if there was water seeping through his brains.

"We don't have such intentions. We're just here to let you take a look to determine if there is still hope for Nyssa to recover her original appearance." Guricha hurriedly shook his hands.

Leylin nodded his head. After all, he had the Potioneering Master, Kroft, standing behind him. If he couldn't think of anything either, Nyssa could only despair.

"Do you mind if I have a look?" Leylin asked Nyssa.

"I don't" Nyssa's voice was extremely soft, almost inaudible.

Leylin walked forward, and the disgusting stench only grew more revolting. Leylin forced himself to pick up Nyssa's palm.

Every finger was thicker than a carrot, looked purple, and there were disgusting rings of folded skin.

What used to be the dainty white fingers of a lady had turned into this. Leylin believed that if he could not help Nyssa, then she ought to mentally prepare herself.

Leylin pressed the back of Nyssa's hands "Do you feel anything?"

"No!"

"Her defense seems to be pretty good!" Leylin silently appraised, taking out a surgical knife from his waist pouch.

The tip of the gleaming knife was placed on the surface of her palm and pushed into the skin lightly, but it didn't manage to cut through the skin!

Leylin's brows furrowed and he applied more pressure on his hands, using all of his strength as a Knight to push down the tip of the blade. The surgical knife finally pierced Nyssa's skin, and a drop of yellow pus flowed out.

Leylin hurriedly took out a test tube and stored that drop of pus.

After dabbing some hemostasis potion on it, the wound on Nyssa's hand rapidly healed. 10 seconds later, there wasn't a single scar to be seen.

"What monstrous healing abilities!" Leylin gasped inwardly but didn't dare say it aloud.

Seeing Dodoria and Guricha, who were staring at him without moving, Leylin laughed.

"Qiadarmo – Xurado" With the incantation, a gust of wind suddenly swept into the room and formed a small whirlwind.

Black mist rose unceasingly as it consolidated into a vague, humanoid shadow in front of Leylin.

Guricha and Dodoria were startled, and even Nyssa retreated several steps back.

"I never thought that he would already be at this level after only 1 year or so. Could there really be no way to remedy the difference between aptitudes?" Guricha looked at Leylin, who was casting a spell, with a complex expression.

Leylin did not pay attention to Guricha in the slightest. Right now, his thoughts were all on the summon that was right in front of him.

"For you!" Leylin spoke in the Byron language and handed over the test tube containing the yellow fluid from Nyssa over to the shadow.

The shadow's eyes glowed red. As it did not have any hands, it directly bit the test tube with its mouth. *Crunch!*

The test tube broke and the black shadow swallowed the yellow liquid into its stomach.

*Hah Hah!* When the yellow fluid entered its body, the black shadow seemed to destabilise. It roared loudly, and cold sweat formed on Leylin's forehead.

"Krin – Sidamoersi!" As Leylin continued to chant, he took several dark-green rocks from his pouch and tossed them towards the shadow.

After about 3 to 4 minutes, the black shadow stopped rampaging and spoke to Leylin in several obscure words.

Guricha and the others listened closely, but this language was very unfamiliar to them. It was definitely not the Byron language.

Ever since the ancient times, many Magi organisations have invented their own unique language for magic after many years, so to learn them all is just a pipe-dream.

The black shadow continued to howl, and then disappeared after one final roar.

Looking at the disappearing black shadow, Leylin could not help but to heave a sigh of relief.

"How was it?" Nyssa asked. As it was her own problem, she was the most concerned about it.

"It's very difficult! Your constitution has already been completely transformed, and there is a huge amount of polluted energy circulating in your body. If not for the fact that you were an acolyte, you would have died long ago!" Leylin shook his head.

After listening to Leylin's assessment, Nyssa's eyes dimmed and she retreated back several steps.

"However, it's not like there are no solutions at all!" Leylin continued.

"What means are there? No matter what the conditions are, I will definitely do my best for Nyssa!" Dodoria clenched her fist.

"Yes, we should think of a way together. Then we'll be able to solve it eventually!" Guricha cheered on, which made Leylin somewhat speechless.

"The first method is for Nyssa to advance to an official Magus. Magi are able to use the constant radiation to change the way they look. As long as she spends the time, she will definitely be able to change back into her original appearance!"

Leylin said slowly. This kind of remodelling of the physique through radiation required fine tuning from oneself. There was no room for other Magi to help; there would be a huge backlash if they tried.

"An official Magus? I am only a level 1 acolyte right now!" Nyssa's eyes flashed for a brief instant, but it dulled almost immediately.

"That is too difficult, however, it is also an option. What other methods are there?" Dodoria asked.

"There is only one more method I can think of, which is to use the Harmonious Aqua Regia Potion! It can cleanse Nyssa's body of the pollutants, after which it would be much easier to remodel her appearance." Leylin introduced the second method.

"Harmonious Aqua Regia Potion! Heavens! Isn't that a potion used by Magi? One potion is worth at least 1000 magic crystals!" Guricha's eyes almost popped out from his sockets.

"That's right! The pollutant in Nyssa's body is rather severe, only a Magus level potion that can remove radiation will be useful!" Leylin said definitively.

"These are the only two methods that I can think of, but I will also ask my mentor later!"

These two methods were the most optimal of the choices provided by the A.I. Chip, Leylin believed that even Mentor Kroft would not be able to come up with a better idea.

"An official Magus? 1000 magic crystals? I will achieve it!" Nyssa's eyes filled with resolve as she clenched her fists.

"My sincere apologies for not being able to help. Please accept these potions, it will be able to reduce the pain that you feel during midnight!"

Leylin gave a small bow and took out a pink potion from his pouch. He could only do this much.

"How did you know about that?" Nyssa was clearly a little shocked.

"From the reactions given by your body, it seems like the energy particles react the most at midnight, which is also when you will feel the most pain!" Leylin explained calmly.

"Nyssa! Why haven't you told me this!" Dodoria's eyes filled with anger once again.

"You have already done enough!" Nyssa replied.

"Take it!" Leylin handed the potion over to Guricha and turned around, walking out of the dorm.

The three people left in the room were as silent as the dead. "What now?" Guricha spoke first.

"An official Magus? This is simply out of reach for us because of our low aptitudes. The acquiring of magic crystals to buy a Harmonious Aqua Regia Potion is more realistic!" Dodoria said.

"If the three of us were to pool our resources together, after borrowing some more from others, we would have…… " Dodoria did not even believe her own words. Acolytes would definitely spend any magic crystals they had on knowledge or items to increase their power. No one would simply throw them away.

"No! I wish to try breaking through to an official Magus!" Nyssa said slowly, her words filled with resolve.

"With the blessings of my mentor, this radioactive body's defense is much higher than an average person's. My spell resistance isn't too bad either, I should accept more missions and earn the resources I need to advance! I cannot hold the two of you back any longer…"

Nyssa forced a smile, but it looked uglier than crying.

"Why? Why did it turn out like this?" Dodoria cried.

Guricha hurriedly embraced her, it seemed like these two had been a couple since long ago.

"Following the plots of the novels from my previous world, shouldn't I hurry and sell some potions to earn enough money to pay for Nyssa's treatment? And at the same time, I ought to advance to a Magus and seek revenge for Nyssa and the like."

Leylin let his imagination run wild as he walked.

"A pity that this is the reality! Nyssa and I can't even be considered friends, only strangers who have seen each other a few times. Giving her the painkiller potion earlier was already the limit, and that was seeing how we came from the same place!"

"As for magic crystals, I don't even have enough to use for myself, so how could I take them out? One must always pay the price for their own actions!"

Leylin's gaze turned frosty as he left the dorm area.

He would not do anything else for Nyssa, and she would only depend on herself.

After walking past the flower garden located beside the dorms, sniffing the aroma from the flowers, and basking in the sunlight radiating from the roof, Leylin's mood became much better.

Walking to a long bench, Leylin sat down and looked at the acolytes walking past, his mind at peace.

"Coming out to bask in the sunlight occasionally is also a type of enjoyment, isn't it?"

A voice travelled over and a grey robed youth sat beside Leylin.

"Jayden?" Leylin's eyes opened wide.

[Beep! Jayden. Strength: 1.9, Agility: 2.7, Vitality: 3.1, Spiritual force: 5.0. Level 2 acolyte. Energy waves from a low-grade magic artifact have been detected from the Target's body. Target is classified as dangerous!] The A.I. Chip's scan of Jayden appeared in Leylin's mind.

Jayden's spiritual force was the highest among the acolytes, and even his vitality had increased after the constant radiation. Normally, Magus would intentionally increase their vitality to prepare for future transformations of the body.

Right now, Jayden's spiritual force was higher than Leylin's. He also carried a magic artifact, but no one knew of his battle experience.

"Calculate my chances of winning if I were to fight with Jayden!"

[Simulation beginning. Success rate: 57.82%!] The A.I. Chip provided the data.

"Only a little over half, it seems like the might of a magic artifact is not little. Jayden is no pushover too."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

A Word Of Advice

After the A.I. Chip's scan, Leylin understood Jayden's strength a little more.

Leylin was considered to have a considerable amount of battle experience amongst the level 2 acolytes. As long as his opponent did not have a magic artifact, he would have a very high chance of winning.

Jayden had a magic artifact but was still slightly inferior to him. This meant that his battle strength was lower than Leylin's. Even though he had some battle experience, it was not much.

Of course, these were only rough estimations from the A.I. Chip. In reality, fighting has to be viewed from many aspects.

"Jayden, I haven't seen you in such a long time!" Leylin greeted.

Jayden naturally did not know that his stats had been found out by Leylin in just a second. He adjusted his robes and sat by Leylin's side.

He revealed his pale, white face as he raised his head to meet the sunlight.

"I haven't basked in the sunlight for so long. Ever since I started following my mentor, my schedule has revolved around…… meditation, experiments and my studies!"

Jayden stretched his body, looking contented.

"I heard that you are doing pretty well under Kroft!" Jayden said suddenly.

"It's alright; I'm basically just brewing potions and exchanging them for resources!" Leylin was extremely modest.

"However, you recently went on a mission with Kaliweir, are you going to join that side?" Jayden suddenly smiled, but a cold glint seemed to flash in his eyes.

Leylin was a little speechless. He never thought that this conflict between groups that these kids had formed before was still ongoing. However, he had forgotten that he himself was only a boy of 14 years at this moment.

"We're all acquaintances, we just did a mission together since we met by coincidence. That's all!" Although Leylin was not afraid of Jayden, he still felt that it was better to avoid any trouble as much as possible.

Jayden looked at Leylin several times and the A.I. Chip even informed Leylin that his brain waves had been scanned several times. It seemed as though Jayden had actually used a spell to determine if he was speaking the truth.

After some time, Jayden gave a radiant smile.

"I think highly of you! Intelligent! Prudent! Being with Kaliweir and the others will only drag you down. Only by joining a higher circle of friends can you obtain more resources, glory, and even life!"

Jayden got up and continued in an indifferent tone, "Let me give you some advice, hurry up and leave the school!"

"What? Could you clarify that?" Leylin's heart tightened as if had grasped something, and he hurriedly asked.

However, Jayden only smiled, walking away without taking a single glance behind him.

After Jayden's figure had completely disappeared, Leylin sat back on the bench, a little lost for words.

"Pretending to be mysterious, as if he was a very powerful person, and even trying to convince me to join under his wing. Is that even fun? Does he really think of himself as the main character of a novel?"

"However! Jayden is a fifth-grade acolyte and is deemed highly likely to advance to a Magus. He would definitely be able to obtain news faster than me. I'm afraid that something has really happened!" Leylin's face darkened.

In a dark room, the fire was dimmed, and a promiscuous atmosphere permeated through the room.

The moaning and shrill cries of a woman sounded, blending together with the constant low panting noises of a man.

After climaxing, the girl lay in the arms of the man, as limp as a bag of soil.

"You're awesome, just like a lion!" Neela's expression was hard to make out.

Leylin gently caressed Neela's bare back and did not say a single word.

He had encountered many things today and urgently needed to take it out on someone, so naturally he looked for Neela.

In this period of time, he had long since hooked up with Neela. In this world, everyone was extremely open-minded about the notion of sex. Many people lost their virginity by the age of 11 or 12. Leylin and Neela both had their sexual needs, so they had already done the deed after only a few days.

In any case, Neela was no longer a virgin. As for Leylin, he himself was a no-good person in his previous life. Both of them desired love and sex, and it wasn't bad to have a friend with benefits.

With the regulation of the A.I. Chip, he would definitely not leave his seed behind. Naturally, he could mess around to the fullest.

Thinking of this, Leylin felt life stirring below his pants once again.

"Ah!" Neela let off a cry, and Leylin stopped her as she was about to climb on top of him. The corner of Leylin's lips curved up wickedly, as he pressed Neela's head downwards.

Neela rolled her eyes at Leylin, but her lips smiled coquettishly as she dived under the blankets.

Leylin let out a satisfied groan and leaned onto the wall slightly. Both of his hands grabbed hold of twin peaks, and he felt the sponge-like sensation transmitting to his hands.

Sometime later, Neela got up and walked towards the washroom stark naked.

While he listened to the provocative beauty humming as she showered, Leylin began to ponder the day's event.

"I shouldn't care about Nyssa's affairs anymore. Although Jayden's warning was extremely sudden, it has to be treated seriously. This might have something to do with the phenomenon outside the academy. What's next is to investigate where the other fifth-grade acolytes went."

In any case, the academy would definitely not forsake those acolytes who had the highest potential to succeed and advance to official Magi. If the academy was safe, they would definitely still be here. However, if they all left the academy for various reasons, it meant that the academy itself would be fraught with danger in the near future.

"Harosi has been cleaning up the area outside the academy since Perry's death. After he has finished cleaning, it will be the best opportunity!" Leylin's eyes flashed.

"My dearest, what are you thinking of?"

Neela stuck herself onto Leylin, and two soft mounds pressed against Leylin's right arm.

"Just thinking about a few things!" Leylin smiled, "Recently Sir Harosi seems to be making a huge ruckus outside the academy!"

"You heard about it too? About Perry?" Neela lay on top of Leylin's chest and did not make any other movements.

"Yeah! Losing a fifth-grade acolyte genius and a potential Magus, anyone would turn crazy for a period of time!"

Leylin said blandly, "You have your own cliques too, I need you to help me to find out a few things!"

"Neela's smiled sweetly, "I'll serve you, my lion king!"

"Don't call me that! It feels extremely strange! It will make me think of some lion!" Leylin rolled his eyes.

"Alright! Let's not talk about this, but about something more serious!" Leylin's face was stern.

Seeing him act this way, Neela also stopped smiling.

Getting close to Leylin was so she could elevate her status and obtain more resources, and she clearly understood this.

"Help me check the results of Harosi's battle. Also, find out if the academy's surroundings are completely safe now. Lastly, I want to know where all the fifth-grade acolytes have gone recently!"

Leylin whispered into Neela's ears.

"I got it!" Neela grabbed Leylin's head with both hands, "Could it be that something big is going to happen?"

"I hope that it is only my imagination!"

It was the morning of the second day after he had walked out from Neela's room. Leylin felt extremely refreshed and full of vigour. It seemed like his venting had indeed helped in curbing his emotional distress suitably.

After thinking for a while, Leylin went for a shower and then headed towards Professor Kroft.

Kroft happened to be brewing a kind of potion. Red-coloured beetles were climbing around inside a test tube, occupying half of the space inside the test tube. It looked rather disgusting.

"You're here! Is something the matter?"

Kroft watched the test tube closely, as he sprinkled some blue petals into it.

The red-coloured beetles hurriedly gorged on those petals, after which they dissolved and turned into a green-coloured liquid.

A dozen seconds later, the test tube half-filled with the red beetles turned into a green-coloured potion.

"Your skills are really amazing!" Leylin gasped.

"Haha! It's just practicing!" Kroft shook his head, "You always look for me when you have a problem, so tell me what you want!"

"It's like this. I, your apprentice, haven't seen senior Merlin, for some time now. Can I know where he has been?" Leylin inhaled deeply.

"Merlin?" Kroft's face had on a mysterious smile, "He has accepted a mission and left the academy already!"

"How long will it last?"

"About 1 to 1.5 years! It's possible that it may take longer!" Kroft's tone became sterner, but there was a hint of gratification in it.

"One last question, was the mission suggested by the family supporting senior Merlin?"

As a family that was able to rope in a genius Potioneering acolyte from Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, their influence should be at the peak. After all, they had an intricate relationship with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, so their news network might even be more efficient than Kroft's.

"Yes!" Kroft answered definitively. "You know, there are some things that were agreed on between the academy and me, so I cannot say it directly. But if you are to discover it on your own, then it would be none of my business!"

"However, you don't need to be too worried. Your talent in Potioneering is only secondary to Merlin's, and the academy needs a talent like you too!" Kroft comforted him.

"Yes!" Leylin smiled bitterly. It seemed like the academy still chose to categorise by aptitude grades. Those talented individuals like Jayden and Merlin who were also fifth-grade acolytes had all been given ample time to retreat. But when it came to him, the treatment he received was much inferior. Up until now, he had only received a few obscure hints from his mentor.

As for those whose aptitudes were even worse, they probably wouldn't know what happened even after they were dead.

Although Leylin did not understand too well either, there was one thing that he was certain of! The academy was no longer a safe place to stay!

Once again, Leylin was determined to leave, "So, may I also take up a dispatch mission?"

"You may! Go to the counter of the Mission Area and clarify your intentions. They will be able to understand since your aptitude isn't too bad and your talent in Potioneering is even more outstanding!"

Kroft nodded his head.

"Thank you, Sir!" Leylin hurriedly bowed. Allowing acolytes to leave was an extremely good thing for them, after all, he did not want to stay in a potential battlefield.

Afterwards, Leylin assisted Kroft in a few more research experiments in Potioneering and also took the opportunity to seek answers for Nyssa's problem. Unfortunately, Kroft did not have any good methods either.

After bidding farewell to his mentor, Leylin walked outside, "There is only a small family behind Bicky. As for Kaliweir and the others, they aren't fifth-grade acolytes, so they will most likely not receive the news. I'm afraid I will have to drop a few hints for them. As to whether they will understand the message or not, it all depends on their luck!"

In the lavish second-level dining hall, the gorgeous crystal lights sparkled dazzlingly, as numerous musicians performed. Listening to music while tasting delicacies, it was indeed a very enjoyable thing to do.

Furthermore, the food here was all prepared with the utmost care. Not only could they increase one's stats, they could also speed up the meditation process. As such, they have always been welcomed by acolytes and Magi alike.

However, there were very few customers here today. Most of their faces were gloomy, and the sight was rather unappetising.

Leylin sat on a goose-feathered coach and pushed a steaming mug towards Neela, "This is hot cocoa, with some ground black pearls inside it as well. It has also a certain beneficial effect towards meditation, won't you try it?"

Neela, who was sitting opposite him, smiled bitterly, "If it was before, I would still be extremely excited. But now…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Making Purchases

Leylin did not feel the slightest bit odd. Despite any pretenses, the atmosphere in the academy was very different with such a huge war imminent. Besides, a large number of talented Magus acolytes going missing would definitely rouse the attention of others as well.

Moreover, the academy didn't seem to want to hide this news. After all, they would still be relying on the official Magi for the upcoming battle, and these acolytes would not be of much help at all.

Those that were left behind would definitely be those with the lowest aptitude and levels, only there to be used as cannon fodder.

"Mentor Harosi has already cleared out the area around the school of Beastmen and any creatures who would pose a problem. They have been all reduced to skeletons by spells, especially the Beastmen, and their souls have been trapped in their bodies to suffer for eternity……"

Leylin gave a slight nod of his head. It seems like the vicinity of the academy was safe for the moment.

"How about the other Magus potentials?"

"Very troublesome! According to the news that my other sisters have gathered, many of the acolytes with high aptitudes, including Chester and Sherpa, have all left the academy for various reasons. I'm afraid that it won't be much longer before this news spreads……What did you find out?"

"My senior, Merlin, already left a few months ago! Furthermore, I, too, will take on a mission and leave soon!"

Leylin blandly spoke of the news he had gathered, and this made Neela's face turn even paler.

"What about you? What are your plans?" Leylin still asked her at the end.

"I plan to return to my family. You know, although my Welter family is not very famous, we are still able to take care of ourselves. Do you want to come with me?" Neela clearly wanted to rope in a talent like Leylin for her family.

"No thanks! I have made plans for myself already!" Leylin smiled, turning her down. He would be subjected to various contracts and restrictions if he joined a family. However, he had too many secrets and was not suited to having an entourage.

The light in Neela's eyes dimmed. Leylin also knew that their relationship had come to an end. After all, they had just been enjoying themselves, but going their separate ways now, in a time of crisis, was very normal.

"There is still something that I have to ask of you!" Leylin took out a black-coloured wooden box and placed it on the dining table.

"What is it?" Neela smiled, but it seemed rather forced.

He opened the black box. Many potions in test tubes were neatly arranged inside, and the sight dazzled Neela's eyes.

"This is……" Neela's mesmerising eyes let off an astonished look.

"These are the potions that I have accumulated until now. Help me sell them off!" Despite crossing his fingers, Leylin's expression remained calm.

Of course, this was only a small portion of the potions that he had secretly brewed. Saying that it was his accumulation after a year was reasonable; their total value was several hundred magic crystals.

Letting Neela sell them for him was because Leylin didn't want to be conspicuous. On the other hand, it also provided her with a little compensation.

After all, a trace of chauvinism still remained, deep in his heart. Breaking up would require him to give some form of compensation at least, and letting Neela be the middleman gave her a chance to earn some profits.

"No problem! Right now, the values of the various ingredients and spell models have fallen sharply, while potions and low-grade magic artifacts have drastically risen in price." Neela's eyes flashed.

This was a normal occurrence. Spell models and other materials would definitely decrease in price whenever war was imminent, as they could not be used to improve one's practical strength immediately. As for the other items that are able to raise one's battle strength, they would be in high demand.

"After selling these potions, just give me 300 magic crystals for them!" Leylin sipped the hot cocoa which had been resting on the table.

Neela's expression was a little complicated, "Of course it's possible. In fact, my family could just buy them all! Do you have more? I can let my family know and give you a fair deal……"

"These are all the potions I have accumulated in the past year! You should know, I still need to rely on selling potions to obtain resources. If not for the market doing well right now, I wouldn't let them all go in one breath like I am doing now!" Leylin's expression seemed extremely earnest.

"Alright! I will do my best to help you!" Neela understood. In her eyes, Leylin brewing these potions nonstop and having such a collection was already the limit with his current ability.

As the two of them had their own worries, the meal that followed was not very appetising for the both of them.

After the meal, Neela hurriedly bade farewell to Leylin. Leylin entrusted some people to bring a few messages to the people that he mixed well with as well. He did not mention any details and only gave them subtle hints. Whether or not they could uncover the plot was all up to them.

Neela was extremely fast, and she handed Leylin a pouch of magic crystals the very next day.

After giving it some thought, Leylin decided it was better to spend his magic crystals while he was still at the academy. After all, he might not be able to find a trading depot outside, and even if he did, the resources there may not be as complete as what the school has.

This departure would most likely last an extended period of time. Leylin made preparations for his advancement outside. He prepared to buy ingredients to brew reactive elixirs and spell models available. As for any knowledge that a level 3 acolyte might require, it had been stored in the A.I. Chip since long ago.

However, the knowledge provided by the professors stopped there. As for the advancement to an official Magus and the basic information for a Level 1 Magus, the knowledge was heavily guarded by the academy. Only level 3 acolytes who have signed a contract with them would have the right to access them.

Leylin headed to the spell models' shop first.

"What do you want?" The attitude of the old lady behind the counter was even more vehement now. However, Leylin's good mood didn't waver. He already knew that those level 3 acolytes had failed in advancing to an official Magus and they had signed a contract with the school, to stay behind and provide basic services. Due to the restrictions in the contract, they could not run even if they wanted to. With the impending battle and the collateral damage that would be inflicted upon them, it would be weird if they had a good attitude!

"Apart from Umbra's Hand, I want all of the basic spell models for the Shadow and Dark elements!" Leylin put on a very magnanimous air.

The old lady behind the counter looked at Leylin in surprise. After all, such a wealthy level 2 acolyte like him was rarely seen.

"There is a total of 13, for 130 magic crystals."

"I also want the Basic Transfiguration spell model!"

"That'll be 140 magic crystals then." The voice of the old lady sounded from behind the counter.

Leylin nodded his head and poured a bag of magic crystals out onto the counter. The lady counted them and put them away, after which she carried 14 spell books over. Each of them was as heavy as a brick, and they stacked up to almost Leylin's height.

"It seems like I should buy some horses as well!"

Leylin hired a few servants and got them to bring the spell model books back into his room, and then he returned to the trading area.

At this moment, the trading area was one of the few places that were still bustling with people.

The number of acolytes who came here had also increased. Many premium goods had been put up for sale, attracting the attention of numerous acolytes.

"It seems like even the acolytes have noticed." Leylin mulled.

It was similar to how, in the forest, a small number of animals would sense danger and take flight before a huge disaster befell them, but other animals would naturally follow when they saw the animals leaving, even if they did not sense any danger.

"However, there are still no magic artifacts here." Leylin felt a little depressed. He had always wanted to own a magic artifact, but they were just too rare. Moreover, the prices were sky-high, and they would end up in the hands of a Magus every time they appeared. On the occasion that the Magi were dissatisfied with the magic artifact, the level 3 acolytes would all madly rush forward to grab it. Leylin simply didn't stand a chance.

"magic artifact creation requires alchemy and enchanting, and it's such a profound subject. I don't even have enough time to focus on my Potioneering studies now!"

Leylin laughed bitterly, even the A.I. Chip had a limit to its processing. According to Leylin's previous experience, only when his soul continuously advanced, would the A.I. Chip's level increase.

"When I become a level 3 acolyte, if I don't have any other means, I will dabble in enchanting and see if I can create my own magic artifact!"

These stalls that had no magic artifacts did not attract Leylin in the slightest bit.

However, there were still some unusual happenings. For example, the stalls that were selling potions were filled with people and the sale of bows, arrows, and leather armour was also great. But as for the stalls that sold ingredients, they were rarely frequented.

He walked to Woox's store, which he was familiar with.

Right now, it was crowded with acolytes and they bought any potions that they saw, in a very forthright manner.

Woox was so busy that he was sweating, and had even employed a few acolytes to help him. Such a scene was definitely not common in the past.

Leylin looked around. The potions on the shelves sold very quickly, many empty shelves were labelled as sold out.

Woox's eyes shone when he saw Leylin. He called an acolyte to fill his position, and especially went to receive Leylin.

"Hey! My dear Leylin, I heard the cries of a skylark today, and I know you will definitely bring good news. So? How many potions? I can give you 10% more than usual!" Woox greeted Leylin cordially and looked at Leylin as if he was looking at a magic crystal.

"My apologies." Leylin waved his hands, "I've been busy with missions, so I haven't been brewing much recently!"

"This is indeed a tragic piece of news!" Woox sighed, "You don't know know how good the market is these days!"

"Alright! Alright! I came here to purchase ingredients." Leylin said and handed a list of items over to Woox.

After Woox received the slip and looked at the scribbles and quantities required, his face changed and bean-sized sweat droplets begin dripping down.

"So many raw materials! Let me see, White Crystals, Purple Vine Radish Roots, claws of a Ghost Goblin, are you trying to brew a Reaction Elixir?" The fatty asked straightforwardly.

"Yes! Indeed! I want to make preparations for my advancement. If you have any completed reactive elixirs in stock right now I'll buy them off you. You can set the price!"

Leylin spoke casually, the formulas for the reactive elixirs could be found in the library and many people have seen them before. The fatty being able to recognise the ingredients was nothing amazing.

Underneath the reactive elixir ingredients, Leylin had also added the many common ingredients needed for the Azure Potion and Tears of Mary. As for the few important ingredients, they have already been extinct in the Magus World for several hundreds of years, so Leylin did not even bother to write them down.

"The brewing of reactive elixirs is extremely complicated and the success rate is also very low. The demand for it is so high, and they immediately sell out once they appear. How could I still have stock left?" Woox shook his head.

"At least, you Potions masters are better off, you can brew whatever potions you need by yourself. I remember that when I was still a level 2 acolyte, I committed so many crimes just for a bottle of reactive elixir!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Leaving Temporarily

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore! These ingredients weren't originally this cheap, but the prices of raw materials have fallen now, so I'll sell them for 200 magic crystals."

Woox set his price.

Leylin nodded and handed over 20 middle-grade magic crystals to Woox.

He then received a huge bundle from Woox, drawing the attention of many onlookers in the vicinity.

Leylin smiled bitterly, carried the bundle on his back, and begin casually chatting with Woox.

"So? Have you obtained any news of magic artifacts?" Leylin wouldn't let any chances of rapidly increasing his strength pass him by.

"Of course not!" Woox shook his head quickly, "The prices of magic artifacts have recently been driven up wildly. After all, who wouldn't want to keep their life-saving items and would go sell them?"

Woox suddenly lowered his voice, "Buying so many ingredients and asking about magic artifacts, you must have received that news too, right?"

Leylin nodded his head, "I am preparing to take on a long-term mission so I can go out and avoid all of this."

Woox nodded his head, "Avoiding it will be good, I will also leave in a few days' time."

"Even Woox, a level 3 acolyte with a magic artifact, has to flee!" The compelling feeling in Leylin's heart only grew stronger, and after exchanging several more lines with Woox, he hurriedly bade farewell and left.

"The mission cannot be put off any longer, I have to leave immediately!"

Although it wasn't necessary to register for a mission in order to leave, there was still the hurdle of the academy guardians. Leylin still wanted to return to obtain relevant information on Magi, so he would naturally follow these regulations.

In spite of his rather average aptitude, his Potioneering talent had been acknowledged by even Kroft, so the academy would not keep him here to die.

Because Harosi had already done a sweep of the school's surroundings, the Mission Area managed to regain some of its former liveliness. However, Leylin realised that there were extremely few level 3 acolytes upon a closer inspection. Naturally, he knew what this was all about.

"They are all a pitiful bunch of people." Seeing these low-leveled acolytes splitting mission rewards and working hard to earn money to exchange for information, a pitying look surfaced in Leylin's eyes.

These were obviously the forsaken ones. Although a lone acolyte would be absolutely helpless against a Magus, they could still cause damage and even kill an official Magus if tens or hundreds of them banded together to execute a formation. That was their role here.

However, being in the vicinity of a Magus fight was extremely dangerous. It was already considered extremely lucky for them to have a 30% survival rate here.

Although Leylin felt pity for them, he still would not mention the news. He had already pushed the limits by hinting to his friends. If he were to publicise the news, even Kroft would not be able to protect him.

Leylin had a look at the missions on the wall; most of them had short durations and were also located very close to the academy. It seemed as though the academy had hidden all the other missions.

When there were few people around, Leylin took the opportunity to quickly head up to the counter.

"What kind of mission did you want?" The reception was a very skinny old man and seemed extremely amiable.

"The missions on the wall don't suit me at all, are there any special ones? My name is Leylin Farlier, apprentice of Professor Kroft." Leylin said in a low voice, tossing a small pouch over.

The old fellow hurriedly caught the pouch. After opening it, he smiled. "Of course, there are!"

He took out a scroll from underneath the counter, "Look at this. The missions are all written there."

The black-coloured scroll seemed to be extremely plain. Leylin opened the scroll and quickly skimmed through the missions written on it.

These missions all had a common characteristic. Their difficulties were not high, but their duration was extremely long. In short, the missions let those Magus potentials avoid the imminent calamity.

With the scan of the A.I. Chip, Leylin quickly decided on a mission.

"Investigate the wilting vegetation in Extreme Night Town. Mission duration: 3 Years."

"I choose this one." Leylin pointed to the investigation mission and relayed to the old man.

"Extreme Night Town is located in the Eastwood Province of Poolfield Kingdom. You will have to travel through almost half the kingdom before you reach it. Do you want to buy a map?" The old man smiled like a crafty merchant.

"Give me a map!" Although Leylin had a map of his own, it was always good to have another for comparison.

After spending two magic crystals, Leylin obtained a brand new map. Not only were the various provinces of the Poolfield Kingdom highlighted on it, there was even a red line to mark his journey.

"According to the map, Extreme Night Town is on the eastmost side of Poolfield Kingdom, where the boundary is, and is very far from the academy. But the good thing is that it was near one of the Magi assembly points mentioned in the information Bicky sent, which would make acquiring information and news convenient."

This was also why Leylin chose this mission.

"This is your exit pass." The old man handed a red metal card to him. "Don't lose it, it's irreplaceable."

"It seems like the academy has been very strict in governing any entries and exits lately."

Leylin thought this inwardly, but he did not say anything aloud as he took the metal card.

After walking out of the Mission Area, Leylin went to bid farewell to Kroft, Bicky, and his other friends.

After all, he did not know how long he would be out for. Some things still had to be settled first. Having received Leylin's hint, Bicky was already preparing to return home. As for Kaliweir and the others, however, their complexions were rather bad. They had come from Chernobyl Islands and with no place to return to, Leylin could only pay them lip service and console them.

Pushing his room's door open and seeing the familiar setup, Leylin suddenly felt a little regretful.

"I wonder when I'll be able to return back here."

The spell books and ingredients that he bought today were all lying neatly in a corner, filling up two big chests.

After brooding for a while, Leylin moved his bed away to reveal some floorboards with very little dust on them.

"Farlier!" Leylin gently tapped a black dot on the floor.

*Ka-cha!* There was a mechanical noise, and the wooden floorboards slowly moved apart to reveal many potions stored in test tubes.

The amount here was at least 10 times more than what he gave to Neela!

If Woox saw this, his eyes might even pop out. Leylin smiled.

This was his private potions collection. With the A.I Chip's help, his success rate has long surpassed what could be expected of others. He had sold a small portion of them, but the bulk of them remained here.

"Let me count! 200 strength potions, 150 antidotes, 180 hemostasis potions, and an assortment of other potions, their total value would be at least 3000 magic crystals!"

Leylin looked at these potions. They were his greatest asset and had always been locked away beneath his bed. The spell used to secure them was a little magic trick that all level 2 acolyte knew. Apart from the owner using their spiritual force to open it, any means of forcing it open would only cause the items locked inside to self-destruct!

"Now, with the chests of spell books and the other ingredients acting as the premise, I can move these potions out with very little inconvenience. I will also have to draw some runes on the outside for concealment."

Leylin opened a small box that was covered in runes. Sponges, silk, and other such materials were placed inside to prevent the potions from rolling and being ruined.

After spending almost half the night, Leylin finally managed to move all the potions into the box. He then covered the box with some ingredients and placed spell books around it.

"It's already past six!"

After hearing his alarm ring, Leylin switched off the clock in his room.

He hurriedly washed up and brought the two big chests to the highest floor of the academy, where he bought 3 fine, sturdy black horses and a carriage. Leylin took a deep breath and rode the carriage to an elevator-looking mechanism.

"Take out your exit pass!" A man's voice sounded. Leylin hurriedly took out the red metal card that he received yesterday.

*Bang!*

The elevator-like mechanism rose slowly and when it finally reached the top, the sound of gears could be heard.

The two stone doors opened, and a beam of resplendent sunlight came shining in.

Leylin squinted his eyes, "The academy indeed has other exits. The original entry must be for people to use as a passage. However, the one here is for large items to go through."

"Hyaa!" Cracking his whip, he urged the horse carriage forward. Only then did Leylin realise that his current position was at the back door, right behind the central graveyard that they had entered from in the beginning.

Afraid of being inconvenienced, he had told Bicky and the others that he was preparing to leave in the next few days but did not specify an exact time. Hence, his departure was a quiet one.

Leylin gave the academy one last glance and then began his journey.

"Alright. Why does my luggage make it seem like I'm escaping from something, not the appearance of someone who is carrying out a mission?"

Leylin could not help but smile bitterly as he looked at the horse carriage he was driving and the heavy chests behind him.

"A.I. Chip! Bring out the map!"

At Leylin's command, a map came into view. It was more detailed than the one he had gotten from the old man yesterday and had a route carefully marked out.

"Based on the map that I obtained yesterday, compute the most optimal way to travel! Requirements: Convenient and safe! Also, it has to approach as many Magi assembly points as possible!"

Heeding Leylin's voice, a red line showing the route surfaced on the map. It was a little different than the one he got from the old man. There were several more bends and they were all in the vicinity of Magi gathering places.

"Let's go!" Leylin followed the route that was given to him by the A.I. Chip and drove the horse carriage forward.

"A.I. Chip! Increase the detection area to the fullest!" Because it was an individual trip, Leylin did not dare to lower his guard at the slightest.

[Mission establishing, beginning detection!]

The A.I. Chip loyally carried out its duties, and a 3D image of the vicinity was constantly projected in front of Leylin.

"The danger is the smallest when it is very close to the academy or very far away. The middle section is the most dangerous part of the journey!" Recently, the Magi protecting the academy had been cleaning up the area, but they were too lazy to pursue the enemies so it was likely that only the middle section would be littered with danger.

However, Leylin could only take a gamble. Harosi had also given them a lesson earlier, so he hoped that his journey would have more smooth sailing. After all, he might not be able to leave even if he wanted to, given enough time.

The horse carriage rapidly dashed on the road and the bird cries on either side of the road decreased from before.

As they got further from the academy, Leylin became more and tenser.

[Beep! Warning! Warning! A high-energy living organism has been detected ahead!]

The A.I. Chip's voice sounded, and a red object was projected onto the screen. There were huge branches constantly spread across the area, with many red spots of lights also floating above it.

"This image? It's a tree?" Leylin placed his hand into his waist pouch and reduced the speed of the carriage.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Giant Tree Demon

With the horse carriage drawing nearer, the approaching scene entered Leylin's sight.

In the middle of the road, there stood a huge ancient tree.

Its green branches seemed to extend endlessly in all directions, forming a very large canopy with numerous vines hanging down.

On the enormous trunk, there were a pair of eyes and a mouth, and it looked like a human face. However, it had green eyes.

Surrounding the tree were a few winged creatures that were continuously flying around. Their skin was green and they were shaped like a human. They were also stark naked.

"giant tree demon!" Leylin exclaimed. He laughed bitterly, "Didn't the academy clean up the area around the school already? Why is there still such a big fellow here?"

"An acolyte of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy?" The huge tree spoke, and the winged creatures growing on its back also turned their eyes to him.

"I am merely a lowly acolyte who is preparing to leave. May I ask if you might give way for passage? I can pay a price for it!"

Leylin made a last attempt.

"Only death awaits any living organisms who try to make any futile attempts to leave!"

The giant tree let off a reverberating noise that even made Leylin's ear hurt. At the same time, a green vine was slowly lowered, and hanging from it was a human corpse. Its whole body was withered, and it was wearing the grey robes of an Abyssal Bone Forest Academy acolyte.

"Big Brother! Stay behind and play with us!"

At this moment, a little sprite that had been flitting around the giant tree demon flew over. To Leylin, it sounded like the very pleasant voice of a girl's, the sound of her voice intoxicating him. It was as if this voice belonged to his most important person in this world. Gradually, Leylin began to feel that staying here might not be such a bad idea.

[Warning! Warning! The Host is affected by a demonic charm!] The A.I. Chip's voice prompted him, bringing Leylin out of his hallucination.

"They actually charmed me!" Anger coloured Leylin's face.

"A.I. Chip! What were the scan results?"

[Shuger giant tree demon. Strength: 5, Agility: 0.5, Vitality: 9.8, Spiritual force: 3.5. Skills: Leech, Vines] [Green tree sprite. Strength: 0.9, Agility: 2.5, Vitality: 1.5, Spiritual force: 3.1 Skills: Charming on living creatures] [Rumours have it that the green tree sprite and the giant tree demon have a mutual relationship. Normally, the green tree sprite will seduce the target into the attack area of the giant tree demon and then the giant tree demon will commence its hunt!]

The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

"The giant tree demon's strength and vitality are too high, and its body is extremely huge too. There is simply no way to go around it!" Leylin's face was calm, "It seems like I can only fight!"

"The first will be you! You actually dared to charm me!"

[Critical point confirmed! Calculating wind power, adjusting trajectory!]

Leylin suddenly raised his hands, and revealed the hidden crossbow as he pulled the trigger.

* Xiu! * A black line streaked across the air and flew directly into the green tree sprite from earlier.

The arrow pierced the right side of the green tree sprite's chest, causing its eyes to tear. Green fluid, what appeared to be juice from the tree, was flowing out of its chest as it fell onto the ground.

"Dyrisse! That human actually killed Sister Dyrisse!" The enraged and shocked voices of the other green tree sprites came from the treetops.

"You actually dared to kill my daughter!" The giant tree demon let out a furious roar, its huge vines racing towards Leylin.

"Hyaa!" Leylin moved the horse carriage backward, avoiding the vines.

"According to the A.I. Chip's calculations, the giant tree demon's vine's greatest attack range is only 20 metres! Its movements are also extremely slow, which is its greatest weakness!"

Leylin drew his cross blade and steadied the carriage before getting off.

"I only asked to leave, but since you refuse to listen when talked to nicely, it seems like a fight is the only means of resolving this!"

"You actually killed my lovely Dyrisse! I'm going to turn you into a shriveled corpse and hang you on my body for a hundred years!"

The giant tree demon's roots emerged from the ground and stood up like a human before chasing Leylin.

"At this speed! Are you kidding?" Leylin laughed loudly and dodged as he clashed with the giant tree demon.

A dark green tree shadow whipped at Leylin, but he dodged by rolling away, easily evading the attack.

* Pa! * The green vine was like a whip, and it smashed a very huge hole into the ground.

Leylin slashed with the cross blade and chopped at the vines. The silvery white blade had made contact with the surface of the vine, but ended up leaving no more than a mark on it.

Leylin felt a huge force coming towards him, and a few black shadows appeared behind him.

[An attack has appeared from behind. The most optimal way is to turn right for 50 degrees and jump right!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

Leylin deflected a vine and turned to his right and jumped immediately, avoiding the sneak attack from the black shadow behind him.

"Great Father! We will help you!"

Roughly 7 to 8 green tree sprites swooped down, and they even carried small bows in their hands that looked like toys. However, when Leylin saw the dark green liquid on the arrow head, his expression changed.

"There's poison!"

He withdrew a purple potion from his waist pouch and viciously flung it at the green tree sprites.

* Ping-Pong! * The test tube broke, and a gust of purple misty smoke rose, turning into the shape of a harpy. The harpy opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing scream!

"The Howling Witch potion! I spent 20 magic crystals on it!" Leylin covered both of his ears. Although he had made preparations ahead of time, he still felt uneasy. As for the green tree sprites, they had all fallen to the ground long ago.

Using potions to mimic the effects of a magic spell was the normal fighting technique used by a Potions master. With Leylin's current abilities, he could not brew the Howling Witch potion yet, so this potion had been bought from Kroft instead.

Not only were these potions extremely expensive, they only had a one-time use, which made Leylin's heart ache.

Taking advantage of the fact that the giant tree demon and green tree sprites were still under the effects of the Howling Witch potion, Leylin hurriedly stepped forward and lunged at them with the cross blade.

"A few green tree sprites were easily cut into two just like this."

"The eardrums of these green tree sprites are extremely strange and they are more sensitive towards sound waves. However, the Howling Witch potion was obviously their bane!"

Leylin's eyes flashed, and he stomped on a few more of the green tree sprites who were lying on the ground until they were dead.

"Oh! No! Julie, Delia……"

The vitality of the giant tree demon was extremely high and it quickly recovered from the shock caused by the Howling Witch potion. Looking at Leylin torturing its daughters to death, it could not help but howl loudly. More of the vines came snaking over, and the remaining green tree sprites were carefully moved and kept amongst the crown of the tree.

"That human's spells are extremely evil, don't come out!" The huge tree's voice buzzed.

"A good chance!" Leylin's eyes flashed, and he hurriedly chanted an incantation.

"Acidic Aqua Shot!"

A green-coloured sphere appeared, and with Leylin's control, it avoided the vines and hit the left eye of the giant tree demon perfectly.

* Sssii! * White mist rose continuously, and green thick fluid flowed out along with the cries of the giant tree demon accompanying it.

After the white mist dissipated, the giant tree demon's left eye was completely gone, leaving only a charred hole.

"I will kill you! I will kill you! Hancus will kill you!"

The giant tree demon trembled and the vines around it continuously weaved around, forming a net.

"Who are you speaking to?" At this moment, Leylin had already arrived at the bottom of the tree. Its crown completely blocked the sunlight, leaving only a huge black shadow.

While the giant tree demon was howling, Leylin had already reached the trunk of the tree.

"Go and die!"

The giant tree demon roared, and countless vines interweaved, forming a huge green palm, making a grab at Leylin.

"Goodbye!" Leylin laughed lightly and threw the remaining dozen or so potions at its trunk before taking flight.

* Bang! * A fiery flame rose up, engulfing the giant tree demon whole. What followed next was an even stronger explosion and black smoke.

"The effect is indeed excellent when using ten explosive potions together. Moreover, it is even more advantageous against a tree type Tree Demon like this!"

Although Leylin ran away quickly, he was still scorched by the flames from behind. Even the hair on his head was tinged and burnt .

"Ah!" The giant tree demon screamed and howled in agony, falling to the ground with a crash, its body still set ablaze.

As for the green tree sprites that were hiding in the treetop, they too were not spared and were all burnt to charcoal.

[Beep! The target has lost all signs of life!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.

Leylin nodded his head and returned to driving the horse carriage, going around the giant tree demon's body.

Looking at the huge branches that were charred and the corpses of those green tree sprites, Leylin suddenly thought of something and went up to extract some of their cells and remnants.

"Only one battle and I have already used almost half of my stockpiled potions!" However, the giant tree demon and green tree sprites combo is a threat to even a level 3 acolyte. Having an outcome like this is already considered not bad!"

Afraid of the arrival of reinforcements, Leylin hurriedly drove the horse carriage away, until the three strong horses were frothing in the mouth. Travelling as fast as the wind, he disappeared from the horizon.

Half an hour later, a grey-coloured owl swooped down and landed on top of a branch.

"Hankus is dead!" The owl let out a human's voice.

"I know, I know!" Suddenly a human face appeared beside the tree branch, "It's a level 2 acolyte, should we chase after him?"

"The plan has already begun! This stupid tree demon totally deserves it for dying here!" The owl pecked the feathers on its body.

"I'll be leaving first!" Saying which, the owl spread its wings and flew up into the sky.

The human' face turned silent for a while and then revealed a human-like smile, "Although it's just a slave, one must still pay the price for killing my subordinates!"

The branch extended to where the giant tree demon lay. At this moment, the fire had already been extinguished, only leaving behind some charred wood and green tree sprite corpses.

Suddenly, a corpse jerked. It was actually still alive.

This green tree sprite was already completely charred. Without any immediate treatment, it would definitely lose its life.

The tree branch brought the green tree sprite right in front of the human face, "Do you want to seek revenge?"

"Yes! For……Vengeance, Doris……Is willing to pay any price, even if……It means the soul!" The green tree sprite struggled to speak.

"Haha……Very well!" The human face laughed loudly, "It just so happens that I have one potion from a previous experiment that ended up in failure. I'll use it on you then!"

Suddenly an opening appeared on the black-coloured tree, and it enveloped the entire green tree sprite…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Grey Stone City

Leylin was unaware that there were people planning to deal with him, so he carried on driving the horse carriage and travelling rapidly.

After the fifth day, when the surroundings started to show traces of human activity, he heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Although Magi generally view acolytes in the same way that humans viewed ants, it couldn't be denied that they originated from normal human beings.

Even though human experimentation was continued despite repeated prohibition, especially at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, all the Magi still chose to avoid large human communities. This prevented human casualties from piling up and inciting the wrath of other Magi.

"Once I reach the city up ahead, I can take a breather!" After 5 days of continuous travel, Leylin and his horses were all extremely exhausted.

At this moment, he lowered the speed of the horse and had a look at his surroundings.

There were now loosely spread fields on either side of him, and not far away was a giant windmill.

A crystal clear stream flowed beside these fields, and there were even some unknown species of fishes swimming in it.

Leylin suddenly felt relaxed as he viewed this scene.

"Serenity! The peaceful world of humans! I have not felt tranquillity like this in a long time ……"

"According to the map, the nearest city should be Grey Stone City!" Leylin looked at the indicator on the map provided by the A.I. Chip in his mind.

"This place is still too close to the academy. There may be a gathering point for Magi nearby, but it still looks far too dangerous to sell potions or ask about the latest news here."

"Moreover, I keep getting this ominous feeling!" Leylin's brows furrowed as he looked behind him.

"Will the enemy let me go so easily after killing the giant tree demon?"

[Beep! Transfiguration Spell analysis complete!]

The A.I. Chip's voice sounded in his mind at that moment.

"That's great!" There was an elated expression on Leylin's face. He hurriedly read the introduction of the Transfiguration Spell.

[Transfiguration Spell: rank 0 spell. Effect: Ability to slightly reconstruct the muscles of the face for an extended period of time. Consumption: 1 spiritual force, 1 Magical Power a day]

This was a rank 0 spell that Leylin specifically chose for concealing his identity.

"Can it only change the outer appearance?" Leylin muttered to himself. "Many Magi can discern someone's identity through the energy waves emitted by their spiritual force and some can even look right into their soul. Of course, these people are all official Magi at least. Right now, it's most likely that I won't meet with any of them."

"A.I. Chip! Is it possible to optimise the effects of the Transfiguration and enhance the concealment of the energy waves from the spiritual force?"

Leylin asked.

[Beep! Establishing spiritual force energy wave concealment optimisation task, beginning analysis……]

A dozen odd seconds later, the reply of the A.I. Chip sounded. [Able to optimise. Requires 7 spiritual force points. Time to completion: 14 days 5 hours. Supplemental data required: Spirit Research Studies, Obscure Runes.]

"7 spiritual force points? I can achieve that in a few years. However, the information on Spirit Research Studies and Obscure Runes will not be as easy to obtain!"

Research concerning the likes of spirits has always been the most mysterious aspect of the Magus World. Although Abyssal Bone Forest Academy has a reputation for being at the forefront of this field, the academy actually only had a few superficial theories. As for Leylin, he was just a level 2 acolyte so he did not have access to such information.

"The Transfiguration Spell should be enough for the time being." Leylin gazed at his surroundings while driving the horse carriage hurriedly into the small forest nearby.

When Leylin reappeared a moment later, his appearance had changed completely.

His original youthful appearance had now become rather mature. Coupled with thick eyebrows and big eyes, he possessed a very common looking face.

His clothes had also changed into weather-beaten leather armour. The cross blade hanging on his waist buckle also looked older.

Leylin originally had a tall stature and looked well-fed. His body was already that of the typical adult before the change. Looking at him now, he seemed like a skinny yet experienced soldier.

Leylin walked to the side of the stream to get a glimpse of his reflection. "En! Not bad! Even my voice changed and I can modulate its pitch too."

His voice gradually became coarser, a drastic change from the soft, immature and youthful one from before.

"I will temporarily enter the city in this disguise!" Leylin nodded his head and took out a leather bag. In it was some white powder.

"The Scent-Removing Powder of the Subterranean Blind Worm, just 1 gram can rid any living organism of their scent completely!" Leylin said softly.

"This should be the ultimate disguise method in the mortal world. My appearance and scent have already changed, so it won't be easy to find me through regular means! But as for the spiritual force energy waves, I can't do anything about them."

Leylin looked through the horse carriage again. He then threw away any unnecessary items, only keeping the chest filled with potions and spell books. He also tied the chest filled with ingredients onto one of the two horses.

"Let's go!" Approaching the last horse, which did not carry any burden, Leylin undid its reins and whipped it.

"Woo!" The black horse whinnied then ran in a random direction.

Subsequently, Leylin went back to the horse carriage and sprinkled a kind of red powder all over it. He followed that up by sprinkling the remaining Scent-Removing Powder over the two horses. He then mounted one of the horses and rode off.

Not long afterward, black smoke appeared in the forest, followed by a blazing flame.

As he continued along the main road, more and more signs of humans could be seen. After an hour, Leylin saw the silhouette of Grey Stone City.

The walls of the city were short. Circular rooftops and sharp pointed grey buildings could be seen from the outside.

Beside these walls were armed soldiers who were patrolling the area.

"State your purpose." The patrol leader wearing leather half-armour stopped Leylin.

"I'm a mercenary, and also a merchant!" Leylin smiled. He could see the greed in the patrol leader's eyes.

Looking at the horse Leylin was riding and the chests behind him, the leader gulped down saliva. His eyes swept over the outfit Leylin wore. When he saw the cross blade hanging from Leylin's waist, his expression changed to one of fear.

"The fee to entering is one bronze coin!"

"Here you go!" Leylin tossed over a brand new yellow bronze coin to the leader.

"You may enter! Remember not to wander around at night. If you are caught doing so, you will be imprisoned!" The leader revealed a very unsightly smile.

"Thank you!" Leylin brought his luggage through the city gates.

"Leader?" A soldier was obviously unresigned.

"Shut up!" Didn't you see how he was dressed? Being able to travel solo while carrying goods and arriving in the city unscathed means he is no regular person. Who knows, he might even be a Knight!" The leader growled in a low voice, "Next time, don't find any trouble with these sorts of people!"

"It seems like no matter where it is, strength can let me pass through easily."

Leylin rode into the streets of the city. He saw commoners on either side of the streets avoiding him in fear. When they looked at Leylin, their gazes held both a huge amount of fear and envy as they nodded in approval.

"The development of this Grey Stone City does not seem to compare to even one of the small towns from my previous life!"

Leylin estimated that, at most, there were only around 10,000 inhabitants in the whole of Grey Stone City.

As for its standards of living, they were even worse.

The pavements were made of yellow mud and riddled with coarse sand. A slight gust of wind would cause yellow dust to swirl in the air.

Most of the people on the two sides of the road were malnourished and only wore crude grey or black robes that even had a lot of jagged holes in them.

Along these streets were several fences enclosing cattle or sheep. Some small-sized livestock was even running around freely. Odour from the fresh layer of dung continually pervaded the atmosphere, with no sign of dissipating.

"Dirty, messy, lousy!" This was Leylin's first impression of Grey Stone City.

"Let's find a place to stay first!" The journey had made him somewhat weary.

Leylin did not manage to find any sort of inn even after searching for some time. In the end, he decided to spend some coppers in exchange for information regarding a place to stay from a local.

"Big Sword and Wine Cup. This is it." Leylin looked at the words on the signboard and was a little speechless.

This family shop was situated somewhere to the west, where public order seemed to be more chaotic. Along the way, Leylin saw many drunkards and fights breaking out. A knife and dagger were even used in one instance. Despite this, there were no traces of security officers at all.

Pushing the door open, the smell of an inferior wine infiltrated Leylin's nose.

"Come! Have another cup!" "Nice one, Jack!" A hubbub of noises constantly assaulted Leylin's eardrums.

The interior was a pub of sorts. There were many drunkards guzzling drinks to their hearts content. Some were even half asleep and drunk, pawing the female hostesses and talking dirty.

"Sir! What would you like?" The bartender was a yellow-haired youth who looked like the soberest one in this pub.

"I heard that I could find a place to stay here?"

Leylin sat on the stool beside the counter.

"Yes! We are the only establishment in the whole of Grey Stone City that provides lodging services!" The bartender shrugged his shoulders, "However, it is nothing to be proud of. We do not have many visitors here all year round!"

"Give me a quiet room and take care of my two horses. How much is it?" Leylin looked at the big barrel behind the bartender.

"Give me your best beer here too!" Leylin tossed a silver coin over.

"Pleased to be at your service!" Very soon, the bartender brought a cup with a handle to the table, "Honey butter liquor! Our best liquor here!"

Leylin sipped the liquor while listening to the bartender's introduction.

In reality, many Magi did not like liquor since it could dull the senses. They preferred drinks that could raise their vigour.

Leylin did not drink often either. However, his curiosity was piqued so he wanted a taste. This honey butter liquor was simply average, though. It even had a tart smell, which made Leylin feel cheated.

"Lodging here for a night would be 30 coppers and taking care of two horses, including their fodder, means an additional twenty coppers!"

Before leaving the academy, Leylin had already changed some pocket change to carry with him. So now, he very forthrightly tossed two silver coins over, "I'll stay here for 4 nights first……"

"Look! Such fine horses! This fur colour! This build! They are definitely more valuable than the battle horses in the city lord's manor!"

A very annoying voice was heard.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Reconnaissance

Glancing outside, Leylin's brows furrowed. His two horses seemed to have stirred up some trouble.

His lips curled into a sneer as he turned around and quickly left the pub.

Several local hoodlums were surrounding his black horses and sizing them up. Their gazes were marred with greed as they gazed at the spirited horses and the chests on them. One of them was actually in the act of impatiently untying the reins.

"Are you trying to take my belongings?" Leylin strode over.

He looked rather intimidating in his leather armour with his menacing cross blade hanging from his belt. But apparently it was still not enough.

One of them, a cross-eyed hoodlum, shouted at him, "This is undoubtedly the horse that I lost! How come you have it? You stole it from my family, didn't you! You damned thief!"

This gang of crooks thought that even though Leylin was an armed soldier, he wouldn't be able to take on their whole gang.

"That's right! Capture him and bring him to see public security!" The others raucously interjected.

The surrounding inhabitants surreptitiously loathed what was happening. But nobody had the guts to step forward.

"Let's go! He's alone!" Cross-Eyed drew a dagger from within his robes and led the attack.

Leylin sneered, "Looks like I get to loosen these creaky joints." He dodged, avoiding Cross-Eyed's piercing dagger attack. He immediately grabbed hold of Cross-Eyed's right wrist and shook it slightly. Cross-Eyed screamed in agony as the dagger fell to the floor.

"Argh! That hurts! What are you doing? Let go of me! My brother-in-law is a public security officer. He won't let you get away with this!" Cross-Eyed wailed in pain.

"Oh really? Public security officer? I'm so scared!" Leylin cried exaggeratedly, and then he twisted viciously.

* Crack! * The piercing sound of breaking bones was heard. Cross-Eyed fainted right away from the excruciating pain.

At this moment, Leylin's physical power had already reached the Knight stage. Against these hoodlums, he naturally did not have to exert much effort.

"Boss! Boss!" The rest of the hoodlums shouted, but none of them dared approach.

Leylin smiled. He turned into a black shadow and dove right in their midst.

* Bang! Crack! Argh! *

The pitiful cries of the hoodlums and the gut wrenching sound of bones being crushed could be heard continuously. Leylin was like a black gust of wind. In a few moves, he knocked them all onto the ground, each one sporting a broken arm or a broken leg.

Leylin smiled amiably at them and walked towards the spot that Cross-Eyed had fainted at. He raised his foot and stomped viciously on the boss's right leg.

"Argh!" Very soon, the pain jolted him awake. Both his eyes rolled around, and then he fainted once again.

"Take your boss away! You can call me anytime if you want revenge. But if you ever do, it won't be as simple as getting a broken arm or a broken leg!"

Leylin said to the hoodlums. In their eyes, his smile was like that of a devil's.

After seeing these hoodlums scampering away, Leylin returned to the bar.

"At the least, he has the physical power of a Preparatory Knight!" The bartender groaned inwardly as he put on an even gentler and humbler expression.

"My most respected sir! Is there anything I can do for you?"

Seeing the deathly quiet that loomed over the pub, Leylin couldn't help but inwardly smile with bitterness.

He did not want to be seen as a monster. However, he had brought many goods along with him, so what could he do if someone were to steal them when he was in the room? Although he left a Tracing Spell on his belongings, if the spell were to disappear, Leylin wouldn't even have a place to cry.

However, after Leylin displayed the strength of a Preparatory Knight, many of those who had some malicious intent towards him quietly retreated.

"Help me bring these chests to my room, put my horses in the stable and give them the best fodder you have!" Leylin said as he tossed another silver coin at the bartender.

"That hoodlum from earlier, what kind of background does he has?"

The bartender lowered his head, "Sir, you completely don't have to worry about it. He may have some shady dealings with a public security officer but nothing too serious, though."

Having the strength of a Preparatory Knight means having access to a Knight's training technique.

Such people are either nobility or have some huge power backing them. A small city's public security officer will not dare to do anything at all.

"Take me to my room!" Leylin asked casually

The bartender intentionally took him to a room at the very back of the building, furthest from the pub. He took out a key and opened the room.

A ray of golden sunlight shone through the window into the room

The bed was in the middle of the room, and the bed sheets on it seemed to be very clean. There was a blue vase on the bedside table with some unknown wildflowers in them.

"It seems very clean. This place will be fine!" Leylin nodded.

"Here is your key, please keep it safe!" The bartender respectfully handed over a brass key.

Leylin took the key and sent the bartender away to take care of his horses. He unpacked the contents of the chests and ordered a steak to be sent to his room. After he telling the bartender not to disturb him, he closed the door.

As he closed the wooden door, he found the room's noise cancellation effects to be rather good. The noises from outside were greatly reduced.

"My actions today were a little too eye-catching! I didn't have a choice, though. Grey Stone City is too small, the activities of any stranger will definitely arouse unwanted attention. However, it is still much safer to be behind city walls. People will, at least, think twice before casting large area-of-effect spells!"

"Furthermore, there is a 50-50 chance of the faction which sent people to block the path sending someone after me. It'll be best if they haven't. If not, I must definitely kill the next wave of pursuers so I can get away cleanly."

Leylin was deep in thought, "The spiritual force energy waves and the spirit sent to follow the trail look like the doings of an official Magus. But this seems like a waste of resources. Afterall, who would send an official Magus to track down and kill a level 2 acolyte?"

"The greatest possibility is a level 3 acolyte with a magic artifact or some pet reared by a Magus!"

"I should recuperate and remain observant of any activities that are happening while preparing to get rid of the enemy! I also need to cast the transfiguration spell daily!"

Leylin thought as he brought a piece of the piping hot steak that he ordered to his mouth.

The steak's flavour was not bad and Leylin, who was famished, ate it all up in the blink of an eye. When he was done, he asked the bartender to clean up the mess. After the bartender left, Leylin hung a wooden 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside his door and set up a layer of energy particles to act as an early warning alarm system before falling into a deep meditative state.

Meditation is something a Magus has to do regularly. Although the increase in spiritual force from this is rather small, Leylin still persevered each and every day.

After toiling for over an hour, Leylin's head slumped and he entered into slumberland.

Outside Grey Stone City, in the air above the scorched woods.

* Pss Pss! * A green coloured winged creature suddenly swooped down.

"Doris has finally caught a whiff of the enemy's scent!" The green tree sprite Doris retracted its wings and stepped onto the burnt wood with its bare skin with a puzzled expression.

"This is where the scent ends." At this moment, the green tree sprite no longer had the same appearance as before.

Previously, It had merely been the size of a human head. However, Doris was now as big as a 7 or 8-year-old child.

Moreover, the originally pretty face now had layer upon layer of warts marring it. It looked extremely repulsive.

Its mouth was filled with fangs, and its tongue constantly flickered like a snake's.

Its body now had many creases, as well as some strange looking scales.

Originally, green tree sprites were a kind of living creature that represented extreme beauty. Now, no one would link Doris with the green tree sprites.

Doris let out a yell filled with hatred, "Human, you won't be able to escape!" Its tongue flickered. It suddenly spread its wings and flew towards the additional horse that Leylin had released.

In the next two days, Leylin stayed inside, finally recovering his strength and spiritual force back to its peak.

"It has been two days already, and they still have not caught up! It seems like it's not an acolyte chasing me or they would have used magic to sniff me out by now! It's probably some slave or creature reared by the Magus!"

Leylin surmised. His movements had been extremely quiet these two days. The only noteworthy event was when the public security officer brought gifts as he paid Leylin a visit. The officer said that he was there to plead for his wife's younger brother. He then tried to ask about Leylin's past, but Leylin only deceived him and did not reveal any information at all.

Later, Leylin changed into black robes and pulled up the hood to cover his face as he jumped out of the window.

In a gloomy and dark alley.

"Sir!" "Sir, you're here!" A few hoodlums, upon seeing Leylin's black robes, immediately came forward to receive him.

"How is it? Have there been any strange happenings around Grey Stone City these past few days?" said a hoarse voice from under the black robes.

"I'll speak first, I'll speak first! In the nearby village, Auntie Sofia's cow gave birth to a two-headed calf. The others all said that it was cursed!"

This was what the hoodlum, who pushed the others away, hurriedly said.

[The target's blood flow has increased by 12.4%. His brain waves appear to be stable. Judgement: It's not a lie!] The A.I. Chip intoned inside his head.

Leylin nodded his head and tossed a silver coin to the hoodlum.

"It's my turn now, Uncle Hugo and his son disappeared in the nearby woods while travelling! And traces of a wolf pack have been discovered at the scene!"

These were the hoodlums that Leylin had subdued over the past two days. They were extremely convenient for gathering news.

At first, they tried to give false information to get the reward, but how could Leylin be fooled by an average human like them with the A.I. Chip to help him? He immediately broke the arms of the liar on the spot, shocking everyone present at the time.

Under the coercion of both money and the threat of violence, these hoodlums were very soon, faithfully reporting all the news happening in and around Grey Stone City.

"What did you say, human corpses were discovered? There were also traces of thick green fluids?" Leylin was obviously interested, "Speak clearly and this gold coin is yours!"

A skinny red-haired youth gulped down his saliva, "This is news I just heard. In the mill beside Messi Village, a few corpses were discovered. All the blood had been sucked dry. Everyone suspects this to be the work of a vampire. The city lord even sent several Knights to investigate!"

"En! Very good!" Leylin asked for the location again and realised that the area was very close to where he had last erased his tracks. He nodded his head and gave the gold coin to the youth. After listening to the rest of the news, he left the alley.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ambush

"Based on the latest news and the A.I. Chip's calculations, the creature sucking the blood of others might be after me!"

"Moreover, it's tracking me down by smell! Their numbers are unknown, but they shouldn't exceed two, or there might actually be just one!"

Previously, Leylin got rid of his scent using the scent-masking powder and changed his appearance before he entered the city. He wanted to use the mixed scents of people to conceal his. He would then gather sufficient information about the enemy before planning a counterattack.

Now, it seemed to have paid off pretty well.

"What a pity! My scent-masking powder is almost used up, if not, I would have been able to leave here long ago!" Leylin surmised regretfully.

The Subterranean Blind Worm was a rather rare ingredient used by the Magi, and its price was never cheap. Leylin had spent quite a lot to obtain a small packet of the ingredient before refining it into a scent-masking powder.

However, he had enough for only about 3 or 4 days. Within such a short period, he could not possibly run far. Once the enemy expands the range of detection, his traces would definitely be discovered.

"It's better to settle this as soon as possible. If they chase me to my destination, then that wouldn't do me any good!"

Leylin's face became solemn.

Even now, the effects of the powder were wearing off. He was relying more and more on the complicated mix of smells in the city to mask his scent. Alas, the unknown creatures were still able to trace him even after all he did.

After returning to his room, Leylin casually sat on the bed and mentally called up the A.I. Chip.

"A.I. Chip! In accordance with the news obtained during these past two days, simulate the enemy's movement patterns, and design a plan for killing them!"

[Beep! Establishing mission parameters, beginning simulation……Map imported……The Host's battle strength imported, analysis in progress……"]

The A.I. Chip's icy cold and unfeeling mechanical voice intoned within his mind.

The A.I. Chip was a tool specifically allocated to scientists in his previous world, so how could it have the intelligence or even emotions? Due to human rights concerns, they had forbidden A.I. Chips from manifesting intelligence and emotion as a core directive in its programming.

[Simulation complete. Host kills the target but will sustain light injuries. Success rate: 67.7%]

The A.I. Chip's voice intoned while transmitting a large amount of information into Leylin's mind.

"Sustain injuries?" Leylin stroked his chin, "Are there any possibilities of killing the target unscathed?"

[Insufficient Data! Requires more detailed information on the target!]

"So it's like this," Leylin shook his head. According to the news he got from the hoodlums, the creature outside the city was already in an enraged mood and had started attacking the locals. At this rate, it would definitely charge into the city within 24 hours.

Although there was a mutual accord among the Magi to not disrupt the lives of the regular humans, there were still some who were crazy enough to do so.

If massive casualties resulted, and his identity was discovered, Leylin had to take responsibility for the collateral damages, aside from taking into consideration the creatures and the Magi behind them. This was a problem that he clearly did not want.

"67.7%, this is enough for me to take my chances! I also have confidence in being able to retreat fully!" Vehemence marked Leylin's countenance as he walked out.

The pub's atmosphere remained as boisterous as ever. Upon seeing Leylin, the bartender went forward and bowed, "Sir, do you have any instructions?"

"Help me find a person……" Leylin spoke slowly and made his request.

"No problem! Although there aren't any mercenaries of the sort in this city, there are bandits here. I can contact them on your behalf."

The bartender said, "By the way, Lord Roland, the city's lord, sent men over. He wishes to meet you, sir!"

"The city's lord?" Leylin nodded his head. No matter where a Preparatory Knight went, they would always be warmly greeted and received by lords. If Roland were to know of Leylin's status as an acolyte, the treatment would be even grander.

"I have something on right now. How about we change to meeting time to the day after tomorrow?" Leylin enquired.

"Of course!"

"Also, the steak that you guys have here isn't bad, send a serving of it to my room tonight." Leylin instructed once again.

"As you wish!" The bartender smiled.

The second day, late in the night.

A grey robed figure appeared in the charred woodland nearby.

"Investigate? What is there to investigate here? There aren't any treasures here. Most likely this was caused by some careless farmer, which resulted in this area going up in a blaze!"

The grey robed man was quite skinny. His movements, though, were rather swift as he continuously rummaged through the piles of charred wood.

"Something isn't right! These scorch marks were not done by normal flames!" The man's brows furrowed. His experience as a bandit made him realise something obviously wasn't right just by looking at the scorch marks.

"This…… Seems to be the doings of mysterious entities." The bandit's hair stood on end. As a member of the underground activities, he had only heard of these entities in myths. These stories emphasised the most important things about them: their mysteriousness, their cold-heartedness, and that they were not to be made enemies of!

"I'd better hurry and leave! If I knew this mission was linked to these mysterious entities, I wouldn't have accepted it even if the rewards were dozen-fold!"

The grey robed man trembled and wanted to leave.

"I found it. The smell of my enemy!" At this moment, a hoarse and repugnant voice sounded from behind.

The bandit's body shivered. He saw an abomination, the size of a child, floating in midair.

Its body was strewn with scales in a disorderly fashion. Its face was full of warts. From time to time, its snake-like tongue hissed out.

"I'm afraid that even the devil wouldn't be as ugly as this!" The bandit thought as he jumped back by 5 metres.

"I should have thought of this before! I have actually turned into bait!" The bandit shouted.

"Don't think about leaving!" Doris spat its tongue out and flew above the bandit, almost immediately with just a few flaps of its wings.

"We can talk about this! I have a lot of information on this mission's principal!" The bandit yelled in despair.

"Die!"

Doris's eyes were bloodshot. It did not care about the pleas and screams of the bandit. Immediately, it chewed on the right arm that was waving the dagger about and fed voraciously on the bandit's blood.

A few minutes later, only the bandit's shrivelled corpse remained.

"A scent lingers on his robes! That damned acolyte is definitely in the city!" Doris squinted at the silhouette of the city walls.

* Xiu! *

A black arrow zoomed past. A boom was heard as it went supersonic, directly piercing Doris' chest.

"The last of the scent-masking powder was wasted here. I even sprinkled some paralysis powder on the bandit's body. I don't believe that this arrow won't hit its target!"

From behind some tall shrubs, Leylin emerged wearing a leather armour and carrying the crossbow he had just used.

"Enemy!" Doris' face twitched. Its originally repulsive face now even showed veins bulging from it. It was a sight that would definitely make children cry.

"Even I wouldn't have guessed that the one chasing me was the Green Tree Sprite from before! This originally beautiful creature has now turned into something like this!" Leylin was a little shocked.

[Mutated Green Tree Sprite. Strength: 3.1, Agility: 4.3, Vitality: 3.5, Spiritual force: 5.5. Abilities unknown!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned the readings and situation over.

"Its attributes were actually raised by this much! What an astonishing spell. However, its body's unstable condition can slowly be seen on its surface. It is unlikely to survive more than half a month." Leylin eyes flashed coldly.

"The enemy who murdered my father and sisters! Even if Doris had to betray its soul, Doris will avenge them!"

Doris howled as it yanked the arrow out of its chest. A puddle of green liquid gushed out of the wound.

The green liquid quickly covered the whole chest., A plant root could be seen extending continuously and very soon the wound was suppressed.

"Go to hell!" Doris charged at Leylin in a green blur.

"It actually went through so much mutation that melee attacks are no longer effective?" Leylin nodded his head and snapped his fingers.

"Pa!"

Suddenly, a mud ball rose from the ground, blocking Doris's path. Its contents were revealed to be crimson coloured potions.

* Bang! * A flame rose up. The accompanying heat wave even scorched the nearby vegetation.

The flames engulfed Doris and the crackling sound of something being barbequed was heard.

* Hu! * A green figure emerged from the sea of flames. Its body was scorched black. It even still had the fire burning on it as it charged towards Leylin.

[Target's speed reduced by 67%!] Chimed the A.I. Chip.

"It was first affected by the paralysis powder, and then injured by the explosive potions. Even if it specialises in fire resistance, it will definitely still receive damage!"

Leylin's face was calm. He threw away the crossbow and then drew his cross blade as he charged forward.

"Cross Slash!" The silver cross blade shone. This time, Leylin even circulated his ignited internal Knight energy. The sharp blade reflected a glimmer of light.

When the cross figure directly struck the Green Tree Sprite, immediately a pool of green liquid appeared.

Doris toppled, and Leylin stopped advancing. He looked at the cross blade in his hands and his brows furrowed.

The silver blade was already filled with bumpy spots where the various liquid from Doris's body splashed.

"Even its bodily fluid has a strong corrosive effect? This cross blade is ruined!" Leylin felt a little rueful. This cross blade had been taken from a noble youth while in the travelling party. It was extremely handy to use, but he never thought that it would be destroyed here.

He threw away the cross blade. As he looked at Doris who was still trying to charge over despite the cross slash on its chest, Leylin quickly chanted an incantation.

"Umbra's Hand!"

A black-coloured palm rose from Doris' shadow. It grabbed hold of its ankles and kept them firmly on the ground.

* Sssi Sssi! * A layer of white mist rose from the black-coloured palm.

"Although Umbra's Hand has a corrosive effect, it seems like, against the mutated Green Tree Sprite, it is still somewhat lacking! Leylin's mind quickly worked out the situation.

"I'll use you as a guinea pig for my newly learnt spell!"

"The sound of the azure thunder! Listen to my command! Descend to the mortal realm and strike my foes down!" (Byron Language)

As Leylin voiced his incantation, silvery-blue lightning suddenly appeared in his hands.

"Go!" Leylin pointed his fingers and dazzling lightning flew towards Doris in an arc.

"Doris is not afraid of death!" At this moment, Doris stretched its hands forward, and its palm split open. From it, a tree root-like object extended out.

* Xiu! * The tree roots entwined and assumed the shape of a bow. A brown coloured arrow was already loaded onto it.

"Not good!" Leylin hurriedly dodged.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Inconvenience

Leylin tried to wrest his way out, but an excruciating pain radiated from his shoulders.

[Host has sustained injuries from an arrow! Warning! Warning! High bacteria concentration on the arrowhead, recommend immediate disinfection of the affected area!]

"Damn it!" Leylin hurriedly pulled out the arrow and took a silver dagger from his robes. Gritting his teeth, he gouged out the flesh surrounding the wound.

He hurriedly retrieved a green coloured potion from his waist pouch and poured half of it onto the wound. The other half he emptied into his mouth. Only after hearing the A.I. Chip's voice, [Crisis under control, did he heave a sigh of relief.

When Leylin was struck by the arrow, Doris had also been struck by the lightning, and had fallen down, crashing onto the ground.

At this moment, Doris's whole body was charred and its wings were more than half broken.. One of her hands had vanished without any trace of it left behind, and her ankle was still grasped by the Umbra's Hand spell. Her life force had dropped to a dangerous level. She could die at any moment.

"Revenge! My revenge!" Doris unconsciously kept muttering those words. Suddenly its eyes flashed coldly, and it bit off its own right leg.

* Pa! * The leg flew in the air. The Umbra's Hand, which was holding onto the ankle, disappeared quickly as well.

"Let's die together!"

Doris's whole body inflated. Warts on its face vibrated. Her speed tripled as she charged directly at Leylin.

"Damn it!" Leylin pressed down on his shoulder wound and hastily retreated. At the same time, he threw out the last explosive potion.

* Bang! * An intense explosion reverberated.

Red flames and green liquid mixed together. It let off a dark green firelight.

Leylin rolled back several times before he could finally escape the blast radius.

At this moment, the surroundings were showered with a bunch of green-coloured bones and flesh. It was utterly repulsive.

"Eh?" Looking at the green-coloured remains on the ground, Leylin saw that a yellow fluid swiftly flowed out, continuously corroding the ground. His expression involuntarily changed, and he hurriedly inspected his body.

A few drops of thick fluid had unknowingly corroded his leather armour and opened several wounds on his body. Around each of these wounds was a patch of yellow that was beginning to numb that area.

[Host is suffering from an unknown secondary pathogenic infection. It has invaded the Host and is spreading at very rapidly. Recommend to take counter measures!]

"A.I. Chip! Scan the injury! Find a way to treat it!"

[Mission parameters established! Scanning……] [Beep! Treatment requires 30 grams of Human Head Bird, 500 millilitres of pink ink oil, 50 grams of Green Coconut Rock……]

The A.I. Chip continued to list down a huge number of items.

"When would I have the time to buy these? A.I. Chip, generate the method for immediate suppression!" Leylin's face darkened.

[Cauterising the wound with a flame will be effective in reducing the rate of infection!] The A.I. Chip responded.

"A flame?" Leylin ripped his clothes and casually picked up a burning branch as he placed the glowing flame on his wound.

* Sssii! * The sound of something being barbecue was heard accompanied by the smell of charring flesh. Leylin's face contorted in pain.

Minutes later, the A.I. Chip pronounced the treatment effective. Leylin put away the fire and sat limply on the ground panting, cold sweat dripping all over his body.

"The enemy, this time, was extremely dangerous! Its resistance towards physical and flame attacks was extremely high. Its speed was also fast, and it had a poison attack. It seems to have been prepared specifically for me. If not for the A.I. Chip, I'm afraid……"

Doris' body fluids, containing the secondary infection from the arrow's poison, were something that the A.I. Chip had not factored in. This made Leylin, who expected only mild injuries from the encounter, suffer such a wretched victory.

"On top of that, the explosive potions that I had prepared have all been used! I have to prepare more ingredients again!"

The past few battles, Leylin had highly relied on potions to defeat his enemies. However, the consumption was also huge, and he threw away close to a thousand magic crystals in value.

Fortunately, he knew how to brew explosive potions; if not, the cost would have skyrocketed even higher.

"Flame can only temporarily constrain the spreading of the pathogen. I have to buy the necessary ingredients to cure it completely!" Leylin looked at his charred wound, his brows furrowed as he gulped down another strength Potion before picking himself up and heading back to Grey Stone City.

This was a huge disturbance. It was very likely that the city's guards already sensed that something was amiss and would very soon send someone over to inspect.

Leylin endured the intense pain and sneaked back inside Grey Stone City. He stealthily took out his chest, not bothering to even bring his two horses along with him. After stealing a light brown coloured horse outside the city walls, he escaped under the cover of night. He was headed towards the Magus market located on the map.

As for the summons of the city lord, it was only natural that he ignored it completely.

A dozen odd days later, on the way to Wolkan Province, a light brown coloured horse could be seen carrying two huge chests with a black robed figure astride its back. The horse was panting heavily as its four hoofs dashed across the ground.

"A.I. Chip! Show me my current status!" Leylin's body which moved up and down with the horse's movement, thought inwardly.

[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte, Knight. Strength: 1.3(2.5), Agility: 1.5(2.7), Vitality: 1.0(3.0), Spiritual force: 4.1(4.4), Magical Power: 4.0. Status: Host is in a weakened state due to infection from the pathogen]

"Although the pathogen was inhibited, it has been a dozen odd days since then. My body is still in a weak condition. Only my spiritual force has increased again- this must be due to the result of constant meditation!"

Leylin looked at his stats and smiled bitterly.

Right now he had a completely new face. He had changed from an icy cold soldier into an extremely dashing golden-haired blue eyed westerner. His face, however, was devoid of colour.

"A.I. Chip! Project the mind map!" Leylin looked at the little information he had compiled superimposed onto an extremely detailed map.

"From Bicky's intelligence gathering, there should be a gathering area for Magi nearby. There, I will be able to buy ingredients to treat this infection!"

Based on half a month of probing and simulation, Leylin surmised that the opponent had only dispatched Doris. Due to the official war with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, nobody could be bothered with a lowly level 2 acolyte like himself. This was a great piece of news.

"I can probably even make inquiries about the current situation in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!" Leylin made up his mind and left the main road. He quickly found a spot, took out his tent and tools, and went about setting up camp.

"This area seems a little desolate. However, it's only normal. Magus activities always steer clear of human communities as much as possible. Moreover, the radiation from a Magus is not something that regular humans can withstand."

Leylin sprinkled some white powder around the tent area to prevent bugs and beasts from approaching. He then picked up a metal pan, poured some stream water into it, and lit a bonfire.

Just as the stream water began to boil, Leylin emerged from the trees and threw some mushrooms and other plants into it.

A moment later, after adding some spices and a few strips of jerky, a fresh fragrance of food permeated the air.

Leylin scooped a bowl for himself. The soup base was white in colour. It felt extremely comforting to drink it while it was hot.

Leylin sighed in contentment, "As expected, food that's hot is the best. I could almost puke from constantly eating biscuits and jerky."

The surroundings were dotted with wildflowers, and there was also the sound made by an unknown bird; its cry was much similar to that of a skylark.

"If not for my injury, this would have been perfect!" Leylin finished his meat broth and adjusted his robes.

Under his clothes, a charred area of flesh had a layer of fine hair growing around it looking like hair on one's head, which creeped people out.

"Over there, kill him!"

Signs of movement came from the trees nearby. Leylin's brows furrowed. The shouting gradually became closer. He had a feeling that trouble had come knocking once more.

The bushes nearby split apart as a large guy protecting a nobly dressed young lady rushed out.

When the large guy saw Leylin, he was shocked. He never expected someone had set up camp here. He said with a bitter smile at Leylin, "I'm afraid you'll also be implicated in this."

"Over there, don't let him escape!" A group of armed soldiers in leather armour rushed over. The leader wore an extremely beautiful chainmail.

"This outfit does not seem like something mercenaries or adventurers would wear. These people are most likely the personal retainers of some nobility which is even more troublesome!" Leylin's brows furrowed.

According to the A.I. Chip's scan, this large guy was obviously injured but still had the strength of a Preparatory Knight.

As for the pursuers, the leader was at Knight level, whereas the soldiers behind were just a little stronger than the average human.

"Who are you?" The leader looked at Leylin.

"I'm just an innocent bystander, please continue and don't mind me. I haven't seen anything today!" Leylin continued drinking his meat broth.

This casual vibe obviously made the private squad leader apprehensive since the large guy and young lady stood on the other side.

"Please save us! We are the descendants of Viscount Barrett. If you were to lend us a helping hand, I will definitely remember your kindness, and you will forever have the friendship of the Barrett family!"

The young lady had a pair of mesmerising blue eyes. At this moment her face had a pleading expression that would most likely move the majority of noble male youths to impulsively swear to fight for her honour.

"Miss Lanning, the Viscount only asks for you to return. Please do not resist!" The leader told the young lady.

"That underhanded and despicable worm, he covets the possessions of my family and poisoned my father to his death. Even if I die I will not go back!"

The young lady poured all of her problems out in one go, sneaking a glance at Leylin from time to time. Although her movements were extremely well concealed, Leylin still saw through it.

"It seems like a struggle of inheritance by a descendant who has failed. By purposefully revealing this conflict, you want to drag me down into this huh?" Leylin shook his head.

"Viscount Sire has not done any of the things you claim. As for the inheritance, it is to be decided after the meeting with the nobles!"

The leader exclaimed loudly.

"I have proof on my body!" The young lady snarled.

"Quick, bring Missy home!" The leader seemed prepared to not negotiate any further.

A few of the commoner troops brandishing their knives and swords charged forward. The large guy roared and shielded the noble young lady.

The large guy's strength was obviously not bad. Even though he was injured, he still made 5 of these soldiers pay with their lives.

The commoner troops went forward to chop and retrieve the head of the large guy. They then tied the screaming noble young lady up and only then did the leader who had been wary of Leylin give him a suspicious glance.

"It looks like we have been bothering you! Let's go!"

The leader said as he turned around and prepared to leave.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Market

"Really? Then why are you still wielding your sword?"

Leylin rose up slowly.

"The secrets of our Sire cannot be heard by anyone else!" The leader brandishes his sword slowly. "Moreover, the wounds on your body is the reason why you cannot lend a hand!"

"Cough cough……" Leylin coughed feebly, "Accurate discernment! Seems like you have resolved to kill me today? I swear never to reveal a word of today's matter!"

"Only the dead will keep secrets!" The leader shouted as he slashed at Leylin, his sword reflecting a snow white glint.

Leylin dodged in a rather miserable manner.

The leader's expression became elated, the muscles on his body bulged, but just as he was about to charge forward, his complexion suddenly changed and he retreated several steps.

Behind him the soldiers and the young lady collapsed weakly onto the ground. Only their eyes could still move. "You actually poisoned us!" The leader snarled in shock.

"As expected of a Knight, you actually have the strength to withstand it!" Leylin nodded his head. Although with his strength now he could completely massacre this crowd, if there was a more convenient method available, why shouldn't one use it instead?

The leader threw down his long blade and turned to flee. His speed was actually similar to that of a regular human.

"Under a poisoned state, and yet still having this speed. This is rather remarkable." Leylin assessed indifferently.

He raised the crossbow, "A.I. Chip! Calculate wind speed and humidity! Adjust trajectory!"

* Xiu! * A black line pierced through the Knight's chest. When he saw the arrow that entered from his back and exited his chest bringing blood along with it, fell down with a look of disbelief.

Leylin strode to where the young lady was and towered above her. He stared down then tossed the contents of a bag of powder into her mouth. A moment later, the young lady stood up and stretched her limbs.

"You are…… a Magus?" The young lady looked at Leylin as her eyes filled with curiosity.

"No! Just a Potions master. Shift them all over here and take care of them!" Leylin pointed at the fallen soldiers on the ground.

"Why don't you do it?" The young lady pursed her lips, but she still shifted the paralysed soldiers over. She even moved the Knight leader and the large guy's corpse over too.

Afterward, the young lady's eyes flashed coldly. She took out a dagger from her robes and stabbed all of these paralysed soldiers to death.

Throughout the whole process, Leylin watched on frostily, as the young lady stabbed her pursuers to death.

"You are definitely a Magus!" The young lady said confidently.

"As long as you help me with my revenge, I will hand over all my prized possessions to you. This includes the inheritance of a Magus. And I also will belong to you!"

The girl said as she unfastened her robes.

"Are you sure that there is a Magus inheritance in your family?" Leylin was rather amused as he asked.

"I swear it upon the honour of my family!" The young lady's expression was staunch.

[Scanning in the process! Target's blood flow is rapidly increasing. Unusual brainwave activity detected. Conclusion: Lie – 93.3%]

Looking at the conclusion of the A.I. Chip, Leylin shook his head.

"Why don't you leave!"

"What?" The young lady was obviously shocked, "You don't fancy me? I have a lot of prized possessions in my family, you can have anything you like……"

"Could it be that you have read too many tales about Knights in shining armour?" Leylin interrupted her speech.

"In a dense forest, an adventurer chanced upon a princess who was fleeing, and even helped her seek revenge. After overcoming a series of adversities. They triumphed over their enemies. The adventurer obtained the treasures, the love and the admiration of the princess. From then on, they lived happily ever after!"

Leylin recited it in a poetic, bard-like manner.

"It's merely an empty illusory, full of false promise. At most, I'll obtain your body and flesh then I have to help you seek revenge against a Viscount who has the backing of a huge faction. Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"But……"The young lady was obviously still struggling.

"Get lost!" Leylin bellowed.

The young lady got up helplessly. A malicious and poisonous gaze flashed in her eyes, as she prepared to leave.

"Wait!" After the young lady walked for several steps, Leylin's voice travelled over.

The young lady, looking gleeful, turned around.

* Xiu! * An arrow bore through the beautiful face of the young lady and pinned her to the tree right behind her.

"Actually, I could have let you go, but I saw a malicious and raging intent in your eyes!" Leylin gradually sighed. "To a person who had always protected and followed you, you did not even bother to bury his corpse before leaving. From this, it can be seen that you are a brazen ingrate."

"Moreover, to get your revenge, you contemplated some sort of reprisal against me. You will definitely announce this matter today to everyone. Although I am not afraid of trouble, I detest such inconveniences very much……"

"With these many reasons, why would I still let you go?"

Leylin pulled out the arrow and heaped the corpse of the young lady, who died with a grievance, together with the others.

From his bag, he withdrew a yellow coloured potion and poured it on the wound of a corpse. * Sssii! * Soon, the corpse putrefied into a puddle of yellow viscous liquid.

Leylin did the same thing for the rest of the corpses, destroying them all completely.

Moments later, the area surrounding the camp, had only a puddle of yellow water left. The large guy, the young lady, and the pursuing soldiers, all of them, had disappeared with nary a trace.

These potions that could putrefy corpses, and the paralysis powder- all were Leylin's inventions, done when he was bored. Although they do not have much effect against a Magus or even an acolyte, it was still extremely effective against normal humans.

"Right now, the most important thing still is to get enough ingredients to treat my wounds. Anything else would just be an inconvenience!"

Leylin sighed, "What a waste of a newly erected campground."

Leylin packed his things once more, and erased any sign of his existence, before disappearing into the woods.

Nighttime, on the outskirts of a densely packed forest.

A figure fully draped in black robes and even had on a conical bamboo hat to conceal its face, appeared.

"Lost Forest, it's here!" Leylin took in his surroundings and compared it again with his map. Without turning around, he entered the darkness.

His leather shoes stepped on the dried twigs, which let out a * Chi-Chi * sound. In the darkness, it sounded even eerier than normal.

"A.I. Chip, initiate area scan!"

[Beep! Slight illusionary field discovered! Field effect: Regular humans who enter will be baffled, walk around in circles, and eventually leave unknowingly.]

"Indeed, no wonder there are tales of ghosts and demons in here. There is often news about humans going missing." Although they were under the illusion, if any Magus met an unsuspecting victim, they wouldn't mind having another sampling for their experiments.

"Hello! acolyte! Welcome to the Magus Market!"

A black figure leapt down lightly from atop a tree and landed on a broken gravestone. Its eyes were gleaming with a dark green light.

Leylin walked closer, and discovered it to be a black cat.

"A Magus' companion? A modulated organism? Or the result of a spell?" Leylin thought inwardly. He then bowed slightly.

"I am a wandering acolyte who heard that the market here is open to any Magus, is that correct?"

"Indeed, this market is governed by the mighty Walker family. Moreover, it promises that every Magus who enters will be ensured safety and protection. Of course, that is only within the perimeters of the market!" The black cat licked its paws as it let off a human-like snigger.

"Then, I wish to enter!"

"All acolytes have to pay a fee of 1 magic crystal! It's free for all Magi!"

"Here!" Leylin nodded his head and tossed over a low-grade magic crystal over.

The black cat caught it in its mouth, turned around and while leaping away from the gravestone, it made a beckoning gesture towards Leylin.

Leylin shrugged and followed it.

The further in they got, the denser the white mist became. However, there was a road under their feet that seemed to be specially constructed before.

"We're here!" Along with the black cat's voice, the mist ahead dissipated and boisterous clamouring sounds could be heard. This made Leylin feel like he had returned to his academy's trading area.

The only difference was that the people here were all tightly wrapped in cloaks or grey robes, not revealing any piece of their skin at all.

Occasionally, some did not bother about concealing their identity, which made Leylin broaden his horizons.

In here were some marine species who had scales on them, and half-beastmen who had fur on their necks. They were different from beastmen, since they were rather a loving and affectionate of species. There Magi could be produced too, and Leylin even saw a Magus with the head of an owl.

A large number of these people also exuded the energy waves of acolytes, but Leylin felt that their aura reeked of blood.

"Although the acolytes in the outside world do not have a firm foundation compared to those in the academies, they are able to advance in an environment where resources are scarce. Their experiences must be bountiful, and they even may be more adept at fighting!" Leylin's heart sank.

The potions in his hands were almost consumed, and right now he was at the most a stronger acolyte amongst the level 2 acolytes, having barely enough strength for self-preservation. If he were to reveal the potions he was carrying, these acolytes would swarm around him like crocodiles and rip him to shreds.

Lowering his head, he found that the black cat had vanished completely.

"Sir! Do you need a guide? I only ask for 1 magic crystal!" A rather skinny little boy ran over.

He had the energy waves of a level 1 acolyte coming from his body., Even though his face was extremely thin, his eyes were very lively.

"Bring me around to have a look!"

"Alright!" The boy was in glee as he hurriedly ran in front of Leylin to lead the way.

"This market is under the protection of the Walker family, a well-received family by both wandering acolytes and Magi alike. Look over there, the wooden hut in the centre is a shop personally set up by the Walker family.

The small boy tried his best to fulfill his duties as a guide.

"So these are other people's stalls?" Leylin pointed at the acolytes displaying their goods on the floor. Their goods were much better than those in the academy, and of course, more of them were counterfeits too.

"Yes, you only need to settle the procedures in the central hall, pay the fees, and then you'll be able to obtain a place to set up your stall!" The little boy nodded, "Sir, is there anything that you'd wish to sell? The Walker family also provides consignment services."

"I'm not in a hurry now. Bring me to the centremost area for a walk!" Leylin said.

In this Magus Market, he discovered several official Magi with activated defensive force fields surrounding them. These are existences he could not fight against right now, so he was more cautious than usual.

"This is the smithy! It specialises in selling weapons! Next to it, with the sign which has a test tube on it, is a Potioneering shop. On the far left is an auction house. From time to time, they have a few premium goods!" The little boy was extremely familiar with this place.

"An auction house? Then will they have the information about magic artifacts?" Leylin casually asked. He was a little more interested now.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Recovery

"Magic artifact?"

The little boy shook his head, "That is a very precious item! Last year the auction only sold one low-grade magic artifact. There were even official Magi present who joined the bidding……"

"So it's like this. Take me to the weapons shop!"

Leylin followed the little boy to where the blacksmith's smithy was.

"Hey! Big-bearded old man, I brought you some business!" Once the little boy entered the forge he started shouting loudly.

"I'll be right there!" The shop owner did indeed have a thick and bushy beard. He was not tall, but the muscles on his arm were extremely hard and gave an impression of power.

"Greetings esteemed guest! I am the owner of this smithy, please call me Black Hammer!" The shop owner introduced himself.

"I need a cross blade!" Leylin spoke of his intentions. Previously, he had ruined his cross blade when fighting the mutated Green Tree Sprite. He now wanted a better quality one, something that wasn't easy to obtain.

"A cross blade huh, follow me." Black Hammer undid the wine flagon hanging on his waist and took a sip. The scent of alcohol wafted out.

"Oh! Haven't I told you to tone down your drinking?" The little boy frowned as he pinched his nose.

"Hiccup……Edgar, you are still a child and cannot appreciate the absolute bliss of fine tasting wine!" Black Hammer shook his head and led Leylin to a wooden shelf.

"My shop's finished cross blades are all here. Please take your pick. Of course, if it isn't satisfactory, you can have one custom made, as for the price……"

When he spoke of the price, Black Hammer's words were extremely clear. He did not seem even a little bit drunk.

Leylin casually scrutinized the cross blades on the wooden shelf. These blades obviously already went through the rigors of war. Their silver surface emanated a bloodthirsty aura.

Leylin casually picked one up. It had an intricate yet sturdy feel that tingled into his palms that felt rather heavy.

"A finely smithed steel blade. It even has a metallic star smelted onto it. The hilt is wrapped in black silk, to prevent it from slipping through one's hands……" Black Hammer described the item.

Leylin nodded his head and placed the cross blade back on the yellow wooden shelf, then picked up another one.

This cross blade's exterior was a little darkened. It let out a solid reliable aura.

"A blade made of alloy. It has been modified before. Able to resist corrosion and flames!"

"Oh?" Leylin was a little moved, "Can it deflect a Magus' spell?"

"Of course not!" Black Hammer shook his head immediately. "To resist a spell, there should be runes inscribed on the blade at the very least. Moreover, it has to be compounded using precious materials from an Alchemist. Such a blade would already be considered a magic artifact, and wouldn't be displayed in the open like this for sale……"

"My apologies, I have been too greedy!" Leylin shook his head.

Picking up the black blade, "I want this, and prepare another 20 crossbow bolts for me……"

"Alright, the price is……" Black Hammer's eyes shone. He did not bother to drink his wine anymore.

When Leylin and the little boy walked out of the weapons shop, Leylin hung the cross blade from his waist, at the same time he took a magic crystal and tossed it over to the small boy.

"This is your remuneration for today! I wish to walk alone now!"

"Alright! Have a good day!" The little boy was extremely delighted and put away the magic crystal before trotting off.

Leylin stood rooted to the spot until the little boy could no longer be seen. Only then did he turn back to the stalls he had first went in, where the goods were lying on the ground.

After browsing for a bit, Leylin visited every wooden shop found in the central area. Only then did Leylin walk into the shop with the test tube sign.

"Sir, how may I assist you?" spoke a young male staff who wore a fashionable western style suit.

Leylin looked at the potions on the shelves. These sparkling potions radiated various colours. The transparent glass counter also displayed various precious ingredients.

"It seems like this shop's goods are a little better than fatty Woox's!" Leylin nodded his head in approval.

"I will need the feathers of a flamingo, eyeballs of multi-tailed owl, feather from a Human Head Bird, Pink Ink Oil, Green Coconut Rock……"

Leylin hurriedly listed his items. These were all ingredients needed to treat his injuries, to make explosive potions and formulate other basic potions.

The staff quietly listened until Leylin finished speaking before bowing and saying, "My apologies, but may I ask if you are a Potions master?"

"I have a little bit of knowledge in the field!" Leylin's facial features were concealed by the hood of his the cloak. Thus, the staff was unable to discern his expressions.

"Our Walker family wholeheartedly invites you to join our family. The terms we offer are the absolute best amongst Magi families of equal ranking ……" The staff bowed even deeper.

Leylin did expect this a little. Potions masters were a difficult breed to raise. Plus, Magi cannot do without potions so Magi families have always tried to recruit them by offering generous remuneration.

He would definitely not be able to conceal his identity as a Potions master if he were to buy raw ingredients. However, as long as no one discovers his talent, he wasn't afraid of letting them know. After all, as long as he was not found out, others would not know if the person standing before them was a Potions master or an acolyte.

"I will give this some consideration. Do you have the ingredients I listed earlier?" Leylin said with a raspy voice.

"We do have 2 flamingo feathers. As for eyeballs of the multi-tailed owl, we still have a pair left. However, it has been around for 3 years, so some of its medicinal properties have spoiled a little. As for the feathers from a Human Head Bird, Pink Ink Oil, Green Coconut Rock, we have them here, also……"

The staff seemed to remember every item in the shop from memory and blurted them all out.

Leylin nodded his head. A Magus' main cultivation is the spiritual force. After advancing, their brains will also develop. Hence, all Magi were intelligent people. As for Leylin's conjecture, when Magi have advanced into a higher realm, their brains would even be comparable to the processing abilities of the A.I. Chip.

"I want all of them, name your price!" Leylin nodded his head.

"The total amounts to 157 magic crystals!" The staff smiled.

Leylin nodded his head and took out a small box, which he had prepared earlier, from his robes. After opening, one could see that it was densely packed with cyan-coloured potions.

"Look, these are all strength potions!" Leylin took out the strength potions and lay them in front of the front of the staff.

strength potions were one of the basic potions. In fact, most of the Potioneering acolytes chose to brew it first. After seeing this, the staff became evidently disappointed.

But he quickly recovered his composure and began to inspect.

"30 strength Potions, I can give you 130 magic crystals for them," the staff said.

Leylin approved silently. If he were to sell these at Woox's, he would have gotten 120 magic crystals at most. Prices outside were indeed higher, but it was more dangerous too.

"Okay!" Leylin counted another 27 magic crystals and handed them to the staff.

"Bring me the materials I ordered!"

"Okay, give me a moment!" The staff put away the potions and magic crystals before swiftly running to the back.

Leylin waited for what seemed like another dozen minutes before the staff returned with a small wooden chest, which he placed in front of Leylin.

"These are the goods you requested, please inspect them!"

Leylin opened the small wooden chest. It was compartmentalised using wooden trays, where various ingredients were placed on them. There were colourful feathers, green-coloured rocks, and various coloured powders.

Leylin fingers traced the various ingredients, "A.I. Chip! Inspect……"

After the A.I. Chip indicated that all the ingredients were up to standard, only then did Leylin keep the wooden chest. He then rose to leave the Potion Shop.

"What I'm selling is only the most basic of strength Potion, and to gather the ingredients is already this complicated. Even I cannot guess the uses of these ingredients completely. They will definitely not be able to as well."

Leylin hid the small wooden chest beneath his robes and circled around a few times before he slowly left the market.

"The most important thing is, my trades only cost around 100 magic crystals. If the Walker family was stirred because of this paltry amount, then their reputation would have long since gone bad!"

On the way, he increased the A.I. Chip's detection area to the maximum. Only after confirming that no one was following him did Leylin leave the Lost Forest.

Ever since the earlier incident, Leylin moved camp. Right now he sheltered in a cave. As for its previous owner, a Black Bear, it had long since become Leylin's dinner.

* Bang! *

Leylin stacked a few large boxes together to form a simple experiment table. Then, he placed his apparatus on it.

"I am finally going to be rid of this damned pathogen!" Leylin gritted his teeth, "Every day I have to cauterise this wound. With the limitations of my vitality and strength, I've had enough of it!"

Leylin picked up a green-coloured rock with the shape of a leaf on its surface.

This was a Green Coconut Rock, a rare half plant half mineral commodity.

Smashing the Green Coconut Rock apart, Leylin took the Pink Ink Oil and heated it. When it began to bubble, he added the grounded Green Coconut Rock powder.

* Sssii! * As the powdered Green Coconut Rock was poured onto the Pink Ink Oil, a hissing sound was let off.

The Pink Ink Oil turned green in a moment. It released a strangely fragrant odor.

[Potion successfully brewed!] Upon hearing the A.I. Chip's confirmation, Leylin nodded his head slightly.

He stripped all his clothes off. All sorts of burns and scars could be seen littering his body. His shoulder and stomach each had an extremely horrifying scar with tufts of hair growing around them.

"Qiesiter – Kesi!" Leylin murmured an incantation.

The green-coloured potion in the test tube immediately boiled, and continued to evaporate, making the smell in the air more concentrated.

* Sssii! * As if having been granted a life of its own, the hairs around Leylin's wounds started climbing out and wiggled their way into the test tube.

"Wu!" Leylin gritted his teeth and let these hairs make their way out as they pleased.

A dozen minutes later, Leylin's wound no longer had black hair around it. As for the test tube, it transformed into a ball of hair.

Leylin's expression remained apathetic as he wiped off his cold sweat. He lit a feather on fire and threw it on the ball of hair.

"Boohoo……"

Green flames rose and mimicked the crying sound of a female, which was rather similar to Doris' voice.

Many strands of hair tried to escape, but they were trapped by Leylin within a ball of milky white substance. They had no option but burn into oblivion.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Ellinel Market

After the green flames died down, what was left behind was a pile of white dust.

Leylin's expression was extremely solemn as he lightly dabbed on the dust. * Hu! * The dust swirled in the air, transforming into a female's face, "Enemy! Enemy!"

"This pathogen contains the poison of an aggrieved soul, no wonder it is so strong!" Leylin shook his head, took out a green-coloured potion, and splashed it onto that female face.

* Sssii! * The human face rapidly turned into white mist, vanishing completely into thin air.

"A.I. Chip, initiate scan!" Leylin ordered.

[Beep! Scan complete. Result: Pathogen in Host body has been completely eradicated!]

Hearing the A.I. Chip, Leylin's face finally revealed his relief.

He stretched lazily and touched the scars on his body, "It's a little unsightly! If Neela were to see these, what would her expression be like?"

After rummaging through the big chest, he found a potion and downed it.

A dozen minutes later, Leylin's superficial layer of skin quivered and forced out the layer of scars and dead skin replacing them with glossier skin.

"Once I got rid of the pathogen, healing the scars on my skin is just a matter of a few potions!"

Leylin touched the scars which were extremely faded now, "I estimate that after one more dose, these will be completely gone!"

Leylin then took out the remainder of the unfortunate black bear's paw and rewarded himself with a good meal.

While eating and drinking until he was full, the sky outside had already dimmed. Leylin lit a small fire inside the cave and began to think of the journey ahead.

"Doris has finally been disposed of. There aren't any pursuers remaining so I can rest easy while travelling!"

"The academy's mission isn't really important. After all, I have 3 years to complete it. I wonder how the academy is faring right now?" Although Leylin could enquire about news concerning Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in the market today, he did not dare to.

Who knows if there might be spies around. If he were to expose his identity, wouldn't that be like walking right into a trap?

He could only wait till he journeyed through half the kingdom before he could safely begin making inquiries.

Such a huge matter will definitely be a hot topic at Magi gathering points. He only has to be careful not to expose any information about himself.

"All of these could be dealt with later, what's important is to hurry and change all the potions into magic crystals. It is simply too inconvenient to lug all these huge chests around!"

Leylin patted the solid hard wooden chest. He thought of the miserable brown horse days ago that seemed like it would die anytime. He smiled bitterly.

"I can't go to the Walker family's market anymore. After all, I have just sold a number of potions there!"

Leylin mentally called up the map and located his current position.

"From the academy to Eastwoods Province, I have to travel through 5 other provinces. I can sell potions along the way. At best, I can only sell potions until Jersha Province.

On the map, the Jersha Province was midway to his destination There were two more provinces separating Eastwoods Province from it.

If he were to sell his potions all the way to Eastwoods Province, wouldn't that mean giving away his itinerary and purpose? Leylin wouldn't be so foolish as to do that.

Although he sold his goods along the way, others may not be able to discover it. After all, the trades did every day were numerous. Leylin, however, would rather be a little more cautious in safeguarding his tracks.

As for Jersha Province, it was in the central region of Poolfield Kingdom and was accessible from all sides. Other people would not be able to guess Leylin's destination at all.

"En!" Anyway, there is still time. If it's necessary I can reroute to further locations. In any case, I must be careful never to reveal my identity!"

Leylin looked the points marked as Magi gathering spots and entered into deep thought……

Two odd months passed.

On a path to Jersha Province, a sturdily built black horse carrying a wooden chest and a black robed man could be seen cantering along.

The black robed man had bright red hair and was extremely handsome.

This was naturally Leylin in disguise.

Ever since that time, as Leylin journeyed, he found some Magi gathering points or some small scale trading sites time to time, where he sold the potions he brewed.

As he only sold a few each time, he did not attract the avarice of other experts. Occasionally, some foolish acolyte blinded by greed would waylay him, but they were completely not his match at all. The most dangerous instance was when a level 3 acolyte brought a group of other acolytes to surround him. Still, Leylin managed to evade them with the help of the A.I. Chip's detection capability.

Through these trades, he acquired a few precious materials, and many books on specialised Magi knowledge, greatly enhancing the data bank of the A.I. Chip.

In these past two months, he finally recorded all the Shadow and Dark Element spell models he purchased previously. He then completely obliterated the contents of the book.

This lightened his luggage tremendously.

After selling a huge portion of his potions and getting rid of those bulky spell books, Leylin could fit all of his belongings into one chest.

According to his projections, he could simply travel with a knapsack after selling the remaining potions.

"I have underestimated the popularity of potions. Right now, I have amassed over 2,000 magic crystals. If not for purchasing information and other miscellaneous items, I might have gotten over 2500 magic crystals!"

Leylin stretched his hands and felt around his robes. A sack of hard texture travelled to his hands. He could not help but smile.

"Fortunately, there are high-grade magic crystals in this Magus World. One piece can be exchanged for 100 ordinary magic crystals. Otherwise, I would have a problem carrying all those magic crystals……"

"A.I. Chip, stat update!" Leylin ordered.

[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte and Knight. Strength: 2.7, Agility: 2.8, Vitality: 3.0, Spiritual force: 4.6, Magic Power: 4.0. Status: Healthy] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"En! Strength and Agility increased. This is the result of continuous stimulation of my internal Knight energy. After it stabilises, I can begin to gradually take on the next phase of Knight's training. This should raise all my stats to at least 3! As for spiritual force, it only increased a little. This was the only return I got after a number of life and death situations. Magus training, as expected, is only going to get more and more difficult!"

Leylin sighed and mentally projected the map again.

On the huge map, Jersha Province was in the central region of Poolfield Kingdom. There were many small Magus families here.

Although this was the capital of a regular human kingdom, it attracted all sorts of travellers, many wandering Magi, and even criminal Magi.

These Magi, because of their radical opinions, or some other matter, were exiled from their previous association, faced with persecution, or even put up on bounty lists. They turned into wandering Magi, often making them very dangerous people.

"In Jersha Province, it just so happens that there is a huge Magus market controlled by the Redbud family, one of the three big families supporting Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. I will definitely be able to obtain the latest news here!"

In these past two months, Leylin had secretly made inquiries about the various news related to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. However, the information he got were all rather vague. He only knew that it was at war with some factions to its west. As for its opponents, and how the academy was faring, everything was extremely hazy.

"We're here, Ellinel Market. I'll sell my remaining potions and ask about news of the academy before resuming my journey."

Leylin decided.

In a tiny village's ruined wharf.

"If not for the intelligence report, I would never have believed that the first Magus market in the Poolfield Kingdom would actually be hidden underneath a regular human village".

As Leylin scanned the village's surroundings, a lifeless atmosphere greeted him.

"The Magus market should be below here since there are signs of occasional radiation emanating from it. The villagers above are also definitely sickly, where some might even die suddenly. How would they be able to flourish? I'm afraid after a dozen or so years, this village would become another ghost town!"

Leylin adjusted the grey robes on his body and covered his facial features, before coming to the entrance of a hut made of bricks.

The corroded door let out a dull noise as Leylin knocked lightly.

"Who are you?" An icy voice sounded from inside.

"I am a wandering acolyte, who wishes to have a look at the market!"

* Creak! * The large door opened and revealed a black robed figure.

Leylin was shocked; he felt murderous intent oozing from the black robed figure. This may be a very obscure concept but if one killed too many of their kind, they will definitely be different from others. The feeling that this black robed figure gave Leylin was that many experts of the same level died in his hands.

"As expected of a large market, even the guard is so fierce!" The black robed figure emitted the energy waves of a level 3 acolyte. He even carried a one-time use magical item. It could not escape the A.I. Chip's detection, though.

"No matter if it's your first time or not, I will enumerate the rules. Any fights inside the market will be deemed as a provocation by the Redbud family." The black robed figure said icily.

Only then did Leylin notice the Redbud insignia on his sleeves.

"I understand!" Leylin nodded his head.

"Alright, the fee would be 1 magic crystal!"

After Leylin paid the entry fee, the black robed figure tapped lightly on the fireplace, and steel machinery rumbled. The fireplace swung to the right revealing a flight of stairs going downwards.

"Even the style is reminiscent of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!" Leylin shook his head.

After entering the tunnel, the fireplace swung shut, and the passage dimmed once more with only a few lamps dimly glowing in the depths.

Leylin descended the stairs. After he felt he had gone a dozen metres underground, a huge cavern emerged.

The market was extremely huge. It was the size of several football fields. The ceiling was studded with some kind of stalactite that made Leylin wonder if they were natural.

In the middle of the market, buildings built using grey rocks were lined up in a row. Surrounding them was a circle of wooden huts. As for the street stalls, they were actually rather sparse.

Magi and acolytes wore robes of various colours; white, black, and grey-robed people could be seen stepping in and out of the shops.

Leylin began to understand the rules of the Magus World a little better.

Normally, official Magi would either wear black or white, and acolytes would wear grey. White represented the factions that were more peace loving, for example, the healing arts and the like. As for the black robes, they leaned more towards combat, and their dispositions were rather strange too.

Of course, these are the conventionally attired ones. There were also some Magi who wore various odd looking costumes that were rather bizarre.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Lowian's Teachings

"Sir, do you need someone to show you around? I only charge 1 magic crystal!" Clamored the little boys and girls who crowded around Leylin.

"No need for that!" Leylin immediately refused.

After visiting a lot of markets, he found out that these guides did not require that much payment. Some of the families controlling these markets even provide free guides to help patrons move around.

The first time he entered a market, he gave a little boy a magic crystal. This was a huge deficit for him.

As for ordinary markets, they were considerably smaller. Circling for a few times would be enough for anyone to become familiar with the place. There were even signs around. So under normal circumstances, patrons do not require guides at all.

Leylin casually strolled inside the market. Later, he walked towards the largest Potion's Shop.

"Greetings Sir!" A white-bearded geezer smiled and bowed.

"I wish to sell a batch of potions. Their prices may be a little high!" Leylin was extremely direct.

"Please follow me!" The old geezer was startled. He immediately brought Leylin to a small booth at the back.

After closing the door, Leylin felt the energy waves generated by an isolation spell formation.

"Our shop extends confidentiality towards our guests. Moreover, we also employ the best safety measures……"The white-bearded geezer smiled as he explained.

"Not bad!" Leylin nodded his head, being able to avoid the crowd was extremely beneficial to him.

There were two sofas within the booth, and between these was a small wooden table with two hot piping drinks on it.

"Please have a seat!" The geezer gestured.

Leylin sat down and reclined on the sofa. He lifted the cup and sniffed lightly, "Powder of Tillan Beans with black pearls added, very beneficial for an acolyte's meditation!"

"Your achievements in Potioneering have left me speechless!" The old geezer's eyes widened in shock.

"Thank you. I have been inside an experiment lab for a year until now working on something important. Please appraise these potions for me!"

Leylin handed over a sack to the old geezer.

The old geezer opened the sack, and immediately cried out, "Eh?!"

In the sack was the remainder of Leylin's potions, each and every one of them glowed resplendently.

"Please wait a minute!" The old geezer took out a monocle and placed it over his eye.

After what seemed like half an hour, the old geezer looked a little exhausted and rubbed his temples after he put the monocle away.

"37 hemostasis potions, 45 antidotes, silence potions……These potions are all of the good quality and have been preserved well. I can give you 900 magic crystals for them!"

"Very fair!" Leylin gently nodded his head.

The old geezer then stored the potions for safekeeping and counted out 9 high-grade magic crystals which he handed over to Leylin.

"Sir, you must be a Potioneering Master? Please keep this; you will be able to enjoy a 10% discount on items and services in our shop. We can also offer a higher price for other potions you may have……"

The old geezer said as he presented a purple card to Leylin with both hands.

Leylin glanced at the card and then pocketed it swiftly, "I'll keep that in mind!"

The old geezer then sent Leylin off. As they bade farewell, Leylin casually asked, "As you know, I've just finished my experiments. Are there places where I may inquire about the latest news on the Poolfield Kingdom?"

The old geezer stared blankly for a while before answering, "If you wish to learn some secrets and the latest intelligence, Gandor's Grocery Shop would be your best choice. Although his temper is a little wacky, but he's the most informed……"

According to the old geezer's direction, Leylin came to Gandor's Grocery Shop.

As he entered, the things inside the shop were very untidy, and various items were lying around. There were even many that the A.I. Chip could not identify.

One thing stood out though, no counterfeit products were inside. This piqued Leylin's interest.

"Who?" A voice sounded from behind the counter. Following which, a geezer, who appeared as if he was on the brink of death, popped out from behind it.

"The geezer from the Potion Shop recommended this place to me. I wish to gather the latest intelligence regarding the Poolfield Kingdom.

"Same old rules, only after buying an item in my shop will you will be able to obtain information from me." The half-dead geezer lips did not move but a mysterious voice could be heard from him.

"Alright! I'll simply pick anything I fancy!" Leylin wanted to pick an item at random.

"No can do, it is I who will choose for you!" The half-dead geezer sniggered.

"No wonder business is so bad here!" Leylin rolled his eyes, "Go ahead then!"

The half-dead geezer rummaged through a shelf at the back of the shop. The wooden shelf made a creaking sound. It looked like it would collapse any moment. Leylin was even worried about him since the shelf looked like it could collapse at any moment.

"I found it!" The half-dead geezer took a black coloured scroll from the shelf.

On this scroll were characters that Leylin did not recognize at all. Its corners were extremely frayed and looked like mice had chewed on it.

"This is a fragment of The great Magus Serholm's spell. I'll sell it to you for only 1,000 magic crystals, an absolutely worthy deal, what do you think?" The half-dead geezer eyes glittered.

"This could even be the inheritance of The Great Magus Serholm! Perhaps, you could advance to high-level Magus after you buy it……"

Leylin was left speechless as he took it in his hands.

"A.I. Chip! Scan!"

[Beep! Confirmed: Carbon dating, document comparison analysis shows this page is composed of human skin! Belongs to: Lowian's teachings: 89.5%, Blue Cobalt rare book: 56.5% and Serholm's writing: 21.7%]

"There exists something like this? A.I. Chip, what is the strength of the geezer opposite me?"

[Estimated level 3 acolyte, based on energy wave emissions, Confirmed: he is in a process of reconstructing his physical body. Degree of similarity: Zombification: 86.6% and Aggrieved Soul Transformation: 45.6%]

Leylin pretended to scrutinize the page for some more time before looking up at the geezer, "This seems like a remnant of the Lowian's teachings. You actually lied to me?"

"How can this be?" The half-dead geezer hurriedly lamented. A flash of shock crossed his eyes, which immediately changed into a cajoling expression.

"Even if it is the Lowian's teachings, this assuredly belongs to Sir Rookmanst, a rank 2 Magus, 2 years ago, this same fragment was sold for 700 magic crystals. So, how about I sell it to you for that price?"

Leylin shook his head, " Lowian's teachings were written in an advanced-coded language. Only an official Magus will be able to decipher the code. Ordinary acolytes will definitely not be able to."

"Furthermore, although the contents were written in code, but their page numbers were written in the Angema language to make it more obscure!" Leylin pointed to the page number at the bottom.

"Look at this, it's only page number 12! According to , the first 30 pages of Lowian's teachings contained only records of his experiments, and insights penned when he was still an acolyte. Only when he turned into an official Magus, did he chance upon an inheritance and he began to display a terrifying talent! As for this overpriced page, the page number should at least be beyond 100 to be believable!"

"Transactions among Magi are based on the premise that the exchanged goods are equal in value. This derelict page of yours is not worth 700 magic crystals. According to my estimate, 70 is its highest asking price." Leylin concluded.

"Yikes……Hahaha! Today's weather isn't bad!" The half-dead man tried putting up a front but finally gave in to Leylin's unwavering gaze.

"Alright, I never expected to meet a very erudite scholar! Take your pick then!"

"No need, I came here to gather intelligence! I'll just buy it at a fair price." Leylin held onto the black coloured page and placed 7 middle-grade magic crystals on the table.

Although the coding on this derelict page could only be deciphered by an official Magus, Leylin wished to give the A.I. Chip a shot at breaking the code. After all in terms of processing ability, Leylin was confident that the A.I. Chip's ability was much better than even an official Magus', despite this being his first attempt at such.

"Alright! Alright! What do you want to ask?" The half-dead geezer sprawled on the table and ate the magic crystals one by one. Leylin was rather shocked by this scene.

"I require a lot of energy. If you were to give me another 1,000 magic crystals I would've definitely completed my physical body's restructuring……" The half-dead geezer's expression was resentful.

Leylin shook his head, "Tell me news about Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!"

"Abyssal Bone Forest Academy! You are an acolyte there?"

"Only some interest in the happenings over there. Besides, I don't want to suffer any collateral damage from the war!"

"Alright!" The half-dead geezer did not ask anymore. "I graduated from there too. Now Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's situation isn't that great. I heard that Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle teamed up to go against Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in this war……"

The half-dead geezer spoke endlessly.

Half a day later, Leylin walked out from the grocery shop with an extremely miserable face. "I never thought that the situation would already be this bad. It seems like I need to stay out here longer than I expected."

According to the half-dead geezer, the reason for the war had long since been forgotten. What mattered was that Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle were factions on the same level as Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Their alliance placed Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in a disadvantageous position. Right now, the academy could only rely on its defence spell formation to resist.

"A.I. Chip, how long will it take to decode this page?"

Leylin felt the derelict page of the Lowian's teachings. Although it was made from human skin, Leylin still wrapped it well and kept it within his robes.

[Beep! Analysis in progress! No comparable code found in the databank. Will require conjecture……Estimated time to completion: 93 days 13 hours!]

"3 odd months? I can do that!" Leylin stroked his chin as he casually strolled around the market.

What he had told the half-dead geezer earlier was the truth, but Leylin simply wanted to gamble upon the A.I. Chip's abilities. Even if it did not work out, the information the half-dead geezer had provided was worth at least 20 to 30 magic crystals.

Although the page number of the Lowian's teachings' derelict journal page was pretty low and contained mostly information for acolytes, for a level 2 acolyte like Leylin, it still was pretty useful.

There may even be some of Rookmanst's meditation techniques, experiment records or even some discovery of resources. If he could discover them, Leylin would benefit immensely.

In any case, the processing capabilities of the A.I. Chip were very impressive. Leylin had not even used half of its capabilities, just letting it sit idle for most of the time. He might as well use this downtime for deciphering the code.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Slaves

Leylin's footsteps did not stop until he walked out of Ellinel Market.

The exit was at the side of the village and was actually beneath a stack of hay. It was also guarded by a black-robed man with theRedbud insignia.

"A.I. Chip! Initiate area scan!" After walking out of the village, Leylin ordered after walking out of the village.

A faint light blue screen was projected in front of Leylin's eyes, clearly identifying a sneaky figure tailing him from behind. In the whole light blue projection, the red dot was extremely obvious.

[Target's identified. strength estimated at level 2 acolyte. No magic artifact detected!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"Only a level 2 acolyte huh? Seems like it's not any huge faction, but only an avaricious dog after some wealth!"

Leylin's eyes flashed coldly, "If I didn't have other plans ……"

The level 2 acolyte tailing Leylin seemed to be extremely patient. Only after Leylin was a dozen miles away from the vicinity of the market did he make his sneak attack!

* Whoosh! * Suddenly two balls of mud rose beneath Leylin's feet, turning into two yellow-brown coloured hands that tightly held down Leylin's ankles.

A dagger suffused with purple light immediately stabbed towards Leylin's back.

"Success!" yelled the sneak attacking acolyte whose face was flushed with joy. He belatedly realised that Leylin had mysteriously dissolved, turning into a vine with thorns that coiled around his body.

The thorns mercilessly dug into flesh. The acolyte could even feel the vine come alive and was greedily feeding on his blood.

"Damn! It's a golem! What is this spell! Shadow Embodiment? Leeching Vines?" As the acolyte lost huge amounts of blood, he increasingly became muddleheaded.

"Ah! You can't do this! Please……Please spare me……"

The acolyte pleaded. Alas, the immediately the vines squirmed and sealed his mouth.

* Bang! * The spell's effect disappeared, and on the ground was left the shrivelled corpse of the acolyte.

Against his enemies, Leylin was never merciful.

The second day, Leylin once again visited the market.

"Sir! Do you need a guide? I only require 1 magic crystal!" The noisy little kids were still clamouring at the entrance.

Today Leylin had changed his clothes. And to conceal himself even further, he changed his appearance too.

Although his previous face was a fake, there was no guaranteed special spell effect that could penetrate and see through the cloak.

As for energy waves and the sort, Leylin was not too worried about it. Yesterday he deliberately avoided official Magi, so his energy waves would never be recorded.

To capture the energy waves generated by the spiritual force, an official Magus has to make enough preparations beforehand. There wouldn't be any Magi who had nothing better to do.

"You'll do!" Leylin randomly picked a little girl.

"Thank you! Sir, I am extremely familiar with this place!" The little girl was a little overjoyed. She wore a white coloured dress and looked to be somewhat thin.

After tossing a magic crystal to the girl, Leylin said slowly, "I wish to enter a higher leveled area!"

His voice was modified to sound different from the day before.

"A higher leveled area? You mean……The second level?" The little girl asked a little hesitantly.

"Of course!" This was the point to the experience Leylin patiently amassed after coming to the market many times. These markets weren't very huge, and Leylin always felt that something was missing. Certain precious resources were absent in these markets too. These little children guides most likely stood here waiting for powerful customers to bring them to the more concealed areas.

"Since you know about the second level, then you should also understand that if you don't have an item worth over 1000 magic crystals or a guarantor, you will be denied entry."

"Naturally I do! Lead the way!" The little girl raised her head, yet she was unable to discern the expression behind Leylin's cloak. She could only lower her head and lead the way.

"Although there should be many official Magi on the second level, there is no choice. The two ancient formulas, Azure Potion, and Tears of Mary, plus many of their ingredients have not been collected yet. If I can't even find it here, biggest Magus market, then there is completely no chance anymore. I can only look for substitute ingredients!"

Leylin's expression was rather dark. As he journeyed, he sold potions along the way and did his utmost to collect all of the ingredients of the two ancient potions. However, he was met with little success so far. Ellinel Market was the second largest gathering of Magi after Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. If he couldn't find what he needed here, then Leylin was completely helpless.

Leylin followed the little girl. They arrived at a rather deserted alley.

She used a stone found on a wall corner of the wall to knock.

* Bang! * The alley's walls shifted, revealing an underground passage.

"Here it is!" The little girl said softly, as if very afraid.

"Lead the way!" Leylin followed the little girl and they continued walking downwards. Several minutes later, they reached a door at the end of the passage.

Two level 3 acolytes wearing blood red robes were standing guard. According to the A.I. Chip's scan, they carried magic artifacts on their bodies. This slightly startled Leylin. At the same time, he was filled with curiosity towards the market behind it.

The little girl went forward and exchanged a few words with the two acolytes before walking back to Leylin. She curtseyed, "Most respected Sir, I can only lead you this far!"

When she finished speaking, she hurriedly ran back up the flight of stairs disappearing into the darkness.

"It seems like there is something in this premium market that terrifies her!" Leylin thought indifferently as he walked towards the two acolytes.

"An item of proof, or an item worth at least 1000 magic crystals!" A red robed acolyte said icily. Standing before them, Leylin could somehow sense the wails of aggrieved souls hovering around them.

"What terrifying people!" Leylin thought inwardly. He tossed over a small sack containing 10 high-grade magic crystals.

The red robed acolyte opened and looked before tossing the sack back to Leylin. He then opened the door behind him.

Leylin walked in unhurriedly. Only after the large door closed behind him, was he inclined to observe the area in front of him.

This field was most likely beneath the market earlier. Its surface area was smaller, only having a street traversing it.

From time to time Magi walked past. Since it was not very crowded, the distance between passersby was rather far. There were almost no level 1 acolytes here. Level 2 acolytes too were very few. Most of the people here were level 3 acolytes. Their bodies all radiated strong energy waves. Official Magi too were rather common.

Leylin inhaled deeply and walked down the street……

Half an hour later, Leylin walked out of a stone hut with a Potion sign, his face had obvious signs of joy.

They had the main ingredients Kroft mentioned, as well as the rest of the ingredients, "It is indeed the largest market!"

The main ingredients of the two ancient potions, Azure Potion, and Tears of Mary, were the most important. As for other ingredients, they were easier to acquire. Being able to buy them all at once exceeded Leylin's expectations.

Leylin spent more than half of the 1000 magic crystals he prepared to purchase these ingredients. He was still satisfied, though, and felt that the expense was worth it.

Putting away the ingredients, he anticipated that he had to find a safe place and begin brewing the potions. His mood was rather good. He even felt inclined to stroll around a bit.

The goods here were obviously of a higher grade than the market above. Leylin even saw a low-grade magic artifact dagger for sale.

However, the price was at least 400 magic crystals, which immediately made Leylin stop feeling lucky.

Suddenly, Leylin heard noisy clamouring voices travelled over leaving Leylin a little startled. He tracked these voices and made a new discovery.

"Slave market?"

What Leylin saw in front of him was a large fenced area. Many stark naked slaves were standing behind fences. Their faces showed either numb indifference or extreme humiliation as they let the acolytes and Magi take their pick.

"Just right! I'll need a few slaves myself!"

Leylin wanted to stay in Extreme Night Town for around 3 years. He could not manage many things by himself. Originally, he planned to recruit a few guards and servants when he got there, but a few high-grade slaves were now conveniently available.

After all, they were all raised or controlled by Magi. This lent their owner better security and assured functionality.

"Sir! What do you think? Do you need a female slave for your bed?" Look, these are all good quality ones, some are even of the nobility.

A slave trader looked as Leylin walked forward. The slaver hurriedly patted the ample breasts of a group of female slaves behind him, which carried a rippling wave effect.

Behind him were a dozen utterly naked noblewomen. Their skin was extremely smooth, and their figures were quite vivacious. Even if they were slaves, their aura of nobility could not be stifled.

"How did they end up here? I mean, as nobles, wouldn't it be troublesome?" Leylin was a little curious.

"Please don't worry, these are all nobles who fought and lost in battles. Their fiefdoms have long since been usurped and their families destroyed. They are legally under the death sentence. There will absolutely be no trouble at all.

The trader smugly explained.

Leylin looked behind a noblewoman who was being dragged away. There was obviously a noble young lady standing there. He could not help but think of the young noble lady he met previously in the woods. If her revenge failed, who knows if she'll be sold at this place too.

"How are they? Buy a couple, and it's up to you how you play them! After you're sick of them, you can use them for your experiments. Even if they die, it's not a problem!" The trader did his utmost to entice him.

Leylin shook his head, "I wish to purchase a few guards, preferably of a Knight's level. Also, I will need a few assistants for my experiments!"

"If it's like this!" The trader stroked his chin, "What you're looking for are premium slaves, and their price will be extraordinary! Of course, those who are able to enter here are customers with strength. Please follow me!"

Leylin walked behind the trader and saw many slaves. Some of them were well-built youths while some were still children. They were all staring outside from behind the fence looking fearful. From time to time a few Magi pointed at them or even walked forward to inspect them.

Leylin even saw a group of Magi surrounding a few beastmen and marine species slaves, bidding over them.

The trader pulled Leylin to a large tent, and called a fatty over, "This is my friend, Dylan. Right, he has some premium goods."

Leylin did not know what Dylan whispered to the trader, but after a while, the trader laughed heartily as he walked away. Only then Dylan smile towards Leylin and said, "Most respected guest, I have already understood your requirements! We just received a new batch of premium slaves, please follow me!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter