Chapter 92: A Certain Type of Person (4)

I thought I had deliberately forgotten it, but once the seal on my left hand was damaged, that feeling suddenly intensified. It was as if another version of myself was speaking to me…
“Incredible that you could get so involved with those little brats…”
“You’re doing well, in such a completely unfamiliar world…”
Yes, this is indeed a strange world—no computers, no TVs, no appliances that use electricity. It’s a world of magic.
I must have cared about it all along, but laughably, I didn’t even realize it. Perhaps that hexagram magician had some effect that suppressed all negative feelings—loneliness included…
That Arges guy, always acting like he knows what kind of person I am!
No one will ever understand…
Sure enough, I still can’t truly integrate into this world. I can’t act like the people here, even though I’ve come to this long-desired world of magic… Apparently, I never really wanted true power. Learning magic was merely a way to pass the time. After all, I have no future here—no goals, no desires, no ideals. It seems I left them behind in my last world…
Why on earth should I learn magic?
This question sounds familiar. It seems someone has asked me this more than once…
I remember my answer was that I simply wanted to learn magic…
But why? To pass the time? To get rid of the loneliness in my heart? Or… to protect important people?
Damn it… I can’t remember!
Sure enough, there’s a gap in my memory. Why?
Could it be related to the magic array on the back of my hand?
What kind of magic array is this anyway? I’ve never heard of one that can repair itself…
And what about that strange dark force inside me?
It feels both familiar and strange…
Ah, so troublesome. I don’t want to think about it. I’ll just lie here. Thinking is the most troublesome thing…
Don’t think about anything, don’t do anything. Just lie quietly…
Hm? It seems there’s a voice…
“If you’re tired of this world, then sleep… Yes, once you sleep, you won’t feel anything anymore… The troublesome people, the troublesome things, everything will disappear from before your eyes…”

Vaguely, he seemed to see a shadow appearing before him, claws outstretched. Its pale red eyes seemed to possess some special magic—yes, those eyes seemed to have lost all interest in the world, evoking an indescribable sense of despair deep within one’s heart…
Sleep…
[Yes, sleep. If you’ve lost all interest in the world, if you feel no trace of attachment, then sleep…]
Sleeping… seems not bad either…
“Are you asleep?” On a small hillside, Dia sat on the ground with her legs folded, gazing tenderly at the boy lying beside her. He was lying on the dry grass, hands behind his head, eyes closed, emitting soft snoring sounds, seemingly asleep deeply.
“You can’t sleep here; you’ll get sick…” Reaching out, Dia gently pushed the boy beside her, but sadly, he showed no sign of waking up.
“Sigh, I really can’t do anything about you…” With a slight sigh, Dia took off her coat and gently covered the boy with it. Then, confusion appeared in her eyes as she saw a faint red glow emanating from the hexagram magic array on the back of the boy’s left hand…
“Huh?” Dia stared curiously at the pattern.
If she remembered correctly, this should be some kind of seal he mentioned. How strange… In the basement, hadn’t he stabbed this magic array fiercely with ice? She had seen clearly at that time—the pattern of the magic array was missing a large piece due to the wound. Even though the wound healed later thanks to that incredible dark power, the magic array never returned to its original state…
But now, it seemed to have repaired itself… It’s unbelievable!
But what about these red lights…
Dia stared in confusion at the hexagram magic array on the boy’s back, watching as the patterns and runes on it turned blood-red at times and reverted to their normal milky white at other times, with a faint dark power seeping through.
White and black intertwined—not only on the back of his hand but also across his entire left arm, turning it into a battlefield.
“Thos… Thos…” Faced with this change, Dia’s face showed panic. She kept pushing the boy, shouting in a trembling voice, “Wake up, Thos! Wake up quickly!”
But no matter how hard she pushed him, the boy remained asleep, showing no reaction.
“Thos, Thos…”

As the terror on Dia’s face grew deeper, she was surprised to see that the hexagonal magic circle suddenly emitted a circle of pure, flawless light. That light carried an indescribable magic that instantly calmed her panicked and tense mood. At the same time, white stripes resembling plant branches gradually grew from the edges of the magic circle, spreading from the back of her hand to her entire arm in just a few seconds. In contrast, the dark aura seemed unable to resist this force and gradually retreated to the back of her hand before disappearing altogether.

“This is… thorns?” Slightly relieved, Dia tilted her head and examined the plant-like tattoos on the boy’s arm. She felt this went beyond her understanding.

After temporarily driving away the dark aura, those thorn-like tattoos also faded gradually, retreating to his wrist and returning to their original pure white, just like the hexagonal magic circle. The difference was that the newly formed magic circle had a faint dark golden hue.

Dia stared intently at the hexagonal magic circle, fearing more changes might occur. It was only after a few minutes that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, the boy suddenly opened his eyes…

“Are you awake, Thos?”

“Ah.” The boy sat up, nodding with a sleepy expression. Then he noticed the coat covering him—it was Dia’s coat.

Looking at the boy, Dia lowered her head slightly and said softly, “You fell asleep… I was worried you’d catch a cold, so…”

“Is that so?” The boy smiled faintly, handed the coat back to Dia, and said awkwardly, “With the abundant fire element around me, it’s impossible for me to catch a cold. But you… put it on!” With that, he draped the coat over her.

Dia’s cheeks turned slightly red, and her flickering eyes revealed her inner panic. To hide her embarrassment, she lowered her head and asked softly, “How was your rest? You must be very tired…”

“Who knows,” the boy yawned, scratched his head, and said lazily, “It was fine at first, but then those two voices kept me awake…”

“Voices?” Dia froze for a moment, then seemed to remember something and said urgently, “Thos, your back of the hand… your back of the hand…”

“Hm?” The boy instinctively raised his left hand and glanced at the magic circle on his back. Immediately, he was stunned as well—not only was the hexagonal magic circle back to its original state, but it had also changed: strange stripes had emerged from it, extending even to his wrist. Moreover, the runes on it were much denser, with some that hadn’t appeared before at all.
What was this? An enhanced seal?
The boy’s expression turned peculiar. Suddenly, he remembered something and instinctively tried to summon the dark power within him. As expected, the powerful dark force he had once controlled easily now proved difficult to manage. It ignored his will and gradually weakened, while his own magical aura returned to its normal light blue color, no longer the dark red it had been before…
Yet even so, that dark force didn’t vanish completely like before. In other words, even the newly formed hexagonal magic circle couldn’t completely drive it away…
“Hm…”
Seemingly sensing something, with Dia’s panicked gaze, the boy frowned and took off his coat, along with his underwear…
“Sos… Sos…” Dia’s breathing quickened as she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. But soon, her face turned red with shame.
It wasn’t what she had thought. After taking off his clothes, the boy just stared intently at his right arm—his shoulder, his right chest, and the right arm below his shoulder.
There, some time ago, a large black tattoo resembling flames had appeared. Vaguely, one could see a fierce magical beast coiled around it, facing the hexagonal magic circle on his arm.
“What… what is this?” With her face as red as a cooked shrimp, Dia covered her eyes with her hands, peeking through her fingers at the black tattoo.
Sighing slightly, the boy stared at the tattoo on his right chest and murmured, “He said his name is Sloth…”
“He?” Doubt flashed in Dia’s eyes.
Glancing at Dia, the boy pointed at the black tattoo on his chest. “Yes, him!”
“Oh…” Dia nodded as if suddenly understanding, frowning slightly as she whispered, “Is his name Sloth? The demon who gave you such incredible power?”
“Maybe. Who knows?” As he spoke, the boy glanced at Dia. Seeing her hesitating, he said softly, “Do you want to say something? Accept the power of a demon? Make a deal with a demon?”

“No,” Dia said shyly, her face turning red, “Can I put on my clothes first…? I… I don’t want to catch a cold…”
The boy was clearly stunned. He shook his head silently, forced a smile as he put on his clothes, then looked at Dia, who was covering her eyes with her hands, and said irritably, “You can take your hands down now!”
“Oh…” Only then did Dia hesitantly lower her hands. She glanced at the boy shyly before exclaiming in surprise, “You… you’re smiling? Thos, are you smiling?”
“Me?” The boy instinctively touched his cheek and murmured, “Am I?”
“Mm,” Dia nodded and said softly, with endless tenderness in her voice, “The loneliness in your eyes just now lessened a bit… I’m really happy, Thos. You know, your expression was so lonely and sad, as if you were wandering outside the world, abandoned by everyone…”
“Abandoned by the world?” Lying back on the ground again, the boy propped his head on his hands and gazed at the white clouds in the sky, saying lightly, “Maybe so!” But before he could finish, Dia interrupted him.
Staring straight at the boy, Dia hugged her knees and said gently, “Those who think they’re abandoned by the world usually choose to abandon the world themselves, don’t they?”
Glancing at Dia, the boy said lightly, “You don’t understand…”
Dia gently stroked her messy hair and said softly, “That’s why I’m waiting…”
“Waiting?”
“Yes,” Dia stretched slightly and gazed into the distance, saying softly, “My mother used to tell me that smart women don’t always try to figure out what men are thinking. They just need to wait quietly, waiting for men to willingly share their secrets with them…” As she spoke, she glanced at the boy and said playfully, “Even the strongest men have vulnerable sides. When I was little, I even saw my father cry in front of my mother after getting drunk…”
“What!” The boy couldn’t help but smirk. Just as he was about to speak, Dia, still hugging her knees, smiled and said, “One person can’t make up a world. In my opinion, the world is like a circle. How can one person take care of both sides of it?”
“Hah, a world made of two people?” The boy gazed deeply at Dia and laughed lightly. “By the way, where were we? I must have fallen asleep halfway through!”
“You really are!” Dia glared at the boy fondly and couldn’t help but laugh. She said softly, “I mean, we still need to take the exam for the Royal Magician. If we pass…”

“If it’s approved, I can get a generous subsidy every year, right?” The boy interrupted Dia, scratching his head and yawning before speaking in a lazy tone. “I heard that, but it’s so troublesome. I’ll give it a try for now…”
“Sos can definitely do it,” Dia said, looking at the boy with trust. She sighed softly and murmured, biting her lip, “I’m not so sure. I barely passed the previous grade assessments. To become a royal mage, I need to work harder!” With that, she made an encouraging gesture.
“Heh,” the boy said jokingly, watching the girl’s serious expression with interest. “What if he doesn’t pass?”
“That would be bad,” the girl said, puffing out her cheeks and frowning as she thought. “I’ve also taken courses on writing scrolls, but unfortunately, I don’t have the same talent as you. Just water magic already leaves me exhausted—maybe I should really find time to learn scroll-making.”
Seeing Dia’s serious expression, the boy couldn’t help but laugh slightly. He sat up, gently stroking her hair, and said in a peculiar tone, “You said you really don’t like studying magic that much, right?”
Seeming to grasp the deeper meaning in his words, Dia lowered her head slightly and said softly, “I also said I’d help you as much as possible. Maybe there are many things I can’t help with, but if I can…”
“That’s enough…” As he stroked Dia’s hair, a hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes.
As if understanding something, Dia’s face suddenly turned bright red. She leaned gently on the boy’s shoulder and murmured, “If you like small cities too—Jelbart is a nice place. The people there are very kind, and you can always get help from your neighbors whenever you encounter difficulties…”
“Is that where you were born?”
“Mm. There’s nothing really proud about it, and no famous mages have emerged there either…”
“A quiet small city?”
“Quiet? Well, it’s very quiet. You can hear birds singing when you wake up in the morning…”
“Oh, that sounds really nice…”
“Yes! Is it your hometown you want to go to after graduation?”
“Mm. Even though my mother left, it still holds many wonderful memories for me.” As she spoke, Dia lowered her head, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and tried to sound casual. “What about you, Sos? Is there any place you want to go?”

“Me?” Not noticing the shyness between Dia’s brows, the boy casually rubbed a small lock of her hair with his hand and murmured, “If possible, I’d like to go to Lorn. I promised those two elders that once I learned magic, I’d help them take care of their farm…”
“Take care of the farm?” Dia widened her eyes, finding it hard to believe.
“Yes, like watering things and such…”
“Hehe, using magic to water?” Dia covered her mouth and laughed softly. “You’re learning fire magic though…”
“That’s exactly why it’s troublesome…”
Shyly glancing at the boy, Dia lowered her head slightly and said in a quiet voice, “In Lorn… if it’s just watering and such, I think…”
“Hm,” as if understanding Dia’s words, the boy nodded and said, “We’ll see then. I heard Lorn has been turned into a border fortress. Maybe those two elders have already moved away. If we can meet them again…”
“Mm!” Leaning gently on the boy’s shoulder, the girl said softly, “We definitely can meet them again!” Then she raised her head and asked the boy, “Thos, do you think seal scrolls or enchantment are better? I think enchantment is nice too…”
“What? You’re still thinking about this?” The boy was both amused and exasperated.
“Of course! I’m not confident with seal scrolls. If it’s enchantment… it’s a pity that almost no one asks water magic users to enchant things; most ask fire magic users…” Her voice trailed off.
The boy clearly noticed her expression and said playfully, “Isn’t that the fire magic I learn?”
“But…” Biting her lip, Dia secretly watched the boy’s expression and said softly, “But I don’t want to force you to do something you dislike…”
Looking deeply at Dia, the boy shrugged and smiled. “Then maybe I should take that royal magic master exam. Hopefully, it won’t be too hard…”
“Giggle,” Dia couldn’t help but laugh. Looking at the boy with a gentle gaze, she said, “You definitely can do it!”
Staring at Dia in surprise, the boy said oddly, “Are you that confident? Even if everything goes well, there are still three years left! Who knows what might go wrong—I heard the exams get stricter as you advance in grade!”

“Yes,” Dia sighed wistfully, resting her chin in her hand as she spoke softly, “I’ve been struggling with the grade assessment lately. I really should review my old lessons again, reinforce everything I’ve learned, so I can graduate smoothly, and then find a stable job in Vando first…”
“Vando?” The boy was surprised and asked, “Isn’t it Jarbat?”
Dia looked up at the boy with a hint of shyness, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she said in a low voice, “Of course—if you can graduate in the same year as me…”
“Ah, that’s indeed a tricky problem…”
As they spoke, they exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
“By the way, Sos,” as if remembering something, Dia glanced around anxiously and said, “Kane still hasn’t returned. Could something have happened?” She was referring, of course, to Jiang Zhe’s puppet, King Kane.
“Hm?” Reminded by Dia, Jiang Zhe also felt something was off. Frowning, he said, “Has that guy still not come back? I just sent him to find some food…”
Just then, his expression stiffened slightly as he saw a group of people coming out from behind the woods. It seemed they had also noticed the two of them.
“There you are! We’ve been looking everywhere!” said an old man at the front of the group, seemingly relieved.
Jiang Zhe was stunned. He patted Dia’s shoulder and stood up in surprise, saying, “Father Andrew? And Dean Kaines?”
“Hehe, I’m glad to see you’re safe,” Father Andrew said with a smile as he walked over. When he saw the bare back of the boy’s left hand, his expression changed slightly, his eyes showing a hint of surprise and disbelief as he murmured, “As I thought…”
“What?” Jiang Zhe clearly didn’t hear and frowned.
“Nothing, nothing… By the way, is this yours?” Saying this, Father Andrew raised his right hand and handed the boy a puppet the size of a palm, resembling a chess piece. Smiling, he said, “I found it on the road. It’s an incredible puppet, very finely crafted. I heard the four of you got a puppet from Vandel, right?”
“Sojes?” Jiang Zhe frowned, realizing that the puppet had reverted to its original soldier form, not King Kane.

“Sojers, is that the name of this little one?” Father Andrew said with a slight smile. “On our way to find you, we sensed the power of darkness. At first, we thought it was you… uh, hehe. We never expected it to be this little guy… He seems to be having some problems; he looks like he’s run out of energy—can’t your magic supply him properly? But it doesn’t seem to be a supply issue now…” Because he noticed that as he got closer to Jiang Zhe, the soldier puppet immediately regained its awareness, quickly jumping out of Father Andrew’s hands. With a hint of fear toward the unknown, it stood trembling beside Jiang Zhe, just as it had when it first met him—long gone was any trace of its former dignity as King Cain.

It seems that my own problems earlier must have affected Cain… no, it should be Sojers!

“Thank you, Father Andrew!”

“You’re welcome, little one,” Father Andrew said with a smile. Just as he was about to speak, the old dean beside him frowned and said, “Sos, it seems you’ve already realized—it there’s a very powerful force of darkness within you!” He paused then added earnestly, “You’ve heard from those children that with that power, you single-handedly killed a lich, even with overwhelming advantage. You should be the one who best understands how powerful that force is. But believe me, child, there’s no such thing as getting something for free in this world. To gain something means you’ll lose more. The dark aura around you now is much stronger than when I first met you—you still can’t control this dark power. If you use it too much, your body and mind will inevitably be affected, or even consumed by it…”

The boy had initially been dismissive, but as he listened, he suddenly vaguely remembered that someone had once said the same thing to him in the past…

Who was it?

“I understand now…”

“Hmm,” seeing the boylowering his head thinking, the old dean thought he was already reflecting, so he nodded in satisfaction and smiled at Dia, “You’re Dia Palas, a fourth-year student, right?”

“Yes, Dean!” Dia replied cautiously, head bowed, looking very nervous.

“No need to worry,” the old dean said with a smile, waving his hand. “As Dean Riox, it’s my responsibility to ensure the safety of every student!” He then gave Father Andrew a warning glance.

Shaking his head in exasperation, Father Andrew said with a smile, “Alright, alright. Let’s talk about it when we get back… It’s unbelievable—nine liches sleeping in an ancient castle that’s been abandoned for hundreds of years. Thankfully, nothing terrible happened…” As he spoke, it seemed he thought of something else. Looking at Jiang Zhe and Dia, he asked in surprise, “Is there anyone else besides you? We found traces left by those nine liches in that castle. You encountered one, we encountered four, and there are four more… It seems they were also killed by someone. Do you know anything about that?”
“Mm,” Dia nodded as the boy beside her seemed to be thinking. “It was Argus…”
She originally wanted to say, “It was Argus and Thors who killed them,” but before she could finish, the two elders’ expressions changed, and they hurriedly said, “Argus? Is Argus here too?”
“Yes…” Dia nodded helplessly.
“We were careless. The aura of the liches distracted us, so we didn’t notice Argus…” The old dean sighed slightly and said in a grave tone, “When did he leave?”
“About half an hour ago, I think…”
“Half an hour?” The old dean frowned, glanced around, closed his eyes, and used his powerful mental strength to search the area. A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes and said to Father Andrew in an interrogative tone, “We can still catch up!”
Father Andrew’s expression also became serious. With a sigh, he said, “There’s no reason for him to leave like this. He’s a man who will cause chaos. We must deal with him as soon as possible!”
“Hmm!” The old dean nodded and turned to Jiang Zhe and Dia, saying, “Children, you should go back to Alikok now. We still have a very important matter to handle…”
Glancing at the boy beside her, Dia nodded and said, “Mm, yes, Dean—we’ll go back as soon as possible!”
“Not as soon as possible, but immediately!” the old dean repeated.
“Yes, Dean…”
A few minutes later, watching the old dean and Father Andrew hurry away, Dia secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then she looked at the boy beside her, bit her lip, and whispered, “Shouldn’t I have mentioned Argus?”
“Don’t worry about that self-righteous guy… My relationship with him isn’t close enough for me to worry about him!”
“Oh… So what should we do now? Thors? Should we go back to Alikok?”
The boy shook his head, lay back on the ground with his hands behind his head, and said indifferently, “I don’t want to go back yet…”

“Okay!” With that, Dia obediently sat down next to the boy.
Glancing at Dia, the boy whispered, “Don’t you want to ask why?”
Dia smiled gently and said, “When the time is right, you’ll tell me on your own, won’t you? So there’s no need for me to ask… As long as you want, I’ll follow you, forever and ever…”
“Is that so… Dia?”
“Hm?”
“Nothing…”
“Huh?”
“Um… I mean, are you cold? How about we find a place to build a fire? And grab some food too?”
“Giggle… Mm!”
Meanwhile, a few miles away from the hillside, Argus seemed to be resting by the road with Connel and Puhl. Surprisingly, Lelarkin and Simonley were there too.
“What? Failed?” Argus stared at Lelarkin in disbelief, exclaiming, “You… Karl, with your abilities, killing an old man on his deathbed, and you tell me it failed? Good heavens, that’s ridiculous!”
“Yes, master!” Lelarkin didn’t defend himself. After a brief silence, he said, “I underestimated that human. As a human, his reflexes and strength were beyond my expectations. At the last moment, he dodged the fatal strike to his heart. My arrow only hit his shoulder. I was surprised too…”
“Uh, wait,” Argus said, waving his hand in astonishment, “You hit him?”
Lelarkin nodded and said solemnly, “Yes. As you thought, the poison on the arrow will gradually drain his life force. The wound will keep festering. This poison cannot be cured by any medicine…”
“What!” Argus laughed lightly and shook his head. “That means you succeeded!”
Lelarkin gave Argus a faint glance and whispered, “My principle is to kill on the spot—besides the deadly poison on my arrows, I consider myself an excellent archer as well.”
“Alright, alright, I was wrong, okay? You truly are an unmatched archer,” Argus said with a laugh, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “How long does it take from being hit by the arrow to the poison taking effect? How much longer can that old man live?”
“A few minutes to about a week, depending on his willpower. But the poison will keep corroding his body—his flesh, his internal organs—until he turns into bones…”
“Wow!” Argus exaggeratedly pouted, but it only drew a mocking sneer from Connel.

“Is it really necessary to get so excited just for killing a human? Don’t forget, you’re also human!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Agus shrugged, unfazed by Cornell’s mockery, and said jokingly, “I also know you’re human. Let…”
“Tch! I don’t want to hear my name out of your mouth!”
“Hey, Lan, weren’t we supposed to be companions?”
Glaring fiercely at Agus, Cornell perhaps remembered their time in the ancient castle, so his tone softened slightly as he said calmly, “I’m curious about what kind of guy would be lucky enough to receive your ‘attention’…”
“A big shot, of course!” Agus smiled mockingly. Just as he was about to explain, his smile suddenly vanished, and he said in a teasing tone, “Rather than that, it seems like it’s us who’ll be receiving someone else’s ‘attention’ this time…”
“Oh,” Cornell glanced at Agus and said mockingly, “That means you must be popular then!”
“Indeed—I think so too!”
About ten minutes later, when Father Andrew and the old dean followed the traces left by Agus and the others to this place, they were surprised to see Agus leaning against a tree by the road, smiling as he greeted them.
“Oh, Father Andrew, you look in good spirits today!”
“Agus…” Father Andrew was clearly stunned to find the wanted criminal standing openly by the road, greeting him. After a brief silence, he said solemnly, “Agus, this is quite a surprise. I thought you’d hide somewhere I couldn’t find…”
“Oh, oh, hiding isn’t really in my nature. As you know, if I stay hidden all the time, I get bored easily. So I need to travel around and relax,” Agus said, his smile gradually fading. He glanced at Father Andrew, his lips curling slightly in mockery, “Besides, I don’t think you can do anything to me. One of the twelve cardinals of the Church, the respected Father Andrew!”
“Huh?” Father Andrew smiled faintly, unfastening his travel cloak, and said softly, “It seems your wounds have healed!”
“Though they still ache a bit!” Agus smiled mockingly. “Ah, thinking back, it was quite thrilling. I never expected the Church to send a team of cardinals and inquisitors to hunt me. Hey, those six inquisitors—didn’t they even say hello to an old friend? Tch! How boring!”

Gazing at Argus indifferently, Father Andrew tossed his cloak aside and said coldly, “From the way you speak, it seems you’re confident enough to escape from us… While I admit you possess great power, still—” He raised his hand, pointing at the old dean beside him, and said in a deep voice, “Allow me to introduce you to the dean of Helireox Academy, one of the empire’s two most famous archmages, Greta Kaines! Give up, Argus, and come with me to accept the judgment of the Holy Court!”
“Oh, two archmages? Tsk tsk, it seems I do have quite an impressive reputation,” Argus said with a slight smile. He snapped his fingers and then performed a perfectly standard noble gesture before saying mockingly, “It’s an honor to meet you, Archmage Greta Kaines… Well, then let me introduce my companions as well!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Connel, Pule, as well as Lelarkin and Simonley stepped out from the woods behind him.
Glancing deeply at the people across from him, Father Andrew frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, “It seems you won’t come with me willingly!” With that, a white mist rose behind him, gradually forming the image of an angel wielding a weapon.
“That’s right!” Argus laughedhehe. A strong dark force surged from his body, forming a phantom image of a two-headed bird in the air. A dark halo also appeared beneath his feet, spreading outward gradually, as if devouring all light with its endless darkness.
“Young man, force cannot solve any problems!” The old dean tapped the ground casually, and a giant rock twenty or thirty yards tall slowly crawled out from beneath the earth. Then, with a simple gesture of his hands, two clusters of purple flames appeared instantly.
“I may say that, but I can’t let you just take that guy away like this!” A faint green glow appeared in Connel’s eyes. His muscles swelled instantly, his already thick fur became even denser, and with his sharp claws and teeth, he resembled a fierce, hungry wolf.

“Wicked pagans, lost lambs, hear the teachings of the Lord and be elevated in holiness… In the name of my Lord, I grant you the final judgment… Holy Cross, grant us the power to destroy darkness; all darkness shall be exposed under the pure light…” The six Inquisitors also prayed, and as they did, strange runes appeared on their dark red magical Inquisitor robes. Those eerie golden runes surrounded them, emitting a faint holy glow.

“Tch! What an annoying smell!” With a smirk, the necromancer Puhl drew his wand and struck the ground forcefully. Immediately, a semicircular purple barrier formed around everyone, centered on his feet.

Within the purple barrier, terrifying plants sprouted from the ground—vines, thorns, and sharp fangs. Undoubtedly, these were magical creatures that only grew in the Land of Death: [Bloodthirsty Thorns—Di’eadis].

Suddenly, a huge crack appeared in the ground. Strangely, instead of rock or sand beneath it, there was a dark force filled with a strong sense of death. That darkness surged upward in an instant, forming the shape of a gate. This was the magic used by necromancers to summon dark creatures from the Land of Death—[Gate of Decay].

“Creak!” The gate slowly opened, revealing a silvery-gray, gel-like liquid with ripples on its surface. Suddenly, a skeleton jumped out of the gate, followed by a second, then a third…

Within just over ten seconds, countless skeletons poured out of the Gate of Decay like a tide, rushing wildly at their enemies—truly a sea of bones.

At a time when dusk was approaching, while ordinary people enjoyed their homemade beer after a hard day’s work, a battle involving at least four high-level magicians broke out in a certain area of the Galic region…

“Boom!”

Series of intense booms, as if confirming the beginning of a new era…