I'm Going to Be a Mage!!!

The Dagger of Calling was still stained with Demi-Human blood.

Clearly, Melina and the others had been caught up in the earlier riot and melee as well.

But since they had been on the outskirts, the impact had not been severe.

Still, one could imagine that without Melina's protection, the blind Irina would have already been torn apart by now.

Come to think of it, as a Finger Maiden, Melina could not possibly have been utterly helpless.

It was only because she was currently in spirit form and too far from the Erdtree that her power could not be fully unleashed.

But dealing with a few ordinary Demi-Humans who had slipped through the net was no problem.

Just as Xia Tong was about to say something.

"Bzzz—"

A slender phantom of a Minor Erdtree, roughly two meters tall, sprang from the ground beside Xia Tong.

Gentle, warm light spilled down, seeping deep beneath his skin.

That was an incantation—Minor Erdtree.

The light soothed the minor hidden injuries Xia Tong had suffered from the scattered crystals, as well as the exhaustion in his body and mind.

"Melina, it's so good to have you."

Feeling the warmth flow through him, Xia Tong nearly teared up.

This was the benefit of having such a dependable woman by his side.

"Lord Xia Tong, you sound rather tired."

Irina asked worriedly, her hand groping through the air.

"Of course. I nearly died."

Xia Tong took her hand and smiled helplessly.

"If it had been even fifteen minutes later, I'd have died here."

In terms of individual strength alone, the Demi-Human Queen had actually been weaker than the Night's Cavalry from before.

But the problem was that the Demi-Human Queen had far too many underlings.

Seventy or eighty of them!

They had nearly drowned Xia Tong and the others in numbers.

If the Spirit Ashes had not maintained a defensive formation, and if Xia Tong had not had Torrent's high mobility, they might truly have been finished.

Xia Tong turned to look at the Spirit Ashes' battle group.

It was a miserable sight.

Only one Stray Wolf remained, limping as it licked its wounds.

Only one Fanged Imp remained as well. The other had already dissipated and returned to the Spirit Ashes.

Kulala had suffered the worst. This time, she had been seriously injured, her tentacles severed and the glow of her body dimmed.

The two Godrick Soldiers were not doing well either. Their armor was battered and torn, though fortunately, both were still here.

Heart aching, Xia Tong summoned them back one by one to recuperate.

Then he walked over to the enormous corpse and bent down to pick up the Demi-Human Queen's staff.

Under the moonlight, he examined it carefully.

The Demi-Human Queen's Staff was entirely a sickly, eerie pale white.

The material of the shaft felt cool to the touch, smooth and exquisitely crafted.

It felt as though it had been repeatedly polished from high-quality metal, yet it carried an organic texture similar to ivory.

A fist-sized purplish-red gemstone was set into the head of the staff.

This glintstone was far larger and purer than the small, fragmented stones embedded in ordinary glintstone staffs.

It had been polished into a perfect sphere and stood high at the top.

Overall, it looked more like a scepter than a mere tool for casting sorcery.

Xia Tong was naturally very familiar with this staff.

It was a "gift" Raya Lucaria Academy had bestowed upon the Demi-Human Queens.

It was also a conciliatory gesture humans had offered to placate the Demi-Human tribes.

Xia Tong vaguely remembered the weapon's description. Many of the academy's "orthodox" sorcerers would secretly mock the Demi-Human Queens who used this staff.

Because this staff did not require much Intelligence to wield.

In their eyes, it was a toy for low-intelligence creatures.

But Xia Tong knew that the Demi-Human Queen's Staff was one of the strongest staffs in the early stages.

Below 40 Intelligence, its damage scaling was exceptionally high.

It was only slightly weaker than the Meteorite Staff in Caelid.

And even for Xia Tong as he was now, going to retrieve the Meteorite Staff would essentially be a one-way trip.

Caelid was a hellish place overrun by Scarlet Rot.

A few Kindred of Rot attacking him on the road could easily reap Xia Tong's life.

More importantly, the Demi-Human Queen's Staff could be upgraded.

That meant it had tremendous potential for growth and would not become outdated for a long time.

Satisfied, Xia Tong stowed the staff at his waist, then carried his greatsword and continued patrolling the ruins.

The torchlight swayed in the wind, casting shifting light and shadow across Xia Tong's face.

Miss Irina quietly followed at his side, tightly clutching the hem of Xia Tong's clothes and refusing to leave even a step behind.

At the deepest part of the ruins, Xia Tong finally found a room that was relatively intact.

The walls on all four sides had not collapsed, and it was comparatively dry and sheltered from the wind.

The floor was covered with thick dry straw, while the corner held several human-used tools and clay jars.

On a dust-covered table in the corner.

A single red plant lay alone.

Xia Tong approached with his torch raised and picked it up for a closer look.

It was a strange dark-red leaf with thick veins like blood vessels.

It looked like sedimented blood, glimmering with an eerie sheen beneath the firelight.

The moment he touched it, Xia Tong felt warmth spread through his fingertips.

The blood throughout his body seemed to surge, and his emotions inexplicably became excited.

"This should be an Arteria Leaf."

This rare material could stimulate one's potential and be used to craft advanced enhancement items.

Xia Tong naturally treated it as a priceless treasure and carefully tucked it away.

Then he continued searching.

Inside several shattered clay jars, he found a few scattered Golden Runes [1].

As well as a small, strangely shaped shield.

The shield was forged from dull metal, its edges sharp.

Most eye-catching of all was the face carved into its surface.

It looked like a priestess whose eyes had been blinded by thorns. Her expression was pained and twisted, as if she were howling silently.

Xia Tong stared at that face for several seconds, feeling physically uncomfortable, a chill running down his spine.

He gently gripped the shield's handle and stopped looking at the face.

Something miraculous happened.

The instant he grasped the shield, he felt the chaotic stray thoughts in his mind swept away.

His focus seemed to improve tremendously, and his thoughts became clearer than ever before.

"Shield of the Guilty."

Xia Tong quietly spoke its name.

He had used this shield a few times in his previous life as well.

It was one of the very few special shields with a "bleed" attack effect.

Moreover, its inherent 40-point Focus boost could effectively increase its user's resistance to sleep and madness.

Xia Tong tried tightening his grip on the shield, his gaze darkening.

He held the thorn-covered Shield of the Guilty before his chest and assumed a charging stance.

Skill—Shield Bash.

Driven by his will, the spiritual power in his mind instantly surged into his left arm.

The Shield of the Guilty glowed faintly, and the thorn reliefs upon it seemed to come alive under the stimulation of magic.

They became more savage, sharper.

Xia Tong suddenly strode forward!

"Ha!"

His entire body shot forward like a cannonball, crashing into the ruined wall before him.

"Boom!"

The already dilapidated wall immediately collapsed, dust flying everywhere as broken stones tumbled down.

"Hiss—"

Xia Tong sucked in a sharp breath. His left arm throbbed with intense soreness and numbness.

The recoil was far too strong.

In terms of pure defensive toughness, this small shield was indeed somewhat inferior to Barricade Shield.

But in terms of flexibility and the destructive power of counterattacks, it absolutely surpassed Barricade Shield.

Xia Tong shook his arm, easing the numbness.

Once he became proficient with Barricade Shield and turned it into a technique he could personally master, he would be able to use it with the Shield of the Guilty—capable of both offense and defense.

"Wait, what's that?"

Xia Tong's gaze passed through the dust hanging over the ruins.

It landed on the wall behind the pile of straw where the Demi-Human Queen had nested.

In the shadows hung a scroll.

"This architectural style resembles Raya Lucaria Academy's standard design."

Melina's cool voice sounded beside him.

Xia Tong quickly stepped forward.

The scroll's rods were made of rusted brass, and one could still vaguely make out the relief of Raya Lucaria Academy's iconic double-sided glintstone mask.

But time had eroded it badly, leaving it heavily worn.

The seal was a faded dark-blue ribbon, and broken blue wax seals could still be seen at the opening.

The pattern on the seals was the Carian Royal Family's crest—the full moon and a sword.

Xia Tong took a deep breath and slowly unrolled the scroll.

His fingers brushed over the thick parchment treated with special preservatives, his fingertips trembling faintly.

His heartbeat began to accelerate. The reason he had searched every inch of this room, of the entire Demi-Human ruins, was to find this!

He wanted to get stronger so badly.

He wanted so badly to become an honored mage!