by Unknown
By all rights, it was now time for dinner.
But Mathias’s mind was still preoccupied thinking about that ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’ and that Purple Demon.
“Father, I’d like to ask, is it possible for a member of the Demonblood Warrior clan to become a magician?” Mathias’s hands unconsciously balled up, clenching his bedsheets. He stared hard at his father.
Alistair was startled, but in the next moment he immediately understood. Looks like his child now wanted to become a magician.
“It is possible.” Alistair nodded.
Mathias couldn’t prevent a look of joy from appearing on his face.
Alistair waved his hand, motioning for Mathias to calm down, before saying, “Mathias, there have been magi in the lineage of our Demonblood Warrior clan. However, there’s only been two in total. Mathias, you should know that the most important thing for a magician is ‘natural talent’. Normally, only one person in ten thousand has the talent to become a magician. One in ten thousand! The chance really is very low. So, you’d best not have too much hope.”
Mathias shook his head.
“Father, so long as there is any hope, I will persevere.” A solemn look was on Mathias’s face.
Alistair looked at the serious expression on his eight-year-old boy’s face. By all rights, a young child being so serious was an amusing thing. But Alistair did not laugh.
Alistair considered for a while, then said, “Mathias, every year, when the army recruitment drive begins in deep autumn, in the royal capital of Silver Moon City, there is a magician student recruitment testing drive. If you really wish to go, when autumn comes around, you can go take the test.”
“Late autumn? Isn’t that just half a year away?” Mathias’s eyes were filled with excitement.
Chapter 13 – The Will (part 2)
At dinnertime, the three members of the Tulare clan and their housekeeper, Troy, all shared dinner together. Little Gabe raised a cute ruckus at the dinner table, filling it with laughter. By the time dinner came to an end, the old housekeeper carried Gabe back to his room, while Mathias and his father, Alistair, began to chat.
“Right. Father, which one is stronger? A magician, or a warrior?” Mathias was curious.
Alistair glanced at Mathias. Chuckling, he shook his head and said, “Mathias, magi and warriors each have their own strengths. At the same grade, a magician is perhaps slightly stronger than a warrior. But the most important thing is that the status of a magician is a full grade higher than that of an equivalent warrior. For example, that dual-element magician of the eighth grade, in terms of social standing, is perhaps slightly superior to even a warrior of the ninth grade.”
“If they are only slightly more powerful, why is there such a big discrepancy in status?” Mathias was curious.
Alistair laughed. “Before discussing this, first you should understand the grading system of the magi. There are nine grades. First grade and second grade magi are considered junior magi. Third and fourth grade magi are considered mid-level magi. Fifth and sixth grade magi are considered senior magi. The three grades above them; seventh, eighth and ninth? These are all terrifyingly powerful people. And of course, above the magi of the ninth grade are the Guru-level magi!”
“The reason why magi have such social standings is because the destructive potential their spells have is enormous.” Alistair picked up a glass of juice and continued talking while sipping at it.
“Destructive potential?” Mathias looked at his father.
Putting down the glass of juice, Alistair nodded. “A single warrior, even a Demonblood Warrior, can at most kill a hundred people with the swipe of a sword. When faced with a million-man army, at best he could kill their leader, but when a leader dies, he can simply be replaced. But a Guru-level magician? If he chooses to utilize one of those powerful forbidden spells, he can annihilate an entire town or wipe out an army of hundreds of thousands. With an entire army destroyed, even if its leader survived, what’s the use? Thus, to a kingdom, a Guru-level magician is more terrifying than an entire enemy army.”
Mathias immediately understood.
“Let’s not discuss Guru-level magi for now. Even a magician of the eighth or ninth grade would be capable of using spells which contain shocking power and are able to change the course of a battle. This is why magi have such a high social standing.” Alistair said with a light chuckle.
Mathias quietly nodded.
In the war-torn land of the Lemuria continent, one could imagine how important the magi were to a kingdom.
“Oh, right. Father, I read in one of the books that compared to a warrior, a magi’s physical strength is much weaker. But just then, I watched that magician jump down from the back of the Purple Demon with ease. How could his body be physically weak?” Mathias pursued.
Alistair replied, “Let’s discuss this question later. Mathias, you should know that in the Lemuria continent, an average person’s lifespan is around 120-130 years. Powerful magi and warriors can live for longer, usually up to two or three hundred years, or sometimes even four hundred years. The absolute limit to a person’s lifespan is five hundred years. Only those who have attained the legendary power of Guru-level combatants can live eternally, unbound by the dictates of time.”
Mathias nodded.
He had read of this in his books as well.
“But Mathias, do you know the reason why powerful warriors and magi enjoy such a long life-span?” Alistair followed with a question.
Mathias was startled.
Mathias had always considered it to be a fact of life that powerful warriors and magi could live for three or four hundred years. He had never considered the reason.
Looking at the expression on Mathias’s face, Alistair couldn’t help but laugh. “Mathias, first of all, I must tell you that in this world, there are elemental powers. Fire-type element, water-type element, wind-type element, earth-type element, lightning-type element, light-type element, and darkness-type element. Warriors and magi both rely on absorbing these elements from nature as part of their training. Both magic spells and battle-energy are fueled by and determined by a specific elemental type. If you had carefully observed, you would have been able to notice that in the adventuring party you saw earlier today, for the four warriors, the red-headed leader had fire-type battle-energy. The other three had either wind-type battle-energy, or water-type battle-energy. And just like battle-energy, the spells of magi also have elemental types!”
This was the first time that Mathias had ever heard about this. Only now did he learn that both magi and warriors relied on absorbing natural energy from the elements.
“The reason why powerful magi can live so long is because when magi absorb natural elemental energy into their body to generate pure magic, when the elemental energy flows through their body, it will naturally refine their apertures, their joints, and their flesh, making their bodies stronger and stronger. With a stronger body, naturally they will live longer. By the same logic, when warriors develop their battle-energy, they also absorb natural energy, which flows through their body and strengthens it. The more powerful a warrior is, the stronger his body will be. Naturally, he will live a long life.” Alistair explained everything in detail.
Mathias felt as though only now did everything become crystal clear.
Based on his father’s words, the bodies of magi had also been strengthened by elemental power and would therefore naturally be very strong.
“But father, why is it that people say magi have weak bodies?” Mathias was confused.
Alistair shook his head. “Can’t you think this through yourself? Magi only have weak bodies in comparison to warriors of the same grade, and not in absolute terms. For example, a magi of the eighth grade might have the same physical strength of a warrior of the second or third grade, even if he never engaged in any physical training. But of course, compared to a warrior of the eighth grade, his body would be very weak indeed!”
Mathias slap
ped himself on the head, then laughed, somewhat embarrassed.
How could he not have realized this simple logic? His thoughts really had been too rigid.
“Although, despite the fact that magi are vulnerable in melee combat, they do have their own ways to address this deficiency. One method is utilizing magical protective spells, such as the ‘shield of earth’, ‘shield of ice’, ‘shield of wind’, or ‘shield of light’ spells. First, they would use their magic to defend; then, they would use their magic to strike back!”
“And truly powerful magi have another method. Using ‘magical Creatures’!”
Hearing these words, Mathias’s eyes shone.
Mathias wanted a magical beast of his own as well, such as a powerful Purple Demon.
“A powerful magical beast can protect the body of his magician, preventing enemies from getting close. This way, the magician can immediately cast his attacking spells to kill his opponents.” Alistair smiled as he spoke.
Mathias immediately asked, “Father, how can a person acquire a magical beast companion?”
Seeing the expression on Mathias’s face, Alistair couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s only two ways to acquire a magical beast companion. The first is to make the magical beast willingly subordinate himself to you and serve you. The second way is to use a soul-binding magical array to enslave the magical beast.”
“The requirements for the former are very difficult. For a magical beast to willingly subordinate himself to you, perhaps the only way is to defeat the magical beast in direct combat. Only then would he willingly follow you. For example, if you wanted to subdue a Purple Demon, you would first have to be able to defeat that Purple Demon in battle.” His father’s words rendered Mathias speechless.
He wanted a Purple Demon of his own, but how could he possibly have the power to defeat one?
“As for the second method, it is extremely complicated to set up a soul-binding magical array. Only a magician of the seventh grade, at the very least, could set up such an array.” Alistair said in a composed voice.
Mathias was stunned. “Father, by what you say…only a magician of the seventh grade or higher can enslave a magical beast?”
“No, not necessarily. If you have enough money, you can purchase a soul-binding scroll. When the time comes, all you have to do is to tear it apart, and it will automatically generate a soul-binding magical array. However, a soul-binding scroll is amazingly expensive,” Alistair said with a self-deprecating laugh.
“How expensive is it?” Mathias pursued the topic.
“Last I heard, the going price was around ten thousand gold coins. And what’s more is, even if you had the money, there’s almost no market for it due to its rarity.” Alistair’s words forced Mathias to laugh bitterly at himself.
The hardest part to acquiring a magical beast companion was in defeating it.
Of course, you could always acquire a weak magical beast as a companion, but what would be the point? But for a powerful magical beast, do you have enough power of your own to subdue it? If you were to defeat it using traps and trickery, how could the magical beast possibly be willing to serve?”
It isn’t an easy thing to convince someone to whole-heartedly subordinate themselves to you.
As for the second method of using a soul-binding array, it was clear that this option was only available to powerful magi or to wealthy people. Not even many noble clans would be willing to part with the extravagant sum of ten thousand coins for a single soul-binding scroll.
Chewing on his lips, Mathias furrowed his brows in thought.
“If I really want to acquire a magical beast companion, based on my family’s economic situation, I would have to become a magician of the seventh grade first. That’s the only way.” Mathias secretly pondered all the possibilities, but he knew very well how difficult this would be.
And the first barrier to this plan? The question of whether or not he even had the natural talent to use magic!
After all, he only had a ten-thousand in one chance. If he didn’t have the natural talent for it, then there was no way he could become a magician.
Chapter 14 –In the Sky (part 1)
Dawn the next day.
Just like every other day, the empty ground east of Comox township was filled with youths. Davis and the other two teachers had not yet arrived, and so all the youngsters were noisily and energetically chatting together. Naturally, the topic of their conversation was yesterday’s shocking battle.
“That magical beast yesterday was so powerful. When Uncle Davis and the others were standing up in front, I was behind them, sneaking peeks from afar. You guys have no idea. When that huge magical beast simply scraped its claws against the ground, the stone road was shattered into countless pieces. And those houses collapsed like they were made of mud.” In the midst of all the youngsters, Howard, ever the most talkative of them, was narrating glibly and wildly, waving and gesticulating as though he had seen everything with his own eyes.
All the youngsters were staring at Howard with wide eyes.
“Howard, yesterday you were with us on the east side as well. You didn’t dare go over. How could you see all this?” A thirteen-year-old brown-haired child snorted.
These slightly older youngsters weren’t as easy to cozen as those seven and eight-year-old kids.
Howard turned to stare at the thirteen-year-old youth. His eyes widening, he said, “Aura, you don’t believe me? When have I, Howard, ever tricked anyone?”
That brown-haired child named Aura said with a sneer, “Everyone knows what a big talker you are. When do you ever speak the truth? Hey everyone, why don’t you guys speak for yourselves; has Howard ever told the truth?” Aura said to the youngsters next to him.
Those twelve to fifteen-year-old youngsters all began to laugh. “Right on. This little scamp Howard is always filled with nonsense.”
A number of slightly older youngsters stood on Aura’s side.
Howard immediately said urgently, “You guys don’t believe me? Fine, don’t believe me!” Furious, Howard turned around, searching everywhere until he found Mathias. His eyes brightening, he immediately said, “But everyone here knows that aside from Uncle Davis and the other two, Mathias also went. Mathias saw everything with his own eyes. Mathias’s words should be true, right? Let Mathias tell you if I spoke the truth or not.”
“Young master Mathias?” The youths turned to look at Mathias.
In the eyes of the youngsters of Comox township, Mathias had some stature amongst them. First of all, he was the heir to the Tulare clan, and secondly, as an eight-year-old child, Mathias could match the thirteen and fourteen year olds in training. In the war-torn land of the Lemuria continent, Mathias’s prowess caused all of the youngsters of Comox township to admire him.
“Young master Mathias saw everything with his own eyes. Naturally, we would believe whatever young master Mathias says.” Those youths nodded.
Those thirteen and fourteen year olds were more mature as well. They knew that Mathias was a noble and not like them. Almost all of them addressed him as ‘young master Mathias’. Only Howard and the rest of the rascally seven and eight year olds still continued to directly address him as ‘Mathias’, without regard for propriety.
“Tellme, Mathias! Was I lying? Tellme what happened!” Howard rushed towards Mathias, tugging Mathias’s hand and secretly winking towards Mathias.
Mathias couldn’t help but feel helpless. How was it that Howard’s nonsense roped him into this conversation as well?
“That magical beast is known as a ‘Purple Demon’, and is a magical beast of seventh grade. It is incredibly powerful. Its entire body is covered in extremely hard scales, impenetrable to normal weapons. It is also armed with a sturdy, whip-like tail and with sharp claws. Those tough road stones and floor foundation stones were ripped apart like paper by its tail and claws. It was even able to breath fire from its mouth, fire so hot that even the stones cracked apart.” Mathias said truthfull
y.
All of the youngsters listened quietly to Mathias.
“Actually, all of you knew how powerful the Purple Demon was from the moment you saw it. No need for me to elaborate.” Mathias said with a smile.
All of the older youngsters nodded.
As soon as they saw the Purple Demon the previous day, they had been scared stiff. Its huge body had seemed as massive as a Cliff cliff, and those huge red scales on its body left nothing to the imagination with regards to how tough they must be.
“You hear that? I told you, that Purple Demon creature is really powerful!” Howard began shouting loudly.
That youth named Aura glanced at him, and was about to say something.
“Uncle Davis is coming.” Mathias saw Davis, Tina, and Roger walking towards them from afar, and immediately spoke up. Immediately, all of the youngsters calmed down and in a very orderly fashion, lined up into three groups.
The empty training field immediately settled down. Only the footsteps of Davis and the other two could be heard.
Davis and the other two walked to the front of the three groups, facing the youngsters. Davis smiled and directly addressed what was on everyone’s mind. “Everyone should know about what happened yesterday, right?”
“We do.” Hearing Davis’s words and seeing how relaxed Davis was, all of the youngsters immediately replied vigorously.
“Great.” Davis’s facial expression suddenly turned serious. “That huge creature is known as a Purple Demon. The magician on top of the Purple Demon is incredibly powerful. But everyone should know one thing!”
Davis’s gaze immediately sharpened as it swept across the faces of each child. “Even that mysterious magician gained his power one step at a time, starting from the bottom grades. In order to subdue that powerful Purple Demon, he had to spend many years of toil and hard work! If you guys want to subdue a Purple Demon of your own, to be as powerful as that mysterious magician, then all of you have to work hard without fail!”
“Every single person has the potential to become mighty. The only question is, are you willing to work hard enough at it?”