Advent of the Archmage

Ice Peak Military Fortress

In order to keep his mission a secret, Link stood in front of the fortress door clad in a low-level magic robe. He then shouted at the guards on the outer wall. "I am Mirose, a Magician from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy, here to join the army."

"Prove your identity!" the captain of the outer guards replied. He did not receive any news that a Magician from the academy would be arriving at the fortress today. If it were an ordinary Warrior, he would not even bother entertaining him. He might even order for him to be killed if he got too close. However, the other party now was a Magician; he had to be cautious.

Proving my identity? Link was slightly stunned at this request and thought for a moment before replying, "I am friends with a disciple of Dean Anthony named Marco. If you do not believe me, you can testify with him."

Although his mission was a secret, King Leon had already arranged everything beforehand. The alias Mirose was also one that they decided on together so as to ensure consistency.

The guard captain hesitated. He knew Marco personally and, in the past, such an action would be enough for him to let his guard down. However, the situation now was extremely tense. How would he know if this person was not a Dark Elf spy?

He then said, "Please wait while I get Marco here."

He then immediately turned around and walked towards the Mage Tower in the fortress. Link naturally could only wait outside the castle wall.

Ten minutes later, Magician Marco appeared on the castle wall with a perplexed look on his face.

Mirose? Who is that?

He received news two days ago that the academy would be sending a young Magician named Mirose over to the fortress. This news was exceptionally strange. He could not understand why the academy would send merely one Magician over. It would be fine if that Magician were strong and famous. However, Mirose…Could it be a name of a Magician's Apprentice?

From the castle wall, Marco looked down and saw a young man standing right outside the castle wall, looking at him with an inviting smile on his face.

Marco could recognize this person just from a glance—black hair and black eyes with a youthful demeanor. There was only one person in the entire academy who looked like that—the new Master Magician Link Morani!

He was, after all, a Level-4 Magician and could maintain his composure. Although he was excited and surprised at Link's arrival, he did not show any of those emotional fluctuations on his face and said, "He is someone from the academy. Let him in."

With his testimony, the guard captain was naturally relieved and ordered the guards beside him, "Open the gate."

The rattling sounds of gears could be heard as the drawbridge was lowered slowly to pave the way for Link's entrance. Before Link could enter the fortress, Magician Marco had already come out to welcome him.

After reaching Link's side, he looked around to make sure no one was looking before whispering in excitement, "Sir, I have been informed that a combat Magician would arrive. To think that it would be someone as prominent as you!"

Link had already made his name known throughout the Magician world reaching the status of a master at a tender age of 18 years old. His accomplishment of defeating a Level-8 demon with a Level-9 spell had also proved his overwhelming strength, just shy of reaching the Legendary status.

Under his dazzling brilliance, Wavier of the South, Eliard who managed to become a level-3 Magician in half a year, and other Magicians who call themselves genius all dimmed in comparison.

Link smiled meekly and corrected, "I am not a master. I am Mirose, a Level-2 Magician. Have you forgotten?"

"Oh, yes, yes. It is Mirose." Marco nodded.

Link headed into the fortress while Magician Marco followed hastily behind like a follower.

"Where is the Dawn Swordsman? Bring me to him." Link did not waste a single moment. He knew that the longer he stayed in the fortress, the likelihood of his identity being exposed would increase.

He was the nemesis of the Dark Elves, the criminal who killed the Constellation Assassin of the Norigan Familia. If the Dark Elves had noticed his arrival in the Dark Forest, they would definitely pursue him with all their might.

However, this sentence caused a frown to appear on Marco's face, his melancholy obvious.

Link suddenly got a bad premonition and said, "What happened?"

Marco whispered, "The pioneer group that the army sent out had been breached and annihilated by the Dark Elves. Kanorse had chosen to be the defensive force for that mission and is nowhere to be found. The Duke had sent out a rescue team for this purpose alone. Even Princess Annie went along this time around."

Link as startled at the news and paused, "When did this happen?"

"Just an hour before you arrived. The rescue team was just dispatched. However, the Dark Forest is infested with ghouls; I'm afraid this mission will also…" Marco did not complete his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Link captured a single word in his entire speech and asked, "Ghouls? You mean the things that recently appeared in the Dark Forest?"

An expression of fear immediately appeared on Marco's face. "Yes, that's them! They are way too strong! The entire army is in a state of despair. The ghouls have nearly taken over the entire Dark Forest!"

Upon hearing those words, Link fell silent and stopped moving forward. He then heard the rattling sound of gears coming from behind him. The guards were retracting the drawbridge.

"It seems like I need to take action now. Marco, tell them to lower the drawbridge. I am setting off now." Link walked towards the fortress gate.

"Link…I mean, Mirose…alone?" Marco followed behind Link hastily as he signaled for the guards to lower the drawbridge.

"No, I will catch up with the rescue team and move together with them. The Duke made the right decision. The Dawn Swordsman's current state cannot be ambiguous! In fact, he must live!"

He needed the strength of the Dawn Swordsman to deal with the enhanced demonized Dark Elves called ghouls.

In ten years, the Dawn Swordsman would still be the strongest Warrior in the World of Firuman. By that time, he would have reached the highest Legendary level and be conferred the title of a Divine Swordsman. Eliard and he would be collectively called the two saints of the human race, serving as the two psychological pillars in the war.

These were sufficient reasons for Link to go out of his way to rescue Kanorse.

At this moment, the drawbridge had already been lowered. Link then cast a Cheetah's Agility onto himself and rushed out of the gate. He then cast a Level-0 levitation spell which increased his speed drastically to 150 feet per step. He then floated with ease down the slope of the Ice Peak, hastily making his way into the Dark Forest.

Before long, he reached the boundaries of the Dark Forest and seemed determined to enter the dangerous foothold of the Dark Elves.

A troop of guards looked at him from the castle walls with a stunned expression on their faces.

"That Magician is entering the Dark Forest alone? Is he insane?"

"Is he trying to commit suicide?"

"Did anyone of you realize that his spellcasting speed is extremely fast?"

"So what if he is fast? He is alone!"

The captain of the guards had already made his way down the castle walls and walked towards Marco. He then asked curiously, "Sir, what is going on with this Mirose guy?"

He had only just arrived but left immediately for the Dark Forest. What is going on?

Marco then stared as Link's figure disappeared into the shadows of the Dark Forest. He then shook his head, "Warrior, this is not something you should know."

If the Dawn Swordsman Kanorse was the pillar of support to all Warriors in the Norton Kingdom, then Link, the Magician who single-handedly defeated the great demon Tarviss would be a Legendary figure revered by all combat Magicians.

If he could not save Kanorse from this predicament, then possibly no one could.

...

The Dark Forest

Thirty-Five Elite Scouts clad in black leather armor rushed towards the enemy's base under their disguise and concealment. They were heading towards the vanguard camp to rendezvous with the surviving troops before infiltrating the enemy's base together to save the Dawn Swordsman.

The Scouts' eyes shone with a bladed resolve, though not a shred of hope could be found in those eyes. From the moment they entered the Dark Forest, they were prepared to give up their lives.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

A crow flew across them, seemingly mocking this group of human scouts who was overestimating their abilities.

The sound of their feet sinking into the thick layer of snow on the ground accentuated the sinister atmosphere of the Dark Forest. Among the scouts who were traveling in a scattered formation, four of them were gathered together. In the middle of this group was Annie Abel, the only daughter of the Iron Duke. She was closely protected by three guards surrounding her, ready to take any lethal blows for the princess the moment danger struck.

Although Annie did not want this to happen, this was her father's arrangement. She could only accept disdainfully.

All of her subordinates had already lost their lives in this northern war of the Dark Forest. The previous time when they were met with danger, almost all of the comrades delved into a frenzy trying to protect her with their own lives, creating opportunities for her to escape.

At that moment, she saw Aldivin's head getting completely severed by a ghoul. The blood from his neck spurted nearly three feet into the air as his eyes from the severed head still shone with camaraderie and rage. She also saw Molly's petite body being torn in two by the ferocious ghouls. Despite the brutal treatment she was subjected to, she still held on tightly to the ghoul's leg, even so after she had lost consciousness. She had seen way too many sacrifices. Yet, she was still alive.

She then looked at the scouts surrounding her. She saw three pairs of eyes bursting with youth and hope for a better tomorrow. They were just like Aldivin and Molly, people who were supposed to be enjoying the vibrancy of their youth.

Annie could not help but feel a sharp ache in her heart upon seeing those faces. The scene from that fateful night was still etched deeply in her mind. Her heart convulsed with despair, seemingly dripping blood with every beat.

She hated that she was of noble blood. If not, she would have fought to her death with the ghouls as well. That would probably be better than living while shouldering the sacrifices she had witnessed and endless pain she was going through.

Suddenly, the captain of the scouts raised his hand to signal for them to stop. The scouts then immediately froze in their tracks before finding cover to hide.

Annie then hid behind a fallen tree.

The forest had become exceptionally quiet. The chirping of the birds and screeching of the insects had instantly disappeared, leaving only the sound of the howling wind. It was as though all life in the Dark Forest had momentarily vanished into thin air. Annie then stole a glance at the tree she was hiding behind. She saw a small lizard who seemed to be moving in an eccentric manner. It quickly hid inside the fallen tree, as though it was afraid of something. It was not just the lizard. The ants, caterpillars, spiders and all other small insects were fleeing the area in fear.

Annie had once witnessed such a scene. She knew what was happening.

Her heart thumped violently and held her dagger tightly in her hands. Although it was still not sufficient to kill a ghoul, her dagger smeared with holy water would pose a threat to the ghouls.

The atmosphere had instantly become oppressive. Annie saw that all of the scouts clutched their daggers tightly while their bodies trembled. This was not due to the adrenaline before a battle, but due to fear.

The strong gust of wind could be felt followed by the sighting of a shadow moving at high speed.

Annie gave a long sigh and surprisingly felt more calm than ever. They had been discovered. The ghouls were here. This would be the final battle of her life.

The black shadow in the Black Forest was extremely fast. The naked eye could only catch a blurred image.

Only a Level-6 Assassin could manage to reach this speed. If the Assassin didn't fear weapons, was extremely powerful and had unlimited Battle Aura, he would be undefeatable!

Faced with something like this, even the Dawn Swordsman could only defend himself. He couldn't fight him or catch up!

The opponent had appeared so openly. The scout captain stopped hiding and roared, "Free attack!"

With that, he stood up. He held an automatic crossbow in one hand and tugged down the bottle of Holy Water at his waist. With a crisp ping, he smashed the bottle on the crossbow's notch. Then he started shooting at the furiously incoming shadow.

Clack, clack, clack. The crossbow fired rapidly and arrows soaked in Holy Water chased after the shadow.

The captain wasn't the only one attacking; the dozens of scouts matched his pace. Countless arrows whistled towards the shadow at once. The Holy Water on the arrows glowed white under the stimulation of the dark aura.

The arrows formed a web of light in the forest. It swept towards the figure, almost sealing off all escape routes.

Poof, poof, poof. Despite being as fast as lightning, the ghoul still got shot under this attack. He grunted with every hit and slowed down. Within three seconds of the rain of the arrows, he was hit four times!

If he were a regular Dark Elf, he would be forced to retreat with these wounds even if he was Level-6, seven, or eight. However, the shadow only slowed down a bit and didn't seem too affected.

This was the frightening thing about ghouls. Even the Holy Water created specifically against dark creatures couldn't kill it.

Even more frightening, there was more than one ghoul!

Whoosh! A black figure rushed out from behind a big tree towards the scout captain.

The scout captain was a Level-6 Assassin with fast reflexes. He'd already tossed his crossbow to the side and taken out a dagger. His Battle Aura flared, and he activated the Assassin Battle Technique as fast as lightning.

His body instantly turned into a gray blur, and he flew towards the ghoul. The wind screamed.

Half a second later, the captain and the ghoul collided.

With a spulch, the captain's dagger stabbed around two inches into the ghoul's chest. He'd injured the ghoul but also paid greatly for it. The ghoul's hand had gone straight into his chest and squeezed his heart.

The ghoul retracted his hand and casually yanked out the dagger in his chest. His armor was made from a snow bear's hide, and his own skin was resilient and his muscles tight. After pulling taut, he'd stopped the dagger from going forward too much.

Of course, the stab had been deep and injured his heart. However, it wasn't that big of a problem. He could fight again after resting for a few seconds.

On the other hand, the scout captain had collapsed on the ground, his eyes filled with unwillingness. He hadn't made any mistake in the fight but lost because of the ghoul's undefeatable body.

Instead of continuing, the ghoul retreated after killing the captain.

Annie sensed a chance and yelled, "He's hurt! He's hurt! Chase him! Don't give him the chance to recover!"

She'd once experienced ghouls and knew how terrifying and cruel they were. If they could keep fighting, they definitely wouldn't retreat. If this ghoul was retreating, it meant the captain had done significant damage to him!

It was chaotic right now. After Annie yelled the order, the scouts instantly had a clear target. At least 15 scouts targeted the hurt ghoul and tried to kill it.

Some scouts activated their Battle Technique and rushed towards the ghoul. Others adjusted their crossbows and sent arrows soaked in Holy Water to the ghoul. If the ghoul was alone, he would most likely be defeated. However, he wasn't alone!

Just as the ghoul was about to go down, an extremely powerful ghoul shot out from the side. He charged and sent three scouts flying and spitting blood. They were already dead before they landed.

After that, the ghoul covered his face and went before the injured ghoul, blocking the Holy Water arrows for him.

Poof, poof, poof. The arrows buried into its flesh and the muscular ghoul grunted. There were dozens of arrows sticking out of him. It looked shocking, but his skin was rough. The arrows didn't even get one inch into him. He reached over and yanked them all out.

Then his Battle Aura flared, and black light flashed on his body. It chased away the holy power of the Holy Water.

"Heh, cry in despair, mortals!" the ghoul sneered. He bent over and strode with his muscular legs, charging at the nearest scout.

The previous ghoul had already rushed into the crowd and started massacring.

These scouts were all elites from the MI3, but the Level-6 captain was already dead. The remaining ones were only in Level-5 and Level-4. They couldn't do anything against these two ghouls at the pinnacle of Level-6.

"Ah! Oh!" Pained cries, shocked gasps at being killed, and the long sigh before death rang out. The 35 scouts were decreasing by two per second.

Boom! There was a muffled sound before Annie. The strong ghoul was charging towards her, but the young scout beside her rushed over without hesitation, blocking the fatal hit for her.

The scout was broken from the collision; his entire chest caved in. The lively eyes on his young face quickly dimmed.

He was dead.

Annie's heart clenched. Yet another young life was lost because of her. How could she bear this?

"Ah!" Annie yelled madly and waved her dagger, stabbing furiously at the ghoul. Her Battle Aura flared wildly, and everything seemed to slow down. The ghoul's movements didn't seem to be so inhumanly fast anymore.

There was a soft sound. Her dagger actually scraped past the ghoul's arm.

"Huh?" The muscular ghoul was shocked. He'd been dealing with a scout, so he didn't pay attention and ended up getting hurt by this woman.

A Level-4 female Assassin can hurt me? That's humiliating. The ghoul reached out to catch the woman.

But he missed. At the close call, Annie used her Battle Technique and once again escaped his attack.

This was strange.

"Huh, your reaction's pretty good, but I'm serious now!" The ghoul stopped playing around and prepared to focus on this woman.

Annie felt pathetic. She used all her might but could only scratch the ghoul. He attacked carelessly, and she had to use a great amount of Battle Aura to activate her Battle Technique and escape.

They weren't at the same level at all.

She knew that even this kind of dodging wasn't possible before. She must have had a breakthrough. If she trained for a while after getting back, she should probably reach Level-5.

But would she really have that chance?

She could only laugh bitterly.

The muscular ghoul got ready again; he would defeat this woman with one hit. But something unexpected happened.

The ghoul who had been injured and was hiding behind a tree to recover suddenly rushed out. He also yelled, "Luthe, there's a Magician!"

Luthe was the muscular ghoul's name. Hearing this, his heart jumped. A Magician? What was so scary about a Magician? He'd already killed nine of them today. Did those weak guys deserve such a reaction?

What happened next proved to Luthe that this Magician deserved to be feared!

The ghoul had just run two steps out of the tree but suddenly shook. A strange wound opened up on his chest, revealing his beating heart.

That wasn't all.

The heart seemed to be injured, but it was alright. Ghouls had a powerful vitality, and an injured heart wasn't fatal. As long as he was rescued and taken somewhere safe, he could recover quickly.

Luthe forgot about the female Assassin and went to help his friend. But only a few steps later, he heard a horrible cry rip out of his friend. His heart had turned to pulp and silver liquid flowed through the fleshy mush.

The liquid glowed faintly with holy aura. It went crazy in the ghoul's heart, much more fatal than the Holy Water.

"Ah! Ah!!" the ghoul screamed. He pawed at his chest, trying to dig out the silver liquid. However, he was injured and seemed to be in endless pain. His hands moved instinctively, but he couldn't get rid of any liquid.

This also proved how powerful a ghoul was. His heart had already exploded, but he was still alive and could still move. This was too terrifying. Not only was the ghoul stunned, but the human scouts were shocked as well. They froze and gaped, not sure how to react.

Luthe was extremely shocked. Even with a burst heart, a ghoul could still survive for over three hours. As long as he was taken to a temple, a priest could heal him. It was different this time though.

His companion screamed, and it was getting softer and softer. His chest gurgled, and smoke came out. This meant his vitality was rapidly weakening. After around five seconds, he was on the ground, unmoving. All that remained was slow breathing.

"Ugh…" Fear gripped Luthe's heart. He yelled at his still-living companion, "Mino, let's take Laz and leave!"

Things were unclear, and something that could defeat them had arrived. The best tactic was to retreat!

Luthe rushed over to take the dying Laz back.

Annie finally processed everything. Overjoyed, she cried, "It's our Magician! Our Magician killed the ghoul! Stop those things. Don't let them find our Magician!"

The scouts had processed everything too. Their low morale instantly shot up, and they started going after the ghouls. Their mindset was simple: a powerful Magician was here, and he could kill the ghouls. They should hold the ghouls back to make more time for the Magician!

Even sacrificing themselves for this was okay.

Luthe instantly felt great pressure. Yes, he was fast, and no one could stop him. However, he was still caught when four or five people pounced at him without regard to their own safety.

"Damn!" Luthe was ready to teach these scouts a lesson.

However, when the scouts were about to reach Luthe, a force field suddenly appeared around him. It was very strange. Instead of hurting Luthe, it gently pushed the scouts away.

"Leave them and save yourself!" a low voice rang out of the forest. It seemed omnipresent, and no one could determine where the speaker was. However, everyone could hear the confidence in the voice. It was as if the ghouls were just toys to him.

The scouts exchanged glances. They couldn't believe it but obeyed the Magician's orders, staying far away from the ghouls.

Luthe was surprised and furious, but he didn't care. He rushed to Laz to take him away. But just as his hand touched Laz, Mino cried out.

Luthe's hand shook. He turned around and saw that Mino, who had rushed over too, was holding his stomach and writhing on the ground. He'd been shot in the stomach with an arrow, and the wound had grown ten times larger. It was now a gaping hole, and his guts spilled out. The same horrible silver liquid flowed through the intestines.

Who is it? Where is he? What tactics is he using? A bunch of questions flew through Luthe's mind, but he had no answers.

He looked left and right but saw nothing. This attack was like God's punishment from the sky.

"Ah…" There was a long sigh in his ears. Luthe turned around and saw Mino sprawled on the ground, letting out his last breath. His intestines were all over the ground, even pulling out some other organs. This didn't stop him from moving, but the silver liquid stopped their recovery ability.

Luthe's heart shook. Irrepressible fear rose up. They could be so fearless because of their powerful bodies. Once their bodies were no longer powerful, their will to fight was gone.

The world wasn't perfect. If you chose something, you must give something up. Ghouls had strong bodies but weak souls.

Luthe abandoned his companion and ran. Just then, he was attacked too.

There was a pain in his heart. This time, he saw clearly that the thing attacking him was a transparent thumb-sized ball. When it reached his wound, it seemed to come to life. It buried into his wound and exploded. He felt boundless destructive power tear at his body. His wound immediately turned into a gaping hole.

It didn't stop there.

Next, a metallic ball flew towards his chest. He tried to escape; he believed he was fast enough, but he was wrong.

The ball was impossibly fast and agile. It fluttered like a butterfly and dodged Luthe's hand. It went straight into his chest and then exploded!

Luthe finally experienced the pain his companions had felt. This was like being cut by hundreds of daggers inside his chest. It was unbearable. He howled, and his body went limp. He fell to his knees and kept pawing at his chest to get the silver liquid out.

It was all in vain. Not only was the liquid in his wound, but it also went into his blood. It flowed through his veins. His strength was depleting. A few seconds later, he lay on the ground, breathing weakly while struggling to stay alive.

Where's the Magician? What technique did he use? Who is he? The three questions kept spiraling in his mind as his consciousness blurred.

In his daze, he saw a Magician clad in gray walk out from a big tree.

So young, was Luthe's final thought before he lost consciousness.