Daily Life

In late spring of the Yulan Calendar, 10003.

Akes pushed open the door to the training room. Morning sunlight slanted inside, casting a long shadow across the floor. He stood in the doorway and stretched, his joints cracking softly.

He had reached the high ranks of the eighth level.

There had been no earth-shattering signs when he broke through the night before. The magic power inside him had surged a few times, and then he had passed through that thin barrier. The Fallen Heart Flame burned as usual, and the Five Spirit Wheel revolved as usual. It had felt like an ordinary training session.

Just fine.

Akes returned to his room, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and headed to the dining room. Aunt Martha had already laid out breakfast: fried eggs, bread, bacon, and a bowl of warm milk.

"Sir, the bacon just came in from the market today. Give it a try." Aunt Martha stood nearby, looking expectant.

Akes took a bite and nodded. "Not bad. It's more flavorful than last time."

"Good, good." Aunt Martha beamed and withdrew.

After breakfast, Akes went to the study. Kaman was already waiting outside, holding a stack of documents.

"My lord, these are this month's accounts. There are also a few reports from the territory that need your review."

"Come in."

Akes sat behind the desk, took the documents, and began reading. The Earl's Mansion here in Yulan also owned a small territory. It wasn't large, but it produced good harvests and brought in several thousand gold coins each year.

He worked through the documents one by one, signing where needed and adding instructions where appropriate. Kaman waited nearby, occasionally answering a question.

"My lord, there's one more thing." After Akes finished with the documents, Kaman continued, "Sir Holman sent an invitation, asking you to watch a match at the beast arena the day after tomorrow. He said it was the battle between the Level Nine Magical Beasts you agreed to see."

Akes remembered. Holman had indeed mentioned it the last time they'd shared drinks.

"Understood. Reply that I'll be there on time."

"Yes, my lord."

After Kaman left, Akes leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. Old Tom was busy in the garden, where Flame Flowers bloomed in full, their scarlet petals gleaming in the sunlight.

He had made a major leap from the middle ranks of the seventh level to the high ranks of the eighth. But he was still a long way from the Saint-level. The magic power required to go from the eighth to the ninth level was several times that needed to advance from the seventh to the eighth, and the gulf between the ninth level and Saint-level was even more daunting.

There was no need to rush.

Akes stood, left the study, and went to the training ground in the rear courtyard. He had specifically ordered it built for practicing magic control. Four stone pillars stood at its corners, each carved with intricate magical patterns that could be used to test the accuracy and power of spells.

He stood in the center of the training ground and raised his right hand. The Fallen Heart Flame gathered in his palm into a fist-sized fireball.

The fireball was small, but its temperature was scorching. The air around it shimmered and warped.

At a thought from Akes, the fireball split into four streams that shot toward the pillars. The flames traced graceful arcs through the air and struck the magical patterns at the tops of the pillars simultaneously, producing four soft pops.

His accuracy was fine.

He raised his left hand again. This time, he gathered ordinary fire-element magic power without invoking the Fallen Heart Flame. The four streams of fire struck their targets at the same time, but their power was noticeably weaker.

With the Fallen Heart Flame, his strength was at least two levels higher than without it.

Akes extinguished the flames and went to inspect the pillars. The spots struck by the Fallen Heart Flame had developed hairline cracks in their magical patterns. The pillars had been specially made to withstand eighth-level spells, but that wasn't enough against a Heavenly Flame.

He nodded in satisfaction and left the training ground.

He had nothing to do that afternoon, so Akes changed into casual clothes and went out alone. He wanted to browse the markets in the Imperial Capital and see if he could find any rare magical materials.

The Imperial Capital's market was enormous, divided into eastern, western, southern, and northern districts. Akes went to the eastern district, where magical materials and items were traded. Shops of every size stood packed closely together.

He wandered without any particular aim, occasionally stepping into a shop to look around. Most of them sold ordinary wares: Magic Cores below the sixth level, common magical herbs, standard staves, and the like. He wasn't interested.

Deep in the market, a small, unremarkable shop caught his eye. It wasn't large, and its facade looked a little worn, but the sign above the door showed a flame and a few words: "Old Shop, Specializing in Rare Fire-Element Materials."

Akes pushed the door open and went inside.

The shop was dim, and the air carried a faint smell of sulfur. Shelves were crowded with all kinds of jars and bottles, while a few differently colored ores lay piled in a corner.

"What can I get for you?" an old voice called from behind the counter.

Akes turned toward the voice. An old man with white hair sat behind the counter, examining a fiery red piece of ore in his hand.

"Just looking." Akes walked up to the counter, his gaze settling on the ore. "Is that Flame Essence Gold?"

The old man looked up, a glint flashing in his cloudy eyes. "You've got a good eye, sir. It is Flame Essence Gold, from deep within the Southern Volcano. They don't dig up more than a few pieces in ten years."

"Are you selling it?"

"I am, but it won't be cheap." The old man set the ore on the counter. "Three thousand gold coins. The price is firm."

Akes picked up the ore and weighed it in his hand. It was genuine Flame Essence Gold, suitable for making a fire-element staff of Saint-level quality. Three thousand gold coins wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either.

"I'll take it."

The old man blinked, apparently not expecting him to agree so readily. Akes took a banknote from his coat and handed it over. The old man checked it, confirmed it was genuine, then tucked it away.

Akes turned to leave, but the old man suddenly spoke again. "By the way, if you're interested in fire-element materials, come back next month. I heard someone discovered an ancient ruin in the south. Some good things might make their way onto the market."

Akes paused and glanced back at the old man.

The old man had already lowered his head and gone back to handling the items on the counter, as if he'd only mentioned it in passing.

Akes didn't ask any questions. He pushed the door open and left.

By the time he returned to the Earl's Mansion, it was getting dark. He put the Flame Essence Gold in the storeroom, where a small collection of materials he'd gathered over the years was already waiting. Once he had enough, he planned to commission a Saint-level staff. He couldn't use one yet, but he would eventually.

After dinner, Akes went to the study and wrote Yale a reply.

He didn't mention his breakthrough. He just wrote about everyday things, asked how Yale was doing, and added a note asking him to keep an eye out for rare fire-element magical materials.

When he finished, he sealed the letter and gave it to Kaman, asking him to send it first thing in the morning.

Night fell. Akes stood by the window for a while, gazing into the darkness, then turned and headed to the training room.

He opened the door, and the familiar wave of scorching air washed over him. Akes took off his outer robe and sat cross-legged on the cushion. The Fallen Heart Flame coursed through his body, while the Five Spirit Wheel revolved slowly, absorbing the fire element from the night.

Two days later, Akes arrived at the beast arena as promised.

Holman was already waiting at the entrance. When he saw Akes, he waved him over. "Over here, over here! I thought you were going to stand me up again."

Akes walked over. "I don't forget plans I've made."

They went inside and found seats. The beast arena was huge, with room for over ten thousand spectators, and it was nearly full today. In the central ring, two enormous magical beasts faced off: a Level Nine Thunder-Patterned Tiger and a Level Nine Red Flame Lion King.

"What do you think? Pretty exciting, right?" Holman said, fired up. "They're both fully grown Level Nine Magical Beasts. This fight's going to be spectacular."

Akes nodded, his gaze fixed on the Red Flame Lion King. Since they were both fire-element magical beasts, he could sense the violent power within it. A Level Nine Magical Beast was equivalent to a human expert at the Ninth Rank Peak, or even stronger.

The fight began soon after.

The two beasts clashed, lightning and flames intertwining as deafening roars echoed over the arena. The audience cheered and shouted, the atmosphere electric.

Akes watched quietly. He wasn't focused on who would win, but on the way the beasts fought. The Thunder-Patterned Tiger was incredibly fast, each pounce carrying the power of thunder. The Red Flame Lion King had a formidable defense, and its flames were devastating.

Each had its strengths and weaknesses.

As he watched, he considered how he would fight an opponent like that. Could the Fallen Heart Flame break through the Red Flame Lion King's defenses? How many pounces from the Thunder-Patterned Tiger could Ice Block withstand? Could Teleportation be useful in battle?

The fight lasted half an hour. In the end, the Red Flame Lion King proved superior, smashing the Thunder-Patterned Tiger's head with one swipe of its paw. Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands, and Holman jumped up to applaud.

"That was worth it! What a fight!" Holman said, his face flushed with excitement. "That was a real thrill!"

Akes stood. "Come on. I'll buy you a drink."

"Hey, it's not every day you offer." Holman's eyes lit up. "Let's go. I know a great place."

They left the beast arena. Holman led Akes through a maze of turns before ducking into a narrow alley and stopping in front of an unassuming little tavern.

"Don't be fooled by the out-of-the-way location. The drinks are great." Holman pushed the door open, and the aroma of wine wafted out.

There weren't many people in the tavern. A few old men sat in a corner, drinking and chatting. The two found a table by the window, and Holman confidently ordered two jugs of wine and several small dishes.

"Do you come here often?" Akes asked.

"Every now and then." Holman poured himself a cup. "An old friend of mine runs the place. He used to be an adventurer, traveled far and wide, and knows a lot. He's got a stock of good wine."

When the wine arrived, Akes took a sip. It was indeed good, smooth going down with a strong kick afterward.

As they drank and talked, Holman began telling him more strange tales he'd heard from all over. A noble in the O'Brien Empire who kept a Saint-level magical beast as a pet, a rare deep-sea magical whale spotted near the North Sea, and adventurers discovering an ancient ruin in the south.

The ancient ruin brought to mind what the old man had said a few days earlier.

"Has the south been lively lately?"

Holman blinked. "You've heard about it too? Apparently, someone discovered an ancient ruin. No one knows the details yet, but plenty of people have already headed there. Why, are you interested?"

"Just curious." Akes raised his cup. "An eighth-level mage would only be walking to their death in there."

"Can't argue with that." Holman laughed. "At our level, we're better off staying in the Imperial Capital, drinking and watching the show."

They drank for a while longer, then went their separate ways once it was completely dark.

Akes returned to the Earl's Mansion. Aunt Martha had already prepared dinner. He ate a few bites, then went to the study to deal with the letters that had piled up that day.

One of them was a report from the family trust in the Fenlai Kingdom. It was all routine matters: the territory's harvest, the businesses' performance, and so on. Akes read it, signed it, and put it in the folder for outgoing correspondence.

Night had fallen. He stood and went to the window.

The Imperial Capital was as quiet as ever at night. Some lights still glimmered in the distance, in the direction of the beast arena. The night matches were probably still underway.