Chapter 237: Ch237: A Clash at the Gate

Daniel turned his gaze toward the shaman, a hint of surprise flickering across his calm expression.

"Status," he whispered.

——————

Name: Roderic Hale

Age: 19

HP: 2400/2400

Mana: 1300/1300

Description: A talented student of Veronica, the Fire Elemental Master. Roderic comes from an upper middle class family with connections to the royals. He has never had to struggle for money and dreams of obtaining greater power. To achieve his goals, he is willing to do whatever it takes.

——————

’I see. That’s why he’s being such a bitch,’ Daniel thought, his eyes resting on Roderic for a moment.

The wagoner’s face brightened at the mention of five silver coins. His lips curled into a greedy smile, and his eyes flickered between Roderic and Daniel as he weighed the offer.

But before he could open his mouth—

"Ten silvers."

Daniel’s voice cut through the chatter, firm and unhurried.

The wagoner froze.

The five young shamans stared at Daniel, their expressions shifting from confusion to disbelief.

"T-Ten?" the wagoner stammered.

"Heh... Look at him. He’s obviously bluffing. Who would throw away ten silver coins just for someone like—"

The shaman’s voice died abruptly.

Daniel reached into his pouch and pulled out ten silver coins, and let them fall onto his open palm one after another.

*Clink-Clink-Clink*

The coins caught the afternoon sunlight, their polished surfaces flashing brightly.

The five fire shamans stared at the coins, their mouths hanging open.

No bluff.

Ten silver coins were sitting right there.

"Now," Daniel said, looking toward the wagoner, "are we going?"

"Of course," the wagoner replied without hesitation.

Meanwhile, the five young shamans stepped forward, closing the distance between themselves and Daniel.

"You. Whatever your name is, hand over all your money and get lost," Roderic said, his voice carrying a sharp edge of arrogance.

Flames flickered to life in his palm, dancing across his fingers. The other four shamans followed suit. Fire ignited in each of their right palms, the flames casting a warm glow across their faces.

None of them knew that Daniel was a shaman too.

And judging by the calm expression on his face, they were about to find out.

"Is that a threat?" Daniel asked, his voice calm.

Roderic gave a slow nod, the flames in his palm rising higher as they curled around his fingers.

*Boom!*

...

"Let’s go," Daniel said, his tone casual as he climbed into the wagon.

The wagoner’s eyes flew wide, his heartbeat quickening as he stared at the scene before him.

He had barely seen what happened.

Before the five shamans could even react, Daniel had unleashed his First Form, striking the ground in front of them.

A thunderous blast erupted from the impact.

The earth buckled, forming a small crater as dirt and dust exploded outward. The shockwave swept across the five shamans, coating them in dirt while the surge of lightning coursed through their bodies.

Their muscles seized.

One after another, they collapsed onto their backs, completely stunned by the sudden attack.

The wagoner swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the five shamans lying motionless in the dirt.

’He’s a shaman too. Argh... why do I always end up in this situations?!’ The waggoner thought.

Just then, a woman in a crimson-red robe with intricate patterns embroidered across the fabric, giving her an air of authority — stepped through the town gate. Huge breasts, huge ass, an hourglass figure, red curly hair that swayed with each step.

A perfect balance of sexiness and strictness.

Behind her, few guards and curious townsfolk followed, drawn by the thunderous impact they had heard moments earlier.

The woman quickened her pace as she approached the scene. "What happened here?" she asked, her voice carrying authority.

"Master! That guy attacked us with his lightning!"

"Master, he attacked us out of nowhere!"

The young fire shamans hurried to defend themselves, their words laced with feigned innocence.

Daniel, however, paid them little attention, his eyes settled on the woman.

"Status," he murmured.

———————

Name: Veronica Ember

Age: 41

HP: 6290/6300

Mana: 4400/4400

Essence: 100%

Quality: Excellent

Description: A disciplined woman and Master of Fire element, driven by a lifelong dream to train talented students and guide them toward greatness.

She hopes to nurture a new generation of powerful elementalists who can surpass their predecessors and carry her legacy into the future — believing that every generation has the potential to surpass the one before it, but only if its talents are properly nurtured and guided.

——————

Veronica cut her gaze to Daniel sitting on the wagon. "Are you the one who did this to my children?" she asked, her tone firm.

Daniel met her eyes. "I had to, because they all threatened to burn me down."

"Master, he’s lying."

"We haven’t said anything like that."

"We were just about to go home, but this guy stopped us and attacked us without any reason."

The young shamans beside her spat the words out.

Veronica was not so sure whom to believe.

Meanwhile, Belinda arrived and began chanting near the gate. A soft glow spread from her hands, washing over the fallen shamans.

"Daniel?" Belinda tilted her head slightly at him.

The fallen shamans began to get to their feet. Minor scratches healed as they stood off the tiny sharp rocks.

"Nature granted you these powers to protect mankind, not to turn them against one another." said Veronica.

The words entered Daniel’s right ear and went straight out the left. "Hi, Lady Belinda," he said, casually waving a hand.

"You know this child?" Veronica asked, glancing at Belinda.

"Yes," Belinda replied. "He’s a student of Marco."

"Marco? I see..." Veronica’s eyes narrowed slightly. "But shouldn’t he be in Cinder Town?"

Suspicion crept into her voice.

However, before she could ask anything else, Daniel had already climbed into the wagon.

The wagoner snapped the reins, and the wagon rolled away from Arcana Town, leaving Veronica and the others behind.

...

A few hours later, after passing through the kingdom’s gates, the wagon finally came to a stop at the roadside.

Daniel climbed down and handed the wagoner two silver coins.

"Two silvers? Didn’t we agree on ten?" the wagoner asked, his brows furrowing.

*Bzz! ZzZ!*

Tiny sparks danced across Daniel’s palm.

"Oh! Yes, yes. Two silvers is perfectly fine, young man," the wagoner quickly said, forcing a nervous smile.

The lightning in Daniel’s palm faded as he turned and walked away.