I'm Immortal, Damn It

For nineteen straight days, An Kai had done nothing but cultivate, aside from eating, drinking, and relieving himself.

He checked his supplies at home. There wasn't much left, and he had only sixteen copper coins remaining.

An Kai decided to head into the desert to hunt and fish, helping make ends meet.

If he ran into that traveling merchant again, all the better!

After quickly packing a few things, An Kai headed out of town.

As he walked through town this time, quite a few residents took the initiative to greet An Kai.

That would have been impossible before.

The residents' change in attitude came from An Kai's current status: a First-tier Mage!

From what An Kai had learned over the past year, mages stood high above everyone else in this era, while warriors and Warlocks ranked beneath them.

Archers, lancers, knights, and other such professions held even less status than mages, warriors, and Warlocks.

Thus, among first-rank professionals, First-tier Mages were the most prestigious.

It was hardly surprising that the residents greeted An Kai first.

In some places, mages enjoyed even more exaggerated status.

After leaving town, An Kai glanced at Hanks. The yellow horse was still behind him, priced at two Lower-grade Magic Stones.

After silently cursing him as a crooked merchant, An Kai was about to head deeper into the desert.

But Hanks called him back...

"Hey! Esteemed mage, over here!"

With a teasing smile on his face, Hanks shouted to An Kai...

Beneath that teasing, however, lay a deeply concealed trace of envy...

An Kai stopped and decided to go over to Hanks to see what the old man wanted.

He had dealt with Hanks for almost a year, and the two knew each other pretty well...

"Well, look at you! The little punk's become a mighty mage!" Hanks smacked his lips, pretending to sound envious.

An Kai smiled shyly and replied with deliberate mockery, "Widow Wang invited me over to peek through her window. Heh heh heh..."

"What?!"

The moment Hanks heard the words "Widow Wang," he seemed to lose all reason.

His eyes widened as though he wanted to devour An Kai.

"Well, what did you stop me for? Tell me, and I'll tell you whether I went to peek through Widow Wang's window."

An Kai spoke with perfect composure, unhurried and unruffled.

Hanks had meant to use his information to get the upper hand over An Kai. Now he was the one being played...

"War's coming!" Hanks said irritably...

"War?" An Kai was puzzled. What did a war have to do with him?

He frowned and waited for Hanks to explain. Since Hanks had brought it up, it must have something to do with him.

"The old king of the Bukelin Duchy died, leaving five children behind, but no will naming who would succeed him."

"The old king had four sons and one daughter. The fifth princess belongs to the Bukelin Duchy's Mage Association."

"And the fifth princess is exceptionally talented. She's already a Third-Tier Mage at her young age!"

"She's also secured the support of her master, the president of the Bukelin Mage Association!"

"Before long, official mages like you will be drafted and sent to the battlefield to fight for Her Highness the Fifth Princess."

"So, do you think this has anything to do with you?"

After finishing, Hanks watched An Kai's expression grow increasingly grim and felt a satisfying release of pent-up resentment...

"You look like a crafty little bastard. Maybe you'll actually make something of yourself on the battlefield. Don't forget me when you do!"

Hanks waggled his eyebrows at An Kai.

After hearing Hanks's news, An Kai's mind churned...

War was a meat grinder.

He didn't believe a First-tier Mage like himself could distinguish himself on the battlefield.

Even less did he want to risk his life fighting for a princess he had never met!

I'm immortal, damn it, and you want me to throw my life away fighting for you?!

"Old man, is all this really true?"

Hanks folded his arms and smiled...

"I didn't go to Widow Wang's house. She's not my type."

An Kai told him what had happened between him and Widow Wang.

Hanks's eyes lit up, and his face regained its glow...

"I have my sources. If you don't believe me, go to the Mage Association. Your old president should be coming out to rally you all within a day or two!"

"Thanks!"

With that word of thanks, An Kai broke into a run. Before long, he had rushed back into town...

"He actually thanked me?" Hanks chuckled.

Then he, too, began to feel melancholy. With civil war breaking out in the Bukelin Duchy, he would have to stop doing business here...

Watching An Kai rush into town, Hanks muttered, "I'll go get Widow Wang tonight. Even if I have to use force, I'm taking her with me!"

When An Kai reached the Mage Association, the atmosphere was tense.

Just as Hanks had said, the old president had issued a call to arms only moments earlier...

He said he would personally lead them to the capital of the Bukelin Duchy in two days to fight for the fifth princess!

They were going to stake their futures on this expedition!

At the same time, he announced that the town's Mage Association would temporarily close.

Everything else would wait until the war was over.

After listening to the discussions around him, An Kai quietly slipped away.

He returned home and quickly packed a few things.

Sitting inside, he waited for night to fall.

An Kai was getting ready to flee...

He could see it clearly: the old president was practically tying his own noose. He had lived long enough.

At his age, chasing some glorious future-was this a joke?!

Whoever wanted that future could have it. An Kai certainly didn't!

His path to immortality had only just begun. He wasn't willing to take enormous risks while he was still weak...

An Kai planned to hide out elsewhere and return once the war ended.

Over the past year, he had gotten to know several places in the desert.

He had also prepared two hiding spots.

So An Kai wasn't the least bit worried about heading into the desert.

The only problem was that obtaining skill points would become more difficult.

But compared with his life, none of that mattered.

As the sky darkened, An Kai slung a small bundle over his back and quietly hurried toward the edge of town...

Only when he reached the street did he realize...

He wasn't the only one with that idea...

Many people carrying bundles large and small were just like An Kai, silently hurrying out of town...

It seemed the entire town had learned overnight that war was coming...

With war on the horizon, this frontier town was no longer safe.

They were better off heading into the desert, where no authority held sway.

Besides, the townspeople had lived here for years. They knew the desert somewhat better than An Kai did...

"You're hurting me!"

"Shh... I didn't mean to..."

"Hanks, you bastard! How dare you tie me up! Just you wait!"

"I... I'm doing this for your own good..."

Not far away, Hanks, no longer stooped, galloped off on the yellow horse with Widow Wang behind him...

The old man actually went through with it? An Kai thought. He tugged at the cloth covering his face and continued hurrying out of town with his head down...

Just then, a gentle breeze blew past...

After the wind passed, an extra bundle lay tucked against An Kai's chest...

On the third floor of the Mage Association.

The old president finished packing his bundle. Once most of the townspeople had left, a gentle breeze enveloped him, carrying him out of the Mage Association and away into the distance...

He wasn't heading toward the Buklin Capital.