“Are you alone, Reymond?” Allen asked.

“No, I am with Mircalla.”

Allen could notice Reymond’s curious gaze at his undead minions. “I am sorry to pull you along. Where’s she?”

Allen looked at the cave Reymond pointed. Suddenly two silhouettes came out and fell to the river. They jumped out and landed at the sandbank.

Two creatures faced each other. The first one was a humanoid wolf with three heads and six arms; it had a pair of wings on its back. The latter was a slightly taller black goblin that wore a crown.

“The goblin is a magic foundation realm.”

“Allen, we have to run!”

Allen could sense Reymond’s urgency and retreat. His minions followed behind him.

“What’s that wolf creature?” Allen asked.

“It’s Mircalla’s other form, Asura Kobold.”

They stopped behind a large rock. Allen peeked out and saw they clashed.

Mircalla clawed with her six arms at full speed. The goblin king ducked from an attack and swayed the other. He repeated it as he bounced his feet in the same place. Then, he delivered a fast, powerful slash that severed Mircalla’s left arms.

“Will Mircalla be okay? Should we help her?”

“Don’t worry about her. In her normal form, she can defeat early-stage magic foundation magus. In that form, she can defeat a middle stage magic foundation magus.”

“How did she end up with that form? Isn’t she a vampire?”

“She’s mixed blood. She has a true ancestor and kobold king’s blood in her. That’s the reason she can walk under the sun.”

The fight went on. Mircalla had regenerated and jumped back. Her three heads opened their mouths and channeled a red ball inside them.

The goblin king kicked the ground and bolted at her. In the air, he hunched and kicked the air. He suddenly appeared before Mircalla. His axes moved diagonally as he leaped past her.

There was an X mark on her body. Her upper body slid down and her arms fell to the ground.

Allen frowned. “Are you sure she will be okay?”

Reymond sweated. “That goblin king is strong. If this goes on, she will run out of souls to regenerate. Oh, no. she comes back to her humanoid form.”

The mutilated body emitted steam. A woman stood up. When the steam thinned out, her body became visible. It was Mircalla, but her hair was white. Her face was colder than usual.

“Is she Mircalla?”

……

Eren woke up and found himself looking at a large rock. He sat and looked at the surroundings. There was only sand. The temperature was hotter. “Is this dessert?”

“You have woken up.”

Not far from Eren, the man who wore an armor leaned to a rock. His voice was low.

“You are Johan’s guard!”

Eren was about to stand, but he held his hand. “Wait, you will reveal us.”

Eren looked at him and pondered. If he wants to harm me, he can do it when I sleep, he thought.

Eren noticed the man’s hand was shaking. He looked to his waist; blood dripped from it. “You are injured. Let me treat you.”

Eren helped him to sit and touched his waist. The man shook his hand.

“Relax, brother. I just want to heal you with my magic. You can take off your armor.”

The man was silent for a while. He finally removed the helmet, revealing a beautiful face with long, black hair.

“You are a woman?” Eren exclaimed.

The woman knight averted her eyes and took off her breastplate.

“Big.” Eren realized he was being rude to a woman. “Ah, you are misunderstanding.”

“Just treat me. I beg you.”

Looking at her pained face, Eren nodded. “Doctor Vines!”

Vines covered Eren’s hand, emitting green light. He lifted her cloth slightly and touched her waist. The woman knight squirmed and let out low moan.

Eren averted his eyes. This is awkward. But, I never imagined my life would be saved by someone from the church. They are discriminating non-believers after all.

“Can you tell me the situation?” Eren asked.

“We have to finish the second test together. There’s a goblin hunting squad in this dessert. They are delivering camels to the village. We have to free the camels before they reach the village.”

Eren felt a little disappointment. He thought he was saved out of kindness. “I am weak. I am useless in combat.”

“Don’t worry. I am a magic foundation magus. I will face those goblins. You deal with releasing the camels.”

“I have tended your injury. Let’s go.”

……

Ren got out of the portal and looked around and found Peter Stargazer stood not far from him. “Is this desert?”

“It seems so.”

Suddenly, a voice came to his head. “Second task. Survive from the black goblins’ hunts.”

“I want to make sure, Mr. Peter. Did you hear that voice?”

Peter nodded and pointed forward. “Something is coming. Let’s talk while we run.”

“I like that idea.”

They ran the opposite direction of whatever was coming to them. Peter was faster than Ren.

Ren sighed. Cultivation gap.

Peter suddenly slowed and waited for Ren. “With your current pace, they will catch you. I have observed what’s coming to us. It’s a bunch of black goblins.”

Ren sweated. “That’s not good. It seems it’s my fate to die here.”

“Don’t be pessimistic, Mr. Ren. The condition to finish the task is we have to do it together. Want to do something crazy with me?”

“I will hear your idea.”

“I have a top grade spell that allows a magus weaker than me level up until they match my level. I am a level 30 acolyte. Are you good at fighting?”

“I guess I can defeat them one on one if I have the same level.”

“That’s more like it. I like brave people. I have heard about you from your master. You are a genius in martial magic and close combat spell. The most important thing, you have that.”

Peter pointed at the sheathed sword over his waist. “You notice it? It’s a magical treasure. As for what’s its ability, I will just show you later.”

“Fine. Receive my spell, Mr. Ren. Mirror Psychic!”

Sparkling dust surrounded Ren. It attracted mana that enveloped his entire body. “This is comparable to a level 30 acolyte.”

Ren stopped running and turned back. He unsheathed the single-edged sword. “You want to either keep running or stand behind my back, Mr. Peter. Shadow Domain!”

Ren’s shadow expanded, becoming a circle. “Only two people can come in. As long as there’s the sun, this shadow domain can’t be destroyed.”

“Good. We don’t have to defeat our foes. We can stall until the sun sinks. In the meanwhile, I can prepare a supreme grade spell in my mind rune, so we can escape.”

“You have a supreme grade spell?”

“Yes, but the preparation is long. Luckily, your shadow domain helps me to prepare it. Here they come.”

Rumbling noises got louder. Flying sand accompanied the black goblins’ steps. It looked like a sandstorm. They surround them.

The fastest two jumped inside the circle. The shadow domain created black dome, repelling the others. They attacked the dome, but they didn’t leave any damage behind.

“What grade is your magical treasure?” Peter asked.

“My family heirloom. I don’t know what grade it is. Look out, Mr. Peter!”

Peter’s body became blurring when a goblin pounced at him. He vanished and reappeared again next to the goblin. His waist was bleeding.

Ren gritted his teeth. Peter’s footwork was good, but the goblin was faster. He wanted to help, but the second goblin kept attacking him. He parried each of his slashes.

“I am sorry, Mr. Peter. I can’t help.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Ren.” Peter took out a weird item from his vest. It was a bent wand with a hole at the end. “I will show you the power of another world magic. Taste this magic pistol.”

Peter targeted the goblin. The bent wand let out boom sound and suddenly there was a hole on the goblin’s shoulder.

The goblin growled and pounced at Peter again.

Peter targeted the goblin’s knees. But, the goblin had carved the damage from the pistol in his mind. He slashed as the pistol let out boom sound and parried its attack.

“As expected of the black goblin. It will be hard.”

Peter immediately became a blur, vanished, and appeared not far from the goblin. He targeted the goblin’s right foot. With a bang, the goblin got shot as he landed.

Peter didn’t miss a chance to shoot the goblin’s left foot. He turned to Ren. “Do you need help?”

“Hell, yes! I can only parry and evade here,” Ren said as he ducked a horizontal slash to his neck.

“The black goblin is fast. Can you try to stop his movement?”

Ren gritted his teeth and pushed back the goblin’s axes. He lifted his sword and shouted, “The Weight of Shadow Palace!”

There was an image of the shadow castle behind Ren’s back. He swung down his sword. The goblin held his attack with both of his axes.

“Peter, now!”

Peter aimed and shot, piercing the goblin’s left foot. The goblin knelt.

Peter shouted and pushed down the goblin. The axes slipped from the goblin’s hands. The sword cut through the right shoulder to the right ankle.

“I did it!”

Peter approached Ren. “You can’t be relaxed. Black goblins are known for their brutalities.” He shot the goblin’s arms. “Let’s pile up their hands and stab it with your sword. That way they can’t move anymore.”

“Alright. By the way, what’s that wand, Mr. Peter?”

“It’s my invention. It’s called a pistol. A weapon from another world. You guard me, Mr. Ren. I will prepare the ritual for my supreme grade spell.”

……

Vanilla opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the sandbank. A shirtless man was washing in the river.

“Ren?” Vanilla called. The man turned back. She recognized the jellyfish tattoo on his right cheek. She got up and put her guard. “You are Mr. Ashker from the church.”

Johan approached her. “Relax, girl. I have no intention to harm you. I even heal your injury before.”

Vanilla didn’t hear his explanation. She thought up her family. The church had slaughtered the entire Shadowperk City. “You monster!”

Vanilla chanted a spell and shot a shining ball to him. Johan chanted a spell too and create a light barrier around him.

As he got near, Vanilla walked back. Her feet slipped and she fell. “What do you want?”

Johan bowed and looked down at her. “I don’t want anything. Why did you attack me?”

“You killed my family. You slaughtered the entire Shadowperk City.”

“Ah, that’s your issue. Hm, I indeed ordered my men to attack Shadowperk City. I don’t slaughter the innocent light attribute magi or mortal, though.”

Vanilla remembered that her family members were all mortal. “But why did you attack the city?”

“Shadowperk City’s citizens were immoral. It was natural we brought judgment to them. Non-light attribute magi are heretics. Ah, let me tell you the second task out of kindness. We both have to survive a day.

“I helped you because you are a light attribute magus. I still don’t want to cooperate with non-believer especially you are the follower of Ashkera Family. I won’t bind you.”

“How did you aware of it?”

“That you are the follower of Ashkera Family. That’s easy. They are one of the nine great families. They are all light attribute magus. Secondly, you are from Myriad Essence School. It’s natural for light magi to swear allegiance to them.”

“I see. I will go looking for my fiancée.”

“As I said, I won’t bind you.”

Suddenly a net fell to them from above. A group of black goblins appeared and knocked them out before they had a chance to retaliate.

When Vanilla opened her eyes, she and Johan were in a cage. They were naked. Black goblins surround them.

Johan had awoken a long time ago. He was raging and cursing, “You heretic creatures! Kill me! I swear the lord will revenge me!”

“Can you calm down, Mr. Ashker. They haven’t killed us. Maybe we have a chance to survive in a day.”

One of the goblins entered the cage and spoke in an unknown language.

“Maybe they want us to fight them one on one? Mr. Ashker, you are the favored. Maybe you can fight them. They are all peak acolyte just like you.”

Johan fell silent for a while before replied, “To tell you the truth. My body is unusually weak for a magus. You can even beat me in a brawl. I am not suited to fight. Besides, it seems they don’t want to fight us. Let me translate them.”

Johan cast a spell that let him understood their languages. His eyes widened. “Heretic! Immoral! Curse them!”

“What? What do they want, Mr. Ashker?”

“They want us…performing intercourse in front of them. If we do it, they will spare us. Don’t worry, Ms. Heretic, I won’t lay a finger to you even if it kills me.”

“Oh, I see.” Vanilla looked at Johan and approached him from behind. “I am sorry, Mr. Ashker. I am sorry, Ren.” She bashed his head.