Magic

The evening training had just begun a short while ago.

An stood in the queue of ten-year-old children, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Linley. Hillman was full of praise for them, saying they were the two most gifted children he had ever seen in Wushan Town.

An had just finished a set of the Qi Storing Posture, beads of sweat still hanging from his forehead. He took a deep breath and was just preparing to move on to the next training exercise when suddenly-

"Boom!"

The entire earth trembled once.

An stumbled on his footing, nearly falling over. He steadied his stance and frowned as he looked down at the ground.

"To the east!" Linley was the first to cry out.

All the children looked toward the east. The ground vibration grew increasingly clear, and that dull, heavy sound of footsteps felt as though it were hammering against everyone's heart. The three instructors-Hillman, Rory, and Roger-rapidly stepped in front of the children with grave expressions.

Then, An saw that colossal creature.

A body fully two stories tall, its hard, fiery-red scales flashing with a cold metallic luster under the setting sun. Its thick limbs required two people hugging them to barely wrap around them, and its sharp black dragon claws were deeply embedded into the earth. A dragon tail nearly half the length of its body hung behind it like a whip, and with a casual sweep, it plowed a deep trench into the ground.

A Seventh-Level Magical Beast: the Velociraptor.

An's heart thumped violently. Even though he had read the original work and knew this plot event would happen, seeing this giant beast with his own eyes made the shock from the depths of his soul still impossible to describe in words. A creature two to three stories tall stood before you, every breath exhaling white mist carrying the scent of sulfur, and its blood-red eyes the size of lanterns swept coldly over the crowd.

The surrounding children were completely dumbfounded. A few timid ones even collapsed onto the ground, trembling all over.

Linley also widened his eyes, his mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a word.

An noticed Hillman's expression turn extremely unsightly as he spat out a few words in a low voice: "A Seventh-Level Magical Beast, the Velociraptor."

"So big..." An murmured. He desperately forced himself to calm down, constantly telling himself in his heart: I know the plot, I know what is going to happen next, it's going to be fine. Yet his body's instinctive reaction refused to be controlled-his legs were trembling slightly, and his palms were drenched in sweat.

Atop the Velociraptor, a mysterious figure draped in a purple robe sat cross-legged, asking indifferently, "Is this Wushan Town?" Upon receiving Hillman's reply, the figure spoke no further and drove the Velociraptor to walk toward the center of the town.

Hillman instructed the children to stay put while he followed behind them.

An watched Hillman's retreating figure, then glanced at Linley beside him. There was worry in Linley's eyes, as well as a hard-to-suppress curiosity.

"I'm going to take a look," An suddenly said.

Linley was startled. "An, the instructor said not to go."

"Uncle Hillman is there, it will be fine." Finished speaking, An ran toward the center of the town.

Hesitating for a moment, Linley followed as well.

The brothers ran one after the other to the center of the town, hiding in the distance to watch. At that moment, the Velociraptor was confronting a mercenary squad. That squad consisted of seven people-four warriors, two female mages, a female archer-along with two magical beasts: a fifth-level Bloodthirsty Iron Bull and a fourth-level Griffin.

The mysterious mage wanted to forcibly purchase the Depelo Shadow Diamond, worth one hundred thousand gold coins, for seven hundred gold coins, and the mercenary squad refused. The instant negotiations broke down, the Velociraptor took the initiative to launch an attack-a massive stream of flame spewed from the dragon's mouth, causing the paved stone road to fracture and char under the high temperature.

The four warriors of the mercenary squad kicked up giant boulders to hurl at the mage, but they were smashed to pieces one by one by the dragon's tail. At the same time, the tail swept across, and several nearby stone houses collapsed with a crash, flying rubble scattering everywhere.

An felt his heart tighten as he watched. Those stone houses were the homes of Wushan Town's residents, and in an instant they were reduced to ruins. This was the power of the strong, capable of destroying heaven and earth and treating mortals like ants.

The two female mages finally completed their magical chanting, casting the Ice Guardian Armor onto the four warriors. The warriors charged toward the Velociraptor, while the female archer mounted the Griffin to fire arrows from the air.

Then, the tragedy occurred.

The Velociraptor's tail coiled like lightning, wrapping around a warrior named Luke and directly sending him into its mouth. Those jagged teeth interlocked and chewed, producing a teeth-setting grinding sound, and half of a crimson thigh dropped from the corner of the dragon's maw, stark white bone protruding outward at the knee joint.

Hillman reached out to block An's vision. "Don't look."

But An had already seen it.

That stench of blood seemed to rush straight to his head, his stomach churning violently, and his breathing grew as rapid as if someone had pinched his throat. That half of a thigh, those fractured bones, the fresh blood dripping from the corner of the mouth-everything was far too real, far too cruel.

An's legs grew weak, and he nearly knelt to the ground.

Yet he clenched his teeth hard.

I cannot retreat, he told himself in his heart. This is the real world. If you want to become a person of strength, you must face these things. If you don't even have the courage to look, how will you fight in the future?

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to look straight ahead.

An pushed Hillman's hand away and continued watching the battlefield.

"Linley, don't look." Hillman went to block Linley as well, but Linley actually dodged out of the way. "Uncle Hillman, I'm not afraid."

Hillman looked at the brothers, astonishment and approval flashing in his eyes, and did not stop them again.

The battle entered its most tragic phase.

That mysterious mage had been chanting in a low voice the entire time, then suddenly raised his head, an icy voice ringing across the entire area: "Dance of the Fire Serpent!"

Seven giant fire serpents tens of meters long soared into the air!

Every single fire serpent was as thick as a water vat, their scales distinct and lifelike. They writhed and roared in midair, the waves of flames sweeping in all directions, and the houses on both sides of the street began burning and collapsing the moment they touched the fire serpents. The entire battlefield transformed into an ocean of fire in the blink of an eye.

An opened his mouth wide, completely dumbfounded.

He had read the original work and knew that the Dance of the Fire Serpent was an eighth-level spell of terrifying might. Yet when this spell truly unfolded before his eyes, written descriptions appeared pale and powerless. The seven fire serpents blotted out the sky, heatwaves rushed against his face, the air was filled with a charred stench, and even breathing grew scorching hot.

The warriors, mages, and magical beasts of the mercenary squad turned to ashes one after another amid the entangling fire serpents. The miserable roars of the red-haired brawny man, the dying screams of the female mages, and the angry snorts of the Bloodthirsty Iron Bull-all of them were obliterated within the flames.

The female archer mounted the Griffin and escaped the fire serpents' range, only to be struck by a bolt of lightning, turning her entire body to ash.

An eighth-level dual-elemental mage.

An stood on the spot, not moving at all.

"So this is a magus," An murmured in his heart, "this is true power."

He felt the hot blood in his body boiling to the extreme. He yearned for the day when he, too, could stand at such a height, summoning power that could destroy the heavens and extinguish the earth with a mere wave of his hand.

Linley beside him was equally mesmerized, his fists clenched tightly.

After the battle ended, the mysterious magus picked up the Depelo Shadow Diamond from the ashes and left with wild laughter. As the lord of Wushan Town, Hogg respectfully saw off this big figure and then began arranging the aftermath.

An did not linger, turning around and returning home.

He lay on the bed, tossing and turning and unable to sleep.

"An, what's wrong?" Hogg's voice sounded outside the door.

Hogg pushed the door open and entered.

An sat up straight. "Father, I want to ask a question."

"Speak."

"Is it possible for the descendants of our Dragonblood Warrior Clan to become maguses?"

Hogg smiled. "An, you should know that maguses place great importance on talent. Out of ten thousand people, only one has the chance to become a magus. The hope is too slim."

"Father, I will strive for even a sliver of hope." An's gaze was so resolute that it didn't seem like that of an eight-year-old child.

"Every late autumn, the royal capital of Fenlai City holds magus admissions tests," Hogg said slowly. "There is still half a year until late autumn. If you really want to go, I will take you and Linley to try it out then."

An's eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?" Hogg stood up, and as he walked to the door, he glanced back. "However, An, I want to remind you-do not pin all your hopes on magic. Without magical talent, you can still walk the path of a warrior. The men of the Baruch Clan will never have only one path to walk."

"I know, Father," An replied solemnly.

During the next morning's training, An perked up and participated. After training ended, he took the initiative to find Hillman, asking many questions about warriors and maguses. Although Hillman was surprised by the child's thirst for knowledge, he still patiently answered them one by one.

Time passed day by day, and late autumn grew closer and closer.

Watching the dates on the calendar flip by day by day, the anticipation and tension in An's heart also deepened day by day.