As Ye Chui dealt a heavy blow to McKenzie with his curse magic, the heroic spirit Godo stood before the poisoned villagers of Shengguang Forest, his face brimming with excitement.
The villagers lay collapsed on the ground, a pitiful sight, blood streaming from their mouths and noses, their breaths faint. Many had already fallen unconscious, and only those with robust constitutions remained barely awake, though stripped of all ability to move. They looked at the chubby man standing before them with puzzled expressions.
Though somewhat naive, the residents of Shengguang Forest were not fools. They understood that Ye Chui’s group, accompanied by Guni, were there to help. But this chubby man puzzled them. Why did he look so emotional, as if on the verge of tears?
“You… greetings, I am your ancestor…” the chubby man spoke.
“Rubbish!”
An elder among the villagers shouted immediately. To them, their ancestor held an extraordinary place, and even if Ye Chui’s group were their saviours, they would not tolerate any tarnishing of their ancestor’s revered image.
Not only the elder but other conscious villagers also displayed angry expressions.
This chubby man was insulting their faith.
Godo grew anxious, pointing to himself. “Look at me. I truly am your ancestor. Haven’t you passed down what your ancestor looked like?” His eyes lit up as he looked at the elder. “Wait, you’re the brave one from Guni’s generation, aren’t you? You visited me at the Sacred Mountain. I remember your youthful face.”
“Our ancestor was a tall, handsome man with unparalleled presence. There’s no way he could be a chubby man like you,” one villager shouted angrily.
The elder nodded. “Indeed, your armour resembles our ancestor’s, but your demeanour falls far short. Besides, our ancestor has always guarded the Sacred Mountain. How could he be here?”
“The monsters in the Sacred Mountain have been slain, so I’ve returned,” Godo hurriedly explained. Having guarded for centuries, his personality should have been steady and mature, but Debbie’s transformation into a heroic spirit had reverted him to his initial state upon entering the relic world, restoring his original character, though his power remained unchanged.
He thought of something and continued, “You may not believe this, but the Sacred Mountain is actually a pile of dragon dung from five thousand years ago…”
“Outrageous! Not only do you insult our ancestor, but you dare defile our Sacred Mountain!”
The elder, fiery-tempered, struggled to rise, looking even angrier than when he was first poisoned.
“I am your ancestor…” Godo said frantically, bending to help the elder.
But at that moment, a loud “bang” rang out. Cass’s body crashed down from above, slamming into Godo. With an “ouch,” Godo faceplanted into the ground.
Cass, unscathed, leapt up, glanced at Godo, and said, “Thanks…” before charging back at the Fourth Prince, wielding his greatsword.
The Fourth Prince’s strength exceeded Cass’s expectations.
Cass sensed that the Fourth Prince was still an intermediate mage, but his spells were executed with great skill and power, not due to talent but the strength of his magic book.
Legacy Magic Books were rare, awakened only by a select few. Legend spoke of the twelve most powerful mages, the Star Kings, whose magic books stood as tall as a person, each a Legacy Magic Book passed down through countless generations.
The Fourth Prince wasn’t at that level, but he far surpassed typical advanced mages. His earth-element magic book in action, he sneered as Cass charged, waving his hand. Dust swirled, coalescing into a giant hand that seized Cass.
Intermediate Earth Spell: [Grasp of Sand]
The sand hand lifted Cass into the air. The Fourth Prince, face twisted with rage, glanced at Winsa, who looked anxious but was held back by Reisa. This fueled his fury further. “Wretched woman,” he roared, clenching his fist, the sand hand tightening as if to crush Cass into pulp.
But with a roar from Cass, sword aura burst forth, scattering the dust. He broke free, swinging his greatsword as he descended.
Intermediate Sword Skill: [Gale Slash]
Boom.
A massive trench appeared where the Fourth Prince stood, but he was gone. A mound of earth moved swiftly away, an Intermediate Earth Spell: [Earth Escape]. The mound burst, and the Fourth Prince emerged, brushing off dust, his eyes venomously fixed on Cass.
The Fourth Prince rarely displayed his magic, not to hide his strength but because he despised earth magic. He admired the lethality of fire, the dominance of lightning, the elegance of wind, but earth? To him, it was dirty and inferior. Yet, fate gave him earth magic.
Flipping his magic book’s pages, sand swirled around him, forming a five-metre-tall, grotesque giant. The Fourth Prince stood on its shoulder, controlling its every move. “Roar!” The sand giant seemed to bellow, swinging a massive fist at Cass.
Intermediate Earth Spell: [Giant of Earth]
Boom.
Cass dodged, the ground trembling under the giant’s blow. Sliding several metres, Cass realized this giant wasn’t just for show—it wielded real power. As it swung again, Cass roared, gripping his sword with both hands and leaping.
He was the swordsman who cleaved tornadoes.
Unmatched sword aura radiated from his greatsword, fearless, slashing at the advancing giant.
While Cass battled the sand giant, Guni knelt weakly, her stone sword planted beside her, propping her up. Blood dripped from her mouth and nose.
Black Water Mage Mandel stood before her, sneering. In terms of combat ability, Guni outmatched him, but her lack of experience, especially against his sinister tactics, made her vulnerable. Black snakes writhed beneath her, some coiling around her legs.
Black Water Magic: [Shadow Serpents]
These venomous snakes, born of dark and water elements, silently struck, injecting poison.
Guni was now poisoned by Mandel’s magic.
Looking at her defiant face, Mandel showed a hint of admiration. “Your constitution is remarkable. Most swordsmen or mages would lose consciousness instantly under my serpents’ attack. You’ve held on this long… Hmm?”
His expression shifted in surprise. Despite the intense poison, stronger than what felled the villagers, Guni stubbornly rose, leaning on her sword, legs trembling but fearless, glaring at Mandel.
“Hmph!”
Mandel felt unease. He typically had no worries about poisoned foes, but Guni was an exception. A savage, she resisted toxins that could paralyze a level-four beast. Yet, she had no strength left to fight.
He rushed forward, grabbing her throat with surprising strength for a mage, flinging her petite frame. She crashed through a hut’s wall, tumbling inside.
Flipping his magic book, Mandel approached. “No one can resist my poison, little girl. Not even you.”
His steps halted.
A strange sound came from the ruined hut.
Listening closely, it sounded like… eating?
Mandel peered inside, puzzled. The hut stored food—shelves lined with vegetables, fruits, dried meat, and preserved ham.
In the centre, amidst the rubble, Guni sat, clutching a massive beast leg, devouring it. The leg, prepared as ham, was enormous, yet she’d eaten nearly half in moments. Her greyish face regained colour, and the blood from her nose seemed to stop.
“…” Mandel was dumbfounded.
Guni stood, holding the beast leg.
“The elder never lets me in here. This ham is my favourite,” she said, chewing voraciously, as if eating countered the poison—a foodie’s power.
“Full belly, no fear of your poison,” Guni said, tucking two more hams under her arms, striding out.
“…”
That ham was practically half her size.
“Boom!” On another side, a massive figure was flung, collapsing a hut.
It was Debbie’s summoned spirit, Angry Clown.
Roaring, Angry Clown leapt from the rubble, fists swinging, ready to attack the Mind Mage. Against her strange charm magic, the hot-blooded Green had already succumbed, so Debbie stepped up.
She couldn’t summon adult Jiji now, but Angry Clown was fine. Yet, as Angry Clown charged, it stopped metres from the Mind Mage, turned, and crashed into a tree. Debbie covered her face, embarrassed.
Angry Clown, with a child’s mind, couldn’t resist the Mind Mage’s charm.
“Roar!” Angry Clown leapt up, shaking its head, poised to charge again.
Debbie waved it off. “Enough, go back. Don’t embarrass me further.”
Reluctantly roaring, Angry Clown returned to the spirit world.
The Mind Mage smiled seductively, swaying toward Debbie, Reisa, and Winsa.
“Wait, I’m not beaten yet…” Green stood, wiping nosebleed, gripping his brick, staring coldly at the Mind Mage.
Her smile deepened. “I’m so tired. Why don’t you kill them for me? If you do, I’ll reward you handsomely,” she purred.
Green’s face went blank, slowly raising his brick, turning to Debbie and the others.
“Green, snap out of it,” Debbie urged, eyeing his brick warily.
Reisa and Winsa readied to counter.
“Jiji?” The tiny Valkyrie, hiding by Debbie, sounded scared.
Then, the brick descended.
Clang.
It teleported, striking the Mind Mage’s head.
Her body trembled, eyes rolling, swaying.
“This, impossible, how did you resist my [Charm]…”
“Sorry, I prefer lolis,” Green said earnestly, holding his brick.
Thud. The Mind Mage collapsed.
A victory for the loli enthusiast…
