Age of Adepts

The entire training camp occupied a vast tract of land, however, there weren’t many buildings that could be found in this place.

On the east side was a row of solidly built wooden cabins. They were all built with huge logs. Although they looked simple and primitive, they were extremely sturdy. While on the west side, a number of tents were found scattered around. Judging by the size of them, each could only house one to two people and were used for resting.

In the entire camp, the thing that drew one’s eyes the most was a large area occupied by a training ground. Countless apprentice Adepts were using this training ground and were seriously fighting each other. Yes, they were all apprentice Adepts. They weren’t some ordinary human fighters. Looking at those bowl-size fireballs that dashed through the air like shooting stars and the frightening figure of a man, covered in raging lightning, raising his axe high up, made Greem’s heart, once again, start to pound fast.

All this while, the impression Greem had toward apprentice Adepts was rather dark and crafty, with many of them having a twisted mind. Thus, this was the first time he saw something like this. Out in the broad daylight, these apprentice Adepts were fighting each other, face to face, with their raging magical spells.

At the edge of a large training ground, a group of men could be seen gathered together, watching the fight between two advanced apprentices.

One was like Greem, a long ranged spell caster who had mastered Fire Element magic spells.

The other took the path of a Body Refining Adept, a frightening god of war who possessed the powerful ability of thunder.

Both men were exchanging attacks in the field, locking themselves in a fierce battle.

Three Inferno Shields were spinning around the body of the Fire Element apprentice and helped him block most of the dirt and sand that splashed into his direction. The thunderbolts flew towards the Fire Element apprentice like huge silver serpents. At the same time, a strange magical array could be seen flickering under his feet.

Apparently, this magical array had some sort of quickening effect, which allowed him to run at a speed not slower than those apprentices who had high Agility. In addition to this, a fireball, which was enshrouded between his palms, kept spitting out continuous fireballs. He was bombarding his opponent like the pouring down of a heavy rain of flames.

On the other hand, the wrathful Body Refining Adept, with the help of his intrepid physique and the lightning web that covering around his body, had withstood the continuous bombardment of fireballs. He kept letting out raging roars before charging forward, trying his best to follow after the Fire Elemental apprentice.

Frightening thunderbolts kept bolting out from his giant axe. If he was allowed to get closer to his opponent, even if it was just by a little bit, then he would be able to throw out the thunderous axe and instantly inflict severe damage on his opponent, as they had a weak physique.

Following behind Kevin, Greem came to the edge of the battlefield. Before he arrived, he could already smell the pungent smell of lightning burning through the air. His ears were also filled with loud booming sounds coming from the explosion of those fireballs.

Although the field was large, it appeared to be too small to accommodate the overly brutal and violent magic spells. Previously, a few fireballs even flew out from the battlefield and shot towards the crowd of bystanders. Whenever this happened, everyone would cheer like it was a great party.

Some would take out their magical staffs, shooting out freezing beams to freeze the fireball into an ice cube. Meanwhile, some would jump up in the air and slash through the fireball that passed besides them, breaking it into small fireworks. No matter who stood out and showed off their incredible magical ability, the crowd would always respond with loud cheers and applause.

The man who had jeered at Kevin was seen standing in the middle of the crowd. He was a bald man with a burly body, with chunks of muscles that looked like pieces of metal filling every inch of his body. Although he was standing there bare-handed, he was releasing a mighty air of indomitable spirit.

He was a Body Refining Pseudo-Adept. The enormous pressure he gave off had almost turned into a physical pressure. Standing right beside him, Greem felt that he was having a hard time breathing normally.

His mind had been bombarded by a series of warning tones given by the Chip.

“Warning! Warning! A high-frequency spiritual radiation is detected… The host needs to leave the source of said radiation immediately, or else, signs of Spirit decay will appear in three seconds. Countdown started: 3… 2… 1…”

Greem couldn’t help but wear a bitter smile on his face.

In this Adept World of advanced magic, all apprentice Adepts had accumulated magical Elementium in their body by constantly meditating and consuming magical medicine. The more Elementium that was in one’s body, the stronger their spirit radiation would be. For them, perhaps this was something normal, however, for ordinary humans, this spirit radiation was the equivalent of the nuclear radiation that could be found on Earth in his previous life.

Apprentice Adepts could only be considered as nuclear material or nuclear waste, as, although they were dangerous, there was a limit to the damage they could inflict. However, those official Adepts had crossed the line of qualitative change and had transformed from nuclear material to a nuclear reactor. Thus, their hazardousness was brought to another higher level.

This burly bald man who always wearing a smile on his face was definitely a Pseudo-Adept who could break through the line of official Adept at any time. Even though Greem had just gotten a little bit closer to him, as a beginner apprentice, he nearly couldn’t withstand the frightening spirit radiation he unintentionally emitted.

After greeting Kevin, the bald Hulk’s eyes rested on Greem’s face. However, after a brief gaze over at Greem, his metal-like square face showed a curious expression.

“How come he is only a beginner apprentice? Don’t tell me that those black bastards of the Underground world were fed with Corpse Worms, which caused them to be defeated by a mere beginner apprentice? You, Dark Wood, go and test him out!” Clearly, Hulk was the true leader of this training camp, as he simply picked an opponent for Greem without asking for anyone’s permission.

“Hey, both of you, don’t you feel tired after jumping around in the battlefield for so long? Hurry come over here, we have a new game now!”

Soon, following Hulk’s shout, both advanced apprentices left the battlefield. They were bathed in sweat and their bodies were full of wounds. You could tell this wasn’t the first time they had fought each other. It seemed that both of them had fully understood each other’s ability. Although, before their opponent revealed any significant weakness, both of them did have the chance to defeat each other. However, it wasn’t easy to grab hold of this winning chance.

The burly man who possessed thunder elemental ability had his body fully covered in burned marks of all sizes. While receiving treatment from someone, he asked with a loud, hollow voice, “Where does this beginner apprentice come from? Chief, are you trying to get him killed by asking him to fight? Look at his tiny body that is as weak as a bean sprout. I’m scared he won’t be able to withstand this torture!”

Hulk threw his head back and let out a ground shaking laugh.

“Mark, you better not brag without feeling shame! Do you have any idea what this little guy did? This tiny beginner apprentice is the guy who killed the Demon Vine Lady. So, among all of you advanced apprentices, who of you dares to slam their chest and guarantee that they can defeat that Demon Vine Lady?”

Hearing what Hulk said, the confused crowd instantly threw their glances over to Greem, who was currently smiling wryly. They tried to figure out what made this tiny man so strong.

Greem opened his mouth, wanting to say a few words to cover his secret. However, Kevin immediately patted his shoulder lightly. He moved closer to his ear and whispered, “Little man, let me teach you a lesson today. If you don’t want others to spy on your secret, then, next time, remember to destroy your enemy’s soul!”

Greem’s mouth hung open for a minute before he finally realized what gave himself away.

Damn it, the dead body of that Demon Vine Lady.

Indeed, he and Mary had killed her, but they never extracted and destroyed her soul. After submitting her body to the Adept Tower, those Adepts must have learned his secret by studying the memory that remained in her broken soul.

Fuck! Damn!

Right at this very moment, Greem wished he could give himself a really good slap. He wanted to cry and shed bitter tears for his thoughtless mistake. At the same time, he felt a sense of powerlessness when he thought about the bizarre magic spells that existed in this strange world of Adepts.

There were all kinds of magic spells, and, while no one could really tell how many spells were out there, their bizarre results were simply impossible to guard against. It looked like his plan of hiding behind Mary and earning his fortune secretly had just burst. Today, in this place, he had to show out his true ability.

Fortunately, his strongest ability was something that none of these guys could ever spy upon. In actual fact, the ability that they thought he possessed was actually the tiniest part of it and was not worth of mentioning.

After making up his mind, Greem decided to give up the idea of concealing himself anymore. A wicked smile emerged on his face.

“Alright, since you guys want to see my true ability, then send your fighter now! Let him show himself. I wonder who my opponent will be?”

“Err… excuse me. I’ll be your opponent! My name is Dark Wood!” A rather deep, hoarse voice came from the crowd. After that, an old, skinny hunchback, walked out from the crowd. He was carrying a staff made from black wood.

He had loose and wrinkled skin, a skinny and shriveled body, a somber and ferocious expression and a head full of dried and yellow disheveled hair. His hands and legs looked dark and dirty, and his pitch-black curved nails looked like the sharp claws of an eagle. He gave Greem a gruesome smile, revealing a mouthful of brown, broken teeth.

On top of the black wood staff, he carried in his left hand, were chains of teeth and miniature skulls. Whenever a shivering breeze blow by, they would produce a rattling sound that sent chill down one’s back.

Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be approaching the end of his life, as he looked like a skeleton with one leg already in the grave. But, upon seeing this man, Greem’s pupils contracted, and his expression gradually turned dignified.

Although this guy only had the spiritual ripple of an advanced apprentice, the threat of death he brought to Greem was distinct and straightforward. If Greem’s guess was correct, this frightening guy must be someone with the elemental affinity of negative energy. The only thing he didn’t know now was whether this guy was one who played with dead bodies or a frightening one who played with curses.

Perhaps, in order to understand his real ability, Greem would have to experience it personally on the battlefield!

“Hehe! Don’t you think it’s unfair to let an advanced apprentice, fight with a mere beginner apprentice like me? Since you guys wish to see my real ability, you’ll have to pay a price. Before we start the match, I need to know what I’ll be earning when I win the match?” Greem folded his arms in front of his chest, portraying a look of confidence.

“Kid, you’re pretty cocky!” Dark Wood once again showed his insidious smile, saying, “Initially, Master Hulk only wanted to see how long you could hold out when facing my attack. So, do you still think you have the chance to win this match? Jajaja…”

“What if I really win this match? Do you dare to bet with me?” Greem took the opportunity and counter-checked the guy.

“Why not? For the sake of your courage, I can give you odds of ten to one. No matter how many magic crystals you bet, as long as you can defeat me, I’ll pay ten times back!” The insidious smile of Dark Wood, along with his skeleton-like head, made him looked really frightening.

“Who else wants to bet with me? Come on, show me your courage!”

Greem yelled out loudly and tossed out all his belongings.

He offered all the contents wrapped in that black cloth and the last nine magic crystals he had.

He had instantly kindled the atmosphere of the scene!