Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Trot, trot, trot.
The sounds of organized hooves came from the training field in the north of Ferde. The Sunlight Warriors were gathering.
There were many soldiers here—more than 150,000. Looking down from the tall stand on the side of field, one would see a sea of people. It was practically boundless. With all the people and horses, it was extremely noisy as well. Looking closely, one would see that the soldiers all shone as if they were covered in a layer of sunlight.
An indescribable vitality radiated from each of them. It spread in all directions and, from the distance, it seemed that this land was loved by the sun. It was very warm and abnormally bright.
To the outside world, these soldiers were gathering to help reinforce the Orida Fortress in the north.
In the near distance, Link and his Magicians were watching this. General Jacker was also in the stands. He was now a Sunlight Warrior at the pinnacle of Level-9, one step away from the Legendary Level. He was still the most powerful Warrior in the territory.
However, there were many new stars behind him. For example, Warrior Thoreau had risen two levels in a row. He was now Level-8 already. There were more than 700 soldiers in Level-8. There were also many in Level-9—more than 90. They were all chasing close to Jacker.
Though these newbies wouldn’t replace him as general even if their power surpassed him, Jacker still felt pressured. He practiced like crazy whenever he had time, not daring to relax for even a bit.
“Lord, with our speed, we should finish preparing tomorrow and can depart the next day,” Jacker reported the specific developments.
Link nodded. “This trip north is to deal with the Army of Destruction if they come southward and also to build a sturdy foundation there. We will also establish defensive sentries along the way to reinforce our actions whenever needed. Go back and keep observing. Choose enough elites for this mission.”
“Understood, Lord.” Jacker nodded.
After that, Link gave some more detailed instructions that Jacker recorded. Then he left to get to work.
After Jacker left, Eliard said, “Link, let me go with you this time. I feel that it only takes a bit more for a breakthrough, but I still lack something. I think I need the opportunity.”
Link glanced at Evelina who said, “Lord, don’t look at me. I don’t care…as long as this guy doesn’t die in the north.”
Eliard huffed. “How would I die there? You’re cursing me!”
“Alright, alright, just come with me,” Link agreed quickly.
Beside him, Celine had some thoughts, but Link sensed them and spoke before she could.
“Celine, you’re at Level-9, but you’re still far from a breakthrough. All the enemies we’ll meet in the North will most likely be in the Legendary level. Stay in Ferde and train patiently.”
“Fine,” Celine had to answer.
Beside her, Merna giggled at this. “Sister, the north isn’t fun at all. It’s filled with Father’s underlings, and it’s too dangerous. Ferde is more fun.”
This girl was a demon, but she wasn’t very demonic. Her personality was only a bit more mature than a regular little girl’s. After staying in Ferde with Celine for these days, she was mesmerized by the colorful world. It would be hard to kick her away now.
Celine chuckled wryly. She knew that Merna couldn’t understand her worries now, so she didn’t say anything. She just smiled and patted her sister’s head.
On the other hand, Link was discussing with Evelina, Vance, Alloa, and Eleanor about the arrangements after he left.
The Mage Tower was getting bigger and bigger with more sub-towers nearby. There was also the Gold Rune Workshop, and alchemy shops were getting built. There were many tasks, even with Lily’s help. Link discussed with them for more than an hour before settling everything.
Finally, it was decided that the three who would go to the Orida Fortress were Link, Eliard, and Milose. Elovan had wanted to go, but he was, unfortunately, a flesh magic puppet now. He couldn’t travel quickly and would hold them back, so he decided not to go.
Of the three, Eliard was almost at the Legendary Level, Link had successfully reached Level-12, and Milose was in the middle of Level-10. Because they had the support of a rich territory, the three were covered in the best magic equipment, all types of potions, and runes.
This way, even if they ran into forces much stronger than them, they could still put up a fight. The trio was now the top force in Firuman.
The Sunlight Army would depart the day after tomorrow. Link’ group obviously couldn’t wait for that. After settling everything, Link took Eliard and Milose and used a transmission spell.
After the flash of light, the three appeared in the sky miles away. The increase in distance was a benefit to Link’s leveling up. After that, Link used the Void Walk and sped northward.
After a while, Eliard felt a change. He watched as clusters of runes flashed by like flowers and exclaimed, “Link, I feel that you’re using a new magic technique. It’s different from before, and it’s 50% faster!”
Milose didn’t say anything, but his eyes were filled with shock. Link’s speed was honestly too fast. He was at least twice as fast as before. With this extreme speed, Milose couldn’t even feel any wind. His surroundings were calm as if they were in a nonexistent illusion and were flying through the air.
Even more shocking was that Link wasn’t alone. He was flying with two others. This spell was too incredible.
Link chuckled. He didn’t keep it a secret. “Indeed, I changed it, but the general theory didn’t change. I’m still using the force from spatial distortions to move forward. I just greatly increased the curvature of the spatial distortions and added some auxiliary forces. For example, all the currents are behind us now. Look behind. The air is distorted, right?”
Eliard and Milose turned to look and found it was so. The air before and beside them was calm, but the air behind them was shaken. Everything they could see was twisted.
Technically, such intense spatial ripples would create horrible noises. However, they were going so fast that the speed of sound couldn’t catch up. Thus, they couldn’t hear anything at all.
Eliard studied carefully for five or six minutes. Then he shook his head. “Oh, your methods are getting better and better…This requires very strong magic control. I’m too far from this.”
Hearing this, Milose smiled wryly. It wasn’t just far—it was impossible.
Eliard wasn’t at the Legendary level yet, so he couldn’t feel how terrifying Link’s tactics were. However, Milose could clearly feel the precision in Link’s control. It was inhuman.
Link’s power seemed to be his soul. He could use his power according to his whim without any delay. It was magic, but he made it seem like a martial arts attack. This kind of Magician was too terrifying. Even if Milose stood behind him, he didn’t have the courage to attack.
Link didn’t know what Milose was thinking, of course. After that, he helped the two fly while discussing the Void Walk spell with Eliard. He was fast at comprehending and could understand everything before Milose could. He could even draw his own inferences later on.
Both Link and Eliard displayed inhuman thought operations during this trip. In Milose’s opinion, Link was a strange beast. Eliard was too.
It was understandable. In the game, Eliard was a total genius. He was the star of the stars and all players called him the prince of the realm. The fact that Link could be one step ahead of him this entire time was mostly due to his strong soul.
Now, as Eliard grew stronger, his soul was awakening and strengthening too. He could gradually catch up to Link. Many times, Link could feel the pressure coming from Eliard, so he didn’t allow himself to relax.
As for Milose, he was just a regular genius. He could reach the Legendary Level thanks to his talent, but also because of the complete training he’d received in the Isle of Dawn since childhood. If he lived in the human world where there weren’t many magic academies, he would at most be at Level-6 now.
This was an astronomic difference. No wonder he was so dazed.
Link was honestly too fast. Half an hour later, the Orida Fortress appeared before them. Here, Link had planned on crossing over it and continuing northward.
However, after glancing at the fortress, he changed his mind. Inside the Orida Fortress… No, more specifically, it was in the forest outside the fortress that he felt a strange aura. It was familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint who it was.
