Chapter 263: Reporting to Ilio.

An hour later, every examination paper on the students' desks flew back to the lectern and stacked itself neatly, regardless of whether its owner had finished writing. There was no stopping them.

"Aaaah! I only had one question left!"

"I'm doomed! I'm doomed! I left half the questions unanswered! Forget ninety points—I probably won't even get sixty!"

"Well, I finished mine. Whether my answers are right is another matter."

"A friendly exchange with third-rank magical beasts? He's trying to kill us!"

"I remember seeing some introductory books on beast language in the library. I'm going to borrow one after class."

"Can you really learn it at such short notice?"

"I've got to try! You never know!"

"Why does every other class have different instructors for different subjects, while Class One has the same instructor for everything?"

"Exactly! We can't even skip a class! Waaaah!"

"Well, what do you expect? Our instructor is an all-round Saint Mage. He's qualified to teach every subject."

"Damn it! I should've joined Class Two!"

"And who was it that bragged about getting into Class One back then? Tsk, tsk."

"Mark, who are you talking about?"

"Whoever thinks I'm talking about them!"

"Hey, hey! Stop arguing!"

While the students in the back rows made a racket, the Light Squad, seated in the front row, were also comparing their experiences.

"Kumandi, did you manage to answer everything?" Shu Li asked the black-haired Fairy beside him.

Ilio really was too much. Every exam paper he'd given the Little Fairies was harder than the last.

"Mm, I answered everything." Kumandi began putting away his stationery. "Getting over ninety shouldn't be a problem."

Shu Li clicked his tongue and gave him a thumbs-up.

As expected of their quiet little academic genius. Such confidence!

Shu Li, on the other hand, couldn't shake the feeling that his entire paper had been riddled with traps. He was certain he'd answered several questions incorrectly.

The last question was particularly outrageous. It had asked him to translate the same sentence into nine different languages: Elven, the Continental Common Language, Dwarven, Goblin, Draconic, Mermaid, Winged Folk, Beastfolk, and Sea Elf.

Wasn't that deliberately tormenting someone who was terrible at languages?

He could just about manage the first six, but he'd only scratched the surface of the last three.

Sea Elf was especially hopeless. He had barely learned its phonetic symbols and hadn't even begun studying it properly!

The Sea Elves were a race that inhabited the Amanxi Sea.

Despite having "Elf" in their name, they weren't true Elves. They were an intelligent amphibious race capable of living both on land and in the sea.

They were short, averaging around one and a half meters in height, with well-proportioned bodies, blue skin, blue hair, and blue eyes. Thin membranes resembling webbing stretched between their fingers and toes, making it easier for them to swim.

Sea Elves were solitary by nature. They would rather roam the ocean than come ashore and interact with other races.

They enjoyed mining beneath the sea and were renowned for producing a precious mineral called aquamarine crystal. This mineral could substantially improve the rank of a weapon and was an important material in metallurgy.

Both Dwarves and Goblins were races skilled in weapon manufacturing. To obtain aquamarine crystal, they had no choice but to venture out to sea and purchase it from the Sea Elves.

Unfortunately, Sea Elves disliked land-dwelling races. They opened their territory for trade on only three days each summer.

Miss those three days, and you had to wait another year.

Because Sea Elves kept largely to themselves, there were very few opportunities to use their language. Fairy teachers therefore tended to leave it until the very end of their lessons.

Before leaving the Faerie Forest, Shu Li had learned only thirty-odd phonetic symbols.

After spending more than a month traveling, he'd forgotten almost all of them.

Needless to say, his answer to the final translation question had been an absolute disaster.

Hector clutched his head and muttered, "I'm finished. I'm definitely going to fail. I'm going to have to face those third-rank magical beasts!"

Cindy sighed. "Don't worry. Worst comes to worst, I'll go with you."

"I'm not feeling particularly optimistic either." Nasha thought for a moment before turning to Shu Li. "Amo, if we really do fail, could we borrow Falm?"

Falm was a high-ranking magical beast. With him around, lower-ranking magical beasts certainly wouldn't dare cause trouble.

Shu Li paused in surprise before answering, "Of course."

Hector exclaimed admiringly, "Nasha, you're a genius!"

Ilio waited until the students had thoroughly exhausted their discussions before clapping his hands for silence.

With an amiable smile, he asked, "You've been taking an exam for an entire hour. Tired?"

The students weren't accustomed to this sudden display of concern.

Their instincts immediately put them on guard. They had a terrible feeling that whatever came next wouldn't be good.

Sure enough, Ilio smiled even more pleasantly.

"The most important thing about studying is balancing work and rest. So, to help you relax, I've specially borrowed a plot of land from the dean where you can grow medicinal herbs."

Fifteen minutes later, every student in Class One was crouching miserably on the ground, clutching a small bag of seeds and digging holes.

Ilio floated above them, supported by the wind, sitting in an elegant pose as he encouraged his students.

"Do your best! Let's see how quickly you can get those seeds to sprout. Whoever grows the finest medicinal herbs will receive a high-grade magic stone as a reward."

For once, he was offering a reward instead of threatening punishment.

The students were suddenly full of motivation, enthusiastically digging holes and planting seeds.

Growing medicinal herbs was one of the Little Fairies' specialties.

In less than five minutes, Shu Li had used earth magic and wood magic to plant every seed in his little bag.

He dusted off his hands, stood up, and approached Ilio.

"Ilio, there's something I want to tell you."

He felt it was necessary to inform Ilio about the necromancer and demonic creature Efit had mentioned, and ask him to warn Danlov.

Seeing the solemn expression on the Little Fairy's face, Ilio reached down, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and floated toward a storage shed near the herb garden.

"What is it?" he asked.

Shu Li pointed at the collar Ilio was holding.

Ilio released him.

Landing lightly on his feet, Shu Li straightened his collar and began explaining.

"This morning, Efit told me that he encountered a necromancer and a demonic creature on his way back to Vanaku..."

After listening to the entire account, Ilio stroked his smooth chin.

"You said that demonic creature was called Sarn?"

Shu Li nodded. "Yes... Do you know him?"

"No," Ilio replied. "With the King's seal in place, there's absolutely no way a high-ranking demonic creature could leave hell. Unless, like Ansedram, it managed to deceive the seal by assuming its weakest form."

Shu Li asked in confusion, "Then why does he possess dark power comparable to the Demon Lord's?"

Ilio's voice deepened.

"Possession."

Shu Li froze.

"P-possession?"

"That's right." Ilio folded his arms. "There's a type of demonic creature called a nightmare fiend. It has neither a fixed shape nor a physical form and prolongs its existence by possessing members of other races. Humans are numerous, relatively unsuspecting, and driven by powerful desires, making them easy to invade. They're the nightmare fiends' favorite hosts."

"During the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, the army of light led by the King drove the demonic creatures back into hell. But there was no way to prevent a few from slipping through the net, such as nightmare fiends hiding inside human bodies."

Shu Li's eyes widened slightly.

"Are you saying that Sarn is one of those creatures that escaped?"

"Possibly not the only one," Ilio replied.

Shu Li began pacing anxiously back and forth.

The situation was becoming more troublesome by the minute.

One Demon Lord had died, only for a necromancer and a nightmare fiend to appear.

The Woba Grand Canyon wasn't going to see any peace anytime soon.

"What should we do?" Shu Li asked worriedly. "They're definitely going to trace everything back to us."

Having the dark forces set their sights on them was hardly a good thing. It would only make their future adventures needlessly more difficult.

A necromancer whose power approached that of a Mage Sovereign and a nightmare fiend comparable to a Demon Lord were hardly minor bosses the Light Squad could handle.

Seeing the Little Fairy pacing in circles, Ilio gave a mocking smile.

"Scared already?"

"I'm not scared. I just know my limits." Shu Li shot him an exasperated glare and answered frankly. "With our current strength, we can't beat them."

Ilio turned his hand around and pointed at his own chest.

Shu Li looked bewildered.

What was that supposed to mean?

Ilio narrowed his eyes, floated over to the Little Fairy, and scooped him into his arms.

Then he vigorously ruffled his head.

"You little idiot."

"L-let go!"

Suddenly subjected to such enthusiastic cuddling, Shu Li blushed furiously and struggled.

The Elven King, disguised as a human, was still outside the shed planting medicinal herbs. Ilio didn't dare take his cuddling too far and knew when to stop.

Shu Li escaped his clutches and retreated three meters, putting a safe distance between them.

Then he bared his teeth.

Ignoring the Little Fairy's indignation, Ilio said unhurriedly, "It's good to know your limits, but you also need to learn how to make use of the resources available to you."

Shu Li was clever enough to understand a hint.

"You can beat them?"

Was Ilio seriously suggesting he could take on both enemies by himself?

Ilio's eyebrows shot up.

His fingers itched to give the Little Fairy a good spanking.

"Just how badly have you misunderstood my strength?"

Shu Li hunched his shoulders and muttered, "I know you're at the level of a Mage Sovereign, and you're the strongest warrior among the Elves, but we're talking about a necromancer and a demonic creature that's lived for more than ten thousand years!"

Even Falm and the Fire Spirit had struggled to defeat that Demon Lord when they joined forces.

Ilio was only five hundred years old. How could he possibly compete with a demonic creature that had lived for ten thousand years?

"You should go to the Magic Tower and discuss it with Danlov!" Shu Li urged. "If you work together, you'll have a much better chance of winning."

Ilio floated over to Shu Li, curled a finger, and lightly flicked his forehead.

"Have a little more faith in me."

"Ow!"

Shu Li clapped a hand over his forehead and stubbornly glared at him with his blue-gray eyes.

Ilio relented.

"Fine. I'll go see Danlov this afternoon."

Only then did Shu Li smile.

A trace of warmth flashed through Ilio's eyes.

Taking advantage of the Little Fairy's momentary distraction, he reached out and gently pinched his cheek.

"Wasn't there also an herb? Let me have a look."

Shu Li swatted his hand away, retrieved the medicine box from his storage ring, and handed it over.

"This is it."

If Ilio knew where the herb came from, Shu Li wouldn't need to make a special trip to ask the Elven King.

Ilio accepted the box and immediately detected a powerful scent.

His brows drew together slightly.

Slowly, he lifted the lid.

A vivid crimson herb lay quietly at the bottom of the box.

Despite having been removed from the soil several days ago, it showed no signs of wilting whatsoever. It remained as fresh and tender as though it had just been picked.

"This is..."

Ilio's gaze sharpened.

Shu Li's heart leaped with excitement.

"What is it?"

Ilio examined the herb for quite some time.

Then he closed the lid and answered without hesitation.

"No idea."

Shu Li ground his teeth.

He snatched the medicine box back, shoved it into his storage ring, and declared, "I'll go back to the Elven Kingdom tonight and ask the King."

Ilio wasn't the least bit bothered by the Little Fairy's obvious disdain.

He could tell that the herb had an extraordinary origin, but he genuinely didn't know its name or purpose.

An herb guarded by a Demon Lord was undoubtedly something that had originated in hell.

At noon, the students of Class One, exhausted from an entire morning of hard work, raced into the dining hall.

Under the astonished gazes of the other Mage Apprentices, every one of them bought twice as much food as usual and wolfed it down.

Once they'd finished eating, they swept out of the dining hall like a whirlwind and returned to their dormitories to rest.

There were no classes in the afternoon, so they had plenty of time to recover.

Ilio might be strict, but he never kept his students under constant pressure.

Only by balancing exertion with relaxation could they continue improving in the long run.

After their afternoon nap, the Light Squad felt thoroughly refreshed.

They decided to visit the Adventurers' Guild and see whether any suitable assignments were available.

Having tasted the thrill of earning a fortune, the Little Fairies were brimming with enthusiasm.

Full of fighting spirit, they eagerly left the magic academy.

Approximately one thousand meters beneath the Woba Grand Canyon, three Senior Grand Mages belonging to the Mages' Guild were fleeing in utter panic.

Behind them, a black-robed necromancer pursued them relentlessly, like a ghost that refused to be shaken off.

The terrifying pressure radiating from him had drained every trace of color from the three Grand Mages' faces.

Remembering the gruesome deaths of their two companions, they ran even faster.

Yet no matter how quickly they fled, they couldn't outrun the necromancer.

"The game... is over."

The necromancer's voice was cold and sinister.

He raised a magic staff in a hand as dry and cracked as tree bark, aiming it at the three fleeing figures.

"Leave your souls behind!"

Thick black smoke surged forward, writhing with the agility of serpents.

In an instant, it coiled around the three Grand Mages and ruthlessly forced its way into their mouths.

"Aaaaaah!"

The Grand Mages screamed in agony.

Just as their souls were about to become the necromancer's next meal, a streak of golden light suddenly shot toward him.

The necromancer uttered an incantation, conjuring a magical shield before himself to block the attack.

But the golden light struck with the force of a thunderbolt.

It pierced the magical shield effortlessly and hurtled straight toward the center of his forehead.

Without a moment's hesitation, the necromancer teleported out of its path.

"Who goes there?" he demanded coldly.

"Well, well! Not bad! You're pretty quick on your feet!"

As the mocking voice rang out, a dark figure descended from above and landed in front of the three Grand Mages.

He raised the golden bow in his hands and aimed it brazenly at the necromancer.