Advent of the Archmage - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: The Dark Elf Infiltration?

Link woke up early the next day. He had agreed to craft the black-dressed woman an accessory imbued with the Flame Blast spell. As he did not want to delay this request indefinitely, he decided to start drafting the blueprint for this accessory while he was still energetic from a good nights’ rest.

Ah, the black-dressed woman…Link forgot to ask for her name yesterday. After all, he was slightly nervous throughout the whole encounter.

As this accessory needed to be enchanted with a Level-4 Flame Blast spell, a bracelet would be the best choice. Rings and necklaces were often constrained by the lack of space for the carving of magic runes, making it extremely difficult to enchant high-level spells.

The accessory had a complex structure. To ensure accuracy and minimal mistakes, Link meticulously drafted the blueprint, writing down every detail instead of simply imagining it in his mind. The perfectionist side of him then slowly took over.

He was extremely particular about every magic equipment that he crafted. Not only must the details be aesthetically pleasing, the spell enchanted in the accessory must also be done to perfection, meaning it should not merely be an ordinary Flame Blast spell. He had to take into consideration its effectiveness in real combat and then modify it accordingly.

He made sure each magic equipment that he created was unique in its own way.

After some consideration, Link decided to strengthen the Flame Blast spell with a Supreme Magical Skill he had just learned.

Link had to give his all in crafting this bracelet despite it being a complimentary gift. If he had done a perfunctory job, he would have this urge to modify it even after giving it away. Link felt uncomfortable just thinking about it.

I seem to be in the final stages of my Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Link sighed.

It was 7 o’clock in the morning by the time Link was done with the blueprint. He then kept his writing materials and started washing up.

Ten minutes later, Link met up with Herrera, Eliard and Rylai at the hall.

The Blue Hermit Inn was even more crowded in the morning. Magicians were streaming in and out. Herrera had quite the reputation amongst Magicians. As many of them passed by Herrera, they would greet her with respect.

Link, Eliard and Rylai were all young Magicians. They were thus merely seen as Magician’s Apprentices Herrera brought along and did not receive much attention.

After breakfast, Herrera said, “The fair will be held at Jade Street and it is just five minutes away. Let’s walk over.” Herrera was a veteran—she had taken part in this yearly affair at least ten times. Link and the rest naturally took her advice and followed behind her all the way to Jade Street.

The area around Jade Street was also extremely crowded due to the Magician’s Fair. Most of the vendors outside were ordinary vendors or farmers who had hoped to ride on the popularity of the fair to earn some extra income. Most of the items sold by these vendors were low-quality magic materials such as silver star flowers and magic iron ore. They were simply walking around to immerse themselves in the bustling atmosphere of the fair. However, it was different for Rylai.

Rylai would often help out in the alchemy lab back in Herrera’s Mage Tower. Her job included cleansing magical herbs and brewing herbal potions. Eliard would then give her some commission as the finance manager of the Mage Tower. Just this month, her work had earned her five gold coins. This job had also developed her interest in alchemy and she would conduct her own experiments every now and then.

However, she could not afford the materials sold in the Mage Tower. Her aim for this Magician’s Fair was to purchase some cheap materials for her experiments.

She hopped around the different stalls and was clearly in a state of bliss. With her innocent face and three powerful Magicians as escorts, the vendors naturally offered reasonable prices. All of them looked at Rylai with interest and joy, giving her ample time to purchase what she wanted.

It wasn’t long before Rylai spent all her savings. Link offered to help her carry her spoils as she skipped forward with a satisfied expression, brimming with confidence about her experiments.

This was an extremely carefree memory for Rylai. Many years later when she already owned her own Mage Tower, she would still smile at the thought of her teenage days.

They reached Jade Street after a relaxing time shopping with Rylai.

Herrera suggested that they split up to search for what they wanted while Rylai accompanied her. Eliard and Link agreed without hesitation. It would be a waste of time if they traveled together since they were not planning to purchase the same materials.

Link passed all the magic equipment he had crafted for sale to Herrera. Herrera then gave him 6000 gold coins as his earnings in advance. With a bag full of gold coins, he started browsing through the stalls in the Magician’s Fair.

Similarly, Eliard handed over 100 magic scrolls to Herrera and had over 700 gold coins to spend. This was more than sufficient to purchase low to mid-level magic materials.

Link bought a kilogram of silver from a Level-1 Magician. Just as he was about to purchase wood to craft the body of his staff, he saw a figure at the corner of his eye. Somehow, he found this person vaguely familiar.

But he had almost no acquaintances in the capital.

Link felt something was amiss and pulled his hood over his face before he followed quietly behind. As there were Magicians and magic equipment everywhere in the fair, the magic fluctuations in the air were completely indiscernible. It was impossible to distinguish the identity of the figure unless Link recognized their facial features.

The figure did not seem to notice Link. They would stop every so often to purchase some magic materials before moving forward. As Link got closer, he could discern the features more clearly. This person had brown curly hair and nearly flawless skin. From the side, he looked simply like a handsome human. However, Link was even more puzzled. He had definitely seen this person somewhere!

Who exactly is he? Link tried matching this image with the Magicians he knew in his mind.

Link had not been in contact with many Magicians. Furthermore, most of the Magicians he knew were from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy. If he truly was from the academy, Link would have recognized him straight away.

Wait…that’s the Dark Elf! His height, posture and the way his arms flailed around when he bargained. It was exactly the same as the Dark Elf named Felidia. As Link observed, he found more tell-tale signs.

His skin color was not natural. It seemed to be covered with a layer of cosmetic product. From the side, his pupils seemed brown. However, Link knew that a Magician could craft color-changing crystal lenses easily!

It was unusual for a Dark Elf to appear in the capital of the Norton Kingdom. There was no need to take such a big risk if he only wanted to purchase magic materials. There must be an ulterior motive.

Link carefully trailed behind Felidia. They walked through half a street to the central area of Jade Street. Just in front of them was the central plaza where both the human density and quality of the magic materials sold was the highest. Link even saw a vendor selling silver dragon heart blood.

The silver dragon was an extremely powerful magical creature. Its blood was usually used to create high-quality ink for the production of mid to high-level magic scrolls.

There were even people from other races mixed into the crowd. Link saw a dwarf selling a magic pistol and an earth spirit selling magic goggles. However, the one that attracted his attention the most was the group of high elves.

High Elves, a glorious race whose hometown, Dawn Island, lay across the ocean from the Norton Kingdom. They were characterized by their crystal clear purple irises, golden hair, defined facial features, slender stature and most important—exceptional magic talent. Almost every High Elf would develop some sort of magic potential. The queen of the High Elves was also a Level-9 Magician who was only one step away from the revered title of Legendary.

There were in total 15 high elves, each of them wearing exquisite and sky blue magic armor. Amongst them, there were three Magicians while the 11 of them were the famous Magic Warriors indigenous to the Dawn Island. Both the Magicians and Magic Warriors were at least Level-4 in strength, making them an extremely powerful entourage.

Beside these High Elves were a team of Warriors from the Norton Kingdom. There were around 20 of them clad in gold shining armor. They were members of the Royal Forest Guards and each of them was at least Level-3 in strength.

And in the middle of this troupe was a High Elf teenager, the reason for all these protective measures.

He was only about 18 years old, his eyes glowing with a slight lavender hue, much like a flawless amethyst. His hair was a light golden color with a glossy shine, reflecting tiny golden rays under the warm bright sun. His features were almost perfect, so much so that even the handsome Eliard paled in comparison. It was not merely an issue of facial features, but one of temperament and demeanor.

“A High Elf noble!” Link gasped. Pure Amethyst eyes coupled with flawless looks were the characteristics of a High Elf noble.

At that moment, Link also saw Felidia quickening his pace and disappearing into an alley.

The appearance of both a High Elf noble and a Dark Elf Magician raised an ominous feeling in Link’s heart. A dangerous premonition sounded repeatedly in his mind.

He was just about to catch up to Felidia when he felt a pat on his shoulders. He spun around and saw the black-dressed woman he talked to last night.

“Hey it’s you again! What a coincidence!” Eleanor smiled.

Link did not have the time to chat, he urgently said, “I have something I need to attend to…”

Before he could complete his sentence, he felt a slight elemental fluctuation among the indiscernible magic aura on Jade Street. This magic fluctuation was extremely well concealed. If not for Link’s keen perception, he would not have been able to tell. Link’s facial expression immediately turned serious.

This feeling… it’s the Flame Blast spell! And it is deliberately concealed as well! This is Jade Street!

Link looked around the street. This spell was too well-hidden and no one noticed this slight fluctuation amongst the heat and festive mood of the fair. Link felt a shudder down his spine. If this spell were to explode in the middle of this crowd, the number of casualties would be unthinkable.

However, the magic was about to be released. He didn’t have the time to issue a warning!

Chapter 136: Flame Blasts in the Heart of the City!

In the heart of a busy square on Jade Street.

Prince Phillip swept his gaze across the fascinating sights all around him. There was a variety of magic materials laid out in the roadside stalls and the merchants’ shouts filled the air while human Magicians dressed in vibrant robes roamed the streets.

There wouldn’t be such sights to behold in the Isle of Dawn. Although the island had an area of about 500 miles, its population only consisted of less than three million High Elves, all scattered throughout the island. The island was also rich in natural resources, so its inhabitants had no need to work very hard to get their food and drinks and other necessities. This condition had made the island extraordinarily peaceful and serene.

This was all well and good if you were a life-worn, middle-aged man looking for a quiet place to settle down in. But for a young man full of life like Prince Phillip, the Isle of Dawn was nothing more than a prison.

It wasn’t a surprise then, that he was infinitely grateful to escape the island for a while when he was sent to the Norton kingdom on behalf of the Isle of Dawn’s royal family. He had to discuss the matters of material aid that his kingdom was going to provide the Norton kingdom as an ally in the war against the Dark Elf kingdom of Pralync.

He had some free time today, so Prince Phillip decided to take the chance to visit the Magician’s Fair he heard was going on in Springs City. He saw so many things he’d never seen in the Isle of Dawn here. Although the captain of the guards, Ayrie, who was accompanying him regarded the coarse manners of the humans on the streets with disdain and contempt, Prince Phillip was instead entranced by the passion and lust for life that these people showed.

These humans went about their business with a fire in their eyes. They clearly knew what they wanted and pursued them with steely determination. This was something he admired and had never seen in the High Elves back home. All his kind ever did was repeat the lives that their ancestors had led before them day after day with so much leisure and idleness in their lives that their fragile bones would crumble at the slightest fall.

“I like it here,” said Prince Philip, his eyes shining brilliantly as he drank in the dizzying sights before him.

“Your Highness,” said Ayrie, the captain of the royal guards, “I think it’s time we go back. It’s getting too chaotic in the streets right now.”

“Let’s stay for a little bit longer,” said the prince who was still so intrigued by the sights and sounds of Springs City. “We’ve only been here for half an hour.” He dreaded the thoughts of going back to the dull and stuffy palace.

While Prince Phillip was strolling the streets without a care in the world, Link, on the other hand, was sensing a very strong murderous intent in the air!

There was a very subtle fluctuation of elements in the air. If Link hadn’t increased his vigilance, even he wouldn’t have been able to detect the slight changes he sensed right now. Judging from the movements of the elements, he was sure that a Flame Blast was going to be detonated in a few moments!

But the atmosphere of the street was just too chaotic to pinpoint the location of the looming Flame Blast. He tried to focus all his attention on the slight elemental fluctuation he sensed, but still failed to detect its whereabouts.

In that case, all I can do now is protect myself!

Within seconds, he entered the calm and focused state of mind of spellcasting, in which the flow of time almost came to a stop and the noises of the bustling street quieted down. Even Eleanor’s voice who was approaching him seemed to come from miles away. Right now, in his mind, the only thing he focused on was that vague aura that contained traces of Mana, of elements and of some sort of hidden powers. When he focused on it a little longer he began to hear whispers of the soul too.

By concentrating on this bizarre aura, Link could finally locate the source of the incoming Flame Blasts. They were not coming from the surrounding shop houses, nor were they coming from the crowds. Instead, the Flame Blasts were coming from the underground – or to be exact, their exact point of origin was the sewers underneath the fountain in the heart of the busy square!

He was sure that there wasn’t just one Flame Blast, but three, and it had managed to be triggered so sneakily without causing any major Mana fluctuations because the caster had used magic scrolls and a Domingo crystal!

Yes, he was sure it was a Domingo crystal because he was very familiar with the pattern of the surge of fire elements that were stored in a Domingo crystal.

Three Flame Blasts aided by the use of the Domingo crystal detonated in the sewers right under the square grounds – that would be as dangerous as a mine buried under the ground, and its impact would level everything that was within a hundred feet flat to the ground!

There was no time for Link to do anything other than cast the defensive spell stored in his ring to protect himself. He had fixed a Level-4 Edelweiss to the ring, and it should be enough to shield him from the brunt of the force coming from the Flame Blasts.

Eleanor was still oblivious to the looming danger. She waved her lily-white hands in front of Link’s eyes in an attempt to wake Link up from his apparent stupor.

“Hello, anybody there?” she teased. “What is wrong with you?”

Link had no time to explain. The explosions will reach them any second now. Right at the moment he triggered the spell Edelweiss, he reached out his arms and clasped Eleanor tightly to his chest. They weren’t exactly close friends then, but Link still couldn’t just watch her be consumed by the fire of the incoming Flame Blasts right in front of his eyes.

“Hey, you rascal!” she shouted. “What are you doing?” Eleanor was completely taken aback by Link’s sudden movements. She had lived more than a hundred years and was never treated in such a way, least of all by a seventeen-year-old boy! She actually found it…interesting.

She had no time to come to terms with that feeling though, as the thundering explosions hit them right at that moment.

BOOMMM!!!

An explosion that rumbled the earth erupted in the heart of the square. Flames burst outward like a demon from hell, devouring and destroying everything that came in its path. At the center of the square, the Elf Guard Captain Ayrie activated a defensive spell at the last possible moment, but instead of saving his own life, he used the shield to protect Prince Phillip.

As for the others in the square – the Warriors, the guardsmen, the merchants, even the Magicians who were passing by – all were swallowed up by the blistering flames of the explosions.

Some powerful Magicians managed to react at the very last second by casting a defensive spell around them, though none managed to do so before the flames had claimed parts of their bodies. These unfortunate people were now wailing and howling in pain.

Elemental spells contained the highest destructive power among all types of spells, and spells that utilized fire elements were the most explosive of all elemental spells. Moreover, Flame Blast was, in fact, one of the most terrifying spells among fire element spells. Right now, three consecutive Flame Blasts were detonated – the resulting power of this move would exceed even that of a Level-5 spell attack!

There was a Level-5 Magician who happened to be in the square, but he wasn’t able to protect himself in the face of such an attack as it was too sudden, and it left no time between each Flame Blast. What was worse for him was his location right in the center of the explosion, so even the Level-4 defensive shield that he managed to cast just in time had lasted only half a second before it burst like a bubble and exposed the Magician to all the elements.

In other words, even a powerful Magician was only able to survive half a second longer than the others.

Because there were two rows of shop houses that blocked both sides of the street, the flames of the explosion surged against them like a powerful tide coming in to shore and it reached a hundred feet inside these buildings before it stopped. The impact of the explosions was weaker in the shop houses and the Magicians inside had time to react, so many of them did survive, but most were seriously injured and suffered terrible burns.

The terrifying flames from the explosions lasted for six long seconds. When the fire died down, the formerly boisterous street had turned eerily silent.

Dust and gravel covered the whole area and pieces of charred body parts were scattered everywhere. The remnants of the surrounding buildings flailed flimsily as they were hit by the shockwaves. Terrible cries of pain were heard from spots further away from the point of explosion.

There were, in total, three Flame Blast explosions in those six seconds and they had completely leveled the initially lively and bustling Jade Street into a scene of hell on earth.

Surprisingly, though, in the midst of the scene of total destruction, three people managed to survive.

The first was Prince Phillip, who was enclosed in a shroud of emerald shielding. He was slumped on the ground, dumbstruck by the sheer impact of the explosions and staring blankly around him at the hellish sight of the remnants of the busy square.

The captain of the guards Ayrie, had cast a very powerful defensive spell – equivalent to a Level-6 spell – although it wasn’t out of his own powers but was, in fact, from a magic gear that the queen had given him in case of emergency.

The other two survivors were Link and Eleanor. They were right at the edge of the Flame Blast’s fiery tongue and were protected by Link’s Level-4 Edelweiss. They were both flung 60 feet away by the shockwaves of the explosions and were hurled into a shop near the edge of the square. Apart from slight injuries and dizzy heads, they both had managed to escape practically unscathed.

As they lay on the ground in the shattered house, Link tried to get up and activate the Mana in his body. Then, aided by the additional Mana in the ring on his finger, he managed to cast a new Edelweiss around himself and Eleanor.

The use of magic gear like his own ring could speed up spellcasting, but it would also reduce the power of the spell because of the anti-magic properties of the material that made up the magic gear. Still, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages in this case.

Eleanor, on the other hand, was still shaken up by the swift and violent assaults of the Flame Blasts. She was still dumbstruck and was hiding in Link’s arms, her eyes darted around uncertainly and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

It would be unfair to say that her reactions were because she lacked courage, though. It was just a natural response of someone who had realized that she had just escaped the claws of death by the skin of her teeth.

If she hadn’t noticed Link’s odd behavior just now and decided to come over and greet him, she would no doubt have ended up as some of these mangled pieces of dead bodies strewn all over the square right now.

While it might be true that she was a Level-6 Magician, she had specialized in secret spells. She was unequipped in facing sneak attacks and lacked the understanding of the effects magic spells had on the soul. Needless to say, she was practically defenseless against the Flame Blasts just now.

Link helped Eleanor up to her feet. He peeked through the gaps of the broken wall and saw an emerald-hued aura enshrouding the High Elf prince in the middle of the now empty square. Then he noticed a group of shadowy figures sneaking up on the prince. There were six of them – some of them were Magicians and the rest were Warriors. They all seemed to be humans and each of them was at Level-3 and above.

They were all heading towards the middle of the empty square – towards the High Elf prince!

They’re going to kill him! Link realized. No, there’s more to this. The Flame Blasts just now were aimed specifically at the High Elf prince. This must be the Dark Elves’ doing. But why would they target the prince?

After a moment’s thought, the motive became clear to Link.

They’re trying to put a wedge in the relationship between humans and the High Elves!

In the game, the High Elves of the Isle of Dawn had always been a constant and reliable ally of the human race. When the humans and the Dark Elves declared war with each other, the High Elves sent their princess Mirda to Norton kingdom as the special envoy and had even dispatched tens of thousands of High Elf Magicians to join the army. Without the aid of the Isle of Dawn, it was impossible for the humans to face the Lord of the Deep, Nozama.

I’ll never let the Dark Elves succeed! Link vowed.

Right at that moment, a notification popped up on the interface – a new mission!

Mission: Rescue

Mission Details: Firstly, save the High Elf Prince Phillip’s life! Once that is achieved, investigate the parties involved in this murder attempt.

Mission Rewards: Player will receive 60 Omni Points once the High Elf prince’s life is saved, then once the investigation results in a conclusive finding, player will receive a Soul Glyph.

Hmmm? That’s an unusual kind of reward. Although there were questions in his mind about this strange new reward from the gaming system, Link had no time to think about it now because those humans were now closing in on Prince Phillip. What’s clear as day was the fact that those dying guards around the High Elf prince couldn’t possibly fight off those Assassins!

Chapter 137: It’s Him!

“The human race is overwhelmed by their desires. This desire has granted them prosperity but will also cause their destruction!” This was mother’s evaluation of the human race.

In the past, Prince Phillip only saw the prosperous side of human race and many times yearned for such riches and enjoyment. However, he had now experienced the destruction that came with the benefits first-hand.

In an instant, a bustling central area of the capital was assaulted by multiple explosive and lethal Flame Blast spells. This was simply insane.

Outside of the defensive barrier, the captain of the escort team who was also his best friend, had already vaporized from the high heat. The only evidence of his existence was a broken wand ten feet away. The Magic Warriors were also dead. The only role that their shining magic armor played was to keep their bodies intact under the assault of such high heat.

A Magic Warrior whose skin was completely charred and his eyes still wide open seemed to be staring at Phillip. One could easily tell the shock he suffered before his life was instantaneously incinerated by the blazing flames. He probably could not understand how such a terrible attack could have happened in the Norton Kingdom, much less during the Magician’s Market.

Phillip also saw the body of a father and daughter ten feet away. The father instinctively used his body to shield his daughter the moment the spell was released. This kept the body of the little girl intact, but alas, she was still unable to escape the high temperature of the flames.

The little girl was dead, her body painted a cruel black while she curled painfully on the ground.

This apocalyptic scene was a huge blow to Phillip’s soul. He perspired profusely and tears were streaming endlessly out of his eyes. He lay helplessly on the ground, too shocked and afraid to even move a finger.

He would return to Dawn Island immediately if he was able to survive this incident. He also swore not step into the terrifying world of humanity ever again. His vision was blurred from the tears streaming down his face. However, he could still see a few figures walking towards him.

Are they here to save me? Phillip thought. The Royal Guards would probably be the first people to react to such a terrifying assault in the capital.

However, as his vision slowly recovered, Phillip was horrified to discover the exact opposite of what he had imagined.

These people deliberately covered their features and looked at him with a deathly stare. They also lowered their voices while talking to each other.

“He is not dead yet. He is hiding behind the magic barrier!”

“The barrier had already been weakened by the spell earlier. Destroy it and kill him!”

Two of the Magicians then raised their staff and two seconds later, an Ice Spear spell and a Storm of Daggers spell appeared simultaneously, charging towards the magic barrier guarding Phillip.

While Phillip’s barrier was a Level-6 spell, it was released from his magic equipment and had been set to an instantaneous release mode. The defensive strength of the barrier was thus compromised to allow for faster casting time, lowering the defensive strength to that of a Level-5 defensive spell. It had already successfully defended against three Flame Blast spell. As the two Level-3 spells collided with the emerald barrier, a large number of ripples immediately appeared. It could not hold out for much longer.

“Don’t idle, attack together!” a Magician hollered.

The four Warriors around him brandished their swords and surrounded the emerald barrier. Their swords were enveloped in a deadly Battle Aura as they swung towards the barrier with full force.

Prince Phillip was devastated. The only thing he could do was to grip his magic sword tightly.

He knew that it would be a futile struggle. He was merely 16 years old and a Level-2 Magic Warrior. He stood no chance against a six-man team of Level-3 opponents. He would be instantly destroyed.

As the barrier disintegrated right in front of his eyes, a thought flashed through his mind.

This attack was targeted at me. I was the one who killed my best friend and so many other innocent people.

He was overwhelmed by sadness and regret. If he had known sooner, he would have listened to his best friend’s advice and stayed in the palace.

There were three other figures hiding in a rundown house at the corner of the plaza.

They were all talented Dark Elves, known widely as Constellation Assassin Alina, Level-4 genius Assassin Ainos, and Magician Felidia. They were the three musketeers of the younger generation of Dark Elves and were prodigies in their respective fields.

The trio looked at the scene through the gaps in the house. They had to confirm the death of Prince Phillip before they could leave.

“The High Elves really do have a strong magic foundation. Magic equipment that can instantaneously release a Level-6 spell! How incredible!” Felidia whispered in admiration.

Alina kept silent. Her pair of dark crimson eyes were not fixated on Prince Phillip, but were looking in another direction.

“Who is he?” Alina pointed.

A black-haired teenager emerged from the rubble. He was enveloped in a pale light. Closer inspection would reveal that the light was made up of countless tiny runes, blending and working together flawlessly. This magic aura could only be that of a Level-4 Magician.

Ainos looked over and shook his head, “I don’t recognize him. Are you sure he was the one who released the Level-4 magic barrier? Perhaps it was released by magic equipment his mentor gave him.”

Felidia was similarly attracted by Alina’s words. He was originally relaxed and confident but he gasped the moment he saw Link.

“He is Link! I fought against him once in Red Leaves Cove—he was extremely powerful!” Felidia whispered.

Ainos was well informed about Felidia’s defeat at the hands of a human Magician in Red Leaves Cove. He looked at Alina with a horrified expression, “It’s him! He was the one who used the Flame Blast spell to defeat General Lund!”

“So that’s the guy?” Alina had an ice-cold stare, “It seems like we are in luck. Let’s finish him off while the guards are not here yet.”

The Gladstone City attack was extremely well planned and executed. There were almost no mistakes in the entire process. The Death Hand successfully deceived the Norton Kingdom’s Mission Intelligence, Section 3, and had complete dominance over the military intelligence. However, the human race still managed to turn the tables around eventually and even heavily injured General Lund. It was rumored that the general was so infuriated by his failure that he killed over 30 slaves within a month.

Since then, the human Magician had been a target of the Death Hand. There was no way the three of them would let him leave here alive.

Alina unsheathed her Shattered Star Sword. The sword was made completely from Khorium and had a purple hue. The sword was slender, much like a saber and was also enchanted with a high-level Sharpness spell. Coupled with Khorium’s anti-magic properties and Alina’s Level-5 Battle Aura, the sword could pierce through any magic barrier below Level-5.

As the barrier surrounding Prince Phillip was on the verge of breaking, Link made his move. His targets were the Assassins right beside the prince.

His staff glowed and a piercing whistling sound could immediately be heard penetrating through the atmosphere. Within a split second, six hazy light beams were flying towards the human Assassins.

The six-man team was composed of humans that were bribed by the handsome rewards promised by the Dark Elves. They were indeed a strong combination of Level-3 fighters. However, under Link’s assault, all six of them were defeated in a second, with an injury the size of a fist at the back of their heads.

All in just one second. They did not have the power to even fight back.

Alina was still observing the situation inside the rundown house. This sight caused her eyelids to bat ever so slightly and stopped momentarily in her tracks. She said, “He won’t be easy to take down. Feli, Ainos, we will have to go all out!”

Link was undoubtedly strong. However, Alina was fairly confident in her skills as well. Furthermore, she also had the assistance of her comrades. How could a team of a Level-5 Assassin, a Level-4 Assassin and a Level-4 Magician be defeated by merely a Level-4 Magician?

It would be preposterous.

Felidia whispered, “Be careful, he has gotten a lot stronger. My previous battle experience is probably not useful anymore.”

Ainos was similarly shocked by Link’s high spellcasting speed. He then unsheathed his second dagger and revealed the silver crossbow he had hidden all this time. He was prepared to use his full strength.

“Attack!” Alina was the first to rush out of the house. The moment she left, she immediately activated her skill, Deception Spiral.

With the help of her Battle Aura, her movement speed became incredibly fast. As she advanced, multiple shadows of her seemed to appear—it was impossible to distinguish between the real and fake copies.

This was the best way to deal with a Magician who was currently in a state of extreme focus!

Chapter 138: Who’s in Real Danger Here?

Amidst the ruins of the square, in the heart of the street.

The swordswoman Alina chose the best timing to make her move.

At that moment, the human Magician had just killed off the hired human Assassins. This was the moment that the Magician would let down his guard, or at least it was the moment when his reaction time would be the slowest.

She was now about 130 feet away from the Magician. With the help of one of her Battle Art skills, Deception Spiral, she would only need 1.5 seconds to cross this distance!

In 1.5 seconds, Link would be within her reach. Then all she needed to do was smash the Magician’s defensive spell apart and decapitate him – all with a single swing of her sword!

Yes, she was a Level-5 Assassin so there was no reason she couldn’t do it! More importantly, she was not alone—he had two strong comrades behind her as well.

Just as Alina rushed forward, the Level-4 Assassin Ainos came out of hiding and instantly raised his arm and took aim. In that hand was a crossbow that was radiating a cold silvery Battle Aura.

Click.

The arrow was now in place, and the magic seal on the crossbow was now activated. At the same time, Ainos had stabilized his aim and locked it on Link’s skull.

Whooosh!

For a moment, there was a sudden burst of light that was blindingly bright. Then, an arrow that looked like a silver thunderbolt emerged from it, tearing through the air at a frightening speed towards Link’s head.

This crossbow contained anti-magic powers. At the instant of firing, it would also be boosted by the power of a Level-3 spell, which gave it extreme penetrative force. Even if it couldn’t completely break through Link’s defensive shield, it was sure to weaken it by a considerable amount, so Alina would only have to touch it with the tip of her sword to completely smash the shield.

Once the arrow was fired, the bright magic crystal on the silver crossbow dimmed slightly – it was now recharging. The process would take a while, so Ainos would have to wait three seconds before he could fire the next arrow.

At the same time, the Magician Felidia finally stood up.

He made no move to attack, though. He began, instead, to cast a defensive spell.

Of the three Dark Elves present, he was the only to have fought against Link before. He was familiar with this Magician’s tactics and strategies and he was confident that the combined forces of the three of them would be able to defeat him. Still, they must be prepared to protect themselves with a shield, otherwise the last counterattack from Link before he died might kill at least one or two of them.

That was why they decided that Alina and Ainos would be the ones to attack the human Magician and he would provide them both with the protection of his defensive spells – it was a fail-proof fighting strategy.

About 0.8 seconds later, Felidia used the magic bracelet on his arm to cast a halo spell – Dark Fog!

Dark Fog

Level-3 Halo Spell

Range of Effect: 260 feet.

Effects: Specified targets within the range will be shrouded in a thick protective grayish fog which will decrease the power of a Level-3 spell attack by 60%.

(Note: The higher the level of the spell, the weaker the protection, e.g. the power of an attack from a Level-4 spell would only be decreased by 50%.)

Although the defensive spell was only Level-3, it was more than sufficient to protect Alina because she’d only left a window of 1.5 seconds for the opponent to cast another spell. With such a brief period of time, the most powerful spell the Magician could possibly cast was a Level-3 spell. Even if he could cast a Level-4 spell, its power would still be halved by Dark Fog and Alina’s own Battle Aura would no doubt protect her from it. There was no reason to doubt that she would be able to counter any kind of attack this Magician would hurl at her!

Within seconds, Alina was now less than fifty feet away from Link. She used her Battle Art to blur her silhouette, making it harder for the Magician to aim his attacks as it was now impossible to pinpoint her exact location.

“No!!!” shouted Prince Phillip helplessly.

The human Magician who had just rescued him minutes ago was now in grave danger and he didn’t even have the power to do anything about it!

While he was screaming, the Assassin Ainos’ silver arrow managed to pierce through Link’s Level-4 Edelweiss. The tip of the crossbow arrow was in direct contact with an opposing force as it penetrated the force field; it emitted a shimmery silver light as its speed was gradually impeded. It looked just like a fish that had jumped into a pool of thick gel.

At last, when the arrow had penetrated the shield for about one and a half feet and only a few inches away from Link’s forehead, it was deflected away by the force field. However, the Edelweiss had indeed received some damage because of this attack. The light that had enveloped Link’s body was now so dim that it was almost invisible. All it needed was for Alina to poke the shield gently with her sword and Link would be rendered completely defenseless.

Eleanor had noticed just how much danger Link was in as well now. Naturally she wanted to rescue the young Magician who’d just saved her life seeing that he was about to get killed. But she had underestimated the three Dark Elves’ formidable power!

Eleanor wanted to cast a defensive spell on Link and protect him, but she instantly realized that there would only be less than half a second of time for her to cast it. By the time she was done casting the spell, the Dark Elf’s sword would’ve cut him down from ear to ear.

In other words, in the face of such rapid attacks, Eleanor, the Master Magician who had been exploiting the mysterious features of secret spells for sneak attacks for a century was now powerless against the Dark Elves. She could do nothing but watch her friend get killed in front of her eyes.

The Dark Elves’ battle strategy was like bolts of lightning that would bombard you with attack after attack without giving you time to react. In this case, even if you had the capability to cast a thousand different clever spells, you’d still be defeated as you wouldn’t have the time to cast them.

It was not unlike the strategy that Link and Herrera used to knock the old Necromancer Shade to the ground and defeat him at the black Mage Tower.

Eleanor now realized the cruel truth of how it was impossible for her to help Link now. She couldn’t understand why, but she suddenly felt a sharp pang in her heart. Finally, after more than a century of utter isolation and loneliness, she’d found a friend in Link. Yet in the blink of an eye, death would soon claim her only friend – why must life be so cruel and tragic?

No one could save Link now, that much was clear to Eleanor. The only person left that Link could rely on was himself!

Fortunately, Link turned out to be as reliable as any other help he could get. In fact, he had been brewing up a strategy the moment he saw the Dark Elf swordswoman appear.

The woman was nimble and agile; she was adept at concealing her movements and her speed was swift. It would be difficult to hit her with a spell that had high penetrative power like Whistle, as it would require Link to hit the target accurately. She was also protected by a defensive spell and possessed strong Battle Aura herself as well so any Level-0 spell, even Link’s Glass Orbs, would be useless on her.

Moreover, even if he could hit the Dark Elf accurately with his spells, she would be able to block those attacks with her sword anyway. He also had so little time that he couldn’t afford to make even the smallest of mistakes, so he would have to give up attacking her with any spell that worked in a small target area.

Which meant that he had one option left – his second strongest spell, Flame Blast.

Mana began to flow into his wand and reconfigure into the spell structure of Flame Blast. The fire elements stored inside the Domingo crystal would be a great help to him now as it would save him the time it took for elements to collect and condense at the tip of the wand.

Thus, within one second, a Flame Blast began to take form at the tip of Link’s wand. Alina was roughly 30 feet away from Link by then, and she could even clearly make out the roiling heated air around the fireball. An ominous sense of danger overwhelmed her senses and her pupils shrunk to the size of a pinprick.

At this moment, two options stood before her. Firstly, she could retreat and save her life, or secondly, she could fight on until the last drop of her blood was drained from her veins.

A Warrior retreating before a Magician? That would be more shameful than death. The right choice was clear to her now – she would grit her teeth and fight till her last breath!

Flame Blasts were indeed powerful and there was no doubt that it was her three consecutive Flame Blasts that had turned the square in the heart of the city into a hell on earth. Still, Alina had the powerful defensive spell that Felidia had cast on her body and besides, she possessed a formidable Level-5 Battle Aura. More importantly, she was now only 30 feet away from the opponent. If Link decided to unleash a Flame Blast here, he would no doubt be burnt to a crisp himself!

The fire element was a wild and explosive element to control. While high-level fire spells were undoubtedly fearsome weapons in battles, they were also like double-edged swords that could equally hurt the opponent and the caster!

“Bring it on!” shouted Alina.

She unleashed a burst of Battle Aura which materialized as silver spikes around her body. The bright silvery glint that emanated from her body followed her as she dashed forward at high speed, leaving a trail of faint aura behind her. She looked just like a shooting star falling from the sky.

Unfortunately, she had yet again underestimated Link’s true powers.

In truth, Link had another choice. He could use the Legendary spell to transport himself to a spot faraway and escape the attacks virtually unscathed. He could even bring Prince Phillip and Eleanor with him because the Legendary spell was able to transport more than one person. Despite this choice being available to him, Link nevertheless chose to fight head-on with Flame Blast – because he had enough faith in himself and was confident that he would thwart the Dark Elves’ plans!

In fact, he wouldn’t just thwart their plans, he would also defeat them all!

Chapter 139: Instantaneously Routed!

Within one second, the Flame Blast spell took form!

Link released the spell without any hesitation. The spell would land around 15 feet in front of him. Closer inspection would reveal that this Flame Blast spell was slightly different from the ordinary one. It was still wrapped in the same deadly flames, but the magic fluctuation was much more stable. This stable form caused the resulting spell to look just like a translucent light dome.

The fireball landed after 0.1 seconds and caused a huge explosion. At the same time, Alina was still 25 feet away.

Boom! The earth-shattering sound reverberated throughout the street as the incandescent flames started emerging. Then, a stunning thing happened.

The spell did not erupt in all directions, but instead charged only in the direction opposite of Link in a conical formation. The explosion seemed to be obstructed by an unknown force on Link’s side. The dancing flames were constrained into a perfect semi-circular arch around him.

Supreme Magic Skill: Single Directional Explosion!

This was an upgrade to the Flame Blast spell Link had been working on.

The translucent light dome surrounding the fireball was not merely a more stable version of the flame, but also a binding field. When the Flame Blast spell exploded, Link could then control the eventual shape of the explosion, containing the explosion to a single directional outburst.

As a result, Link would not be affected by the damaging effects of the spell, while Alina had to bear the full offensive power of the explosion.

What was more frightening was the concentration of power in Link’s Flame Blast spell. Even though the spell had been contained by the force field, there was no change in the total offensive power of the explosion. Since it was unable to explode with full power in all directions, all the oppressed deadly fire elements would be compressed towards Alina!

The Flame Blast spell now had a power that was almost Level-5 in strength!

In an instant, Alina felt like she was engulfed in a lava waterfall while she struggled to travel upstream against the torrential current.

Not only was there an endless stream of flame, there were also rubbles and pieces of charred flesh washed up by the force of the spell.

“It’s not possible to break through!” Alina made the judgment in an instant and sidestepped, dodging the attack. She escaped the blazing furnace in 0.2 seconds.

However, within those 0.2 seconds while she was in the lava pool, the black mist protecting her was completely shattered and her Battle Aura disintegrated. Her cloak with anti-magic properties was also vaporized, the anti-magic pebbles in the cloak breaking into pieces. Her protective mask was also drenched in blood as a piece of rubble had hit her right in the forehead.

At the same time, she heard a cry of despair behind her. She spun around and saw Ainos being engulfed by the blazing flames 60 feet away.

Ainos’ reaction speed and defensive power were not as fast as Alina’s. Although the offensive power of the Flame Blast spell had already weakened after spreading out over 60 feet, its surface area was five times larger.

As a result, Ainos did not manage to escape the deadly assault. Following which, Felidia was also affected by this attack.

Felidia was positioned in a much better location. He had enough time to hide behind a broken wall and was much further away from the attack. Hence, he only suffered minor injuries.

However, this was not all. Alina once again felt the violent fluctuations of fire elementals. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a new Flame Blast spell taking form at the tip of Link’s staff.

Supreme Magic Skill: Link’s machine gun!

Under the effect of magic resonance, the new Flame Blast spell formed almost instantaneously. Due to the three Flame Blast spells fired by the Dark Elves previously, the air was concentrated with fire elementals, this hence catalyzed the spellcasting speed of fire elemental spells. Alina estimated that the Flame Blast spell would be fully formed in 0.5 seconds.

How can his spellcasting speed be so fast! Alina was horrified. This was a Level-4 spell and not some simple Level-0 child’s play. It did not make sense!

She only had around one-tenth of her Battle Aura left. It would not be enough for her to escape; her only choice was to fight to the death. Fighting to the death was merely a saying to boost her confidence. To be exact, it should be a futile desperate attempt. Perhaps she indeed had a slight chance of winning, however, it was way too slim. What happened in the next moment completely shattered the final hope present in Alina’s heart.

When she once again charged towards Link, she felt an incomprehensible and irrepressible fear in her heart. The fear was so intense that she turned back involuntarily after only charging forward two steps—she had to leave this terrifying place.

Alina had a strong soul and was able to maintain her sense of reason even when she was struck by extreme fear. She quickly knew that this was not due to her fear of Link, but because of the effects of some sinister spell!

Some distance away, a black-dressed woman was staring at her coldly, her hands holding a purple staff enveloped in a sinister dark purple glow—it was Eleanor. Due to the time constraints, she could only use a Level-3 spell, The Heart of Fear.

The Heart of Fear

Level-3 Secret Spell

Effect: Cause the target to be in a state of fear. Seriously inflicted individuals will lose control of their body and scream involuntarily. May cause death from the breakdown of the soul.

(Note: The more strong-willed the person, the weaker the spell)

Alina was a tenacious woman. She recovered from the spell in less than 0.5 seconds and continued her advance towards Link.

However, Link’s Flame Blast spell was already fully formed and Alina stood no chance. The only reason she continued her assault was due to her pride and glory as a swordsman.

Even if I must die, I will die fighting and not while on the run! Am I going to die? Alina sighed. She could already feel the blanket of death coming over her—it was scalding hot.

At this moment, Alina was suddenly pulled back by a strong force. She realized that everything around her was moving further and further away, creating distance between Link and herself.

Following which, Felidia’s voice rang in her head, “Alina, run, go as far as you can!”

This was Felidia’s spell: High-Level Vector Throw

High-Level Vector Throw

Level-2 spell

Effect: The upgraded version of Vector Throw. User is able to throw a stone weighing half a ton at the speed of 150 feet per second.

Alina did not weigh more than 200 pounds even with the additional weight of all the equipment. The effect of this spell was strong. She flew through the air at a speed of 240 feet per second.

While she was still in mid-air, she saw Link release the Flame Blast spell towards Felidia.

A blinding flash and deafening blast echoed through the street. The flames still advanced in a cone formation, engulfing Felidia’s hiding spot in flames. The next moment, the magic aura surrounding her disappeared.

Felidia was dead.

At the same time, she heard a sharp whistling sound. Her acute senses told her that danger was imminent. Alina saw two small objects flying towards her at high speed. She gasped, “This guy wants to exterminate us!”

Alina finally got the chance to reveal her skills as a swordsman. Brandishing her Shattered Star sword, she dished out 13 slashes in a second, forming a visible net of air ripples in front of her.

The collision of the Whistle spell and Alina’s defensive stance caused metal fragments and flames to burst in many different directions. This debris was mostly blocked by Alina’s fast reaction and her armor.

However, there were still some that slipped through the cracks and penetrated deep into her thighs and arms. Alina immediately felt a sharp pain shot through her body.

Fortunately, her body had landed safely in an alley 300 feet away. With all the houses surrounding her, she was out of her opponent’s field of vision.

The moment she landed, she ignored the injuries on her body and rushed into a house. Following which, she jumped out of a back window onto the streets and deftly maneuvered herself around the streets, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Alina did not know how to describe her feelings.

Felidia, Ainos and herself were termed as the Three Musketeers of the Silver Moon. For this assassination mission, they were not only the main engineer, but also the main execution members.

To hold such great power when they were merely teenagers was a testament to their strength. They felt like the whole world could be trampled under their feet in due time.

However, they were utterly defeated when the three of them attempted to fight this human Magician. Ainos and Felidia were already dead while she was fleeing in panic. All her confidence and pride were completely shattered by the human Magician called Link.

How can there be someone this horrifying? His spellcasting speed was insane! How do I even explain this situation to the queen? Can I escape from Hot Springs City safely?

Worrying thoughts continued to bubble in Alina’s mind. She could not help but be in fear. She was like a dog who had lost its home, desperately running from the dangers of the outside world without any direction.

Chapter 140: Your Highness, Are You Retreating Already?

The gentle breeze carried the scorching air left behind by the Flame Blast. Link stood in the middle of all the rubble as he stared into the direction of Alina’s escape. He wanted to chase her down, but soon changed his mind.

Alina possessed a Battle Aura of at least Level-5; her speed was lightning fast and Springs City was a labyrinth of narrow alleys where she could easily weasel through and make her escape. Even if Link did try to chase her down, he might end up being the one who got ambushed instead.

He wasn’t sure he could face a Level-5 swordswoman’s ambush right now.

Capturing her wasn’t the most important thing anyway. He must now focus on ensuring the safety of Prince Phillip. It might look like he won now, but there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be any more Dark Elves lurking around trying to attack the High Elf prince.

With this thought in mind, Link turned around and approached the prince.

Eleanor subconsciously followed him. For no other reason than the fact that those two Flame Blasts Link had just detonated were immensely powerful and they had completely toppled her first impression of the young black-haired Magician.

When she first met him yesterday, Link was, in her eyes, a gifted young Magician with very quick spellcasting and exceptional enchantment skills. He was warm and friendly, while at the same time wise and sensible. There was a hint of awkwardness about him, but all in all he was an amiable young man.

But just now, when they were suddenly attacked, Link had reacted calmly and quickly which had saved her life. He even went on to kill six Level-3 professional Warriors at an amazingly quick speed. Then, when he was surrounded by three even more dangerous opponents, Link managed to keep his calm and killed two of them and force the remaining one to flee without even moving a step.

This kind of combat power was simply terrifying!

Eleanor imagined herself in Link’s situation and thought that if she were to face such dire circumstances, she’d probably die at least twice.

Although she was well-versed in secret spells and was in fact a Master Magician, all these spells she’d learned would be totally insufficient to make her last even a fraction of a second in a violent battle.

In this battle against the Dark Elves, another side of the young Magician was revealed to her – that cold, resolute and dangerous side, and it had left a much more profound and lasting impression on her mind than what she thought of Link when she first met him.

She had followed him for a few steps before she forcefully pulled herself back and shook her head gently, incredulous of the young man’s influence on her.

She was also a master of spirituality, so naturally she understood the reason behind this influence she felt.

He’s planted a deep impression on my heart now, thought Elena after a deep sigh. I’m afraid I won’t be able to be strong in front of him after this.

She knew that she could never reach Link’s level of magic skills, or his wild and bursting energy, or his single-minded determination. The only way she could free herself from Link’s influence was to defeat him in a battle with exactly the same tactics as Link had used just now. But that was near impossible, so Eleanor had no choice but to concede to this new influence that she’d never experienced before.

She then turned to the corpses of the two Assassins on the ground nearby. They had been charred to the bones, but because their armor was made of very good materials, their bodies were still held in their original position where they fell dead. These people had almost killed her, so she must get to the bottom of their identities and motives.

Within the first few seconds Eleanor had noticed that both corpses had dark purple blood.

“Dark Elves!” exclaimed Eleanor in shock.

News of the massacre in Gladstone had spread throughout the continent and Eleanor was well aware of it as well. She’d never thought that they would be so bold to sneak into the capital city and create such a raucous here. There was no doubt now that the enmity between the kingdoms of Norton and Pralync would only be solidified and radicalized from this point onward.

Since you’re both Dark Elves, I’ll just go ahead and use the spell on you with no hesitation then. Eleanor would’ve paused if they had been human Magicians because of the impacts her spell would have on the souls of the dead, but now that she found out that they were the sworn enemies of humankind, she went on swiftly without any qualms.

She chose to cast the spell on the Magician’s corpse. Eleanor waved her wand gently and a gleam of purple light that looked like a pair of phantom hands emerged from its tip. Those hands searched the corpse and reached inside it, where they pulled out a bright orb of white light.

Soul-Searcher

Level-4 Secret Spell

Effects: Obtains a large amount of information about the life history of a person who hasn’t been dead for more than three hours.

(Note: This is a taboo spell as it has a great destructive power to the target’s soul.)

Without considering the damage that the spell might have inflicted on the unfortunate Felidia’s soul, Eleanor grabbed the light orb in her left hand and forced it into the magic golden ring on her finger.

After that, Eleanor could sense a pair of eyes watching her from behind, so she turned around and saw Link’s shocked gaze at the sight of her dark magic spell, although he made no attempt to come and stop her.

Eleanor then smiled awkwardly at Link. She knew for some reason that he wouldn’t interfere. Seeing that Link made no move a few seconds later, her smile widened, and she slowly stepped back and headed towards the shambles of rubbles and mostly destroyed buildings. Soon, she disappeared into the narrow alleys without a trace.

The city guards would soon arrive, and they would not like the look of a mysterious Magician using dark magic. She had no choice but to bolt before they could catch her. She was enraged by these Dark Elves who had almost taken her life. Although she was glad that two of them had been killed, there was still that swordswoman who ran away like a coward. She swore by the honor of a Master Magician that she would use her magic skills to hunt that woman down.

Meanwhile, Link turned around and headed towards Prince Phillip. By then, the young prince’s eyes were blurred by tears and he was dazed and confused by everything that had just happened. When he heard the approaching footsteps, he raised his head and saw Link. He looked into the Magician’s eyes with respect and gratitude.

“Master Magician, thank you for saving me,” said the prince, his tone full of reverence and awe, though he still sounded awfully formal.

He was grateful to be alive, but this incident was a rude awakening of the cruelty in the human world. His previous fascination for this world was now violently shattered. All he wanted now was to go back to his homeland, back to the safety and serenity that he had known all his life.

The Isle of Dawn was all that was on his mind now.

“Your Highness,” said Link unexpectedly, “have you been frightened by the cruel reality of this world after what has happened?”

“I beg your pardon?” replied the prince, not knowing how else to respond to such a puzzling question.

Link then knelt down in front of Prince Phillip and stared straight into the prince’s violet eyes.

“Your Highness,” he began earnestly, “there is a vast golden savannah in the southern part of the continent where lions rule as the kings of the grasslands. They lived in prides, and in each pride, there will always be just one adult male lion. This alpha male is the strongest of the pride and rules over the other lions and the other beasts of the grasslands.”

Prince Phillip didn’t exactly know where Link was going with this, but he was fascinated by his words and was listening to him intently.

Then, Link reached out his hand and patted the thin and fragile shoulder of the young prince before he continued.

“But did you know, my prince,” he said, “that every male lion would be driven out of the warmth and safety of their prides by their fathers before they reached adulthood? The would be forced to make it alone in the world, where they might get bullied by the dogs, or they might be forced to eat rotten flesh to survive, or they might get stampeded by the elephants or the rhinos. In fact, some even died before they became a mature male lion. Only when they’d passed all these trials were they able to return to their pride and defeat the alpha male and reclaim their position. Your Highness, you are now just like the lion who’d just left the safety of his pride – are you planning to retreat already?”

Prince Phillip was moved by these words. Was he going to run away so soon? Yes, that was the thought he had just now – he was going to return to the peaceful and idle life he’d always lead in the Isle of Dawn and he planned to live out the rest of his life in safety and leisure.

But the Isle of Dawn was only a small part of the world, and the High Elves were only one of the many races that lived on the continent. While an ordinary High Elf might choose to live out his life in the peaceful world of the Isle of Dawn, he was a member of the Amethyst royal family, and a prince of the High Elves.

A prince couldn’t expect to have the admiration and respect of the people if he didn’t honor his responsibilities to protect them and bring glory to the royal family – that was his duty as the prince of the kingdom.

And so, the prince wiped away his tears as he stared at the Magician who seemed to be the same age as he was.

“I thank you again for saving my life,” said Prince Phillip solemnly. “The High Elves will forever remember this valiant and noble deed of yours! May I know your name, sir?”

These words had proven that Prince Phillip was no longer the terrified boy he was just moments ago and was now ready to step up to claim his authority and honor as the prince of the High Elves.

“My name is Link Morani, Your Highness,” answered Link with a smile. “I am a Magician from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy.”

“I am Phillip Rodrick,” said the prince, “the third son of the Queen of the Isle of Dawn.”

Link extended his hand to Prince Phillip, who then held on to it as Link helped him up to his feet again.

This was the portentous moment that was recorded in the history books of the Firuman continent. It was the exact moment that had consolidated the foundation for the glorious alliance between the humans and the High Elves which proved to be one of the most crucial elements that would help the Realm of Light to fend off the Dark Side in the future.

Chapter 141: Anthony You Are Too Damn Lucky!

Central Plaza

…

“Link, are you alright?” A worried but familiar voice rang in Link’s ears. When he spun around, he saw Herrera rushing over with a group of Magicians. Eliard and Rylai were also amongst the first few people who reached the incident site.

The destruction caused by the three Flame Blast spells was devastating, creating a hell-like scene. It had also alarmed the entire Hot Springs City. Herrera and the rest were only the first groups of people rushing to the site. Behind them were the Mission Intelligence, Section 3, the Royal Guards and the Royal Battle Magicians, all making their way to the central plaza at top speed.

This incident was way too horrifying. The situation was getting more chaotic as more people arrived. Link stayed vigilant while staying right beside Prince Phillip to prevent any more tragedies from happening. The sight of Herrera and his friends unharmed calmed him down slightly, “I am fine. However, a lot of people are injured. Prince Phillip also requires attention and help.”

Herrera’s attention was then diverted to the High Elf beside Link. From her accumulation of wisdom, she could more or less infer the cause and motive of the attack. This was definitely a planned murder of a Royal High Elf on the side of the Silver Moon!

She immediately turned and told Eliard, “The situation is pretty serious. Bring Rylai back to the inn to pack up, and leave for East Cove Higher Magic Academy.”

The situation was beyond the powers of Eliard and Rylai. If they continued to stay in the capital, they would only become Herrera’s source of worry and distract her from the investigation. Link, on the other hand, had once fought beside her and even played a crucial role in the Battle of Mist Basin. She had already considered him a fellow comrade.

“What about you?” Eliard’s heart sank. He knew the situation was grave.

“The incident has way too many implications. The kingdom might require my assistance.” Herrera was prepared. She was a master of the East Cove Higher Magic Academy and was known by name in the royal kingdom. She was even accorded the title of a Duchess. She naturally had to stay and offer her assistance in the face of such a tragedy.

“Alright.” Eliard held Rylai’s hand and left the plaza ruins hastily.

As he left, his eyes swept across the plaza ruins. There were two clear lines of impact on the ground and in the middle of those traces were two complete bodies. They were one of the few bodies that managed to remain intact through the incident.

When Eliard first saw the signs, he did not think much about it. However, it hit him after a while.

That was a controlled outburst of energy. It should be the work of Link…has he already reached that level?

Link basically stayed in the academy this whole time, communicating with Eliard over their recent magic discoveries. Eliard had of course heard some rumors of Link’s strength but thought nothing of it. However, now that he had seen the aftermath of Link’s battle, he was hit with the realization of Link’s true power. While they were around the same age, Link had already surpassed him in many aspects, probably even in ways far beyond his imagination.

Eliard quickened his pace at this thought. He could feel the gap widening and had no time to waste. He had to speed up his progress or he would end up chasing after Link’s shadow indefinitely.

The ruins had attracted a crowd. Many of them had a look of horror on their faces, stunned by the image right in front of their eyes.

“Who would be crazy enough to do this?”

“Oh my, this is Wand Master Hermira!” Someone had found the corpse of the well-known Enchanter.

“This is…Master Dallas!” Another person recognized the identity of a Level-5 Magician.

Dallas was a wind elemental Magician from the Southern Magician Alliance. He was probably here to join in on the fun of the festival. Little did he know that he would lose his life on such a joyous occasion. The future was truly unpredictable.

People who were around the edges of the attack were still alive but suffered injuries. As they were treated, screams of pain could be heard echoing through the street.

Herrera joined forces with Link to protect the prince and she held her staff out in alert. Two minutes later, the Royal Guards arrived together with a Royal Magician, an acquaintance of Herrera.

“Master Grinth, you have arrived,” Herrera greeted.

Grinth was a Level-6 Master Magician. He was 58 years old and his hair had turned white. He had a serious expression and his wrinkles seemed as though they were carved onto his face by a sharp knife.

He scanned across the central plaza. When he saw Herrera and Link together with Prince Phillip, he heaved a sigh of relief.

An explosion in the most crowded area of the capital was an unprecedented tragedy. If the prince of the High Elves were to be affected by this incident, it would be a disaster!

It was thus fortunate that the prince was alive and not injured.

Grinth then commanded the Royal Guards beside him, “You, form a team to treat the injured. You guys each bring a team to maintain order.”

The guards immediately dispersed to execute their own duties. After giving some instructions to his assistant, he quickly walked towards Prince Phillip. Grinth immediately bowed and apologized for the trauma caused upon reaching the prince. He then looked Herrera and asked, “Moira, what exactly happened here?”

Grinth and Anthony were best friends. As Herrera was Anthony’s favorite disciple, Grinth was naturally on good terms with her. Furthermore, not only was she the strongest Magician in the area, she was also standing right beside Prince Phillip when he arrived. It seemed only natural to ask her for information.

However, he had inquired the wrong person this time. Herrera pushed Link forward and said, “I do not have first-hand experience of the situation. This is my disciple Link. When the explosion happened, he was nearby. He is also the one who saved the prince.”

Grinth then diverted his attention to Link. He saw a black-haired teenager with a very vague magic aura (Link was concealing his aura) and he was not more than 20 years of age. His heart was immediately filled with a little contempt. Out of respect for Herrera, he said, “Tell me exactly what happened here.”

Grinth was a senior in magic. Naturally, Link greeted him with respect before recounting the incident in detail. Finally, he pointed to the two corpses lying in the trails of his spell and said, “There were three Dark Elves involved. One of them ran away while the other two were killed by me. It was an emergency and I did not have the liberty to control my strength. Hence, I was unable to keep them as captives.”

Grinth was extremely surprised. Firstly, he was surprised at the Dark Elves involvement in this assault. Secondly, he was both impressed and shocked by Link’s battle abilities.

Grinth was not idling while he listened to Link’s recount. His sights were set on the plaza ruins and he managed to get a rough understanding of the situation that unfolded. There were six human bodies with a huge open wound on their heads and no burnt injuries. Link claimed that they were assassins which Prince Phillip confirmed.

From their equipment, Grinth could determine that the six of them were at least Level-3 in strength. If Link had used a spell that covered a large area to kill all of them at once, he would not be this surprised. However, Link had chosen to cast six individual low-level spells. From what he had observed, the six assassins were defeated before they even got the chance to react.

What impressive spellcasting speed! Grinth gasped.

He also saw two huge burnt fan-shaped trails which were more than 90 feet in length. From the remnant elemental energy, he could tell that it was a Level-4 spell.

According to Link, he was ambushed by three Dark Elves at that point in time.

To be able to cast two consecutive Level-4 spells in the midst of an ambush—what kind of skill does that take? Grinth was dumbfounded. As he listened, he carefully observed the young man standing in front of him.

He looks extremely young and is clad in a grey magic robe. He is holding a wand in his hand…? A Domingo crystal! What exquisite workmanship! Such a unique rune arrangement…is this an Epic wand? Why have I not heard of it before?

The most important equipment to a Magician was the wand. An Epic wand would thus definitely be well-known amongst Magicians. However, this was Grinth’s first time seeing this wand. There could only be one explanation which was that the wand was newly crafted.

Anthony kept bragging that there was a genius in the academy who had achieved Level-4 despite his young age. He also mentioned his unimaginable magic talent. Is this the guy?

Originally, he simply dismissed the idea as preposterous.

He had always believed the young man was merely talented. His tender age would suggest that his experience with and understanding of magic was nowhere near satisfactory. However, the battle scene had proved him wrong. The details had proven that this young man was a lot stronger than people of his age. Many of his skills appeared to be original as well, so much so that Grinth was not able to comprehend the battle scene completely.

Anthony is too damn lucky! If it was me, I would have also crafted an Epic wand for him! Grinth could not help but be envious.

If Grinth had known that the wand was created by Link, there was no telling how impressed he would be.

Chapter 142: The Gift from the High Elf Prince

Although he was very much surprised at Link’s revelations, Grinth’s mind was calm. That was usually the case for a powerful Magician like him; he didn’t show any of his emotions on his face.

After listening to Link, he turned towards the corpses behind him and noticed the dark purple blood on them. This was an irrefutable characteristic of Dark Elves and taking Link’s detailed explanation into account, there was no doubt that the calamity was the Dark Elves’ doing.

“Ira,” shouted Grinth, calling for his assistant, “bring a team of guards here immediately and go get us a carriage! Make it quick!” Fear had begun to creep up on him now.

Once his assistant was gone, he then turned towards Herrera.

“Moira, it’s not safe here,” he said. “We must escort the prince back to the royal palace and…I suppose your disciple should come along as well.”

Grinth had fully acknowledged Link’s strength by now. He would be glad to have him with the company as they escorted the prince back to the palace as he could act as an excellent guard. Moreover, this young man was the direct witness of the attempted assassination and had even saved the prince’s life. Grinth was sure that the king would like to meet such an important figure when he heard of the details of the incident.

To this request, Herrera and Link naturally agreed.

Soon, the carriage stopped at the edge of the ruins of the street. Grinth’s people surrounded Prince Philllip and escorted him into the carriage and they headed straight to the palace.

The guards then surrounded the carriage all along the journey as Prince Phillip, Herrera, Grinth and Link sat inside. For extra protection, Grinth had cast a powerful Level-6 defense spell around them as well.

They then traveled all the way to the palace without any incident. As they entered the palace gates, a notification popped up on the interface.

Mission: Rescue (First Step Completed).

Player received 60 Omni Points.

Mission’s Second Step: Exposing the Dark Curtain, Current Progress ⅔.

The reward for the second part of the mission was the mysterious Glyph of Soul. He checked his current progress and discovered that he would’ve received the anticipated reward had he killed the third Dark Elf. It’s a pity the swordswoman managed to escape.

There should be more chances to pursue her later, thought Link, as a way to comfort himself. I’ve done my best and it’s too late to catch up with her now, anyway.

After arriving at the palace, the security guards were taken over by the heavily armored members of the king’s guard. Grinth disappeared into one of the many buildings in the palace complex to arrange the royal security affairs. Link and Herrera, on the other hand, were lead to a sitting room in the palace. Grinth had mentioned that the king might want to meet them.

Soon after settling down in the sitting room, a messenger came in to inform them of King Leon’s order, though it had nothing to do with Link but was instead an order for the reputed Magician Herrera to join the Royal Council. As an unknown young Magician, Link would have to wait a little longer, alone in the sitting room.

And so, Link was left there all alone in the vast empty room. It seemed as if everyone had forgotten his presence there. Still, Link was above letting such thoughts bother him. He waited there patiently, giving no thoughts to the apparent disregard the courtiers had shown to his reputation.

He clearly understood that only people who had gained the king’s utmost trust and confidence could join the Royal Council at this time of emergency. The members of this esteemed council had the highest capabilities, qualifications and reliability. While it might be true that he had shown exceptional capabilities so far, he had still risen too quickly and had basically no established position in society. He hadn’t even met the king himself, so it would be impossible for Link to gain the king’s trust at the moment.

As he was starting to get bored waiting, he took out his sketches of the Flame Blast enchantment bracelets and began to work on them.

It was intended for the black-dressed woman. Although they hadn’t exchanged more than a few words between them and Link didn’t even know her name at this point—the woman had even used a taboo dark magic spell in front of him not too long ago—he still wanted to fulfill the promise that he had given to her.

Never mind, he thought. I’ll just keep my distance from her from now on.

Flame Blast was a Level-4 spell. In order to fix it to a bracelet he must create a bracelet with an intricate structure and pattern. This wasn’t a simple task at all, so Link was quickly immersed in the planning that forgot the flow of time.

Just as he was engrossed in his work on the sketch, Link suddenly heard a sound of soft footsteps beside him. When he turned his gaze towards the source of the sound, he saw Prince Phillip standing not too far away, staring at him.

Prince Phillip was only an insignificant minor character in the game because Link had never even encountered him in his previous life. This might be because the gaming company ignored him, as he played no important roles in the main plot of the game. Or maybe, it was just not his time to shine yet. Anyway, Link’s impression of the prince was completely blank before he met him today.

In reality though, this person was a high-born royal prince of the Isle of Dawn, so Link hurriedly bowed when he noticed him in the room and addressed him respectfully as “Your Highness”.

As he bowed, Link began to find the prince’s presence there a bit strange. Link was only a normal Magician now and he was only a younger son of a minor Viscount. Their disparities in rank were huge, so there was no reason for the prince to come find him here himself. Link had assumed that after he was escorted safely back to the palace, the mission would be over and they would have nothing more to do with each other. So what was the prince doing here?

When Link turned around, he saw a hint of guilt on Prince Phillip’s near-perfect face.

“I’m sorry,” said the prince, “have I disturbed you?”

“Oh, not at all, Your Highness,” answered Link with a smile. “I am an enchantment Magician and I was merely working on my sketches for my next magic gear since I had nothing else to do here. Did you come to see me?”

Phillip nodded and glanced at the sketch in Link’s hand as he approached him. The sketch was elaborate and was full of complicated parts and indecipherable magic runes. He couldn’t understand a thing on the sketch so he turned his gaze back to Link.

“I am deeply indebted to you, sir,” said the prince. “You’ve saved my life.”

“Your Highness,” said Link, “I only did what I should’ve done.” Link had estimated that the High Elf prince must have some important business to come and meet him here himself. Although he was curious to find out what the prince’s motives were, he posed no direct questions to him and opted to wait patiently for the prince to bring it up himself instead.

Sure enough, Prince Philip shook his head in reply to Link’s modest protest and soon revealed his true reason for this meeting.

“Since you’ve done what you should, then I must do what I should as well,” said the prince. “A simple thank you won’t be sufficient in expressing my gratitude to you.”

As he finished his sentence, the High Elf prince then took out a delicate little wooden box with a greenish-brown hue. Its outer layer was carved into beautiful patterns of trees and flowers. The prince then thrust the box into Link’s hands.

“Here,” said Prince Phillip, “it’s my gift to you.”

The wooden box was the work of a famous carving master among the elves, but that was beside the point. What was most important was the contents of the box. He had no idea what use this object had or what its specialty was, but it was what the Prophet had given Prince Phillip.

The Prophet was a mysterious figure who had originated from the human world. He held a lofty position in the High Elf court and was even respected and revered by the Queen of the Isle of Dawn herself.

Prince Phillip remembered the Prophet’s last instruction before he left very clearly.

“The contents of the box are of no use to High Elves,” he said, “but it is of immense value to a human being. I’ll give this box to you now, so you can give it to the right person when you are in the human kingdom.”

“How do I know I’ve met the right person to give this to?” the prince remembered asking the Prophet.

“If you think the person is the right one, then that is the one you give this to,” answered the Prophet. “Just listen to your heart, my prince.”

In fact, besides discussing the alliance between the two kingdoms, Prince Phillip had come to the Norton Kingdom expressly for this purpose. The answer given to his question about the right person was vague and confusing, and the prince wasn’t sure if he fully understood it. He had been carefully observing many people these days yet none of them had struck him as the right person to give the Prophet’s gift to.

If they didn’t even make him feel like they were the right person, Prince Phillip assumed that they must not be the right one. That was why the wooden box stayed with him until this moment.

But right now, the prince felt confident that Link was the most suitable and worthiest person to receive the mysterious gift, which was why he snuck out of his room to meet him.

Link had no idea there was so much meaning behind the gift. He thought nothing of what the contents of the box could be. All he thought was that it was a normal gift given to him as a token of gratitude, which he humbly accepted.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” he said courteously as he received the wooden box with both of his hands.

“I don’t know what else to give you,” said the prince with a friendly smile. “But apart from this wooden box, you will now receive the friendship of the High Elves. You’ll forever be my honored guest on the Isle of Dawn and you’ll always be welcomed there.”

“I shall never forget it,” replied Link.

“I snuck out just to meet you,” said Prince Phillip, “so think it’s time for me to go back now before they realize I’m gone. Farewell, Link.” As he waved his hand, the prince quickly turned around and went out of the room.

The meeting with Prince Phillip had happened so quickly and seemed to be a bolt out of the blue for Link. When the prince was gone, he began to examine the fist-sized wooden box in his hand, eager to find out what was inside it.

Is it jewelry? Or maybe a type of precious magic material? Link was just about to open the box when suddenly, there were footsteps at the door. Link didn’t want anyone else to know of Prince Phillip’s gift to him, so he quickly hid it inside his storage pendant.

Not long afterwards, there was a voice calling for him at the doorway.

“Mr. Link, his majesty would like to meet you.”

Chapter 143: Time to Mature

The Parliament hall of King Leon.

While Link was waiting in the lounge, King Leon, Duke Abel, Grinth, Herrera and the head of Military Intelligence, Section 3 had all arrived at the parliament hall.

Everyone had a grim look on their faces, especially the head of MI3, Duke Stan. His expression was so gloomy it looked like someone splashed ink on his face.

When Gladstone City was suddenly ambushed and almost taken by the Death Hand, he had already lost much of his reputation and prestige. This time, the Death Hand was once again a step faster than him and successfully assaulted the capital in the middle of a festival. As the military chief of MI3, he was ashamed.

“My lord, I will resign as the head of MI3 as punishment for my incompetence.” He broke the silence.

King Leon was usually a reasonable and calm person. However, this time, he was infuriated and lost his usual graceful demeanor.

“Shut up! You will have to leave, but not before you settle the mess you created!”

The hall fell into silence once again. Everyone knew that the king was truly furious.

If word got out that an attack of such scale happened in the capital of the Norton Kingdom during a Magician’s Fair, their reputation would go down the drain. The Norton Kingdom would then become the laughingstock of the entire Firuman Continent.

Putting the embarrassing issues aside, they started discussing steps to recover from this assault. They had to give a reasonable explanation to the people of Hot Springs City and assure them that the capital was still safe. If they failed to give the citizens assurance, their insecurities might once again be used by the enemy to plan for an attack of an even larger scale.

Fortunately, there was ample evidence pointing towards the Dark Elves as the culprits. Two Dark Elven corpses were left at the scene, justifying that hypothesis.

“This is already the second time; those red-eyed vampires are going overboard!

“At least Gladstone City was on the borders. To think that they had the courage to infiltrate all the way into the capital and deliver such a cruel blow to the human race! We have to fight back!”

“Your majesty, it is time!”

“But we are not ready.”

“You can never be fully ready for a war. The Dark Elves will not wait for us.”

A heated discussion ensued in the hall. After a while, they came to a conclusion that revenge against the Dark Elves had to be taken.

King Leon kept silent the entire time, listening intently to the discussion. When a conclusion was reached, he took a deep breath before instructing his assistant, “Stan, I want the Dark Elf who escaped to be captured alive. Do you understand?”

“Yes!” This incident had completely ruined Duke Stan’s reputation. If he let this Dark Elf escape once again, he would not even have the face to stand in front of his ancestors

“Areve, this Dark Elf seems quite strong. We will probably need some professionals. You will work with Stan!”

“I understand!” Areve patted his chest armor. He was also embarrassed by this incident. The twenty guards that he picked were completely wiped out by the Flame Blast spell assault. They were all elite soldiers that he handpicked for this mission. To think that they were done in before they could do anything.

“We will also have to catalyze the war in the North; we will have our revenge!” King Leon said.

They desperately needed a victory. Only a victory could fully appease the people’s hatred towards the Dark Elves.

It was Duke Abel’s turn to speak. Abel was the King’s brother and was 38 years old, 10 years younger than King Leon. He was energetic and charismatic, making him a good leader. He was also a Level-5 Warrior and currently the general of the Kingdom.

He stood up and gave a cruel smile. “Your majesty, you will attain a glorious victory.”

“I hope so.” King Leon nodded.

His brother was cruel and ruthless. King Leon was still able to control Abel ten years ago, however, Abel just got more ambitious every year. Just recently, Abel had begun to challenge his orders. King Leon was actually looking for a chance to weaken Abel’s military authority in the kingdom but the occurrence of such a tragic incident left him no choice but to put off this plan to a later date.

They then proceeded with the discussion of other issues such as reparations to the people, appeasing Prince Phillip, stocking up enough food, the preparations for war and so on, not missing out on a single detail.

In the end, everyone was assigned a task and left to execute them immediately. King Leon turned towards Herrera only after the last person left the room and said, “I heard that your disciple Link was the reason Prince Phillip is still alive. I would like to meet him if it is possible.”

The servant then went to summon Link to the parliament hall.

In the meantime, King Leon continued, “Master Moira, tell me about this disciple of yours, what kind of person is he?”

King Leon had actually already read the report on Link given to him by Duke Stan and had an understanding of Link’s achievements. However, he should not judge a person merely from the information he gleaned from the report, even if it was assembled by the head of the Kingdom Intelligence Agency. It was wise to seek a second opinion.

Herrera stood up and greeted the king before saying, “Your Majesty, in my eyes, my disciple is a perfect Magician.”

King Leon was slightly taken aback before smiling, “Perfect? That is an extremely high appraisal.”

He spoke again after a short pause, “I always knew that he had a rare talent battling with magic, but I never expected him to be this powerful. I have plans to confer him the title of Commander of the Magicians’ troop in the North. Do you think he has what it takes?”

Herrera fell silent for a moment before shaking her head, “Your Majesty, he is still young and his power still needs some time to mature. Furthermore, Magicians his age are often rebellious and dislike authority. I feel that he is still unsuitable.”

King Leon mused, “Indeed, I was too impatient.”

He was not making an empty promise. An incident indeed happened in the North some time ago. When the Magicians’ troop fought against the Dark Elf Magicians in a minor conflict, the Kingdom’s Magicians suffered a slight loss.

His niece Annie then wrote him a strength assessment report for both forces. With a total score of ten points, the Norton Kingdom Magician troop would at most score six points on the scale, while the Dark Elves scored an eight.

The strength of the Magicians’ troop was often the deciding factor in a war between nations. If their Magicians’ troop was indeed lacking in strength, they would likely lose in an official battle as well.

As they were still not in an official war, there was time to make amendments. Leon had been desperately trying to recruit Magicians with combat experience, so much so that he watered down the restrictions present in the Norton Kingdom Constitution. Even the vagabond Magicians who only knew a few spells were also paid royalties if they were willing to enlist.

Link’s actions in Gladstone City turned the tables around and allowed the Norton Kingdom to achieve victory. His performance on Jade Street was even more amazing; he defeated three strong opponents. Furthermore, he was from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy, making him an officially recognized Magician. This was exactly the person they were looking for.

On the other hand, what Herrera said also made sense. After thinking for a moment, King Leon let go of the idea.

This man was destined to be a towering tree, a pillar of support for the human race. However, he was merely a small sapling at this moment. Although he already seemed to be tall and strong enough, he was definitely lacking in experience. He should be allowed to mature for a longer period of time.

However, he had already decided to make good use of him. It was time for him to get into his good books.

At that moment, the servant brought Link into the parliament hall.

Chapter 144: The King’s Rewards

In the game, King Leon was about forty years old. He had a lean face, a head of gray hair and a gentle nature. Garbed in his luxurious royal garments, he was just the perfect picture of a gentleman.

He was also a wise king no matter which point of view one could judge him from. Although he had the rotten luck of being the king of Norton when it fell to the Dark Side.

“I have never committed any sins or made any grave mistakes, yet why is my kingdom falling into the abyss while it’s in my hands?” Those were his last words.

He didn’t live to see the day when the Kingdom of Norton collapsed completely. On the eve of the collapse, he was killed by his most beloved niece, Princess Annie who had by then gone mad. Not only was his head cut off, even his soul was sucked into an evil demon device that was in Annie’s hands, imprisoning him even in his afterlife.

Because of this, he held the first spot in Firuman’s top three most tragic figures.

But right now, none of these events had happened yet. When Link saw the king, he thought he looked just like the king in the game, but with some crucial differences. Because he met the tragic king a year earlier from the main timeline in the game, he didn’t have that much gray hair on his head and his wise eyes had not yet been darkened by despair and frustration.

“Your Majesty,” said Link in a humble tone. He took a deep bow and performed a ceremonial gesture that a Magician would do to another Magician of a higher rank.

“Take a seat,” said the king as he waved his hand. Servants in the throne room then led Link to his designated seat.

King Leon waited for Link to settle down as he looked on with a gentle smile on his face.

“Annie has been telling me about you,” he said. “To be frank, I was a bit skeptical when she told me about how you saved her life and the whole city during the massacre in Gladstone. But now that I’ve heard of what happened here today, I finally believe everything she said about you.”

The court Magicians have already divulged everything that transpired in the square of Jade Street to the king – everything from what spells were used and the details of what went on in the battle were revealed to him with nothing left out.

King Leon could make out from the reports that there was indeed a very powerful Magician at the scene—a Magician so powerful that only a few others in this kingdom could rival his strength. In fact, he might be the only one with these kinds of capabilities right now because the other Magicians were academic scholars. They were obsessed with abstract pursuits like discovering the true nature of reality and the world and thought fighting in battles should be left to the crude Warriors.

That was the reason why the Battle Mages in the army were usually those of average skills and limited knowledge and who knew that they had no future in academia. In addition, they were born into families having low status. These Magicians were looked down upon by the scholarly Magicians and because of that, these Battle Mages would usually hold themselves in low regard as well.

He would be surprised to find another Magician like Link in the kingdom, someone who possessed high talent and battle skills and who had a promising future in academia if he chose to go down that path.

In this regard, the king estimated that the Dark Elf Kingdom of Pralync would also be facing the same problems, though probably not as serious as the Norton Kingdom.

Because of this, King Leon had planned to assign Link to the battlefield in the North as the commander of the Magic Legion in the army.

Meanwhile, Link was still unclear of the reason why the king had summoned him. Thus he decided to respond with utmost courtesy and humility, just to be safe.

“Your Majesty,” said Link, “I only did what duty and honor compelled me to do.”

“It is just as you said,” nodded King Leon, “you did what duty and honor compelled you to do, and so I shall do the same. Alder!”

Then, a white-haired scholar walked in slowly, holding a thick book in his hand as he approached the king reverently. He flipped the book open and placed it on the reading table next to the throne.

The eagle-eyed Link noticed that the book was titled The Land Records of the Kingdom. His heart began to beat faster as he realized what the book title would entail, though he managed to keep a calm facade.

The reason was simple – in the Kingdom of Norton, whenever the king was presented with the book, it meant that the king was about to reward someone with a piece of land!

Link was about to receive his own piece of land!

In the game, he was already a Level-7 Magician and had climbed up through the ranks to become the commander of a legion in the army before he was rewarded with his own land. Although it was only a small piece of land with an area of about ten miles, he had received enormous profits from it, plus everyone who inhabited the land would address him as my lord and bow to him whenever they met him. He’d even had young and beautiful maids working in his residence. All in all, it was simply a blessed life to be a landowner.

The king sat on the throne as he flipped through the book quietly. He stopped after flipping more than a couple pages into the book and turned his gaze back to Link.

“There’s a wasteland called Ferde Wilderness southeast of the Girvent Forest. The land there is poor and infertile, the climate is insufferable with its constant harsh winds. No one wanted to have anything to do with this piece of land, but if you like, this wasteland with a radius of more than a hundred miles will be yours.”

Herrera couldn’t hold in her thoughts any longer, so she stood up the minute the king finished his sentence.

“Your Majesty,” she said, “please pardon my effrontery, but how could you reward such a desolate land to someone who had made a genuine contribution?”

Herrera had been so happy to see that the king was going to reward Link with land. She knew that such rewards were only given to the best of men, especially to those who had made an exceptional contribution to the military. Link had rescued the city of Gladstone – that could be considered as a great military contribution.

And since the king had decided to reward Link for his achievements, shouldn’t he be given something decent instead of this ghastly place with no profitable value like the Ferde Wilderness?

The Ferde Wilderness was an infamous desolate wasteland in the Norton Kingdom. Although it was connected to the sea in the east, the sea there was full of jagged reefs which made it an unsuitable site for commercial ports or even small ordinary docks. There would be at least three large-scale hurricanes coming in from the sea every year, and the squalls there could lift a grown man off his feet and carry him off. Needless to say, the soil there was so infertile that even weeds wouldn’t grow on it, let alone crops. Although its area was vast, the population there consisted of no more than 5000 people, and all of them had to eke out a living in very poor conditions.

In fact, even robbers, bandits and fugitives who had little choice for the places they could go were reluctant to go there. Only those who were extremely vicious and extremely desperate ended up in the terrible place.

King Leon shrugged and stretched out his hands in a gesture of helplessness in response to Herrera’s protest.

“I’m afraid the other pieces of land are already owned by someone else,” said the king. “And the rest is either too small or is under too much dispute. So what do you think, Link? If you’re unwilling to accept this reward, I can give you gold coins instead. Maybe I can give you ten thousand gold coins and award you the title of Baron, how about that?”

This was his original intention, of course. Link was just too young and his position in society was still unestablished. Though he did make some great contributions to the kingdom, if he was to be rewarded with a piece of land that many coveted, it might elicit hatred and jealousy among his courtiers and bring unnecessary troubles to Link as well.

The king had only offered the land to show him that there was the possibility of being handsomely rewarded if he continued to help the kingdom.

In fact, his real idea was to offer Link a barren land that nobody wanted so he would reject it, and then he would reward him with gold coins instead. This was the plan that the king had in mind, and it was one that he had employed many times before.

Link was amused at how this reward from the king had turned into something that sounded more like a bargain in the market. He had to hold in his laugh, though.

As for the Ferde Wilderness, he knew from the game that it was indeed barren and lifeless. It was, after all, called one of the three worst places in Firuman. Players who were rewarded with this piece of land after their service in the army were all so frustrated that many of them even deleted their accounts because of it.

That was until one player accidentally discovered that the black clay in this territory developed an exceptional anti-magic property when baked into bricks. This player then sold the bricks and made a vast fortune from it. He even made it into the list of top thirty richest players in the gaming system, with the nickname of ‘the King of Bricks’.

Furthermore, the area of the land awarded to that player didn’t exceed 10 square miles anyway. But now the king was offering a piece of land that was hundreds of miles wide to him – it was simply a deal he couldn’t refuse!

Once he’d made enough money from the bricks, he would then use magic spells to change the squally climate of the Ferde Wilderness to make it more temperate. Who knew, maybe in ten years he could turn the Ferde Wilderness into the Ferde Farm!

However, even though Link was eager to accept the reward, he concealed the excitement and carefully chose the right words to ask the king another question.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “may I ask what status I will have as the owner of this land?”

King Leon was stunned upon hearing this question. He didn’t think that Link would accept this worthless piece of land. He gave it some considerations and finally came to a decision. Since he wanted this desert-like wasteland so much, then he would grant the young Magician’s wish and give it to him.

“You’re a cunning young man,” said the king, laughing. “You wouldn’t own the land as a commoner, of course. How would you like it if I make you a Baron?”

“I would be honored, Your Majesty,” said Link. “May I ask if the land and title would be hereditary?”

What a greedy young man, thought King Leon, his eyes widened. While it was true that Link had indeed made a great contribution, but it was far from enough to be worth such a big reward. He’d only offered the title and the land to show his generosity and to encourage the young man to keep up his good work. He never thought that Link would turn out to be so greedy. Who would’ve thought that land and title would not be good enough for him, and that he would be so bold as to demand them to be hereditary?

Still, things had come to the point where King Leon had no choice but to concede to the demand. No one wanted the wasteland that was the Ferde Wilderness, anyway. Plus, there was no way to create any income or value out of the land. So even if there was honor in the title of Baron, the rewards were little more than a sham once everything was considered.

“Yes, of course,” said the king. “Your land and title will be hereditary, so you can pass it on to your future son and he will pass it on to your grandson and so on. Are you satisfied now?”

Link was about to answer the king when Herrera tugged on his sleeve to stop him.

“Link,” she whispered, “don’t you think it’s better to choose the gold coins over the title? That piece of land would only be a burden to you. No amount of magic could transform it into anything close to profitable!”

She was only trying to help Link make the best decision for his own good. No matter how she considered it, it seemed to her that Link was choosing the less favorable option here.

Still, Link’s reply to her well-meant advice was a gentle shake of his head.

“Gold coins don’t last very long,” he whispered. “I’d much prefer a land of my own.”

“Your Majesty,” said Link enthusiastically as he stood up, “thank you very much for your rewards. I am very pleased and honored to be the recipient of your generosity.”

“I’m glad you like it,” said King Leon, laughing. At that moment Link was only a naive young nobleman who hadn’t seen much of the world in the king’s eyes. He might be exceptionally gifted in the area of magic, but he seemed to have very limited knowledge of practical matters—one could even say that he came off as slightly ignorant in worldly affairs.

Of course, owning land was a good thing, but it also depended on the kind of land you owned and its location too. With a place like the Ferde Wilderness in your possession, you might as well have owned nothing.

But this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, either. King Leon liked to have such a talented and capable Magician who was so easy to control under his wing. One never knew how they might come in handy one day.

“It’s all settled, then,” said the king. “You should return to the academy for now. I will send the letter of declaration and title deed to you soon. As for the awarding ceremony, I’ll let you know when I’ve found a good auspicious day for it.”

Since Link was only awarded the title of Baron, there wouldn’t be much involved and only the two people present here right now were enough to make the awarding ceremony valid.

“Your Majesty,” said Link as he raised to his feet, “I am forever indebted to your generosity.”

“It is only my way of encouraging you, young man,” replied the King as he nodded gently. “I hope that one day you will be the pride of the kingdom.”

These were general words of encouragement that King Leon had said to every young man he’d seen some potential in. In fact, he’d said it so many times before that they were almost a mechanical reflex instead of heartfelt. Nevertheless, whenever he looked back on this precise moment in the future when the Norton Kingdom’s safety was in jeopardy, his heart was filled with gratitude.

He thanked his past self for making such a wise investment.