The Loli-looking demon pursed her lips while glancing at Andrew with a smile. "Big brother! What about you? Who are you, and where did you come from?" She took a step forward, hoping to draw closer to him.
"Me..." Andrew started to say but then whirled around with one swift motion. He instantly cast the level 0 [cat's agility] spell upon himself and took off towards the mirror portal leading into the enormous pitch-black pagoda.
"Big brother!" He could hear the demon girl saying playfully. "Running away isn't a wise move. I wanted us to explore the inheritance ground together. But I have changed my mind now. You two, quickly capture him!'
Andrew glanced over his shoulder and saw the two demon brutes charging at him like there was no tomorrow. Despite their hulking size, they were still so fast. They were definitely demon warriors comparable to official rank-one sorcerers in speed.
'I have to be faster!'
Adrenaline surged through his veins, and he decided to employ his over-the-limit agility. His sprinting speed shot up to levels of rank-one sorcerers, and he neared the mirror portal with every passing second.
But then a twist occurred as he was about to cross the final few meters and dive into the portal. A dreadful chill coursed through his spine as his instincts registered a terrifying calamity coming his way.
Gasping through his panic, he trusted his instincts and side-stepped to the side. He swiftly altered his center of gravity and leaned his body almost 45 degrees to the ground, only to see a flicker of a shadow blade flash by him. The demon girl had obviously cast a spell, and he had dodged it by a hair's breadth.
'Shit!'
Andrew cursed his luck. He knew that more attacks were coming his way since rank-one demon spell casters could launch dozens of shadow blades in seconds. His vast experiences kicked in, and he instantly cast four level 0 [water shield] spells behind him.
"Damn it! Why is this apprentice human so quick when casting spells?"
He could hear the girl curse. He also noticed that her tone was no longer playful, meaning she was getting serious.
His heart raced like that of a helpless prey running away from a predator, but he didn't stop for anything. He didn't even turn to check whether his spell had countered the girl's attacks but dived headfast into the portal.
Everything was moving forward smoothly, and he was just about to cross the mirror portal when another dangerous feeling assaulted him.
His instincts scented death as the air rippled with a terrifying concentration of dark elements. The girl was probably about to cast a level 1 spell, an attack beyond the domains of what an apprentice him could handle.
Andrew didn't dare bet his safety on a useless level 0 defensive spell. Gritting his teeth, he swiftly summoned a small scroll from his ring and tore it with a swift motion. He threw it behind him, evoking a dense concentration of ice elements to congregate around the place.
"Damn it! A level 1 defensive ice spell! Why does this guy have a lot of valuables on him?"
Andrew once again heard the girl cursing. But he didn't look back. He narrowed his eyes and continued diving headfast toward the mirror portal until he felt his senses blackout.
His perception returned within moments as he hit the ground with a thud. Grimacing in pain, he rolled to his feet and looked around. He was in an almost empty and dimly lit marble hall with many paintings of legendary beasts hanging on its walls.
He could see a dragon, a sphinx, a hydra, a chimera, and many other legendary beasts. They all exuded ancient and majestic auras even though they were just artwork on the grey walls.
"It's a pity I don't have time to explore the place. I have to escape."
Andrew muttered and was about to break into a run. But right then, the air ahead of him shimmered, and an elusive figure manifested out of the blue.
The person who had made an abrupt entrance was an aged man with long white hair and a prominent white beard. He possessed sharp eyebrows, deep grey eyes, smooth skin, and a vibrant aura. He must have been a powerful sorcerer in his prime, but at the moment, he was just like a spirit without a physical body.
"You're finally here," the aged man mumbled in a deep voice. He glanced at Andrew with a smile while stroking his long white beard. "No need to panic. You're safe here. Those pitiful rank-one demons won't be able to enter my pagoda no matter how hard they try."
"You are?" Andrew's heart skipped a beat. He felt like the aura of the aged man was a bit familiar, like he had come upon it before.
"Who am I?" The aged man asked back while still grinning and caressing his beard. "You have a magic circle I created engraved in your totem as one of your innate spells. Don't you recognize me?"
"Magic circle! Aeon's Blessing of Death! You're Aeon?" Andrew glanced incredulously at the vibrant projection of the aged man.
"That's my name," the aged man replied with a calm smile. "And you're, of course, Andrew Robinson. It's finally nice to meet you. I have been waiting for your arrival for a very long time."
"You have?" Andrew suppressed a shudder and glanced at the person who called himself Aeon.
Aeon's magic circle had facilitated his fast growth during his previous life, turning him from a talentless hidden family heir into a genius. But after rebirth, he again met the creator of the spell, the elusive ancient sorcerer - Aeon, during the first exploration of an inheritance ground he had randomly decided upon.
How much of a coincidence could that be?
"I know you have many questions and doubts." Aeon continued smiling amicably. "Follow me, and you will have your answers soon."
The aged man didn't wait for Andrew to respond. Instead, he floated towards the stairs at the far end as he guided the way further into the pagoda.
Andrew paused slightly and glanced at the portal leading out of the pagoda. But after thinking of the waiting demons, he eventually sighed and followed the ancient sorcerer up the winding stairs of the pagoda.
-----
In the meantime, the three demons were still struggling to find a way into the pagoda. They had arrived much earlier than the human boy and waited in the dimension for months. But no matter how much they tried; they couldn't access the pagoda that held the inheritance of one of the most terrifying sorcerers ever to walk the land of Edhen.
"Princess!" Goggon, one of the two demon brutes, called out after launching another hammer attack at the mirror portal leading into the pagoda. "What can we do? This barrier won't budge no matter how hard we attack."
"Of course, it won't budge," Anabel, the demon princess with a Loli look, grumbled. "It has defensive spell barriers set by Aeon, a mighty ancient sorcerer that ruled multiple realms. Do you think you can break it with your meager strength?" The small girl looked at the gigantic demon as if he were the greatest fool in the universe.
Goggon smiled embarrassedly and scratched his head. He didn't say anything else but squatted on the side.
"Princess!" Gothphis, the other demon, also called out. A cunning glint flickered in his eyes as he glanced at his liege. "That human boy must have recognized that we were demons. It could be a problem if he escapes and spreads the news that we've already entered Edhen. It would even be worse if he obtained the inheritance."
"I know." Anabel nodded. "That's why we must not let him escape even if he obtains the inheritance. We must kill him and obtain whatever he acquires from the pagoda."
"The pagoda will not let us demons enter," Gothphis stated. "What is your plan?"
Anabel smiled. "There are only two portals leading out of this dimension. I alone will patrol one, while you two will guard the other. As long as you spot him exiting the pagoda, you alert me. If I also see him, I'll alert you, and we can take him down together and acquire whatever he obtains from the inheritance ground."
Gothphis narrowed his eyes. "What if he becomes stronger after obtaining the inheritance?"
"Are you stupid?" Anabel groaned after hearing the question. "Sorcerers require months or even years to master spells of the new rank even after breaking through. The human boy is but an apprentice sorcerer! How many rank-one spells do you think he will be able to master, let's say, in a year?"
"What if he decides to hide in the pagoda for much longer until he becomes stronger than us?" Gothphis asked again.
Anabel shook her head and sighed at the stupidity of her subordinates. She smiled and spoke confidently, "We can take him out if he exits within a year since he won't have mastered many spells. But if he continues hiding in the pagoda to learn more spells, we can invite one of our commanders to take him out. Don't forget that our armies will already be conquering Edhen by then."
"That could indeed work." Gothphis finally smiled with relief. "I'll take Goggon and guard the other portal. We must not let the human boy escape."
"Okay, but don't take him on alone if he comes your way," Anabel warned. "Remember to alert me immediately after you see him exit the pagoda."
Gothphis nodded and swiftly left with Goggon, his brother. He was eager to guard the other exit portal to ensure that the human boy didn't get a chance to escape from the dimension. He was also eyeing the riches from the pagoda.
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