Conflict

Adam did not know whether this counted as an easy way to pass the test, but he had no intention of exposing it. After all, he was still at ease; no Magic Beast capable of threatening his life had appeared yet. This was the perfect time to broaden his understanding of the Mage Plane by seeing more species.

As for whether the others lived or died? What did that have to do with Adam?

Everyone had relaxed now. After the sun set, Mordo Academy raised its defenses again. Mage Master lifted the seal on the cabins and allowed them to eat and rest.

Within a few hours, driven by the shadow of death, Ophelia finally learned Fireball. Yet she could only cast it once, and with her Injuries, she would have collapsed long ago if those fools from the organization had not volunteered to stand in the most dangerous positions.

After dinner, Adam's words echoed unbidden through Ophelia's mind in her room: "Though the soul cannot carry magic power, that does not mean the body cannot." Like a devil's temptation, those words lured Ophelia in. She had had enough of being a burden.

"Mental Power communicates with the void and interacts with ether," Ophelia said. Unable to wait for more systematic guidance, she began experimenting on herself directly. "Form magic power, then channel it into the body."

The process was simpler than she had imagined—and far more painful. Ophelia had originally thought that channeling magic power into her body meant sending it into her Blood Vessels or circulating it through her respiratory tract. But magic power was far too tyrannical. It did not obey the will of its owner at all. The moment it entered her body, it rushed straight for her cells. It entered them, replacing

ATP to support cell division. Cells divided with magic power as their energy source were far stronger than the original cells. In this way, magic power strengthened a mage's body.

This was Adam's rough analysis afterward, based on Ophelia's description. At this moment, however, Ophelia felt only astonishing pain.

She felt every last inch of her body being mercilessly ravaged. The pain came in waves, one crest had not yet fallen before another rose, endless and unceasing. In her perception, every second was stretched infinitely long.

Ophelia was like someone thrown into a juicer. Bloodshot fluid, sweat, and useless, low-grade intracellular fluid were continuously expelled from her body, then replaced by products of magic power.

Krystal was drawn over by the agonized screams. She crouched nearby and tremblingly reached out, wanting to steady Ophelia, but Ophelia's suffering frightened her so badly that she did not dare touch her.

"Adam, Miss Ophelia, she..." Krystal could only ask Adam, who had appeared at some point and was watching coldly from the side.

Adam's gaze never left Ophelia. An Ordinary Person—even a Great Knight—would have died from such severe dehydration. Yet Ophelia showed no sign of dying from it. Her body remained full, and even the wounds she had sustained during the day were healing.

"She channeled magic power into her body. In this state, she should be undergoing a transformation," Adam explained softly. This scene fascinated him. As the name suggested, a Body Refining Mage was a mage who pursued the power of the body. An Elemental Mage pursued the soul, using the soul's advancement to elevate the level of life. Then how would a Body Refining Mage do it? Turn themselves into cyborgs? Bioengineered humans?

Nearly half an hour later, Ophelia finally calmed down, and the trembling of her body gradually ceased. Seeing this, Adam and Krystal tactfully left her room. Not long afterward, Ophelia appeared before them in a brand-new set of clothes.

Before either of them could ask, she said directly, "I feel very good right now, aside from being terribly hungry. My Injuries have more or less healed too. Every strand of muscle is brimming with strength. I feel like I could easily kill that Magic Beast from before."

Adam said bluntly, "That is only an illusion. You have not become stronger at all. Magic power has not changed your essence; it has merely laid down the faintest foundation for you."

He then explained his analysis to the two of them. At a time like this, experience gained from each person's own path was valuable knowledge, something that could verify and guide their future development.

Krystal looked at Adam with worship in her eyes. She did not understand anything Adam had said, but it sounded incredibly impressive. Ophelia was the same. At that moment, she suddenly recalled what Adam had said back at the estate.

"Another World... could it be real?"

Adam gave her no chance to ask. The corpses of the Magic Beasts killed during the day were still piled on the deck. At this point, even the slightest increase in strength could raise their chances of survival, let alone Magic Beast meat, which could directly improve Physical Fitness.

Ophelia had thought of the same thing. Because of the excessive cell division, she desperately needed to replenish her nutrients.

There was no shortage of clever people. All the apprentices were hauling around the corpses of various Magic Beasts. Before, they had not known there would be time to rest at night, and amid the endless fighting, naturally no one had time to care about the corpses. But now, they were precious resources.

Adam was in no hurry. He did not need to eat large amounts, nor was the path of a knight or Body Refining Mage what he sought. More importantly, Magic Beast corpses would be nearly inexhaustible over the next month. There was absolutely no need to rush now.

The power of Fireball could not be improved in a short time, and the chances of learning new magic were also low. However, launching five Fireballs simultaneously had given him a new direction for research. This method required relatively harsh prerequisites, though, and could not yet become a standard tactic.

Adam stood on the deck and looked at the Magic Beasts still packed densely within the pitch-black Blackwater. Mordo Academy's defensive mechanisms prevented them from boarding the ship. It was easy to imagine that the Magic Beasts attacking at dawn tomorrow would vastly outnumber those of today.

Ophelia, meanwhile, headed straight for the Magic Beast that had beaten her black and blue. Killing your opponent and then eating it—now that was a knight's romance.

But she was one step too late. A male apprentice from the organization had already lifted the Magic Beast's corpse with wild delight across his face and was carrying it toward the cabin.

Ophelia frowned, stepped in front of him, and said coldly, "Put it down. It is mine."

A Great Knight disdained to snatch things from others, but neither would she remain unmoved when something that belonged to her was taken away. Thus, her tone was entirely matter-of-fact.

But the male apprentice clearly did not see it that way. The delight vanished from his face at once, replaced by coldness. In a mocking tone, he said, "Yours? Does it have your name written on it? Call its name and see if it answers. Move aside. Do not block the way."

After a day of bloody battle, the title of Great Knight could no longer intimidate anyone. Everyone knew that on the Mage Continent, a knight was no different from an Ordinary Person. Since they were all the same, why should anyone give her face? Besides, those who had survived until now were not timid people. On the contrary, after being washed in blood, their reason had nearly given way to hysteria.

"Give it to me," Ophelia repeated.

The male apprentice suddenly took a step back, then shouted, "Our Lady Ophelia thinks that this Magic Beast, which everyone worked together to kill, belongs to her alone. Do you agree?"

The male apprentice was clever, and vile. He first placed Ophelia on the opposing side, attempting to use sheer numbers to overwhelm her and force her to submit.

The others were indeed drawn over. In truth, everyone knew what had happened, but obtaining a better Magic Beast was, after all, a good thing for themselves. As for what Ophelia wanted—ha, it was utterly unimportant.

Ophelia took a deep breath. "Tom, once again you are provoking a noble's dignity..."

The male apprentice was Tom from the south. Hearing that, he burst into laughter. "A noble's dignity, hahaha..." Then his throat worked, and he spat a thick gob of phlegm to the side. "Pah! Putting on noble airs on the Mage Continent? Did that beating scramble your brains? Can your noble status help you take one more Fireball? Hm? Or can it make Magic Beasts stop attacking you? Hahaha."

Ophelia's muscles tensed at once. Tom's words had grievously insulted her. She swept her gaze around and discovered that of the three people from Northland, only two remained, both with their heads bowed deeply.

Tom looked at Ophelia disdainfully and held out a ring set with a ruby. "No need to look. That idiot called Sam is dead, and this is in my hand now."

Ophelia finally became enraged. A surge of blood energy, seemingly weaker than before, rose from her body. She struck like lightning, clawing for Tom's throat.

Bang.

Before Ophelia's hand could touch Tom, she felt searing heat rush at her from the side. She hastily dodged, only to see a Fireball explode where she had been. Quentin had made the move.

"Miss Ophelia, though it may be somewhat presumptuous to say so, I think he is right. This Magic Beast was killed through everyone's joint efforts. It does not belong to you alone. Besides, I cannot stand by and watch you attack a fellow member of the organization."

Tom suddenly exploded. He raised his hand, pointed the ruby at Ophelia, and said venomously, "You—you bitch! You dare attack me? You dare attack me in front of the organization and Lord Quentin? I want you dead!"

The hearts of small people were twisted and dark. Tom had first become an apprentice and thought his status had changed, only to be reprimanded by Ophelia. Then he had struggled desperately to survive the surging tide of Magic Beasts. Now that he finally held power in his hands, he had been "humiliated" once again. He had already come to see Ophelia as a mortal enemy.

Even Quentin could not bear to hear such words. After all, he too was a noble. "Tom, shut up." Tom retreated unwillingly, but still stared fixedly at Ophelia.

Quentin continued, "Miss Ophelia, I am very sorry, but I truly cannot give it to you. After all, Randy and I also..."

Krystal angrily interrupted Quentin. She could not watch Ophelia be insulted. "You are talking nonsense! Miss Ophelia clearly risked her life to hold back the Magic Beast so that you had a chance to attack it. Besides, you did not even hit it. Even if this Magic Beast does not belong to Miss Ophelia, it should belong to Adam."