Chapter 167 - 127: Mithros Academy, Burton Mage

"This map is seriously disgusting..."

After cursing out the developers, Li Miao arrived at the spot the Spirit Candle had guided him to and pushed aside the lumps of fecal corpses in front of him.

With a sticky, wet squelch, the view before Li Miao finally opened up. He saw a spacious tunnel, but the air was still rank with a foul stench.

After lighting the Milestone Spirit Candle, Li Miao logged off immediately.

He needed a break.

And...

"I can’t be the only one to suffer!"

’I can’t be the only one to suffer!’ Li Miao thought, gritting his teeth.

Afterward, he calmed himself down and opened the chat group in his virtual helmet.

"Guys! You can jump straight down the well in the center of the ruins. There’s a hidden map!"

"Search carefully inside, there are hidden items too! (thumbs-up)(thumbs-up)(thumbs-up)"

After typing this out, Li Miao decisively hit send.

My Son Failed, But I’m On Shore: "Thanks for the tip! Was just about to set out. Wait for me, I’m on my way!"

My hamster’s name is Guagua: "What kind of hidden items? So exciting! I’ll go check it out after I get off work! (cheer)"

Storyteller: "I’ll log on after I finish editing this video. Is there any special plot content? @Brother Miao Won’t Fail the Exam"

"..."

No matter what his group members said, Li Miao didn’t reply. With a sly chuckle, he logged back into the game.

...

Even though he had successfully tricked his friends, Li Miao still had his own exploration to continue.

Besides, judging from all the previous signs, Li Miao felt that Le Ti hadn’t been so easily taken care of.

’If that’s the case, then he was probably the one who took out that Fecal Corpse Adhesive just now.’

’That guy is probably still watching me from the shadows, waiting to cause trouble...’

The feeling was like a thorn in his back, making Li Miao deeply uneasy.

To be honest, the biggest threat NPCs posed to him was the lack of information.

Whether it was his Tier, his actual strength, or the Abilities he possessed, he knew absolutely nothing about this Le Ti fellow.

’But, his strength probably isn’t too high. And it seems like he’s trying to use me for some scheme, or maybe to guide the plot...’

After letting out a breath, Li Miao decided to just take things one step at a time. It wasn’t like he had any good way of dragging this hidden enemy out into the open right now anyway.

With that thought, he stood up, raised the Frost Riding Spear in his hand, and continued forward, guided by the light of his own Candlefire.

...

「Jinghai Islands.」

Brother Yu wasn’t very interested in the newly released peninsula map, but he was quite interested in that sea region.

However, the two fishing buddies he had arranged to meet hadn’t logged on yet, so he had to wait.

He didn’t plan on wasting this time, though. He headed straight for his fishing spot, chatting for a bit with a few like-minded anglers he met along the way.

"Yo, Brother Yu, punctual as always!"

"Yeah, just finished up with work."

"Don’t get skunked today! If things get really bad, just jump in and grab a few. It’s embarrassing to come back with an empty creel."

"...If you’re gonna put it like that, you’re taking all the fun out of it. I call it a temporary setback. Temporary, you get me?"

"Oh, right, right, hahaha..."

There was no doubt that Brother Yu had the most seniority among the anglers, but when it came to getting skunked... Brother Yu was always number one.

Back when there weren’t many anglers around, Brother Yu could still hide it, making excuses to fool himself and others.

But now that the number of anglers had grown, his reputation as a "bad-luck charm" had naturally spread. It had even become a phrase anglers used to console one another.

For example, if an angler got skunked several times and was feeling down, a friend next to him would offer four simple words: "Think of Brother Yu." And just like that, the angler’s mood would brighten, his confidence restored...

Brother Yu tried to argue against it at first, but eventually, he just gave up and embraced it.

’So what if I’m a bad-luck charm? At least this game has a pity system, right?’

’If I kill a hundred Sand Worms, I can at least fish up a few dozen fish. You can’t call that getting skunked, can you?’

After his daily routine of foraging for free bait along the shore, Brother Yu took out his beloved Tier Two fishing rod.

[Fishing Rod · Tier Two]

[Type: Tool]

[Effect: Sturdier and more durable. Slightly increases the probability of a bite.]

[Explanation: A Tier Two fishing rod of high quality. With enough Power, it’s not difficult to reel in even large objects.]

After baiting the hook, he cast his line into the sea.

[Fishing...]

A short while later.

"Got a bite!"

"Hsss..."

Staring at the empty hook, Brother Yu let out a sharp hiss, his vision darkening for a moment.

A bad start...

But this was a perfectly normal occurrence for him. He quickly baited the hook with a second piece of bait and cast his line back into the sea.

This time, however, the rod suddenly dipped hard, and Brother Yu’s eyes lit up.

’I’ve hooked a big one!’

Brother Yu quickly stood up, planting his feet and engaging his core, and began to reel in his line with intense concentration.

But he soon felt something was off.

’This doesn’t feel like a fish fighting back. It’s just a dead weight...’

’A dead fish?’

Brother Yu was puzzled. He’d never encountered a dead fish before.

With that thought, Brother Yu continued to pull, feeling a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

As the sea surface churned, the thing he had hooked soon broke through the water.

And then, the look of anticipation in Brother Yu’s eyes gradually faded, his brow furrowing.

"Another corpse?"

However, seeing as this corpse looked a bit strange, and the other corpse that always floated by on schedule was currently on the other side, Brother Yu patiently reeled it in.

This "corpse" looked very strange. It was dressed in a simple, belted robe, its body was shattered, and half of its head was missing.

But strangely, a pure, pale blue flame burned where the missing part of its head should be. The same was true for other parts of its body. It was an extremely odd sight.

[?]

Brother Yu tried to inspect it but only saw a question mark.

"What the hell is this thing."

Brother Yu frowned, then casually dragged it to the side and went back to fishing.

"..."

Azure firelight flared. Luo Ge’s figure appeared behind him and glanced at Brother Yu’s back as he sat on the reef.

’This angler is truly obsessed. He can’t even be bothered by something so strange...’

Shaking his head, Luo Ge grabbed the "corpse" and vanished along with it.

Brother Yu remained completely unaware, his gaze fixed on the sea.

...

「Qi Xin Chapel.」

Luo Ge frowned at the strange person before him, while Noxia, at his side, wore a look of astonishment.

"Is this... the attire of the Arcane Academy Palace?"

"The Arcane Academy Palace?" Luo Ge turned to look at her.

"Yes." Noxia nodded. A relevant memory seemed to surface, and she began to speak as if to herself. "The Academy Palace of Legend, existing apart from the land and the Ocean. The Arcane Mystery of Magic and the Wisdom born from the Life Flame are gathered there..."

"A Mage Academy?" Luo Ge asked, concisely seeking confirmation.

"Mhm." Noxia blinked. ’It seems Mr. Luo Ge doesn’t care for the descriptive style of the books. Maybe I should simplify things for him in the future?’

"Any other information?"

"No." Noxia shook her head.

"So this person is most likely a Mage..." Luo Ge mused.

The Mage before him was clearly in terrible shape.

From the half of his face that remained, he appeared to be a composed and refined middle-aged man. His body was shattered and half his head was gone, but his own power seemed to be immense.

A special flame constructed of Spirit and Soul filled the gaps, barely keeping him alive.

But this was ultimately a futile effort. Without reaching a certain level of power, a Soul that has lost its vessel is destined to wither away...

Of course, Luo Ge could save him.

However, Luo Ge wasn’t sure if this Mage, who had suddenly appeared in the world anchored by the Spirit Candle, was friend or foe.

...Speaking of which, his current state was inextricably linked to Luo Ge and the Spirit Candle.

The Spirit Candle had sensed an intruder and reported it to Luo Ge, and the Will Luo Ge had given it was simple: "Kill it."

And then this man had appeared, half-dead, on Brother Yu’s fishing hook...

Luo Ge could confirm that this man’s Tier was definitely higher than his own current Tier, but the Spirit Candle’s power clearly couldn’t be measured by ordinary Tiers.

Otherwise, this Mage wouldn’t have been wrecked this badly by the Spirit Candle acting on Luo Ge’s command...

...Thinking of this, Luo Ge decided to save him after all.

This wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart, of course.

Rather, it was because he was certain the Spirit Candle had the power to kill this man instantly, which put him at ease...

With this in mind, the power of the Spirit Candle soon flowed from Luo Ge’s hand, settling on the man’s shattered body and slowly repairing it.

A few moments later, his body was fully restored.

Luo Ge then used the Spirit Candle’s power to awaken his Soul.

"Hah!"

"HUFF... HUFF... HUFF..."

The man shot up, gasping violently, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock and terror.

When he saw Luo Ge and Noxia, his pupils contracted. His arm glowed faintly, a mystical symbol lit up in his palm, and his figure dissolved into specks of light, reappearing some distance away.

"Who are you?"

"Calm down." Luo Ge stood up calmly, concentrating the Spirit Candle’s power tightly around the man. "You’re the one who should be answering questions."

The Spirit Candle’s power pressed down without hesitation.

If the Mage before him made a single false move, he would be utterly crushed.

"This..."

He seemed to sense the power surrounding him, and though he was shocked, he gradually calmed down.

"...Master of this realm, thank you for your reception. My name is Burton Mandilakhan. I am a traveler, and I was once a Mage of Mithros Academy."

This Mage, Burton, seemed to clearly understand his situation. He reacted quickly, giving Luo Ge a solemn bow.

"Mithros Academy?" Luo Ge’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Burton nodded. Without asking any further questions, he quickly began to tell them everything he knew...

Unlike Noxia, Burton came from a world after the disaster.

Although he had once studied at Mithros Academy, he had left after a time to explore other parts of the world.

He had also sensed the world’s sudden change—it was chaos, a prelude to the disaster’s Descent.

But for Burton, seeking the truth of Magic was more important.

The disaster struck without warning while he was on a voyage, exploring underwater ruins at the bottom of the sea.

However, a special power seemed to reside within those ruins, which protected Burton.

It allowed him to survive the cataclysm.

The border of darkness then descended. Burton’s friend was nowhere to be found, and beyond the perimeter of the ruins, there was only this dark boundary.

Naturally, he began to search for a way out.

Relying on a faint connection he still had with his friend, he found the Jinghai Islands, anchored by Luo Ge...

"So, you’re saying you started trying to leave the ruins immediately after the disaster’s Descent?" Luo Ge frowned. "Roughly how long did that take?"

"Well..." Burton hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I’m not quite sure. Maybe ten-odd days, or perhaps a month?"

"But it definitely wasn’t more than a year. The ruins didn’t have the Flame Material to sustain my Life Flame for any longer..."