by welyjesch
These slightly older children weren’t as easy to cozen as those seven and eight year old kids.
Hadley turned to stare at the thirteen year old youth. His eyes widening, he said, “Faura [Fu’la], you don’t believe me? When have I, Hadley, ever tricked anyone?”
That brown-haired child named Faura 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 Hadley ever told the truth?” Faura said to the children next to him.
Those twelve to fifteen year old children all began to laugh. “Right on. This little scamp Hadley is always filled with nonsense.”
A number of slightly older children stood on Faura’s side.
Hadley immediately said urgently, “You guys don’t believe me? Fine, don’t believe me!” Furious, Hadley turned around, searching everywhere until he found Linley. His eyes brightening, he immediately said, “But everyone here knows that aside from Uncle Hillman and the other two, Linley also went. Linley saw everything with his own eyes. Linley’s words should be true, right? Let Linley tell you if I spoke the truth or not.”
“Young master Linley?” The youths turned to look at Linley.
In the eyes of the children of Wushan township, Linley had some stature amongst them. First of all, he was the heir to the Baruch clan, and secondly, as an eight year old child, Linley could match the thirteen and fourteen year olds in training. In the wartorn land of the Yulan continent, Linley’s prowess caused all of the children of Wushan township to admire him.
“Young master Linley saw everything with his own eyes. Naturally, we would believe whatever young master Linley says.” Those youths nodded.
Those thirteen and fourteen year olds were more mature as well. They knew that Linley was a noble and not like them. Almost all of them addressed him as ‘young master Linley’. Only Hadley and the rest of the rascally seven and eight year olds still continued to directly address him as ‘Linley’, without regard for propriety.
“Tell’m, Linley! Was I lying? Tell’m what happened!” Hadley rushed towards Linley, tugging Linley’s hand and secretly winking towards Linley.
Linley couldn’t help but feel helpless. How was it that Hadley’s nonsense roped him into this conversation as well?
“That magical beast is known as a ‘Velocidragon’, and is a magical beast of seventh rank. 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.” Linley said truthfully.
All of the children listened quietly to Linley.
“Actually, all of you knew how powerful the Velocidragon was from the moment you saw it. No need for me to elaborate.” Linley said with a smile.
All of the older children nodded.
As soon as they saw the Velocidragon the previous day, they had been scared stiff. Its huge body had seemed as massive as a mountain 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 Velocidragon creature is really powerful!” Hadley began shouting loudly.
That youth named Faura glanced at him, and was about to say something.
“Uncle Hillman is coming.” Linley saw Hillman, Lorry, and Roger walking towards them from afar, and immediately spoke up. Immediately, all of the children calmed down and in a very orderly fashion, lined up into three groups.
The empty training field immediately settled down. Only the footsteps of Hillman and the other two could be heard.
Hillman and the other two walked to the front of the three groups, facing the children. Hillman smiled and directly addressed what was on everyone’s mind. “Everyone should know about what happened yesterday, right?”
“We do.” Hearing Hillman’s words and seeing how relaxed Hillman was, all of the children immediately replied vigorously.
“Great.” Hillman’s facial expression suddenly turned serious. “That huge creature is known as a Velocidragon. The magus on top of the Velocidragon is incredibly powerful. But everyone should know one thing!”
Hillman’s gaze immediately sharpened as it swept across the faces of each child. “Even that mysterious magus gained his power one step at a time, starting from the bottom ranks. In order to subdue that powerful Velocidragon, he had to spend many years of toil and hard work! If you guys want to subdue a Velocidragon of your own, to be as powerful as that mysterious magus, 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?”
Uncle Hillman’s words were as clear and as hard as nails. His gaze was fierce and cold.
Immediately, all the children quieted down, but all of them still had their own imaginations running wild, and their gazes shone with their different thoughts.
“Now, time to do our morning exercises. Same as always – face the sun, and begin the ‘qi-absorbing exercise’.” Hillman crisply began the day’s program, and immediately the three groups of children began to practice the ‘qi-absorbing stance’.
* * *
Based on each squad’s ability, Hillman assigned different exercises. Under the guidance of the three adults, each child studiously completed each exercise. Today, the training atmosphere was totally different. Almost none of the children complained of being tired.
Every single one of them had some fire in their belly today, and they trained hard!
“…fifty…fifty one…” Linley counted mentally as he laid horizontal to the ground, supporting himself with just the fingertips of one hand and the tips of his toes. His entire body was tense. He was in the middle of training through five-finger pushups.
This exercise could not only train his palm strength, it could also improve his finger strength and his elbow strength. This method was simple and effective.
If someone wanted to be a mighty warrior, normally they would have to practice cultivating battle-qi. The ability to cultivate battle-qi, in turn, was determined by how strong and sturdy one’s body was, as a stronger body would be able to enjoy a more powerful battle-qi.
“Since my body has Dragonblood in its veins and is unable to practice battle-qi, my only option is to far outstrip everyone else in bodily strength.” Linley’s eyes were firm, and his fingers jutted into the ground, as tough and unyielding as old roots. He did one pushup after another, amazing many of the already-exhausted youths around him.
“Ninety eight, ninety nine…”
Linley continued to persevere.
* * *
“Morning exercises are over.” Hillman said in a loud voice, facing the children.
After saying these words, Hillman took a deep breath as he thought to himself, “What story should I tell them today?” Every day, when morning exercises were completed, Hillman would tell the children stories. This had turned into a routine.”
“Uncle Hillman, we-”
A child’s voice rang out.
But just at that moment, halfway through the child’s words, Hillman, who had been lookingly slightly downwards as he collected his thoughts, suddenly felt a strange feeling. He lifted his head up. Right now, all three groups of children were all staring east, eyes wide and jaws dropped. Roger and Lorry had also turned to stare east, and their gazes were also filled with awe.
“Eh?” Surprised, Hillman couldn’t help but turn around as well and stare to the east.
In the east, not too far away, perhaps two or three hundred meters in the air, an enormous, ebony-colored dragon lay coiled in the sky, its body at least a hundred meters long. The enormous black dragon’s giant eyes were the size of cartwheels. Its sparkling black scales were huge enough to fill
any man’s heart with dread. And its hundred-meter long wings were gently flapping, but with movement contained incredible powerful.
Magical beast – Black Dragon!
Book 1, Chapter 15 – The Battle in the Sky (part 2)
Black Dragons were ranked amongst the most powerful magical beasts in the world. The Black Dragon race were generally at least magical beasts of the ninth ranks. Powerful members of this race could even reach the stage of being Saint-level combatants. But regardless of whether a Black Dragon was of the ninth rank or Saint-level, it would indubitably be incomparably more powerful than the Velocidragon.
At present, the group of children and the three instructors were about several hundred meters away from the Black Dragon. To see a hundred-meter long Black Dragon from such a close distance is an awe-inspiring experience which simply can’t be explained with words.
The most terrifying thing of all?
On top of the head of the Black Dragon, a gray-robed man stood, arrogant in demeanor. The wind howled about him, but although the man’s gray robes fluttered a bit, he himself maintained a ramrod straight posture, as though he were a carved sculpture. His gaze was focused on a middle-aged, green-robed man who hovered in the middle of the air in front of him. The green-robed man wore a sword behind his back.
The gray-robed man mounted on the Black Dragon and the sword-bearing green-robed man were staring at each other.
Hovering in the sky!
Aside from wind-type magi who were able to use the seventh-ranked spell, ‘Soaring Technique’, only Saint-level combatants were able to stand and hover in the sky. The sword this green-robed middle-aged man bore on his back gave testament to his true status.
Warrior. A Saint-level warrior.
“A man in gray who was able to subdue a Black Dragon? And a Saint-level combatant who can fly?” The eight year old Linley was totally stunned, even after having witnessed the previous day’s amazing battle. Not only him; even Hillman, a warrior of the sixth rank, was totally flabbergasted.
“Saint-level combatants. Actual Saint-level combatants.” Hillman was mumbling, his entire body trembling.
Hillman, being a man who had been tested in trials of blood and death, was the first to recover and clear his mind. But even after recovering, Hillman still felt as though he were in a dream. “Yesterday, a dual-element magus of the eighth rank came. Today, something even more amazing; two Saint-level combatants, and a Black Dragon! In my entire life, I’ve never seen anything so amazing.”
Hillman felt slightly dizzy.
Black Dragons were amongst the most powerful of magical beasts, at least ninth-rank in power. Someone who was able to subdue one was almost certainly a Saint-level combatant. And from the looks of it, the person facing off against him was also a Saint-level combatant.
This was ample proof that the gray-robed man was a Saint-level combatant as well.
Hillman and the others were hundreds of meters away from the Black Dragon. No matter how sharp their ears were, there was no way for them to hear the words being exchanged by the two parties.
Not knowing what was being said, they just watched, until suddenly…
“Roaaaaaaaaaaar.”
Suddenly, the enormous Black Dragon let out a furious roar as its two huge wings began to flap vigorously. It emanated a terrifying pressure, causing everyone, Hillman included, to feel their legs grow soft and to feel as though they couldn’t breathe.
“Is this dragonsfear?” Linley also felt as though his heart was being squeezed by a huge stone, making it impossible for him to breathe, but nonetheless, Linley felt extremely excited, and his blood was beginning to boil.
The Black Dragon was simply too powerful.
“Rudi [Lu’di]! Don’t go overboard!” That green-robed man suddenly let out a powerful shout. The explosive sound of his words reverberated in the air as though it were thunder. Not only did Hillman hear these words clearly; every single person in Wushan township heard the words clearly.
Hillman paused. He mumbled the words, “Rudi? Rudi?”
But Hillman quickly realized what was going on. Rapidly turning around, he shouted fiercely at all the children, “Everyone, go home right now! Go home and hide! NOW!” Hillman’s loud roar and his urgent expression stunned every child present.
Hillman’s thought processes were very clear.
These two Saint-level combatants obviously were engaged in some sort of dispute. Apparently, they were about to come to blows.
When Saint-level combatants were about to engage in a fight, the children standing there watching the fight would not be able to protected whatsoever. The slightest side reverberations could kill all the children present. Saint-level combatants were reputed to have the power to shatter the heavens and obliterate the earth.
Even if that reputation was slightly exaggerated, they definitely did have the power to obliterate a city or a tall mountain.
“Quick, let’s move. Don’t stand there in a daze, move!” Hillman shouted loudly while shoving some children away.
Only now did the rest of the children awaken from their stupor. Although they didn’t understand why Hillman was pushing them to go back to their homes and wanted to continue watching the Saint-level combatants, Hillman’s awe-inspiring presence was still enough to send all of the children running speedily for their homes.
“Lorry, Roger, quick, take the six and seven year olds back home. Quickly! If Saint-level combatants clash, when the side-effects of their struggle reach us, the aftermath will be….”
Hillman’s face was filled with urgency.
“Understood, Captain!” Lorry and Roger totally understood what their captain was thinking.
Lorry and Roger immediately turned around and lifted up the children who were slow runners. They carried two in each arm and two on their backs as well. Hillman joined them as well, quickly beginning to pick up child after child.
“Linley, go home, quick!” Hillman, still carrying several children, shouted towards Linley, who was also running.
“I know, Uncle Hillman!” Linley replied loudly.
Although Linley was only eight years old, his running speed was on par with fourteen year olds. While running, Linley would often turn back to stare at the sky. That huge coiled Black Dragon and those two Saint-level combatants had fully captured his attention.
“Captain, Lord Hogg ordered us to come assist you!” Twelve warriors had come flying out of the Baruch clan manor. As soon as they saw Hillman, they shouted at him.
“Quick, take these children home!” Hillman immediately ordered.
“Yes, Captain!” The warriors hastily replied, and quickly began sending the six and seven year olds to their homes.
“All of you, go home! Go home and hide! Protect yourselves!” Hillman shouted again in a loud voice.
Hillman possessed a great deal of authority in Wushan township. Upon hearing his words, many of the villagers who had been terrified at the sight of a Black Dragon knew immediately what to do. Right now, the entire Wushan township had turned into a frenzy of activity. All of the children and all of the workers fled to their homes. At this point in time, the only thing which could protect them was the sturdy stone of their houses.
Linley directly charged into his own residence.
“Quick, hide in the cellar beneath the storage room.” Hogg was standing in the middle of the courtyard. Upon seeing Linley, he immediately ordered him in. The cellar beneath the storage room was the largest, most sturdy cellar within the Baruch clan’s manor. Anyone hiding there definitely would be able to survive.
“Yes, father!” Linley repeatedly nodded, and immediately ran in the direction of the storage room.
While running as fast as he could, Linley’s mind returned to the Black Dragon, its gray-robed rider, and the green-robed man. He couldn’t help but turn once again and look back at the eastern sky. Since all the buildings in the small town were fairly low in height, he could clearly see for hundreds of meters.
/> Right now, the Black Dragon was growling in a low voice nonstop.
“Dillon [Di’long], if you are going to be so stubborn about this, then don’t blame me for my actions.” A cold voice emanated from the sky. Immediately afterwards, the Black Dragon began to let out a series of angry roars and belching forth smoky black fire from its mouth.
“Rudi, today I’m going to see exactly how powerful of a Saint-level magus you are!” The green-robed man shouted angrily.
Book 1, Chapter 16 – Catastrophe (part 1)
Clearly, the swordsman wearing green was named Dillon, while the gray-robed man was named Rudi.
The Black Dragon beneath the gray-robed man breathed out a huge plume of black flame, surrounding the green-robed man and swirling like smoke. Suddenly, the green-robed swordsman’s eyes shone with a fierce green light, and then his entire body was surrounded by a protective green aura, preventing the flames from injuring him in the slightest. At the same time, the ringing sound of a sword could be heard.
That ringing sound was even louder and more pure than the dragon’s roar, encompassing the heavens and the earth.
The green-robed man struck out with his longsword, and suddenly, a huge, indistinct sword tip spanning tens of meters in length appeared and slashed outwards into the air, fiercely attacking the gray-robed man. The gray-robed man stared coldly at that sword of light. Not moving in the slightest, he just constantly mumbled magical incantations.
“Is this the tip of a sword? The tip of an enormous sword?” While running to the warehouse, Linley was still watching with his head turned. “How is that gray-robed man going to block? Using the Black Dragon?”
“Crash!”
The Black Dragon didn’t block at all, and allowed the enormous sword-tip to come crashing down directly on the body of the gray-robed man. The man’s gray robes immediately exploded in all directions, but after having done so, a suit of shining protective battle armor was revealed underneath it. The battle armor was so shiny, it was piercing to the eye, as though it were made of diamonds.