Advent of the Archmage

Pine Leaf Village, Bluestone Road, Number 92.

This was an abandoned villa made from stone. The garden at the door was weed infested and in ruins. The outer walls of the villa were crawling with vines and moss. When Link, dressed as a messenger, arrived at this place, a few stray dogs stuck their heads out from the courtyard and barked ferociously.

The only peculiar thing was the mailbox at the door in perfect condition.

Link did not stay for long. He took out a leather envelope and stuffed it into the mailbox before leaving.

He continued walking for three blocks before turning abruptly into an alleyway. Nana stood motionless to wait for him as he cast a Traceless spell.

"Is there anyone following me?" Link asked. He did not feel the presence of a person tracking behind him, although he had to ask Nana just in case.

"Nana did not spot anyone as well," Nana said.

"Hm, let's go back and wait then," Link then slowly walked back to the abandoned villa from the alleyway. He then hid in a corner with a good view of the surroundings and waited patiently.

The person coming to retrieve the letter might be a high-ranking dragon Warrior. A Level-4 Traceless spell might not be enough to conceal their presence. After Link decided on the location, he then started changing the surrounding space bit by bit, causing the space around him to distort in a peculiar manner. The faint glow emanating from Link's body would be refracted in a complex but neat formation to the outside world.

This way, even if the opponent discovered Link and attempted an ambush attack, he would not be able to hit his physical body.

The principle behind this defensive barrier was akin to looking at a fish from the surface of the water. The fish that one would see was only an illusion from the refraction of light, but not the exact position of the fish.

After this complicated setup, Link then told Nana, "Be vigilant."

"I understand."

Link felt a lot more settled with Nana by his side. He then took out a travel leather mat and sat down on the roadside before taking out a magic book. He was still reading the two magic books of fire, namely The Essence of Flame and Flame and Purification.

He had already mastered the basics of Demon Slayer spells. However, the spellcasting speed of this Level-8 spell was simply too slow. It needed at least three seconds to take form. In the midst of a heated battle, using this spell was akin to suicide.

If he wanted to use this spell in a battle, he had to enhance it with a Supreme Magic Skill.

As he read, Link was suddenly reminded of something. The in-game system still owed him a Level-7 Glyph of Soul. After giving him the Omni Points, the in-game system seemed to have gone silent.

Hey system, where is my Glyph of Soul? Link asked.

The Glyph of Soul was broken. Repairing it will take a lot of energy. Current completion status is at 95%. It will be completed in three days.

Three days? Link thought for a moment. Three days was a short time. He could totally mimic what he did with the Titan's Hand and construct a magic resonance structure tailored for this Level-7 Glyph of Soul, allowing him to cast the Level-8 Demon Slayer spell instantly.

As Link thought about this idea, he immediately began working on it.

Previously, when he was learning the Titan's Hand, Link felt that a Level-6 spell was already extremely complicated. He could not even begin to imagine how a Level-7 or Level-8 spell would be like.

However, the situation was different now.

He realized that a Level-7 spell was actually pretty simple, and a Level-8 spell was merely a little bit on the challenging side. As long as he willing to spend time on it, mastering or even altering the spell would not be a problem.

This was not a change in the difficulty of the spell, but due to Link's accumulation of experience and knowledge in magic. He had now advanced to a level where he could master a Level-8 spell with ease.

However, The Essence of Flame was still a magic book that was way ahead of Link's level. He could only understand around a third of the book. He had decided to take his time with the rest. On the other hand, Flame and Purification seemed to fit his level just right. This was the magic book Link was focusing on.

Despite the fact that he was chasing after the mastermind, Link completely let down his guard as he had Nana's protection. Before long, he was completely immersed in his own magical world.

He lost track of time again.

He read his magic book in the morning to conserve his energy. As it was not bright enough at night, he would then read it using the in-game system. When he was sleeping, he would be thinking about it in his mind while letting Nana stay on high alert.

People strolled the streets of Pine Leaf Village as usual, though no one noticed the peculiarities in this corner.

The second day, Link had completed the magic resonance structure. He then conducted simulations for it with the help of the in-game system.

The third day, this Supreme Magic Skill was already completed. At noon, the in-game system finally displayed the message Link had been waiting for.

Level-7 Glyph of Soul is complete; do you wish to use it?

Yes! Condense a foundational Level-7 magic resonance structure, Link confirmed.

Clang! The sound of metallic clash sounded in Link's mind. Following which, Link realized that something had appeared in his field of vision. It was a complex magic structure which started vibrating and generating magic resonance. In an instant, a level-8 Demon Slayer spell had appeared.

The whole process took less than a tenth of a second!

This was extremely fast and definitely usable in a battle.

As he was trying to keep his location a secret, Link quickly canceled this spell. The in-game system then displayed a message.

Level-8 Supreme Magic Skill complete. Please name the altered spell.

After thinking for a moment, Link said, "Let's keep the name as Demon Slayer. It sounds good."

A message then appeared.

Demon Slayer

Level-8 Spell

Supreme Magic Skill: Increased spellcasting speed.

Effect: This spell is a basic fire-elemental principle spell. It does not need any fire elementals or charging time. After the magic structure is complete, it will be ready to cast in 0.1 seconds.

(Note: Link's Demon Slayer whip)

Upon seeing this description, Link was elated. If the magic structure only required 0.1 seconds to complete, and his spell would only take 0.1 seconds to cast, then that would mean that the Level-8 spell would only take a total of 0.2 seconds to cast!

Link heaved a sigh of relief. This Supreme Magic Skill would allow him to be unaffected by the Elemental Rejection status. He had once again obtained decent combat strength.

He should be considered a Level-8 Magician by now.

He felt slightly proud of himself. However, he had only mastered one Level-8 spell. Compared to those Master Magicians who had attained that rank a long time ago, such as the Chancellor of the Silver Moon Alliance, Romand, he still had a long way to long. He could only continue delving into magic research to make up for the difference in power.

Link had finally turned his attention back to the mailbox. Strangely, the leather letter was still sitting in the mailbox. It had already been three days, but the messenger seemed to have disappeared.

Did he realize what I was doing? Link was slightly hesitant. He then turned to Nana and asked, "Did any peculiar individual appear on the streets these three days?"

Nana's eyes had been glued to the streets all this time. She was on high alert and immediately shook her head. "There were no peculiarities. No one came within a six-foot-radius of the mailbox."

That was strange.

Is this the end of the road? Link frowned as he thought. After a moment, he decided to wait for one more day. If the letter was still unclaimed, he could only find another way.

Since he had to wait for another day, he took out another magic book. In order to prevent him from slipping into his fanatical mode, he took out the Talisman Magic book. Although the theories discussed in it were groundbreaking, it was not a difficult book. He did not have to concentrate fully on the book.

Time passed slowly. By nightfall, Link put away the magic book and was just about to rest when Nana whispered, "Master, someone is coming!"

Link regained his spirits as he gasped, "Did he finally arrive?"

Link took a deep breath and stared at the mailbox around 90 feet in front of him intently. He waited nearly two minutes before a figure appeared on the street.

As it was already midnight, the oil lamps on the streets of Pine Leaf Village were already extinguished. The moon could not be seen today as well, with only a few scattered stars illuminated the night sky. A vague and blurry figure was seen sneaking around the mailbox.

This figure was extremely tall, close to 6'5''. In the Dragon Valley, a Dragon Warrior of this height could only be a high-ranking dragon. He was extremely fast and agile as well. He leaped gently across the street and arrived in front of the mailbox without making so much as a whisper of noise.

Click! The metallic sound of the clasp being opened could be heard. The figure then took out the leather letter and quickly left the location, trying to make his escape.

This was the guy they were looking for!

Link whispered to Nana, "Follow him closely. Once he leaves the village, find a good time to strike. I will catch up soon."

"I understand."

Nana dashed forward. Her speed was her greatest advantage, and she completely displayed this flair of hers at that moment. She was a lot faster than that figure and was a lot more secretive as well. She was like a cloud of smoke lurking behind the figure, unnoticed and easily neglected.

Link then cast a Cheetah's Agility spell on himself and tried to keep up with their pace.

Two human figures and a magic puppet left Pine Leaf Village under the illumination of a few stars.

However, both Nana and the figure were extremely fast. Less than half a minute into the chase, Link could no longer see them.

He could only continue giving chase based on the magic connection between Nana and himself.

This continued for three minutes before he heard the clashing sound of metals in front of him. This sound was extremely crisp and impactful. It obviously contained great power. When this sound passed through his ears, he actually felt a shiver down his spine.

Nana has engaged the enemy! It seems like she has met her match!

Nana was a Warrior-type magic puppet. As she was extremely fast, she had a great advantage against opponents with little battle experience such as Auselia. That Dark Elf did not possess talent in the first place and got all her strength from the Divine Gear. When she met Nana, who had more than a hundred years of battle experience, she was completely annihilated.

However, if her opponent was someone who had also gone through countless battles and gained strength from these experiences, they should be able to defend against Nana's attacks.

Link could already validate this thought in his battle against Wavier in the Necropolis. At that time, both Misamier and Taroko could fight on par with Nana when they first encountered her. Their combined efforts even forced Nana to go on the defensive.

They were now in the Dragon Valley. Although there were not many Level-8 individuals, there were definitely more of them here than in the human world. Link suddenly feared that Nana might be in trouble. He quickened his steps and dashed forward with all his might.