Old Acquaintance

Marlene's face was cold. Since birth, she had never been treated this way. As a rare magical prodigy in her family, her parents, kin, and even the professors at the magic academy had always treated her with the utmost courtesy. She was proud and self-assured, unlike those wastrels who grew up in luxury, losing themselves and looking down on everyone. She had always kept her family motto in mind, never once slacking.

Regarding Rhode's demands, Marlene felt the first was difficult but acceptable. However, the second demand was something she absolutely could not tolerate!

Marlene had always been confident in her strength. She had received formal magical education since the age of six. Ten years had passed, and she had lived up to expectations, breaking through the limitations of the Outer Ring to enter the Mid-Ring realm. Although she hadn't made much progress since stepping into the Mid-Ring, she wasn't worried. Just as her mentor said, what she lacked was not knowledge, but practical combat experience. In terms of spell comprehension, she was already on par with her mentor.

And now, Rhode's words were a blatant denial of her ten years of hard work!

This was something Marlene could not accept under any circumstances.

"Mr. Rhode, I can understand the first condition, but I cannot accept the second!"

Marlene raised her head proudly, staring straight at Rhode without the slightest wavering. Sensing her gaze, Rhode raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Old Hank, on the other hand, prayed inwardly: Let the deal fall through, let it fall through. If it falls through, everything will be fine...

"Why?"

"Because you don't understand my strength!"

Marlene's words were righteous. It was their first meeting; he couldn't possibly discern her power. Furthermore, she had heard from Old Hank that this young man was a swordsman, not a mage. If he were a mage, she might accept some pointers for the sake of their traveling together. But a swordsman who played with blades and guns trying to command a mage in battle? Did he really understand the situation?

Marlene gritted her teeth. She wanted to jump up and point at Rhode's nose to berate him, but her refined upbringing forced her to calm down. After all, the other party hadn't lost his composure; if she were to lose hers, it would reflect poorly on the reputation of the Sennia family. As a scion of the family, her every word and action was no longer just about herself.

Facing Marlene's rebuttal, Rhode stood up. This action made Old Hank feel a surge of joy, thinking that this stubborn young man couldn't take it anymore and intended to kick her out. Thank the heavens, kid, you'd better curse her hard. If you can make this young lady so angry that she leaves Deepstone City and goes home, that would be for the best... Thinking this, Old Hank stood up as well, intending to play the peacemaker before they started arguing—but Rhode's next sentence made Old Hank nearly vomit blood.

"Then, let's put it to the test."

"No problem!"

Marlene was straightforward. Upon hearing this, she stood up and nodded immediately. No one noticed that Old Hank's face was turning from black to purple, then purple to black, shifting through a kaleidoscope of colors.

Just then, a voice came from the stairs.

"Mr. Rhode, breakfast is ready. What are you..."

Lize walked down the stairs, looking curiously at the two in the hall. She glanced at Old Hank with surprise, then subconsciously shifted her gaze to Marlene. The moment she saw her, Lize stopped in her tracks, standing frozen.

"Are you... Marlene?"

"Lize!"

Marlene followed the voice. Upon seeing Lize standing by the stairs, her stern, icy expression thawed instantly, replaced by a sunny, radiant smile.

"Lize! Is it really you? I never imagined I'd see you here! Where have you been all these years? I've been looking for you, but I could never find you. Why are you in Deepstone City? Are you alright?"

The previously composed young lady finally displayed the cheerfulness appropriate for her age. Marlene trotted over to Lize, excitedly grabbing her hands and shaking them. Faced with Marlene's enthusiasm, Lize's expression was somewhat awkward. She even stole a few glances at Rhode, as if worried about something.

They know each other?

Taking in this scene, Rhode felt a bit surprised. Honestly, while he gave off a mysterious vibe himself, Lize also had quite a few unknown factors—her Half-Angel lineage and the knowledge only nobles would possess. Now, she even knew Marlene Sennia?

Judging by this young lady's attitude toward others, Lize couldn't be a servant or subordinate; otherwise, Marlene wouldn't be so enthusiastic.

What exactly was her identity?

"I'm fine, Marlene."

Sensing Rhode's playful gaze, Lize felt a wave of panic. She hurriedly let go of her hands and deliberately changed the subject.

"Why are you here? Weren't you in the Golden City..."

"I've entered the Mid-Ring realm. To help me progress further, my mentor sent me out to travel and accumulate combat experience. Yesterday, I heard there was a vacancy here, so I came to see if I had a chance... What about you, Lize? Why are you here?"

"I... after that, I've been here ever since." Lize's voice was very soft, as if afraid of being heard by Rhode, but she quickly looked up at Marlene with concern.

"Are you really determined to join the mercenary group? Marlene, this isn't a game. Our mission this time is very dangerous..."

"I've decided. I must join."

Marlene had long since cast her unpleasantness with Rhode to the back of her mind. In her view, having finally reunited with an old friend, how could she let her go? However, at that moment, Rhode poured a bucket of cold water on the overexcited lady.

"Don't be so quick to decide, Miss Marlene. I don't think you've passed my test yet."

Hearing Rhode's words, Marlene's face darkened. She returned to her stern, arrogant self and turned to face Rhode.

"Of course, I won't run away. Because I also want to see exactly how strong you are."

"No problem."

Rhode was never one to drag things out, and Marlene was clearly just as decisive. Once they reached an agreement, they didn't waste any more breath. Soon, they arrived at the garden outside—and until this moment, Lize still hadn't figured out what was going on.

"I won't hold back."

Removing her cloak, Marlene said quietly. At this moment, she had returned to being the Marlene of the Sennia family, not the cheerful, lively girl Lize knew.

Her luxurious purple mage robe accentuated her graceful figure, with patterns on the collar and cuffs signifying her family's honor. The girl held a short staff inlaid with a ruby, looking solemn and serious. Marlene stood quietly on the ground not far from Rhode, eyes lowered, gazing at the floor.

Elemental Mage, Mid-Ring Seventh Layer. In terms of player levels, that's just over level fifteen...

With a single glance, Rhode saw through her details based on her equipment. The ruby was fire-attributed, and Marlene's robe had several defensive magic arrays, indicating the wearer had completely abandoned active defense. From this, combined with his first impression of this young lady, Rhode had already guessed her combat style.

As a former guild leader, Rhode had engaged in countless PKs, so he was very familiar with this. Not to mention that compared to the random combinations of players, NPCs had quite fixed equipment sets. To Rhode, this girl was already an open book.

But contrary to Rhode's confidence, Marlene felt like a mouse trying to bite a turtle—there was nowhere to start.

Because Rhode, standing before her, made no move. He didn't draw a sword, nor did he adopt any stance. He just stood there quietly, looking so relaxed that it didn't seem like a battle, but rather as if he were waiting for someone.

This put Marlene in a difficult spot. It wasn't that she hadn't fought before, but such a childish battle... However, a young lady was still a young lady. Though she couldn't figure out what Rhode was up to, she quickly changed her mindset and stopped thinking about it. No matter what schemes or tricks he wants to play, as long as I fight according to my own plan, I will surely win!

With this thought in mind, Marlene made up her mind.

"Migcl!" (Flame)

Accompanied by a high-pitched incantation, the young girl lunged forward half a step and raised the staff in her hand. A bright red, scorching beam of fire erupted from it, flying straight toward Rhode. The surrounding air began to heat up instantly, and sparks even flickered across the ground. The weeds were ignited and reduced to ash so quickly that it was as if they had bypassed the burning process entirely.

The raging inferno swallowed Rhode's figure in an instant, drawing gasps from the two onlookers. Unlike them, however, Marlene's heart sank; she could clearly feel that she hadn't hit her target! She had missed!

But a genius is a genius, after all.

The moment she sensed something was wrong, Marlene gripped her staff tightly and slammed it hard against the ground.

"Jir!" (Storm)

A violent whirlwind spiraled rapidly from beneath the girl's feet, expanding outward as the sharp air condensed into blades of wind that emitted a faint whistling sound. Not only that, but within the raging cyclone, specks of ice dust appeared from time to time, adding a chilling aura to the mix.

A favorite daughter is truly a favorite daughter.

Watching Marlene's performance, Rhode couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. In the game, mages were the most overpowered class, bar none, and it turned out they were just as formidable in reality. Although, strictly speaking, Marlene was only five levels higher than Rhode, looking at her current destructive power—two Rhodes wouldn't even compare.

Among the players, there was once a saying: when a mage is in a PK, they don't even need to see where the enemy is. As long as they cast all their skills once, even if they die, they'll at least be able to take someone down with them.

From this, one can see just how strong and terrifying the mage class is.

However, to Rhode, while Marlene's performance was excellent, it was not flawless. The most obvious issue was that she didn't actually know what she was doing. In fact, while Marlene was attacking, Rhode had already activated Shadow Blink to reach her blind spot, lurking there silently. Marlene's initial reaction was fast; she quickly abandoned her offense and cast Storm Guard to avoid being ambushed, but—if she couldn't quickly locate the source of the threat, passive defense would only lead to a counterproductive result.

Rhode flipped his right hand, and then, he lashed out forward.