Age of Adepts

Though both parties were from the Crimson Clan, their relationship wasn’t exactly harmonious.

At the very least, Bloodsucking Fang didn’t get along with Shadow’s Light.

"Yo, isn’t this the Ponta who only knows how to go around collecting garbage? How did he make it out of the Black Forest safely?" A sweet voice rang out from the counter the moment they entered the tavern. However, the words caused the members of Shadow’s Light’s expressions to change.

"I was wondering who it was. To think it was the one known as the most pretty of White Tower, Lord Lens! Where did you find the free time to come here for a drink today?" Ponta’s face turned into a scowl, and he retaliated with a bitter smile on his face.

The one who spoke was a middle-aged man, though with a pretty face and a sweetly soft voice. He was dressed in a delicate noble’s robe and wore a noble’s emblem on his chest, though it appeared unfamiliar to everyone’s eyes.

These vampires had all come from the Faen Plane. They were all blood elves with pretty faces, slender bodies, and two sharp ears peeking through their light green long hair.

As noble blood elves, these outsiders to the World of Adepts still maintained much of their habits from before their conversion. They had perfectly inherited all of the merits and ’shortcomings’ of the Faen forest elves. They were a group of radical individuals who judged others severely by their appearance; they hated all creatures whose looks were imperfect.

They often despised and looked down on the less handsome adepts of White Tower, let alone a green-skinned goblin such as Little Locke. If it weren’t for the overprotective Bloody Mary that stood behind them, a group like theirs would already have been expelled from the tower by the adepts.

Still, they knew very well their capabilities and didn’t go over the line to provoke the more powerful adepts like Bug Adept Billis. Still, they kept their arrogant and prideful attitudes in their daily interactions, using all they had to insult the ’ugly’ around them.

At least three of the five Shadow Light’s members were regarded as ’unsightly’ by the vampires. Only the young and pretty Eco was assessed as ordinary. Meanwhile, the shadow pseudo-adept Ponta managed to obtain a decent due to bonus points from his power.

However, they hated little goblin Locke with a passion and believed that it was a humiliation to have such an ugly creature as a companion.

As such, this group of blood elves had already crossed swords with all apprentice parties to varying extents. Naturally, things always ended on a bad note.

Little Locke’s face turned bright red when humiliated by these apprentice companions, and his teeth creaked from how he was gritting them. After all, goblins were a synonym for lowly and humble in most material planes!

Excessively short lifespans, as well as a lack of a systemic knowledge-legacy, caused all goblins to be treated as foolish lower magical lifeforms. Moreover, they were the weakest and most cowardly of the magical creatures, making them the best targets for rookies who wished to test themselves.

Before he stepped out of the Goblin Plane, Locke had been proud of his green skin and his identity as a goblin. It wasn’t until he had studied the systematic and comprehensive Monster’s Encyclopedia, and found the critical assessment of adepts toward the goblins, that Locke finally understood the goblins’ status in the eyes of the other intelligent races.

One could say that Little Locke’s wild passion in study and training himself all this while was a manifestation of his anger over this assessment.

He wanted to prove that he and the goblins were not as terrible as described in the Monster’s Encyclopedia. Goblins were also an intelligent and knowledgeable race, not a beginner’s gift pack that anyone could butcher and tear apart!

In all seriousness, the goblins were truly on the lower end of the planar food chain, the main reason for that being their lack of elementium sense.

Little Locke was an example!

He was an Advanced-apprentice now, but the magical aura within his body was only at the level of a human Beginner-apprentice. There was no way he could even compare to the blood elves, who naturally possessed elementium affinities.

It was precisely due to their low elementium affinity that the goblins were forced to give up being casters and turned to research and machinery. Magical machinery was the path forward that they found for their species!

Their bodies were too weak? Then make up for it with magical machines with bones of steel and metal.

Their magic power was too weak? Then make up for it with magical energy batteries.

Lacking the ability to sense elementium particles and manipulate them? Then make up for it with magical machines tailored to their needs.

It was due to them devoting their entire species’ efforts toward the research of magical energy and the piloting of magical machines that they found an alternate path forward and became magical machine pilots.

As such, when faced with the blood elves’ insults, the one-meter-tall little goblin leaped into the air and waved his fists about as he shrieked, "A duel...a duel. I request a duel! I won’t let you insult us goblins. Apologize to me now, or I have the right to request a fair duel!"

The pretty blood elves at the counter laughed, and the pretty-boy blood elf Lens was practically falling over with laughter.

"Haha; Ponta, I am simply too impressed. To think you would bring a clown with you when you go out on missions. Hahahaha!"

Ponta’s face turned even darker. If it wasn’t for Eco holding his arm tightly, there was no doubt he would have punched that pretty face of Lens.

Lens was only an Advanced-apprentice. There was no way he could be the opponent of a Pseudo-adept. Still, the blood elves excelled at kiting and harassment. Lens wouldn’t be afraid of him in such a narrow space.

"What is it? Do you question Little Locke’s identity as an apprentice?" The foul-mouthed Blanco started talking, "His identity as an apprentice was personally announced and conferred upon by the clan head. Are you questioning the clan head now?"

The faces of the blood elves turned when they heard this.

They were members of the Crimson Clan as well. Naturally, they knew of Lady Mary’s relationship with the clan head. They couldn’t help but glare at Blanco when he provoked them, gritting their teeth in anger.

Perhaps, in their minds, Lady Mary was of the same grade as the clan head, and she might not necessarily lose to him in a duel. As such, all of the blood elves were a bit upset that Lady Mary willingly submitted to that fire adept.

However, such things could only remain as thoughts and never spoken out loud. Otherwise, they would be harshly punished by the higher-ups, and even Lady Mary wouldn’t protect them then.

"Don’t just strike with your tongue here. I was just trying to say that a lowly creature like that has no right to be an apprentice. It is only suited as a dissection subject on our laboratory platforms." Lens stood forward and roared loudly.

"Then, duel with him!" Blanco replied with a face of disdain, "Could it be that you don’t even dare to accept the challenge of a mere goblin?"

"You..."

"Fine, we accept the challenge!"

Just as Lens was about to retort, a cold female voice interrupted the exchange.

Everyone looked over and saw that it was the captain of Bloodsucking Fang, Blood Elf Pseudo-adept Seria. Seria used to be a First Grade elven archer back in the Faen Plane. However, after conversion into a blood elf, the change to her attributes had been too intense, causing her to revert to the pseudo-adept level.

There was a great chance for her to return to First Grade once her body had wholly assimilated with her bloodline powers.

Seria’s former strength provided her with a different state of mind and worldview when compared to the other apprentices. As such, she wasn’t constrained by the narrow and drastic view of appearance supremacy. Her red eyes swept across Locke’s body and her pretty brows scrunched together into a frown.

"Big Sis, is there something wrong?" One of the blood elves moved over and asked.

"It’s nothing. Maggie, warn Lens not to let down his guard. That...that green-skinned fellow is a bit odd. Don’t let Lens embarrass us blood elves!"

"Understood, Sis!"

With the acknowledgment of two Pseudo-adepts, this duel became a certainty!

The location of the duel was decided to be the round plaza in the center of town. The square was tiled with thick green stones, and large braziers burned around it. It was both broad and bright enough for the apprentices to duel there.

At any rate, the apprentices couldn’t unleash excessively powerful spells with their power; this small plaza was enough for their fight. Naturally, the loser would have to pay for the repairs of any damage done to the buildings or the road.

"The duel can’t be performed for nothing. I am willing to offer our fire lion’s core as wager!" Once both fighters were ready, and the onlooking apprentices had gathered, Ponta couldn’t help but shout out loud.

"Hmph! We won’t lose! I’ll use a wyvern’s core as wager!" Seria wouldn’t be outdone and replied loudly as well.

A wyvern’s core was the magical crystal within a wyvern.

Though it was a First Grade magical creature, its tough skin, poison claws, and flying ability made it a fearsome beast even amongst First Grade magical creatures. The value of its magical crystal was twice that of a fire lion and even more.

An expression of excitement appeared on Ponta’s face when he got this reply.

As the captain of the team, he had witnessed Locke’s combat power over these days. He knew very well how strong he was. Little Locke’s chance of victory was fairly high when fighting against an Advanced-apprentice blood elf!

Seria looked at the crowd around them, and coldly said, "Since there are no more objections, I hereby declare that the duel begins now."

As she finished, Lens instantly transformed into a palm-sized bat and quickly approached the ditzy goblin Locke on the other end.

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