A few days later, Dean Xiao invites Zhao Manyan and me to his office.
"Good afternoon. We've a momentous matter on our hands. I'd like to ask the two of you to be part of the exchange list."
Zhao Manyan's countenance lights up in realization, while I frown. "The exchange list?"
"Every year, all the magic colleges across China draw lots to pair up, and each college in a pair sends a group of outstanding students to the other for three months. Our Pearl Institute is the number one college in Shanghai, but we unluckily drew Imperial College, the best university in Imperial City and a contender for the best university in the nation! In order to not lose face, we've picked the best students from the freshman year to represent us. It'll be the both of you, Mui Nujiao, Song Xia, Zheng Bingxiao, Luo Song, Shen Mingxiao, Bai Tingting, and Peng Liang."
Zhao Manyan immediately agrees, but I am more hesitant.
"Dean, I'm already doing quite well here. I accept missions, save lives, meditate, practice my bow, talk to friends. Is there any reason you need me to go? And if so, I don't think it would be remiss for me to ask for some compensation."
He sighs in resignation. "Yes, if you're part of the group, I can rest assured our Pearl Institute won't suffer any humiliation. Imperial College is simply far too stacked with talent and hidden monsters. How about this: I'm aware you lack spiritual protection. I have this Focus Magic Tool, a Focus Necklace. It'll shield your Spiritual World from attacks for a brief period of time when you activate it, and then recharge slowly."
[Fantastic.]
I place the tool around my neck. "Don't worry, Dean. I'll refrain from killing anyone. But if someone lets out so much as a peep of ill will directed at us or Pearl Institute, they'll find themselves waking up in a hospital bed."
He coughs. "I appreciate the cavalier attitude, but no need to go that far. Though anything fixable by a Healer on the spot is acceptable. Now, the bus is waiting. Off you go."
…
…
Imperial College certainly looks impressive. It's around the same size as Pearl Institute, but has far fewer students, indicative of strict standards. All the buildings are tall, intricate, and glamorous. The teacher responsible for receiving us, Lu Yiming, takes us to the dorms we'll be residing in for a quarter year.
Strangely, Nyx is releasing a faint green radiance. I send a strand of Intent inside it, and…
[What the fuck?]
Void appears everywhere I look: there's actually a space compressed inside Nyx, just like how the Three Step Tower appears to take up such little area on Earth but the inside is enormous. In the center of the space is a transparent river, reminiscent of the Underground Holy Spring. Balls of pale green light with slightly differing luminosities hover over the water, clearly representing Soul Remnants since I've sold all the Soul Essences that I procured.
Later that night, Nyx trembles. I peer inside and there's a ball of condensed radiance amidst the less bright Soul Remnants.
[A Soul Essence? But there wasn't one to begin with, and neither have I killed anything. Besides, the number of Soul Remnants seems to have decreased.]
It hits me. Nyx has been upgrading itself ever since it absorbed the Underground Holy Spring; now, it's unlocked the ability to refine Soul Essences from Soul Remnants. Quite literally, turning trash into treasure. Simultaneously, it advanced from a Spirit-grade Stardust Magic Tool to a Soul-grade Nebula Magic Tool, perfect for an Intermediate Mage like me to cultivate and expand my Nebulas.
I count the number of Soul Remnants by spreading Intent all around the river: 1543 Soldier and 209 Warrior.
In a few moments, Nyx shudders again, and I quickly recount. 1499 and 209, plus a second Soldier Soul Essence.
Again. 1499 and 181, and a new Warrior Soul Essence.
Over and over, until finally it's 0 and 0, and I have 31 Soldier and 7 Warrior Soul Essences. Since the quality of each essence varies, I suspect Nyx used all the remnants up on purpose, but on average each Soldier Soul Essence requires 50 Soldier Soul Remnants and each Warrior Soul Essence requires 30 Warrior Soul Remnants.
[Am I just rich now?]
My gains are worth around 300 million yuan. I try to extract one, but wait. Nyx won't let it leave.
[Nyx, you can't blue ball me like this.]
I repeatedly try to move it places, and the only area it's willing to go is my Spiritual World, where it gets sucked in by a Light star, which appears permanently brighter. In the past, I've read about this and scoffed: enhancing stars is an excellent method of becoming poor, if that is one's goal.
7 Soldier Soul Essences are needed to enhance the 7 stars in a Basic spell. 49 for an Intermediate spell. The average cost of a Soldier Soul Essence is 4 million yuan, so that's nearly 200 million just to upgrade the stars in my Star Pattern. All this accomplishes is raising the spell's tier by one; in the case of my Light Element, 4th tier instead of 3rd tier. This unlocks 4th tier spells, which admittedly are more powerful and versatile than lower tiers, and don't cost any additional mana to use, but not at all worth 200 million if you're an Intermediate Mage. Advanced Mages might spend upwards of 1.4 billion upgrading their stars. In terms of cost efficiency, far inferior to obtaining a Soul-grade Spirit. A terrible investment.
It remains so when entering the Super stage. The strongest Super Mages can cast magic without aligning any stars, but their spells are still doubled in strength with each star upgrade. However, it takes 2401 Soldier Soul Essences for this doubling effect to materialize, the equivalent of 10 billion yuan. It's a no-brainer to perform this procedure if you're a peak Super Mage with dozens of billions to spare, but most Super Mages are better off obtaining Magic Equipment, Magic Tools, and other more efficient methods of upgrading one's strength.
If one wants to be even more profligate, Warrior Soul Essences can be used to unlock another tier, and Commander Soul Essences for yet another. They can also substitute for lower tier unlocks: if I used a Warrior Soul Essence to continue upgrading my Light stars, I'd be able to enhance 5 stars on average, but it would depend on the quality of the essence.
This is incredibly wasteful, but if I truly cannot extract the essences in any way, then…
A few minutes later, my Light Nebula is bubbling with joy, while my mood sinks lower and lower.
[31 Soldier and 3 Warrior Soul Essences! Down the drain!]
The fact that 3 of them happened to be of superior quality and upgraded 6 stars each just makes me feel worse. All I have left is 4 Warrior Soul Essences, but look at what I accomplished! A tier 4 Intermediate Light spell! Such value.
Here is not an appropriate place to test my gains. I walk just outside of our dorms and cast the new Basic spell first.
"Illuminate: Gleamstrike!"
This conjures a single, dazzling, concentrated beam of light that moves to aim at wherever I desire. I suspect it's highly effective against dark-attribute creatures, and it packs the overall radiance of the ball of light summoned by Blindness into a single ray, so most counters to Blindness are simply overloaded by the sheer density of light, no less boosted by a factor of 3 from my Light Spirit.
"Light Blessing: Juggernaut!"
Light Blessing: Painted Wall (2nd tier) and Light Blessing: Tiled Dome (3rd tier) are extremely similar, with the latter simply doubling the defensive strength of the dome of light. I presume Juggernaut retains that pattern of improvement, with double the defensive strength of Guard in the form of armor. Unless several people with Spirit-grade Elemental Spirits cast offensive spells at me, there's zero chance this protection is breaking down, especially with how defensive spells can generally tank same-strength offensive spells.
This spell turns me into a juggernaut with glowing armor. I'm looking forward to crushing my opponents tomorrow.
…
…
In the morning, Lu Yiming leads us to the practice grounds, where our competition is waiting. We all agree to avoid using Magic Equipment and Magic Tools, and since I don't want any complaints about winning on a technicality, I drop my swords and Chaotic Piercer to the ground.
Gu Han, our Pearl Institute advisor, announces, "We'll have two 4-on-4 battles, since our healer Bai Tingting is not suitable for combat yet. Who wants to go first?"
I whisper to Zhao Manyan and Mui Nujiao to sit this one out. Eventually, Shen Mingxiao, Luo Song, Peng Liang, and Zheng Bingxiao head up to the other team. Luo Song seems to hold animosity for one of their members: Xu Dalong. Unfortunately, when the former tries to cancel the opposing team's Intermediate Plant spell with a rumble of earth, the latter cancels the approaching ripple with his own, and our team ends up trapped in a spiky Forest of Kun. Unexpectedly, another member of the opposing team directs a Fiery Fist straight at the overgrown area of plants, developing into a circle of fiery doom that eats through all the defenses of our team, leaving them burned and defeated. Gu Han had to intervene, putting out the fire with a Violent Waves: Flooding. They walk back with gloom etched onto their faces.
Shen Mingxiao does not seem happy. "Advisor, please allow me to sub for Zhao Manyan or Yang Jianyu. Neither of their Elements bear any offensive potential. We lost due to Luo Song's failure to counter the Plant girl's magic, not because my strength was lacking."
"Hey, you piece of shit. Don't try to pin all the blame on me. While I was at least trying to interrupt her, what the fuck were you doing? Standing there, fanning your panties?!"
They start to curse at each other. Ignoring them, Zhao Manyan, Mui Nujiao, Song Xia, and I step into the field.
On the other side, a commotion is occurring as a silver-haired girl walks down to the field. One of the 4 opponents immediately bows out, allowing her to take his place; she seems to be their captain.
"This… isn't good. Song Xia, use Zhao Manyan to tank while you pummel the ones aside from that girl with your fire. Mui Nujiao, help them out by restricting their movements. Don't cast your Wind Disc: Tornado or similar Wind AOE spells; they'll only hurt us by spreading the Ice magic she'll cast. I'll take her on."
"What? Why?"
"Fine, the three of you take her on. I'll wipe out the other three. Doesn't really matter to me."
Song Xia's face darkens. "... We'll beat her. Just don't lose immediately."
Battle commences. As planned, I head to the others, one of whom is drawing the Summon Element's Star Pattern. I won't get there in time to interrupt with Blindness, so I cast the 4th tier Gleamstrike instead. He screams in agony as I aim the dazzling golden light ray at his eyes, and the others follow suit as I switch to their faces. I close in, chopping the backs of their necks and knocking them unconscious even as they writhe in pain. I didn't expect it to be so effective; condensing Blindness's entire ball of light into a single beam is an incredibly potent transformation.
Mu Ningxue knits her eyebrows upon viewing her teammates fall so quickly; she has time to take in her surroundings even when ganged up on by three people. Song Xia's Fire Element is suppressed to a disgusting degree by the snowstorm enveloping the area around Mu Ningxue: it doesn't even look like she casted a spell to create it, and it resembles a Domain more than anything else. Her Wind Disc: Tornado contributes to the expansion of the blizzard, and she employs Wind Trails to dance out of the way of Mui Nujiao's Plant traps. Zhao Manyan is utterly useless, wrapped in his shields and trying to blind her to no avail; she cleverly summons ice to reflect any light coming her way.
I cast Light Blessing: Juggernaut, enshrouding myself in an impervious glowing armor, and charge at Mu Ningxue. The freezing Ice particles don't stand any chance of affecting me through my armor of light, and I'm already approaching her. She tries pinning me down with Ice Locks, but I evade each one and push myself off the last one, sending my body flying straight at her. She nimbly steps out of the way using Wind Trail, but immediately becomes enclosed in a trap of vines that constrict her every move: an excellent maneuver by Mui Nujiao. I walk up to her and flick her forehead.
"Got you, Ningxue."
She narrows her eyes in discontent. "It'll be you next time there isn't anyone to interfere."
Mui Nujiao tilts her head, asking, "Do you know each other?"
"We were excellent friends for over a year. Unfortunately, the Mu Clan intervened in our relationship when she turned 15, and our unconfessed feelings have laid dormant since, until now."
She appears perturbed but eventually chooses to not clarify anything, treating my words as mere air.
[How disappointing.]
Mui Nujiao picks up on this nonverbal exchange and swats my arm for blustering, and the teachers interrupt the scene.
"All of you will be sent away from the safe zones for training. If you're in danger out there, no one will come and save you! We'll give each of you a magic pen that signals us to pick you up if you're in a tough spot, but you still have to survive until we reach you…" Qui Yuhua announces.
"Deaths and injuries were quite common in the past. Therefore, I hope everyone will be on high alert once the training begins. Don't do anything too risky. There might be times where you think you could easily handle a few magical creatures, but let me tell you this: things are not always as simple as they seem!" Mr. Gu Han sternly warns us.
"Even though you've taken classes about demonic beasts, or received information about the world outside the safe zones, the truth is, most of the teachers who have taught you have never left the safe zones themselves. If you assume that what you've learned is enough to look after yourselves… that isn't realistic at all." Li Jing adds on.
"Anyways, just be careful. I want to see the same number of people coming back!" Mr. Qiu Yuhua says.
Mui Nujiao whispers to me, "None of this applies to you, right?"
"I doubt it. Temper yourself to your heart's content; I'll make sure you stay alive."
…
…
We get off a plane in Kangning City, the closest human-inhabited place to Jinlin City, our mission location. It's a ruined city that was overrun by monsters 15 years ago, and recent reports from members of the military indicated there were at most one or two Commanders, with the majority of the magical beasts being Soldiers and a decent number of Warriors milling about. Our job is to accurately estimate the number of Soldiers and Warriors by roaming the city.
As we trudge to the city, we converse about the situation.
"Jinlin City has been taken over by the Giant Reptile Beast Horde," Qingqing, a knowledgeable Imperial College student informs us.
Bai Tingting, who's a bit naive when it comes to the wilderness, asks, "What's a horde?"
"Essentially, at least 50 or more grown-up beasts in a group indicates a nest. At least 50 nests of the same species is a pack, and 10 packs is a horde. So there's around 25,000 members of the Giant Reptile Beast Horde roaming around, and far more if it's a large horde."
I chime in. "It's little wonder the city was evacuated; the horde must have sent it into Blood Alert."
"Listen to him, he's quite the expert on Blood Alerts. He even survived one in Bo City!" Shen Mingxiao directs a mocking gaze at me.
I slightly smile in response, but Mu Ningxue chillingly intones, "Keep Bo City out of your mouth."
The atmosphere grows solemn after that.
…
…
We take a detour around a huge cavernous system and spy Jinlin City in the distance. Luckily, we've only faced the occasional Soldier on our 25 km trek. It's nearly night, so we decide to find shelter in Jinlin City and clear it of any creatures.
Up ahead is an administrative building covered with swaths of thick vines: it'll do.
"Who wants to stay behind to ensure demonic beasts don't come inside and pincer us while we're clearing the place and resting afterward?"
Bai Tingting is shivering with fear of the unknown, and her eyes plead with mine to remain outside since I'm the only one she's acquainted with.
"Bai Tingting and I can serve as lookouts. The rest of you, watch yourselves in the building."
Everyone else agrees, heading inside. Bai Tingting comes over and whispers, "Thank you. I feel so out of place here; everything freaks me out. I really didn't want to go in there, but I didn't want to stay outside on my own either..."
"All good. I'll take first watch, get some rest."
"No, I'll do it! You-"
"As nervous as you are, I believe it's a bad idea to assign you the first watch. Just relax, I'll wake you up in a few hours."
A bit more persuasion later, she relents and curls up on some soft leaves underneath the blanket she was carrying. Even though Intermediate Mages possess better physiques, carrying heavy backpacks as we are will take its toll over 25 km. Especially the city Mages that don't regularly exercise: their muscles, though tough, are far inferior in comparison to a calisthenics and cardio fanatic like me. Bai Tingting is hardly any stronger than the average Basic Mage, a fact embellished by her rough breathing over the duration of the hike.
Nevertheless, she does possess some grit: she denied my offer to carry her backpack on the way. Respectable.
…
…
Her rest doesn't last long. No more than a half hour later, she wakes up to screams. We exchange startled glances and run for the building, on which vines are beginning to move around, but the others are already sprinting out. Zheng Bingxiao's summoned rock golem is carrying Song Xia, whose abdomen contains a huge hole frozen over by Mu Ningxue's ice. The rest are disheveled but uninjured.
Liao Mingxuan points a finger at me and snarls, "I had better not hear a single peep from you moving forward. I don't understand why Pearl Institute chose a coward like you to represent it."
"Yeah, what a great plan. Let the others die in the building while you and her run off together!" Shen Mingxiao chimes in. Luo Song, Lu Zhenghe, and Ming Cong are nodding their heads, evidently harboring dislike for me as well.
I calmly approach them. "This is just happenstance. How was I supposed to know about a creature controlling the vines?" I almost add the real reason I stayed outside, but I think better of it; I don't want the others to scold Bai Tingting.
"See, he even knew it was a 'creature controlling the vines' and not some other threat. He has malicious intentions; I suggest we paralyze him and render him unable to pose any danger." Lu Zhenghe has had enough of me.
"I deduced it was such a creature upon seeing the vines atop the building eerily move. But I won't bother defending myself any further. Pandering to monkeys doesn't suit me."
Mu Ningxue interrupts the rising tension. "Enough! Staying outside for a valid reason of being a lookout is no crime. Let's move on and find some other shelter."
"I'm splitting off; I find it unnecessary to remain with a group that seeks discord at every moment. It's unproductive. Mui Nujiao, Bai Tingting, Zhao Manyan, want to come with me? I bet we'll make progress far faster on our own than with these buffoons."
The three hesitate, and then Mui Nujiao and Zhao Manyan nod their heads, walking to my side. Bai Tingting regretfully turns me down, since she needs to heal Song Xia. Mu Ningxue does not seem happy, though it's hard to tell by the permanent neutral expression on her face.
Song Xia speaks up in her place, as she's figured out that Mu Ningxue doesn't like to argue. "It's not a good idea-"
Not bothering to listen, I walk away with the other two following me.
Behind our backs, the 5 dunces mutter to each other, doubtless saying things like "good riddance." Mu Ningxue appears to have half a desire to scold them, but decides to remain silent as usual. I turn around and continue walking.
We all have maps detailing the layout of Jinlin City, and green dots delineating inspection points make a grid across the map. At each point, we're meant to place down a device that releases a sonar wave with a 3 km radius, counting all the creatures in the region. It roughly differentiates between Soldiers and Warriors based on size.
For accuracy, it releases the wave multiple times over the course of 20 minutes, which is plenty of time for a few nearby demonic beasts sensitive to the pulse to check out the source. In such an event, our job is to protect the device and kill any curious monsters.
Because the points are pre-defined, our separation from the group is only temporary: we're likely to run into each other after heading for the same inspection point.
…
…
After 5 green beeps on the device over the course of the next morning and afternoon, that has not occurred yet. Each inspection was accompanied by at least a dozen Soldiers, most of which I shot and killed before they closed in a 100 meters away, and I allowed Mui Nujiao to handle the rest. Two Warriors showed up in the second inspection; Zhao Manyan protected himself and Mui Nujiao as they defeated the first, and I watched them after gutting the second in a 20 second melee scuffle.
Mui Nujiao grows concerned, wondering if any harm had befallen the others, but I spy them in the distance as we approach our sixth inspection point.
The 5 imbeciles have cooled off considerably, likely due to ridicule from the others, though Lu Zhenghe still aggressively asks us a question. "How many points did you clear? We've already gotten 4."
"5."
"No need to lie, it'll just make you look worse than if you spit out a low number."
"Why do I even bother speaking to you?"
Mui Nujiao confirms, "Yes, we cleared 5 points," contorting his face as if he just got slapped.
"So you believe the cool-headed, pretty girl and not Jianyu. Can you demonstrate your bias any more thoroughly?" Zhao Manyan snickers.
Mu Ningxue knits her brows. "Jianyu, Zhao Manyan, must you escalate things as soon as we meet up again? And Lu Zhenghe, knock it off. Keep things civil here; we shouldn't split anymore."
[As if I escalated anything?]
…
…
The next day begins like any other, with another 5 inspection points taken care of by the time afternoon arrives and we take a break.
We all split off to clear our heads, eat, drink some water, and excrete wastes, leaving Bai Tingting to take care of Song Xia and Ming Cong to guard them.
When we get back, Ming Cong is holding a screaming Bai Tingting's hands above her head with one of his own, the other reaching for the clasp of her bra, visible now after he presumably ripped off her shirt.
[What the fuck?]
I dash at the pair, blinding Ming Cong with Gleamstrike. He yelps in pain and releases Bai Tingting, crumpling to the ground and thrashing in agony.
Suddenly, she rushes at me, throwing her arms around me and burying her head in my chest. I quickly take off my shirt and force her to put it on, but she continues clinging to me while I try my best to gently extricate her from my body.
"Please… please don't leave me. I'm scared…"
I stop, sighing. The others are already restraining Ming Cong, while Mui Nujiao and Mu Ningxue walk up to me. Before the situation escalates, I strike my palm against Bai Tingting's forehead, knocking her out as gently as possible.
I grimly state, "Something bizarre is occurring. Ming Cong knows we're here. Even if he wanted to rape Bai Tingting, logic and awareness of the actions we'd take against him should prevent him from acting on it. And Bai Tingting is a conservative girl. She'd never usually initiate contact with a guy like when she hugged me just now."
Mu Ningxue replies, "Mui Nujiao and I can search the area quickly with our Wind Elements to find out what's going on. You should stay here and knock out anyone that is acting strangely."
"No, I should come with one of you in case there's a dangerous threat you can't handle. Ningxue, since your Wind is stronger, I'll come with you. Jiaojiao, you stay here and try to soothe any rising tensions."
…
…
We search a circle with a 1 km radius but find nothing except a pond with bones floating on its surface. Odd. I nudge Mu Ningxue to head back, in case Mui Nujiao couldn't have kept things under control by herself.
As we near our campsite, it appears that's exactly what happened. Mui Nujiao is fighting Luo Song and Shen Mingxiao, and the same kind of standoff is occurring everywhere else at the same time. Luckily, no one has found a counter to Gleamstrike yet, so I use it to great effect, disabling Mui Nujiao's enemies and chopping the backs of their necks, knocking them out. She walks towards me, likely to thank me and discuss what's happening.
Instead, she grabs my cheeks and places her soft lips on mine, hungrily kissing me. I jerk away, but she tries to get ahold of me again, so I grab her hands, immobilizing her. She pouts while I palm her forehead, knocking her out.
[What the fuck just happened?]
I force myself to focus. Clearly, my target should have been Mui Nujiao, not the people she was fighting, but it doesn't matter now. There's obviously something mind controlling a few of us to attack the rest via unknown methods. I need to fight it. I need to kill it. I desire nothing aside from its death. Everything here is a tool for me to get rid of it.
I stomp over to Mu Ningxue. "Ningxue, get me back to that water pond. Now."
Annoyingly, she frowns at my tone. "I-" "I don't want to hear it. If you don't get me there, I'll just run. Up to you to make killing it faster or slower, and I would prefer faster. There's-"
Suddenly, my Focus Necklace releases a pulse of energy, soothing me. What was I doing? I can cooperate with Mu Ningxue to get there; why was I so forceful with my approach?
[Oh, I was under its influence as well.]
"Ningxue, sorry, it was controlling me just now. Please, take me there, would you?"
She finally nods.
…
…
The pond is suspiciously empty and clear, but not for long. After Mu Ningxue starts freezing the pond, a huge brain half the size of a small building begins rising from the pond's surface. It's followed by dozens of eyes and 8 spindly, sharp legs. Its appearance resembles a spider if its body were replaced by brains: an appropriate look for a creature whose offense is dictated by the strength of its mind.
I rush the beast, immediately activating Rabbit Feet. For 20 seconds, I weave between the spider's attacks, getting sliced at times when its incredibly sharp legs move unpredictably. I must admit, my time spent fighting wolves, bears, and other mammals inevitably led to my combat skill being better suited for dismantling monsters that resemble mutated mammals. Against insects and arachnids, the huge versions don't act anything like the original ones, nor do they follow the same patterns as other beasts. This is likely due to the limitations of their bodies: large creatures simply cannot lift 500 times their own body weight, for example. This forces their attack patterns to differ, and yet they still bear the eerie nature of crawling insects or arachnids.
Despite all this, magical beasts uniformly share the trait of desiring humans to be dead, and while some may resort to trickery while others prefer a head-on charge, that one identical goal conflicts with my own: to survive. And dare I say it, I'm far better at surviving than these things are at killing me. I start to read its moves, tilting my head to the side to avoid collision with a leg four times as thick as my thigh, pivoting to dodge a sharp stab at my hamstring. No, I've already been reading its moves, else I'd have more than mere scratches on my body. I'm just getting better. Even with the Rabbit Feet now inactive, it can't land a single hit.
Although it appears it's just been messing with us. I quickly activate the Blood Tabi and launch myself off a nearby rock horizontally to avoid the huge cloud of acid it just sprayed everywhere. It follows up the attack by rending its legs through the air with its greatest speed yet, the resulting wind slicing through rock a fair distance away. I charge at Mu Ningxue and bring her along in my evasive maneuvers; my Juggernaut glowing armor tanks a dozen of those wind slashes before sputtering out, though by that time we're out of its range. I glance back and sure enough, those two series of attacks have rendered it sluggish.
"Ningxue, get me closer."
I fire arrow after arrow into its huge brain, drawing bloodcurdling clicking noises from its jaws. A few land on its eyes and head, causing it to move even more slowly and in a dizzy manner. I had tried this before, but its perception was too strong: it just swiped a leg at the incoming arrow to knock it into the distance. Now, it feels like even if we stop, it'll just bleed out.
But we have to ensure it dies. Mu Ningxue suddenly summons a gorgeous bow made from ice, and materializes a similarly icy arrow, drawing it back and then releasing it, a sonic wave pulsing around the arrow as it soars to the creature's brain. A large ring of frost appears, freezing over the surface of the creature's brain, head, and legs, and likely its insides as well. It's as good as dead.
I glance at Mu Ningxue, who's staggering from that magic she just unleashed. I support her, keeping her upright. As we begin walking back to camp, I've got to ask.
"Why not just do that from the beginning?"
"It'd likely have rendered me unconscious from the energy drawn from my soul to accomplish that. After you weakened it significantly, it took far less effort to kill it."
Simple enough. We head back in silence.
…
…
Killing the spider has worked; everyone is free of the demonic influence causing them to attack each other.
Actually, I've pretty much figured out how the influence operates. It doesn't give the targets any new orders, merely amplifying their desires. Ming Cong likely had fleeting thoughts of Bai Tingting's bust, and the influence caused him to act on those thoughts, trying to remove her bra. Bai Tingting rushed into my arms because I'm the only one here she knows, and perhaps she believes she can rely on me and trust me more than anyone else around because I saved her life.
Mui Nujiao… has a crush on me. I have no idea how to feel about her; I thought we were just friends that teased each other a little.
I just wish Mu Ningxue went under the influence as well, to expose what's masked by an air of cool indifference.
As I keep walking, Bai Tingting and Mui Nujiao immediately run away to their tents when they see me, ashamed of their actions.
[For fuck's sake.]
"How is everyone?"
Zhao Manyan answers me. "No one died, at least. Some are pretty injured. You should ask Bai Tingting to help out, we haven't been able to get through to her after she realized what she did under the influence. And Mui Nujiao as well…"
"... Got it."
"Look at you, suffering from success. 3 of the prettiest girls here have been ensnared by you."
"3? Ningxue isn't one of them. And neither is Bai Tingting, for the record."
"Isn't she? I've never seen her say more than a few words to anyone else, yet she cares about your opinion enough to give you sentences."
Like that's much better. I coolly head to Bai Tingting's tent.
"Bai Tingting? Is it alright if I talk to you for a second?"
I can hear a sigh. "... C-come in."
She's turned away from me, her face pressed into her knees. "What is it?"
"We need you, Bai Tingting. You're the group's healer, and people are injured. Song Xia has fully recovered under your ministrations. Can you do the same for the others?"
She whispers, "How can I possibly show up in front of any of them now?"
"You're the victim in this scenario; why are you worried about what others think? At most, they'll just be concerned. If you're still nervous, find the kind and concerned Bai Tingting, the one that stayed with Song Xia to look after her instead of coming with me. Everyone loves that version of you, and that is you. This, moping in your tent, isn't you."
Slowly, she seems to recover her confidence. She faces me and puts on a shaky smile, "I guess they're in need of Healing. I'll go out in a few moments, when I collect myself."
"Glad to hear it."
I exit her tent, but my exhalation is now tinged with a foreboding aura. My heart's racing as I pace towards Mui Nujiao's tent. I don't ask for permission to enter, instead directly heading inside.
She's curled up, but startled from the flap opening. "Who's there?" she asks, while turning around. And she immediately turns back. "Go away! I don't want to talk!"
"Nujiao, I'm only here to say one thing. Nothing happened, I don't remember anything, we're still friends."
I exit immediately.
…
…
The encounter with the spider and the resulting chaos puts a damper on the mood, and we all decide to head back early. Forget the inspection points; whoever informed the teachers of the threat level of the monsters in the city was clearly holding back.
Regardless, we exit the crumbled city walls and head to Kangning City. On the way, a group of 30 Battlemages with huge Heavenly Eagles by their sides walks towards us. Their leader is a man with thick brows, a pipe between his lips, and a camo windbreaker on his torso. The eyes under his thick brows quickly scan the students, before stopping at Lu Zhenghe.
The miserable excuse for a student casts a glance in my direction, as if trying to tell the man something. The commander nods slightly and slowly raises his right hand. He gives an order to the Battlemages behind him, "Those who we have no interest in, kill 'em all."
[What.]
"Huh? You must be mistaken, we're …"
I shift my attention away from the surrounding questions and commotion as my brain rapidly makes the connection. Lu Zhenghe led the man to us, for whatever reason, and signaled to him who I was, who Yang Jianyu was. A commander of a troop of Intermediate Battlemages is definitely an experienced Advanced Mage, someone I'll stand no chance against.
[Unless I have a hostage.]
Even as I'm calculating, my hands grab Lu Zhenghe's throat, and I press my sword against his throat.
"Stop or he dies."
"Yang Jianyu, what the fuck are you doing? They've got the wrong people, don't piss them off."
Ming Cong is always happy to mouth off at me. Seemingly to appease me, the commander raises a fist. Behind him, a Mage casts an Intermediate Lightning spell which conjures a thick, purple column of lightning from the sky that strikes Ming Cong, exploding him into a rain of blood and flesh that splatters on everyone's faces and bodies. Peng Liang, Bai Tingting, and Mui Nujiao immediately throw up.
"I must admit, you have excellent decision-making speed. Yang Jianyu, you've got me by the balls. Name one person that's allowed to leave, and I'll let them escape if you give Lu Zhenghe to me."
"Me, of course. And what's your name? Why are you targeting us?"
Mui Nujiao looks crestfallen, yet resigned when I don't say her name. Zhao Manyan has a wry smile, no doubt cursing me under his breath. Mu Ningxue doesn't display any reaction; I can only hope my distraction is helping her prepare her bow.
"I am Commander Lu Nian. And actually, I am not targeting all of you; the only reason I'm killing the lot of you is that I don't want anyone to know exactly what happened here. No, if I could, I'd let most of you go. All except you, Yang Jianyu. Even if Lu Zhenghe dies, you won't be escaping from here today."
"Fine. In exchange for releasing him, can you at least explain why you want me? In detail, please."
"I'm glad you're taking it so well. I'll honor your request. Set him down."
I do so, and a Battlemage drags him to their side.
"I'm surprised you didn't try to kill him out of spite."
"I dislike him. I don't hate him."
"As a reward for your intelligent cooperation, I'll tell you everything, starting from the beginning. Humanity is suffering. Countless Mages die every year, every month. Every day. The textbooks you've read highlight our victories, painting an image of us pushing back the demonic beasts. This could not be further from the truth. As it stands, we are mere food. Cattle. The only reasons we aren't wiped out are that demonic creatures love to taste our flesh and we serve as a method of evolution: to select for stronger and stronger monsters in each successive generation."
"Unbelievable."
"I'm aware, but I won't waste time on convincing you. The point is, we need to grow. To find more potent Elements. Light was an excellent discovery by Edison those decades ago, but it isn't enough. However, a section of the military recently made a breakthrough: the Demon Element. When we isolated an extract, the Blood Sarira, that would imbue the power of the Demon Element upon subjects who ingested it, we were in awe of its sheer might. The only problem was that they all went insane, consumed by the fury of the Demon Element, and the military suffered losses trying to kill each one. Several subjects didn't even die by our hands; after a period of time, they just shriveled up, all life gone from their cells."
"That's cool and all, but where do I come in?"
"It seems that the Demon Element requires a strong fuel source and a powerful will, both things you possess. Your Twin Innate Elements is known among the highest echelons of the military, and I overheard two of them briefly discussing you. It's all that's missing from the formula for success. The problem earlier was that the Demon Element drew more power the higher the patient's cultivation was. An Advanced Mage would get sucked dry just as easily as a Basic Mage. However, you have one more Nebula and therefore more mana than others at your level. Coupled with your indomitable willpower, you are the best candidate for helping us finish the investigation of the Demon Element. Join us!"
"Yeah, fuck that. Do it!"
An icy bow appears in Mu Ningxue's hand, and a long, intricate arrow made of ice starts materializing as she pulls back its tail into the bow 'string'. She sends it flying at the Battlemages, and an enormous blast of Ice magic freezes them into ice statues. She isn't any better off, as she instantly collapses, unconscious.
"Zhao Manyan, take care of Mu Ningxue, and look after Bai Tingting and Mui Nujiao. I'm trusting you. I'll lead them to the city; they're after me."
He clenches his teeth. "Got it. Stay alive!"
I crack a lopsided smile. "I don't know how to die."
…
…
I'm revising that statement as the unfrozen Lu Nian hunts me down: I certainly know how to die, yet I do my best to avoid it. As for why I didn't kill any of the frozen Battlemages? I couldn't. Any ice strong enough to freeze them would resist whacks from my sword as well as my pathetically weak arrows, and I tested both of them against the group to no avail.
Luckily, Mu Ningxue gave all of us a huge head start of around 4 minutes, so Lu Nian is still a fair distance away when I enter Jinlin City again.
And yet not five minutes later, I have yet to get to the city's inner regions when I sense him approaching. I nock an arrow, aim, and fire at his chest. He stares at me with derision until his eyes widen, sensing the oncoming arrow and not dodging in time. It lodges in his ribcage on the right side of his torso. He pulls it out and tries to crush it, but he fails to even bend the arrow, so he just chucks it into the distance.
"You're hiding more and more surprises. I didn't think you had fired the arrow yet, and I did not expect to get injured by a mere Intermediate Mage. Still, it's over for you. I know you probably aren't willing to assist me even if we threaten to kill you, so I hope you don't mind my capturing your friends."
We turn around and sure enough, his Battlemages have handcuffed Zhao Manyan, Bai Tingting, and Mui Nujiao, and one of them is carrying Mu Ningxue.
"What'll it be? You choose to let all of you die, or you take the Blood Sarira to spare their lives?"
"How can I be sure you'll let them go?"
"I let the other students go, didn't I? Something that I realized was the unforgivable nature of my actions today. Even if I killed you all and fled, I'd be put on trial and executed eventually after they investigate what happened. Since you're stubborn, I've decided to use a softer method to persuade you. I am not a vindictive man; I won't kill them out of spite once you cooperate."
"... Fine, give me the damn Blood Sarira."
He hands me a vial the size of my palm containing a deep red fluid. I dump its contents into my throat, barely managing to avoid vomiting at the horrible acidity and bitterness. Everyone watches me in horrid anticipation.
After about a minute, I can feel my heart beat more powerfully than ever before. Blood lines crisscross all over my skin. My muscles and bones expand in an excruciatingly painful process. My height rises to over 210 cm. My skin turns a shade of brownish red. My fingernails and toes lengthen into hardy claws. My incisors sharpen and similarly lengthen. I glance at my reflection off my sword, and my irises seem to be constantly shifting between bright yellow, blue, and pitch black, corresponding to my Elements.
When I was around 13, only recently having escaped the jungle, I felt more beast than human. Xinxia transformed me into a full human. But now, I feel like a predator. An urge to kill everything, everyone in sight wells up inside me, nearly causing me to lunge at the nearby Lu Nian.
Nearly.
[Can't I control my own actions? I don't lack authority over my own body, so why should I let these instincts run free?]
I clamp down on this murderous aura, forcing my rational mind to take its place. The biting persuasion to demolish everything around me slowly subsides to a trickling nudge.
[Marvelous.]
Now is the time to kill Lu Nian. His eyes barely have time to widen before I've already stabbed my claws deep into his chest, tearing and scraping until I grip his beating heart and rip it out of his torso. His body falls to the ground, but a smile remains on his face from having succeeded: I did not turn into a monster.
[What a lunatic.]
My attention turns to the other Battlemages. They salute their commander's dead body and take out daggers that they stab into their throats, leaving my friends alone as they collapse with blood pouring out of their necks. Commendable.
I walk towards the three conscious and one unconscious people, withholding the desire to rip them apart.
Bai Tingting and Mui Nujiao are crying, while Zhao Manyan wears a grimace like I've never seen.
"What's it like?" he asks.
"My rationality is only just restraining the rampaging urge to slaughter you all. But it's enough. I've retained my humanity. However, we must part ways here. Get them to Kangning City. I have to figure out how to pay the price of the Demon Element, or else I'll shrivel up and die. I can feel that Lu Nian was talking out of his ass: one extra Element's mana doesn't do shit."
"... Got it."
"And don't assume I'm dead or tell anyone thusly. I will survive."
With that, I bound towards the center of Jinlin City. The overwhelming strength flowing through my limbs is exhilarating. If only I could have this physique permanently, never mind the boost to my magic, I'd be a happy man.
Suddenly, a man with Wind Wings on his back appears in the distance, heading straight for me. As he approaches, I make out rough sideburns and a tall figure. It's Zhan Kong!
[What is he doing here?]
He offers me a forlorn gaze.
"I'm sorry, Jianyu, I was too late. I heard about the experiments, but I didn't think Lu Nian would continue them in secret, and go so far as to target young Mages still in school."
"It's no fault of yours. Tell Uncle Mo and Xinxia that I'll be a bit late, but I'm coming back. Alive."
"Understood. I hope you can find a way to pay the demon's price. Good luck."
I nod at him, then blur away, heading for the largest structure in the city: a mound of demonic creatures as colossal as a skyscraper.
I will absolute control over my Elements. Light condenses and scatters around me. Water flows, encircling me, until I command it to pause in place. Although it isn't night yet, a dark aura of Shadow surrounds me, staining my surroundings pitch black upon receiving my will. I can teleport through shadows from anywhere now.
I reach the bottom of the dirt mound. I breathe in, and out. Suddenly, I condense Water into the shape of a hammer larger than a building, smashing it right through the walls and splattering the remains of several lizard demons inside. They cry out to each other and rush at me. In response, I bloom the domain of darkness, enveloping all my attackers in a black aura. I clench my fist, and shadow guillotines decapitate every single one of them. In an instant, the mound transitions from deafening to silent. Almost silent. The biggest one of them all, a creature resembling a drake, flies down from its roost. I dance out of the way of its flight path, and it crashes into the ground. It seems unharmed, and quickly rises up, bellowing at me. The sound alone would have shattered the eardrums of any nearby Basic Mages. I'd approximate its size as around 50 meters long, 20 meters tall. An Advancing Commander.
As it rushes at me, I coalesce swathes of Light into an enormous, glowing sword in my hand. I swing the 10 meter long blade at the drake's throat, tearing through its scales. It crashes to the ground again, but this time it's having difficulty mustering the energy to rise.
I immobilize it by firing dozens of Shadow Nails, and I tear a gash into its abdomen by willing a shadow sword to appear underneath its stomach and slice. I finish it off by decapitating it with a razor sharp axe formed from rapidly circulating water.
The Commander Soul Remnant isn't enough. I rampage through the city, killing every demonic creature in sight with brilliant bursts of Light, Water, and Shadow. I revel in the power: my Elements feel free, unconstrained by spells and supplied with what feels like limitless mana. However, I feel the demon start to fade from my body after around 2 hours, demanding payment. In Nyx's void world, the river is surrounded by an incredible number of glowing lights: I've killed upwards of 20,000 beasts, yielding over 400 Soul Essences.
It barely satisfies the demon. I can feel my body wither ever so slightly, though I'll recover. The more pressing issue is the complete lack of strength remaining in my limbs. Thankfully, there aren't any monsters within at least a few kilometers of me, so I allow myself to collapse into slumber.
…
…
I wake up to the sounds of birds cawing. Several instincts compete for priority within my body: the desire to quench my thirst, eat, and get back home. I have no idea how long it's been, but I'm guessing at least a day or two.
Although my limbs no longer feel like lead, they still require some effort to move around; the Demon Element did not go easy on my body. I let out a grunt of exertion as I push myself off the ground and snap my bow onto its holster on my back.
I begin plodding my way to Kangning City, hoping there's people waiting there.
And apparently there is. A Battlemage on the wall spots me and immediately calls someone. A few minutes later, Zhan Kong arrives.
"I decided to stay awhile in case you made it back here. How are you feeling? Any side effects?"
"All three of my Nebulas shrank by one tier, and I'm tired, hungry, and thirsty. Though I suspect the latter two complaints are rooted in the fact that I slept for at least a day. How long has it been?"
"About two days since I left you to slaughter the beasts in the city. I have no idea how you accumulated enough pure energy to satisfy the demon, but I'll not investigate your secret. All us military folk need to know is that the experiment is a failure: you may be the only person in the world on whom it could have worked."
"I really don't know how to feel about that. Are any of the military upper echelons aware of what happened?"
"None aside from me, and I plan to keep it that way. Your name pops up all the time as a subject of interest due to your Twin Elements; we don't need to attach the nuclear bomb of the Demon Element to those discussions."
"I appreciate that. So, do I just go back to Pearl Institute now? Is the exchange with Imperial College over?"
"From what I've heard, yes. Your mission wasn't a complete failure, since you managed to get estimates of demonic beasts in around a quarter of the city, but the point is moot now since you probably killed most of them."
"Alright. I suppose I'll be seeing you. Take care."
"Look after yourself, Jianyu."
He waves me off. I grab a plane back to Shanghai, calling Uncle Mo, Xinxia, Zhao Manyan, Bai Tingting, and Mui Nujiao on the way to the airport, letting them know I'm okay. I hesitate for a bit before dialing Mu Ningxue's number as well.
"Hello?"
"Ningxue, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I made it out alive."
"... Okay. That's great."
She hangs up. Wonderful.
I shake my head, getting on the plane.
…
…
I've finished dragging my tired body to the living room of our apartment, and I collapse on the couch. Hearing the commotion, Mui Nujiao rushes out of her room.
"Jianyu! You're back!" Mui Nujiao sobs, throwing herself onto me in a fierce hug.
Pulling apart, I grin. "Any belief I wouldn't be?"
She sniffles, "Yes! I had no idea what that blood did to you, and maybe you were devoured by it in the end…"
"Don't worry. I managed to supply the demon with enough energy, and it reluctantly left me. I call it a demon, but that's just a personification of the state I was in. It's actually the Demon Element that was channeled into my body via the Blood Sarira I drank, but I believe I've expelled it entirely."
"Thank goodness. I was so worried; you actually complied with Lu Nian's orders when he threatened us. You risked your life just to save us… "
At this moment, Ai Tutu barges in, seeing a tear-streaked Mui Nujiao sitting next to me.
"Huh? Jiaojiao, you've really fallen for him? Did he break your heart? I told you that you shouldn't ever commit yourself to a man!"
Mui Nujiao directs a withering glare her way, causing her to shrink back in apology. It's no use; Ai Tutu's ear is seized, and Mui Nujiao drags her to her bedroom.
"I'm sorry, I'm sor- ow!"
[I want to feel bad for her, but… I can't muster up an ounce of pity.]