Full-Time Mage: Starting with Obtaining the White Tiger Pendant

Chapter 11: The Stunning Sword

At the edge of the alley, almost the moment Lu Jun launched his attack, his four teammates sensed it. But the cramped terrain made it hard to step in—if they got skewered by a Scarlet Beam like candied hawthorns on a stick, that would be ridiculous.

"Careful."

The key was Lu Mei being reliable. She shouted, her slender hand tracing a magic circle as a cyan star trail streaked across, pointing at Lu Jun to grant her younger brother a boost. This time, she cast a Level Three Wind Track.

"Wind Orbit · Floating Shadow!"

Wuwu—the surrounding streets howled with gale-force winds. The four of them had their clothes flapping wildly as blurry, translucent wind paths spread and extended ahead in the alley, even climbing up and down the walls on both sides.

It was like a wind grid, resembling a subway route map branching in all directions.

A Level Three Wind Track could reach speeds that left afterimages, and it wasn't limited to just one wind path.

The next moment, Lu Jun felt the immense boost. His body became light and airy, as if he were about to ascend and become a feathered immortal.

Water Shield, Wind Track, Vibranium Heavy Sword... He looked at the Giant Eyed Rat Demon in the distant darkness, and a wild thought flashed through his mind.

Some people, when faced with danger, have legs that won't move, sitting down to wait for death. Others run away quickly. And some instinctively counterattack—clearly, he was the latter.

Clatter!

Lu Jun let out a low roar. His figure flickered as he charged at the Servant-level Demonic Beast at full speed, stepping on the Wind Track, leaving afterimages behind him. The Water Stream Ribbon wrapped around his body was pulled back into countless strands of blue water by the fierce wind pressure.

He gripped the Vibranium Heavy Sword in reverse, its platinum patterns glowing. The blade slanted downward, carving a pitch-black arc of light.

A sharp sword cry rang endlessly in Lu Jun's ears, then gradually faded. The scene before his eyes slowed down, everything seeming to freeze, a profound silence settling in.

At that moment, Lu Jun had long adapted to his senses at this speed. His eyes were fixed only on the ugly demon ahead. He saw the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's pupil slowly contract, and another Scarlet Beam shot out.

Hum!

He stomped his foot, tilting his whole body up the wall, running along it like flying over eaves! The "slow" Scarlet Beam was left behind.

Back during the practical training a year ago, Zhang Xiaohou could leap across a cliff with just a Level One Wind Track's acceleration. Now, with a Level Three Wind Track, Lu Jun could even run straight up a building vertically.

In almost an instant, Lu Jun killed his way along the wall to right in front of the Giant Eyed Rat Demon. Both hands gripping the Vibranium Heavy Sword in reverse, his body and the longsword formed a right angle, standing vertically over the giant rat demon. The platinum edge of the blade burst forth and sank into the flesh.

Puchi—he had expected a feeling like cutting through steel, sinking into mud. But the Wind Track's speed combined with Gold Element Sharpness sliced through like tofu. In one breath, he traced along the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's spine, cutting through the entire demonic body.

When the force in Lu Jun's hands suddenly loosened, he left the wall, spun once in midair, and landed. The water flowing around him scattered like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, blooming into blue splashes.

Then, calmly with his back to the giant rat demon, he slowly rose. With a flick of his wrist, the Water Shield ribbon slid along the longsword, flicking off a bloody sword flower as the Black Heavy Sword gleamed.

A moment later, a bloodline appeared on the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's forehead. Its massive body split in two and crashed down with a rumble. The cross-section was perfectly smooth. A large spray of blood burst out, spurting half a meter, scattering like a curtain-call firework as it fell.

The scene froze.

"Ah!" Li Xia and the others had already pressed along the wall into the alley while Lu Jun was charging. They saw the whole thing. The red-haired mature woman couldn't stop screaming, her eyes almost turning into heart shapes as she shouted, "So handsome! Sister here just peaked!"

Xu Yan and Mu Yuan stared at Lu Jun at the end of the alley, their expressions dazed, utterly shocked.

Even Lu Mei was briefly stunned. In a trance, she saw her younger brother's back, like a towering supreme powerhouse rising up, his edge fully exposed.

The four of them had been practically useless. Li Xia had originally thought the Thunder Fire Mage, with his mastery of destruction, would steal the spotlight. But now, cowering in the back and casting magic—what kind of man was that?

A true man draws his sword and fights demons up close.

Several blue water ribbons stretched from both sides of the alley to Lu Jun at the far end, not even falling yet after he killed the demon.

A swift sword hero? Water breathing!

Lu Jun's boiling blood gradually cooled. He himself couldn't believe he'd pulled off such a feat, deeply impressed that after killing the enemy, he'd had the quick wit to hold the pose and act cool.

He carefully savored his state of mind. It felt like he'd broken some kind of constraint. Facing similar demons again, he wouldn't fear them at all—he could kill them easily. His backup Water Shield hadn't even been breached.

In fact, Lu Jun's usual combat style wasn't like this. He relied on the Wind Track's flexibility—strike once and flee a thousand miles. If this alley hadn't been so narrow, forcing a victor's gamble, he wouldn't have taken such a risk.

Gold Element's lethality was truly extraordinary. As long as you had the courage to raise your sword, it would give you a whole world in return.

Xu Yan walked up to the Giant Eyed Rat Demon's corpse, looking at the smooth cut through its tough sinews and bones. He clicked his tongue and shook his head, eyeing the Vibranium Heavy Sword in Lu Jun's hand with envy. "That Demon Slaying Gear is really strong."

None of them suspected anything. With a doting elder sister like that, giving her defense-only younger brother an offensive magic tool was perfectly normal.

For a group of small mages averaging at the Primary Level Two, they really weren't a match for Lu Jun.

Lu Mei snapped out of her shock from the stunning sword. She walked up to her younger brother and scolded him with affection, "Don't go charging in alone next time. If you encounter a demon, pull out first. Are you hurt?"

She didn't feel reassured until her hands had patted down Lu Jun's entire body.

"Elder Sister..." Lu Jun was quite embarrassed. One second he'd been a fierce, killing swordsman, the next he was a little boy relying on his sister.

Li Xia sidled up nearby, her tone suggestive. "Little Man, want to strip naked tonight and let Sister check your body?"

Seeing this, Lu Mei shot her a glare and directed the team to search the alley for anything missed. If there was nothing, they'd head back to report.

Xu Yan and Mu Yuan immediately cast their magic—[Ground Wave] and [Ice Vine].

Soon, the alley's earth rippled. Yellow earth light flowed out, layered waves rolling into the dark depths. A frost crept into the sewer, ice covering the manhole cover, with cracking sounds coming from below.

This was a practical use of Primary Magic, serving as a detection method. Otherwise, with a mage's fragile body, leaning in to search—if a demon suddenly popped out, they'd die without knowing how.

Lu Jun paid no attention to the two. After this battle, he sensed that his Gold Nebula seemed to be growing brighter. The Vibranium Heavy Sword in his hand, baptized by blood, grew sharper.

"Real combat really hones magic. A few more times like this, and I'll break through to Primary Level Two soon."

He pondered. Gold Element's second level was called [Size], allowing a crafted "tool" to change size. But at the Primary stage, the upper and lower limits didn't exceed three times.

The nearly four-meter-long greatsword, when held horizontally in front of him, was like a large door panel. With the defensive power of vibration alloy, it could be called invincible among the Primary Level.

Just as Xu Yan and the other finished their inspection, the White Tiger Pendant on Lu Jun's chest suddenly vibrated.

In his field of vision, a single azure light, like a firefly, appeared above the corpse of the Giant Eyed Rat Demon. It was as small as a candle flame, as if summoned, slowly drifting toward the pendant hanging around his neck.

It was a Servant-level Remnant Soul!

This Scene was invisible to everyone else, only a Black Magic [Undead Element] mage could perceive it.

"Never expected the White Tiger Pendant to have the same function as Mo Fan's Little Loach, collecting demon souls."

Lu Jun was overjoyed, but then regretted: "Too bad it's not an Essence Soul. A Remnant Soul isn't worth much. A Servant-level Remnant Soul is worth at most ten thousand yuan."

The so-called [Essence Soul] is the complete soul of a demon, containing most of its origin. The probability of one dropping is extremely low; you might not get one even from a hundred kills. Its energy is equivalent to dozens of Remnant Souls.

As for value... a single Servant-level Essence Soul costs at least five million.

Why is it so expensive? Because Essence Souls have many Wonderful Uses. For example, [Stardust Magic Tools] are made using demon Essence Souls of the same rank!

That means an ordinary Stardust Magic Tool costs at least ten million, and a Nebula Magic Tool costs tens of millions. From this, you can imagine how powerful the White Tiger Pendant is.

Secondly, collecting them is not easy. Either an Undead Mage can collect them, or you need a special Magic Tool like a [Soul Jar]. Both are hard to find on the market, and Undead Mages are rare in the country.

Chapter 12: School Starts

Seeing no other hidden dangers, Lu Jun and the others withdrew from the alley. Someone would come to deal with the demon corpse; the fur and eyes were all worth a fair amount of money.

Individual items like Exotic Blood and Bones could be used as Magic Tool materials, a concept similar to Remnant Souls. The difference is one is spiritual, the other physical, and their value is far lower than Stardust Magic Tools.

Counting the payment from the city, this operation netted about one hundred thousand yuan. Since Lu Jun had handled the demon alone, the other three just took a symbolic running fee, totaling thirty thousand.

The rest belonged to the siblings. Not counting the Remnant Soul, they had gained seventy thousand in one go.

You can imagine how generous the rewards for demon hunting are, but the danger is also enormous.

Lu Mei smiled and said, "Come on, let's go register you at the Hunter's Alliance. This operation will be recorded in your resume, and you'll get the title of Junior Hunter. It'll make it easier to go out into the wild in the future."

The group split up. The siblings arrived at the Hunter's Hall, which felt like a large stock exchange or a job fair, bustling with people.

A huge LCD screen hung on the wall of the Hunter's Hall, displaying the latest bounties with their prices. The lowest bounty was one hundred thousand, and the highest could reach a million.

There were also many teams recruiting mages.

"Iron Soul Squad is going out to hunt demons, urgently need an experienced Wind Element mage, come quickly!"

"Assisting the Military Mages at Snow Mountain Post to clear a One-Eyed Magic Wolf den. Over fifty adult Servant-level demons, need strong Fire Element support."

"Is there a White Magic [Healing System] mage? Someone is about to die!"

Lu Jun watched with a strong sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of the internet cafe era, shouting for groups in Dungeon Fighter Online or World of Warcraft.

It wasn't long before Lu Jun successfully registered as a Hunter Mage at the counter. He noticed some Hunter Mages gathering around his sister.

They were all inviting Lu Mei to join their wild demon hunting teams. Intermediate Mages were in short supply in Bo City.

"Join us, how about a thirty percent cut?"

"No need, I have no plans to go out into the wild for now."

Lu Mei shook her head and refused. The middle-aged demon hunting team leaders left with regret.

Seeing This, Lu Jun realized his sister's predicament. Bo City couldn't afford to support an Intermediate Mage. To take care of him, Lu Mei's strength would stagnate.

This was unacceptable for a twenty-one-year-old Intermediate Mage genius.

Should he tell his sister to ignore him and join various wild demon hunting teams?

Not to mention Lu Mei wouldn't agree, Lu Jun himself felt it was unreliable. He knew those demon hunting teams were one more unreliable than the other; few were good.

Out in the wild, you really couldn't count on anyone. There were plenty of dark things out there, especially in this Magic World.

If they went to Magic City, the salary for some production jobs was only a bit higher than the City Demon Hunting Squad. For Lu Mei, without resources in the millions, like Long Time rental of a Nebula Magic Tool or a Magic Tool to withstand Commander-level demons, it wouldn't have much effect.

Now he truly realized how difficult it was for a commoner's child to get by in the Magic World.

Unfortunately, the White Tiger Pendant was soul-bound and couldn't be lent to his sister.

"Sis, how about I go out into the wild with you?"

When Lu Mei walked over, he pondered and said, "You're a Wind and Earth mage, responsible for escape and control. I'm a Water and Metal mage, responsible for defense and killing. The two of us teaming up wouldn't be weaker than a full squad. We can pull in one or two people we know well later."

"Little brother! How old are you? Your cultivation is only Primary Level One, and you want to go out into the wild with just the two of us?"

Lu Mei found it amusing and said, "The wild is different from the city. In the city, demons are like rats, beaten by everyone they see. It's a big deal if two or three gather together."

"But in the wild, humans are the rats! We move through the cracks between demon tribes. It's normal to encounter seven or eight Servant-level demons at once. If you're unlucky, a dozen or so, or a 'nest' of fifty."

"If you're really unlucky, a 'clan' of over fifty nests of demon armies passes through. Counting only adult Servants, the number ranges from two thousand five hundred to ten thousand, with many Warriors, and even a Commander-level."

She said earnestly, "I know what you're thinking. Wait until you have Level Two Water Shield · Guardian, something that can block three or four Scarlet Beams."

Hearing This, Lu Jun felt heavy-hearted, sensing immense pressure. He couldn't let his sister waste her youth. They needed to accumulate strength during this time of peace, otherwise, it would be hard to say what would happen in a future disaster.

The two returned home. Lu Mei saw that the black-haired youth was still frowning. She reached out her jade hand, pinched her brother's slightly chubby cheek, and said affectionately, "Alright, my affairs are none of your concern."

"Your task now is to study hard and strive to get into a top-tier academy. Then you won't have to struggle like your Elder Sister here."

Lu Jun shook off his sister's demonic claws and said unhappily, "Sigh, I'm not a kid anymore."

He silently made up his mind. Lu Mei was now at Intermediate Level One in Wind Element (already able to cast magic) and Primary Level One in Earth Element. At the very latest, by the end of next semester, he would reach Primary Level Two in both elements, just as Elder Sister should have also cultivated her new element to Primary Level Three.

He couldn't afford to delay any longer. He needed to raise funds early to rent a Nebula-level magic tool, so her second element could break through to Intermediate as soon as possible.

In truth, Lu Jun knew that with Lu Mei's talent, she could enter a top-tier dual-first-class academy by the time she graduated at eighteen. However, on one hand, she stayed behind to take care of him; on the other, even if she went in, without enough funds she would quickly fall behind others.

"By the way." Lu Jun remembered something and specifically instructed, "You can just take the seventy thousand, no need to rent a Stardust Magic Tool for me."

"Oh, right."

Lu Mei nodded and said, "With your progress, the school will lend you a Stardust Magic Tool to cultivate by your second year. Not bad, you've got my style from back then—a top student."

Hearing this, Lu Jun wanted to say something but stopped. Forget it, let Elder Sister misunderstand.

In his hand was the White Tiger Pendant, a top-tier Nebula Magic Tool. Its cultivation speed was leaps and bounds ahead, leaving the school's magic tools in the dust.

If it weren't for the fact that an Elementary Mage's Mental Power was far inferior to an Intermediate Mage's, making cultivation efficiency much lower, reaching Primary Level Three in both elements within half a year would be easy. In the original story, when Mo Fan awakened two new elements at Intermediate, with the help of the Little Loach that had devoured the Earth Sacred Spring, his speed was about the same.

The White Tiger Pendant was no weaker than the Little Loach back then. It was just that starting slow as a Primary Mage was normal. Later, at Intermediate, with experience and higher Mental Power, cultivating new elements would be faster.

Time flowed. In the last half month of winter break, Lu Jun encountered no more incidents reported by the City Demon Hunting Squad about demons, so he buried himself in cultivation.

Just after he discovered the Black Vatican's movements in the sewers, an Orange Alert was sounded outside the city not long after.

But it wasn't a big deal. Compared to the Blood-colored City-destroying Alert two and a half years later, it could be called trivial.

Still, certain signs were gradually emerging. In the original story, this period had already stirred up widespread panic.

Now, although he longed to participate in slaying demons and contribute his strength, the Military Mage would never let a kid like him go, so he gave up.

Finally, the second semester of first year began. He naturally returned to school.

In Class 8, First Year, all the classmates had arrived, cheerfully discussing their winter break and New Year's celebrations. The topic gradually shifted to bragging about their magic progress.