A dark shadow passed, a ring held the Shadow Diamond

Time flew, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Wushan Town's trade routes grew ever busier, and the trading depot east of town bustled with carts and horses every day. The Baruch Trading Association's banner had already earned a modest reputation around Fenlai City. Hogg stood on the depot's second floor, watching wagons laden with goods roll away, the gloom between his brows easing somewhat. Over the past year, he had used the association's channels to establish numerous covert contacts in Fenlai City. Though the clues about his wife remained fragmentary, he finally had a few leads.

Meanwhile, in the manor's training room, the boy's figure had long since shed the childishness of the previous year.

At eight years old, Linley had grown considerably taller, and his face, stripped of its baby fat, showed a certain toughness. He still carried a five-kilogram iron weight on his back, but his legs were steady as rock when he held a horse stance, and pale golden battle qi had already become solid with every movement of his hands and feet. After a year of honing himself, he had not only firmly crossed the threshold of a Third-level Warrior but also mastered Basic Swordsmanship to perfection. When his wooden sword slashed out, it could even whistle through the air.

Hillman stood beside him, his eyes full of gratification. Over the past year, he had guided Linley's training while devoting himself to studying the Perfect-level Battle Qi Condensation Method awarded by the system. With the additional benefits of his permanent physique enhancement, the battle qi within him had grown ever more abundant and powerful. By now, he had already reached the bottleneck of a Ninth-level Warrior. Only one final, paper-thin barrier remained before he could enter the realm countless warriors dreamed of.

Just then, a deep rumbling came from the west of town. The earth seemed to tremble, and even the training room's walls shed showers of dust. Then came successive screams and the clash of weapons. Piercing roars tore through the clouds, making hearts tremble.

Hillman's expression changed drastically. He sprang up and, in a few bounds, swept onto the town wall.

On the wilderness west of town, a colossal creature was rampaging unchecked-a Velociraptor more than twenty meters long, towering as high as a two-story building. Its entire body was covered in huge, fiery-red scales, each gleaming with a cold metallic sheen that inspired fear at a glance. Its limbs were so thick that it would take two people to encircle one, and its deep-black claws were sharp as blades. Every step smashed a pit half a meter deep into the ground. Its nearly ten-meter-long tail was like a steel whip, plowing deep furrows dozens of feet long wherever it swept. Seated on this Seventh-Level Magical Beast's broad back was a mage in gray robes.

The mage looked roughly middle-aged, with a savage blade scar across his face. He held a staff set with an emerald, and faint earthen-yellow magical fluctuations surrounded him-he was a Level Seven Earth Element Mage!

Opposite them was a mercenary company in a wretched state. Its members held their weapons and resisted desperately, but against the combined strength of the Level Seven Mage and the Velociraptor, their attacks were like ants trying to shake a tree. The earth element spell Earth Spike blasted out again and again, piercing the mercenaries' bodies, while the Velociraptor occasionally spat a ball of flame or swept its tail. Blood stained a vast stretch of wilderness red.

"Hand over the Shadow Diamond, and I'll leave your corpses intact!" The gray-robed mage's voice was bone-chilling, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

The mercenary captain roared furiously, shielding a pitch-black, diamond-shaped crystal with a faint flowing sheen against his chest. "Dream on! We paid three lives for this Shadow Diamond! Even if we destroy it, we'll never give it to you!"

"You're courting death!" Killing intent surged in the gray-robed mage's eyes. With a sweep of his staff, a thick Earth Wall rose from the ground, completely sealing off the mercenaries' retreat. Immediately afterward, earthen-yellow magical light gathered at his fingertips, and an immensely powerful Meteorite spell took shape.

Boom!

The meteorite fell, and the earth shook violently. The mercenary company's final line of defense was utterly torn apart. Just before he died, the captain used his last ounce of strength to hurl the Shadow Diamond toward Wushan Town. But it had flown only a few dozen feet before the gray-robed mage casually caught it with a Wind Blade and tucked it into his robes.

The gray-robed mage snorted coldly and casually sent another Wind Blade to slash the captain's corpse to pieces before patting the Velociraptor's neck. The Velociraptor let out a deafening roar, turned, and raced into the distance, each step making the ground tremble. The mage paid no attention whatsoever to Hillman on the town wall-in his eyes, a guard from a remote little town was not worthy of his notice.

Hillman had watched everything from the town wall, cold sweat already seeping into his palms. A Level Seven Earth Element Mage was powerful enough on his own; paired with a level seven Velociraptor with astonishing defenses and terrifying offensive power, they could raze all of Wushan Town. But a cold glint soon flashed through his eyes as the system's notification suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Level Seven Earth Element Mage detected seizing the Shadow Diamond and slaughtering a mercenary company. Emergency mission triggered.]

[Mission one: Recover the Shadow Diamond.]

[Mission two: Kill the level seven gray-robed mage and the Velociraptor.]

[Mission two reward: One portion of earth element magic insights; host's earth element affinity raised to high.]

[Mission one reward: One Space Ring with a capacity of 10 cubic meters.]

[Failure penalty: None.]

Hillman was delighted. High earth element affinity and earth element magic insights would give him a tremendous advantage when facing earth element magic, and could even lay the groundwork for him to explore magic in the future. A Space Ring with a capacity of 10 cubic meters was an even rarer storage treasure. He was now a peak Eighth-level Warrior, only one step away from level nine, and with the method awarded by the system to bolster him, he might well be capable of putting up a fight. Moreover, the mage had just fought a major battle and must have expended a considerable amount of magical power.

He alerted no one, not even saying goodbye to Hogg and Linley. His figure became a blur as he pursued the gray-robed mage and the Velociraptor in the direction they had gone.

Deep in the dense forest outside Wushan Town, the gray-robed mage was driving the Velociraptor slowly onward. Its enormous body snapped numerous trees as thick as the mouth of a bowl, leaving a trail of devastation. The mage's brows were tightly furrowed as he inwardly cursed his rotten luck. This Shadow Diamond had delayed him for so long, though fortunately, he had obtained it in the end. He had no idea that a deadly shadow was silently closing in.

"Roar-"

The Velociraptor suddenly stopped. Its lantern-sized crimson eyes scanned its surroundings as it let out a wary roar, its nostrils flaring as it sensed a potential threat.

The gray-robed mage's expression changed. He was about to cast a spell when a swift figure suddenly shot out of the dense forest. Hillman held the Fine Iron Long Spear, battle qi surging around him, its pale silver radiance as brilliant as moonlight. The spear tip drove straight for the gray-robed mage's throat.

"Who are you?" Shocked and furious, the gray-robed mage hastily cast an earth wall.

Boom!

The spear pierced the earth wall. Battle qi erupted, and the spear tip grazed the gray-robed mage's shoulder, leaving a wound deep enough to expose bone.

"An Eighth-level Warrior!" The gray-robed mage was shocked and frightened. He had never imagined he would encounter a peak Eighth-level Warrior in such a remote place. Not daring to hesitate, he waved his staff repeatedly, unleashing Earth Spike, Earth Wall, and Meteorite in succession while shouting, "Velociraptor, kill him!"

The Velociraptor's ferocity erupted. It opened its gaping maw and lunged at Hillman, its foul breath rushing into his face. Hillman moved nimbly through the dense forest like an ape, evading one magical attack after another and the Velociraptor's snapping jaws. Knowing how hard its scales were, he dared not meet it head-on. The spear in his hands struck like a venomous snake darting from its lair, targeting weak points such as the gaps between its scales.

"Just in time!" A fierce glint flashed in Hillman's eyes. As the Velociraptor clawed at him, he advanced rather than retreating. He twisted aside to dodge while clenching his left fist, concentrating his battle qi to its limit, and slammed a vicious punch into the Velociraptor's eye-one of the few places on its body unprotected by scales.

"Awooo-!"

The Velociraptor let out a shrill scream, its enormous body shaking violently as dark-red blood flowed from its lantern-sized eye. Thoroughly enraged, it swept its tail wildly and rammed with its head, making the entire dense forest tremble.

The gray-robed mage seized the opportunity to cast a spell, sending a thick earth spike stabbing toward Hillman's back. Sensing the danger behind him, Hillman abruptly rolled. The spike grazed his back and plunged into the ground, throwing up a mass of soil. Using the momentum of his roll, he suddenly accelerated and thrust his spear at the gray-robed mage's chest.

Caught off guard, the gray-robed mage had his heart pierced by the spear. His eyes filled with unwillingness as his body slid limply from the Velociraptor's back.

[Ding! Level seven gray-robed mage killed. Mission two progress updated. Remaining objective: Kill the level seven Velociraptor.]

Without its master's commands, the Velociraptor became even more frenzied, charging blindly about. Hillman knew a prolonged fight would put him at a disadvantage. Using his faint perception of earth elements, he anticipated the Velociraptor's movements and evaded its attacks time after time. When one of its charges missed and it lost its balance, Hillman leaped into the air. Gathering all his battle qi into his spear, he drove it savagely into the Velociraptor's skull like a shooting star.

Crack!

The sound of shattering bone rang out. The Velociraptor abruptly stopped moving, its massive body swaying before crashing to the ground. After a few twitches, it fell still.

[Ding! Level seven Velociraptor killed. Mission two complete. Rewards issued: One portion of earth element magic insights; host's earth element affinity raised to high.]

A warm current instantly swept through Hillman's entire body. He could clearly feel that the earth elements all around him had become incredibly receptive, as though they were within reach. With a casual beckoning gesture, loose stones rose from the ground and moved slowly according to his will.

"High elemental affinity really is extraordinary!" Feeling thoroughly pleased, Hillman put away his spear, then climbed onto the Velociraptor's corpse and carefully searched the Storage Bag the gray-robed mage had dropped. Soon, he found the pitch-black Shadow Diamond with its faint flowing sheen.

[Ding! Shadow Diamond recovered. Mission one complete. Reward issued: One Space Ring with a capacity of 10 cubic meters. You may bind it yourself.]

At a thought from Hillman, a pitch-black ring engraved with intricate patterns appeared in his palm. He bound it with a drop of blood, instantly establishing a connection with it. When he extended his awareness inside, he found an extremely spacious interior of roughly 10 cubic meters.

"What a treasure!" Hillman murmured in praise. He put the ring on his finger, then stored the Velociraptor's Magic Crystal Core, the mage's staff, and all the Magic Scrolls inside the Space Ring. The Velociraptor's corpse was too enormous to fit even within its 10 cubic meters of space, so he could only leave it there for the time being. Only after finishing all this did he turn and walk slowly toward Wushan Town.

The sun sank in the west, its lingering light spilling through the dense forest and stretching Hillman's shadow long, long behind him.

Meanwhile, in Baruch Manor, Linley was swinging his wooden sword, his clothes soaked through with sweat. He did not know that while he devoted himself to training, Hillman had already eliminated a crisis for him and Wushan Town-one that could have destroyed the entire town.

A greater storm was quietly brewing. And through these repeated trials, the strength protecting Wushan Town was growing ever more powerful.