Chapter 167 - 212 - 219

Merit Points

As for that girl Bessita, Leylin had long since thrown her to the back of his mind.

Although she had plotted against him before, she had already been punished for what she had done.

Now that their debts had been settled, whether this girl would end up alive or dead would depend on her luck. What did that have to do with Leylin himself?

In the Four Seasons Garden's entrance to the secret plane.

Buildings were densely crowded around the large platinum door that had been erected at the entrance to the secret plane.

There were two rows of Magi and acolytes queueing up near the entrance to the secret plane.

Before them was an exchange area set up for their merit points.

The Four Seasons Garden would take a portion of their loot as a commission, leaving the rest for the magicians to keep. However, while that may have been the case, they still preferred to exchange their items into merit points for resources that better fit them, or even magic crystals for their convenience.

All of these things could be exchanged for here.

Hence, Leylin estimated that excluding the loot that was secretly kept by the magicians, fifty to sixty percent of the resources from the secret plane were acquired by the Four Seasons Garden.

*Weng!*

At this moment, a bright red light appeared in front of the platinum door.

The beam of red light seemed to have an intelligence of its own, directly shining upon a Magus who seemed to be flustered.

"Take him away!"

A Magus guard came forward and waved his arm.

Two people wearing metal armour with runes embedded onto them held the poor fellow on both sides.

"Ah! No!"

The Magus called out in despair. At this moment, two fireballs the size of fists had already been tossed at the two armoured men.

*Boom!*

The flames swept the area, a heat wave continuously radiated outwards, causing the surroundings magicians to duck.

After the flame dissipated, the two armoured figure were still standing there unscratched. Even the surfaces of their armour had no blemishes.

"Attacking an enforcer, one more count to his crime! Take him away!"

The Magus guard's expression was cold. With his command, the two armoured figures walked forward and suppressed the resisting Magus.

"What a pity! That Magus definitely tried to smuggle something out and even thought of deceiving them…"

A Magus standing beside Leylin lamented.

Leylin nodded his head. He knew that any resources from the Eternal River Plains' secret plane would have a special aura which would disappear once it was brought to the outside word. Although that would not change any of the resources' properties, the light Magi used it to make a sensory spell formation.

If any magicians were to smuggle resources out, this spell formation would immediately detect the aura of the magician.

Hence, the Four Seasons Garden and other light Magi organisations had devised a spell formation for that. Until now, not one had been able to successfully smuggle anything out.

Leylin knew of those spell formations, so in the previous operation, he did not wish to have the Black Mandara Flowers as his reward, but instead wanted magic crystals.

"Welcome! Welcome, Magus Leylin!"

Passing through various buildings, Leylin came to the zone where the enforcers worked.

This time, Dolorin personally welcomed him.

His attitude was very good this time, and it looked as there was a hint of apology in his tone as well.

The previous time Leylin had come, Dolorin had assumed that Leylin was just a Magus who was discriminated against. He had been assigned to a place like Zone 13 and it seemed unlikely that he would live past a few days, quickly becoming a corpse in the wilderness. Hence, his attitude had been fearful, and he had acted like he was chasing away a nuisance that would bring about the plague.

Now, with Leylin's various achievements in battle, he could not hold himself back.

Goodness! Even he was just a little stronger than a semi-converted elemental Magus. Leylin, however, had defeated almost a dozen Magi of this strength in half a month.

Recently, Leylin had been transferred to the headquarters at the entrance. Based on the order, it seemed he was being put in an important position.

In the transfer of personnel, there were higher-ups in the Four Seasons Garden who spoke highly of him.

This meant that Leylin wasn't alone and had a backing! A very powerful backing!

Dolorin was now very regretful of his actions in the past and decided to welcome Leylin personally, hoping to improve relations with him.

"Vice team leader Dolorin! Long time no see!"

Leylin nodded slightly. He was already an adult and appear to be very enthusiastic, making Dolorin feel comfortable.

Though he was aware this was just an act, Dolorin was still surprised.

Magi were usually very antisocial people. In general, other than staying in laboratories to do research and occasionally teaching acolytes, they did not partake in activities to make connections.

Hence, Magi were very stiff in this sort of situation. Those like Leylin who were young, powerful, and socially competent were like a different species altogether!

Dolorin exclaimed that he was 'abnormal' in his heart, feeling it would be very difficult to deal with him.

To send Magi like him away, the price was something incomparable to regular Magi. He had been too harsh previously, and Dolorin was extremely unwilling to incur the wrath of a Magus who had a bright future ahead of himself.

These thoughts flashed in his head, but Dolorin's face was unchanging, a smile stretching across his face.

"Magus Leylin! Your merit points, this time, are extremely high! I have brought it personally to you!" Dolorin handed over a medal-like item to him.

Leylin reached for it.

The medal felt rather heavy given its size, which meant that had been made of some kind of alloy with a high density. In addition, the medal was ice cold to the touch.

At the front side of the medal was the Four Seasons Garden's insignia and at the back, it was a small screen.

On the screen, there was a record which read, "Leylin Farlier. Merit points: 563. Status: Locked!"

"This medal has recorded the aura of your spiritual force. Apart from you, nobody else can use it. If you want to use the merit points, you have to unlock it first…"

Dolorin explained the workings of the medal.

"Oh?" Upon hearing that, Leylin inserted some spiritual force into the medal.

*Ka-chak!* At the same time, the sound of a lock opening was heard, and the entire medal began to ripple with light.

This light was a thin layer of dark green. Though it was bright, it was not piercingly so, and it engulfed the medal within.

A short moment later, after the light dispersed, the words on the screen on the medal changed.

The name and merit points were the same as before, but on the column in the back, a red "Locked" had turned into a green "Unlocked."

"Huh, it's really convenient!" Leylin was somewhat surprised. In the Magus world, everyone's spiritual force was unique, and could be used as an individual's password. Hence, such a locking mechanism was very advanced. It was not inferior to even the retina scanning of his previous world, but it was even more convenient.

"Haha… Leylin, you haven't been to our exchange centre yet huh? The items available are plentiful! You, who has that many merit points, make me a little envious!"

Dolorin said.

"Really? Then I must really go and have a look!" Leylin smiled. Dolorin naturally did not say that on an impulse; it seemed that he was trying to make amends for his hostility before, and it seemed that he meant to do it through the exchange centre.

After all, he had been in the organisation for many years. He knew that even if it was exchanging for resources in times of war, there were still some good items that could not be exchanged for merit points. There were bound to be requirements of rank and identity. Furthermore, there were different benefits offered based on who was redeeming the merit points.

Obviously, this vice leader of the Magus guards had a rank much higher than Leylin's.

"Haha, of course! We'll go now!"

Dolorin put a huge smile on his face, though in actuality, his heart was throbbing in pain! Even he, with a somewhat decent rank, had a limit to how much of the monthly allocation he could use! Once that limit was passed, he had to pay the full price in merit points! Looking at Leylin's attitude, it looked like today he would have to apologise through a large compensation in merit points!

Since the words were already out, Dolorin had little choice but to bring Leylin to Four Seasons Garden's merit exchange centre.

The exchange centre was a huge white building, which had a roof that pointed up in a conical fashion. The curve was beautiful, and surrounding it, there was a divine light from the defensive spell formation around it, which caused people to stop in their tracks to admire it.

With Dolorin as a guide, Leylin successfully entered this place without any obstructions.

After passing through a pure white passage, Dolorin brought Leylin to a hall that was similar to the trading centre in the Four Seasons Garden.

"The exchange of merit points issued by the Four Seasons Garden is allowed in the entire light Magi alliance. Here, you can see precious resources that are not limited to only our academy, such as high-level knowledge and some exotic items."

Dolorin continued on, but Leylin was already dazzled by the large screen that was basically a menu.

Compared to the exchange centre of the Four Seasons Garden, the amount and rarity of the resources were obviously of a higher level.

The crystallised elemental energy particles that could only be purchased in limited amounts in the Nightless City were sold in bulk here. One could buy as much as they wanted!

There were also various precious potions that were useful to Magi in breaking through the spiritual force bottleneck. They were in plain view, causing many Magi to halt their steps.

"Here, all internal members who are vice team leaders or have higher positions have a special privilege, and are able to exchanges for items with 10% off the price!"

Dolorin waved, seeming to be very generous.

He went forward to a counter and knocked on the glass window. "Put everything he wants on my account, under my quota. Do you understand?"

Leylin followed behind, "Then I'm not going to hold back!"

New Appointment

Dolorin had seen Leylin's merit point card and knew that Leylin only had five or six hundred points there.

Even if Leylin were to use them all up, it was still within his spending limit, which was why he was acting rich and very generous.

"I understand, my lord!"

All the personnel here seemed to know Dolorin. After receiving a blood-red crystal card from Dolorin, one of the employees smiled at Leylin, "My lord! As Lord Dolorin has used his authority, all items on the screen will be sold to you at a price of 10% off."

"Good!"

Leylin nodded. "Give me three portions of Fantasy Flowers!"

This type of flower was an essential ingredient in brewing ancient potions. Leylin had thought they were extinct on the south coast, but to his surprise, he had actually found it here!

"Alright! Each is 50 merit points!"

The worker took Leylin's card and swiped it on a card reader.

*Beep!* A clear sound came from the medal.

Immediately after the number on the screen behind changed from 563 to 428.

After confirming that the transaction had gone through, he quickly passed three crystals the size of a fist to Leylin. Within the crystal, the phantom of a little white flower could clearly be seen.

This little flower was very pretty with its translucent petals and roots. One could almost see the veins in the flower. At the bright yellow heart of the flower, several faint yellow stamens delicately revealed themselves.

Sealed within the crystal, it appeared to be floating just like in a dream.

"A Fantasy Flower!"

As he took the three crystals, Leylin murmured under his breath.

"The moment precious plant ingredients like these are exposed to the air, they will quickly dissipate. Hence, crystallisation has been used to preserve them. The way to undo this magic is to…"

The worker quickly informed him of the important procedures.

Leylin nodded and kept these words in mind. He carefully put the items away, pointed at a line of text on the screen, and said, "I've always admired Master Tywin's potioneering diary. I want that."

Dolorin's gaze followed Leylin's finger and fell upon the little words on the monitor. "Condition of Master Tywin's potioneering diary: Half of it is lost. Fixed price of exchange: 100 Merit points."

His face stiffened. From the looks of it, Leylin was going to use up all his merit points in one go.

However, he had come here with the mentality of sacrificing his wealth to avoid a calamity. Since he hadn't really used many of his quota this month, even if Leylin used up all of his own points, he would still be able to afford it. At the most, he would be hard pressed for merit points this month, so he did not oppose Leylin.

Another 90 merit points were spent, and a diary with a black cover, which was not in the best condition, was passed to Leylin. He could not contain the happiness brimming about his face.

"I also want that ancient potion formula, as well as…"

Leylin openly pointed out the precious resources and high-level knowledge he wanted. There were some items that he had searched high and low for to no avail, and there was information that only light Magi academies were privy to, and could not be bought easily. Now, however, they had all appeared on the table of items he could exchange his merit points for.

Minutes later, the numbers on Leylin's merit card had rapidly decreased until they had reached 0.

Even if they had been working there for a long time, it was rare for the people working here to see a customer spending so much in one go.

Dolorin could feel his heart aching. Leylin had pretty much used up his spending limit for that month, but at this point, he just gave a sigh of relief. "Haha… You've spent so much in one go. I'm afraid you might be breaking some sort of record here…"

At that instant, he was stunned.

All he saw was a bright smile on Leylin's face as he produced an identification token, passing it to the person at the counter.

"Based on the rules I saw, if I don't have any more merit points, I can use contribution points from the Four Seasons Garden to exchange for items at a ratio of 2:1, right?"

At that moment, Dolorin could feel that Leylin's smile was akin to that of a devil's smirk, and he felt that he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

Moments later, Leylin emerged from the exchange centre with a look of satisfaction on his face. Dolorin, on the other hand, had an icy expression and bade farewell as quickly as possible.

The amount that Leylin had spent at the exchange centre had far surpassed his limit. He even had to pay a portion with his own money! It was no wonder that Dolorin did not look to be in a good mood.

However, he seemed to be considering something and hesitated to turn against Leylin.

"Yet another pitiful person constrained by rules and regulations!" Leylin glanced at the figure of Dolorin as he left.

The lifespans of official Magi were quite long. Hence, they were quite tolerant of those at the same level of power as them, and could coexist harmoniously.

Dolorin and Leylin were in the same organisation, so it was inevitable that they would meet every day.

He had done Leylin wrong when he had first met him, so even though Leylin might have done a little too much, Dolorin still tolerated it.

However, in this situation, Dolorin had, from the victimiser, become the victim. If any conflicts happened with Leylin in the future, the public opinion would be biased against him.

If Leylin planned to continue in the light Magi camp, it would be unwise for him to abandon his reputation and lose his cool over such a small matter.

However, Leylin wasn't just a light Magus! The covert mission he had been given by the Thousand Meddling Hands had placed Leylin on the opposite side of the entire light Magi faction.

What was worse was that Leylin was unable to decline the demands of the dark Magi organisation, in which there was actually a powerful rank 2 Magus! He was linked to the entire dark Magi faction in every way possible.

Hence, Leylin estimated that even if he were able to free himself from the mission, it would be impossible for him to stay in the Four Seasons Garden.

There was a large possibility that when he met with Dolorin in the future, they would be enemies. If Leylin didn't take advantage of him now, he would just be an idiot.

As for Dolorin's position as the vice team leader of the defense squad, Leylin lamented upon it for a while and then placed it at the back of his mind.

He went to the heavily-guarded centre structure built by the Four Seasons Garden in the Eternal River Plains' secret plane. He waited to be granted entrance and receive a new mission.

In an office that had furniture shaped from plants, Leylin once again saw Reynold, the head of the Four Seasons Garden.

"Lord Reynold!" Leylin bowed, the spiritual force concealment method he had obtained from the old witch operating at full speed.

Behind Reynold's gold-rimmed glasses were a pair of pupils brimming with wisdom. They were fixated on Leylin, occasionally flashing with distrust.

"Magus Leylin! Your accomplishments at Zone 13 have been noted by us elders!"

After some time, Reynold did not notice anything suspicious from his observations, so he eventually began speaking in a light tone.

"We all agree that being a Magus guard is a total waste of your talent. You should be promoted to a more suitable role that can allow you to fully exhibit your abilities."

Leylin looked respectful, but he was inwardly rolling his eyes. What 'more suitable role'? Wasn't it just a random decision made by the elders?

However, Leylin obviously did not dare voice his opinions or show his thoughts on his face.

In contrast, a faint blush appeared on his face as he slightly ducked his head, "I thank the elders for their trust in me. I'll work hard at my new position."

"Very good!" Reynold nodded, signing the document that appointed Leylin to his new role.

"Leylin Farlier! I hereby appoint you the vice team leader of the hunting team, and you will be the direct subordinate of Caesar. Retrieve your mission from him!"

"The hunting team! Caesar!"

Leylin immediately thought of the three-eyed Magus. It seemed that his ties with Magus Caesar were not easily cut off.

"What's wrong? Do you have any objections?" Reynold stared at Leylin in interest as if trying to prod something out from his expression.

A faint undulation of spiritual force dithered about Leylin, trying to find out his true emotions.

Unfortunately, with the scanning of the A.I. Chip, this trace of spiritual force was easily discovered.

"It's nothing! I'm just a little surprised. After all, I am a mere Potion Master and a Magus guard. I know next to nothing about the inner workings of the hunting team…"

Leylin spoke indifferently, burying his feelings in the depths of his heart.

"That's not a problem. Caesar will train you well!"

Reynold was full of smiles as if he was unaware of what had transpired between Caesar and Leylin.

"Alright! I'll consult Lord Caesar!"

Leylin stayed silent for a while and then went forward to take his new document of appointment.

After Leylin left, Reynold tapped his cane on the floor.

*Thud! Thud!*

The dull knocking sounds resounded about the office, and immediately, the bookcase at the side of the office split open.

Countless vines spread out in two directions, revealing a pitch-black passageway.

A Magus wearing a black robe adorned with blood-red flowers emerged from the passage.

The most striking thing about this Magus was that he had three eyes!

"Caesar, that little guy is going to be under you! Look after him!" Reynold told Caesar.

"Naturally!" Caesar nodded, breaking out in a bloodthirsty smirk.

"I am extremely interested in how he was able to increase his strength in such a short period of time!"

Caesar's expression became serious. "It seems that the inheritance he obtained was anything but simple…"

Reynold shook his head.

"I examined him carefully just now. Leylin's elemental essence conversion is at around 50%. Coupled with the record of him using his contribution points to exchange for crystallised elemental particles, I can only assume that he must have forcefully increased his strength. To be able to achieve such a battle record must mean that he obtained some powerful magic artifact or secret technique in the ruins…"

Demonstration of Power

"Even so, it must be some amazing item. How about it? Do you want me to get it from him?"

Caesar still hadn't given up on his intentions

This time, however, Reynold was abnormally silent.

Caesar obviously knew that the reason why they had not done anything to Leylin as of yet was because they believed whatever Leylin had gained in the ruins wasn't anything precious. Hence, they could take their time, and did not have to do anything too unsightly. After all, they were light Magi! There had to be a certain level of trust between them and their peers!

Now, however, no matter how much Leylin tried to conceal his might, his battle achievements were a fact that could not be disregarded.

Also, the aura and energy waves that Leylin gave off was causing Reynold to become suspicious.

No matter what powerful magic artifact or technique Leylin may have obtained from the ruins, it could end up being an unpredictable factor that could change the tide of a battle.

Hence, Reynold was a little interested.

There was nothing that couldn't be done in this world. Not acting against Leylin previously was a matter of cost and benefit; it hadn't been worth it to provoke Leylin.

But now, the situation was different.

"You can give it a try, but don't go too far!" Reynold held onto a glazed porcelain cup, contentedly sipping a mouthful of a steaming hot liquid as he spoke.

"I understand!"

Caesar nodded, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

...

At another place, Leylin was following the signs on the road, and eventually came to the area where the hunting team worked.

Once he arrived, he could see that there were very few acolytes and Magi. The stench of blood was thick in the air, causing everyone to feel pressure, as if there was a large rock pressed onto their hearts.

"This has… quite an uncomfortable atmosphere!"

Leylin looked up at the sky, which even seemed to be gloomy, and furrowed his brows.

At this area, one could occasionally see members of the hunting team.

These members all donned black Magus robes which were adorned with blood-red flowers. They intimidated everyone.

Leylin could also smell the thick scent of blood, and even the smell of humans.

It was evident that the dark Magi from before had been taken in by the hunting team.

"However, this building is really quite large. The main thing is, how would I know where Caesar is?"

Leylin held on to his document of appointment, and thought it over for a moment as he raised his eyebrows.

He randomly picked a few Magi from the hunting team and blocked their path.

"What do you want?" One of the Magi who he'd stopped was burly, and had a thick scar slashed across his forehead and middle of his face that made him look as if it had been split into half.

With such a terrible wound, his already fiendish face was made to look even more horrifying.

He was currently shooting out death glares at Leylin, elemental particle waves fluctuating around him.

"Very cautious of him! Also, he doesn't seem to be holding back at all!" Leylin commented inwardly. Shortly after, he put on a bright, gentle smile. "I'm a Magus that is new to the hunting team. May I know where Caesar—"

"Whenever we have someone new, it's customary for team leader Caesar to bring them in himself. You're a spy!"

To Leylin's shock, just a word from him had caused the Magus to shout.

Leylin was alarmed. Immediately after, the surrounding Magi of the hunting team halted, ready to watch a good show. He instantly understood the situation.

"Making things difficult for the new guy? What a repulsive practice!"

The scarred Magus roared, and immediately, two long metal blades appeared in his hands. Each blade was around 2 metres long, with the sheen enough to strike fear into the hearts of some.

"Storm!"

The Magus roared a syllable, and in a split second, the blade in his left hand began to emit a fierce, fiery red, while on the right blade, threads of white mist converged to form a blade of ice!

The scorching heat on the left and the icy coldness on the right mixed together, forming a red and blue metal tornado that swept towards Leylin.

[Metal Elemental Magic: A tornado formed from sharp blades, which has been upgraded by incorporating fire and ice elemental runes. With the bonus from his elemental essence conversion, the power of this attack is at least 35 degrees!]

A light flashed in Leylin's eyes, and he instantly estimated the origin and power of this spell.

"The average newly-advanced Magus would be killed in seconds if they were unfortunate enough to meet this sort of attack! This is just crazy!"

Instantly after, Leylin smiled, as if he had gotten something he had wanted. "Hehe… And here I was, afraid that I wouldn't be able to establish my superiority!"

Though it wasn't good to attack the moment he came here, Leylin wasn't just any regular member, but the vice team leader of the hunting team! Also, his opponent had been the one to initiate the first move, so even if he were to complain to Reynold, Leylin was not afraid.

To be honest, it would make him even happier if this incident would cause him to lose his position.

All of these considerations flashed past in an instant, with only a second passing in real time. In this amount of time, the metal tornado attack of the scarred Magus was already in front of Leylin.

The violent wind pressure that accompanied the tornado turned into wind blades that had a strength comparable to regular weapons, instantly crumbling the walls on both sides of the passage.

*Slash! Slash!*

The wind blades that seemed to have materialised out of nowhere sliced against Leylin's body, but they were repelled by a layer of illusory, crimson armour.

"Not a bad attack, but unfortunately, you're dealing with me!"

Leylin looked calm, enthusiastically evaluating his opponent's attack.

With a black flash of light, instead of retreating, Leylin advanced and rushed forwards into metal tornado formed from flames and ice.

"Is he a lunatic?" Not only the surrounding Magi, but also the scarred Magus had this thought.

What they saw next was the most unforgettable sight in their life!

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

When the huge metal blades that had the added danger of the flames and ice struck Leylin's body, immense noises resounded.

Leylin looked indifferent, wandering around through the metal tornado as if he were strolling around his garden.

The defense from the Fallen Star Pendant and Leylin's own support spells rendered this level of attack useless.

Leylin's figure appeared as a black shadow as he entered the tornado, extending a pale, delicate finger and tapping gently!

*Poof!*

Like a balloon that had been punctured, the excessive might of the metal tornado broke down, and bits of blue ice and red embers flew all over the place, eventually disappearing in mid-air.

"This…" Scarface gaped, unable to utter a word.

This ice-fire metal tornado was his ultimate attack. With this one method, he had killed off countless official Magi, but now, this Magus had been able to move freely in the area of the metal tornado and even disable his most powerful attack with a gentle tap!

This had Scarface stunned, causing him to think that he was dreaming.

If Leylin had wanted to do everything himself, he would have used his powerful magic to go head on against that metal tornado. Although he would have been able to destroy the tornado in the end, the consumption would be immense, though the scene would be extravagant.

Hence, Leylin had chosen not to go through with that method, and instead, used the A.I. Chip to calculate the weak point of the spell. He then made use of his powerful defense and took care of the spell by heading into the area the spell affected.

This method was only viable when dealing with Magi weaker than Leylin. If the opponent's spell was too powerful, Leylin wouldn't want to risk entering the area of the magic like this.

Now, having used this method, he found that it might have been a little too effective.

Leylin looked at the dazed Magi and gave a gentle smile, his figure flashing as he came to the front of the scarred Magus.

"You…"

Scarface raised his right hand, black fur extending from the palm of his hand and forming a red-eyed lion's head.

The lion head opened its mouth, preparing to shoot out some kind of energy attack.

*Ka-cha!*

Leylin struck quickly, like lightning, and before Scarface could react, a large hand made from shadows grabbed through his innate defensive spell and touched his right hand.

With the piercing sound of bones being crushed, the lion head on Scarface's right hand crumbled. His right hand was also bent in an awkward angle by the black hand.

The scarred Magus showed a hint of pain on his face, but that quickly changed to a fierce expression, as if he wanted to do everything he could to kill Leylin.

Scarface's remaining hand dipped into his bag and seemed to be touching some item.

"Oh? You still want to resist?"

Leylin furrowed his brows, and in front of him, a black shadow blade emerged and slashed at the Magus' left arm.

*Thud!*

The black blade noiselessly streaked across, and the Magus' left arm fell.

Seconds later, fresh blood gushed out like a fountain.

"Ah!" Scarface's facial muscles contorted, making him look even more sinister and terrifying.

In the eyes of Leylin, however, he just seemed like a clown!

Leylin grabbed forward, black threads at the tips of his five fingers. These threads seemed to have their own intelligence, latching onto Scarface and pushing him to the ground, and then entering his nostrils, ears, mouth and other facial orifices.

Like a duck that had been clutched by the neck, the Magus' expression changed to that of resignation, and the violent undulations surrounding him immediately dissipated.

"You…"

Scarface seemed like he had something to say, but Leylin didn't give him any chance to speak.

Unsympathetically, he raised his foot, clad with a leather boot, and stomped down on Scarface's chest.

*Thud!*

Scarface's chest sunk in, and his face turned deep red and then purple as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Leylin stopped looking at him, and glanced at the surrounding Magi of the hunting team.

After defeating Scarface, the Magi from the hunting team that were present seemed to have achieved a mutual understanding, and encircled him.

"What's this? Are you all going to attack me?"

The Hunting Team's Vice Team Leader

Leylin, stepped on the motionless, scarred Magus with his right foot, and coldly glanced at the other Magi present in the surroundings.

An ice-cold killing intent suddenly descended upon this location, shrouding it entirely.

All of the present magicians all felt their backs turning cold, as if some ancient beast had turned its cold eyes to stare at them.

"I am the hunting team's newly elected vice team leader—Leylin Farlier! This chap disrespected me just moments before, so I punished him a bit. Does anyone have any objections?"

Leylin swept a glance over them all and coldly asked.

To strike at a Magus was within his authority, but if he set about to bully him some more, it would be considered excessive.

Moreover, there were at least a dozen Magi from the hunting team present here, and they were all seasoned warriors. If Leylin wanted to dispatch of all of them, it would be troublesome.

After hearing Leylin's words, all the Magi there looked at each other in dismay. A Magus who seemed to have some status asked, "Since you are new here, would you be so kind as to release Wally?"

"No!" Leylin shook his head.

"This Magus dared to offend me, the vice team leader of the hunting team! Before he gets the punishment he deserves, I retain the authority to take handle this matter myself."

"Apparently, he is still not planning on stopping."

When all the present Magi heard Leylin's statement, they all simultaneously felt a chill in their hearts.

This Magus Leylin was clearly a ruthless person!

They were all in a deadlock.

Fortunately, a voice was heard from afar minutes later, solving their dilemma.

"Magus Leylin! What do you think you're doing?"

A crimson fog condensed and transformed into an illusory image.

"Team leader Caesar!" The rest of the Magi in the hunting team bowed respectfully.

"Hm!" Caesar casually nodded and then proceeded to focus his attention on Leylin.

"Leylin. What happened here? I want you to give me an explanation!"

"Can't you tell, Lord Caesar?"

Leylin exerted some force with his right foot, and Scarface, who was under it, immediately lost consciousness.

"Not only did this Magus offend me, he actually did it in this area and used dangerous spells! I only utilized my authority as the vice team leader and stopped him!"

Leylin continued rather mockingly, "If you don't believe me, we can go and take a look at the spell monitor…"

Leylin could have been wrong, but after hearing Leylin's explanation, the fog which had congealed into a human figure seemed to ripple, as if it was so angered by him that it dissipated.

"Good! Very good!"

Caesar nodded condescendingly and looked towards the Magi present.

"Wally offended a Magus of higher power than him and attempted to use spells in a public area. I sentence him to imprisonment for three months within the dark tower. Also, I will rescind his share of this year's resources."

"With this, are you satisfied, vice team leader Leylin?" Caesar asked, specifically stressing the last few words, and seeming to be implying something.

"But of course! I am very satisfied!"

Smiling, Leylin withdrew his right foot, and facing Caesar, he humbly saluted.

This outcome was already better than he expected, and he was aware that he should know when to stop and not go too far in this situation.

"By the way! You, come with me!" Caesar pointed at Leylin.

In front of the admiration and fearful gazes of the hunting team, Leylin shrugged his shoulders and slowly exited the field. Only the scarred Magus Wally was left lying on the ground.

"He… He's actually this strong!"

After Leylin left the field, the remaining Magi made some noises of incredulity.

"Though he is strong, he dared to contradict our team leader. Hehe…." Another Magus grinned, revelling in Leylin's apparent misfortune.

Their team leader, Caesar, was no good person. Not only was he the team leader of their hunting team, he also had, in his arsenal, many methods of torture that could cause any official Magus to have a nervous breakdown.

"Leylin? Leylin! I remember him—he is Zone 13's Leylin!"

At that moment, one of the Magi finally realized Leylin's identity.

"The person who killed 9 dark Magi and captured 8 more? Right, that person seemed to be called Leylin and was sent here by headquarters. It can't be that much of a coincidence, can it?"

A Magus of the hunting team with exceptionally oily skin joined in the conversation, a wry smile on his face.

Having attacked and even captured many enemy Magi, some of whom were semi converted Magi, Leylin had earned quite a reputation.

It was only now that these Magi knew who they had provoked.

"No wonder! If that was Leylin, he has the right to be so arrogant!"

An older middle-aged man looked in the direction that Leylin had left, a complex expression on his face. They were just ordinary members of the hunting team, with their average strength being that of a semi converted elemental Magus, and multiple Magi who had this level of power had been killed by Leylin. The one thing they collectively agreed on was that power determined one's status in the world.

At the beginning, they had not known who Leylin was and thought Leylin had been provoking them. On hindsight, they decided this was the actions of an expert who knew what he was doing.

...

The Magi in the hunting team later saw Leylin once more at the banquet that was held the same evening.

This time, no one dared to be so stupid as to go forward and pick a fight with him.

Leylin sat on the right side of the long table, calmly sizing up all the Magi present at the banquet.

The number of people in the Hunting Team was less than those in the Potioneering Team, but still, there were about 50 people here. Each of these Magi emitted powerful energy waves; almost all of the Magi here had reached the threshold of semi elemental conversion. They could be called the cream of the crop amongst official Magi.

"Everybody!" At the head of the table, Caesar cleared his throat.

Immediately, there was complete and utter silence, and all the Magi stood up in deference, waiting for Caesar's command.

"Before we begin the feast, allow me to introduce to you to a new member!" Caesar's face was brimming with a radiant smile.

"This is Magus Leylin! He will join our hunting team and assume the post of vice team leader. Everyone, please welcome him!"

In the wake of Caesar's introduction, Leylin also got up and bowed multiple times to address everyone.

"Vice team leader Leylin!"

Those Magi who have seen Leylin display his might did not dare to do anything else other than bowing so low that they almost achieved a perfect 90 degree angle.

"Hm! Very good!"

Caesar observed this scene, and nodded in satisfaction. He then continued, "All of you have experienced Magus Leylin's strength. Therefore, I declare that vice team leader Leylin will hold the position of commander of Hunting Zone 3."

"Wait a minute!" A voice sounded out, interrupting Caesar's speech.

Caesar frowned, but upon seeing the source of this voice, his expression eased up, "Vice team leader Leylin, do you have an objections?"

"Of course I have one!" Leylin looked gloomy and seemed put out. "Hunting Zone 3? As per my knowledge, that seems to be under the Abyssal Bone Forest's territory!"

Within the Eternal River Plains' secret plane, apart from areas dominated by either light or dark Magi organizations, there were places that armies had taken over, as well as some unoccupied areas.

These regions were located at the borders between the two factions of light and dark Magi. Some lay in desolate areas, while others were in accessible locations.

Since both sides were still unprepared, engaging with their main forces was a waste of resources. Hence, there had been an unspoken agreement that wandering Magi from either domain were allowed to battle there.

It didn't matter what these places were previously named. These few areas, which were under the Four Season Garden's control, all belonged to the Hunting team, and were further divided into different zones.

"Yes. The main enemy in Zone 3 is the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Do you have any problems with that?"

Suddenly, Caesar slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh, I forgot! I read about your background—Magus Leylin, you were once an acolyte under the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, right? Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

"Hmph!" When joining the Four Seasons Garden, Leylin had been very open with his background. Besides reaping some gains from Dylan Garden, there wasn't anything interesting about his past.

However, the feeling of having someone else having a hold on him caused him to be ill at ease.

"When I joined the Four Seasons Garden, I had clearly cut off my relationship with the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Does team leader still doubt my words?"

Leylin firmly replied.

"Very good!" Caesar clapped his hands smilingly.

"So, prove it to me! Bring me the head of a Magus from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, and prove your loyalty to the Four Seasons Garden!"

"And if I say no?"

"In that case, pardon me, but I will arrest you on the grounds of going against orders!"

The smile on Caesar's face turned cold, and his third eye on his forehead blinked open.

*Buzz*

A strong and bloodthirsty spiritual force that was like a fine interwoven web covered the entire room in a split second.

Leylin had a solemn expression as he used his right hand to lightly press on his temple.

Spiritual force that was filled with an unfathomable depth and darkness descended upon the field as well.

*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*

Instantly, the air seemed like it was being torn apart, and the sounds of shattering were emitted.

*Whoosh!* An intense storm broke out in the room, and it felt like a tornado with a magnitude of ten had appeared out of nowhere, scattering the food on the dining tables all over the place.

"It's a spiritual force tornado! Fall back!"

All the Magi present carried an expression of extreme terror as they retreated hastily.

"Your spiritual force has improved quite a bit, but it's a shame that it still isn't enough!"

Opposite Leylin, Caesar's voice drifted over, carrying a hint of surprise. Following which, it turned cold. "I'll let you experience what a genuine peak rank 1 Magus is like! Spiritual Eye!"

After he spoke, a faint image of a giant vertical eye appeared instantly behind Caesar.

The eye seemed demonic as the entire eye was completely black, and resembled the eye on Caesar's forehead.

*Rumble!*

After the image of the vertical eye appeared, the might of the spiritual force tornado within the area amplified by a couple fold. It even resulted in minute black cracks in the void, where silvery light were being produced from there.

"Team leader Caesar's prowess has reached the state where he can tear apart the void. If he progresses any further, he will reach the ability to materialise spiritual force, which is an ability that belongs to rank 2 Magi!"

Hunting Zone 3

Seeing that Caesar's spiritual storm had almost torn space apart, the members of the hunting team that were present let out incredulous exclamations.

"I've long since heard about how 20 years ago Lord Caesar had reached the criteria to advance to rank 2. However, to pave the way and make his future advancement smoother, he chose to suppress his cultivation."

A female Magus with gauze that veiled her face mumbled, her eyes revealing adoration for Caesar, "As I thought, our team leader really is the strongest!"

"As expected, he's powerful!"

Leylin clenched his teeth and a large amount of spiritual force burst out from his sea of consciousness.

At the same time, a blue ray of light flashed in his eyes. "A.I. Chip, estimate the opponent's power!"

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning information gathering, constructing the simulation model.] The A.I. Chip's mechanical voice sounded.

Streams of data were rendered in front of Leylin's eyes, eventually coming to a conclusion.

[Estimation of target's spiritual force: 79.9. Opted elemental essence for conversion: Death element. Estimated elemental essence conversion: 85-90%.]

"This data means he's way past the entry requirements to advance to rank 2!"

The conditions for advancing from a rank 1 Magus to a rank 2 Magus were that one's spiritual force must be at least 80 and that their elemental essence conversion must be at least 80%.

However, many talented Magi did not want to advance right after meeting the bare minimum requirements. They wanted to be in the best condition when they advanced, which would pave the way for their future.

Thus, they voluntarily suppressed their spiritual force, keeping it at the boundary while they increased their elemental essence conversion to at least 90%. Only then would they choose to advance.

The type of Rank 2 Magi who chose to advance this way had a battle power that far exceeded that of their peers. All their future advancements would be easier as well.

Caesar was a talented Magus with this train of thought! Based on strength alone, he was even above the leader of the Potioneering team, Decarte.

However, this was quite normal. Decarte was the leader of the Potioneering team, and instead of battle power, he was more focused on being knowledgeable in Potioneering.

Caesar, on the other hand, was in charge of the Four Seasons Garden's hunting team, and was thus definitely much stronger than his peers.

Leylin suddenly had a thought and immediately took a look at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 1 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 7.1, Agility: 6.7, Vitality: 8.5, Spiritual force: 58.9, Magic power: 58 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Elemental essence conversion: 70%. Status: Healthy]

"My spiritual force and elemental essence conversion are much too weak compared to his, and he isn't even using his full strength. If he did, my external spiritual force would have been destroyed long ago!"

Leylin gave a bitter laugh.

Of course, he hadn't gone all out. His elemental essence conversion and spiritual force had been suppressed by the technique obtained from the old witch, which made it more obvious to the others that he was not a match for this person.

After Caesar had used the Spiritual Eye Technique, Leylin's spiritual force gradually weakened, causing the attack to come dangerously close to his body.

"Puh!"

Leylin suddenly paled and staggered three steps backwards.

With every step, a deep footprint was seen. White gas seemed to rise around him.

A hint of red appeared in Leylin's eyes, but it quickly dissipated. He rubbed the blood at the corner of his mouth, and looked at Caesar with an unwillingness to lose.

"Team leader is really amazing!"

In this situation, victory was very obvious. The female Magus from before cheered loudly.

"Shut it!" Caesar glared, and the female Magus kept quiet, feeling wronged.

*Pak pak!* Caesar clapped his hands expressionlessly.

After that, two rows of acolytes in formal attire came to the hall.

Facing the mess in front of them, there was no sign of confusion or astonishment as they quickly restrained their emotions.

Multi-coloured rays from magic spells lit up the area, and the level 3 acolytes even used rank zero magic spells to speed up the rate of cleaning up.

Minutes later, the hall looked as good as new. Even the long table had been replaced, and all types of steaming and tempting delicacies were once more displayed on the table.

"So? What's your answer, Magus Leylin?"

Caesar watched Leylin, who looked gloomy.

"Since that is what team leader wants, I have no choice but to obey!" Leylin answered unwillingly.

"Very good!"

Caesar nodded. "Well then, everyone! Let us raise our glasses to Leylin's future contributions!"

*Clink!* Numerous wine glasses touched together, producing bright, pleasant sounds.

...

"My lord! The area that we are in charge of, Hunting Zone 3, spans from the green highlands there to the region of dried up marshes. Here, the Eternal River Plains' secret plane does not yield much, save for a type of Fantasy Spring Water, which is in high demand by Magi from both sides."

An old Magus from the hunting team with traces of white hair brought Leylin around, patrolling the area.

The areas the hunting team were in charge of greatly differed from areas which had been officially conquered. They were at the border where many opposing powers were, and it was hardly strange to see enemy Magi around.

Thus, these few hunting areas were those where the most fights occurred within the secret plane.

Every day, there were many acolytes and even official Magi who died at the hands of the enemy, turning into mere merit points on the enemy's part.

"Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's acolytes? It's really been a long time since I last saw them!"

Leylin was on high ground as he mumbled, gazing into the distance.

At that moment, his past life within Abyssal Bone Forest Academy along with each and every person there seemed to be fresh memories.

"Anyway, Professor Kroft is only a Potion Master, so it's unlikely he will be sent to the battlefield. If he's offended someone recently, that would be another story altogether."

Leylin thought for a while— the only people he would meet on the battlefield were the official Magi from Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.

Out of the professors in the academy, he was only familiar with a few such as Dorotte and Kroft.

Even if he killed a few of the others, he wouldn't have a guilty conscience since he didn't know them anyway.

He even had hopes of running into some of the people from the Lilytell family! He clearly carried a grudge from being chased by them previously.

"Vice team leader! We have tarried here for more than 15 minutes! This is the boundary, and if we continue onwards, it's possible that the enemy's scouts will detect our energy waves and besiege us."

The patrolling magician who was guiding Leylin bowed and reminded him.

In Hunting Zone 3, the vice leader Leylin was deserving of the title of being a local tyrant.

After all, he had sufficient strength, was the highest ranking person that was from Four Seasons Garden, and he was the boss of these hunting team members. This was very terrifying.

If Leylin found any Magus an eyesore, it was entirely within his right to send them to their deaths by commanding them to enter the enemy's territory.

If they wanted to resist, Leylin could kill them on the basis of them defying orders.

Thus, now that their lives were in Leylin's hands, things such as pride and honour would be long forgotten.

Leylin, who had been sent here, subdued these few Magi with a few moves.

"Got it, Old Man!" Leylin replied, indifferently.

Most of the members of the hunting team had nicknames, and this Magus who was next to Leylin went by the nickname of 'Old Man'.

"Since the Lilytell family lost the competition to be the dean of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, it implies that their strength definitely does not exceed that of a rank 2 Magus. Who knows, they might not even have a rank 2 Magus."

Leylin quickly calculated the strength of the Lilytell Family.

"The grandfather of Bosain, whom I killed back then, was a powerful elder in the Lilytell Family at the peak of rank 1. He was probably a little weaker than Caesar and had about the same level of strength as Decarte."

Leylin's blue eyes flashed as he silently commanded, "A.I. Chip! Using the data gathered previously about Caesar, set up a simulation model and calculate my chances of winning in a fight against Caesar…."

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning data transfer, simulating a human form!]

The A.I. Chip faithfully pinged.

"Let's go!" Leylin said to Old Man, who was standing at the side and heaved a sigh of relief as they quickly left the area.

As he moved, streams of data flickered in front of Leylin rapidly.

With Leylin's mental power, it was very easy to multitask.

Moments later, the A.I. Chip came up with the results.

[Battle results: Number 2 and 3 will detonate themselves and die. Host and Caesar will die together. Probability: 89.7%.]

"What's happening? Show me specific images!"

Leylin was shocked. The conditions that he set included what he would do if he went all out, setting up traps and adding in surprise attacks from Number 2 and 3, who were Branded Swordsmen. Even with these conditions, the outcome was not in his favour, which was entirely beyond his expectations.

*Weng!*

A faint blue screen, similar to a three dimensional display, appeared before Leylin's eyes and showed an image.

In the scene, Leylin managed to launch a surprise attack when Caesar was distracted, dealing great damage to his opponent. Caesar then turned back in surprise and anger, and fought Leylin.

Two figures flickered across the screen. What shocked Leylin was how strong Caesar's body was.

As they fought desperately for a few minutes, Caesar used his secret technique once again and healed most of his injuries.

At this moment, Leylin had also revealed his hidden cards: Number 2 and 3.

Number 2 and 3 roared and the brands on their bodies lit up, drowning Caesar in violent flames that shot out of their long swords.

The third eye on Caesar's forehead blinked open, exposing a black, defensive ray of light that completely suppressed the two Branded Swordsmen's attack.

From that eye, there also seemed to be a white light that had high offensive power against one's spirit.

At the end, Leylin could was left with no choice but to order Number 2 and Number 3 to detonate themselves, thereby destroying Caesar's third eye.

However, Caesar laughed crazily and split his body into two other figures. The three bodies stood at different areas, dragging Leylin with them as they exploded simultaneously.

Black Smog

"Three spirits in one body! I never expected to see Magi still practicing this ancient technique, and actually succeed!"

Leylin's expression showed his shock.

However, from the simulation from the A.I. Chip, Leylin now had a better idea of the level of his strength.

Currently, Leylin could be said to be at the peak of rank 1, where dealing with a semi-converted Magus was as easy as chopping vegetables.

However, if he were to compare himself to genius Magi—such as Caesar—who had already met the requirements to advance, he was still weaker.

Fortunately, Magi like Caesar weren't common on the south coast.

His mortal enemy, the elder of the Lilytell family, was a little weaker than Caesar.

With Leylin's current skills, if he were to fight him one on one without any tricks, he was not a match for Caesar.

This was to be expected though, since it had not been too long since Leylin had become an official Magus. Most Magi would still be new and inexperienced.

It was already an achievement for Leylin to possess this level of strength.

"As long as I endure for a while more and wait until my spiritual force and elemental essence conversion reach the ultimate degree that can be achieved by a rank 1 Magus. Then, with the added bonus from my Warlock bloodline, I will definitely be able to defeat and maybe even kill him…"

Leylin calculated inwardly, his eyes flashing with dark light.

This sight caused the old geezer beside him to tremble in trepidation.

*Boom! Boom!*

A severe seismic wave came from the ground.

A crack appeared, and a gush of tempting, fragrant and milky white spring water burst out from the ground.

The mysterious aroma pervaded the air, and the plants in the area rapidly grew, seeming to have received some nourishment.

"Squeak squeak…" An earthen yellow mole scuttled from the grass and it opened its intelligent eyes wide, observing its surroundings. It dashed to the side of the water, and began to drink in huge gulps.

*Boom! Boom!*

Heavy footsteps sounded and gradually increased in number, announcing a horde of animals.

There were regular animals such as wolves, cheetahs, and pythons, but they were nothing compared to the number of strange, bizarre-looking creatures that were there as well.

There were some whose upper half was human, while the other half consisted of the legs of a spider, and there were others that were as huge as mountains. More than all of these creatures, however, the thing that caused the most fear was the black smog at the heart of the wave.

This black smog spanned across a large area, and there were multiple tendrils of smoke at the edges that kept extending outwards like tentacles. Regardless of whether they were tigers, cheetahs, half-spiders, or double-headed snakes, all animals that got close would be silently consumed by the smog.

After it passed through, all that was left was a pile of white bones.

Even though there was a temptingly strong life force energy radiating from the milky white spring water, the animals all made the same decision to stay far away from the black smog. There was a deliberate amount of space left between the animals and the black smog.

They came to the side of the spring and competed desperately to have the chance to drink the spring water. Just the black smog alone had taken up a lot of space.

The sounds of furious roaring and the tearing apart of meat sounded out!

A bloody battle for the chance to drink the water started at the mouth of the spring.

Of course, these bizarre animals headed in the opposite direction of the black smog, and the mole from earlier had long since disappeared.

More than a few kilometers away, a group of Magi wearing the uniform of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy were advancing.

In the middle was a Magus who had countless plants that seemed like tentacles hanging all over his body and embedded straight into the ground.

All of a sudden, a Magus halted his footsteps and began to grin.

"What's up, Blake? Did you discover anything?"

The leader of the team questioned the scouting Magus called Blake.

"Yes! In that direction, about 7 kilometers away, I sensed dense life force energy waves, and I could feel the energy veins pulsing through the earth… It was at the mouth of a newly-formed fantasy spring. There are also multiple weak traces of life, which probably belong to the animals nearby that were attracted there."

Blake spoke with conviction, pointing in the direction of the spring.

"Good! Let's get there, lest those darned bastards drink up the entire spring!"

The Magus leader was extremely pleased. Discovering the fantasy spring was a substantial contribution!

"But…" Blake was obviously hesitant. "Within all those traces of life, there seems to be a large fellow…"

"Who cares? Do you mean it can resist with 5 official Magi joining hands to attack?"

One of the members in the group immediately exclaimed, "Then what are we waiting for?"

The entire group immediately set off in the direction Blake had pointed out, and Blake could only smile wryly, knowing that nobody would listen to what he had to say. Also, just as his teammate had said, there was nothing that could stop them… Unless they met a Magus from the Four Seasons Garden!

Once the Magi group reached the mouth of the fantasy spring, they saw many animals scrambling for the spring water.

"No! How dare these lowly, wretched bastards drink my fantasy springwater!"

As he watched the water level drop, the leader was on the verge of going crazy. "This is a high-level lifeforce spring water that sells for over a hundred magic crystals per gallon! It's also a necessary item when brewing potions. Quick! What are you still doing there? Kill all of these bastards!"

Two ice blades emitting coldness appeared in the Magi's hands, his expression complicated as if he bore a grudge.

Though the spring would be saved like this, and would become a possession of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, only a small portion of contribution points would be given to him!

"Team leader, look at that!"

Blake dragged the leader by his clothes, pointing at the black smog.

"The devilish black smog! Shit! It being so large must mean that it's already an adult!" The leader could feel a headache coming on.

The devilish black smog was a high energy being in the Magus world.

They were born without a form and were just made of black smog. They did not move quickly, but it was because of this that spells were less effective against them, and their defensive abilities were more impressive.

The most pressing issue was the fact that this devilish black smog had already matured.

It was a large possibility that a matured devilish black smog has awoken their ethereal skill. Even official Magi might have trouble killing or chasing it away.

"Whatever! The good thing is that this type of devilish black smog has high defense, but relatively weak attacks, so the only thing to be careful of is to not let its tentacles touch you!"

The leader pointed at two members. "You two will follow me and release long range spells, and hopefully draw the devilish black smog away. The others will chase away the animals because every second they are still here means we lose thousands of magic crystals."

The Magus leader seemed to be respected in the group, and his arrangements did make sense. Soon after, the Magi split up.

"Drilling Frost!"

"Fireball!"

"Globule of Secondary Energy!"

Spells at the energy levels of an official Magi were let out by the three Magi. Ice bolts, fireballs and multi-coloured balls of energy flew out towards the devilish black smog beside the spring.

The spells distorted the air as they streaked across the sky, leaving behind traces of energy waves.

"Wa… wa…"

The devilish black smog made sounds like that of a child crying as the black smog on its body dispersed. It then became more transparent.

The ice bolts, fireballs, and globules of secondary energy went through the black smog, but it did not cause any significant effect.

The entire body of the black smog became a little more transparent, yet it drank from the spring in huge gulps, as if nothing had happened.

"Physical attacks don't work, which means this devilish black smog definitely has awakened its ethereal ability! Use vaporisation or area of effect attacks that are made up of pure energy!"

The leader was a veteran, and immediately analyzed the current growth stage of the smog.

"Ice fog!"

He first produced a large amount of white fog, in which were ice shards and beads, which quickly moved in the direction of the devilish black smog.

"Support me!" The leader howled.

Immediately after, the two other group members got to work. One released a green hurricane that hastened the speed of the ice fog, while the other constantly set up defenses in front of the group.

With the help of the green tornado, the icy fog moved extremely quickly and immediately reached and stopped at the devilish black smog."

*Tss tss*

The sound of cold water freezing was heard as the ice fog collided with the black smog. The black smog all around the area started moving even slower.

"Whoa!" The roars of the devilish black smog continuously sounded, this time, filled with pain.

"Chi chi!" The black smog churned and revealed two huge yellow pupils, staring directly in the leader's direction.

"I've already made it angry, so be careful!" Upon seeing the smog's reaction, he began to yell.

*Chi chi!* With the strange sounds from the smog, two large portions of black smog were vomited out like a bomb, and rushed towards the three Magi!

"Shield of Gaia!" The only member in charge of setting up defenses went forward, pressing his finger to the ground in front of her.

*Rumble*

A layer of large granite rock rose up from the ground, taking the shape of a shield and defending the Magi behind it.

The black smog bomb collided with the large granite shield, producing an explosive bang.

*Pa pa!*

The surroundings seemed to be a mess—rock and mud were splattered in all four directions, and a crater was also created at the epicenter of the collision.

Black Fire

The few Magi were hiding behind the Shield of Gaia. Together with their innate defense spell, they were safe even from the few stray fragments of rock that struck them.

"Ji Ji!" Seeing that its attack didn't have any effect, the strange-formed black smog finally shifted its attention away from the fantasy springwater. It extended numerous tendrils around the surroundings, which was slowly creeping towards the three Magi.

"Great! I'll lure it away! All of you are to collect the fantasy springwater while it's distracted!"

The team leader hollered.

After that, the three Magi constantly retreated while frequently casting spells, luring the strangely-formed black smog to gradually move away from its original spot.

The other two members of the team took the chance to quickly eradicate other life forms. When they reached the edge of the fantasy springwater, they were the only beings left.

Once Blake reached the mouth of the spring, he started to chant a mysterious incantation.

*Rumble!*

The milky white springwater started to bubble as he steadily chanted in front of the spring.

*Bang!* The large quantity of fantasy springwater was being absorbed in midair by Blake, just like a whale drinking water. As the water was being absorbed, it concentrated into a milky white gemstone-like object, finally landing in Blake's hands.

"Hurry up! I won't be able to hold back the strange-formed black smog for much longer!"

When the leader saw that Blake and another member were collecting the springwater, he first let out a smile before turning to shock in the next instant.

After seeing that someone was collecting large amounts of the delicacy that it was going to consume, the black smog that was still pursuing the team leader let out a baby-like wail before turning back to charge towards the spring.

"Delay it to gain more time!" That team leader's eyes were slightly red.

"Awoooo!"

A creature's holler suddenly came from the sky while the few team members were occupied.

A chill arose in all of the Magi's heart after hearing that sound. The strange-formed black smog also stopped its movement as it revealed its enormous yellow eyes, looking warily at the sky.

They saw an enormous Poison Wyvern. Its body was 30% larger than it should have been, with green scales covered it completely. The force behind every flap of its enormous wings was very powerful.

"This….This Poison Wyvern seems to be….."

That team leader said in a daze.

"That's right! That Poison Wyvern that is stronger than an official Magus is the symbol of that Magus! Leader, we're really lucky this time!" A member of his group smiled wryly as he said that. A sliver of despair appeared on the team leader's face.

"Hmm? A strangely-formed black smog? That's right, I need its core….."

An extremely youthful voice rang out from the Poison Wyvern's back, and following that statement, a strong magic undulation descended on the entire area.

The Magi below instantly felt as though an enormous wave was crashing over them. That power was so powerful that they couldn't resist.

The strange-formed black smog that was still dealing with three Magi immediately stopped resisting against them. The powerful aura of its body increased by half and its form shrunk. It looked more substantial and both of its yellow eyes were wide as it stared fixedly at its new opponent. Low snarls could be heard from it.

Following that person's voice, a black hand, which burned with violent black flames, struck from the back of the Poison Wyvern towards that strange-formed black smog.

The areas that the black hand passed through briefly fluctuated.

The hand was not yet done, and the stones and grass were blown away roughly, revealing a barren land.

The black smog lay right in the middle of this area.

"Chi chi!" The smog faced the heavens and bellowed, constantly spewing out black bullets. These bombs that were formed from condensed black fog seemed to grow eyes and sailed through the air in a strange line, accurately intercepting the large hand that burned with black flames.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The black bullets exploded in front of the large hand, but it was clearly ineffective. They were burnt up by the flames, leaving not even a trace on the palm of the hand.

*Whoosh!*

The attack from the black smog was unable to slow down the fiery large hand. Under the astonished gazes of the surrounding members, the black flaming hand grabbed onto the body of the black smog.

"Waah waah!"

The raging black flames covered the body of the black smog in an instant, the smog gradually becoming fainter under the flames. It eventually burnt into white steam and completely evaporated.

The black smog's figure became increasingly smaller, and within a few seconds, it was half its original size. It cried out painfully, its tentacles involuntarily twitching and even rolling on the ground, but this did nothing to deter the large hand.

The flames persisted and continued to burn away the strange body of the black smog.

Another ten minutes passed, and the entire black smog was completely destroyed by the black flames, leaving behind something that looked like a black pearl.

This black pearl was completely smooth, containing what seemed to be a miniature version of the black smog, constantly changing its shape.

*Thud! Thud!*

The Poison Wyvern in the air had also descended by then, a youthful male Magus jumping off its back. He approached the area where the flames had burnt, retrieving the black pearl.

"A large Poison Wyvern and black flames! There is no mistake, he must be Four Seasons Garden's 'Blackfire' Leylin!"

This team leader smiled wryly. Earlier he had sensed an immense and terrifying spiritual force with a large amount dark elemental energy. It had reached the battlefield and had been observing their every move.

Under the surveillance of this spiritual force, just moving required more energy than usual; it was naturally impossible to even think about escaping or fighting back.

"Blackfire Leylin? Isn't that the one from our academy who…"

A member nearby held his tongue, his expression revealing his shock.

As Magi of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, they definitely knew the existence of a potioneering genius who had been involved in a conflict with the Lilytell family and had been subsequently expelled.

Though it was said that he had already advanced to be an official Magus, hearing rumours and actually seeing it for themselves was a completely different experience.

In addition, the strength that Leylin exhibited far exceeded the might that a newly-advanced Magus would normally have. Even old men like them could only sigh in longing at his power.

"It's such a large area, but we actually managed to bump into him. What luck we have…"

This Magus team leader shook his hand and quickly stood in front of his teammates. "Go! I'll stall for time!"

"Leader!" "Team leader!"

Several members of the team were reluctant to obey.

Blake disregarded his words and went forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder by the team leader. "If you're going to stay behind, then I should be the one doing so. I'm the scout in this group, and it was my fault that we did not discover the enemy…"

However, with Blake's strength, discovering Leylin was basically impossible. Furthermore, Blake's detection skills only applied to enemies on the ground. For those who were in the air, it was completely useless.

"Leader!" The other members seemed to be on good terms with their team leader and hesitated, with another staying behind as well.

The other two glanced at each other, erupting with wind elemental particles around them and moving over ten metres in the blink of an eye. They wildly charged forward, seemingly uncaring of their lives.

"Why does it feel like I'm the huge villain here?" Opposite them, Leylin stroked his chin and had the sudden urge to laugh.

It was quite unexpected that Magi from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy could be so united in a life or death situation like this.

However, even the dark Magi had a few friends they were willing to risk their lives for. Had the team members not trusted each other, then their small team would have perished on its first mission and would not have lasted till this point.

"Magi from Abyssal Bone Forest Academy?"

Upon seeing their strangely familiar black robes, he turned somewhat emotional. Just a few years ago he had been a lowly acolyte who had to be extremely respectful the moment he saw robes that a Magus wore.

But now, whether these official Magi lived or died was in Leylin's hands.

It felt quite strange to face the reversal like this.

"Do you want to stop resisting, or should I make my move?" Leylin asked indifferently.

The moment those words were uttered, the situation could no longer be changed.

"We're going to go all out! Go!" The team leader showed his firm stance as he yelled.

*Ka-cha!* There were suddenly two more long ice blades in his hands mercilessly slashing towards Leylin!

Tentacles also formed under Blake's feet, squirming and extending till they shaped into a large hammer.

The hammer was lifted high and ruthlessly slammed towards Leylin.

The last Magus used a few support spells on his comrades and set up a large rock shield in front of them.

"Quite a compatible combination! It's a pity that it's useless!"

Leylin evaluated, seeming to be making no move. From his figure, innumerable shadow tentacles suddenly emerged.

These shadow feelers seemed to be like plant roots, spreading all over in large quantities till they practically blotted the sky.

The world suddenly became dark and gloomy.

"Shadow Domain!"

Leylin whispered, and his body became a black figure, dissipating into the air.

*Boom! Boom!*

The ice blades and huge hammer struck the floor, leaving behind two huge holes with traces of green smoke emitting around them.

"Take care of our defense!" The team leader roared.

"It's too late! Within the shadows, I am everywhere!"

Black light flashed, and Leylin's figure appeared behind the rock shield.

Total Captivity

As he watched the enemy Magus in charge of defense, Leylin raised his right hand and tapped.

*Weng!*

Countless black figures emerged from the shadows, overlapping with each other as they continuously multiplied. With the accumulation of the shadows, a small light appeared in front of his finger that formed a small-scale vortex that seemed to be able to suck one's spirit in.

In front of Leylin, a layer of greenish-gray iron covering instantly appeared on that Magus' skin.

This was 'Iron Skin', an innate earth element solidification spell that rank 1 Magi liked to use.

*Ripple!*

Leylin's finger seemed to be moving extremely slowly, though in actuality it was approaching very quickly. As he tapped the Magus' Iron Skin, the sound of rippling water could be heard.

In front of Leylin's finger, the Magus' Iron Skin peeled off bit by bit like snakeskin. A look of incredulity appeared on the Magus' face, and after having been quickly tapped on the forehead by Leylin, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"Laura?!" The team leader was furious.

Shortly afterwards, a scroll appeared in his hands and Blake, who was to one side of the leader, produced a small shield the size of a palm.

Immense energy waves were emitted from these two items, indicating that they were ready to be activated at any moment.

"You two can attack me together!"

Facing this sight, Leylin simply smiled and clawed with both hands.

*Tssss!*

Black streams of air were emitted from his fingers, and each of the ten black streams was like little snakes as they surrounded these two Magi.

Where the two Magi had previously stood, two black cocoons could now be seen. From these cocoons, the occasional snake-like hisses could be heard.

Seconds later, the black mist dissipated, leaving behind two Magi that had fainted on the floor.

There was a layer of vague imprints that were like black snakes wandering back and forth across their faces.

*Pak!*

After taking care of these three Magi, Leylin willed the shadow vines obstructing the sky to withdraw back into his shadow.

"I feel it now! With the constant stimulation from my bloodline, my control over the darkness is becoming increasingly stronger!"

The darkness in Leylin's pupils became deeper, and he appeared to be intoxicated while deep in thought as he mumbled to himself.

After handling these three Magi prisoners, Leylin waited another few minutes.

*Zoom!*

Two unidentifiable human figures were flying across the ground, dashing towards Leylin rapidly. Even Leylin was only able to see after-images.

*Thud!*

The two black figures were carrying something on their shoulders and came to Leylin, throwing the things on their backs onto the floor.

"Master!" Number 2 and Number 3 knelt on one leg, greeting him.

"In accordance with your orders, we have caught all of them. None have escaped!"

The two Magi that had escaped just now were currently lying on the ground.

Several injuries that were so deep that bone could be seen on the bodies of the Magi. They were extremely pale, which was a result of extreme blood loss. It was not difficult to imagine that these wounds were the result of a fierce battle.

"Good! You did well!" Leylin expressed his approval towards his subordinates.

These two Magi were newly advanced, and thus the weakest amongst the Magi. Numbers 2 and 3 were able to defeat them because of the immense power of Branded Swordsmen, a subdivision of the ancient Magi.

Perhaps, this was the obvious result of the large consumption of potential and vitality from Number 2 and Number 3.

To obtain power, Leylin had no choice but to speed things up and carry out many taboo methods on their bodies. This allowed them to break through their limits and become Branded Swordsmen in a short period of time.

Because of this, their vitality was being consumed at a faster rate. Based on the A.I. Chip's calculations, they only had two more months to live.

"Bring them along. Let's go!" Leylin heaved a sigh of relief as he pointed at the five Abyssal Bone Forest Academy Magi lying on the ground.

He still had many questions that could only be answered by these people.

In addition, it was no simple task to obtain official Magi slaves and guinea pigs.

Leylin still had many ideas and conjectures regarding Branded Swordsmen, and he needed to test it on these Magi.

After all, in ancient times, Branded Swordsmen were a subdivision of the official Magi, not Knights!

Hence, with Grand Knights as guinea pigs, Leylin still felt he was lacking something even with the help of the A.I. Chip. In the end, all he produced was Numbers 2 and 3, who were incomplete versions of the Branded Swordsman.

This could be due to their lack of the tremendous spiritual force that Magi possessed, which resulted in Number 2 and 3's difficulty in manipulating the elemental particles in the air. It was several times more difficult than predicted by the A.I. Chip.

Leylin considered some scenarios and then brought the five Magi to a secure hidden area. After interrogating them, he immediately began to verify his doubts regarding Branded Swordsmen.

Leylin only dared to be so unscrupulous because this was a time of war and he was doing this to those from the enemy camp.

If not, using official Magi as guinea pigs would most certainly result in society's displeasure, and he would receive negative repercussions.

...

On a high ground filled with white flowers.

In the thick fog, a large castle that looked like an upside-down cone existed.

This castle only had one point that was connected to the ground, and yet it was able to support the main body of the castle on top. Looking at it gave one the misconception that the world was upside down.

It seemed like this castle was normally upright, but someone had turned it upside down.

In the walkway paved with white marble, an old woman with a head of silver hair was carrying an oil lamp, ambling slowly.

*Ka-cha!* A metal door with blue electric currents sparking on the surface was pushed forward.

*Tssss!* Large amounts of icy white gas began to condense as they came into contact with the outside. It filled the walkway behind her with a layer of white frost.

The old lady walked in the house, which was practically a world of ice and snow. It was below 0 degrees, and if one were a regular human, it would be impossible for them to stay here for more than a few seconds.

In the heart of the house, tendrils of white vapour constantly emanated from two ice coffins.

Through the translucent coffins, one could see a burly man in one, and a girl lying quietly in the other.

Both of them had their eyes tightly shut, a look of pain and signs of struggle flashing across their faces occasionally. Each had a rune with a snake wriggling about on their neck and right hand.

"Sorry for the trouble, Doctor Hyder!"

The old woman got out of the way, and a Magus with a head of silver hair came from behind her.

This Magus looked to be very old, with wrinkle after wrinkle heaping on his face. However, his eyes were bright and he had a benevolent smile on his face.

"Curses are a very troublesome part of spells. They involve many strange and cruel things and Magi in the south coast who know this type of magic are scarce. I can't guarantee anything other than that I'll try my best."

Hyder, a Magus specializing in healing, did not immediately approach the patients, but first spoke to the old woman.

"You are an expert in this field. If you are unable to solve this problem, then I don't even know who I should approach."

She gave a bitter laugh.

"Alright! I'll give it my all!" Hyder nodded. Usually, he definitely would not take on such jobs. Not only were they dangerous, it was easy to offend the Magus who had produced the curse.

However, he was on good terms with this family and owed them a few favours. Hence, he had no choice but to come.

Hyder went forward and looked the ice coffins up and down, and then nodded.

"When unable to treat a condition, freezing the victim is a very good method!"

He shifted his focus past the layer of ice, and upon seeing the curse runes within, he gasped.

Hyder's expression immediately became serious, and a stifling atmosphere pervaded the air.

He produced several bizarre items from his clothes, which seemed to be useful in testing the nature and effects of the curse.

The old woman behind him stood behind him in bated breath, not daring to even speak a word.

A good while later, Hyder put down the stethoscope in his hands and rubbed off the cold sweat on his forehead.

"How is it?" She immediately inquired.

"It's troublesome! No, it's extremely troublesome!" Hyder looked abnormally solemn.

"From this rune I felt an ancient aura. It's possible that this was a curse passed on from ancient times, and there are basically no other models of it to be found on the south coast. Furthermore, this technique is very complicated and without large amounts of experimentation, trying to treat it at this point will only result in the curse going berserk in the body. The end result is something none of us want to see…"

Now, after seeing how demanding and crafty this curse was, even Hyder regretted his decision. Was it worth it to repay a favour and, in turn, offend a terrifying dark Magus?

"An ancient curse… hss…" the old lady gasped.

As a family with a long history, she naturally understood the difficulty in dealing with this curse.

Forcefully breaking the curse would only result in death, unless the Magus who had set the curse decided to stop pursuing the matter.

"Are there no other methods?" With a hopeful glint in her eyes, she stared at Hyder.

"It would be best to make a trade with the Magus who set the curse. Other than that, I would need large amounts of guinea pigs and practical tests to find a way and break the curse."

Hyder slanted his head and thought for a moment, before speaking.

"Also, there is a time limit for the curse. Based on my test, there is at most one more month before it will completely erupt!" Hyder dropped another bomb on her.

Upon hearing this, the old lady trembled and then she breathed in deeply, a resolute look on her face.

"It doesn't matter what happens to Manla, but nothing can happen to Jenna! That is my final threshold!"