Anti-Mage

After spotting William's location, Adam descended from the air. He wore the gray robe the academy issued to apprentices and held an egg in his hand.

The egg from the abyss gave off an increasingly evil aura. Blood-red mist continuously steamed from its surface, shifting into all sorts of shapes. It looked utterly bizarre; even ordinary people would feel their minds thrown into chaos merely by approaching it.

The inscription of the Master-Servant Contract could not be stopped. Adam could only take it with him wherever he went. As for the flesh and blood, he stored it in his Personal Space and took it out once a day to feed the egg.

When Reili and Terry saw Adam truly standing before them, they did not dare say a word. They shrank back timidly, retreating step by step. Facing Adam head-on put immense pressure on them, especially given how thoroughly unwholesome he looked now.

Knowing Adam's personality, William had no intention of making introductions. He simply asked, "Can we leave now?"

Adam nodded. At the Current Stage of an apprentice's strength, travel naturally did not rely on flight magic. Adam followed William outside the academy gates, where Intra-Realm General-Purpose Hovercars were available for rent. The price was not high, but any damage required full compensation.

Reili and Terry, being locals, were familiar with hovercars. They voluntarily took the driver's seats and assumed the role of chauffeurs, largely because being near Adam put them under too much pressure.

Thirty-three thousand kilometers sounded far, but compared with the nearly boundless expanse of the Mage Continent, it was merely a short journey. Their mission site lay at the edge of Mordo Element High Tower's Ruling Area.

Adam barely communicated with them along the way. He continuously inscribed the contract onto the egg while gazing through the window at the vast land outside. During those two days, Reili and Terry did not dare speak to Adam either, especially after they saw him take out flesh and blood to feed the egg.

Adam discovered that the Mage Continent was not actually lined with giant cities as he had imagined. Human Gathering Places were exceedingly scarce along the way, while forests, lakes, wetlands, and plains were everywhere. Powerful Magic Beasts and enormous herds appeared from time to time in the wilds, yet not a single one dared block the hovercar's path. The mages' might had presumably become ingrained in their instincts.

On the third day, Adam suddenly asked, "Why did that pack of Wind Wolves dare attack the townspeople?"

The three of them froze. Only after a moment did they catch up with Adam's train of thought. William pondered briefly before saying, "I don't know. Actually, this mission has two parts. The first is to exterminate the Wind Wolves, and the second is to investigate why the Magic Beasts attacked."

Adam knew about Wind Wolves. Their habits were the same as ordinary wolves: they were pack animals. As the name suggested, these Magic Beasts had mastered low-level wind magic and knew how to use magic power to strengthen themselves, making them extremely fast. They posed an enormous threat to Ordinary Persons at the knight stage, but one-on-one, they were no match for mage apprentices.

Every Wind Wolf pack had a leader, and the size of the pack depended on the leader's strength. Since the pack outside the town had grown large enough to cause a riot, the Wind Wolf King had to be extremely powerful.

"You three dared take a mission like this?"

William gave an embarrassed laugh. "Of course it isn't just the three of us. There are apprentices in the town as well, and the Knight Order's strength isn't to be underestimated..." In truth, the Wind Wolf extermination mission was orange-ranked in the Mission Hall. That rank meant it was not suitable for Newbies, but Young Men always possessed a mysterious confidence in their own strength.

Adam stopped speaking. After another five hours of travel, the hovercar arrived at their destination, a small town named Bran Town. William and the others did not notice it, but Adam had already sensed that they were under surveillance. Many Magic Beasts had watched them continuously along the road.

Before long, the expressions of William's group also grew grave. They discovered that a Rune Barrier had already risen around the town. Severed limbs and mangled bodies littered the wilderness, blood covering the ground. A brutal battle had clearly just taken place.

The hovercar slowed. William said in a low voice, "Damn it. I think we're in trouble."

Reili said somewhat panickedly, "Didn't the report say the townspeople of Bran Town were only at risk of attack when they left the town? But now... this is practically a siege!" Scattered townspeople being attacked and an entire town coming under assault were completely different matters. They could handle the former, but the latter was far beyond their ability.

But it was already impossible to withdraw. The three could only place their hopes in Follow-up reinforcements, or Adam's help...

The hovercar stopped outside the barrier. Someone inside called out loudly, "Who are you?"

William got out and presented the mission contract. The barrier opened, and the group entered the town. At a glance, they saw the battered Knight Order and two mage apprentices walking toward them.

"I'm Thomas, and he's Zack. Are you the advance reinforcements?" When Thomas saw that only four people had stepped out of the hovercar, his eyes dimmed. Then he asked hopefully.

William said awkwardly, "No. It's only us."

Zack said frantically, "Damn it, damn it! What the hell is the academy doing? We clearly added more intelligence, yet they only sent four of you! And you're all Newbies, aren't you?"

William became even more awkward. "You know, there are very few Senior Apprentices in the academy, and it isn't four of us. He"—William pointed at Adam—"didn't take the mission. He only came to take a look."

"Take a look? Came to take a look? Ha! Have I been away from the academy too long? Since when has the academy become so tolerant of apprentices?" Zack turned to Adam. That one glance made him swallow all his remaining complaints. There was no other reason—the egg was simply too astonishing. An apprentice with such a thing was not someone he could afford to provoke.

Adam ignored him and walked alone to the edge of the barrier, observing the artificial Energy Field.

William hurriedly said, "Sir, I think you should tell us what exactly happened here now. Why would those Wind Wolves attack the town? And can't the barrier stop them?"

Thomas let out a heavy sigh, gestured to them, and said, "Forget it. Hopefully the academy will send reinforcements soon. This time may be very troublesome. The Magic Beast siege is being controlled."

"Controlled?!" the three cried out. Although mages did not care much about Ordinary Persons, there had at least never been any large-scale slaughter of them. How could anyone now dare drive Magic Beasts to attack territory ruled by an Element Tower?

Adam thought of an interesting possibility. In the Mage Plane, the only ones who dared openly oppose Towers and slaughter humans were Anti-Mages.

He recalled the records on Anti-Mages from the upper levels of the library. They were remnants of a bygone age. After Prometheus True Spirit Grandmaster and Anne Croft, World Guardian reformed the Mage Plane, they had either been limited by their aptitude or unable to accept mages becoming a universally accessible profession, and so embarked upon a path of opposing the Mainstream.

They maintained the inheritances of ancient Schools of Thought, treating every piece of knowledge as taboo. They focused on studying curses and magic involving human souls. Some Anti-Mages hid within various Towers and acquired resources through Plane War, while most of the others scurried through the Mage Plane like Underground Rats, specifically preying on Ordinary Persons or weak mages and apprentices.

They were the enemies of mages.

Adam suddenly asked, "Are they Anti-Mages?"

Zack and Thomas looked at Adam in surprise, seemingly not expecting a Newbie to know about this. They nodded. "From the current situation, probably."

"Anti-Mages? What are those?" Reili asked blankly.

Adam clearly had no interest in explaining it to them. After hearing Zack's introduction, the three turned deathly pale, filled with regret. Anti-Mages—they sounded terrifying. How had they become entangled in something so horrible?

Adam found it quite interesting. He had originally regarded this trip merely as a respite from his confusion, yet he had unexpectedly encountered something like this.

Unlike William's group, he was not worried about the Anti-Mages. Every rank had its corresponding resources, and Anti-Mages were no exception. The fact that they only dared attack a mortal town at the edge of a Tower's rule showed that there would be no Strong Persons at the level of Formal Mages among them.

Adam did not fear apprentices.

In the Dense Forest several hundred kilometers from Bran Town, four Anti-Mage Apprentices completely concealed beneath black robes sat scattered across an Open Ground.

"Reinforcements from Mordo Element High Tower have arrived." A hoarse, inhuman voice rang out, carrying a strange laugh. "A small hovercar. There won't be many of them." As he spoke, he stroked the Wind Wolf King trembling at his feet.

"Is that so? Good. It's time for those idiots living under the sunlight to see the truth of this world. I wonder whether they'll like my Little Darling when they meet it?" The second person extended a hand from beneath his black robe. A hideous face grew from his palm, its mouth packed with layer upon layer of dense Fangs. It struggled constantly, as if trying to grow out of his hand. The second person rubbed his face against it and said gently, "Be good. Don't rush. You'll get to eat soon."

It was actually a woman!

"Quilina, put it away. Damn it, I hate that thing!" the third person said. "Last time, it nearly ate me!" He pulled back his black robe, exposing an unhealed wound on his left arm. "Don't let me see it again, or I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from killing it!"

Quilina gave a coy giggle and extended her hand toward the third person. The monster's face rapidly grew out from her palm, its horrifying, nauseating Body Tissue rushing toward him. A piercing shriek echoed through the forest. "You don't like it? Look, isn't it adorable?"

The third person furiously raised a finger and slashed it through the air. A Dark Green radiance skimmed past the monster's body and struck the ground, corroding it into a deep gash. "Quilina, I'm warning you..."