Mission: Contract the God-Eater Rat Beibei (Seeking Favorites)

"Grandpa Doehring." After spending over half an hour attempting to cast magic, Linley looked somewhat dejected. "Is my talent really that poor?"

Linley stared at his own hands, his expression filled with immense frustration.

Half an hour had passed, and his throat was nearly hoarse from shouting, yet Linley hadn't managed to cast a single spell.

"Hahahaha, Linley, don't be discouraged." Doehring chuckled and stroked his beard. "It's only been half an hour. Magic isn't that simple. Rest assured, your talent is actually quite good, not bad at all."

Before Doehring could finish his sentence, his expression shifted slightly, and his figure vanished directly from before Linley.

"Linley, hide quickly." Doehring's voice echoed in Linley's mind. "A Saint-level powerhouse is approaching."

Doehring's words left Linley frozen in place.

"Linley, stop spacing out." Seeing this, Lin Ke couldn't help but offer a reminder. "Two Saint-level experts are about to clash above Wushan Town. Hurry up and hide."

Inside the System Space, Lin Ke, who had been testing a large number of awakened items, frowned slightly.

He had almost forgotten about the two Saint-level experts who killed Beibei's parents.

One was a warrior, the other a mage.

Based on the hierarchy of Saint-level strength, Rudeus should be at the peak of the Saint-level.

But Dillon had only just entered the Saint-level and belonged to the bottom tier of that rank.

Still, they were both Saint-level.

For the current Linley, two Saint-level experts were invincible existences.

As soon as Lin Ke finished speaking, a black dragon, winding over a hundred meters in length, flew over Wushan Town.

Its black dragon scales shimmered with a cold, chilling light, and its massive wings spanned a full hundred meters.

A level-nine magical beast, the "Black Dragon"!

It was currently noon in Wushan Town, and most people were inside their homes.

Yet, there were still those who caught sight of the scene in the sky.

Linley was on the outskirts of Wushan and could barely make out the silhouette of the black dragon.

But the next moment, the System Panel unfolded before Linley's eyes, and the image in the sky continuously zoomed in.

Atop the head of the hundred-meter-long black dragon stood a figure clad in grey robes.

Opposite him, a middle-aged man in green robes with a long sword strapped to his back stood in confrontation.

"Dillon, hand over the Shadow Mouse and I might spare your life."

What surprised Linley was that the system not only magnified the image but also transmitted the sound of their conversation with perfect clarity.

The one speaking now was the grey-robed man standing atop the black dragon's head.

"Rudeus, are you dreaming?"

The green-robed man sneered and drew the long sword from his back.

"Dillon, a level-nine Shadow Mouse is not something a Sword Saint who has just advanced to the Saint-level can covet. Hand it over."

"Rudeus, if you have the ability, come and take it. Let's see if you're truly stronger than me."

"Dillon, you are courting death!"

After only a few words, the two were already engaged in battle.

"Do you see that, Linley?" Doehring's voice rang out in Linley's mind. "That Saint-level mage is using the Earth Guardian Sacred Armor, the Saint-level spell with the strongest defensive capabilities that I told you about before."

At this moment, Doehring was treating this Saint-level battle as a teaching video.

However, he seemed to have forgotten that with Linley's current eyesight, he could at most see a black shadow in the sky.

"Yes, Grandpa Doehring." Linley didn't feel anything was amiss and nodded. "The Earth Guardian Sacred Armor is a growth-type spell."

Linley watched the battle footage on the System Panel before him, a glimmer of expectation flashing in his eyes.

"The level-five and level-six Sacred Armors are made of rock, the level-seven is jade, the level-eight is crystal jade, and the level-nine is platinum. If one reaches the Saint-level, the Sacred Armor is composed of diamonds, boasting the strongest defense."

"Correct." Inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, Doehring nodded with a smile. "Watch this move now; it is Meteor Fall."

As Doehring spoke, countless massive boulders formed in the distant sky.

Each one was the size of a house, and they came crashing down toward the green-robed man.

But the green-robed man remained completely unfazed, his long sword dancing in his hand.

Countless sword beams shot out.

The boulders shattered one after another, falling toward the ground.

Some of the falling rocks were two or three meters in size, while others were only the size of a human head.

But rocks falling from a thousand meters in the air could cause casualties even if they were only the size of a fist.

"Oh no." Thinking of this, Linley's expression changed drastically. "Father, Wharton, I must go back."

"Linley."

The voices of both Lin Ke and Doehring rang out in Linley's mind simultaneously.

"Linley, what can you possibly do by going there now?" Doehring had not sensed the presence of Lin Ke, and his tone turned stern. "You aren't even at the first rank yet; how could you help when two Saint-level experts are clashing? Are you just going to cause trouble?"

"I..."

Linley's lips moved slightly, and he couldn't help but lower his head.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa Doehring." Linley's voice was somewhat low. "I was impulsive. I... I will just stay here."

Although Linley said this, his fists were clenched tightly.

Yesterday, witnessing the battle between the mage and the mercenary squad had merely given Linley the thought of pursuing strength.

But today, facing sudden danger, Linley's heart truly began to transform.

Strength!

I need strength!

I want powerful strength.

Only with strength can I protect my father and protect Wharton.

"Big Brother Lin Ke." While answering Doehring's question, Linley communicated with Lin Ke. "Why don't you scold me like Grandpa Doehring does?"

"Because I understand you." Lin Ke lounged on the sofa, holding a bottle of Guojiao. "Although you can be impulsive, you aren't a fool. Caring for your father and brother is natural. Besides, Linley, you are only eight years old. If you were still like this at eighteen, I would have given up on you long ago."

However, having said that, Lin Ke shook his head in denial. "I misspoke. If you really couldn't insta-kill these two pieces of trash by the time you were eighteen, then I should be the one giving up on you."

Lin Ke's words caused the corners of Linley's mouth to curl up slightly.

He was very smart and naturally understood the meaning behind Lin Ke's words.

Ten years.

In just ten years, he could grow to the point where he wouldn't fear Saint-level experts?

"Rudeus, if I can't have it, don't even think about getting it!"

In the sky, the man in green robes let out a roar.

Linley saw it clearly: the mouse that the opponent had been clutching in his hand exploded instantly.

Afterward, the man in gray robes struck out in anger, summoning an earth-yellow giant about ten meters tall to engage the man in green robes.

"Rudeus, you can't kill me. Since the magical beast is already dead, I'm leaving."

As the man in green robes spoke, his longsword parried the earth-yellow giant, and he immediately flew off into the distance.

The man in gray robes watched the direction in which the man in green robes had fled, his brows furrowed tightly.

But after only a few breaths, the Black Dragon flapped its wings and flew off in another direction as well.

The entire exchange between the two sides had lasted no more than a few minutes.

Yet, the entirety of Wushan Town, and even the areas surrounding it, were left in shambles.

The residents of Wushan Town had suffered heavy casualties, and the lord, Hogg, was currently overwhelmed.

But what worried Hogg even more was this.

Linley was missing.

Wharton had been frightened earlier, and the butler, Hiri, still had to look after him.

Hillman was currently busy throughout the town, tallying the number of injured.

"Linley, please, you must not be hurt!"

Hogg prayed in his heart.

"Achoo~"

Linley sneezed as he struggled to walk toward Wushan Town.

Along the way, there was rubble everywhere, and Linley had to be extremely careful as he made his way.

At the same time, a System Panel appeared before Linley's eyes, and a mission had refreshed on it.

[Mission: Contract the God-Eater Rat "Beibei"]

[Mission Reward: 100 White Energy Points]