Polymorph

Yulan Calendar, March 15, 9996.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window into the dormitory. Akes opened his eyes and saw Reynolds sneaking away from Yale's bed, a bundle of pink fabric clutched in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Akes whispered.

Reynolds pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, then stuffed the pink bundle into his own covers.

Akes didn't ask any more questions. He rolled over and closed his eyes again.

Half an hour later, Yale's scream rang through the entire dormitory.

"Who did this!!!"

Akes sat up and saw Yale standing by his bed, holding up a pink robe—or, more precisely, his brand-new blue robe, now dyed a glaring shade of pink.

Reynolds was hunched under his covers, his shoulders shaking.

"Reynolds!!!" Yale charged over. "Get out here!"

"It wasn't me!" Reynolds shouted from under the blanket.

"Who else could it have been?"

"Maybe it was Third Brother?"

Akes leaned against the headboard. "Why would I dye your clothes?"

"Maybe... maybe you're jealous of how handsome I am?"

Akes laughed. "Why would I be jealous of you?"

George poked his head in from the next room. "What's all the noise so early in the morning?"

"Look!" Yale held up the pink robe. "This is Reynolds's handiwork!"

George glanced at it, his expression hard to read. "It looks pretty good. It suits you."

"Like hell it does!"

Yale dropped the robe and lunged at Reynolds's covers. The two wrestled, rolling off the bed and onto the floor. Reynolds laughed as he dodged, while Yale chased him and cursed.

Akes and George leaned against the doorframe to watch the show.

"Want to bet?" George asked.

"I'm betting on Yale," Akes said.

"Then I'll bet on Reynolds. Ten silver coins."

"Deal."

Half an hour later, the two lay on the floor, panting. Neither had won. Yale had a scratch on his face, and Reynolds's shirt was torn.

"It's a tie," George declared. "The bet's off."

"Why should it be off?" Yale sat up. "I was clearly winning!"

"Where'd that mark on your face come from?"

Yale touched his face and winced in pain.

Reynolds chuckled as he climbed to his feet, only for Yale to kick him right back down.

After a whole morning of carrying on, the five of them finally got ready for class. In the end, Yale still wore the pink robe, and people kept turning to look at him as he walked.

"It actually looks pretty good," Akes said.

Yale shot him a look. "If it looks so good, you wear it."

"I can't. It doesn't match my style."

"..."

Linley walked beside them with a faint smile. He hadn't joined in the commotion, but he'd enjoyed watching it.

That afternoon, they met up at the back of the mountain as usual to cultivate. Akes summoned the Fallen Heart Flame, its milky-white fire enveloping the surrounding area. The others each entered a meditative state.

An hour later, they finished cultivating.

"Third Brother, I think I'm about to break through," Reynolds said excitedly. "Level four is just around the corner!"

"Keep at it," Akes said.

Yale leaned over. "I'm almost there too. Probably another month or two."

George nodded. "Same here."

Akes looked at Linley. "I'm at the middle stage of level five," Linley said.

"So am I," Akes replied. "We're in sync."

Linley nodded.

On the way back to the dormitory, Reynolds chattered nonstop about what he'd do once he broke through. Yale brought him back down to earth. "Break through first, then talk."

"I'm definitely going to break through!"

"You said the same thing last month."

"This month I mean it!"

The group laughed as they walked away.

One day at the end of March, Akes was cultivating at the back of the mountain as usual.

The Fallen Heart Flame flickered gently within him, the Fire Spirit Pearl glowed faintly, and the Five Spirit Wheel revolved at full power. Fire elements surged into his body from all around, and the magic power in his middle dantian grew at a visible rate.

Suddenly, he felt a faint stirring.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

"I've reached the late stage of level five."

The magic power inside him was nearly thirty percent more abundant than before.

One weekend in April, the five of them went shopping in Fenlai City.

The weather was fine, and the streets were bustling with people. Reynolds looked this way and that, stopping to check out everything that caught his eye. Yale kept hold of him so he wouldn't get lost.

When they reached the middle of Champs-Elysees Avenue, they saw a crowd gathered up ahead.

"What's going on?" Reynolds craned his neck.

"Let's go take a look," George said.

They squeezed into the crowd and found a troupe of street performers putting on a show. There was fire-breathing, sword-swallowing, acrobatics, and plenty more. The onlookers gasped and applauded now and then.

"The fire-breathing act is pretty interesting," Yale said.

Reynolds's eyes lit up, and he pushed his way to the front. The performer had just finished breathing fire. When he spotted Reynolds, he pulled him into the circle.

"Come on, young man. Give everyone a little performance!"

Reynolds froze. "Me? I don't know how!"

"Just give it a try!" the performer laughed, handing him a torch. "Take a deep breath and blow at the torch!"

Reynolds was put on the spot. He took the torch, drew in a deep breath, and blew as hard as he could—

A puff of gray smoke came out of his mouth, making him cough.

The crowd burst into laughter.

"What's this? Smoke-breathing?" someone shouted.

Reynolds blushed to the roots of his hair, dropped the torch, and ran back into the crowd. Akes and the others laughed so hard they could barely stand.

"Reynolds, you're a genius!" Yale slapped his thigh.

"Shut up!" Reynolds snapped, mortified.

George wiped away tears of laughter. "Smoke-breathing! Ha ha ha, that's a great nickname!"

"George!"

The group laughed together. In the end, they bought a few trinkets from a stall by the road and shared them among themselves. George picked out several delicate little ornaments and gave one to each of them.

"What's this?" Reynolds asked, looking at the little wooden figurine in his hand.

"A good-luck charm," George said. "I bought it in the Yulan Empire. They say it brings good fortune."

Reynolds turned it over in his hands for a while, then tucked it into his clothes.

Yale waved a hand grandly. "Come on, let's get something to eat. My treat!"

"Your treat? That's rare," Akes said.

"What do you mean, rare? I'm always generous!"

"The last time you treated us was three months ago."

"That's because you never gave me the chance!"

Chatting and laughing, they went into a restaurant by the roadside.

Over the meal, they started talking about the future.

"What are you planning to do after graduation?" Yale asked.

"I'm going home," George said. "My family needs me."

"I'm going home too," Reynolds said, unusually serious. "My dad's been urging me to return to the O'Brien Empire for ages."

Yale nodded. "My family's merchant guild has branches all over. I can go wherever I want. What about you, Third Brother?"

Akes thought it over. "I might go to the Yulan Empire."

"The Yulan Empire?" George looked at him. "The magical atmosphere there is definitely better, and there are more resources than in Fenlai. Have you decided?"

"Not completely, but I'm pretty sure."

Yale patted him on the shoulder. "All right. My family's merchant guild has a branch there. I'll come find you and mooch off you when I do."

"You're always welcome."

They all looked at Linley.

After a moment of silence, Linley said, "I'm staying in Fenlai City."

Akes knew the reason—Linley's father was still in Wushan Town, while his younger brother was studying in the O'Brien Empire. Linley had to stay behind. But there were other reasons Linley didn't mention, and Akes didn't ask.

"That's a good choice too," George said. "Fenlai City is the Holy Capital, and there are plenty of opportunities."

"Let's keep in touch," Yale said, raising his cup. "No matter where we go, we'll still be brothers."

The five of them clinked their cups together.

That night, back in the dormitory, Akes lay in bed and thought about their conversation.

The Yulan Empire. He really did want to see it for himself. As the oldest empire on the continent, the Yulan Empire had a far deeper magical heritage than Fenlai. Developing there would surely help with his future cultivation.

Besides, George was there too. Having someone he knew would be better than starting out completely in the dark.

[Ding—your monthly sign-in opportunity has refreshed.]

[Sign in?]

Akes silently thought to himself, Sign in.

[Sign-in successful.]

[Reward obtained: Azeroth Polymorph—temporarily transforms a small creature no more than one level above you into a sheep for ten seconds. Usable up to three times per day.]

[Special note: Ineffective against Saint-level beings and above.]

Akes froze for a moment.

Polymorph?

This skill was insanely powerful. It was ineffective against Saint-level beings and above, but once he reached level eight, he'd be invincible against anyone below Saint-level.