Chapter Thirteen: First Encounter with a Mage

Soon, led by Rod, the group arrived at a bustling small street nearby and found the hotel they often went to. Upon entering the hotel, the crowded crowd made them complain in frustration. They rarely saw so many people usually—why had they all appeared suddenly today?

“Hey, there’s a table over there! Let’s go quickly!” After scanning the area, Kambi exclaimed excitedly after finally finding an empty seat.

“Come on, let’s go!” Rod said, leading the group swiftly in that direction.

“Hehe, great! Time to order. Damn, it took us so long to find a seat—today, everyone, eat well for me!” With money in his pocket, Rod felt more confident. Although it was only three gold coins, it was enough for a decent meal at such a small shop, with some left over.

“Could we have that table over there?” Yet, as if today was destined to be turbulent, just as they relaxed and prepared to enjoy a good meal, a cold voice asked.

At the same time, it seemed half of the restaurant suddenly fell silent; the noise from before disappeared, leaving only faint whispers. Rod and his group felt as if everyone’s gaze had turned toward them at that moment!

Hearing that cold tone, Rod frowned. The way they spoke annoyed him greatly.

Looking up, he saw three people standing in front of them—two men and one woman. Both men wore standard knight armor, one with golden armor and the other with pure white. As for the woman, she was dressed in a light green robe.

A mage! It was indeed a mage! Mages were symbols of status; any mage could be considered a noble of the empire. Across the continent, mages were a profession respected and admired by everyone.

Put simply, mages were humans blessed by the gods. On the entire continent, mages were born with superiority. Especially a powerful mage—not only would they be admired by everyone but would also be a treasure to a nation, receiving great attention and reverence.

No wonder the once noisy shop had suddenly become quiet! The appearance of a mage was enough to make everyone stop talking and watch carefully.

Don’t even talk about such small shops; even the number of magicians in Blaze City is no more than the count on one hand! After all, this is just a small town, and having a magician here is considered a luxury.

Magicians, like warriors, are also divided into three tiers and nine ranks! Junior magicians are categorized into apprentice magicians, junior magicians, intermediate magicians, and senior magicians. Intermediate magicians are further divided into grand magicians and archmages. As for the highest tier, the third tier, they are divided into archmages and supreme archmages. Magicians at this level are extremely rare across the continent, and everyone in any country desires them greatly—they are truly powerful beings. As for the most powerful being, the God of Magic, it goes without saying; they are beyond that category altogether.

The magician in front of him, dressed in a light green robe, was only a junior magician. Although it was unknown which specific category he belonged to, his robe was enough to indicate his status. Even though he was just a junior magician, he still commanded everyone’s respect.

The group of three gave off a sense of grandeur, especially since the magician and the two warriors, with their armor, clearly indicated their important status.

Rod, who had seen a magician for the first time, couldn’t help but feel impressed inwardly. Indeed, they were different—there was an air of dignity at first glance. Although the magician covered his face with a veil, it didn’t matter; Rod didn’t care! Looking at the magician, a playful smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

“A magician? Hehe, I’ve finally seen one in real life. Damn it! What’s so great about being a magician?” Rod thought to himself at that moment.

“I used to be able to torment those damned magicians in games, and I can do it now too!” A wicked idea popped into his mind.

“Give us this spot!” Seeing that Rod and the others remained silent, the man in golden armor at the front continued to speak coldly, frowning impatiently. His tone now clearly carried an authoritative command.

If it weren’t for Alice’s words, he, as a Bronze Warrior, would never have come to this desolate place called Blaze City! Coming here was one thing, but who would have thought that when it was time to eat, he couldn’t find a seat in any of the nearby restaurants? Finally, he found a spot here, only to have it taken by this group of people. This situation made him feel utterly humiliated in front of Alice.

“Who are you again? You think just saying so means I’ll comply? I’ve been wasting my time here for so long!” Rod raised his eyebrows in annoyance at the man’s words, then pretended to be surprised and asked.

“You’re seeking death!!” The warrior, who hadn’t expected such a response, immediately changed his expression and said coldly, getting close to Rod’s face with a threatening tone.

“I’m so scared! Damn it, do you think I was raised by fear? Threatening me?! I’m not giving in today. What do you want?” Rod took a deep breath and retorted loudly, staring back at the angry man. With a modern mindset, he wasn’t affected by the mentality of people in this world at all and paid no attention to them!

Having never endured such humiliation, he was completely taken aback by Rod’s words. His face turned pale and red as he glanced at the two people beside him, especially the female mage on his left, whose face turned even redder. At the same time, his hand reached for the somewhat luxurious and flashy sword at his waist.

“What, you’re going to use force just because you can’t argue?” Seeing the other man’s action, Rod narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered. While questioning him, he scanned the surroundings, preparing for the worst and ready to run away. Of course, deep down, he believed the man wouldn’t actually strike. Somehow, he had a feeling that this person wouldn’t act, and even if he did, the other two would stop him—especially the warrior in white armor who had remained indifferent throughout.

Suddenly, the entire restaurant fell into an extremely tense atmosphere, filled with a heavy sense of hostility that made the mood even more oppressive.

“Cough, cough… Sir, please, don’t use force! Hehe, please don’t. At least show some mercy. My small shop can’t afford trouble! Knight Rod, what do you really want? Don’t you think you’ve already caused enough trouble? I tell you, there are people from Vidoc outside. I advise you to leave quickly. Can you really afford to offend such great magicians and warriors?”

At that moment, the restaurant owner also noticed what was happening and rushed over to Rod and the furious warrior, trying to defuse the situation. At the same time, he turned to Rod and shouted, winking as if to convey something. Having run the shop for so many years, he was actually quite familiar with Rod. He hoped that this time Rod would sensibly give way, so that everyone could be happy!

“Boss, don’t be impulsive. We can’t afford to mess with them!” Meanwhile, Jerome pulled Rod’s sleeve and whispered in his ear, his voice filled with concern.

“Kid, I’m giving you one last chance to move aside. I, Anderson, want this spot today! Don’t force me to use force!” Pushing aside the man in front of him, the man in golden armor continued to speak coldly.

“I’ll say it one last time—don’t dream it. I’m not easily intimidated, so don’t threaten me!” Rod retorted coldly, refusing to back down.

Their eyes met in the air, marking the beginning of their confrontation!

For a moment, everyone held their breath, watching what would happen to Rod. The atmosphere became extremely tense!

Seeing the situation on the verge of erupting, many of the onlookers left quickly after a brief silence. They didn’t want to get involved in such a situation for no reason, especially not risk getting hurt by those guys. Soon, only a few troublemakers remained, and the restaurant fell back into silence. Only the restaurant owner was sweating profusely!

He knew that if the two really started fighting, no matter the outcome, he would be the one to suffer the most—and no one would cover those losses.

“Anderson, forget it. There are seats over there. Let’s go!”

Just then, as Anderson drew his long sword, ready to swing it at Rod’s head, and Rod felt a chill run down his spine, the white-armored warrior who had remained silent throughout finally spoke.

He simply stretched out a hand and grabbed Anderson’s right shoulder, stopping him in his tracks, before saying calmly, “Kiro, you…”

Clearly unexpecting Kiro to stop him at this moment, Anderson turned back with a puzzled look at Kiro, who was holding him back, and growled in dissatisfaction.

“Andersen, don’t cause trouble. Let’s go over there!” At the same time, the mysterious female mage finally spoke in a calm voice. Rod and the others present were momentarily stunned by her pleasant voice, which inspired endless imagination. At that moment, they even began to picture the appearance of this enigmatic female mage in their minds. “Damn you, lucky bastard!” Perhaps influenced by the mage’s words, Anderson glared fiercely at Rod before coldly saying that. He then swiftly sheathed his drawn sword and, with a look of resentment, followed his two companions to the empty seats on the other side. “Huh… Knight Rod. Damn it, are you good for nothing but causing trouble? If we really fight today, you’ll have to cover all my losses!” Seeing the situation finally calm down, the shop owner let out a long sigh and complained, quickly calling a worker to clear the table for the mages. “Boss, you’re too harsh! How dare you confront people like them!” After everything settled, Jerome, standing beside Rod, smiled helplessly and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Hmph, what’s there to fear? They’re just mages. Relying on others’ power… Hmph, one day I’ll make her groan under me. Then we’ll see how arrogant you all can be!” With a disdainful glance, Rod muttered those words. Hearing Rod’s words, Sambik and the others almost spat out the tea in their mouths and hurriedly glanced toward the mages. Seeing that they didn’t react, they finally breathed a sigh of relief—otherwise, things could have really gotten out of control.