《I Am Worshiped By the Gods Through Investment》 Chapter 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Middle Ages, Demir Academy. While refining medicine, a beautiful youth slowly opened his eyes and sized up everything around him in surprise. ¡°Crucible? Reagents? Lizard tail?¡± The young man sized up the old wizard who was wearing a wizard¡¯s robe and muttering an incantation. He then looked down at his own wizard¡¯s robe. ¡°Looks like I really transmigrated. It¡¯s a magical world. I wonder if there¡¯s a Screaming Charm or something.¡± The Wizarding World sounded like an interesting place, with flying brooms and all kinds of potions and charms. Michael himself was a magic fan, and his biggest hobby in his spare time was writing all kinds of magic novels. He had dabbled in almost all kinds of magic-related things. This transmigration was exactly what he wanted. The world of magic seemed to be relatively safe. As long as he stayed far away from black magic and worked hard, he would be able to reach the peak of his life. However, it was better to take a look at the environment he was in first. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Michael thought to himself that no matter how unlucky he was, it was impossible for him to transmigrate directly to the villain¡¯s base camp. He scanned the surroundings. There were a few cauldrons emitting bubbles and strange lights, and wizards chanting spells in low voices. Gradually, memories of this world surfaced in his mind. It turned out that he had transmigrated into the novel he had once written. As he thought about it, he frowned. It was a book about the magical world. Michael thought back to the contents of the book and sighed inwardly. It seemed like he couldn¡¯t hide from what he had to. It could be said that this wasn¡¯t a peaceful world. There were many dangerous elements, not to mention the evil wizards who used all kinds of black magic. Even the contaminated magic beasts in the forest were enough to make people feel uncomfortable. Michael began to worry about his situation. Before he transmigrated, he had a rather smooth-going life. He worked in a good company and occasionally wrote novels. He had just bought a car and a house not long ago. He even had a cute puppy. He could be considered a winner in life. Who knew that he would transmigrate to such a broken place while walking on the road during the day? If he had known that he would transmigrate into a book, he would have written about a safe and happy world. It would have been better if he had transmigrated directly and become a winner in life. ¡°I don¡¯t want to transmigrate!¡± Michael let out a long sigh. ¡°I wonder how my dog is doing.¡± But since things had come to this, Michael snapped back to his senses and took out a mirror to look at himself. He seemed to be a passerby character in a book. Other than being good-looking, his only specialty seemed to be some talent. He could be considered a little genius. ¡°Michael, how¡¯s the medicine you refined? Don¡¯t think that you can deal with them just because you¡¯re talented!¡± An old man in a dark purple robe walked over. ¡°It¡¯s almost done.¡± Michael threw a small lizard tail into the pot and pretended to stir it with a wooden ladle. The small crucible emitted all kinds of bubbles. The old man looked at it for a while and turned around to leave with satisfaction. What was being developed in the pot seemed to be a Basic Magic Potion. If it was developed in large quantities, it could be used to refine Basic Magic Stones. However, the success rate of using this method to refine the stones was extremely low. It could be said that the success rate was even lower than winning five million in the lottery. Over time, this magic potion became one of the potions that low-level magic apprentices would use for practice. It could be said that this was a bad start. Michael sighed. What kind of demonic opening was this? Other people had all kinds of magic treasures when they transmigrated, but he had nothing. It was just a pot at the beginning, but there was an ending. A wisp of green smoke rose from the potion in the crucible. A new batch of the potion had been refined. Michael resigned himself to his fate and picked up a bottle of medicine, intending to scoop it out. Just as the wooden spoon reached into the pot, a golden shimmering thing was scooped out. Curious, he took it and looked at it. It was a golden key. ¡°You finally found a prop.¡± Little Bat, who had been following him, flew over. ¡°Let me introduce myself. I am your demon spirit.¡± ¡°What is this key for?¡± Michael asked. ¡°It can open the vault space. You can pick it up and chant in your heart to open the vault space,¡± Little Bat explained seriously. I see. Michael followed the instructions and opened the vault in his heart. As the last word fell, a huge pure gold space suddenly opened up before Michael¡¯s eyes. It was empty inside, but it was flashing with golden light. Such a huge storage space! Michael walked in, and a small stone suddenly fell to the ground. Michael bent down to pick it up, his gaze sweeping over the little blue thing. Basic Magic Stone! Michael¡¯s eyes lit up. If he remembered correctly, the Basic Magic Stone could be said to be a very rare Magic Stone in his article. Although its rarity was only Basic, it could greatly enhance magic staffs and other magic equipment. After using any grade magic staff, it would immediately be upgraded to grade 3. For example, a grade 6 magic staff would be upgraded to a grade 3 bonus magic staff. Not only would his mana increase, but also his attack power. This was also the reason why all the magic academies had their apprentices continuously produce Basic potions. It was to be able to produce Basic Magic Stones. Unfortunately, the probability of producing a magic stone was too low. It was said that all the magic academies on the continent of Tyre had only produced a few dozen beginner magic stones this year. As for the higher-level magic stones, they were refined by adding various materials to the basic magic stones. However, there was only a handful of them. To ordinary acolytes, they would only see them a few times in their lives. Michael looked at the willow magic staff at his waist. Not bad. I¡¯ll strengthen my staff, go out and kill a dozen spirit beasts, and get some spirit pills to cultivate. This year¡¯s magic assessment was considered a sure thing. Every year, the Academy of Magic would set up various assessments, including alchemy. If one could not pass the assessment smoothly, they would be expelled from the school. In serious cases, they would be thrown into the Dark Forest to be used as food to appease magical beasts. Michael did not want to personally experience the feeling of being torn apart by his magical beasts. He put away the magic stone in his hand and smiled inwardly. ¡°Not bad.¡± This was a good start. As long as he could survive until the end of the assessment, he would directly join the main character¡¯s team. Using his understanding of the subsequent plot and such a perfect storage space. It could be said that he could rely on the protagonist to take advantage of the situation. Moreover, the main character of the original book was a cute little loli written according to his preferences. If he did well this time, wouldn¡¯t he be able to hug a beauty while at the peak of his life? It was perfect! Chapter 2 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Michael looked at the low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone in his hand, and a beautiful future appeared in his mind. ¡°Have you fantasized enough?¡± A discordant voice rang out. The little bat swayed beside Michael, its little face filled with disdain. Michael nodded. ¡°Then I shall continue to introduce the function of this vault?¡± Little Bat continued. ¡°This treasury can be used to invest in others. Everything that was placed inside could be taken out and used for investment. Every time I invest in someone else, I get a different level of return.¡± ¡°The investment level is divided into five different ranks: N, R, SR, SSR, and SP. The rewards for each level also differ. ¡°An investment requires the investor to meet certain requirements. Not everyone can invest. ¡°The system will give a corresponding prompt when it senses a potential investor. ¡°The return on investment is also related to the item invested. If the value of the item invested is too low, it will be considered an invalid investment, and there will be no return on investment.¡± The system seemed to have noticed Michael¡¯s expression. ¡°Tsk.¡± Michael was just thinking of casually investing in a random piece of junk. Anyway, as long as the return exceeded the investment, he would make a profit. With this treasury space, asking for the other party¡¯s consent was unnecessary. He could directly buy and sell by force and become the richest man on the Tyre continent. ¡°Be a human.¡± Little Bat seemed even more speechless. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone like you.¡± ¡°This is also the first time I¡¯ve seen a demon spirit like you. You talk too much.¡± Michael looked around at the students who were in class. ¡°How do you judge who can invest?¡± Michael asked Little Bat in his mind. ¡°Luck value and the possibility of returns. To put it simply, he¡¯s the son of luck.¡± Little Bat rolled her eyes. You might as well just say that you can guess. What kind of demon spirit is this? Can I get a refund? Michael said gloomily. This demon spirit didn¡¯t look reliable at all. ¡°This devil spirit does not do refunds or exchanges.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force me to rip off your wings.¡± Michael reached out and grabbed the little bat. As expected, this demon spirit was disguised as a small animal that every student in the magic world brought with them at the beginning of school. ¡°Let me go.¡± Little Bat struggled. ¡°I¡¯ll give you permission to check their information, okay?¡± ¡°Information check activated. You can now check the status and attributes of the items and characters in the surrounding environment.¡± Little Bat spat out a small ball of light, and as the light entered Michael¡¯s eyes, attribute text suddenly appeared on the characters around him. That was more like it. Michael wrote this book, and he was very familiar with most of the characters. He knew very well which one to invest in. However, the book only described the main characters in detail. Most of the passersby did not mention them. Moreover, many of the environments were unfamiliar to him. It would be much easier if he could check them directly. Michael let go of the little bat and began to check on the students around him. There were four cauldrons in the small basement. Two other students were refining medicine together besides him and his teacher. Michael first looked at the teacher. The old man was wearing a dark purple robe and had a long white beard. He was stirring his cauldron. Attributes appeared above his head. [Mr. Jones, Advanced Mage. You have not met the investment requirements. Please continue to work hard.] Then, Michael turned around and looked at the two students beside him, save for one not-very-talented student. He looked at the last student. He had already finished refining his medicine and began to pack his things. [Mr. Royce, a beginner mage apprentice. You can invest.] The little bat suddenly discovered something and cried out excitedly. ¡°Mr. Royce?¡± Michael thought about it carefully. There was no such person in his book. It seemed to be a minor character. However, from his current memories, this Mr. Royce seemed to be his childhood playmate and a classmate who joined the sect with him. They seemed to have a very good relationship. Mr. Royce was a young man who looked to be about 16 or 17 years old. He was wearing a linen robe and packing his things. His spirit pet, the little owl, was standing on his shoulder. Although they had both taken on masters simultaneously, Mr. Royce¡¯s talent was clearly not as good as his. Moreover, he was more playful, so his strength only improved slowly. He had almost failed several of his sect¡¯s tests, and it was only with Michael¡¯s help that he could avoid being thrown into the Dark Forest. It could be said that the two of them were practically good brothers. Coming back to his senses, Michael had already decided to be the first to invest in him. Since they were good brothers, they naturally had to help each other. After understanding this, Michael asked the system what the reward for investing was. [Invest one low-level magic stone, and you can upgrade to a Tier 3 mage trainer.] Little Bat said, ¡°Not bad, right?¡± The levels of the Magic World, from low to high, were: Beginner Apprentice, Intermediate Apprentice, Advanced Apprentice, Beginner Mage, Tier 1 Mage, Tier 2 Mage, Tier 3 Mage, Tier 4 Mage, Tier 5 Mage, Tier 6 Mage, Tier 7 Mage, Tier 9 Mage, Beginner Sorcerer, Intermediate Sorcerer, Advanced Sorcerer. Michael was currently a Beginner Apprentice. If he were to become a Tier 3 Mage, he would be able to level up by several levels. Compared to this, the small sorcerer¡¯s stone seemed to be nothing. After all, the Sorcerer¡¯s Stone could only upgrade his staff. Although with his talent, he might be able to upgrade it to a higher level staff. However, once he became a mage, it would be different. Not only would his demonic palm be upgraded on the spot, but even the success rate of refining medicine would increase several times. Perhaps he could even refine a few low-level magic stones by himself. ¡°Hey?¡± Michael called out in a low voice, ¡°I have something good for you.¡± Mr. Royce turned around in confusion. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m almost done packing. I still have to rush to send a letter to my sister later.¡± He pointed at the letter at the owl¡¯s feet. It was said that one could wear a more beautiful robe after leveling up to a mage, and their magic power would also increase greatly. If he passed the test, he would be promoted from a beginner apprentice to an intermediate apprentice. In the future, he would no longer have to do the hard work of collecting herbs and other raw materials. At this moment, Mr. Royce seemed to have been marked. The word ¡°Invest¡± flashed above his head. ¡°Hehe, look at this.¡± Michael took out a low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone and waved it in front of his eyes. ¡°The Sorcerer¡¯s Stone!¡± Mr. Royce¡¯s eyes lit up. He looked around and whispered, ¡°You didn¡¯t steal it, did you?¡± ¡°Michael. It¡¯s a great crime to be found out about stealing the Sorcerer¡¯s Stone.¡± Mr. Royce frowned and continued, ¡°If we are discovered, we will be thrown into the Dark Forest.¡± Chapter 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Michael stuffed the low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone into the man¡¯s hand and said emotionally, ¡°Ah. I know you¡¯ve been worried about this year¡¯s annual assessment. This low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone was something I accidentally refined just now. No one knows. Quickly accept it and use it to strengthen your weapon. This way, you can pass this year¡¯s assessment smoothly.¡± Mr. Royce was dumbfounded, and his pupils trembled on the spot! He had thought that he would definitely fail this year¡¯s annual assessment. In the previous year¡¯s annual assessment, he barely passed because he had clung onto Michael¡¯s thigh. This year¡¯s annual assessment required a single-person assessment. He had even written his will and planned to send it to his sister by owl. Who would have thought that Michael would actually be able to craft such a precious low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone? He thought to himself, Michael is indeed my good brother. He actually gave me a low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone! This thing was a treasure to low-level apprentices and most people in the Magic World. Not to mention anything else, no academy could produce that many low-level sorcerer¡¯s stones every year. This year, the Demir Academy, known as the number one academy in the entire Tyre Continent, had produced less than five. They gave all of them to the most powerful teachers every day. Apprentices like them could not even be seen. In the outside world, if one were to spend money to buy it, it would cost at least 10,000 Spiritual Jade. It was not something that could be bought anywhere. An ordinary outer sect disciple could not afford it without eight to ten years of frugality! Mr. Royce was touched but did not immediately take the low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone. Instead, he asked with some curiosity, ¡°Michael, you¡¯re much more talented than me. If you use this low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone yourself, the effect will be much better than letting me use it. Actually, if you don¡¯t give it to me, I might not be sent to the Dark Forest even if I beg Master. Maybe I¡¯ll be sent home?¡± Michael had expected this question and had already prepared a draft. ¡°Ah¡­ Err, you don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve just refined a better potion. After consuming it, I¡¯ll be able to level up a lot. This stone won¡¯t be of much use to me. ¡°Moreover¡­ We grew up together in the village. How could I watch you be thrown into the Dark Forest? I still hope that I can help you.¡± As he spoke, Michael waved the potion in his hand, indicating for the other party to take a look. ¡°Senior apprentice, you and I are good brothers. Using this treasure on you is the best way to get it. When you become stronger in the future, we will have to form a team to sweep across the continent of Tyre and become the strongest team.¡± Michael thought for a moment and put on a serious expression. Mr. Royce became even more excited after hearing that. He secretly sighed that he had not crossed brothers. He gave him a low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone without asking for anything in return. As long as he installed this stone on his staff, he would not have to worry about the annual assessment this year. This Sorcerer¡¯s Stone¡­ Accept or not? After hesitating for a while, Mr. Royce made up his mind. He reached out and took the low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone from Michael. ¡°I¡¯ll accept this!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Junior Brother. I will definitely repay your kindness today in the future! Blade Mountain Flaming Sea Guild only needs one word from you! From now on, we are best brothers.¡± After saying this, Mr. Lys no longer hesitated and put away the low-level sorcerer¡¯s stone. After the others left the alchemy practice room, he removed his willow staff and strengthened it. Michael looked at Mr. Royce¡¯s busy figure, his heart filled with anticipation. The bat¡¯s voice rang out. [Congratulations, Michael, on your successful investment! You will soon be promoted to a tier 3 mage!] ¡°Your speed isn¡¯t bad.¡± The little bat flew onto Michael¡¯s shoulder and stopped. The two mechanical voices excited Michael, and he ignored the system¡¯s ridicule. He first drank the potion in his hand, and then a majestic magic power crazily surged into Michael¡¯s body. Intermediate Apprentice Tier 1 Mage ¡­ His Mana surged like a flood of ferocious beasts as he advanced to become a Tier 3 Mage. Only then did the mana stop flowing into his body. After becoming a Tier 3 Mage, Michael suddenly felt his entire body transform tremendously! Not only did the magic power in his body change from the previous layer of the road to the current thick fog. Even the strength of his physical body could not be mentioned in the same breath! It was as if his entire body was filled with inexhaustible strength. Michael felt as if he could shatter a small mountain with a single punch! A layer of magic power circulated around his body before slowly seeping in. Michael stretched out his hand and chanted a spell. A huge magic ball was instantly born, condensing into a small ball that seemed to have substance. This small ball was many times larger compared to the weak magic ball when he was an apprentice. Even the Demon Spirit Bats following them seemed to have doubled in size. Michael took out his magic staff and gently poured his mana into it. A white ray of mana surrounded the staff. Not long after, the staff began to level up and became even heavier. Michael examined the staff in his hand and realized that his originally ordinary tier 6 staff had actually been upgraded to a normal tier 2 staff. It was even more effective than using a sorcerer¡¯s stone. This was simply a huge profit. Michael thought to himself as he reached out to touch the little bat. ¡°You¡¯re quite soft. It feels warm.¡± Michael thought that this thing might even be used as a hand warmer. It was warm and cute. ¡°Then can you deliver letters like an owl? Are there any other functions? What if you lose it?¡± Michael was a little puzzled. Although he had heard of Mo Ling before, this was the first time he had seen one, so he was still slightly puzzled. ¡°I transformed into a bat to make it easier for me to move.¡± Little Bat replied, ¡°Of course, I can do what normal spiritual pets can do. If I am too far away from you, you can communicate with me in your mind, or you can remotely open the treasury space or invest. Of course, I can also transfer it to your side at any time.¡± So that was how it was. After hearing that the demon spirit would not be lost, Michael finally relaxed. Otherwise, if the Demon Spirit he had painstakingly found was lost, wouldn¡¯t he be in big trouble? After becoming a mage, Michael then thought of the bonus he would receive when refining medicinal ingredients. He wondered if he could refine better medicinal ingredients. Although he had already passed the test, he still wanted to try refining it. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if he could refine even more powerful potions and materials? With this thought in mind, Michael lit a fire under the cauldron. Chapter 4 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Soon, a small flame was ignited under the cauldron. As the magic power poured in, a layer of white magic power surrounded the cauldron and seeped into the flames bit by bit. Soon, the small flame grew from light yellow to dark green, symbolizing high-level magic power. Michael was secretly delighted when he saw the change in the flames. One had to know that the success rate of potion refinement was directly related to the flame form. The success rate of the dark green flame refinement was more than 50%, and there was a chance it could increase the quality of the potion refinement! ¡°Green flame!¡± Mr. Royce, who was strengthening his wand, also noticed the situation and looked over in shock. The degree of fire was not only related to magic power but it involved a certain degree of luck. Not everyone with high mana could use high-level mana flames when refining potions. Moreover, one could only light a fire at a time. One had to know that sometimes their instructors could only use ordinary yellow flames. Michael had actually used the dark green flame in one go. This meant that not only was he very powerful, but he was also very lucky. ¡°Let¡¯s form a team and sweep across the continent in the future!¡± At the thought of this, Mr. Royce said without hesitation, ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be the captain, and I¡¯ll be your deputy. What do you think?¡± Mr. Royce thought to himself that if he hadn¡¯t come from the same small village and were childhood playmates, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to get to know Michael at all. Now that he had quickly clung to his thigh, he might even be able to make a name for himself with the big boss. ¡°Alright.¡± Michael concentrated on stirring the potion with a wooden spoon, so he agreed without thinking. Michael recalled that Mr. Royce had often protected him when he was young. Moreover, his parents died when he was young, and it was the Royce family who had raised him. Although he did not seem very reliable and his abilities were not strong, with the treasury space, it was very possible for him to become a powerful mage in the future if he invested more in him. Bubbles began to rise from the cauldron, and Michael threw the magic wolf¡¯s tooth into it. In an instant, more green bubbles rolled up in the pot, and a sinister green light emitted. Michael began to chant the healing potion¡¯s incantation. The long incantation solidified in the air and flew into the pot, slowly fusing into the green potion. When the last bubble rose into the air and burst, the green potion instantly turned red. After the powerful healing potion was completed, Michael began chanting a transfer spell and placed the potion into a triangular potion bottle for storage. Some wizards often looked down on healing potions and other support potions, thinking that they were not as good as attack potions. However, Michael knew a real battle was not as turn-based as in the game. He also did not think he could stand up and continue fighting like in the game. In real life, the remaining HP could not move at all. There was no follow-up. Because of this, Michael¡¯s first concoction was a healing potion. This way, if he encountered danger, he would only need one drop to recover quickly. Whether it was to continue fighting or to escape, he would not be in a desperate situation. The new potion shocked Mr. Royce again. One had to know that a drop of the powerful healing potion could heal most external injuries. It could be said that as long as he was still breathing, he could be cured with a powerful healing potion. He put away his staff and once again felt that his decision to team up with Michael was wise. Michael put away his potion and walked to the apprentice dormitory with Mr. Royce. All the apprentices lived in the same dormitory. The small dormitory had a two-person bed, a bathroom, and a shared storage room. The higher the rank, the better the treatment and the higher the salary. For example, their mentor owned an entire manor and town. In addition to the academy¡¯s monthly income, the town¡¯s residents also had to pay taxes to him regularly. Of course, he also had to protect the residents of his town from the attacks of the magical beasts. At this moment, Mr. Royce was writing a new letter on his desk, planning to send it to his sister later. Meanwhile, Michael was looking out of the window in a daze. He was thinking about how he might be able to obtain a magic tutor jade token when he went to the academy for the assessment tomorrow. That way, not only would he be able to learn more alchemy and spells from his master, but he would also receive more gold coins as a reward. Perhaps he could have his own manor or town in the future. In the morning, in the outer court of Demir Academy. These days were the days when the assessment could be held. A group of magic apprentices who came to take the assessment had gathered in the outer court. They gathered together and whispered, exchanging their views on this year¡¯s assessment. Most of them had already found teammates in advance, and some were asking around about the strength of others, trying to pull some big shots into a team at the last minute and try to get into the team. One after another, people entered the assessment hall to take the assessment, but Michael was not in a hurry. The assessment could be taken individually or in small groups. Mr. Royce had sent an owl to deliver the letter in the morning, but it had not arrived. Michael planned to wait for him to come and register together. Furthermore, the format of this year¡¯s annual assessment was still unclear. Michael planned to see the results of the disciples who went to take the assessment first before making more detailed plans. Although he had passed the assessment, he did not have much confidence in Mr. Royce. If the test was too difficult, Michael planned to concoct some potions for Mr. Royce to strengthen himself. He did not want to lose his teammate at the beginning. After a while, the assessment hall was already full. An instructor walked out and posted a notice saying that it was full. However, the number of mage apprentices in the outer court did not decrease. It seemed that Michael was not the only one waiting to see what would happen. Michael sighed. There was no point in looking at it any longer. It was better to go to the mission hall first to see if there were any missions that a team could complete. He would bring Mr. Royce to experience first. With that thought in mind, he collected his salary for the month and walked straight to the mission hall. The mission wall was filled with all kinds of missions. Michael simply scanned the area. He realized that most of them were low-star missions. The high-level missions showed that he was not qualified to accept them. Currently, the new missions were all useless gathering missions, such as collecting eggs, spider silk, making magic cotton, and so on. These missions were not useful for the assessment and would only waste a little time. ¡°Hand over the mission book.¡± Just as Michael was about to leave, he suddenly saw a few people surrounding a young man and shouting something. The youth who was surrounded was thin and had injuries on his face. However, he held the mission book tightly and refused to let go. ¡°I snatched this. I¡¯m not giving it to anyone.¡± Chapter 5 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Snatching quest books was a common occurrence. Good missions often had generous rewards, but they were often accompanied by great risks. Some quests even had level requirements, and only high-level mages could accept them. The missions were divided according to color, which were, white, yellow, blue, red, green, and purple missions. The benefits and degree of danger were divided into the following levels: end of auspiciousness, minor auspiciousness, great auspiciousness, and great ominousness. Generally speaking, the higher the level of the mission, the better the reward. Many long-term missions had phase rewards and long-term rewards for each mission. It was a very good reward. However, Mage Apprentices could only accept blue missions, while Mage Instructors could only accept higher-level missions. The higher-level missions would have to be received at the higher-level mission hall. However, there were exceptions. Lucky¡¯s missions were usually less risky, and any mage with a mission level could accept them. However, there would occasionally be some extremely dangerous missions that were released for all mages to choose from due to the high rewards. Mage apprentices usually received potions and gold coins from missions. It was rare to see good rewards. Therefore, every time these missions with high rewards were released, people would fight over them crazily. Although it was stipulated that once an apprentice accepted a mission, no one else could fight for it. In reality, however, as long as they had not registered in the mission hall, many people would still use force to snatch other people¡¯s mission books for the rewards. Even if it was registered, it did not mean that it was safe. If the mission recipient was determined to be unable to complete the mission, the mission he accepted would return to the mission hall and be fought for by others. As for how to make others unable to complete the mission, there were many ways. As long as no one was killed, the academy had never paid attention to such matters. This also made some people even more arrogant. As soon as they saw someone get a good mission, they would stop them. Miller and his gang, who were currently fighting for the quest book in the quest hall, were the representatives. At this moment, they had already forced the thin young man into a corner, and their eyes were like wolves staring at a fat sheep. Miller and his gang were used to doing evil things. He relied on his status as a beginner mage and led his companions to do whatever they wanted among a group of mage apprentices. Many mage apprentices had been bullied or robbed by them, but due to the gap between apprentices and mages, they could only be angry but did not dare to speak up. ¡°Sigh, Carl is in big trouble now.¡± A fat apprentice sighed. ¡°He almost failed the last assessment and was injured not long ago. Originally, I could have been exempted from the annual assessment by accepting this mission. Now, I definitely won¡¯t be able to pass.¡± ¡°Yes, he is. Carl is a good man. The spiritual plants he grows always have the best harvest.¡± Another bystander continued, ¡°He even gave me his plant alchemy materials last time.¡± ¡°Miller is too despicable. Carl even made a potion for him last time.¡± A mage apprentice in a gray mage robe said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have any objections?¡± Miller heard the voice and looked over. The pressure in his eyes made these chattering apprentices not dare to speak. They could only sigh on the side and secretly sigh for poor Carl. It couldn¡¯t be helped. This was how the strong preyed on the weak. Kindness without strength could not do anything, not even protect itself. Michael stood to the side, planning to wait for Mr. Royce to come over. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡± Little Bat asked. ¡°No thanks. This kind of thing happens often. He has to learn to protect himself. I can¡¯t stand up and protect him every time.¡± Michael said under the demon spirit¡¯s disdainful gaze. Michael did not remember such a person in his book. He was probably just an ordinary passerby. When he first arrived, he scanned the area and did not find anyone worth investing in, so he stood lazily at the side and planned to watch the show. Demir Academy, apprentice dormitory. Mr. Royce sorted out the letters and specialties in his hand. His sister was not in good health. He wondered if she still had any household charms and amulets he had sent back last time. He picked up a pen, wrote some more, and packed them up. By the time he had packed up and sent it to his sister on his owl, it was already dawn. ¡°Oh no, I still have to register for the annual assessment with Michael.¡± Mr. Royce looked at the time and sighed. He hurriedly picked up the broom placed at the side, sat on it, and rushed towards the outer courtyard of the academy. The broom of a mage apprentice didn¡¯t fly too fast. Mr. Royce sprinted all the way to the outer courtyard of the academy and saw a notice on the examination hall that it was full. He hoped that Michael wouldn¡¯t blame him for delaying things. Mr. Royce was a little sad and planned to go to the reward hall to collect this month¡¯s salary. When he received his reward, he would treat Michael to a big meal in town. He hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be angry. Mr. Royce thought to himself. He didn¡¯t want to lose the thigh he had worked so hard to get because he was late. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Michael¡¯s underling? Why aren¡¯t you with him?¡± the apprentice who was distributing the rewards asked mockingly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been rejected by the others,¡± another apprentice mocked. ¡°That¡¯s true. I wouldn¡¯t go with a good-for-nothing like you. I heard that you relied on Michael to pass several assessments?¡± ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡± The group of apprentices laughed. Most of the jobs in the Demir Academy were taken up by capable apprentices and mages, and it was the same in these places. ¡°Take your reward and leave. This might be the last time you receive your reward,¡± An apprentice said as he threw a bag of gold coins over. Michael is my brother. ¡°Mr. Royce picked up the gold coin, his fair face flushed red with anger. I¡¯m afraid you people don¡¯t even have friends and can only mock others in the dark.¡± ¡°Just you wait, one day. My brother and I will form a team that will become the most powerful mage team on the continent of Tyre.¡± ¡°Is the team called ¡®Just my useless teammate and me?¡¯ Hahaha!¡± The apprentices laughed even harder. ¡°Just you wait.¡± Mr. Royce resisted the urge to make a move. The reward hall forbade apprentices from fighting privately. The consequences of breaking the law were severe. This was to prevent some people from stealing other people¡¯s rewards here. On the other side, Michael was a little confused as he waited. No matter how slow Mr. Royce was, he should have arrived by now. At this moment, he suddenly saw the contents of the mission book in Carl¡¯s arms. You can get a few Magic Stones by participating in the mission. Sorcerer¡¯s Stones? Michael¡¯s eyes lit up. With this, there was no need to worry about Mr. Royce¡¯s assessment. Chapter 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Carl¡¯s originally delicate face was punched a few times. The academy prohibited private fights with staves, but it did not prohibit the use of physical force. This also made Carl, who was not good at fighting, especially at a disadvantage. He wiped away the blood on his face, gritted his teeth, and insisted, ¡°I can¡¯t give you this mission book.¡± ¡°Coward, aren¡¯t you just afraid of being thrown into the Dark Forest?¡± Miller said mockingly, ¡°So what if a coward like you accepts the mission? Do you think you can get the mission reward? This quest was to go deep into the Dark Forest. Don¡¯t be scared, you know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Our boss is doing this for your own good, and you still don¡¯t appreciate it.¡± A lackey chimed in, ¡°With your strength, you¡¯ll definitely be judged as a failure if you accept the mission. It would be better to give the quest book to our boss earlier so that everyone can save some time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ungrateful. If you hand over the mission book now, our boss might even give you some alchemy materials if he¡¯s in a good mood.¡± A one-eyed man narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you, our boss has ways to make you unable to complete the mission.¡± Michael had long heard of these people but didn¡¯t expect them to be such uncivilized bullies. Although it was indeed a little difficult to go to the Dark Forest to complete the mission, Michael could not help but walk up to Carl when he thought about how these people were bullying him. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Who said he couldn¡¯t complete the mission?¡± Everyone was shocked when they saw Michael suddenly attack. So who exactly was this Michael? How dare he interfere in the affairs of a low-level magus? The mage apprentices, who were watching from the side, started whispering among themselves. Some cheered for Michael¡¯s heroic act, while others thought that Michael was overestimating himself. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve heard of this apprentice. I heard he¡¯s very talented, but unfortunately, he¡¯s only a beginner apprentice. ¡°He definitely can¡¯t beat Miller.¡± ¡°If I offend Miller, I¡¯ll definitely be pestered my whole life,¡± another female apprentice said regretfully. This was also one of the reasons why no one cared about Miller¡¯s matter. Miller was a petty person. He would cling to others and constantly cause trouble for them. Even though many mages would avoid him, Miller became increasingly arrogant in the academy. ¡°Tsk, who are you? Why are you meddling in my business?¡± Miller looked at Michael indifferently. ¡°What kind of blind thing dares to scam our boss?¡± Miller¡¯s underling continued, ¡°Let me tell you, we all know the magisters in this academy, but we¡¯ve never seen someone like you. A mage apprentice dares to go against our boss? I think you¡¯re the old man hanging himself. You don¡¯t want to live, do you?¡± ¡°Exactly. Our boss is an existence that even mages don¡¯t dare to offend. I advise you to be sensible.¡± The one-eyed man said, ¡°Kneel and apologize to our boss now. Maybe he will be magnanimous and let you go. Otherwise, we have plenty of ways to make it impossible for you to survive in the academy.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Just you guys. ¡°Michael suppressed the anger in his heart, thinking that he could use these few people to test the strengthening of his body after leveling up. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you guys don¡¯t have the strength to stop me from surviving.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t get lost, I don¡¯t know who will apologize later.¡± Michael mobilized the mana around him, and the aura of a Tier 3 Mage Instructor spread out in all directions, giving everyone present a sense of pressure. Everyone¡¯s eyes lit up. Could Michael have already become a mage? With his talent, he might really be able to beat Miller. All the apprentices present had been bullied by Miller before. Now that they saw someone who could teach Miller a lesson, they all looked at Michael with anticipation. Miller naturally felt this pressure as well, but he thought that the other party was, at most, a beginner apprentice like him. No matter how talented he was, it was impossible for him to level up higher than himself in a short period of time. In addition, he had two advanced apprentices as his lackeys. No matter how powerful he was, fighting against four hands with two fists would be difficult. He would still win. Thinking up to this point, Miller also released his own magic power to fight against Michael. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m afraid of you just because you¡¯re a mage.¡± Miller gave a slight signal, and the one-eyed man beside him suddenly made his move. He flashed in front of Michael and wanted to punch him. Slap! Michael raised his hand. This simple action was beyond everyone¡¯s comprehension. His speed was simply too fast. Before the acolytes could even react, they saw the one-eyed man fly out with a blur and fall heavily at Miller¡¯s feet. Michael didn¡¯t even move. The one-eyed man crawled up from the ground, his eyes filled with fear. He didn¡¯t even touch the corner of his clothes. It was too fast, so fast that the one-eyed Jack was sent flying before he could even make a sound. He could feel that the other party had not used his full strength. Otherwise, he might have been killed on the spot. ¡°I hate trouble the most.¡± Michael frowned. ¡°You¡¯re no match for me. The academy forbids killing. I don¡¯t want to break the rules because of you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Seeing his underling being defeated, Miller was also furious. He had never been slapped in the face like this before. If he admitted defeat like this, how would he be able to survive in the academy? As he spoke, he roared, ¡°All of you, attack together!¡± As he spoke, he gathered magic power in his hand and attacked Michael with the wind. The magic power of a mage was strengthened, and it could even give a mage¡¯s punch the power to split mountains and shatter rocks. Miller had obviously used a killer move. Now that Miller was using it with aggro, its power had increased to another level; however, before Miller could even reach Michael, a powerful magic power swept up the dust in front of him. The mage apprentices who were watching the battle from the side quickly walked away to avoid being affected by the battle between the gods. There were even people who were betting on who would win this battle, Miller or Michael. Most people were on Miller¡¯s side. ¡°Michael is still too kind. If only he had crippled Miller¡¯s underling.¡± Someone sighed and said, ¡°Miller¡¯s underlings are also very difficult to deal with.¡± ¡°How troublesome.¡± Michael sighed and casually raised his staff. Although they could not use spells to attack, the academy did not prohibit the use of staffs as weapons. As soon as he took out his high-level staff, the threat of mana had already spread out, followed by a rain of attacks. Miller¡¯s pupils dilated when he saw the staff coming at him. He wanted to dodge, but his body seemed to be frozen in place. After a few muffled sounds of weapons colliding with flesh, bright red flowers bloomed on Miller and the others. Chapter 7 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°How did you become so strong?¡± Miller still wanted to fight, but he forced himself to keep shouting. Fresh blood flowed out of his body and bloomed on his robe. ¡°Boss, let¡¯s go.¡± The lackey looked terrified and begged without caring about his image. ¡°The other side is too strong. Let¡¯s wait for a while and come back.¡± Miller turned to look at his two underlings. They were only high-level apprentices, and they were completely helpless against Michael¡¯s attacks. At this moment, their bodies were like torn rags, bleeding everywhere. The big guy¡¯s underling was in a better condition and was still standing on the spot. The one-eyed man¡¯s ribs and legs seemed to have been broken. His white bones pierced through his flesh from his chest and abdomen and were exposed. The magic staff that mages treasured the most was now used as a walking stick to support his body, barely following Miller. ¡°I can¡¯t just let it go like this¡­ Cough!¡± The one-eyed dragon¡¯s eye revealed a fierce look. Perhaps it was because he was too heavily injured, but blood gushed out from the corner of his mouth as soon as he opened his mouth. ¡°If you leave now, I can let bygones be bygones.¡± Michael wiped his staff in disgust and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want your lives yet.¡± He had never expected a Tier 3 Mage to strengthen his body so much. Michael had originally planned to just beat these hooligans back, but he had never expected that a simple attack would end up in such a state. He had even stained his brand-new staff with sticky blood. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Miller sprinkled a bottle of hemostatic powder on the one-eyed man¡¯s body, which slightly stopped the bleeding on his body. However, for more serious injuries, he would probably have to spend money to go to the academy¡¯s treatment room to find a Healing Mage to treat them. ¡°I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Miller waved his hand to signal his lackeys to leave with him. Seeing this, the other underling hurriedly carried the heavily injured one-eyed man and fled. It was so fast that it was as if a ghost was chasing after it. ¡°This is so satisfying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve long disliked this group of people.¡± ¡°Finally, someone has taught them a lesson.¡± Seeing Miller run away with injuries, the onlookers cheered. Some even said that Miller deserved it. If not for the fact that Michael had yet to retract his Tier 3 Mana Suppression, they would not have dared to approach him. Right now, someone would probably rush over and throw Michael into the air to cheer. ¡°Miller is very difficult to deal with. He will definitely cling to Michael like plaster in the future,¡± a fat mage apprentice said worriedly. ¡°What are you afraid of? Didn¡¯t you see it just now? Michael knocked Miller down in one go,¡± another mage apprentice commented. ¡°What are you afraid of? At most, that hooligan will come again and fight again.¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Michael walked over and extended his hand to Carl. Carl thanked him generously. ¡°Thank you for your help today. Otherwise, I would have been bullied to death. ¡± Moreover, the mission that we fought so hard to snatch will also be snatched away by them.¡± Michael scanned Carl¡¯s body. His originally clean robe was now stained, and his delicate face was covered in scars. There was a thick dark green color under his left eye. Michael suddenly thought of the healing potion he had concocted yesterday. Wouldn¡¯t it be a good opportunity to test the effects of his potion on this young man? Michael took out a storage potion from his vault. Ever since he realized that the vault was huge and that he could invest anything in it, he had been very surprised. Michael treated the vault as his personal storage space. Compared to the traditional storage bracelet, this space was not only convenient to use, but every time he took out something from it and handed it to others, it could be regarded as an investment and earn some benefits. ¡°You actually used the treasury space as an ordinary storage space,¡± Little Bat rolled her eyes. ¡°What a waste of a heavenly treasure.¡± Why do you care how I use it? Michael ignored the little bat and took out a healing potion from his inventory. ¡°Carl.¡± Michael thought about what to say and said, ¡°This is a healing potion I made. If you don¡¯t mind, you can try it. I can more or less help you treat it.¡± Carl took the light red healing potion, and a warm feeling flowed through his heart. He never thought that he would meet such a good person. Not only did he help him chase away the hooligans, but he also gave him medicine to treat his wounds. When the onlookers saw the healing potion, they were also filled with emotions. Advanced Healing Potions were also very rare. Just now, when the one-eyed man was beaten up so badly that his boss could not bear to take out magic potions and only gave him the hemostatic powder. In such a short period of time, Michael¡¯s image in people¡¯s hearts had risen to another level. It was said that the effects of the Advanced Healing Potion were very powerful. This was the first time these people had seen it. Now, they were all focused on Carl¡¯s actions. Carl carefully drank a mouthful of the potion, and the green magic that symbolized life gently enveloped his entire body. The wounds on his body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Soon, there was no trace of them left. A warm feeling filled his body, and Carl felt that his magic power had greatly strengthened. Seeing this, the others began to feel jealous. He drank such a high-level potion. Many mage apprentices had only heard of high-grade healing potions, but this was the first time they had seen one in real life. There were even a few people who hated themselves for not accepting the quest and being picked on by Miller. That way, they might be able to get a bottle of high-grade healing potion to drink. ¡°You helped me chase away the hooligans and then healed me.¡± Carl handed the rest of the potion to Michael. Although it was very good, he was not the kind of person who liked to take advantage of others. ¡°From now on, you will be my benefactor. If you need anything, feel free to look for me. ¡± Michael placed the three bottles of high-grade healing potions he had just received into the treasury space and said, ¡± Take this healing potion. If you encounter anything in the future, you can use it. ¡± ¡°With your current strength, it¡¯s indeed a little dangerous to do the Dark Forest mission.¡± Michael continued, ¡°Why don¡¯t I do it with you? When the time comes, we¡¯ll split the reward 40-60. You get 60, and I get 40.¡± ¡°What a profiteer. He used others to exchange for more potions and even made others shed tears of gratitude.¡± Little Bat started complaining in Michael¡¯s mind. ¡°Poor little Carl.¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Didn¡¯t I also help him a lot?¡± Michael retorted in his mind. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble.¡± Carl opened the mission book for Michael to see. ¡°This is a team mission. After completion, everyone on the team will receive a reward. Miller came to snatch it because of this reward. He wanted me to do the mission with them to get the reward, and then snatch it away from me. ¡± Carl stopped there. He didn¡¯t say that Miller was going to use him as cannon fodder to do dangerous missions and let them pick up the rewards for free. If Miller and the others succeeded, Carl might not get anything after risking his life to complete the mission, but Miller and the others could lie at home and safely receive the reward. Chapter 8 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°In that case, let¡¯s form a team and carry out the mission together.¡± Michael looked at the mission book carefully and realized that this was a long-term mission. Moreover, signing up would exempt him from two annual assessments. In other words, as long as one joined this mission, they would not receive punishment even if they completely failed the annual assessment in the next two years. Moreover, they would receive double the reward if they managed to pass! Of course, if one did not want to, one could choose not to participate in the annual assessment. Mr. Royce was saved. Michael¡¯s eyes lit up. He had originally thought that he would only be able to obtain the Sorcerer¡¯s Stone, but he did not expect there to be such a pleasant surprise! ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late.¡± Mr. Royce had just been ridiculed by the people in the reward hall. This time, he walked to Michael¡¯s side dejectedly. Although those people didn¡¯t dare to deduct Mr. Royce¡¯s remuneration, they looked down on him. This deeply upset him, and he would occasionally wonder if he was dragging Michael down. Michael did not know what he was thinking. When he saw Mr. Royce, he hurriedly shouted, ¡°Hey. Over here! I found something good!¡± ¡°Let me introduce you. This is our new teammate, Carl.¡± Michael introduced him to Mr. Royce. ¡°He is my best friend, Mr. Royce.¡± After both parties exchanged greetings, Michael briefly introduced the new mission book to Mr. Royce. Mr. Royce did not expect Michael to be so considerate of him, even helping him find such a good mission. Thinking of this, Mr. Royce felt even more grateful to Michael. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s form a team today. One day in the future, our team will become the strongest team.¡± Mr. Royce said excitedly, ¡°Oh right, our team will be named Z.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Mr. Royce said casually, and Carl had no objections. The name was decided. At this moment, they still did not know that in the future Tyre continent. This simple letter would become an indescribable existence that would make gods and ghosts pale. All the high-level mages and even the elven queen had to give this name an opinion. No one knew the true strength of the members of this team. They only knew that their captain, Michael, was not only extremely powerful but also a rare kind person. As long as it was a good person, they would receive Michael¡¯s selfless help, and the bad person would also receive the most ruthless blow. Over time, Z became another cult of sorts in the Tyre Continent. Many civilians and mage apprentices kept the coins with Z printed on them close to their bodies, hoping to receive protection. Villains were also afraid that Michael would see them and scatter their ashes. Because of this, the manor and town under Michael¡¯s name became the safest place in Tyre. A group of people and mage apprentices without magic power even fought to move into Z¡¯s town. ¡°Hero, can I interview you?¡± A mage apprentice from the Public Relations Department rushed over with a recording talisman in his hand. He had already recorded the entire process of Michael¡¯s attack. If he could get some first-hand news now, it would definitely be a hit in the academy¡¯s official newspaper. Every academy on the continent of Tyre had its own exclusive newspaper for external publicity. It was used to publicize the strength of their academy and other aspects of the situation, attracting children of the appropriate age on the continent to join their academy. The remuneration for articles in such newspapers was often linked to the popularity of the news. If the article was popular, one could even receive tens of millions of gold coins. Thinking of this, the mage apprentice could not help but narrow his eyes, as if a million dollars had already beckoned to him. Michael came back to his senses when he heard the voice. He did not like troublesome things. However, Miller probably wouldn¡¯t be coming back for a while. Most mages would use brooms to travel. Even if they wanted to bring people, they would choose to use other magic transportation tools. Only when they had insufficient magic power and could not use the transportation tools would they escape in a hurry. Moreover, looking at the injuries of their group, even if they recovered, they were destined to not be able to make it to this year¡¯s annual assessment. It seemed that Miller would be expelled from the academy soon, but those who were expelled would have no place in this world and would be ostracized everywhere. Having finally resolved this problem, Michael looked at the Mage Apprentice holding the recording talisman. He often read the academy¡¯s newspapers, which recorded some simple and effective alchemy formulas, as well as some rewarding missions. But the first issue? This was a little troublesome. Just as Michael was about to refuse, Magical Beast suddenly said, ¡°New potential investor detected.¡± ¡°This investment is simple.¡± Little Bat started chattering. ¡°You only need to take out a gold coin from the vault space as an investment and entrust that mage apprentice to help you publish in the newspaper. You will be able to obtain long-term benefits and fame.¡± ¡°The reward is twice the reward that the mage apprentice received,¡± Little Bat continued. ¡°How was it? You don¡¯t have to do anything and you can just lie down and count your money. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± This suggestion was indeed very tempting. After all, gold coins were still very important in this world. It could even be said that as long as one had money, they could buy anything they wanted. This was also one of the reasons why the major families on the continent of Tyre were generally very powerful. They could buy items that were powerful enough. Michael nodded in agreement and made up some random content. He then took out a gold coin and gave it to the mage apprentice. The mage apprentice was overjoyed to receive Michael¡¯s approval, and he kept the gold coins in his pocket like a treasure. After bowing respectfully, he said, ¡°My name is York. It¡¯s my honor to be able to report on you exclusively. I will definitely let your name spread throughout the entire Tyre Continent.¡± ¡°Spread the word about Z too. This is the most powerful mage team in the future!¡± Mr. Royce shouted. York walked over and interviewed a few more people before bringing back the information he had sorted out. In the dormitory. Michael, Mr. Royce, and Carl gathered to discuss completing the mission on the mission book. There were a total of nine long-term missions in the mission book. The early missions were relatively safe, but the subsequent ones were more difficult than the previous ones. If he wasn¡¯t careful, he might even lose his life, much less get the mission reward. Chapter 9 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Stealing a magical beast egg! Mr. Royce¡¯s eyes widened. This mission was too difficult! One had to know that the magic beast eggs were hidden in the deepest part of the Dark Forest. One had to go deep into it to get them. Regular mages like them could only wander around the outskirts of the Dark Forest. Only high-level mages occasionally went deep into the Dark Forest to look for alchemy materials in groups. Even high-level mages might not be able to guarantee their own safety if they went alone. ¡°I just want to collect the first few rewards.¡± Carl lowered his head under the gaze of his teammates. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t participate in the annual assessment in my current state. I want to pass this annual assessment first and then use the mission reward to increase my strength. It¡¯s better than the subsequent mission assessment. ¡°Even if the follow-up mission cannot be completed and is judged to have failed.¡± Carl said in a low voice, ¡°The rewards from the previous missions won¡¯t be taken away. I still earned it.¡± Generally speaking, if such a long-term mission could not be completed in the later stages and was taken back, the mission reward in the early stages would not be taken back. Instead, the progress would be reset so the subsequent people who accepted the mission could receive a new reward. This was a rare moment of conscience for the academy. After all, this kind of mission often required a long time to complete. If the mission rewards given in the early stages were taken back, it would cause many acolytes to return empty-handed. In the beginning, the academy had tried to take back the mission rewards, but many apprentices sold or used the rewards as soon as they received them, they were unable to retrieve them. Some mage apprentices and mages simply abandoned the mission. The reward income from the mission wall was also one of the main sources of income for an academy. This could also reflect the strength of an academy. If the completion rate of long-term missions in an academy was low, no one would even accept the mission. If time passed, it would even affect the academy¡¯s ranking on the academy rankings. With this in mind, the academy finally decided that if they failed the mid-term mission, they would not take back the rewards already given out in the early stages. Moreover, they could continue to receive the rewards that had not been received. After all, compared to things like the academy¡¯s reputation and ranking, the small rewards in the early stages of the long-term mission could be said to be insignificant. ¡°The higher the risk, the better the reward.¡± Little Bat comforted Michael when he saw his frown. ¡°Think about it, that York is staring at you with a recording talisman. If you complete this mission beautifully, he will go out and publicize it. Wouldn¡¯t your team be famous? ¡°When the time comes, a bunch of rich people will be lining up to ask you to do exclusive missions.¡± Little Bat increased her strength and said, ¡°There will be a lot of generous rewards waiting for you. You can have whatever you want.¡± Most of the magic apprentices in Tyre would choose to focus on the type they were good at after passing the assessment and officially obtaining the title of a mage. When they needed other types of mages to cooperate with them, they would find a team or mage that they liked to give out exclusive missions and seek help. This kind of mission often had very generous rewards. ¡°Let¡¯s strengthen our equipment first before making any plans.¡± Michael took out the potions he had refined over the past few days from his storage space and distributed them to his teammates. He also assigned them their respective tasks. ¡°Mr. Royce is good at making talismans. Prepare more useful talismans in the next few days. I¡¯ll be in charge of refining the potion.¡± ¡°Carl, can you breed spiritual plants and provide me with some plant alchemy materials?¡± Michael asked. ¡°No problem.¡± Carl nodded. ¡± I¡¯m the only one in my dormitory. I¡¯ve transformed the other half of the room into a small spiritual plant field. ¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s make this arrangement first. Let¡¯s make our own preparations first,¡± Michael said. ¡°Let¡¯s complete these simple missions first. We¡¯ll look for foxtail grass and fluorescent stones on the outskirts of the Dark Forest. ¡°These missions don¡¯t require going deep into the Dark Forest. We just need to search in the periphery. The safety factor is relatively high and suitable for us now.¡± Magic Apprentice Dormitory, Alchemy Training Room. After confirming which missions they would complete, everyone in Team Z went to their respective positions and began working hard. On the other hand, Michael was constantly refining various potions to strengthen equipment in the alchemy training room. After putting them into the treasury space, he would take them out for his teammates to use. With the return on his investment, Michael quickly earned more alchemy potions and became a Tier 4 Mage. It seemed that advancing from a Tier 3 Mage to a Tier 4 Mage was not as fast as advancing from a Mage Apprentice to a Mage. But in fact, he had leveled up a lot in the middle. After becoming a mage, each level required a long period of breakthrough and cultivation. Many mages could only stay in the same place for several years without being able to level up. As for Miller, who wasn¡¯t very talented, he had already reached a bottleneck in the early stages of the magus realm and had been stuck on the same level for more than ten years. Fortunately, the mages could use magic to maintain their appearances, or Miller would be a little old man this time. Although a low-level mage could bully others in front of a mage apprentice, he was often defenseless against a higher-level mage. This was also the reason why Miller, who had already been promoted to a mage, still stayed in the mission hall where the magic apprentices gathered to bully others. Because he couldn¡¯t afford to offend people of a higher tier! Michael tried out his new magic power and circulated it in his hand, forming a simple magic ball. He looked at the magic ball that had become bigger and showed a satisfied expression. Now that the team had a Tier 4 Mage, a Basic Mage Apprentice, and an Intermediate Mage Apprentice, it should not be too dangerous for them to head to the Dark Forest for the initial mission. However, he still had to find a way to let Mr. Royce and Carl level up quickly. Otherwise, it would be troublesome for them to stay at a low level. Unfortunately, he could not use the treasury space to help them level up directly. The normal way to level up a mage was to cultivate, slowly accumulating experience like in the game. However, the problem was that leveling up like this would take a good amount of time. However, this would be a problem to be worried about in the future. For now, he had to think about how to get foxtail grass and fluorescent stones. Although the outskirts of the Dark Forest were not that dangerous, it did not mean that it was absolutely safe. ¡°I found the map of the Dark Forest.¡± Mr. Royce walked in with the map. ¡°I exchanged it with gold coins at the academy¡¯s market. Quickly take a look and see if it¡¯s true.¡± Michael looked over and did a simple check. He found that it was indeed a map of the Dark Forest. It was unknown who drew it, but it also carefully marked the distribution of alchemy materials on the periphery. It was very thoughtful. However, the person who drew the map was obviously weaker. The map only showed the periphery of the Dark Forest and nothing else inside. Chapter 10 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation From the map, the foxtail grass and the fluorescent stone were too far apart. The foxtail grass was in the southernmost part of the Dark Forest, while the fluorescent stone was in the cave in the north of the Dark Forest. With Michael¡¯s current abilities, it would be very difficult for them to return before nightfall if they wanted to collect two items at the same time. After all, the Dark Forest was simply too vast. In the beginning, it was actually just a small forest, but as the number of black mages increased, the Dark Forest was gradually eroded by black magic. It slowly became a huge forest that occupied one-fifth of the land area of Tyre. Although the Dark Forest was called a forest, it wasn¡¯t actually one. There were also infected caves, grasslands, and flower areas. Before these places were contaminated by black magic, they were once the most beautiful places in the Tyre Continent. There were inexhaustible alchemy materials inside, and all kinds of gentle and cute spirit beasts lived here. Many mages would come here to relax or look for alchemy materials. But it was also because of the abundance of magic power here that the black mages quickly targeted it. At first, they were only here to choose alchemy materials. Although the mages had some complaints about this, there was nothing they could do. Because the Dark Forest was the public property of the entire Tyre Continent, there was no rule that said that black mages could not come here to choose alchemy materials. Moreover, those black mages were simply annoying. They were like flies that could not be chased away. One batch could be driven away today, and another would simply appear tomorrow. As time passed, the mages saw that they were only looking for alchemy materials and did not cause any damage to the forest. Hence, they were allowed to choose all kinds of alchemy materials in the forest. Compared to the freedom of dark mages, mages had to constantly take on missions and attend various academies¡¯ annual examinations. He did not have much time to waste with the black mages. However, it was this carelessness that led to bitter consequences. The black mages began to use black magic in the forest. In the beginning, only a few low-level creatures were demonized and did not attract the attention of the mages. By the time the mages realized the severity of the problem, everything was already beyond redemption. Traces of black magic contamination quickly spread from one place to the other. In just a day, it had already infected one-sixth of the Tyre continent. The magical beasts that originally lived in the forest also had a drastic change in temperament. They became irritable and violent and were extremely hostile to humans. All the high-level mages on the continent of Tyre attacked together, but they could only barely limit the Dark Forest¡¯s infection rate to one-fifth of the continent. At the same time, they drew a line so that the magical beasts could not leave the Dark Forest to harm ordinary people without magic. However, the restrictions needed to be fixed from time to time, so there were often cases of magical beasts escaping. This required a mage to go out and expel the magic beasts. The trouble was that other than the escaping magic beasts, there were also many black mages who used their own black magic to deliberately infect the spirit beasts. These infected magic beasts could turn ordinary people into raw materials for black mages to increase their magic power. But what was worse was that everyone found that the Dark Forest actually had its own consciousness. It blamed everyone who had magic for being hurt by black magic and began to target the mages. The two sides fought for a long time over this matter. In the end, the mages set up a barrier in the depths of the Dark Forest to completely seal the consciousness of the Dark Forest. However, the seal could not completely restrict the consciousness of the Dark Forest. It could only weaken it. In order to prevent the consciousness of the Dark Forest from escaping, the academy agreed to its request. Every year, a group of mages would be sent to eliminate its resentment. However, the Dark Forest could no longer attack mages for no reason. This was also why the academy would send mages who failed the annual assessment into the Dark Forest. ¡°How about this?¡± Michael thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s still too dangerous to spend the night in the Dark Forest. We are doing our best to ensure our safety.¡± Now that his team hadn¡¯t yet developed, hiding and developing slowly was better. ¡®I¡¯ll make plans when I meet the main character in the original book in the future,¡¯ Michael thought. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. What do you call this?¡± Little Bat thought for a while and complained, ¡°After careful consideration, you will win every battle!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you talking too much?¡± Michael continued to organize the route map for a while, planning the route into the Dark Forest. In the end, he decided to look for foxtail grass first. On the one hand, the cave was more dangerous, and on the other, Karl was more familiar with foxtail grass, so it was easier to find it. Pa! Cups and other furniture were smashed to the ground. Miller was standing in his cabin, fuming, venting his anger on all sorts of things in the room. As a beginner mage, he had his own small house and did not need to live in a dormitory. The small room felt like it was experiencing a typhoon. Everything was smashed to the ground. Miller stood in the middle, struggling to vent his anger. He let his magic power, which was out of control due to anger, tear everything within a few square meters. The injuries of the two underlings were almost healed. They stood in the distance trembling, not daring to approach their political lunatic boss. ¡°Who is he? How dare he snatch my mission book?!¡± Miller glanced at his underlings. This time, not only was the thing that caught his eye stolen, but he and his underling were also beaten up like this. He had spent a lot of gold coins to heal his two underlings, but the Healing Mage ridiculed and extorted him. But this was not the most infuriating thing. Miller slammed a college report on the ground. The headlines and videos in the newspaper deeply hurt his eyes. This newspaper sold well today, which meant that almost everyone in the academy knew that Miller was beaten up like a dead dog. How was he going to stand in this world in the future? Even while walking in the academy, he could hear others whispering and laughing at him behind his back! ¡°Boss, they must be going to the Dark Forest for a mission.¡± The one-eyed man carefully approached his boss and smiled obsequiously. ¡°We can¡¯t beat them on the surface, but can¡¯t we secretly plot against them?¡± ¡°There are no recordings in the Dark Forest. He could only blame himself for being unlucky. When the time comes, we¡¯ll follow behind them and find an opportunity.¡± The one-eyed man drew a hand across his neck. ¡°We¡¯re in the dark, and they¡¯re in the light. Isn¡¯t it very easy to cause trouble?¡± In the academy dormitory. Michael packed up the alchemy potions he needed and put them into his vault space. He then checked his teammates¡¯ luggage. ¡°Then let¡¯s set off tomorrow!¡± ¡°Team Z, first operation.¡± Mr. Royce said excitedly, ¡°I have to clean up properly.¡± Chapter 11 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Early in the morning, in the apprentice dormitory of Demir Academy. Michael looked speechlessly at the team that was getting ready to set off. Mr. Royce and Carl¡¯s robes had complicated patterns printed on their chests. On closer look, it was an embroidered letter Z. There was light purple magic power surrounding it, and there were also spells, spiritual plants, crucibles, and other elements added. ¡°What¡¯s on your robes?¡± Michael asked. If he remembered correctly, he hadn¡¯t seen this thing when they parted last night! Could it be that they did this last night? ¡°This is our team emblem. I¡¯ll print it for you too.¡± Before Michael could react, Mr. Royce pasted the transfer charm on Michael¡¯s robe, and an identical pattern instantly appeared on Michael¡¯s clothes. ¡°I told you to pack up your equipment, and you guys made all this in one night?!¡± Michael found it unbelievable, and he couldn¡¯t even think straight. This was his first time going to the Dark Forest, and he didn¡¯t know what kind of danger he would face. He wanted to put all his alchemy materials into the vault just in case. In the end, Mr. Royce still had the mood to make these useless decorations! He really wanted to crack open Mr. Royce¡¯s head and see what was inside! ¡°No, no, we¡¯ve packed all the equipment we need.¡± Mr. Royce hurriedly said, ¡°And how can you make all these things in one night? There¡¯s more.¡± Mr. Royce took a few small plates with the team emblem from his pocket as if presenting a treasure. ¡°There¡¯s a teleportation charm I drew on it, although it can¡¯t be used for large-scale teleportation. However, jumping a short distance is still possible.¡± ¡°If we get separated after entering the Dark Forest, as long as we don¡¯t get too far apart, we can use this to teleport to a designated teammate.¡± ¡°And it can also send out simple signals. I¡¯ve already adjusted it. If you want to teleport to someone, just pick up the teleportation token like this.¡± Mr. Royce demonstrated. ¡°Then, recite the name of the teammate you want to teleport to, and you can teleport. And if you want to send a signal, just chant in a low voice.¡± A combination of a short-distance teleportation charm and a signal transmitter! This would be a great help! Michael was slightly relieved. It seemed that Mr. Royce was really talented in charms. Unfortunately, he was mediocre in other aspects, such as alchemy. According to the modern concept, Mr. Royce was a standard partial genius. However, the magic apprentice assessment was comprehensive, and the total score determined the final score. Although Mr. Royce¡¯s results in the charms class were exceptionally good, with his messy alchemy and ordinary combat skills, he was able to achieve a lot. Almost every time he passed the annual assessment, he relied on participating in actual combat with Michael to increase his actual combat results. Even so, he barely passed the annual assessment. Mr. Royce could be said to be an alchemy idiot. Not only could he not refine anything, but he also often blew up the crucible. Their mentor commented that Mr. Royce¡¯s alchemy was simply a waste of alchemy materials and trash. ¡°Boss, they¡¯re leaving.¡± One-Eyed Dragon carefully walked to Miller¡¯s side. He hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the injury he got last time, but he didn¡¯t dare to leave him. The outside world had already regarded him and Miller as one. If he lost Miller¡¯s protection, he would definitely be targeted by the magic apprentices who bullied him on a daily basis. One-Eyed Dragon might not have been too worried about this in the past, but his mana had yet to fully recover. Once he left Miller, he might not even pass the annual assessment. He was thrown into the Dark Forest before anyone came to seek revenge. ¡°I understand.¡± Miller replied gloomily, ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± ¡°This time, I will make sure they never return.¡± Miller said fiercely, staring at the image sent back by the Peeping Charm. The last time he was defeated, Miller secretly placed an invisible peeping charm beside him when he threatened him. The invisibility of this kind of charm was very good, and it was almost difficult to be discovered. Moreover, the crowd was in chaos at that time, and Miller deliberately pretended to be seriously injured so that the other party would not be able to discover the charm he had thrown out in the chaos. On the screen, Michael¡¯s group had already entered the outer perimeter of the Dark Forest. The few of them were looking at the map in their hands, discussing where it would be safer to enter the forest. ¡°Dead people are the safest.¡± Milena took the potion that could attract magic beasts and called his followers to set off toward the magical forest. This wasn¡¯t the first time Miller had used a Peeping Potion on someone. He had used this method to avenge other mages he could not defeat. Only Miller could see this kind of charm, and it was very secretive. Almost no one had ever discovered it. The mages he targeted also felt that they were unlucky and stayed away from Miller, no longer arguing with him. However, this was the first time he had used a potion that attracted magical beasts. ¡°Blame him for offending me,¡± Miller thought to himself as he steered his broom and quietly flew toward the Dark Forest from another path. If this potion was sprinkled on a mage¡¯s body, the combination of its smell and mana would spread far away, attracting ferocious magic beasts from the depths of the Dark Forest to attack the marked mage. Moreover, this potion could also infuriate magic beasts. They would not stop until they killed the marked mage. This insidious method was actually an alchemy method that the black mages had come up with. They used this potion to target mages. It had long been banned by the major magic academies. Miller had accidentally entered the abandoned residence of the black mage and found this alchemy formula. He did not expect to use it so quickly. Michael, who was searching for foxtail grass, stopped in his tracks. Since yesterday, he had been vaguely feeling that there was an ill-intentioned gaze looking in his direction. But when he asked Mr. Royce and Carl, they didn¡¯t feel anything. Michael used his mana to probe the area, but he couldn¡¯t find anything either. He stood rooted to the ground and shook his head. He could only treat it as his own illusion. It had been a while since they entered the Dark Forest. The good thing was that they did not encounter any danger, and the bad thing was that they did not find foxtail grass. ¡°Is your map accurate?¡± Carl complained. They had already walked around the marked place several times but didn¡¯t even see a single blade of grass, let alone foxtail grass. ¡°How would I know?¡± Mr. Royce also said in a somewhat lively tone, ¡°When I get back, I¡¯ll settle the score with that peddler. He swore to me that this map was useful, so I bought it. It cost me hundreds of gold coins! I¡¯ll get a refund from him when I get back.¡± Chapter 12 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°This is too much! My monthly salary is only 1,000 gold coins, and he cheated me of half of it!¡± Mr. Royce said indignantly, ¡°What else did he tell me? His good friend personally went to the Dark Forest to draw it. Big liar!¡± Thinking of the hundreds of gold coins that flew away, Mr. Royce felt his heart ache. Most of the time, the income of a mage apprentice was only a meager monthly salary. He could not bear to eat or use it. This was the first time he had come to the Dark Forest and he wanted to help everyone. Who¡¯d know that it would have the opposite effect? ¡°Right, too hateful!¡± Carl said indignantly. They were all mage apprentices and knew what a few hundred gold coins meant. The income of mage apprentices was meager, and they still had to use it to buy necessary alchemy materials and other things. Most people had a hard time making ends meet. For some magic apprentices, a few hundred gold coins were enough for two to three months of living expenses. Now that such a large sum of money had been cheated, no one could accept it. Michael could easily obtain a lot of gold coins with his treasury space. He was just about to tell them that if they didn¡¯t have enough money, they could ask him for it. After all, the gold coins sent out from the treasury space were considered investments, and they would generally receive a similar amount of gold coins in return. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he could even obtain more valuable alchemy materials. Before Michael could say anything, a glass bottle suddenly flew over. Michael dodged to the side, and the potion that was aimed at Michael¡¯s chest shattered at his feet. The black potion flowed out from inside, and some of it soaked into Michael¡¯s pants. The change happened too quickly. They were in a safe environment just now, so they didn¡¯t react for a moment. They actually saw the potion flow towards Mr. Royce and Carl as if it had a life of its own. ¡°Avoid it. I don¡¯t know if this thing is good or not.¡± Michael activated his memories but did not have any memories of such a thing. He could only turn to the magical beast beside him for help. Who knew that just as the magical beast saw the potion, the bat, who had always been not serious, suddenly became serious, and its voice also trembled. ¡°This is a potion to attract magical beasts.¡± Attract magical beasts? Michael instinctively felt that this was not something good, so he motioned for the magical beast to continue. ¡°To put it simply, this potion can infuriate magical beasts, causing them to lose their minds and attack the marked mages in a frenzy. ¡°Once this potion touches someone, it will leave a mark on them. There¡¯s no way to wash it off, and most importantly, this potion is only used by black mages. If the academy finds out that you have a relationship with this potion, they will think you have a connection with them.¡± Little Bat did not continue. But Michael knew that once he was thought to be related to the black mages, he would be public enemy number one. The mages would definitely put out bounties everywhere and would not stop until the traitor was killed. Mr. Royce and Carl were anxious and didn¡¯t know what to do. Michael¡¯s gaze turned cold. Once he was touched by something like this, it would be very difficult for him to escape. Who was using such a vicious method to deal with him? ¡°Hahahaha. Aren¡¯t you very powerful?¡± Miller walked out from the side, laughing loudly. His two underlings followed behind him gloomily. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you can still be arrogant now!¡± Miller laughed like a madman for a while before he suddenly stopped. His face turned vicious. ¡°I told you to go against me. Aren¡¯t you very powerful? I¡¯d like to see if you can defeat a magical beast!¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Michael¡¯s tone was calm, and every word carried a chill. He stared coldly at Miller and the others. ¡°Trash like you, it¡¯s better for you to die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just stubborn.¡± Miller was a little flustered by those cold eyes. This time, he was already trembling a little. However, when he thought about how the other party was about to attack the magical beasts, he forced himself to say, ¡°We won¡¯t see how you die. Don¡¯t worry. On account of being classmates, we will help you collect your corpse.¡± He turned around and called out to his underlings, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°When the time comes, we will tell the academy that you have encountered an accident in the Black Forest,¡± the one-eyed man said, ¡°No one will suspect anything.¡± ¡°F*ck, how can there be someone like you!¡± Mr. Royce couldn¡¯t help but curse on the spot. ¡°If we¡¯re gone, don¡¯t even think about leaving.¡± He took talismans from his body and threw them at Miller and the others as if they were free. Talismans with various effects flew over and entangled Miller¡¯s group, making it impossible for them to escape. One-Eyed Dragon took out his staff and struck the charm. Michael took out his wand and released his magic power, attacking Miller. Miller was forced to use magic to defend himself. Two different types of magic collided in the air, creating a small whirlwind that swept up the surrounding rocks and objects. ¡°I think people like you should just die.¡± Michael began to chant an offensive spell, and one by one, magic balls containing immense magic power flew towards his opponent. Before the attack could reach them, the magic waves it brought had already left deep bloody wounds on Miller and the others. Miller and his lackeys wanted to escape, but they were bound to the ground by Karl¡¯s spirit plant vines. They could only watch as Michael¡¯s attack got closer and closer to them. Roar! Suddenly, there was the roar of a magical beast. Carl was stunned for a moment, and the vines loosened. Miller took the opportunity to chant a teleportation spell and instantly fled without a trace. However, his underlings were not so lucky. The overwhelming attacks hit them. When the dust settled, the magic ball directly smashed one of the underlings into meat paste. The one-eyed man was a little further away from Michael. He was smashed into the ground vertically, but he was still standing. The magic wave slashed him all the way down from the top of his head. The organs in his abdominal cavity had lost their protection and restraint. They flowed out of the wound and piled up at his feet. He was not completely dead yet. He struggled to say something, but his vocal cords were broken, and seriously injured. A large mouthful of blood gushed out as soon as he opened his mouth. In the end, he died without saying anything. Michael was not in the mood to care about what he said. The roars of the magical beasts were getting closer and closer. He had to quickly find a place to hide. However, there was clearly no place to hide nearby. Michael had no choice but to hurriedly lead his teammates to the cave marked on the map, hoping to find a place to hide. Chapter 13 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°This trash is finally dead.¡± Mr. Royce cursed as he ran. ¡°You want to hit us with such a small thing? You still want to say that we had an accident in the Dark Forest?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at yourself! And what kind of place is this?¡± Mr. Rhys panted as he ran. ¡°I can¡¯t even use a magic broom and must run. This is my first time running so far. I¡¯m exhausted.¡± ¡°Hurry up and run. It¡¯s over if you get caught.¡± Carl said. He was already thin and weak, and such high-intensity running was a little difficult for him. His body was already a little unstable. Mages usually relied on magic power or brooms to travel. How could they run at such a high intensity? As a result, most Team Z members were panting from exhaustion. However, the cries of the magical beasts were getting closer and closer. Michael looked at his companions and realized he could not continue running like this. He had to find a place to hide. However, this place was a plain that could be seen at a glance. There were no trees around. No matter where he was, he would be found by the magical beasts chasing him. Michael thought awhile and called out to Little Bat, ¡°Think of something. You can fly. Find a place to hide!¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you just open Google Maps?¡± The little bat complained and flew into the air to search again. ¡°Take a break,everyone,¡± said Michael, stopping. He couldn¡¯t keep running like this. Everyone had just used a lot of Stamina and Mana in the battle, and after running for such a long time, they were already very tired. The thin and weak Carl was even a little exhausted. If he continued to run aimlessly like this, he would fall to the ground sooner or later due to exhaustion. At that time, he would be found by the magical beasts. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to counterattack. That would be the end. ¡°When I get back, I must train my body,¡± Mr. Royce panted. ¡°Otherwise, if you die because of your physical strength, you¡¯ll be laughed at by others.¡± Hearing this, Michael pondered for a moment. Although he didn¡¯t need to run outside, he rarely needed to run in the outer layer of the Dark Forest. However, there were always accidents. He still needed to train well. Otherwise, it would be too troublesome if he encountered a magical beast the next time and couldn¡¯t escape. After all, the follow-up quest of the quest book still required them to search for the quest materials in the Dark Forest. The final quest even required them to go deep into the Dark Forest. The biggest difference between the Dark Forest and other places was that all magic-driven vehicles would be ineffective. Only simple teleportation charms could be used, but they could not be used continuously for long distances. This was because black magic had deeply eroded this place, and it had even become a new source of black magic pollution. The magic power required for transportation was restrained by black magic, so no matter how strong a mage was, they could only rely on their legs to move here. From a certain perspective, everyone in the magic world was equal. However, there were exceptions. Magical beasts that had been tamed could be used as mounts. However, on the continent of Tyre, only high-level mages and some highly talented people could tame magical beasts that could be used as mounts. Most mages would find it extremely difficult to even tame magical beasts like rabbits. None of the mages in Team Z had talent in this area. Michael could only tame low-level magic beasts, while Carl could use spiritual plants to tame medium-level small herbivorous magic beasts. Mr. Royce was a complete mess in this aspect. He couldn¡¯t even tame a bug. It could be said that he was even worse than his alchemy. Fortunately, taming magical beasts was an elective subject and not counted in the annual assessment. Otherwise, with Michael¡¯s ability, he might have been eliminated long ago. Training magical beasts relied heavily on talent. Without talent, no matter how much training one did, it would be useless and a waste of time. Of course, if he became a high-level mage, he could also use his magic power to force the magic beasts to obey him. However, Michael sighed when he thought about the EXP required to level up. He was looking forward to leveling up to a high-level mage in a short period of time, so he might as well think about how to obtain the talent of beast-taming. The probability of the latter was slightly higher than the former. Nina, the female protagonist of the original book, had a very high talent for taming beasts, but Michael did not know when he would meet the female protagonist. After all, the current environment was completely different from the book. The things they had encountered so far were completely different from what they had encountered in the book. Michael could not say for sure if the plot of the original book had changed. Perhaps the female lead was no longer in the original place. Seeing that the magical beast had not caught up to them, the few of them sat down and rested for a while. Carl closed his eyes and said nothing while Mr. Royce took out a few sandwiches from his storage bracelet. ¡°Have some first. Don¡¯t starve. We still have to continue running later. We can¡¯t do without stamina.¡± Michael took a slice of ham sandwich and took a light bite. The fragrance of the meat and egg spread in his mouth. Carl took the salmon sandwich and ate it quietly. It had consumed too much energy, so he didn¡¯t want to say anything now. Mr. Royce took a big bite of the sandwich stuffed with beef. ¡°What does this magical beast look like? We must get a magic beast as a mount when we become high-level mages. Running around is really unbearable. Grandpa, my legs are about to break from exhaustion.¡± Michael called out to the magical beast in his heart, asking how it was progressing. Did he find a hiding place? ¡°Found it!¡± After everyone finished their sandwiches, Little Bat finally flew back. ¡°I found a place to hide. Follow me! ¡± It had come in a hurry and used a lot of strength to search for the map. This time, it had forgotten to use spiritual power to communicate with Michael, so almost everyone heard what the little bat said. ¡°Your bat is too powerful!¡± Mr. Royce¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°He can actually speak human language! Our spirit pets can¡¯t speak.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Michael ignored Mr. Royce. Seeing that everyone was almost done resting, he called everyone to follow the little bat in a direction where they could hide. After following the little bat for a while, a hidden cave suddenly appeared in front of them. Michael hurriedly led his companions to hide inside. In the cave. From the outside, there was only a simple small hole. If one did not look confidently, one would not even be able to discover its existence. However, when he walked in, he realized that there was a world inside. After passing through the narrow passage, a vast cave came into view. The walls of the cave were littered with fragrant plants and flowers, and the ceiling and ground were inlaid with all kinds of night stones, illuminating the cave as bright as day. Chapter 14 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Sigh, I say, your spirit beast is really amazing.¡± Mr. Royce leaned against the wall of the cave and panted. ¡°Not only can we talk, but we can also find the cave.¡± ¡°Brother, how did you train your spirit beast? My owl won¡¯t say anything. Teach me.¡± Mr. Royce¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration. ¡°I¡¯ll train my owl too. By the way, what¡¯s the name of your spiritual pet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to train it either. Maybe it¡¯s talented.¡± Michael observed his surroundings. He felt that it was inconvenient to call it a monster or a little bat every time, so he casually came up with a name and said, ¡°Its name is Kanal.¡± ¡°Not everyone can learn things that depend on talent.¡± Carl sat on the ground to rest. ¡°Everyone has different talents. Royce, your talisman is potent. I¡¯ve seen most of the mages¡¯ talismans, but they can¡¯t compare to yours.¡± ¡°Of course, my talisman is the first place in the academy competition.¡± Mr. Royce became proud. ¡°Back then, even the charms of high-level mages couldn¡¯t compare to mine, let alone low-level ones!¡± Apart from the annual assessment, the magic academies on the continent of Tyre would also organize various magic competitions every year. Generally speaking, in such competitions, mages of different levels would compete in different groups. For example, mage apprentices could only participate in mage apprentice competitions. However, Mr. Royce was an exception. He had won first place in the mage apprentice talisman competition for three consecutive years, and in the third year, his score was far more than that of the second place. Thus, in the fourth year, the Tyre Continent¡¯s Magic Association made an exception and allowed Mr. Royce to participate in the competition between the mages. The Tyre Continent¡¯s Magic Association was where mages were registered and managed on the entire continent. It was responsible for everything related to magic in the world and gathered the most powerful people on the continent. They would arrange some yearly competitions, not just to test the mages¡¯ abilities; it allowed ordinary people to admire a mage¡¯s strength. After all, there were still many ordinary people in this world. Mages needed them to acknowledge their own abilities so that ordinary people would be willing to pay for the protection they received regularly. For a normal apprentice, it was already a great honor to make an exception and join the mage competition. They could brag about it for the rest of their lives. Mr. Royce even won first place, making him even prouder and more famous on the continent. But at the same time, he was even more famous for his unbalanced strength, such as his terrible alchemy and ordinary combat ability. Those people were unable to catch up to his charm ability and were extremely jealous of him. They wished that he would collapse immediately. ¡°Hmph, so what if the talisman¡¯s strength is high? His other abilities aren¡¯t good either, and he might be kicked out of the academy before he can even become a mage.¡± They were whispering in the dark. When they saw that Mr. Royce had successfully passed the academy¡¯s annual assessment because of Michael¡¯s help, their mocking voices began to accuse Mr. Royce of being someone else¡¯s bloodsucker. These people were too weak and did not have the ability to compete with others. They slandered others in the dark and tried to find the possible problems in others through various methods. It was as if they were no longer bugs in the gutter after proving that others were incapable. ¡°The sandwiches you make are also very delicious.¡± After observing the surroundings, Michael said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re a good person. Don¡¯t mind what they say.¡± Michael had inadvertently heard a few of the slanderous remarks about Mr. Royce. After Michael had taught them a few lessons, they no longer dared to speak in front of Michael. Instead, they went to a place where Michael could not see them. Michael saw how hard Mr. Royce was working. He had been working hard to practice alchemy and other skills he was not good at. He wanted to prove to others that he was not a good-for-nothing who relied on Michael to survive in the academy. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a while.¡± Michael sat down and relayed the information that Kanal had just told him to everyone. ¡°The scent of the spiritual plants in this cave will cover our scent. The magic beasts wandering outside won¡¯t be able to find us. We¡¯ll regain our senses in a day and return to the depths of the Dark Forest.¡± ¡°Moreover, the effect of this potion can only last for twelve hours. If the potion was discovered by the magical beasts within these twelve hours, the magical beasts would target it even if the potion lost its effect. However, it would no longer be effective after it lost its effect. So let¡¯s wait here until it loses its effect before we go look for foxtail grass.¡± ¡°I agree with Michael.¡± Carl had almost recovered, and he agreed with Michael. ¡°And this cave looks relatively safe. However, I suggest picking the finished products of the spirit plants here. They look like they¡¯re about to bear seeds.¡± ¡°The alchemy effect of these spiritual plants themselves is not very good, but their seeds have better healing abilities.¡± Carl pointed at some plants on the wall of the cave. ¡°Fortunately, the location of this cave is not obvious. Otherwise, others would have picked it up before we could find it. ¡± ¡°We¡¯ve finally picked up a treasure!¡± Mr. Royce exclaimed, ¡°This is called a blessing in disguise. Let me see what good things there are.¡± As he spoke, he began to wander around the cave. ¡°Sigh! What is this?¡± Suddenly, Mr. Royce¡¯s exclamation came from the depths of the cave. Carl and Michael hurried over and found Mr. Royce looking warily at the humanoid creature lying on the ground. Blood spread all over his body, and it was impossible to tell if he was a human or a ghost. As if sensing someone coming over, he struggled to get up, but he fell back halfway due to his injuries. ¡°I¡¯m Eric the elf.¡± The person on the ground spoke hoarsely, ¡°Who are you? Why did you barge into my cave?¡± ¡°We are Mage Team Z,¡± Michael introduced. ¡°Found an investment target! Invest in an elf for a bottle of high-grade healing potion. You will receive an intermediate sorcerer¡¯s stone.¡± Intermediate Sorcerer¡¯s Stone! That was something that only existed in legends. After all, it would take several low-level sorcerer stones to refine it into an intermediate-level one. With just one, the magic staff would be upgraded to a top-level magic staff, increasing its attack power by several thousand times. Michael then asked if the elf would attack them. After all, they had barged into the elf¡¯s healing territory. It would be troublesome if the other party did not have good intentions and attacked them right after it was saved. Although the intermediate sorcerer¡¯s stone was excellent, it was obviously not a good idea to help the other party without knowing whether the other party was good or bad and his true strength. Chapter 15 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°He was attacked by a magical beast when he passed by the Dark Forest. He¡¯s a kind-hearted person and won¡¯t bite the hand that feeds him,¡± Kanal thought for a while and added, ¡°It¡¯s the one that Miller attracted to attack you.¡± No wonder that magical beast hadn¡¯t come looking for them for so long. It turned out that this unlucky fellow entangled it. Michael suddenly felt a little guilty towards this unlucky fellow. Seeing how badly injured he was, that magical beast must have killed him. It was said that elves were bound to their caves and could be teleported at will. This elf must have risked her life to use all her magic power to teleport back to barely escape. Fortunately, they were not the ones who encountered the magical beasts. Although Michael was barely able to protect himself as a Tier 4 mage, he did not have the ability to bring his two apprentices and escape from the frenzied magic beasts. Thinking of this, Michael had a plan in mind, but his expression remained unchanged as he took out an Advanced Healing Potion from his storage space. ¡°Since we met here, it can be considered fate.¡± Michael mulled over his words. ¡°It just so happens that I have a bottle of high-grade healing potion here. How about I give it to you for treatment?¡± ¡°Why are you willing to give me such a good potion?¡± Eric looked suspiciously at the strangers who had intruded into his cave. One had to know that high-grade healing potions were very good things. They were not related to him, so why would these people give them to him for free? Eric was very worried that there was a conspiracy here. His eyes were suddenly filled with suspicion as he looked at Michael. ¡°Big brother, how could we have any bad intentions?¡± Mr. Royce said, ¡°Michael is just a kind-hearted person. He will save anyone he meets. Besides, why would we give you the healing potion if we had bad intentions? In your current situation, if we kill you directly, you probably won¡¯t be able to resist.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to barge into your cave. The magical beasts chased us, so we had no choice but to hide in here,¡± Carl explained. ¡°We might have been killed if it wasn¡¯t for your cave. I gave you the potion to thank you.¡± ¡°In that case, thank you.¡± Eric took the potion and used his magic power to test it. After finding that there was no danger, he used it with relief. The high-level magic potion started to take effect as soon as it was drunk. The green color that symbolized life surged up from Eric¡¯s abdomen, and the gentle magic brushed through every wound. The wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. After a while, the terrifying wounds on Eric¡¯s body disappeared, not even leaving a scar. Eric stood up and felt it. He found that not only were his wounds healed, but even the old wounds from previous battles were healed. It could be said that this body had never been so refreshing. Looking at the clear eyes of Michael and the others, Eric finally believed he had met a good person. He apologized for what he had just said and thanked them. The elves originally coexisted with humans, but ever since the mages discovered that elves could be spiritual pets and display even stronger spiritual power, the elves had become more powerful. A group of mages began to use various methods to capture elves and force them to work for them. Gradually, the elves had no choice but to hide in the dangerous Dark Forest to avoid being captured by mages. This was also why Eric was so wary of Michael and the others. However, the potion Michael gave him moved him, and their rare clear eyes convinced Eric that they had no ill intentions and were rare good people. Thank you for saving me. ¡°Eric thought for a moment and said, ¡°As repayment, I¡¯m willing to become your spiritual pet.¡± Michael didn¡¯t expect such a good thing to happen. He checked Eric¡¯s status panel and found that he was a plant-type elf. Karl happened to be good at planting spiritual plants, and he had the bat Kanal, while Mr. Royce had the owl. After considering these factors, Michael said, ¡°Then you can be Karl¡¯s spiritual pet. Your attributes are more suitable.¡± Most mages could only have one spirit beast to communicate telepathically with. After that, any spirit or magic beast they took in could only be used as a mount or pet. Only a few talented mages could have multiple beasts that could communicate with each other telepathically. There was a huge difference between the two. A spirit beast and its master could communicate telepathically, and they could even increase each other¡¯s experience. However, ordinary mounts and pets could not do this. Most of their functions were to serve as transportation or supply tools for alchemy materials. Therefore, most mages were very particular in choosing their own spirit pets. They would choose to sign a contract with a spirit pet that was compatible with them. For example, Michael¡¯s spirit pet, Kanal, was also good at alchemy, while Mr. Royce¡¯s owl could help him make charms. However, the owl had been sent by Mr. Royce to deliver the letter, and only the bat Kanal was lying on Michael¡¯s shoulder. Therefore, Michael asked, ¡°Carl, are you willing to let him be your spiritual pet? If he¡¯s not willing, we can also take him in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to sign a contract with him,¡± Carl said after thinking. After both parties wrote their names on the contract, a golden light flashed, and a unique connection was established between them. Academy, Assessment Hall. With Eric¡¯s help, they quickly found the foxtail grass they needed. They rushed back to the academy with the foxtail grass. After submitting the mission to receive the reward, Michael realized the assessment hall was not complete yet. Now that he was participating in the assessment, he could obtain a larger house after succeeding. He could also bring his team members to live there. If Mr. Royce and Carl also passed the test, they might be able to get better rewards. Moreover, even if Mr. Royce failed, it would not affect Michael¡¯s reward, and Mr. Royce would not be punished. Anyone who didn¡¯t do this kind of business would be a fool. After some consideration, Michael discussed it with everyone else before they headed to the assessment hall. ¡°Our team has registered to participate in the annual assessment,¡± Michael said to the apprentice in charge of ranking in the assessment hall. ¡°Team name: Z.¡± After the mage apprentices registered their names and the team¡¯s names on the paper, an apprentice in charge of guiding them led them to the assessment area. After passing through the magnificent corridor, the door of the first assessment room slowly opened, revealing the contents of the first assessment: Alchemy! A few cauldrons were quietly placed in the middle of the room. Beside them were different alchemy materials, as if they were waiting for the apprentice to come and take the alchemy examination. Chapter 16 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The moment Mr. Royce saw the alchemy cauldron, he wilted. As he walked to the cauldron with his name on it, he cheered himself on. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can do it.¡± In order to prepare for this year¡¯s annual assessment, Mr. Royce had worked hard for a very long time. He had been practicing with Michael for several days in the alchemy training room in the dormitory. During this period, he scrapped a lot of alchemy materials and even caused the cauldron to explode more than ten times. Those who did not know better would think he was bombing the academy dormitory. At first, the other mage apprentices living in the same dormitory building held back and said nothing. It was not until Mr. Royce recited the wrong spell again that a big hole was blown up in the dormitory¡¯s practice room. Finally, a few mage apprentices couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. They came to Mr. Royce and begged him not to practice alchemy in the dormitory. Other people would only waste alchemy materials when they practiced alchemy, but Mr. Royce was simply making bombs. ¡°If you continue practicing, our dormitory building will collapse!¡± The apprentice who had rushed over begged with a bitter face. ¡°All of us apprentices had to pay for it together! Moreover, the spiritual pets and spiritual plants we have painstakingly raised are all in this dormitory building. If the dormitory building is gone, there will be nothing left.¡± ¡°Please be merciful and spare us. You can have anything you want as long as you don¡¯t practice alchemy in the dormitory building. Why don¡¯t you try going to the back of the mountain in the academy? It¡¯s more spacious there, and the scenery is good.¡± ¡°Yes, as long as you agree. We¡¯ll help you deliver the cauldron,¡± another skinny apprentice said. ¡°No, no, you don¡¯t need your own cauldron.¡± The apprentice next to him hurriedly interrupted him. ¡°As long as it gets your approval, we will give you our best cauldron. We¡¯ll help you set it up at the back of the mountain of the academy, and we¡¯ll also give you the alchemy materials. I beg you to stop practicing alchemy in the academy dormitory.¡± Mr. Royce didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, so he had no choice but to agree to their request. Seeing Mr. Royce nod, the apprentices immediately acted as if they had been pardoned. A group hurriedly sent the magic cauldron and alchemy materials to the backyard of the academy while another group escorted Mr. Royce over. Mr. Royce knew very well that no matter how dissatisfied these apprentices were, the main reason why they did not dare to speak up was that Michael was standing at the side. In this academy and world where everything was divided by magic power, mages had the ability to suppress apprentices. Therefore, these people did not dare to offend Michael, nor did they dare to offend Michael¡¯s friends, which included Mr. Royce. In addition, Michael had just chased away Miller¡¯s gang, who had bullied everyone not long ago. Now, many apprentices held Michael in high regard, and their tolerance for his friends had increased by a thousand times. Otherwise, if other apprentices did alchemy like Mr. Royce, they would have been thrown out long ago. Because of this, Mr. Royce had been practicing alchemy harder than ever. He went out to practice at five or six in the morning and didn¡¯t return until late at night. He hoped to prove to others that he was not bad himself. He wasn¡¯t the trash who relied on Michael, nor was he a useless mage, save for talismans. Some people even mocked Mr. Royce and asked him to change his profession to become a charmer. At the Alchemy assessment site. The examiner explained the project of this assessment. In fact, it was a very simple and basic alchemical formula. Almost all apprentices who had just started could make it. However, one should not underestimate these formulas because of this. This kind of basic styled alchemy formula actually tested the mage¡¯s alchemy ability the most. Mages with different abilities could make different potions. Generally speaking, the higher the level and talent of the mage, the better the potion¡¯s effect would be. For example, the same healing potion formula used the same alchemy materials. An ordinary mage might only be able to concoct a normal healing potion that could only be used to treat minor injuries. However, Michael was able to concoct a high-grade healing potion that could bring the dead back to life. As for Mr. Royce? No matter what alchemy formula he took, the result would be the same. It was already considered extraordinary that he did not explode the cauldron. If he could refine an ordinary alchemy potion, it would be even more blessed by his ancestors. After hearing the alchemy requirements, Michael casually began alchemy. He first lit a fire under the cauldron, and the magical flame quickly sprang up, and then under Michael¡¯s command, it gently swirled around the bottom of the cauldron. Wisps of white gas floated up from the pot, symbolizing everything was perfect. Foxtail grass, fluorescent stone, magic water¡­ One alchemy material after another followed Michael¡¯s command and gracefully jumped into the cauldron. Meanwhile, Michael was reciting an alchemy incantation. Kanal flapped his wings beside the cauldron, flying in the air along with the bubbles rising, injecting magic power into the alchemy. From a distance, the handsome young man with slightly pale skin stirred the wooden spoon, complementing the pale green magic atmosphere. It was simply a delightful visual feast. This level of alchemy was extremely easy for Michael. He even had the time to secretly transfer some magic power to Mr. Royce¡¯s cauldron when the invigilator was not paying attention. Help Mr. Royce cheat without attracting attention. Actually, even if the invigilator found out, he would turn a blind eye. After all, Mr. Royce¡¯s talisman ability was too powerful. Everyone cherished his talisman talent and did not want him to be eliminated easily. Moreover, a certain examinee¡¯s alchemy cauldron exploded at the alchemy examination venue, destroying the examination room. Not only did the post-repair of the assessment room and equipment require a lot of money and time. If other academies discovered this matter and made a big fuss about it, it would also have a terrible impact on Demiker Academy¡¯s reputation. Other people wouldn¡¯t care if Mr. Royce¡¯s talent was too poor. They would only think that the academy was too bad to actually teach such a bad student. Carl¡¯s alchemy was relatively standard, and he was currently carrying out an ordinary alchemy process. Mr. Royce, on the other hand, was in much more trouble. Fortunately, the questions for this assessment had been practiced over the past few days. So Mr. Royce¡¯s spell was perfectly correct, but he could not use his wand to direct the alchemical materials into the cauldron. As he chanted the incantation, he hurriedly threw the alchemy materials into the cauldron. Where did the foxtail grass go? He searched anxiously. His spirit pet, the owl, was also flying around and busy with its master. It grabbed the materials from the cabinet and threw them into the pot. In the end, a few feathers fell into the cauldron. If Michael had not secretly sent magic power over, Mr. Royce¡¯s cauldron would have exploded on the spot. In the end, with Michael¡¯s help and the invigilator¡¯s protection, Mr. Royce finally completed his task, concocting a low-level healing potion. Chapter 17 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°Cuckoo! Cuckoo!¡± The cuckoo popped out from the clock and called. The alchemy assessment time was over. The examiner walked in and took over the invigilator¡¯s position. ¡°The alchemy assessment is over. Mages, stop what you are doing and hand in your alchemy potions. We will now begin the assessment.¡± Carl handed over a normal healing potion, Michael produced a high-level healing potion that was filled with magic, and Mr. Royce took out a low-level healing potion. After the examiner checked their potions, he announced the results one by one.Michael: SSS; Carl: S; Royce: A. Congratulations on successfully passing the alchemy examination.¡± As soon as the examiner finished speaking, the invigilator recorded their respective results on the back of their registration forms. The apprentice who was in charge of leading the way walked over and led the three of them to the next assessment room. The next assessment was the magic power test. To put it simply, it was to determine the level of the mages through their magic power and distribute the corresponding identification jade plates to them. Mages of different ranks were treated differently. The prerequisite for these treatments was to pass the magic power test in the assessment hall to determine their own magic power. Before the judgment, even if one had advanced to a higher level, they would not be able to receive the treatment of a higher-level mage. This was also why Michael was still living in the apprentice dormitory even though he had already become a mage. They followed the apprentice, who led the way to the next assessment room. Michael sensed something was wrong with Mr. Royce¡¯s mood and comforted him in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, eh? Everyone¡¯s talent was different, so it¡¯s normal for there to be good and bad. My talismans are not as powerful as yours.¡± Carl also agreed, which made Mr. Royce feel much better. However, both of them had a tacit understanding and did not mention it. No matter how biased others were, it was rare for them to blow up the cauldron like Mr. Royce did. After all, cauldrons were quite expensive, and Mr. Royce had spent a considerable amount of money every month on buying new cauldrons and repairing his dormitory. Sometimes, even all the money seemed insufficient, so they could only borrow money from Michael or sell their charms to get by. Alchemy assessment room. The examiner, who had a cold expression, could not hide the excitement in their eyes when they saw the high-level alchemy Michael had handed over. The potions refined during the academy¡¯s assessment had to be handed over to the academy. However, in most cases, the apprentices could only produce some junk with the alchemy materials provided by the academy for free. This was the first time anyone below the level of a mage had to hand over a high-grade healing potion. Even in the higher-level mage assessment, there were very few of them. Moreover, most of the time, when a mage was refining potions, it was also affected by the cauldron itself. Many mages would use both their own cauldron and others¡¯ to refine potions, and there would be a huge difference in level. However, this young man named Michael had used the academy¡¯s crucible and ordinary alchemy materials to create a high-grade healing potion. From this, it could be seen that this mage had a very high alchemy talent. ¡°I heard that they formed Mage Team Z not long ago?¡± The examiner asked. ¡°It¡¯s like this. The members are Michael, Royce, and Carl.¡± The invigilator replied respectfully, ¡°I heard that they even chased away Miller, who bullied others.¡± ¡°The new generation is really getting stronger and stronger.¡± The examiner looked into the distance and sighed. ¡°I wonder how that Carl is doing. However, this Royce was a famous talisman genius on the continent of Tyre. Now that such an alchemy genius has appeared, it has made up for Royce¡¯s shortcomings in alchemy.¡± ¡°The future of this team is limitless. Perhaps the strongest team of mages in the future will come from our Demick Academy ¡± Magic Power Testing Room. Carl had already tested his magic in the Spirit Realm. His magic power was average, and he was quickly determined to be an intermediate magic apprentice. The so-called Spirit Realm was a transparent wave mirror made of magic power. As long as the person testing the magic power stood in front of the Spirit Realm and released all his magic power, the Spirit Realm would calculate the mage level of the other party based on the other party¡¯s magic power. Whether it was a magic apprentice or a high-level mage, they would be able to see through all their magic power if they stood in front of this fluctuating spiritual realm. This Spirit Realm was a magic detection tool created by the academy itself. Almost every academy had different tools, and some academies preferred to use more traditional crystal balls. According to the strength of different academies, the accuracy of the magic detection tools also varied. Demir could be said to be the number one academy in the entire Tyre Continent, so the accuracy of this Spirit Realm had reached an astonishing one hundred percent. After Carl, Mr. Royce also walked over to do the test. He slowly released all his magic power and reflected it into the spirit realm. Soon, the results appeared. Intermediate Mage Apprentice. This result made Mr. Royce very happy. After all, he was only a Basic Mage Apprentice not long ago. It was nice that he could advance to such a level in such a short period of time. The new examiner congratulated Mr. Royce on his promotion and handed him a badge with the words ¡°Intermediate Mage Apprentice.¡± This kind of badge was only issued by the major academies. On it was the rank of the mage and the academy¡¯s emblem. It was the only proof of identity for mages on the continent of Tyre. Finally, under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, Michael approached the Spirit Realm and released his mana. In an instant, the high-level mana spread out with pressure and was slowly absorbed by the Spirit Realm. The transparent mirror began to ripple as soon as the dense Mana entered the Spirit Realm. After a long time, it gradually calmed down, and the words ¡®Tier 4 Mage¡¯ appeared on the surface. The moment these four words came out, everyone present was stunned on the spot. Mr. Royce and Carl only knew that Michael was a mage, but they didn¡¯t know that he was already a Tier 4 mage. And they were only magic apprentices. The difference between them could be described as heaven and earth. Mr. Royce was proud of his friend. He was just short of using a loudspeaker to announce it to the world. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re amazing. We¡¯ll be relying on you to protect us!¡± Carl also silently congratulated Michael, but he was secretly happy that he could join Michael¡¯s team. There were not many mages who were willing to team up with apprentices and treat them so well. If he did not happen to have the quest book that the other party needed, he might not have had the chance to form a team with the mage. The examiner was also shocked by Michael¡¯s mana. If he was not mistaken, Michael had only been a Beginner Mage Apprentice during the previous test, but this year, he had already become a Tier 4 Mage. He had actually leveled up so many levels in a short year! Although the examiner had seen many sorcerers and mages before, he had never seen such a thing. Michael was the only one who could level up so quickly. Thinking up to this point, the examiner handed the new identity token to Michael in relief. It was as if he had seen the future of a high-level mage. Chapter 18 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Michael¡¯s eyes lit up as he put away the new identity token with the words ¡®Tier 4 Mage¡¯ engraved on it. With this item, he could receive a new reward. Tier 4 mages had their own castles, so they didn¡¯t have to stay in their dormitories. There was also a larger alchemy room inside. Most importantly, they could also move their teammates in. This meant that Carl and Mr. Royce no longer had to squeeze into the small dormitory. ¡°We¡¯ll go celebrate after the assessment.¡± Royce cheered. ¡°My treat!¡± ¡°We¡¯d better not. Do you still have money?¡± Carl asked, ¡°Let me treat you. I still have some money.¡± ¡°Speaking of money, I remember that I haven¡¯t settled the score with that liar yet! After the assessment is over, we¡¯ll find that swindler and get our money back. Then, we¡¯ll go and have a good meal,¡± Mr. Royce said indignantly. Even now, he still felt a pain in his chest when he thought of those gold coins. Michael quietly watched the two of them play around. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next assessment first.¡± The next test was the talisman assessment that Mr. Royce excelled in. He walked into the assessment room with large strides. The content of this assessment was straightforward. It was to make the simplest movement talisman. The examiner had long heard of Mr. Royce. He was also the talisman instructor in charge of the later stages, so he invited Mr. Royce. ¡°After you pass the assessment, do you want to consider signing up for my class? I¡¯ve dabbled in the field of talismans, so I should be able to teach you a lot of useful knowledge.¡± The results of the students were also related to the teachers. The more famous the students were, the more prominent the teachers would be. Thus, many high-level mages who were qualified to be tutors would deliberately pay attention to those students who were superior in their field of teaching. They would think of ways to take them under their tutelage in advance and teach them in the future. When they discovered that their students were very bad in some aspects and could not pass the annual assessment, they would also think of ways to inform the other instructors to secretly add points to the students they liked to ensure successful passing of the early annual assessment. Therefore, the reason why Mr. Royce was able to pass the annual assessment despite having such a serious bias was partly Michael¡¯s secret assistance and partly because this mentor, who majored in talismans, had secretly used his connections to go easy on Mr. Royce, thus improving his results in other subjects. ¡°Alright, I will consider it.¡± This teacher was a very famous talisman mage. Mr. Royce was also very happy with his invitation and agreed immediately. Soon, the assessment began. Carl used the vines to quickly draw a similar talisman with Eric¡¯s help and received an S rank evaluation. Michael received a similar evaluation. Both of them passed the talisman test. Meanwhile, Mr. Royce calmly chanted an incantation. Talismans flew up as he spoke, floating around him in circles, streaking across a blue magic light. His owl was also flying among them, using its claws to press paw prints on the talismans to increase their magic power. Mr. Royce picked up the pen in the vortex formed by magic power and waved it. The ink gradually appeared on the talisman. The talismans flew to the side and automatically formed a neat stack of talismans. They were all high-level talismans with high-level magic power. With the SSSS evaluation announced by the invigilator, Mr. Royce¡¯s talisman assessment this year was once again firmly ranked first among the mages. The examiner who was looking at him was even more delighted. The drawing of talismans was actually related to the level of the mage. Mr. Royce was only an Intermediate Mage Apprentice, yet he could already draw such powerful talismans. When he became a high-level mage trainer, there would probably be no mage in the entire Tyre Continent who¡¯d be more powerful than Mr. Royce. ¡°Not bad.¡± After hearing the results, Michael patted Mr. Royce on the shoulder as an encouragement. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± Mr. Royce said proudly, ¡°I¡¯m going to be the most powerful mage in spells on the Tyre Continent in the future.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then you have to practice your other aspects well. Don¡¯t be eliminated before you become the strongest.¡± Michael deliberately joked. ¡°That was just an accident. My future will definitely be better.¡± Mr. Royce said indignantly. Outside the Dark Forest. Finally, they entered the last segment of the assessment, all feeling a little tired. This was a straightforward combat assessment. In fact, it could be completed by expelling some ordinary magical beasts. The three of them took a relaxed walk here. During the academy¡¯s assessment, a simple barrier would be set up near the assessment ground to prevent powerful magical beasts from barging in and causing harm to the acolytes. It could be said that this was the safest time in the Dark Forest. Carl even began to use his spiritual plant ability to explore if there were any valuable spiritual plants nearby, planning to take the opportunity to bring them back for breeding. They wandered around the assessment area for a while but did not find any spiritual plants. Instead, they found the fluorescent stones they did not see last time. They then hurriedly collected them, planning to submit the mission in the reward hall after the assessment. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s very simple this time.¡± As soon as Mr. Royce spoke, a huge rabbit contaminated by black magic rushed over. No matter how big an ordinary rabbit grew, it would only be the size of a cat. However, this rabbit was as big as a wolf. If it weren¡¯t for the rabbit¡¯s iconic long ears and three-lobed mouth on its head, it would have been dead. Mr. Royce almost didn¡¯t recognize that it was a rabbit. ¡°This is an ordinary small magical beast!¡± Mr. Royce threw out the treasury talisman, and it quickly surrounded the rabbit in circles. As he chanted the mantra, incantations came off the talisman paper one by one, wrapping around the rabbit¡¯s body to form tight confinement. On the other side, Carl also controlled his vines to raise their spikes and attack the enchanted rabbit. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a small magical beast.¡± Kanal flew in the air and complained, ¡°Isn¡¯t a rabbit a small magical beast?¡± ¡°But this rabbit is too big.¡± Michael raised his magic staff and chanted an attack spell. A small magic ball flew out, and the powerful magic power created a bloody hole in the rabbit¡¯s chest, shattering its huge heart. With a loud bang, the rabbit fell to the ground. Many parts of such a large creature could be used as alchemy materials. Michael put it into the vault, planning to break it down when he returned. At this moment, the mechanical voice of passing the assessment also entered their ears. Just as they were about to return to the academy to receive the reward, another nest of demonized rabbits rushed out. Chapter 19 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation These magic rabbits were obviously born not long ago, and the degree of their black magic infection was still very low. One could still see that they were once soft and cute. Compared to adult magic beasts, magic could easily purify these magic beasts that had been infected to a very low degree. Usually, this kind of newborn demon rabbit would be hidden in the cave¡¯s depths and rarely found outside. For a low-level mage apprentice, encountering this kind of magic rabbit could be said to be a stroke of luck. After this demon rabbit was purified, it could be raised as a spirit pet. Its fur, blood, and poop could all be used as alchemy materials. Moreover, such a spirit pet could be raised and bred, and the little demon rabbits that were bred could be sold to ordinary people. This kind of spiritual pet had a certain amount of magic power. Although very small, it was more than enough to protect ordinary people. Moreover, the demon rabbit needed to feed on the clovers that could be found everywhere in the continent of Tyre. It could be said that it was cost-effective. Therefore, many ordinary people liked to keep a few demon rabbits at home to protect themselves. Thinking of this, Michael looked at these little magic rabbits as if he was looking at a hen that could lay golden eggs. ¡°Let¡¯s purify these demon rabbits and bring them back to raise them.¡± As Michael spoke, he took out his wand and chanted an incantation. A wave of light containing purifying magic power shot out, enveloping the few rabbits. Mr. Royce took out a few talismans from his pocket and threw them out. As he chanted the incantation, the black words fell off the talisman paper and turned into green magic that seeped into the rabbit¡¯s body. Mr. Carl released vines to fix the rabbits in place to prevent them from escaping to other places. With the cooperation of the three, black magic began to dissipate from the demon rabbit¡¯s body. As the strands of black floated out of the demon rabbit¡¯s body, the dark black fur and black-red patterns on the rabbit¡¯s body gradually faded. When the last bit of black magic was expelled from the rabbit¡¯s body, the light wave with purifying magic power penetrated, purifying and healing the wounds on the rabbit¡¯s body. When black magic contaminated the spirit beasts and turned them into magic beasts, not only would they gradually lose their rationality, they would only blindly attack anything they could see. Regardless of whether they were humans or their own kind, they would be attacked indiscriminately by the crazy magical beasts. Although high-level magical beasts could control their own actions, low-level Magical Beasts like rabbits could not do so at all. They would only become bloodthirsty monsters. When a magic beast killed more of its own kind or foreign species, its own magic power would also increase, and its body would also become larger. The hill-sized demon rabbit that rushed out just now was this type. But at the same time, they would also become more bloodthirsty and violent under the influence of black magic. They would kill at the slightest disagreement. These magic beasts were useless against mages. However, black mages could use black magic to extract all the magic power from magic beasts. This would allow a black mage to level up quickly in a short time. In order to become stronger, black mages often chose to pollute spirit beasts everywhere and even provide them with a killing ground so that the magic beasts could collect more magic power in a shorter time. Sometimes, black mages would even throw magic beasts into villages that were not guarded by mages and let them kill all the ordinary people in the village. Finally, the black mage would extract enough magic power. It could be said that magic beasts were tools used by black mages to extract magic power. However, it was a disaster for these spirit beasts. Black magic corruption was very harmful to spirit beasts. Most would be severely injured, and a considerable number would even die in the process. Black mages did not care about the death of spirit beasts at all. To them, those dead creatures were all worthless. Only those who survived and successfully turned into magic beasts were worth nurturing. As a result, many magical beasts were riddled with holes. They even had to rely on black magic to survive. If they were simply purified, it would only remove the black magic in their bodies. Then, they would only get a batch of dead spirit beast corpses. Healing spells and potions were scarce resources, and even fewer could be used to treat spirit beasts. Therefore, most of the time, even if mage apprentices were lucky enough to encounter weak magic beasts, they could only kill them or simply expel them. There was no way to tame them at all. However, Michael¡¯s side was completely different. Michael was already a Tier 4 mage, so he could release a portion of his healing magic at the same time as his purification magic. Karl¡¯s plant series of magic could also be used with healing magic. With the addition of the healing magic of the two, he successfully saved the rabbits that were about to die after losing their dark magic and transformed them into spiritual pets. It was also considered an unexpected gain for Team Z. The rabbit that had just been born had just grown white fur. Its eyes had not opened yet, and its long ears were soft. It was soft and cute. Mr. Royce removed a cotton blanket from his storage bracelet and carefully wrapped the cute rabbits in it. Mission Hall. The few people who successfully passed the assessment successfully received a series of rewards and new identity cards. They had just walked out of the assessment hall when they saw a cheering crowd. ¡°Wow! Tier 4 Mage!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Tier 4 Mage!¡± ¡°And I heard that he¡¯s super nice. Not only did he do a good deed, but he saved an apprentice that got bullied by Miller, and he even gave high-level healing potions to the victims!¡± A group of apprentices gathered together and chattered. They rushed over to cheer as soon as they heard the news. There were also a few people who were holding photographic charms and taking pictures of Michael and the others as mementos. Michael followed the crowd and saw a familiar figure: York. A member of the publicity department who was carrying a bag of photographic charms was waving at him. It seemed that he was indeed responsible for everyone getting the news so quickly. If his guess was correct, this should be the person who spread the news that Michael had become a Tier 4 mage. There was a reward anyway, and for mages, there was no harm in having a stronger reputation. Michael and his companions were interviewed by York again. This time, York not only recorded more videos but he also interviewed their newly formed team. He planned to include them in his own report. The previous reports about Michael had spread all over Demick Academy. It could be said that there was no one in the entire academy who did not know Michael and his teammates. York also made a lot of money from this. Of course, Michael also made a lot of money from investing in the treasury space. Thus, Michael was considered quite wealthy among the mage apprentices. Chapter 20 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°I went to the market just now and searched for a long time. That liar actually disappeared.¡± Mr. Royce was furious. He finally found time to settle the score with the old man. In the end, he hurriedly packed up his things and pulled Michael all the way to the market. That old man had long disappeared. ¡°This might be a scam.¡± Carl carried his packed luggage and sat on his flying broom. Derek quietly shared half of the luggage and followed behind his master. ¡°He should be the kind of old man who goes to a place to lie for a while and then changes places to continue lying.¡± Michael recalled the information he had sent out to Kanal at the market in the afternoon. Only then did he learn that the old man was actually a famous swindler, and he made a living by selling maps of the Dark Forest that his so-called friends had personally drawn near various academies. ¡°This is called learning from one¡¯s mistakes. Let¡¯s not fall for it next time.¡± The originally clear sky suddenly blew with a strong wind, and their broomsticks became unstable. Michael chanted an incantation and placed a protective shield around them. Mr. Royce used his own charm to strengthen the protective shield. However, as the wind grew stronger, stones mixed with the wind kept hitting their protective shields. The entire world began to turn dark, and a strong wind swept over. In this kind of weather, most apprentices would choose not to go out, let alone fly in the sky with a magic broom. With the abilities of ordinary apprentices, they would have been blown away by the strong wind. However, even though Michael was already a Tier 4 mage, he could only barely maintain the appearance of his protective shield in the wind. Now that they were in the middle of the road, it was extremely difficult to return to the academy or continue to the castle. ¡°Everyone, be careful.¡± Michael continued to channel magic power to strengthen the protective shield. Mr. Royce threw out talismans one after another to surround the protective barrier. Carl wasn¡¯t idle either. Together with Derek, they were releasing magic power to their magic brooms to ensure that they could fly in the sky in balance. To prevent the magic broom from being blown over by the wind. However, they could not resist nature even if they used their full strength. Under the typhoon mixed with black magic, large and small cracks began to appear on the protective shield, and the cracks even showed signs of expanding. For safety reasons, Michael had no choice but to bring his teammates down from the sky. The wind speed on the ground was clearly much lower, and their protective shields could comfortably protect them in the middle. A loud roar came from the Dark Forest not far away. It seemed that the consciousness of the Dark Forest had lost control again. Every time the Dark Forest lost control, there would be some natural disasters. This time, it evolved into a huge typhoon and tornado. Countless animals and plants were helplessly carried into the air, then heavily thrown to the ground by the raging wind. As Michael braved the strong wind and walked towards the castle, he saw many century-old trees being uprooted. Even whales were not spared. They were swept into the air along with the seawater, forming a unique scene. This happened almost every few years, but most of the time, it would only affect unguarded areas. The territories of the various academies, including the castles allocated to Michael and the other mages, were all protected by the magic of the academies, so they would not be affected at all. In other words, they would be safe as long as they walked into their castle against the strong winds. Thinking of this, Michael hurriedly called out to his teammates and quickened their pace in the direction of the castle. In the blinding gale, the three walked forward with difficulty. Suddenly, Michael saw a petite, sweet-looking girl trying her best to head against the wind toward the academy. Unlike the indestructible protective shield on Michael and the others, the protective shield on the girl¡¯s body already had a few obvious cracks on it, as if it was about to shatter. The girl was trying her best to transfer her magic power to strengthen the already unstable protective shield. A sparrow was anxiously flying around its owner. The bad weather caused by the Dark Forest was almost without warning. Sometimes, it was sunny during the day, but there would be a strong wind or hail the size of watermelons in the afternoon. This also caused many mages to go out to collect alchemy materials when the weather was good, but they were trapped outside halfway. If it were a mage, it would be better. If it were a group of apprentices, they would barely make it back to the academy alive. However, once an apprentice was alone in such weather, it was almost equivalent to being sentenced to death. Their fragile magic shields were practically useless. It seemed that the woman not far away was one of the unlucky apprentices. Michael watched as the other party¡¯s mana gradually dried up, and the protective barrier he used to protect himself began to dissipate. He still felt sorry for the other party, and he could not bear to watch them die in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s save her.¡± After Michael learned from Kanal that the other party had no ill intentions, he suggested to his teammates, ¡°If we don¡¯t help her, she¡¯s destined to not walk back on her own.¡± ¡°I wanted to say it a long time ago.¡± When Mr. Royce saw that fragile figure, he couldn¡¯t help but think of his sister at home. He wondered how she was now. Fortunately, the bad weather was usually near the Dark Forest. Their village was far away, so it should not be too serious. Mr. Royce threw out a talisman with a complicated pattern. It rushed out of its protective shields and flew towards the woman not far away. It then merged with the woman¡¯s protective shield and strengthened it. Carl mobilized his vines to pull the other party and the protective shield to his side. The two different protective shields collided and finally fused. Michael casually injected some magic power into the woman¡¯s body to prevent her from dying from exhaustion. ¡°Thank you for saving me. My name is Nina. May I know the names of my benefactors?¡± Nina had wanted to take advantage of the good weather to go out and try her luck to see if she could find a few magic rabbits to tame. Her talent was to purify and tame spirit beasts, and she also liked small animals. However, who knew that she would encounter such terrible weather when she returned? If she hadn¡¯t happened to encounter Michael¡¯s help, she might have died here. At the thought of this, she felt even more grateful to Michael. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your help, I might have died. Since you saved me, my life is yours from now on. I will definitely do whatever you want me to do, as long as I can do it.¡± Chapter 21 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Nina? Wasn¡¯t this the name of the female protagonist of the original novel? As Michael lived longer and longer in this world, his memories of the original world became fainter and fainter. In addition, he kept recalling his past in this world. As those memories gradually became clear in his mind, he began to feel that the past was like a vague dream. However, Nina¡¯s appearance made his memory of the book clearer. Although he still couldn¡¯t recall the exact details. However, he also had some memories of people who could be invested in the book. If he met these people in the future, he would probably remember those memories immediately. With these memories, wouldn¡¯t it be easy to find them again? With the help of his treasury space, perhaps Team Z would soon become the most powerful team of mages on the continent of Tyre. Although he might not be able to return to the world where he became a spirit, it was not bad to become a big shot in this world. After hearing Nina¡¯s reason for appearing here, Michael frowned again, because this was still the early part of the original story. He remembered very clearly that the female protagonist should still be in the academy for the annual assessment at this time. It seemed that his appearance here had caused a certain change in the plot of the original book. No wonder, during this period of time, he tried to find the female lead, going to the places where she should have appeared, but failed. From the looks of it, the other plots might have changed as well. Now, Michael didn¡¯t know where the characters in the book that could be invested in were, which was very troublesome. Fortunately, Nina¡¯s appearance meant that although those people had deviated from the original book¡¯s plot, they still existed on this continent. ¡°Found an investor, Nina.¡± Just as Michael was thinking about how to invite Nina to join his team, Kanal began to speak. [One spirit rabbit. Return of investment: 500 fire elemental seeds.] ¡°The rain is too heavy. Come with us to the castle to hide. The castle is protected by the magic of the academy. It¡¯ll be safer for you to follow us.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nina agreed immediately. The few of them continued to set off towards the castle. Castle Z. As soon as he entered the castle¡¯s protection, the sky, which was originally windy, became clear. The warm sunlight shone on the ground, reflecting the beautiful light of the castle. The overly quiet and peaceful scenery here formed a sharp contrast with the outside. It was as if everything that had just happened was just an insignificant nightmare. Thanks to Derek Academy¡¯s outstanding strength, the place he protected was as safe as a paradise or a shelter in a storm. For some magic academies with average strength, the only thing that protected them was the fact that there were no storms. For the worse academies, keeping the mages and apprentices alive in their protected areas was already the limit. ¡°It seems that you are heading towards the outskirts of the Dark Forest, and your spiritual pet is also a sparrow.¡± Michael took out a spirit rabbit from the treasury. Not long ago, Michael had gotten one from Mr. Royce, and the rest were temporarily placed in the courtyard of the castle where spiritual pets were raised. ¡°You must really want to find the spirit rabbit, right?¡±Michael handed the rabbit over to him. It just so happens that I have the spirit rabbit you need. We don¡¯t know how to raise them, so we¡¯ll give them to you.¡± ¡°And you acted alone just now. It is very dangerous for an apprentice to act alone. Do you want to consider joining our team?¡± If Michael¡¯s memory served him right, Nina should not have met her teammates this time. Just now, she was trapped in the storm alone, which also meant that although the plot had changed. Nina did not meet her teammates in advance. Michael took advantage of this time to get Nina into his team first. After all, her first teammate was not a good person. They took Nina in because they had taken a fancy to her ability to tame spirit beasts, treating her as a tool. After realizing her talent had decreased, her teammates kicked her out of the team without hesitation. As for Nina turning the tables and becoming the female protagonist, taking revenge on her teammates, that was another story. The current Nina had yet to be abandoned and betrayed by her teammates, and she had yet to mature into a decisive female protagonist. At this moment, she still had the adorable character of a cute little sister. ¡°Our team is Mage Team Z. The publicity board in the academy should be very popular these few days. Join us. You won¡¯t regret it.¡± In order to increase his credibility, Michael brought out York¡¯s report. Nina had also heard of the report, but she had a hard time recognizing faces. She only remembered the name Z after reading a newspaper in a hurry. After Michael¡¯s reminder, he realized that the person in front of him was Michael, who had recently become the most famous person in Derek Academy. Thinking of the academy¡¯s publicity department report, Nina considered for a moment and chose to join the Z Mage team. Spirit plant field. Nina volunteered to take care of all the spirit rabbits. Under Nina¡¯s care, all the little rabbits became round. In the spirit plant field not far from the breeding room, Carl was watering the fire element seeds that had been sown. This spirit plant loved water and needed to be watered every few hours. It also needed to be protected by regular pest control and other methods. During the day, Carl stayed in the field all day. At night, Eric took over Carl¡¯s shift and continued caring for the spirit plants. After these days of careful care, the fire element seed had already sprouted. The buds, leaves, and fruits of fire elements were all good materials for alchemy, but no one knew the specific alchemy formula. After Michael picked the fire sprout, he spent the next few days in the alchemy room, trying out all possible formulas. Derek Academy. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to go to someone like Miller,¡± An apprentice complained. ¡°Yeah, how annoying. The academy¡¯s general examination is really troublesome.¡± It was time for the annual student survey. The number of mages in the academy was not fixed. Every year, there would be mages who left for various reasons, and there would also be new mages who joined. In order to get an accurate grasp of the number of mages in the academy, the academy would conduct a general survey every year to search for those missing mages. This year, Miller and his little brother had gone missing. The academy had issued a missing person notice for the mages to search for them. However, most of the magic apprentices were disgusted with Miller and did not want to look for him. Some people even felt that a mage like Miller would disappear forever. Some apprentices who had been bullied by Miller all year round went to the wishing tree to pray, hoping he would never appear again. Chapter 22 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Every time the academy conducted a search, the various mentors in the academy would act as the team leader, leading the apprentices and mages who had volunteered to go to the Dark Forest to search. The teachers in each academy were of different levels, but they were all outstanding teachers in all aspects. In Derek Academy, only advanced mages and a few outstanding intermediate mages were qualified to be teachers. The strong faculty was also one of the contents of Derek Academy¡¯s publicity during the enrollment season every year. With the guidance of these mentors, they would escort the search mission in order to prevent any accidents from happening to the apprentices and mages in the process of searching for people. He didn¡¯t want to lose some apprentices in the search for the missing people. Such an annual search was one of the contents that every academy had to publicize to the outside world every year. The entire process would be broadcasted to the entire continent of Tyre by the publicity department using a transcribed symbol. They wanted to show the public the strength of the academy and the care and concern they had for their apprentices. If any academy were to let an accident happen to an apprentice during such a mission, it would not only damage the academy¡¯s reputation, but the other academies would also get hold of it and wantonly use public opinion to attack. For most of the apprentices, this was the best time to explore the Dark Forest with the protection of the high-level mages of Derek Academy. Thus, even though many apprentices and mages had strong opinions about Miller, they still signed up to participate in the search. Michael knew that Miller¡¯s underlings were already dying, and Miller had actually escaped. Based on Miller¡¯s injuries, there was a high chance he died in the Dark Forest. ¡°I think we should still sign up for the mission.¡± Michael discussed with his teammates. ¡°Everyone can take advantage of this rare opportunity to search for alchemy materials in the Dark Forest. And we didn¡¯t see Miller¡¯s body last time, though he¡¯s probably dead. But I still want to confirm it.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Carl continued, ¡°Miller is a vindictive person. Last time, we only saw him escape. If he has an Advanced Recovery Potion on him, he will definitely find a chance to come back and take revenge on us.¡± ¡°So troublesome? As expected of a scourge who lives to a hundred years old.¡± Mr. Royce was drawing a new talisman. ¡°The academy¡¯s publicity department will be watching the entire search. If he¡¯s still alive, it¡¯ll be very troublesome to find a chance to kill him.¡± After hearing Mr. Royce¡¯s words, Michael fell into deep thought. Indeed, the entire Tyre continent was searching for the treasure. It was an operation that the academy cared about very much. If Miller was discovered by others and sent to the entire continent, even if everyone hated Miller, they couldn¡¯t really do anything to him in front of so many people. Not everyone in Tyre knew the whole story. They would only believe what they wanted to believe. When they saw Michael killing the other mages, they would only think Demick¡¯s mages had no bottom line and were all murderers. At that time, for the sake of their own reputation, the academy might even chase them out. That would be troublesome. It looked like he had to plan properly to deal with Miller. Michael thought that he had to find Miller before the main team. It would be fine if they found a corpse, but if they found him alive. Then they would kill him before the people from the publicity department arrived. In short, he could not let Miller return to Derek Academy alive. Who knew what Miller would do to Mage Z¡¯s team after he returned to the academy alive? Although Michael was a Tier 4 Mage, he wasn¡¯t afraid of Miller¡¯s revenge. However, Karl and the others were still apprentices; if Miller caught them, they would be in big trouble. Morning, Dark Forest. In order to speed up the search for Miller, all the registered mages and apprentices set off early in the morning. It had been more than four hours, but they still hadn¡¯t found even a single strand of Miller¡¯s hair. Most of the apprentices who had signed up just wanted to take the opportunity to go deep into the Dark Forest and find some alchemy materials that could not be found in the periphery of the Dark Forest. The four Advanced Mages who came this time were busy checking the environment and ensuring the safety of all the apprentices present. ¡°I¡¯m not going to Miller. He even bullied me last time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that dog once said he was going on a mission with me. Ultimately, I was asked to do the mission myself, and he took all the rewards.¡± An apprentice who was bending over to pick spiritual plants said indignantly, ¡°I didn¡¯t give it to him, and he even beat me up with his underlings. He almost didn¡¯t pass the academy assessment that year.¡± ¡°Me too. The last time I passed the assessment, I was in a bad mood. He intentionally went with me during the actual combat drill.¡±Another fat apprentice said, ¡± He tricked me into going to the depths of the Dark Forest to get a high score. In the end, when we encountered a magical beast, that fellow actually pushed me out to feed the magical beast to buy time in exchange for a chance for him to escape. If I hadn¡¯t met the high-level mage of the academy, I would have been killed.¡± The apprentices who came gathered together and talked. The entire place was filled with apprentices whom he had offended. Michael looked at these people and sighed. He continued to search for Miller with his teammates. Among the people who had signed up for this mission, only Mage Z¡¯s team might have been really trying their best to find Miller and kill him. There was a limit to the number of people who could sign up for each search. After all, the number of people a high-level mage could protect was limited. But this time, it was obvious that the apprentices who signed up were all people who had a grudge against Miller. The reason they signed up was simple. They didn¡¯t want anyone to save Miller and bring him back to the academy. As long as none of the apprentices went to search for it, the event would end hastily. In the end, the academy would publicly announce that the search had failed. Miller¡¯s name would also be completely erased from the academy¡¯s name list. In other words, after this search, even if Miller was still alive, he would not be able to return to Derek Academy. Mr. Royce was using search charms to distribute them everywhere, and Michael was also releasing magic power to explore. The few had already walked a lot deeper into the Dark Forest. But Miller was still nowhere to be seen. In the deeper regions, almost no mages could survive for a long time. It looked like Miller was probably gone. However, this did not make Mage Team Z lower their guard. They continued to move forward. ¡°Magic Mushroom?¡± A few gray mushrooms by the roadside caught Michael¡¯s attention. The soup made from these mushrooms could increase a mage¡¯s mana. Michael walked over and picked up the cute mushrooms from the ground. ¡°Michael?¡± A hoarse voice came from behind the tree, and a familiar face appeared. It was Miller! Chapter 23 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At this moment, Miller was no longer as handsome as he used to be. Dark scars crawled all over his body, and his originally handsome face was covered in burn scars. His entire face seemed to have melted, twisting into a pitch-black mass. There were only two holes left where his nose had been. Now, he was hiding in the distance, looking angrily at Michael, who was squatting on the ground picking mushrooms. Although he escaped in the chaos that day, he was seriously injured and only managed to run a few steps before he fell to the ground and could no longer get up. The battle with Michael had exhausted all of his magic power, and the running just now had exhausted all of his strength. Now, he was lying on the ground, unable to stand up even after trying for a long time. ¡°What right does that Michael have?! You forced me to this point.¡± Miller thought back to what he had been through the past few days. He had clearly been looking for trouble with Carl that day but Michael had insisted on interfering. Not only did he lose his original mission reward, but he was also about to die. Miller could feel his blood flowing out of his body bit by bit, seeping into the ground beneath him and merging into the dark forest. It was said that every year, apprentices who failed the annual assessment would be driven into the depths of the Dark Forest to die. Their mana and bodies would be absorbed by the Dark Forest and become nutrients to appease its consciousness. No! He was unwilling to die like this. He didn¡¯t want to become some plant nourishment, just like that. Miller¡¯s consciousness gradually faded, leaving only hatred and unwillingness in his heart. This hatred attracted the black magic circling in the dark forest. They penetrated Miller¡¯s body and surged into his body. Soon, all kinds of dark scars appeared on Miller¡¯s body. Dark magic power shuttled through his body and entered every blood vessel, forcing the red blood inside to flow out of his body. The Dark Forest¡¯s consciousness had targeted Miller, who had been infected like the other magical beasts. Amid the blur of immense pain, Miller was paralyzed on the ground, unable to move or even scream. His physical touch, enhanced by black magic, allowed him to clearly feel the magic power that replaced his blood gradually condensing into a spirit body. If it was a spirit pet, it would have ended at this step. However, the evil spirit in Miller¡¯s body was still not satisfied. As a mage, Miller¡¯s mana was much more than a spirit pet¡¯s, which gave his black magic a certain amount of intelligence and volume. It was beginning to feel dissatisfied with just curling up in its blood vessels. After the black magic spirit¡¯s aura and magic waves passed through Miller¡¯s body many times, it finally found a place it liked. That was Miller¡¯s abdominal cavity. It seemed to feel hot and located inside the body, so it drilled into it. However, the black magic spirit was tired of the internal organs inside. So it stretched out its tentacles and cut Miller¡¯s stomach all the way to the bottom of his neck. Then, he opened the wound on both sides. The black magic spirit reached its tentacles into the wound and pulled out the organs that were originally hidden in the chest and abdomen, one by one. Then, it swallowed them into its own body and turned them into its own magic power. A bag-like stomach, intestines, lungs¡­ Every time it devoured an organ, the black magic spirit would become stronger. Soon, Michael¡¯s abdomen was empty, and only his heart was still beating tenaciously. It looked like a fish that had its belly cut open and washed. Finally, the black magic spirit touched the heart lightly. This beating thing seemed to have attracted its attention. It used its tentacles to touch Miller¡¯s heart for a long time, but it did not move in the end. Instead, it stuffed itself into Miller¡¯s abdomen and used magic to sew up his open belly. Unlike the infected magic beasts, Miller was now more like a corpse that could still move. When the black magic spirit was devouring him, he had been forced to stay awake. The immense pain made his entire body twist. He kept trying to scream, but under the control of the evil spirit, he could not make a sound. The moment the spirit released its control, Miller fainted from the pain. After that, although Miller still had his own consciousness and could even control the evil spirit in his body, he had also become neither human nor a ghost. They could only hide in the depths of the Dark Forest. Otherwise, he would be killed by the mages if he was discovered. The thought of revenge filled Miller¡¯s mind. Miller had been waiting in the Dark Forest for Michael to arrive. He knew that Michael would definitely come to see if he was still alive. In order to succeed, he planted magic mushrooms made by black magic spirits everywhere in the dark forest. The real magic mushrooms could increase the magic power of apprentices. However, the function of the fake mushroom was to connect the user and the caster with the same life. The magic mushrooms made by the black magic spirit were almost identical to the real thing. Even many high-level mages could not recognize them. Not to mention the apprentices and mages present. Moreover, this magic mushroom had to be picked and eaten immediately, or it would lose its effect. Miller planned to find trouble with them after they ate. When Miller was injured, Michael would also be injured because of the effect of the same life. ¡°If I can¡¯t live, you can forget about living either. Let¡¯s die together.¡± After Miller used the black magic spirit to conceal his aura, he secretly observed Michael¡¯s direction. ¡°There are so many magic mushrooms.¡± Michael distributed the magic mushrooms he had picked to his teammates and ate a few for himself. He carefully checked it several times before eating it and then asked Kanal to check it a few more times. After confirming that it was indeed a magic mushroom, they dared to eat it. The magic mushroom¡¯s magic power was injected into their bodies, and their magic power followed. The other apprentices also found the magic mushrooms and ate them happily. In the end, all the apprentices ate magic mushrooms. This fake magic mushroom was almost the same as the real one. It could increase magic power and was almost irresistible to apprentices. However, this bit of mana was not attractive to high-level mages. The few high-level mages who had come to check the magic mushrooms briefly found that there were no problems. They were relieved to let the apprentices eat them. Miller, who was peeping from afar, almost burst out laughing. ¡°I told you to hit me when I¡¯m down, but you didn¡¯t come to me, did you?¡± ¡°You want to take the opportunity to find alchemy materials, right?¡± ¡°Hahahaha, since you¡¯re here. Then die with me.¡± Miller laughed maniacally. If he charged out, he would definitely be killed by the Advanced Mage on the spot. However, if he used the Dark Magic Mushroom, all the attacks aimed at him would be reflected on all the apprentices. Even a high-level mage would not be able to save them. Chapter 24 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Michael followed the growth of the magic mushrooms and walked deeper into the Dark Forest. ¡°Don¡¯t go forward. We¡¯ve gone too far.¡± Elf Eric suddenly stopped him. Only then did Michael realize that the magic mushroom seemed to have some magical power attracting him deeper and deeper. At this moment, Michael was drenched in cold sweat. Fortunately, he had stopped in time. Otherwise, it would have been too terrifying if he had gone into the depths. ¡°I suspect that there¡¯s something wrong with this magic mushroom,¡± Mr. Royce said. ¡°Eric said we were all suddenly picking up mushrooms and walking forward. It was as if we had been possessed. If Eric hadn¡¯t discovered us and woken us up one by one, we would have gone deeper into the cave.¡± ¡°If we keep going forward, we¡¯ll enter the depths of the Dark Forest. That¡¯ll be dangerous.¡± Mr. Royce pulled Michael and wanted to walk back. ¡°Although those mushrooms are powerful, we¡¯ve also eaten so many of them, and our magic power has increased quite a bit. Go back first.¡± They were now very far away from where they came from, and the other apprentices were also scattered around the Dark Forest by the attraction of the magic mushrooms. This was also one of Miller¡¯s tricks. He used the magic mushrooms to spread out all the apprentices. This way, even if the high-level mages wanted to rush over to save them, they would not be able to do so. They also did not have enough manpower and could not split up. In order to better lure Michael, Miller had even thrown something that could attract mages onto the dark magic mushrooms. This was also why Michael and the others had lost control and walked forward. If it weren¡¯t for Elven Eric¡¯s elven attributes, which made him less affected, it was very likely that they would have walked straight into the depths of the Dark Forest. There were ferocious Magical Beasts everywhere in its depths, and it was difficult to determine the direction. If Michael and the others were to get lost inside, they would be trapped to death even if the magical beasts did not kill them. Seeing that Michael and the others had stopped in their tracks and were still planning to go back¡­ Miller finally rushed out from his hiding place. He chanted a spell without saying a word and attacked the group. Before Michael could be frightened by Miller¡¯s appearance, the spell was already in front of him. Michael quickly activated his magic barrier and enveloped the few of them within. As expected, this guy was still alive. Michael looked at the terrifying appearance of the other party and released an overwhelming amount of mana. He waved his staff again, and a magic ball strengthened by magic mushrooms flew out. On the other side, Carl and Mr. Royce also launched an attack. Green vines grew from the ground under Miller¡¯s feet and tightly wrapped around him. Black charms also flew towards him. Michael was about to heave a sigh of relief when he finally dealt with Miller. However, he discovered something amiss. Miller hadn¡¯t said a word since the beginning. According to his past personality, he would definitely mock him. Moreover, he attacked Michael the moment he saw him as if he was forcing him to attack. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Michael thought quickly, but he saw that Miller not only didn¡¯t dodge, but he also smiled as he rammed into his spell ball. It was as if he was waiting to be attacked. This was not right. Michael quickly chanted an incantation to weaken the previous attack. However, it was too late. A small portion of the magic balls and Mr. Royce¡¯s talismans had already hit Miller. As wounds appeared on Miller¡¯s body, the same damage also appeared on Michael and the others. ¡°What did you do?¡± Michael realized something was wrong and quickly used a healing potion to heal himself and his teammates. Just now, he had only been focused on killing Miller, and the spell he had used was too powerful. This time, Carl and Mr. Royce were seriously injured. However, as Michael¡¯s wounds healed, so did Miller¡¯s. ¡°You are too despicable.¡± Michael finally understood. He must have been hit by a spell that connected him to his life. ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± Miller laughed. ¡°How was it? How¡¯s the effect of being connected by fate? This is the first time a high-grade healing potion has treated me.¡± ¡°Why do you look unhappy? You can¡¯t kill me.¡± Miller continued, ¡± All my injuries will be reflected on you.¡± ¡°Are you wondering why this is happening? The magic mushrooms just now were not bad, right?¡± ¡°Of course, you can continue to hit me, but I don¡¯t know if your teammates and those apprentices can take it.¡± Miller took out a magic dagger. ¡°So? Even if I can¡¯t live, I¡¯ll drag you to death!¡± Carl quickly let the vines fly forward, trying to control Miller¡¯s behavior. On the other side, Mr. Royce also activated the charm. Before the attack could reach his eyes, Miller¡¯s knife had already stabbed into his chest and started to stir maliciously. A huge pain hit them, and their spells fell powerlessly halfway through. Miller didn¡¯t stop moving. Instead, he slid down his chest and reopened the wound the black magic spirit had opened. He reached in, took out the internal organs that the evil spirit from black magic had transformed into, and threw them out of his body. In the end, he pinched his only heart and laughed maniacally. ¡°Let¡¯s die together, Michael.¡± Just as Miller was about to pull the heart out, an even stronger spell was cast on Michael and the others. The effect of the Life Link was suddenly removed, and their wounds slowly healed. The high-level mage who had rushed over stood at the side, treating the heavily injured Michael and the others. He had just discovered that the few apprentices he was looking after were inexplicably injured, so he had rushed over and happened to discover this scene. Coincidentally, he was a Healer, so he broke the seal of the same fate and discovered Miller. ¡°Why? Someone will come to save you. Why didn¡¯t anyone save me?¡± Miller was completely enraged. He stopped moving the moment he saw the high-level mage. He knew that he could no longer kill Michael. He recalled the time when he was still a Basic Mage Apprentice. No one would help him when he was bullied. Therefore, he was determined to become stronger. After he became stronger, he would definitely repay all the hardships he had suffered. But now, there was nothing. What was the point of living like this? Miller¡¯s hand gripped his heart. In the next second, the black magic spirit took control of Miller¡¯s hand, bringing him away from the high-level mage. It wasn¡¯t easy to get such an interesting toy. The black magic spirit didn¡¯t want Miller to die so easily! It returned to Miller¡¯s stomach and stitched up the wound. It controlled him to run deeper into the Dark Forest, which even high-level mages would not easily step into. Chapter 25 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The high-level mage saw Miller running deeper into the dark forest, but he didn¡¯t chase after him. Many of the apprentices who had been affected by Miller¡¯s spell were now scattered in various parts of the Dark Forest. Not only did the academy¡¯s exploration fail to find the missing mage, but it also put the apprentices who came to search for him in danger, causing many casualties. Once this kind of matter was spread to the outside world, it would definitely be used by other magic academies to make a big fuss. After all, the competition for ranking the magic academies on the continent of Tyre was extremely fierce. The higher the ranking, the more resources would be required, and more high-quality students would be encountered. Every year, when all the magic academies on the continent of Tyre were ranked, there would be unusually fierce competition. Derek¡¯s Academy had occupied the first place for many years, and many magic academies had been eyeing it for a long time. In the past, the mages of Derek Academy were extremely powerful, and the other academies could not do anything about it. Even if they did not like the academy, they could only endure it. No one dared to express their opinions about it. They did not even dare to provoke the mages and apprentices of the academy. After all, Derek Academy was also famous for being protective of its students. The mages in the academy bullied each other, and the academy might turn a blind eye to it. However, if other academies bullied the mages of their own academies, they would definitely suffer the revenge of high-level mages. Derek Academy¡¯s act of protecting its own shortcomings attracted many talented youths of the right age every year. They traveled thousands of miles just to join it. However, the academy had not recruited any talented apprentices for several years. Thus, to maintain the number of apprentices in the academy, they had to lower the assessment standards for apprentices with similar strengths in the annual assessment. There were also a few high-level mages who were used to guard the academy. They had disappeared while reinforcing the seal of the Dark Forest, and their whereabouts were still unknown. Under this double blow, although Derek Academy could barely maintain its original glorious reputation, it was obviously not as good as in previous years. There were signs of a decline in its strength. This time, the other magic academies were like sharks in the deep sea that had smelled blood. They quickly gathered together and hid in the dark, staring at Derek Academy. They were looking for an opportunity to rush up and drag the academy down from the pedestal, hoping they could climb up the ranks by stepping on its bones. Under such circumstances, they could not let the outside world know that their academy¡¯s mage had become a demonized monster. That would only worsen their reputation. As a result, he could not let the outside world know about Miller¡¯s situation at this time. The high-level mage¡¯s gaze swept past the people present and looked at a member of the publicity department who had just followed him¡ªYork, who was holding the transcriber. He held the Transcription Talisman high and ran until he was panting. It seemed he had just followed them and had yet to figure out what was happening. He instinctively raised the talisman to broadcast the situation at the scene. ¡°Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t find Miller. These apprentices seem to have eaten mushrooms by mistake,¡± the senior mage said. He concealed the fact that he had seen Miller earlier. ¡°They¡¯re all hallucinating. He began to harm himself. However, under our protection, there were no deaths.¡± ¡°For the safety of the apprentice, we will stop this search and bring him back to the academy for a more detailed rescue.¡± Most of Michael¡¯s injuries had just healed. After hearing the high-level mage¡¯s words, he pulled back Mr. Royce, who wanted to chase after Miller. It was obvious that they would not be able to cause any substantial damage to Miller in their current situation. Moreover, the high-level mage in front of them would not allow Michael to continue deeper into the Dark Forest. Michael was only a low-level mage, and although already very powerful, he was still frail in front of an advanced mage. Just then, that high-level mage had released a mana pressure to imprison Michael and the others. Without the permission of the high-level mage, Michael and the others wouldn¡¯t even be able to leave his line of sight, let alone chase after Miller. No matter how dissatisfied they were with the result, they could only watch the high-level mage talk nonsense in front of York to cover up the previous scene. Castle Z. During this period of time, everyone was busy with all kinds of things. They finally found time to gather together, although Miller¡¯s matter was still a little worrying. However, it did not affect everyone¡¯s mood to celebrate moving to their new home. The injuries on their bodies had yet to fully recover, and no one knew how much the dark magic had strengthened Miller. They decided to wait for a period of time before focusing on dealing with Miller. It was rare for people to be corrupted by dark magic. To most people, it was just a legend. It was obviously an unwise move to fight rashly without knowing anything. Although everyone hated Miller, they could only put the matter aside for the time being since Captain Michael had spoken up. However, there was also good news. The spiritual plants that everyone planted were growing very well. It seemed that they could bear many seeds. Moreover, under Nina¡¯s care, the spiritual rabbits had already grown into balls of fur the size of cats. The most surprising thing was that although the magic mushrooms he had harvested in the Dark Forest could only be thrown away and could not be used anymore, he could not use them anymore. However, in the Dark Forest, the magic power they gained from eating magic mushrooms did not disappear. It seemed that Miller had given them the dark magic mushrooms to trick them. In addition to the magic power that the high-level mages sent to them when they were healing them. Michael was already close to becoming a Tier 5 Mage, while Carl and Royce were already advanced apprentices. They were about to join the ranks of the mages. The one with the team¡¯s lowest level was Nina, who did not go out last time. She was still an intermediate apprentice. This was because Nina had not fully recovered during the last search mission. Michael considered that she was not good at actual combat, and the spirit plant was at a critical moment that required someone to take care of it, so he asked her to stay. When they were in the Dark Forest, Michael had specially left some magic mushrooms for Nina to use. But now, the magic mushrooms could no longer be used. Nightfall, Castle Z. Mr. Royce went to the market to buy meat, and Carl bought drinks. Nina and Michael were in charge of setting up the scene. Soon, a simple barbecue bonfire party was set up. Everyone gathered around the bonfire and roasted meat to celebrate the joy of moving to their new home and the establishment of Mage Team Z. ¡°We will definitely become the most powerful mage team in the future!¡± Mr. Royce raised his glass. ¡°Cheers, everyone!¡± Chapter 26 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At the gathering, everyone tacitly didn¡¯t mention Miller¡¯s matter. They discussed all kinds of exciting things and future plans. Michael wanted to become the strongest alchemist, while Mr. Royce wanted to become the strongest talisman mage. Carl wanted Mina to have some achievements in the field of spirit herbs, and Nina hoped to be a stronger beast tamer. The barbecue party lasted until late at night, and the few drank until they were staggering. In the following days, everyone tacitly strengthened their training. Michael kept bringing new alchemy materials into the alchemy room to develop new alchemy formulas. After these few days, although he did not refine any stronger potions, he also refined a lot of strengthening materials. Michael distributed these materials to his teammates and strengthened their staffs and robes. Mr. Royce drew all kinds of portable charms day after day, looking for ways to make them stronger. Carl and Nina were also guarding their respective fields, carefully caring for the spiritual plants and pets, providing Michael with an endless stream of alchemy materials. Under Nina¡¯s training, the spirit rabbits now had a certain degree of defense ability and were more than enough to guard the house or be bodyguards for ordinary people. They began to understand simple commands and had the strength of a beginner apprentice. They could repel small low-level magic beasts that often appeared near ordinary people. Nina planned to breed another batch and sell them at the market to exchange for some gold coins. Deep in the Dark Forest. ¡°Ha¡­ Damn it.¡± Miller leaned against a tree in the depths of the Dark Forest and panted heavily. ¡°It¡¯s all that damn Michael¡¯s fault that I¡¯m like this now. Why did he meddle in other people¡¯s business that day?¡± Miller had just summoned a simple mirror with his magic power. Through the mirror, he saw that the face he had always been proud of had been completely destroyed. That face was exactly the same as his dead brother¡¯s. Miller could still remember that distant night. That day, he had just entered Derek Academy with his brother and was happily looking around at the new scenery. Then, he met the villain at that time. Miller, who had been very kind then, had not greeted the other party. This offended them and they wanted to kill him. That was because Derek Academy did not have any restrictions on the internal strife between the mages in the academy. Therefore, under the attack of that high-level apprentice that day, Miller, who was still a low-level apprentice, could only watch helplessly as his brother was beaten to death by the other party¡¯s magic power. As for the others present, no matter how much Miller begged for help, they did not lend him a helping hand. That night, Miller lost his only family in this world, as well as everything related to his brother. It was also that night that he became no longer kind. He began to become stronger and began wantonly bullying and suppressing others. Soon, he became a beginner mage through his own efforts. After that, the first thing he did was to kill that scoundrel. But nothing could come back. From then on, Miller gradually degenerated and took over the original villain, becoming the new bad guy. He had humiliated the apprentices of Derek Academy. When he first started bullying others, Miller still felt sorry for them. However, as time passed, that little bit of guilt was quickly blown away by the wind. He thought that as long as he became stronger, no one would dare to bully him. Until now, he had even lost his face like his brother. The dark magic spirit seemed to be tired of staying in his stomach. It went into his blood vessels and wandered around. The clear pain coming from his entire body and his empty abdomen reminded Miller of something. He had nothing now. Miller didn¡¯t even have the right to die because the black magic spirit in his body didn¡¯t want him to die, so no matter what he did, the black magic spirit would keep him alive. But at the same time, the spirit would punish Miller for his disobedience. Miller once again tried to stab his heart with the dagger, but his hand was controlled by the black magic spirit halfway. The knife fell to the ground, and a huge pain swept through his entire body. Miller was in so much pain that he curled up into a ball and couldn¡¯t even make a sound. Not far away, a demon rabbit jumped over and passed by Miller. The black magic spirit in Miller¡¯s body seemed to be attracted. Miller rushed forward and grabbed the rabbit. When the demon rabbit grabbed Miller¡¯s hand, the black magic spirit inside Miller¡¯s body extended its feelers and stabbed into the demon rabbit¡¯s body. The demon rabbit quickly struggled, and the dark color on its body disappeared. Was this purification? Miller looked at the rabbit¡¯s transformation in shock and felt that it was somewhat impossible. How could dark magic have purification power? As expected, when the dark patterns on the demon rabbit¡¯s body faded, the rabbit¡¯s movements gradually weakened. Miller could feel that the rabbit in his hand was getting lighter and lighter. Soon, it had become a piece of light rabbit skin. When the magic rabbit was completely dead, the spirit was also satisfied. Miller didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion, but he felt like the spirit was smiling in satisfaction. When the black magic spirit once again curled up in Miller¡¯s blood vessels, Miller felt the surging black magical power. He seemed to have become much more potent in an instant. So that was how it was. The black magic spirit had been devouring and absorbing the magical power of the magic beast. Miller could feel the surging magic power in his body, and the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up. No wonder those black mages liked to create magic beasts. It was so easy to obtain magic power from magic beasts. Orthodox mages did not accept this method of becoming stronger, not to mention it would also cause damage to the body. However, for Miller now, there was nothing unacceptable about it. Anyway, his body had already become an empty shell inhabited by the black magic spirit, and he was destined to be unacceptable to the mages. It was better to use this method to become stronger. This way, he might have a chance to find Michael and take revenge. With this thought in mind, Miller began to search for small magic beasts in the Dark Forest, letting the black magic spirits absorb their mana to increase his own. Castle Z. After this period of practice, the strength of the members of the Z Mage team greatly improved. Michael took out the quest book. So far, they had only completed the first quest. It was time for the second mission, to capture the Silent Bird. The spirit stones for the magic robe rewarded by this mission could increase the defensive power of the robe, which was exactly what Michael and the others needed. Moreover, these silent birds were not in very deep places. In addition, their strength had already increased. It was safer to do this mission now. Michael chose to tell everyone about this plan during breakfast. The few of them discussed with each other for a while and finally decided on a detailed plan to capture the Silent Bird. Chapter 27 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the Dark Forest. Michael, who had made plans, led his teammates into the Dark Forest. This time, they obtained a map of the outer area of the forest from their mentor. The Advanced Healer from last time waved his hand. Other than the map, he also gave them a knowledge manual about common magic beasts that recorded their appearance and characteristics. Of course, the mage was also so generous because he had controlled Michael and the others in front of the publicity department and indirectly let Miller go. A small number of Healing Mages were kinder than other Mages. He would be even gentler than the apprentices in the academy. The Silent Bird lived deeper into the Dark Forest than the Foxtail Grass. If one were to describe it as a game, then the place where foxtail grass grew was an unusually safe apprentice village. The place where the Silent Bird lived was the first place he went to after leaving the apprentice village. Although this place was not as dangerous as the core of the Dark Forest, it was still on its periphery, and all kinds of large-scale magical beasts had already appeared one after another. These large magic beasts would occasionally appear in the vicinity. If one were unlucky enough to encounter one, it would be a huge problem. In order to deal with the magic beasts and also make up for the regret that Nina was the only one who did not obtain any items during the previous search, Michael brought her along with him this time. ¡°There are no magical beasts nearby.¡± Nina released her sparrow, which was very sensitive to the aura of magic beasts. They could detect the presence of magic beasts from a distance, and they could also identify their type and strength. When it discovered a magic beast, it would immediately relay this information to Nina. This time, it was lying on Nina¡¯s shoulder without any reaction, so when Michael asked, Nina shook her head, indicating that the place was temporarily safe. Deep in the Dark Forest. Although Miller no longer needed to eat after being demonized, his exposed body could still be injured by storms and wind. Furthermore, the strengthened body of the black magic spirit had become more sensitive. This also meant that when the raindrops fell on Miller¡¯s body in the Dark Forest, it felt no different from a pile of stones smashing into his skin. The only difference was that other people might faint from the pain or become numb to pain after being injured for a long time. However, Miller was different. His body, controlled by black magic, would not collapse from the pain, nor would he feel numb. As his magic power increased, his pain would only become stronger. The weather in the depths of the Dark Forest was extremely bad, which made Miller suffer. Every time he was exposed to the heavy rain and the raindrops brushed past his body; he would roll on the ground in pain, wishing he could die on the spot. However, even death was already an extravagant hope for him. Fortunately, the Dark Forest was full of materials discarded by the missing mages and black mages. After a few days of searching, Miller found a lot of materials to build a house. He built a small house in the depths of the Dark Forest and a simple alchemy crucible. Although he could no longer perform alchemy, he still placed the crucible in his simple little house. It was a memorial to his past as a mage. ¡°Why are we always so unlucky?¡± Mr. Royce complained as he ran. ¡°Fortunately, we¡¯ve been exercising recently. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the amount of exercise.¡± Just now, they had been walking along the map, but who knew that they would suddenly encounter a demon wolf that was taking a walk? The huge demon wolf pounced on them the moment it saw them. Carl quickly used his vines to tie down the demon wolf and called his teammates to run. Nina released her sparrow and asked it to investigate the situation of the magic beasts. Soon, the sparrow brought a message that could not be pacified for now. ¡°You guys run first; I¡¯ll cover the rear.¡± Michael held his magic staff and followed at the back of the team, ready to guard against the demon wolves pouncing on him. From time to time, he would throw a few magic balls to slow them down. The demon wolf¡¯s mana was still too strong for a young mage. Although Michael could release mana to slow down the demon wolf¡¯s movements, he was still far from being able to use it to forcefully tame it. However, the appearance of the demon wolf here made them feel strange. Logically speaking, large magic beasts like the wolf lived in deeper places. The magical beasts in the Dark Forest had their own habitat. Many magical beasts would never leave their habitat for their entire lives. This was because the survival of magical beasts also depended on black magic. Different magic beasts had different requirements for the density of black magic. If a magic beast lived in a place where the concentration of black magic was too low, it would be weak and die because it could not obtain enough of it. However, if it lived in a place where the concentration of magic was too high, the beast would gradually collapse and die because it could not withstand too much black magic. The density of black magic in the Dark Forest was distributed from the outside to the inside, which was why most magical beasts almost never left their habitat. They could only live in their own habitat. They would only leave if they were attracted by the potion or for other reasons. However, the magic beasts attracted by the potion would only attack those with the potion mark. Michael and the others did not have the scent of the potion on them. However, the demonic wolf was still following them closely. This situation made Michael feel strange. As he fled, he kept observing the wolf. Quickly think of a way! What should he do? Michael¡¯s mind spun rapidly, thinking about what he missed. There must be a problem somewhere! Otherwise, why would this demon wolf follow us? Wait a minute. Michael suddenly realized that the demon wolf¡¯s movements were starting to become unstable as if it was seriously injured. Moreover, it looked more like it was asking for help than attacking Michael and the others. ¡°Nina. You should communicate with it. I think this wolf might be here to ask us for help!¡± Michael stopped in his tracks, turned around, and shouted at Nina. Although Nina was a little puzzled, she still stopped and chanted an incantation to communicate with the demon wolf. Following Nina¡¯s communication, the demon wolf that was originally pouncing over stopped its attack and lay on the ground, looking like a big dog that had been wronged. ¡®I guessed it right.¡¯ Michael sighed in his heart. When he called out to Nina earlier, he also intended to take a gamble. If he kept running like this, he would eventually be caught. It was better to turn around and fight, ask the demon wolf¡¯s intentions, or fight with all their might. There would always be a chance for any of it to happen. Fortunately, he guessed correctly. Chapter 28 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After settling down, Michael finally had the time to carefully check the demon wolf¡¯s condition. He carefully observed the demon wolf lying on the ground and found no external injuries. This was strange. Michael used his magic power to examine the wolf¡¯s body more carefully but still couldn¡¯t find any wounds. However, from its state, it was obvious it had been cruelly tortured not long ago. Even the dark magic in its body was very thin, and the remaining magic power was just enough to maintain its life. ¡°Nina, you¡¯re better at this. Come and see what¡¯s going on.¡± Michael retreated to the side and gestured for Nina to go to her previous position to check on the wolf. At the same time, he released his own magic power, and an extremely oppressive magic power spread out. Under normal circumstances, the magic power of a Tier 4 mage was not enough to threaten an intermediate-level magic beast like the demon wolf. However, this one was severely injured, and Michael¡¯s magic power could barely suppress it. In order to prevent any mishaps, Michael took out his staff and stood at the side, preventing the demon wolf from suddenly attacking and hurting Nina, who had gone to investigate. Nina squatted down and carefully approached the wolf. She stretched out her hand and circulated her magic power to check on its condition. Her spirit pet sparrow flew around her master, chirping and singing a song, condensing a gray magic circle around Nina. Gray magic power slowly entered the demon wolf¡¯s body from Nina¡¯s hand and began to swim through its body to check its condition. He then sent the results to Nina. Fear unconsciously flashed across the wolf¡¯s eyes when it saw Nina letting the magic power enter its body. Its body curled up on the ground and began to tremble. It was as if he had seen something extremely terrifying. Nina¡¯s detection magic did not affect the magic beasts at all. It was the first time she had seen a magic beast so afraid as if she was doing something extremely terrifying. With such doubts, she used her other hand to gently rub the wolf¡¯s chin to comfort him. The wolf stopped trembling after realizing that Nina had no ill intentions, but the fear in its eyes still did not disappear. The result of the magic detection also shocked Nina. ¡°This! That¡¯s too cruel!¡± Nina sensed the situation inside the wolf¡¯s body and exclaimed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Michael was very puzzled. ¡°There are no wounds on his body.¡± Michael believed some weak mage must¡¯ve tried to purify the wolf but failed. The purification process of a magical beast was actually very simple. First, the black magic on the beast¡¯s body was expelled, and then the wounds caused by the black magic would be healed with a healing spell. However, the actual operation was not that simple. Magical beasts could be said to live on black magic, and expelling black magic was equivalent to killing it. If he couldn¡¯t pacify the magical beasts with this step, he might be attacked to death by the irritable ones. The healing process after removing the black magic from the beast¡¯s body was also crucial. Without the support of black magic, the magical beasts would fall into a state of weakness or even death. They would need to use powerful healing magic in time to heal the beasts successfully. If that didn¡¯t happen, the magical beasts would either die or be invaded by black magic again. All his previous efforts were in vain. The best way was to use healing magic at the end of the black magic, but the timing of these two was difficult to grasp, so many mages ended up disappointed. However, this did not stop groups of mage trainers and mage apprentices from coming to the Dark Forest one after another in an attempt to purify the magic beasts. After all, as long as he successfully purified a magic beast, not only would his strength increase greatly, but he would also quickly become famous on the continent of Tyre. It was also because of this that magic beasts that failed to be purified were often found on the continent of Tyre. However, those beasts rarely left their habitat . ¡°Is it a magical beast that some mage failed to purify?¡± Michael asked. Perhaps it was the work of a mage with strong purification abilities but not enough healing abilities. After all, there weren¡¯t many mages who specialized in healing abilities. Most mages either had no talent in healing or weren¡¯t interested in healing abilities. Mages on the continent of Tyre valued attack power more, and there was a conflict between healing magic and attack magic. Mages with strong healing abilities were weak in attack power, so they were considered support roles in the team. As a result, very few mages specialized in Healing Magic on the Tyre Continent. Hence, they basically chose to make a Healing Mage from their own team. It also formed a grand occasion where every time a group was formed on the continent of Tyre, mages would offer all kinds of high conditions to recruit a Healer. Basically, a Healer could satisfy all the needs of a team of mages. However, there would also be a problem. When the Healing Mage in the team was not around, the remaining mages could not do healing-related things, such as purifying magic beasts. However, sometimes, when a mage finally encountered a magical beast that he liked, he could not help but forcefully purify it without the presence of a healer. The current situation would have occurred. Most of the dark magic on the magic beasts would have been expelled, but because there was not enough healing magic to keep up, there was no powerful healing medicine. It would cause the demonic beast to fail in its purification and die on the spot or try its best to escape. Nina shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± For the first time, Nina doubted the results of her magic power detection. Although there were no obvious wounds on the demon wolf¡¯s body, she could feel traces of something passing through it. These tiny traces looked very small and could even be easily ignored, but they covered all of its organs and even penetrated its blood vessels. Nina probed again, and her face turned pale as she said, ¡± Something as thick as a steel needle penetrated its body and traveled through all its organs and blood vessels, absorbing most of its dark magic.¡± ¡°This wound is very small, so you couldn¡¯t detect it just now,¡± Nina explained. ¡°Furthermore, most of these wounds are inside his body. They did not cause any damage to his appearance.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how it was caused, but it can be said that its internal organs and blood vessels are covered with dense pinholes. However, these needle holes were skinny. When they were glued together, they looked no different from before. In short, its current situation was very dangerous,¡± Nina said as she sent a light gray healing magic power to the demon wolf. With the transfer of magic power, the wounds in the demon wolf¡¯s body healed a little. Its gaze also became peaceful, gratefully sticking out its tongue to lick Nina¡¯s hand. Chapter 29 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Under Nina¡¯s magic power transmission, the demon wolf¡¯s expression gradually calmed down. Michael took the opportunity to chant a Purification Charm and release a powerful spell to work with Nina to purify the beast. As the magic power continued to flow, the dark patterns on the beast¡¯s body began to fade. Under Nina¡¯s healing magic, it gradually recovered from its weakened state. When the last bit of magic power fused into the wolf¡¯s body, it completely transformed into a spiritual pet, revealing its original dark gray fur, looking very majestic. ¡°We also have our own spirit pets!¡± Mr. Royce cheered. ¡°Let¡¯s see who dares to look down on us now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is your first spiritual pet. Let¡¯s give it a name.¡± Carl looked calmer, but he was obviously thrilled. ¡°Just call him Alan.¡± Nina considered for a moment and said. The spirit wolf nodded after hearing it, agreeing to the name. The taming of magical beasts depended heavily on one¡¯s strength and talent, as well as fate. It was not as simple as purifying the magical beasts. You also need the spirit beast to acknowledge you and voluntarily sign a contract with the mage before you could become the mage¡¯s spirit pet. If the spirit beast did not acknowledge the mage, it would suffer harsh backlash, even if a high-level one used his strength to force the spirit beast to serve it. There were not many mages who had successfully tamed a spirit beast, and it was even more difficult to tame a large intermediate-level spirit beast like the Demon Wolf, which had strong offensive and loyalty attributes. This was because they rarely recognized a master, and it was quite difficult to tame them. Most of the highest-level spiritual pets in the mage teams of mage trainers and mage apprentices were rabbits, owls, weasels, and other animals. Magic apprentices who could tame foxes could be said to be one of the few gifted ones. If any mage team had such a member, they would definitely publicize it. Not to mention that the main force in taming the magic wolf this time was the magic apprentice Nina in the team. It could be said that in the entire Tyre Continent, Nina was the only mage who had tamed a magic beast like a demon wolf when she was still an apprentice. With the team of mages now whole, and with the addition of a beast-taming genius in Mage Team Z, they could basically do whatever they wanted in Derek Academy. Mr. Royce and Carl did not probe the wolf¡¯s state. They only saw that Nina and Michael had just injected their magic power, and the wolf obediently lay on the ground and did not move. Immediately after, it was successfully tamed and even recognized as its master. ¡°Not bad.¡± Mr. Royce praised, ¡°Let¡¯s go to a restaurant to have a meal tonight. We have to celebrate.¡± ¡°We still have to call York over and let this kid promote us. I¡¯ll write and have the owl send it.¡± As he spoke, Mr. Royce took out a talisman and wrote the contents on it. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Mr. Royce handed the letter to the owl that he carried with him. It took the letter with its claws and flapped its wings to fly off his shoulder. Soon, the bird disappeared into the distance. Michael and Nina had seen the demon wolf¡¯s situation at that time, and they knew that the reason why they managed to tame it this time was that it happened to be heavily injured, which allowed them to take the opportunity so easily. Moreover, looking at the injuries on the magic beasts, this was definitely not the work of a mage, nor did it seem like the style of a black mage. What was that thing that could leave a hole in the demon wolf¡¯s body without hurting its appearance? It even took the opportunity to absorb most of its black magic. It seemed like there were too many things in the Black Forest that Michael and the others did not understand. There was no benefit in overthinking. It seemed that they might not encounter such danger for a while, so there was no need to trouble Mr. Royce and the others. At the thought of this, Michael and Nina looked at each other. Both of them had a tacit understanding and covered up this matter. They turned around and revealed a big smiles, in line with their teammates. ¡°That¡¯s right. We have to celebrate this time.¡± Deep in the Dark Forest. It hurt. It was too painful. The bone-piercing pain threw Miller on the ground, gasping for breath. Just now, the black magic spirit had encountered a demon wolf, and it had recklessly controlled Miller to go up and capture it. However, Miller¡¯s mana was clearly insufficient to deal with this magic wolf, which was at its peak. After a few rounds, Miller¡¯s entire body was covered in injuries from the enraged demonic wolf. Almost all the bones in his body were broken. Many white bones pierced through Miller¡¯s flesh and came out from different places. If it was an ordinary mage, even if he did not die, he would have been lying on the ground, unable to move due to his broken bones. However, Miller was being controlled by the black magic spirit. Still, he propped himself up, his twisted limbs forming a strange posture on the ground as he pounced toward the demon wolf. Every time Miller came into contact with the wolf, the black magic spirit would extend its feelers and infuse some black magic into the beast. In a short while, the black magic that was instilled into the demon wolf controlled it and penetrated its body wantonly. The demon wolf turned around and wanted to escape because the situation was not right. At this moment, something unexpected happened. The black magic spirit once again used the same life connection spell, and Miller¡¯s feelings were instantly transmitted to the wolf. The immense pain it felt caused it to fall to the ground, and it was unable to move anymore. The black magic spirit didn¡¯t stay idle either. It transformed into a black wriggling form and used its feelers to penetrate Miller¡¯s body again, drilling into his abdomen. The black magic rapidly pierced through Miller¡¯s newly grown internal organs and injected poison into them. ¡°Ugh!¡± The immense pain made Miller retch but didn¡¯t spit anything out. Half of the black magic spirit was used to control the wolf. It was busy absorbing the beast¡¯s mana and neglected Miller¡¯s control. Miller also seized the opportunity to cut open its abdomen with a knife and put his hand inside. Fresh blood gushed out of the wound, dyeing Miller¡¯s robe and hands bright red. He reached his hand into the wolf¡¯s abdominal cavity and grabbed out half of the heard left behind by the black magic spirit, trying to pull it out of his blood vessels. The black magic spirit was slippery to begin with, so it was even harder to grab hold of it when it was stained with blood. It slipped out of his hand as soon as Miller caught it. This was a rare opportunity. He simply used the knife to enlarge the wound and reached in to cut open a few main arteries, exposing the black magic spirit. Then, he used the knife to pick it out. Not long after, Miller¡¯s body was covered in cuts and scratches, like a cotton doll that had been torn apart. Beside him were black magic spirits that had been expelled. Chapter 30 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Miller finally managed to pull out most of the black magic spirits from his body. It would be fine if he just pulled out all of them, Miller thought. The black magic spirit on the ground was mixed with Miller¡¯s blood, turning it into a dark red puddle. If he died like this, he probably wouldn¡¯t have to continue being tortured. The endless pain over the past few days made Miller want to be free as soon as possible. He even forgot about taking revenge on Michael. He noticed that the black magic spirit had not touched his heart from beginning to end. It probably could not replace the role of the heart. In this case, as long as he took the opportunity to completely destroy the heart, it would probably end. He didn¡¯t want to live like a puppet anymore. Miller cut open his chest and plucked out the beating heart. The fist-sized heart was beating non-stop. After it was plucked out, it beat happily in his palm, causing his hand to tremble. Miller watched his heart beating in his hand and was in a daze momentarily. He looked at his heart beating continuously as if he was drunk. After a while, he suddenly reacted. He channeled the remaining magic power into his hands and closed them with all his strength. His heart was crushed into pieces. Miller¡¯s body seemed to have lost all support in an instant, and he fell limply to the side. Miller¡¯s only thought was that he was finally free. The black magic spirit on the side finally noticed the abnormality here. It reluctantly pulled out from the demon wolf¡¯s body and quickly rushed back. The motionless black magic spirit on the ground suddenly squirmed. It stretched out its tentacles and assembled the heart fragments on the ground as if it was transmitting magic power. A dark red heart started beating again shortly after, and the black magic spirit stuffed it into Miller¡¯s chest. Miller¡¯s consciousness that had just dissipated quickly condensed back, and the bone-chilling pain surged up again. When the demon wolf ran away just now, the black magic spirit, who did not get enough black magic, vented all its anger on Miller. As if it felt that normal venting wasn¡¯t enough, it simply turned into Miller¡¯s body and released all its tentacles to shuttle around. Soon, Miller¡¯s internal organs were riddled with injuries. This time, it didn¡¯t pull out the new organs. Instead, it bared its teeth on the tentacles and began to bite Miller¡¯s internal organs. ¡°Please, kill me!!!¡± Miller screamed and begged the black magic spirit, but it didn¡¯t have the ability to speak yet. It could only instinctively release its resentment towards Miller and chase after other magic beasts, devouring the black magic in their bodies. ¡°I was wrong. I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Miller¡¯s voice was hoarse from the pain. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he couldn¡¯t move now, he would definitely kneel on the ground and beg the spirit to let him go. However, the newborn black magic spirit did not have a full mind. It only felt that Miller was like a fun toy. Now that the toy was disobedient, it wanted to teach its toy a lesson. How could it let Miller off? After a while, the black magic spirit seemed to feel that Miller¡¯s begging voice was too noisy. It tried to put a tentacle down his throat but couldn¡¯t find what it was looking for. The spirit retracted its tentacle and slashed Miller¡¯s neck. This time, it directly cut off Miller¡¯s windpipe, and it seemed that even his vocal cords were destroyed. The black magic spirit looked at the blood bubbles coming out of the windpipe with satisfaction. It curiously drilled into the windpipe through a tentacle, and Miller couldn¡¯t even make a sound. After Michael and the others accidentally obtained the demon wolf, Michael still had a lot of questions in his heart and he was still bewildered. However, the purpose of this trip had not been resolved yet. They had already searched the outer area of the Dark Forest, but they did not see the shadow of the Silent Bird at all. Michael unfolded the map and studied it for a while. They had gone to all the places marked on the map where the Silent Bird might be, but all they saw was the nest it left behind . As for the birds inside, they had long disappeared. The sun was already setting in the west, and the unknown power in the Dark Forest had increased again. Michael decided to take a look at the last location marked on the map. No matter what the outcome was, they would have to go home. Otherwise, the dark forest at night would be too dangerous. No bird¡¯s nest. Soon, the group arrived at the last location marked on the map. The nests of the Silent Birds were usually set up on the ground, so they should be easily discovered. Regrettably, there were still no traces of the Silent Bird this time. Michael was a little unwilling to give up and went to flip the bird¡¯s nest. As soon as he reached his hand in, he felt something warm. He retracted his hand and carefully looked inside. It was actually a few eggs! Silent birds usually lay five or six eggs at a time. Under normal circumstances, the female would guard her eggs while the male would go out to look for food. But when they were in danger, the birds would use something like a bag woven from leaves to move most of their eggs away and throw away some that they thought were bad. At this moment, there was no mother guarding the nest, and only two eggs were left. Obviously, the nearby Silent Birds had sensed danger and abandoned them. What should he do? Generally speaking, it was very difficult to hatch abandoned eggs. Although they could be used for alchemy, they could not complete the mission in the mission book. Silent birds were actually very sensitive to danger. When they migrated, they would migrate as a whole. This meant that it would be very difficult to find even if he had the chance to come to the Dark Forest again. ¡°Let¡¯s bring the egg back,¡± Nina said. ¡°Maybe I can hatch them. That¡¯s not necessarily impossible. I¡¯ve tried hatching spiritual bird eggs before.¡± ¡°Yeah, bring it back.¡± Mr. Royce also said, ¡°What if it hatches? No matter what, it¡¯s better than having no hope. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Michael agreed, and they carefully covered the bird¡¯s nest with magic, bringing the entire piece back with them. Castle Z. Michael had just placed the bird¡¯s nest in the newly tidied indoor incubation room when he saw York rushing over. Behind him was Mr. Royce¡¯s spirit pet owl. This time, Mr. York looked even more excited. He happily raised the recording charm. He had just received Mr. Royce¡¯s letter, so he quickly packed his things and rushed over. The previous reports had already made him a lot of money; this time, he had encountered big news about taming a demon wolf. York could already imagine the news going viral. However, when York saw the spirit wolf, he was shocked. He wrote down the situation and quickly went back to organize the report. He didn¡¯t even agree to Mr. Royce¡¯s invitation for dinner. If this kind of news were not published quickly, it would be bad luck if someone else stole the opportunity to publish it. With this thought in mind, Mr. York sped up the magic broom. Chapter 31 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Castle Z. At night. As it started drizzling while Mr. Royce was preparing the bonfire, he had no choice but to change the celebration party to an indoor one. At this moment, everyone was gathered around the hotpot. The table was filled with all kinds of fresh meat, seafood, vegetables, and some freshly harvested spirit plant fruits. The fruits of many spiritual plants could be eaten directly or mixed with other ingredients to make various foods. The food made from this spiritual plant had different effects. Some could increase magic power, while others had a small healing ability. The Fire Element Fruit they harvested this time could be directly washed and eaten raw. It was crispy and could increase some magic power. As a basic spiritual plant, the fire element fruit did not increase the magic power of a mage much, but its sweet and sour taste was very delicious. For a time, it was one of the top three most delicious spirit herbs on the continent of Tyre. In addition, this kind of spiritual plant was very easy to grow. Almost everyone could grow it. It was also the most popular spiritual plant in the entire Tyre Continent. Almost all mages would plant some fire element in their annual spiritual plant fields. ¡°Our team is gathered here today.¡± Mr. Royce filled his glass with the wine he had bought. ¡°I¡¯m not boasting, but in the entire Tyre Continent, you won¡¯t be able to find a team more powerful than us. ¡°This is the first time our entire team has gone on a mission and tamed a demon wolf. When York¡¯s report is out, we¡¯ll be famous worldwide. By then, there will be plenty of people who will pay us to do missions.¡± Mr. Royce raised the wine glass in his hand high as he spoke. ¡°This success if mainly thanks to our Nina and Michael. I raise my glass to you.¡± He downed the wine in his glass. ¡°Yes.¡± Unlike Mr. Royce and Carl, who were elated, Michael was still worried about the wounds on the magic wolf in the Dark Forest. There were some ominous signs. Nina gave him a gentle push before he reacted. He raised his glass and drank the wine in it. The group drank and made a scene for the entire night. It was not until the sky was bright that they packed up their things and returned to their rooms to sleep. Derek Academy, Mission Hall. [A bounty of 100,000 gold coins for Possessed Miller. Mission Requirements: Keep this a secret. Do not disclose any information about the mission to the outside world. Violators will be expelled from Derek Academy.] The words ¡°Possessed Miller¡± were like a bomb. The originally lively crowd fell silent for a while after seeing this mission and then quickly boiled over for a while. ¡°Possessed Miller? He actually became a devil?¡± The fat apprentice who had been watching last time asked doubtfully, ¡°Can this person still be posssesed? I¡¯ve only heard of animals being possessed.¡± A single stone caused a thousand ripples. All the apprentices began to discuss. They looked at the contents of the mission and began to celebrate. Most of the apprentices thought that Miller deserved it. ¡°So he¡¯s never coming back.¡± Some apprentices guessed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Doesn¡¯t it say that he has become a demon? He won¡¯t dare to come back now,¡± another thin and tall apprentice said with a smile. ¡°If he becomes a demon, it¡¯s equivalent to becoming a slave to black magic, just like those magical beasts. Don¡¯t you see that the academy requested to hide his information?¡± Another apprentice mocked. This was evidence that the academy did not want to acknowledge him. If he dared to come back, he would probably be killed by those high-level mages immediately. Not even a bone fragment was left. All the apprentices were so happy that it seemed they were celebrating a festival. They cheered together, but no one dared to take on the mission. They all treated it as a hot potato and left it alone. Mages were rare on the continent of Tyre, and it was the first time many apprentices had seen one. They had no idea how to deal with the possessed Miller. They believed that Miller had become even more powerful after being possessed, just like the spirit beasts that had been infected by black magic. They couldn¡¯t beat Miller in the first place, much less dare to accept new missions. It was one thing to mock Miller for being unlucky, but it was another thing to intercept the mission and end up losing their lives. The difference between them was still clear to most apprentices. This time, they all gathered in front of the mission hall, paying attention to who would receive this bounty mission. Just as all the apprentices were focused on the mission board, a spell flew over, rolled up the mission paper, and flew out. Looking in the direction the mission paper was flying in, Michael was leaning against the door, holding the mission book in one hand and seriously reading the mission on it. Mr. Royce followed behind him. They had just received the salary of the Z Mage Team for this month from the Rewards Hall. Mr. Royce had even held his assessment token and mocked the few apprentices who had looked down on him last time. Although they were somewhat dissatisfied, Mr. Royce had worked hard and was much stronger than them. In addition, the stronger Michael was also beside him. They could only apologize respectfully for what happened last time. Michael had originally planned to go to the Mission Hall to receive some simple party missions. He wanted to do them while waiting for the Silent Bird to hatch. It would also increase the abilities of every mage in the party and, most importantly, the tacit understanding of the entire team in actual combat. For a mage team, the tacit understanding between the members of the team was more important than their strength. If the mages did not cooperate well, even if the team was full of mages, they might not be as good as a team of apprentices. Every year, there would also be actual combat competitions between mage teams of Derek Academy. Each team was made up of four people. The competition¡¯s goal was randomly going to the Dark Forest to complete missions such as searching for things and fighting magical beasts. In previous years, Michael had given up on this competition because he did not have a teammate. But this year, Mage Team Z was established. After discussing with his teammates, Michael decided to lead the entire team to participate in this competition this year. Not only were the rewards for this competition generous but it was also broadcasted live across the entire continent. It was a great opportunity to become famous and to let the entire continent remember the name of Mage Team Z. However, not long after Michael walked in, he saw the quest for the Enchanted Miller. After a brief discussion with Mr. Royce, he decided to accept the mission. The reward for Miller¡¯s bounty mission was very high, but there was a deeper reason why Michael had accepted the mission. He wanted to see Miller die with his own eyes. Miller¡¯s resurrection and the attack on them had made Michael firm in his decision. That was, no matter what, he had to kill Miller and ensure he couldn¡¯t be resurrected. Chapter 32 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Michael scanned the mission board in the mission hall again, but he did not find any easy missions to receive. He took the new mission book and returned to Castle Z with Mr. Royce. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss Miller.¡± As soon as he returned to the castle, Michael gathered his teammates together and had a simple meeting. ¡°Miller might have already gone deeper into the Dark Forest.¡± Carl calmly analyzed, ¡°I think that with our current strength, it¡¯s not realistic for us to rashly go deeper into the Dark Forest to hunt Miller down.¡± ¡°I think so too,¡± Michael said. ¡°But Miller is calculative. He will definitely find trouble with us again.¡± ¡°And more importantly,¡± Michael pointed at the confidentiality clause on the mission book. ¡°Derek Academy doesn¡¯t want the outside world to know about Miller¡¯s existence. Because once his existence is known by other academies, it will definitely cause substantial damage to our academy¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°This is troublesome.¡± The group was stunned when they saw the confidentiality clause. This was because once the confidentiality clause was announced, it basically meant that Derek Academy would not send a mage of a higher level than a junior mage to hunt down Miller. Every academy had a limited number of advanced mages, and their every move was under the scrutiny of the outside world. Once they made a move, it would be very easy for the outside world to discover this matter. This meant that only the apprentices and mages would participate in the bounty on Miller. Most apprentices dared not accept missions, and many mages also adopted a wait-and-see approach. They were all disgusted with Miller and wished they could kill him. But when it came to attacking Miller, they all hoped that someone else would be the hero. If no one took up this bounty mission, perhaps the academy would withdraw it and suppress this matter, as if it had never happened. Michael carefully explained his thoughts to his teammates, and the expressions of the team members instantly became serious. Although they were not strong enough to kill Miller yet, accepting the mission was indeed the best choice now. ¡°Everyone will have to work hard in the coming days,¡± Michael said. ¡°I hope everyone can work hard. Finish Miller¡¯s bounty mission as soon as possible, and we¡¯ll split the reward equally.¡± ¡°Good!¡± His teammates agreed and went to their own rooms to start their work. Amidst the talismans. Mr. Royce squatted in his room and used magic to draw on the talisman in front of him. He chanted in a low voice. The owl sang to Mr. Royce¡¯s rhythm. The magic power gathered on the talisman and gradually took shape. It fell to the ground just as it was about to take shape. How many times had he failed? Mr. Royce couldn¡¯t remember it clearly. After the last teleportation card was made, he developed a more advanced teleportation charm based on the teleportation card. However, he didn¡¯t know which step went wrong, but Mr. Royce couldn¡¯t develop it successfully. This made him feel extremely frustrated. If the Teleportation Charm were successfully developed, it would be able to achieve long-distance teleportation in the Dark Forest. That way, they could quickly teleport to a safe place even if they encountered danger. Looking at the pile of failed charms, Mr. Royce sighed. He took out a brand-new charm and began to develop it. Derek Academy. The new school year began in the blink of an eye, and the holiday after the annual assessment passed in a flash. The group received brand new assessment identity cards last year. They could learn better in their respective fields in the new year. In accordance with Derek Academy¡¯s syllabus, the first few common subjects were taught to all students so that the apprentices had a basic understanding of alchemy, taming spirit beasts, and drawing talismans. This way, when they formed a team in the future, they could better cooperate with their teammates. After passing the preliminary assessment, the apprentices deemed by the academy to have passed all basic abilities could participate in further professional studies. In other words, they would choose the area they were good at to study full-time. In the future, the annual assessment would only assess the content they were good at and their combat skills. This kind of assessment required the sorcerer to be at the level of a mage, or a Tier 3 or above mage in the team and had obtained top results in the actual combat assessment. Last year, Mage Team Z obtained good results in the top three in the final combat assessment. In addition, Michael had already advanced to a Tier 4 mage. The few teammates still in the apprentice stage could also follow and undergo professional training. They didn¡¯t think much about the choice of their respective schools and chose their favorite schools. Michael chose to study alchemy, Mr. Royce preferred to study charms, Carl chose to train in spiritual plants, and Nina went to the academy for taming spiritual plants and healing techniques for further studies. At this point, the few people in Mage Z¡¯s team had a clearer allocation of their positions. The abilities between them complemented each other¡¯s shortcomings, which made this team have none. They were very strong in all aspects. Under York¡¯s relentless promotion, many mage teams had a good impression of Mage Z¡¯s team. They were all looking forward to this new mage team and what kind of results they would achieve in this autumn¡¯s team competition. ¡°I heard that the new team is very powerful!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s said that Captain Michael is an alchemy genius, and in a short period of time, he became a Tier 4 Mage. The vice-captain, Mr. Royce, was a famous talisman maniac.¡± ¡°I think there are also spirit plant geniuses and beast-taming geniuses among them,¡± someone added. ¡°Not long ago, I saw them tame a demon wolf,¡± A mage trainer exclaimed. ¡°If I remember correctly, it was an apprentice in their team who led the taming.¡± ¡°You must be lying! Could apprentices tame demon wolves? Even mages might not even be able to tame demon wolves. There should be a limit to your bragging,¡± Some people mocked. ¡°This is written in the official newspaper. How can it be a lie?¡± The mage that the child was boasting about said unwillingly. ¡°What ability does that have? It¡¯s amazing if the team can rank well in this year¡¯s competition,¡± Another mage said. ¡°Anyway, I bet 1,000 gold coins that Mage Team Z won¡¯t win first place.¡± ¡°I bet five thousand gold coins that they will.¡± Every year, the team competition would make such a bet in advance. Everyone would bet on their beloved team. They would receive a handsome reward if they had bet on the right team. Of course, the competition would also reward the team that won the final victory with a large sum of gold coins. Chapter 33 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Derek Academy, alchemy classroom. The new alchemy classroom was much better than the previous basement. Not only was the space much larger but even the quality of the crucible was visibly improved. Michael¡¯s superior alchemy talent was discovered by his mentor. He admired his talent and often taught him more alchemy formulas. ¡°You are the most powerful mage I have ever seen.¡± The high-level mage stood next to Michael¡¯s crucible and revealed a gratified smile. ¡°If you are willing to train diligently, your future will be limitless.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t be too anxious.¡± The high-level mage¡¯s tone changed. ¡°I can feel that you¡¯re in a hurry to improve and grow. This is not good.¡± The teacher this time was Mr. Jones, who had taught Michael when he was still an apprentice. He was still wearing a purple robe, looking like a master. It could be said that ever since Michael joined Derek Academy, Mr. Jones had been teaching him alchemy. Mr. Jones had a complete understanding of this student, and he was also the student he was most proud of. Mr. Jones had always believed that Michael would achieve great things in the future, but Michael¡¯s recent state made him feel that something was wrong. In Jones¡¯ eyes, Michael was too impatient. He was in a hurry to practice more alchemy. He took foxtail grass and other materials and immersed himself in the alchemy room day and night to practice. Every time he failed, he would sigh, clean up his crucible, and start again. As a mage, it was good to be motivated, but if one went too far, it would have a negative effect. Mr. Jones sighed. As a mentor, he could only try his best to help him in his own way. ¡°Learning alchemy takes time. You should slow down the time and stabilize it a little.¡± Mr. Jones had more or less heard about what Michael had encountered recently. He knew that Michael was in a high-level state of operation to deal with Miller as soon as possible. His teammates were also working hard in their own fields. However, he still couldn¡¯t bear to see his best student get into trouble because he worked too hard, so he reminded him. ¡°Mr. Jones.¡± It had been a few days since Michael had returned to his home. He had been practicing in the alchemy room. However, he still hadn¡¯t used the foxtail grass he had painstakingly found to its full potential. Every time he found a new alchemy formula, it seemed to be lacking. This time, his body had already reached the end of its limits, and he was almost relying on his willpower to hold on. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Michael¡¯s body swayed. The mana output from his days of alchemy training had made his voice hoarse. ¡°But if I don¡¯t become strong, how am I supposed to protect the people I care about? Do you want me to watch them die in front of me while I¡¯m powerless?¡± ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± Michael suddenly bent down and coughed. ¡°Mr. Jones, why don¡¯t you teach me how to make a better alchemy formula? Cough cough¡­ After I get rid of Miller, I¡¯ll definitely listen to you and practice alchemy seriously. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know what he will do to our teammates.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Mr. Jones looked helplessly at Michael¡¯s reddened eyes and his obviously exhausted body. Finally, he sighed lovingly. ¡°How about this? Take this pass and go to the database to take a look.¡± Mr. Jones placed the access certificate to the database into Michael¡¯s hands. ¡°Here is all the information about Derek Academy. Go back and rest for a while. Bring your teammates to take a look. It should be of some help to you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Michael¡¯s eyes lit up. He knew how important this access token was. The academy¡¯s database was a place where only high-level mages who were qualified to be instructors could have access talismans or the ability to give access talismans to others. Most of the time, it was a great favor for instructors to bring their students to the database for a tour. Not to mention, Mr. Jones had given him the pass and allowed him to bring his teammates to see it. Many high-level mages were hostile toward the students of other mages. When they were helping their students, they would never let the students of other mages get any benefits. Even if other instructors¡¯ students had a good relationship with their own students, it was still quite impossible. This was the first time Michael had received such kindness from someone since he entered Derek Academy. He choked up, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely remember your great kindness. If there¡¯s a chance in the future, I¡¯ll definitely remember it. I will definitely repay you.¡± ¡°Have a good rest first.¡± Mr. Jones gently stroked Michael¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out before you get your revenge.¡± ¡°Take this as a repayment to me,¡± Mr. Jones added. These words lit up Michael like the sun. He had thought that in this dangerous world, there would not be much kindness. She had even wondered if her actions were too saintly. But this high-level mage in front of him clearly didn¡¯t even have a bat to ask about good and evil, yet he still helped him without any repayment. When he spoke again, Michael¡¯s eyes were a little hot. He knew that there was almost nothing he could do to help Mr. Jones with his abilities. He thanked Mr. Jones again before unsteadily driving the magic broom in the direction of home. Castle Z. The magic broom flew unsteadily into the castle, and Michael fell asleep almost as soon as he lay on the bed. However, he did not sleep well. In his dreams, he was still thinking about Miller. He had used too much magic power in the past few days and slept for three to four days. During this time, Mr. Royce wanted to rush in a few times to see what was going on, but Carl stopped him. ¡°Let him rest. He¡¯s been working too hard recently.¡± Carl said slowly. He had seen Michael¡¯s hard work and knew that Michael had provoked Miller because of him. He blamed himself even more. Nina stood by Michael¡¯s bed and regularly used healing magic to transfer magic power to him to ensure Michael¡¯s health. Four days later, in Castle Z. Michael woke up from his sleep and stretched his body slightly. He immediately gathered his teammates and told them about the good news of obtaining the database pass. After some discussion, they decided that Michael and Mr. Royce would go to the database together to search for information. Carl did not need to search for information at the moment, and Nina still had to take care of the Silent Bird¡¯s egg, so she could not leave for now. Chapter 34 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Derek Academy, Database. The database was located near the center of the academy. It was a huge building in the shape of a huge book. On it was written the words Derek Academy¡¯s database. Although it looked like it was only three stories tall on the outside, there was a lot going on inside. Michael showed the pass at the door. After the mage guarding the door checked, he was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re holding a high-level mage¡¯s pass?¡± ¡°This is the pass given by Mr. Jones. Are you his student?¡± After careful inspection, the mage¡¯s expression became even more shocked. Mr. Jones could be said to be the most demanding high-level mage in the entire academy. To be able to get his approval was already hellishly difficult. Not to mention, he had also obtained the passage talisman he had given him. Derek Academy placed great importance on the database, and even the daily operations of this place were maintained by sorcerers above the level of mage. At the same time, each pass had the name and seal of the issuing mage. At the same time, every high-level mage¡¯s access talisman had to be recorded in detail when they applied to enter the database. In other words, if someone had the access talisman of a high-level mage and deliberately caused damage to the database, not only would they be severely punished, but even the high-level mage who lent the pass would be implicated. Thus, most of the time, high-level mages would choose to bring their own people in to watch. The gatekeeper had never seen such a situation where he directly lent out his pass. He had only heard of it during his on-the-job training. A high-level mage lending out his own passage talisman was the highest level of trust he had for his student. It was also a silent declaration to others that this was his student, and they should not provoke him. The person who lent out the passage talisman was Mr. Jones, who was known as the most difficult teacher in Derek Academy. When the mage looked at Michael again, his face was filled with respect. He had more or less heard of Michael¡¯s name. He had heard that he had become a mage in a short period of time and had even beaten Miller away. Thinking of this, the mage frowned in confusion. He seemed to have lost all memories of Michael as if he was a mage who had suddenly appeared during his battle with Miller. He shook his head and stopped thinking about these things. Instead, he congratulated Michael. This was not the fault of the mage¡¯s poor memory. Michael was not a talented player. He was just an ordinary apprentice when he did not have the treasury space. At that time, he had a great interest in alchemy. He practiced day and night, and only then did he have extraordinary progress in alchemy. Later on, with the treasury space, he soared to the sky and was remembered by the others in Derek Academy. However, in order to promote him to the outside world, the academy directly instructed York of the Magic Promotion Department to write him as an alchemy genius. After all, too many mages on this continent relied on hard work to slowly make a comeback. Moreover, if they publicized it like this, others would think that Derek Academy was cheating. However, it would be different if it was written as a genius with superior talent. Everyone had a thick filter towards geniuses and thought they could do anything under the sun. As time passed, others in Derek Academy started to view Michael as an alchemy genius. They attributed his achievements to his extraordinary talent and completely forgot that he was once an ordinary mage with an ordinary talent. The sorcerer on guard injected his magic power into the lock next to the database and opened the door. With a flash of pale white light, the door to the database slowly opened. From the outside, one could see the spiral staircase inside. Michael stepped through the transparent magic light at the door, and Mr. Royce followed closely behind. After a moment of dizziness, Michael stood in the middle of the data vault. From Michael¡¯s position, one could see doors leading to different rooms. Looking up, he saw a staircase formed by bookshelves spiraling upwards. It seemed to be endless, leading to the endless sky. Magic elves of various colors were flying around the books. Some of them were cleaning the database, while others were moving and arranging different books. ¡°This is huge!¡± Mr. Royce widened his eyes in shock. This was the first time he had seen so many magic elves. This kind of magic elf, rumored to be the most precious in the outside world, could be sold for a sky-high price of hundreds of millions of gold coins on the black market. But here, magic elves seemed to be the most common thing. For the sake of the confidentiality and security of the database, the magic elves were responsible for its operation and maintenance. Countless magic elves were in charge of just one floor, and the entire database was included. This database was created by all the mages of Derek Academy using magic power. It contained all the information, literature, and knowledge that one could think of on the entire continent, as well as the information of all the mages in the entire academy. The size of the database kept changing as the information was updated. It spanned a history of hundreds of years. It could be said that no one knew how many rooms there were on the first floor of the database and how high it was. There were no lights in the database, and the surroundings were emitting a bright and gentle light. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the source of light came from the bookshelves and the magic elves flying around. These bookshelves were all made of high-grade magic stones. Not only could this stone glow on its own, but it could also preserve the information inside well and prevent it from being damaged. Such a stone was located in the core cave of the Dark Forest. The production was not high, and only a few pieces could be formed every few hundred years. On the continent of Tyre, it was a material that could only be seen in legends. However, every bookshelf here was made of it. From this, one could see how powerful Derek Academy was. It was indeed the most powerful magic academy in the entire Tyre continent. Mr. Royce looked at everything around him in shock. These things opened his eyes. Those things that were madly fought for in the outside world and even legendary things could be seen everywhere. They were extremely ordinary things. Michael took a pass and gestured in the air, and a purple magic elf happily flew towards them. These were the magic elves that Mr. Jones had in the database. Every high-level mage qualified to enter the database had many magic elves here to help them find what they needed from the vast amount of information. Chapter 35 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Deep in the Dark Forest. Miller dragged the body torn apart and pieced back together by the dark magic spirit and stood in front of his cauldron, slowly chanting an incantation. He once thought he would never have the chance to use the crucible for alchemy again. However, not long ago, he found a few pages of notes near the residence he had built with great difficulty. Miller picked up the notes and read through them briefly. His expression became shocked. It was a few pages of notes left behind by the black mage, which recorded some insidious black magic alchemy formulas. Black magic? Black magic alchemy? Miller sighed. Once upon a time, he had also yearned to become the best mage in the entire Tyre Continent. But fate was playing tricks on people, and now, everything could not go back. Miller carefully read the formula. It was a very sinister alchemy formula. If a mage¡¯s alchemy was mostly in the direction of healing, attacking, and increasing magic power, then a black mage¡¯s alchemy formula was filled with plots, plundering, and curses. They were all sinister methods. The things required for a black mage¡¯s alchemy were also terrifying. Miller briefly read the formulas. On one of the pages, he found a formula that he liked. It was a magic beast-taming formula, but this one was completely different from a mage¡¯s purification magic. Mages would purify magic beasts into spirit beasts for use. This method was more stable. However, it would also reduce the magical beasts¡¯ strength to a certain extent. The magic beast taming formula developed by the black mages allowed them to directly control the enraged magic beast to attack the target they wanted to attack. Miller¡¯s lips suddenly curled up. He remembered the small village before Michael entered the academy. There didn¡¯t seem to be any mages stationed there all year round. Michael did not have the power to cast a protective spell around the village. ¡°You made me fall to this state.¡± Miller carefully put away the alchemy formula. ¡°Michael, just you wait. I¡¯m going to make you lose your only family.¡± Miller had investigated Michael¡¯s background and knew that he had a sister in the village who had no magic power. Most of the items in the alchemy recipe were common materials, and Miller quickly collected them all. He stood in front of the crucible and lit a fire. The dark red flame rose and licked the bottom of the crucible, burning it lukewarm. Miller cut open his palm with a knife and let the blood flow into the flames. The nourished flames became even more vigorous. The dark magic spirit had already gained some intelligence. It extended its tentacles out of Miller¡¯s body like an ignorant child, curiously touching the flames. Miller began to chant an incantation, pouring dark magic into the crucible and adding various materials. He was now proficient in using black magic. During this time, the dark magic spirit obediently stretched out its tentacles and stirred in the crucible. This was the last material. In order to make the magic beasts more under his control, the alchemy formula stated that when refining the potion, he had to put an organ of the black magician into it. The more important the organ was, the higher the success rate of the refinement and the better the effect of the final potion. After thinking for a moment, Miller turned the knife around and cut open his chest, revealing his beating heart. During this period of time, he already knew the truth. That was, even if his heart were shattered, the dark magic spirit would still have a way to resurrect him and continue to play with him like a doll. The reason why the black magic spirit didn¡¯t touch his heart before was purely that it liked that beating little thing. Miller chanted an incantation. Black magic tore open the skin on his chest and cut open his ribs. His heart was exposed without any protection, beating faster and faster. Thump!Thump! Thump! The sound was like a drum beating in Miller¡¯s ears, numbing his eardrums. He paused for a moment, but he still reached into his chest and pulled out the heart. He threw it into the crucible and fused it with the other alchemy materials. After a while, a dark red aura rose from the top of the crucible. The brand-new potion was successfully refined. Miller held it in his hand, his eyes filled with hatred. The wind blew into his empty chest, and felt a little cold. At Derek Academy¡¯s database. Michael followed the magic elf all the way up, and layers of books unfolded in front of him, telling him different contents. Some ancient books had been nurtured here for a long time, and they had already produced their own book spirits. These book spirits rarely saw strangers enter the database. At this moment, they all poked their heads out of their books and looked at Michael curiously. ¡°Who are you?¡± A book spirit asked curiously. Hundreds of different voices rang out, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°What book are you looking for?¡± ¡°Are you here for me?¡± One by one, the book spirits flew out from different books and surrounded Michael, asking him questions. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Michael, and this is my companion, Mr. Royce.¡± Michael politely introduced himself and Mr. Royce, and then very politely explained his purpose of coming. ¡°I¡¯m looking for some high-level alchemy recipes for foxtail grass, and Mr. Royce is looking for some books on teleportation charms. Do you know where I can find one?¡± Mr. Jones¡¯ magic elf seemed very interested in Kanal on Michael¡¯s shoulder. It flew over and rubbed against Kanal curiously. ¡°What is it? Stay away from me.¡± Kanal stepped back excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m a germaphobe.¡± Michael mercilessly mocked the little bat in his heart and reached out to stroke its head to comfort it. The magic elves were very dissatisfied with Kanal¡¯s reaction. They swayed and flew back to the book spirits, chattering with them in a small language. Michael listened for a long time but could only hear some squeaking sounds, which sounded a little like the cries of mice. Puzzled, Michael asked Kanal what they were talking about. Kanal threw a tantrum for a while before speaking slowly. ¡°It¡¯s asking those book spirits if they have the content you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± After a while, a sky-blue book spirit flew over from the sky in a circle. ¡°Finally, someone is looking for me. I know that the raw material is foxtail grass, a high-level alchemy potion formula.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Another white book spirit suddenly appeared. ¡± I recorded the method to draw the teleportation charm.¡± ¡°This is too advanced,¡± said Mr. Royce in shock. He had thought he would have to climb the tall building floor by floor to slowly find the books he needed. He was still sighing in his heart just now. He couldn¡¯t use magic to move here and had to walk on his own feet. It would take a long time to find a specific book from the database. In the end, he did not expect the method of finding information to be so intelligent. Chapter 36 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The sky-blue book spirit happily spun in front of Michael before transforming into a book inlaid with golden edges. Michael slowly opened the book. Page after page of alchemy recipes unfolded in front of him without reservation. Saint Grade Potion Formula, Advanced Alchemy Formula, Top Grade Alchemy Formula¡­ Michael¡¯s eyes widened as he greedily read the contents, trying to memorize everything. Any high-level formula here would be sought after in the outside world, but it was only a beginner alchemy formula here. There were even Saint-grade alchemy formulas that only appeared in ancient legends here. It was said that every Saint-grade alchemy formula could make the world lose its color. The last time Saint-grade potions appeared was hundreds of years ago, during the Battle of Gods. In that war, all the factions on the continent of Tyre fought in a chaotic battle. In an instant, the entire continent changed color. Wind and clouds rose everywhere, and the entire continent fell into an abyss. The strength of each faction was about the same. After the battle began, no one was willing to admit defeat. All kinds of high-level spells and alchemy potions were used in the war. For a time, everywhere had become a battlefield. The ordinary people on the continent could only watch as their homes were destroyed and hide underground in fear, hoping to hide until the war ended and then come out to live a good life. The war lasted over a hundred years, turning the entire continent into ruins. At that time, as far as the eye could see, there were charred remains of the flames of war, huge holes left behind by various spells, and various bloody corpses. Many ancient gods fell in that war, and many spells and alchemy formulas were lost in various corners of the Tyre continent. After that war, the mages became the only victors, and Derek Academy contributed the most. In order to maintain the peace of the Tyre Continent, Derek Academy established the Mage Association to control the mages on the continent, take care of the peace of the continent, and balance all the existing forces. Under the efforts of Derek Academy, the other forces other than mages quickly declined after the war. They no longer had the strength to fight and could only retreat to the corners of the Tyre Continent to seek survival. On the other hand, the elves chose to cooperate with the mages and live together with the mages as their spiritual pets. After that, when Derek Academy was rebuilding the Tyre Continent, they kept collecting all kinds of talismans and alchemy recipes lost in that war and put them in the database for collection. However, for various reasons, using these charms and alchemy formulas tested the skills and aptitude of the mages. This also resulted in them not being used by any mages for a long time after they were sent to the database. In just a short while, Michael had already memorized all the formulas. Unfortunately, with his current ability, he could only use the formula of high-level alchemy potions. If he wanted to refine better potions, he would need to level up even more. His current mana wasn¡¯t enough to support him in refining higher-level alchemy potions. Moreover, higher-level potions required more complicated materials, which he couldn¡¯t easily obtain with his current strength. Michael saw that Mr. Royce was almost done watching, so he planned to return to the castle first and use the advanced alchemy formula to refine advanced alchemy potions. The success rate of refining advanced alchemy potions was very low, but Michael was not worried about that. He only needed to refine one bottle of advanced alchemy potion. At that time, he would put the potion into his treasury space and use the investment method to continuously obtain more advanced alchemy potions and other better rewards from the treasury space. Just as he was about to call out to Mr. Royce, Kanal, who had been sleeping on Michael¡¯s shoulder, suddenly opened his eyes and flew up. ¡°Found an investment target!¡± Michael looked around in confusion. There were only him and Mr. Royce here and all kinds of magic elves and book spirits. However, Kanal would only remind him when the investment target appeared for the first time. No matter how much he invested in the future, the bat would not remind him again. Mr. Royce had already been marked by Kanal a long time ago. Who had discovered it now? Could it be that these book spirits and magic elves could also invest? ¡°But the investment target is the foxtail grass alchemy book spirit. Invest ten Foxtail Grass, and you will receive two bottles of top-grade alchemy potions,¡± Kanal continued. Top-tier alchemy potion! Michael¡¯s eyes lit up. This was something priceless on the market. A bottle of top-tier alchemy potion could have all of Michael¡¯s equipment, including his Robe, Cauldron, and Staff, to be upgraded to peak level. He could also use the treasury space to invest in top-tier alchemy potions for his teammates and obtain more top-tier alchemy potions. In this way, the team¡¯s strength would quickly increase by a large margin. Thinking of this, Michael took out the foxtail grass from the treasury space and prepared an excuse in his heart. He smiled at the book before him and said, ¡°You have recorded so many different alchemy recipes. You must really want to try out how to refine potions yourself and experience the process of turning alchemy materials into potions, right?¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the book quickly turned into a small book spirit floating in the air. His small face was filled with desire and yearning. ¡°I haven¡¯t refined a potion myself. Although we have high-grade cauldrons, we don¡¯t have alchemy materials. We can¡¯t search outside.¡± ¡°Every time those high-level mages came, they would leave after checking the information. They didn¡¯t even have time to listen to us.¡± As the little book spirit said this, it angrily turned into a bun face. ¡°I also want to try alchemy. Those talisman book spirits all mocked us for being reference books, guarding the formula but not being able to put it into practice. And they made fun of us with talismans they drew.¡± ¡°I happen to have foxtail grass with me.¡± Michael handed a handful of foxtail grass to the book spirit. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you as a token of my gratitude for your help.¡± The book spirit was a child, after all. He picked up the foxtail grass and was so happy that he almost jumped up. ¡°Thank you! You are my great benefactor. I will definitely help you when you come in the future.¡± After a while, the book spirit seemed to have thought of something. It chanted on a talisman and condensed a small sign in the air. It handed the token to Michael. ¡°You came in with someone else¡¯s pass, right? This is the new access token. You can use it to access the database at any time.¡± Passage Talisman? Previously, Michael only knew that obtaining the recognition of the database would also allow him to obtain a pass. Now, he realized that the recognition of the database was the recognition of these book spirits. Chapter 37 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Passage Talisman? The small sign faintly emitted a warm light as if it contained infinite magic. Michael couldn¡¯t recognize what material it was made of. Michael¡¯s name and the symbol of Mage Team Z were printed on the pale white pass. This meant that Michael and the team members could use this to enter Derek Academy¡¯s database at any time. ¡°Thank you for giving me such an expensive travel talisman. I will definitely repay you for your kindness.¡± The weight of this passage talisman was a very valuable gift in the entire Tyre continent, let alone Derek Academy. Only a few people were qualified to enter the database. Basically, only a few high-level mages could enter and read the wisdom of hundreds of generations on the entire Tyre continent. Currently, there were only two ways to obtain a pass. One was to rely on one¡¯s ability to stand out from the competition made of top high-level mages before one could get the official permission of Derek Academy and obtain the official pass. That was how Mr. Jones obtained his. The other way was to obtain the favor of a few senior book spirits in the database, which could also obtain a pass. However there were tens of millions of book spirits in the database, but less than a few dozen book spirits qualified to provide passes. No one knew exactly which book spirit had such qualifications. If one wanted to obtain the book spirit¡¯s pass, the prerequisite was to have the right to go to the database alone. The few people in Derek Academy who had access talismans almost never lent them out. If he obtained the passage talisman, he would not need to get the book spirit passage talisman anymore. There was once an apprentice with low talent who was unwilling to follow a high-level mage to the database forever. He decided to spend time obtaining the Book Spirit Passage Talisman. Once, when he came to the database, he did not leave with his mentor on time. Instead, he quietly hid in the depths of the database. After the high-level mage who brought him here left, he quietly ran out and looked for the book spirit who was qualified to issue the passage talisman. It was said that he had searched the database for decades. Some people said that he got lost there and became a ghost. There were also people who said that after he became a ghost, he did not realize that he was already dead and was still persistently looking for a book spirit qualified to use the passage talisman. In short, no one had ever seen that apprentice again, and no one knew why he was so persistent in having his own access talisman to avoid high-level mages. Over time, this story became one of the infamous ghost stories constantly told in Derek College. It was said that the soul of the apprentice was still wandering in the database, searching for it relentlessly. If he went to the database, he might have a chance to meet this senior again. Since then, Derek Academy has strengthened its control over the database. No one thought of obtaining a passage talisman by looking for a book spirit. ¡°You¡¯re too polite.¡± Mr. Royce also saw this pass. He tried to touch it, and the pass actually split into two. A new pass appeared in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome to give you all access talismans individually.¡± The book spirit stretched lazily. ¡°Take this pass back and let all your team members touch it. The corresponding number of passes will be generated.¡± Was he going to give each of them a pass?! Mr. Royce was so touched that he was incoherent. He said that he would never forget the great kindness of the book spirit and that if he needed any alchemy materials, he could just ask. He and Michael would definitely go through a mountain of knives and a sea of fire to satisfy the book spirit¡¯s request. The foxtail grass alchemy book spirit yawned, looking a little sleepy. It had been in this database for hundreds of years, and most of the time, it was in a deep sleep. To the spirit, the access talisman was just an ordinary item. It could not understand why so many people valued the access talisman and rushed over to find it. After all, it was just an innocent child and had been in the higher-ups¡¯ database for many years. It was surrounded by book spirits like it. The book spirit still couldn¡¯t quite understand people¡¯s desire for power. It could only simply regard their passion for alchemy and charms as their desire for knowledge itself. After a long time, the book spirit also became interested in alchemy, but no one took the initiative to give him alchemy materials. After all, there were too many things in the database. The book spirit could only appear in front of humans and interact with them when the magic elves found him. It couldn¡¯t remember how long it had been since someone came to look for it. It did not expect someone to come to play and even give it alchemy materials. The book spirit had once vaguely heard a ghost in the database mention that when humans accepted favors, they had to return the favor. What should it give in return? The book spirit was also a little puzzled. It didn¡¯t have anything good on it. It suddenly remembered that the ghost had once nagged about some pass. Perhaps the passage talisman was very important to mages. Thinking of this, it gave the passage talisman away. At Castle Z. After Michael and Mr. Royce obtained what they needed and copied some information about spiritual plants and spiritual pets, they hurriedly set up their magic brooms and flew in the direction of the castle. As soon as the broom landed on the open space in the middle of the castle, he saw a familiar figure standing there. It seemed that he had been waiting for a long time. As soon as he saw Michael land, he excitedly rushed over with something in his hand. It was York from the publicity department. Ever since Michael rejected York¡¯s reward last time, York¡¯s evaluation of him got even better. He wrote many articles about Michael and Mage Team Z in the newspapers. Not long ago, a special bounty mission was suddenly published in the newspaper. The newspaper specially invited the Z Mage team to do the mission with a large sum of money. The content was to drive out the magical beasts in a certain village. Although exclusive bounty missions did not necessarily have a lot of rewards, they symbolized the recognition of mages on the continent of Tyre. If the mage could complete the mission perfectly, he could also use this opportunity to make a name for himself on the continent. On the other hand, exorcising a magical beast was a straightforward task, not to mention that Z¡¯s Mage team had just tamed a demon wolf not long ago. As long as Michael brought the wolf with him, he would be able to get rid of this simple magical beast very quickly. Therefore, as soon as he saw the mission newspaper, York quickly brought it to Castle Z to claim credit from Michael. After all, this was Mage Team Z¡¯s first exclusive mission, and many people in the publicity department were eyeing the first publicity rights for this mission. He couldn¡¯t give up this great opportunity to others. Michael took the newspaper and read it for a while, then frowned. The location of the mission was actually Y Village, the hometown of him and Mr. Royce! Chapter 38 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation York had been thinking about how he would become famous after reporting this matter, so he didn¡¯t notice Michael and Mr. Royce¡¯s suddenly solemn expressions. How could this be? Magical Beast Invasion? Y Village was located in a very remote place. There were only a dozen or so families there. There were few resources near the village, and the environment had become extremely unlivable after the Magical Beast invasion more than ten years ago. The magical families in the village had moved away in recent years, leaving only the old, weak, sick, and disabled who could not move. The only one who had magic power was the old village chief, but he was only a beginner mage. Moreover, he was already old and weak and almost had no strength to fight. Under such circumstances, if the village encountered a magical beast, it would be almost impossible for them to fight back. York thought they were just too tired and waved his hand in front of their eyes. ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Michael came back to his senses and grabbed York¡¯s collar. ¡°What else do you know about this bounty mission? Who issued it?¡± ¡°Huh? Let go a little first,¡± York said in fear. Michael had unconsciously released his magic power just now, and the magic power of a high-level mage had made him feel pressured and almost suffocated. This time, Michael reacted and hurriedly let go of his hand, indicating for him to continue. He also expressed that he would give him the exclusive rights to report on this mission. After York was released, he bent down and panted heavily. A circle of red marks quickly appeared on his neck. After a while, York said, ¡°I don¡¯t know who posted the mission either. The other party posted the bounty anonymously. I saw it was addressed to your name, so I sent it over immediately.¡± ¡°Sorry, we were a little excited.¡± Mr. Royce apologized on behalf of Michael. ¡°We will handle this mission well. If there¡¯s nothing else, I won¡¯t entertain you today. You can go back first.¡± York rubbed his neck and quickly left after saying goodbye. A sense of near-death fear gripped his heart. He almost thought he was going to die. ¡°Sigh, what should we do?¡± Mr. Royce¡¯s face was gloomy. He had written to his sister last month, who said everything was fine in the village and they could go to school peacefully. But now, everything had turned into a bubble. Royce¡¯s sister didn¡¯t have any magic power, and she was very thin. If she encountered a magical beast, she would not even have the ability to escape. Michael also felt a sense of powerlessness. He was already racing against time and planned to return to the village to bring his sister over after some time. He would let his sister live with them when it was safer here. After all, the three had lived together since they were very young. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know who posted the anonymous mission.¡± Carl analyzed calmly. ¡°But it might not be the worst case. I think we should go to the village first and see the situation before coming to a conclusion.¡± The reward for this kind of exclusive mission could be obtained from the reward hall. If the mission presenter was unwilling, it was fine to not appear from the beginning to the end. This also meant that Michael and the others might never find out who had issued the mission. ¡°Let¡¯s pack up first,¡± Michael said as he forced himself to calm down. Y Village, daytime. Michael and Mr. Royce sorted out the information they had obtained from the database, and they studied it for another day and night. Michael had used the treasury space to obtain many bottles of top-tier alchemy potions, which had greatly improved the equipment and strength of his teammates. Mr. Royce also developed a real teleportation talisman. This time, it could ignore distance and teleport anywhere. After being taken care of for such a long time, there was finally some movement in the eggshell. From the outside, one could see the little bird slowly growing inside. This also meant that their incubation had worked. However, the hatching of the egg was still at a critical moment. Nina could not leave the egg alone for a long time, however. Therefore, the team members in this mission were still Captain Michael, Vice-Captain Royce, and Team Member Carl. The group rode their magic broomsticks to the sky above the familiar village. From the sky, the once peaceful village had turned into ruins. The few remaining tiny houses had collapsed. Michael landed on the ground and carefully stepped over the ruins. He walked all the way to the familiar houses, praying in his heart that it would not be the worst outcome. Along the way, Michael encountered many corpses of villagers and some animals raised by the villagers. These animals had lost their owners and were wandering aimlessly, starving to the point of skeletons. The village was very small. Normally, when Michael ran, it would only take him half an hour to walk from the east to the west of the village. However, this time, they all tacitly agreed that no one would take the initiative to run. They dragged the half-hour journey to more than an hour. It was as if he had arrived a little later; he would be able to see the ending. But the moment to reveal the ending had come. The cozy little house did not collapse, but the door and windows were gone. The ground was still left with the huge claw marks of magical beasts. The spirit wolf following them sniffed the air and let out a low howl in alarm. In the past, when they walked here, they would have seen Royce¡¯s sister rushing out of the room with a smile, chattering about the exciting things that happened at home. But this time, no matter how many times Michael and Mr. Royce shouted at the door, there was only an echo. The entire room was frighteningly empty. This silence and strangeness emanated from the door, tightly surrounding the few people at the door. For the first time, Michael hated how small the house was. From the door, he could see the entire interior of the house. He could not even lie to himself that his sister was just hiding and sleeping. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment. The group stood quietly at the door for a long time. Carl asked hesitantly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go in and take a look? Maybe there will be some clues.¡± Michael nodded blankly and pulled Mr. Royce through the empty door. As they moved, dust rose in the air. It seemed that no one had appeared here for a long time. Mr. Royce turned the entire house upside down like a madman, but no miracle happened. Royce¡¯s sister disappeared into thin air. Mr. Royce searched for a while and finally started crying softly. Back then, Michael¡¯s parents died during the magical beast attack, and Mr. Royce¡¯s parents passed away not long after adopting Michael. The three grew up together, and now, his sister was nowhere to be found. Chapter 39 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Carl had been an orphan since he was young and had grown up alone in this world. He could not understand the feelings of Michael and the others. He searched for a while and said, ¡°There seems to be the aura of a demon wolf. And there seemed to be traces of black magic.¡± ¡°Black magic?¡± A familiar face suddenly appeared in Michael¡¯s mind. Was it Miller? They had no contact with the black mages. And the conditions of this village were not enough to attract real black mages. After thinking about it, the only person who had connections with black magic and had the motivation to do this was Miller. Mr. Royce obviously thought of this as well. He began to search the ruins of the house more seriously. Michael clenched his fists. He did not expect Miller to be so despicable as to attack his family. However, his cautiousness had brought trouble and danger to his most cherished sister. Carl released his vines. The green vines quickly spread in all directions, capturing all minute information. He restored what had happened here a few days ago and transmitted it to Carl¡¯s mind. A small vine found a piece of paper surrounded by magic in the corner of the house. In this dilapidated ruin, the letter had been placed in a hidden place, but it was inexplicably well preserved as if it was deliberately protected by magic. Carl picked up the letter. ¡°Captain, I found a clue. Come and take a look.¡± Michael took the letter and sensed a familiar aura from it. He briefly glanced at its contents, and his expression gradually became increasingly angry. In the end, he couldn¡¯t restrain himself and punched the wall. The house originally on the verge of collapse completely collapsed after this attack, turning into a pile of ruins. ¡°Do you like the gift I gave you? How does it feel to lose everything? Do you feel especially good?¡± Miller¡¯s name was written in a flamboyant manner. So that was how it was. Michael understood everything. He remembered that Miller had magic beast control potions on him, which was why he hadn¡¯t led his team to deal with Miller. But what Michael did not expect was that Miller had actually investigated this small village and even used black magic to lure magic beasts to this small village. It was as if he could take revenge on Michael by doing this. ¡°Let¡¯s go find the village chief,¡± Michael said after calming down for a while. The chief was the only person with magic power in the village. Even if he could not resist the attack of the magic beasts, he should have no problem protecting himself. Without knowing who the person who issued the mission was, he could not find the person who issued the mission to get more detailed information. Looking for the village chief was the fastest way to get information. At the black magic base. A few days ago, as Miller wandered in the dark forest depths, he discovered the black magician¡¯s base accidentally. These black mages had actually set up their base in the deepest part of the dark forest. Mages rarely set foot here. Occasionally, high-level mages would come here to search for alchemy materials, but they would also come and go in a hurry. They would rarely stay here for long, let alone explore. No wonder these black mages chose this place. The dangers of the Dark Forest were actually used by them as a protective layer to avoid the mages. Miller peeked at everything that had happened through the spying spell he had left in the village and smiled in satisfaction. When he realized Michael had found the note he had left behind, he laughed even more crazily. The laughter shook his empty chest. Miller was dazed for a moment before he continued laughing. Miller¡¯s heart had never grown back after he had used it to refine potions. However, he felt that all of this was worth it. He was worried that Michael would not be able to find the letter he had left behind or that he would not be able to find out about all of this. Miller had intentionally destroyed all the houses in the village, leaving only Michael¡¯s house standing there. Only then did he use magic to protect his letter and throw it into Michael¡¯s house? Miller even deliberately left the village chief behind to watch him rush over to issue the bounty mission. Unfortunately, Royce¡¯s sister had escaped halfway, and Miller couldn¡¯t find the girl even after searching everywhere. Otherwise, Miller would have placed Royce¡¯s sister¡¯s body in the middle of Michael¡¯s house. Thinking of this, Miller felt a little regretful. Otherwise, when Michael walked through the door and saw his most important sister, he would be tortured to the point where she would become a corpse. Miller found that scene interesting, but the scene before him was also very interesting. Although Miller had sacrificed his heart to take revenge on Michael¡¯s potion, he could still feel the pain in his empty chest from time to time. However, as long as he could avenge Michael, Miller felt everything was worth it. At the village chief¡¯s house in Y Village. Michael walked to the village chief¡¯s house, according to his memory. The originally clean three-story building had become a pile of ruins. In its place, a simple tent was set up with wood and cloth. Hearing that someone was coming, the village chief walked out of the tent and knelt in front of Michael with tears in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re finally here. You don¡¯t know. A few days ago, a group of demon wolves suddenly rushed into our village and went into a rampage. They destroyed our houses and even bit many villagers to death. ¡°I¡¯m old, and my magic power isn¡¯t good enough. I can¡¯t protect them.¡± The village chief continued with tears in his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re the most promising person in our village. We¡¯ve all watched you grow up. You must avenge us and drive the demon wolf away.¡± Michael helped the village chief up as he made a judgment. With the size of the demon wolf, it could only chase after the villagers, but it was absolutely impossible for it to destroy so many houses. In addition, this place was filled with traces of black magic. Miller probably followed them here. While commanding the magic wolves to kill, he used black magic to turn all the houses in the village into ruins. However, he didn¡¯t know where Miller was or whether that guy was still in the village. If he were still in the village and waited for Michael and the others to clash with the demon wolves, Miller would suddenly launch a sneak attack. As for Michael and the others, they were in danger. He still remembered the strange Life Connection Talisman on Michael¡¯s body. The charm was extremely powerful on someone as reckless as Miller, and it gave Michael a headache. Thinking of this, Michael asked the village chief, ¡°Are you sure that only the magic wolves invaded this time? Are there others?¡± The village chief shrunk his body and did not dare to speak. Under Mr. Royce¡¯s persuasion, he said, trembling, ¡°There¡¯s another person with a terrifying appearance. That person controls the demon wolf to attack everywhere. After that, that person disappeared.¡± Michael and the others looked at each other when they heard this description, and they thought of a person at the same time. As expected, Miller had come to the village for revenge. Chapter 40 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation ¡°You must help us drive the demonic beasts away.¡±The village chief cried bitterly. After all, this was the village he had always protected, but he was completely helpless when it was destroyed. He had no way to save it. The villagers who had been living with each other day and night asked their village chief for help, begging for a trace of protection. However, even if their village chief used up all his magic power, he could not slow down the demon wolf¡¯s advance. There was no way for any of the villagers to escape and welcome a chance to live. In the end, all the villagers died in front of the village chief with their hopes. The black magician smiled and raised his wand, easily destroying one house after another. Finally, he stuck a charm on the village chief. The charm emitted a dark red light and jumped to absorb all the remaining magic power on the village chief¡¯s body. It then extended its tiny sharp tentacles and stabbed into the village chief¡¯s body one by one, casually shuttling through and destroying the village chief¡¯s body. ¡°Go and issue the bounty mission, old man.¡± Miller smiled. His melted face made the smile look very strange. ¡°Go to Derek Academy and post a bounty mission, specifically asking for Michael.¡± If he remembered correctly, Michael was also a member of this village. Something so big had happened to his family, so he had to come back to take a look. ¡°Yes.¡± The village chief was so scared that he trembled. He tried to circulate the magic power in his body, but he found nothing. The charm had absorbed all the magic power in his body and destroyed the foundation of his magic power. Now, he had completely become an ordinary person and could no longer use magic. Unable to use magic, the village chief fell into a deeper fear. He stood on the spot and trembled. ¡°Please let us go. There¡¯s nothing good in our village. If you hit us, it would only be a waste of magic power. And Michael hasn¡¯t been back for a long time.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Miller pinched the village chief¡¯s chin and forced him to raise his head. ¡°But you look like you¡¯re not convinced. Why was he still circulating his magic power just now? Are you trying to ambush me? Hmm?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. How would I dare?¡± The village chief was lifted by Miller, and his entire face was flushed red. He reluctantly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to do, okay? Let me go.¡± ¡°You better listen to what I say.¡± Miller casually threw the village chief away, and he fell heavily on the ground in the distance, creating a huge pit. ¡°If I find out, what are you up to? I will make you regret being born into this world.¡± The village chief crawled up from the ground in fear and ran to report the bounty mission. Miller had already returned to the black magic base. At the village chief¡¯s house in Y Village. Miller¡¯s destruction had left a huge psychological shadow on the village chief. He spent a long time before he could intermittently tell Michael and the others what had happened a few days ago. Michael listened carefully to the village chief¡¯s account and learned that Miller had already left the village. However, Miller¡¯s charm also puzzled Michael. This was the first time he had seen a charm that could turn a mage into an ordinary person. This should be the work of a black magician. It seemed that Miller was not only practicing black magic now. He was probably already mixed with real black magicians. This realization made Michael extremely frustrated. One Miller was already very troublesome, and now that the black mages were behind him, things seemed to have gone in a more troublesome direction. ¡°Have you seen my sister?¡± After listening to the village chief¡¯s story, Mr. Royce asked the question that he was most concerned about. Neither he nor Carl found Royce¡¯s sister¡¯s body in the village. He suspected that Miller had kidnapped his sister. Perhaps Miller was planning to take Royce¡¯s sister hostage to force them to do something. ¡°I didn¡¯t see your sister Anna.¡± The village chief carefully recalled for a while and slowly said again, ¡°From the beginning, I haven¡¯t seen that little girl. It was unknown if the demon wolf had eaten it whole or if it had escaped.¡± ¡°Please, you must help. This is all my savings.¡± The village chief took a few hundred gold coins from his pocket and handed them to Michael. Y Village was located in a remote area, and all the villagers there were impoverished. As the only force protecting the village, the village chief did not have the time or ability to go out and accept the bounty mission. These gold coins were his entire savings. Michael did not take the gold coins from the village chief. ¡°Village chief, I don¡¯t want any remuneration for this. This is also the village where I grew up. Now that it was destroyed by outsiders, as a village member, I have the obligation to avenge it. ¡°Besides, the village is completely destroyed now. We still need money to rebuild it. You¡¯d better keep the money well and use it when you rebuild the village.¡± Michael then took out another 1,000 gold coins from the treasury and handed them to the village chief. ¡°I¡¯ve been away studying for so many years, so I¡¯ve saved up some money. Although it wasn¡¯t much, it should be enough to help rebuild the village.¡± This was the first time Michael had invested without hearing Kanal¡¯s investment reminder after obtaining the treasury space. He knew that this investment was not wise, and he would not be able to get a corresponding return on his investment. However, he did not want his village to decline completely. He still hoped that the village could become a little better. Although most of the villagers had been killed by the demon wolves, a few might still be left. Michael still remembered that most of the villagers were simple and kind. They had once helped him when he was young. They often gave Michael and Royce, who had no parents, food, clothes, and gold coins. It could be said that they grew up with the help of the villagers. ¡°Thank you so much. You¡¯re a good child.¡± The village chief couldn¡¯t refuse. He carefully put away the gold coins with a trembling hand. ¡°We¡¯ve always been proud of you and Royce. You two are the most promising children in our village. Don¡¯t worry. Even if I have to risk my old bones, I will definitely rebuild our village as it was before.¡± After bidding farewell to the village chief, Michael became serious and began to search for traces of magical beasts in the surroundings. Mr. Royce took out a search charm and scattered it in the air. Black words spread out from the charm paper and flew in all directions of the village. Carl released his vines and extended them from the ground, not letting go of any tiny clues. Soon, a charm flew back and waved in front of Mr. Royce for a while, indicating that they should follow him. It seemed that they had found a clue. Mr. Royce rushed in front and led the few of them to follow the talisman. Soon, they found a group of crazy demon wolves on the village¡¯s west side. Opposite them, a surviving villager was dragging his injured body and trying to escape. There was a newborn baby on his back.