Whoosh! Whoosh!
The air split with sharp, violent whistles as sword blades wrapped in dense battle-qi tore through the night. The sudden pressure was like a storm crashing down. In the blink of an eye, Magus found himself surrounded, besieged from both sides by deadly attacks aimed precisely at his vital points.
Yet, despite the lethal danger, there was not the slightest trace of panic on his face. His expression remained calm—almost indifferent. As one shimmering blade streaked toward him from the right, Magus's right hand shot out like lightning.
With a dull, heavy thud, his palm closed around the sword.
The blade trembled as though it had struck hardened beast hide. Sparks of battle-qi and the attacker's yellow halo clashed violently against the unseen defense coating Magus's hand—but no matter how fiercely they flared, the blade simply could not pierce through.
On the left, the second Great Knight's longsword slammed into an invisible barrier surrounding Magus, halted as if it had collided with solid iron. It shuddered but could not advance another inch.
And just like that, the two Great Knights' meticulously prepared, lethal ambush was effortlessly neutralized.
"Since the remaining two Priests are also here," Magus said, straightening his posture, his gaze sweeping across them with cold indifference, "good. I'll deal with all of you together."
The two Priests, originally frozen in shock by how easily their strongest strike had been blocked, were instantly enraged. Seeing their enemy openly looking down on them ignited their fury. With roars of humiliation and hate, they charged again.
Magus merely raised his hands.
Two rune-inscribed gems shot forward in a blur. The moment they left his fingers, scorching flames and blinding lightning erupted from them. Fire and thunder intertwined, transforming into two raging serpents that surged forward like living dragons.
A deafening explosion filled the hall.
When the roaring subsided, two charred bodies lay collapsed on the ground.
"Meow! Magus is so amazing!" the little creature Amy exclaimed from the side.
Despite its innocent appearance, the small cat-like being showed no fear of blood or death. It behaved as though such scenes were ordinary—something it had witnessed countless times under its previous mysterious master.
With the two Priests dispatched, the remaining members of the Starfire Church shrank back in terror. Not a single one dared to step forward and block Magus's path again.
Activating wind energy particles beneath his feet, Magus rushed forward like a gust of storm wind. In just over ten breaths, the man and cat arrived at the depths of the manor, standing before the main building.
"The item's on the second floor!" Amy said, raising a chubby little paw as she pointed to the central room.
Magus didn't hesitate. Bending his knees, he leaped high into the air and crashed straight through the window. Glass sprayed in all directions. Guided by Amy's directions, he quickly smashed through a seemingly ordinary wall, revealing a hidden passage leading to a secret room.
Inside the small chamber, there was nothing except a stone platform and three wooden chests.
And upon the platform—
godblood amber.
Twenty-four pieces in total, each one emitting a faint, eerie glow.
Magus swept them all into his arms without hesitation.
Counting the two pieces he had previously acquired, he now had twenty-six pieces of godblood amber.
His attention then shifted to the three chests. When he opened them, his eyes lit up even more.
Gold.
All three chests were filled to the brim with shiny gold coins. At a glance, it had to be at least two thousand.
"I didn't expect these people to be so rich," Magus muttered. Without the slightest guilt, he swept every last coin into his cube.
After finishing the looting, he quickly left the main building and rushed toward the outside of the manor.
Not long earlier, his contracted beast Hidden Dragon had sent him a message—the three enemies pursuing it had sensed something was wrong and were rushing back. But Magus knew they would inevitably be too late.
He sprinted out of the manor and disappeared into the night.
Moments later, three furious figures stormed into the manor. They raced straight to the main building and eventually stood before the now-empty secret chamber.
When Kasper saw the absence of everything—godblood amber, gold, and resources—he nearly fainted from rage.
"Damn thief! You beast!" Kasper roared, his eyes bloodshot.
Driven by fury, he swung his sword with full strength, slicing a heavy desk in half.
Behind him, the two Priests kept their heads bowed, trembling. They dared not speak—any words right now could cost them their lives.
Just then, a nervous Starfire Church member rushed inside.
"P-Priest! Something terrible has happened—we found the bodies of Priest Braun and Priest Lori near the warehouse—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Kasper vanished from where he stood and appeared directly in front of him. He seized the cultist by the collar and snarled:
"What about the underground warehouse?! Is anything missing?!"
The terrified cultist stammered, "T-the bodies of the two Priests were in front of the underground warehouse door. And…the warehouse…it has been completely emptied…"
"A group of useless trash!"
Before the man could even blink, Kasper slapped his forehead with violent force. The cultist collapsed instantly, dead before he could scream.
"Damn thief! I will find you!" Kasper's enraged roar echoed throughout the night.
While Kasper fumed helplessly in his manor, Magus had already slipped quietly back into his tavern room.
Hidden Dragon also returned shortly after and concealed itself nearby.
After confirming that no one had entered his room during his absence, Magus finally relaxed. He sat down and spread out all the spoils he had obtained on the table.
The twenty-six pieces of godblood amber glimmered softly under the lamplight.
Magus opened his cube and placed the ambers inside one by one. His eyes fixed intently on the synthesis interface.
When the sixth piece entered the cube, the interface changed noticeably.
[godblood amber: Godblood content 0.4 ml. Carrying it greatly increases the attraction of energy particles. Has low mental contamination; long-term close contact will alter one's thoughts and cognition, causing faith in the godblood's source.]
Compared to the earlier versions, its attraction to energy particles had increased significantly, while the mental contamination had noticeably weakened.
Encouraged by the result, Magus placed the remaining pieces inside all at once.
The interface shifted again.
[godblood amber: Godblood content 1.3 ml. Automatically attracts free energy particles upon contact with air, forming a high-concentration energy area. Being within this area may cause mild auditory and visual hallucinations. These effects are negated if mental strength exceeds 18.]
"Success!" Magus whispered, excitement blazing in his eyes.
The synthesized godblood amber had completely removed the dangerous mental contamination, leaving only mild hallucinations—the faint prayers and visions of a grand hall he had sometimes glimpsed before.
Compared to the initial unstable version, this final product was vastly superior.
He immediately chose to synthesize.
The moment the refined godblood amber materialized in his hand, Magus felt the change instantly. Free energy particles in the surrounding air rushed toward the gem as if pulled by an invisible force, gathering into a dense whirlpool of power. Within two meters of the amber, a high-concentration energy field formed.
Standing within the field, Magus felt his mind sharpen and his spirit become clearer than ever. Even without actively meditating, countless energy particles seeped into his body and consciousness, strengthening him and rapidly filling his star ring.
"Meditating under these conditions will be at least two or three times faster," Magus murmured. "Maybe even more."
Excitement surged through him.
With this breakthrough, his advancement to Third-level Wizard Apprentice would be accelerated dramatically—possibly cutting the required time in half.
Even if he had gained nothing else from Stone Bell City, the godblood amber alone made the entire journey worthwhile.
"Meow? What's happening? Why are all the energy particles gathering around you?" Amy suddenly asked. She had jumped onto the table, eyes wide as she stared at the radiant amber in his hand. "That godblood amber…why does it feel like it changed?"
"I made a small modification," Magus said casually. He kept his tone vague. This matter involved his personal secret—the cube—so he naturally had no intention of explaining further.
He put the synthesized amber away and turned his gaze toward the remaining items on the table.
The belongings left by Amy's mysterious former master consisted mostly of books and a few magical items. Magus had skimmed the books earlier, but due to the urgency of the situation at the time, he had not had the chance to examine the magical items carefully.
Now, with time finally on his side, he began picking them up one by one, studying each piece with focused attention.
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