At the tavern's bar, the old oak counter was covered in countless mug rings.
"You are saying you want to find a place with a lot of magical beasts?"
The tavern owner paused his glass-cleaning, looking at Lynch with a strange expression. "Lynch, although I know you are now a Rank Two... uh, expert. But those beasts do not have eyes. If you are lacking any medicinal ingredients or materials, just tell me, or wait for the merchant caravans to arrive and restock. There is no need to risk your life."
The owner was an honest man. In his eyes, even though Lynch had recently become unfathomable, he was still an apothecary after all.
An apothecary's hands were meant for playing with scales and holding test tubes. How could they engage in close combat with those thick-skinned magical beasts?
"Oh, boss, you misunderstood."
Lynch smiled and waved his hand, casually lining up a few copper coins on the table. "I am not trying to save a little money on materials. It is mainly because I recently learned a few small self-defense spells and want to find a place to practice."
"And look, the recent beast tide has everyone on edge. With the situation over at Black Rock Village, I figured I would clear out the area around our village before the heavy snow seals off the mountains. Killing even a few will help relieve some of our village's defensive pressure."
Lynch spoke these words half in truth and half in jest.
Practicing was true; he mainly wanted to test out his newly learned attack magic and farm some monster cores.
Clearing the surroundings was also true, for the sake of his own peace and quiet.
But to the owner's ears, this sounded like a resounding heroic declaration!
"Good! Good job!"
The owner was so moved that his eyes turned red. He grabbed Lynch's copper coins and shoved them back into his hand. "Look! Everyone, look! This is what you call awareness! Mr. Lynch is taking the initiative to attack for the safety of our village!"
"Since you are so determined, I cannot stop you. As for a gathering place for magical beasts..."
The owner thought for a moment and lowered his voice. "The pine forest on the north slope has not been peaceful lately. I heard from a few hunters that a pack of Wind Wolves has gathered there. There are about ten to twenty of them. Although they are only Rank One magical beasts, these creatures hold grudges and know how to cooperate. Ordinary adventurer parties do not dare to provoke them."
"Wind Wolves?"
Lynch's eyes lit up.
Wind Wolves were great! Their fur could be made into coats, their teeth into arrowheads, and most importantly, wind-attribute monster cores! Those were good things. Absorbing them would not only increase his experience but might also unlock some wind-attribute skills.
"Alright, I will go to the north slope."
Lynch nodded, starting to calculate in his mind.
Over a dozen Wind Wolves was quite a large number.
Even though he was currently at Rank Two and knew Arcane Burst: Modified, two fists could not fight four hands after all.
"If only I had a frontline to tank the damage..." Lynch stroked his chin in deep thought. "I am an ADC, and an AD needs someone to protect them. Soloing is still a bit risky; I need to find a meat shield."
Right at that moment.
"Um, Mr. Lynch?"
A slightly hesitant voice came from behind.
Lynch turned around and saw Asik, who had just been stubbornly working on his problems over there.
At this time, Asik had already put away the pile of parchment, wearing a reserved yet somewhat expectant smile on his face.
Behind him stood two people with completely different styles.
One was a dwarf not even as tall as a table, yet horizontally developed like a wine barrel. He carried a huge pickaxe, had a face full of stubble, and exuded the smell of coal cinders and strong liquor.
The other was a middle-aged man wearing standard leather armor, with a longsword at his waist. He stood straight and upright, looking like a formally trained guard at first glance.
"Asik? Is there something you need?" Lynch was a bit surprised.
"Cough, cough. I accidentally overheard just now that you plan to go to the north slope to clear out the Wind Wolves?"
Asik pushed his monocle, trying to make his tone sound like a professional spellcaster. "To tell you the truth, I have the exact same intention."
"You are going too?" Lynch looked him up and down. "Aren't you preparing for the unified exam?"
"It is precisely for the unified exam!"
Asik looked serious. "The entrance exam for the Royal Nine-School Alliance is not just a written test; there is also a practical combat assessment! Deriving formulas on paper is useless; I need real combat data to verify my magical theories!"
Saying that, he pointed to the two people behind him:
"This is my hired temporary assistant, Bronzebeard Amani Ironhammer, an experienced senior miner and warrior."
"I am a miner! Just pay me!" the dwarf shouted in a muffled voice, waving the pickaxe in his hand. "This thing is good for smashing rocks, and it is good for smashing wolf heads too!"
"This is my family's long-term guard, Uncle Rhodes." Asik continued the introductions. "A Rank Two warrior, responsible for protecting my safety."
The middle-aged man named Rhodes nodded slightly to Lynch, his gaze sharp.
Having introduced the lineup, Asik revealed his true intentions:
"Mr. Lynch, since our goals are the same, why don't we... form a party?"
"You see, we have a frontline, a melee damage dealer in Rhodes, and me... ahem, a crowd-control mage. Adding you, it makes a perfect standard four-person squad."
"If we act together, it will be highly efficient and safe. As for the loot, we can distribute it according to our contributions. How about it?"
Hearing this, Lynch was delighted.
Wasn't this exactly like someone handing you a pillow right when you wanted to sleep?
He had just been worrying about not having a meat shield, and here came a dwarf with a pickaxe and a Rank Two warrior delivering themselves to his door. Moreover, although Asik looked a bit too bookish, he was at least a Rank One mage and should have no problem playing support.
"Sure, I couldn't ask for more!"
Lynch agreed readily. "With you joining, I feel much more at ease. Then it is settled; we will go to the north slope and do something big!"
Seeing Lynch's delighted expression of finding someone to carry him, Asik smiled and nodded on the surface, but secretly made his own calculations in his heart.
"Hmph, agreed so quickly?"
Asik narrowed his eyes, watching Lynch's back as he turned to prepare his equipment.
"Perfect, this is an excellent opportunity for observation."
After all, an apothecary and a battle mage were two completely different concepts.
Being strong in theory did not mean one could fight.
"I really want to see what kind of attack magic a so-called Rank Two like you will use."
"Will you just throw a few soft little fireballs? Or will you only use magic to strengthen your body for close combat?"
"Lynch, oh Lynch, do not blame me for overthinking. In this cruel magical world, only after witnessing your flames with my own eyes can I decide... whether to treat you as a competitor in the future, or a mentor worth following."
Asik tightened his grip on his staff and shot a glance at the two people behind him.
"Let's go! Move out!"
The group of four stepped through the snow, marching grandly toward the pine forest on the north slope.
The freezing wind howled, whipping up thousands of snowdrifts.
And deep within that gloomy sea of trees, over a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes had quietly opened, watching this group of approaching uninvited guests.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
