Thirty-two years earlier…

 

With a blank face, Gale, titled 'Conqueror of the Seven Kingdoms', 'Killer of Kings', and 'God of War' alike, wandered into the State of Faringel's Slave Mine.

 

None of the guards were able to stop him.

 

All of their arrows harmlessly bounced off his skin. He punched through the front entrance and was greeted with metal-tipped spears. The officer in charge immediately recognised the hero and ordered them to stand down. A portrait of the man was in his very office!

 

To everybody's shock, Gale walked right past them, grabbed some tools from the storage shed and walked into the mines. He ignored everyone as he proceeded to mine as a [Slave], eat together with them, and sleep like one.

 

Eventually, others couldn't leave him alone so they made a separate barracks for him which he silently accepted. At that time, the Faringel Slave Mine noticed that all their wine had been stolen.

 

But the Overseer at the time realised that Gale was the culprit. When officials from the capital arrived and investigated the situation, and they realised they couldn't persuade Gale to leave, they instead accommodated him. Wine straight from the royal winery was shipped by the barrel.

 

But as they began construction of a manor for Gale, that is where he drew the line and told them to stop. He told them to leave. He told them that he didn't want to live in luxury. He wanted to live like a [Slave]. The wine, however, he still indulged in.

 

A month later, his brother came to convince him to come back home, but Gale didn't budge. When his parents came too, he remained stubborn. But even as Gale's parents came and left, returning to their marbled palace walls and their life of wealth, his brother stayed behind.

 

His brother decided to join the staff to make some use of himself. After a few years, he became the Overseer.

 

He came to be known as Overseer Rush.

 

And so nine years passed.

 

***

 

Milo went to bed that night with a lot on his mind.

 

He didn't sleep much either.

 

***

 

Four years later…

 

"Ostin, this is your final test."

 

Master Thousand Eye had suddenly arrived in the cavern with a young girl in tow.

 

Ostin's eyes turned wide as the grip on his wooden stave loosened.

 

It was Jude. Beautiful, red-haired and fair-skinned, Ostin's heart jumped when he saw her. It looked like all the life had been drained from her.

 

Standing tall and his hand threatening to snap his wooden staff in half, he demanded an answer from his master, "Why is Jude here!?"

 

The shy boy who had to depend on his older brother for everything was no longer there.

 

He had been through a lot this past year. He had spent countless nights staying up, endlessly practicing magic shaping exercises, studying and pouring over books that were worth more than all of Kirkstead, and delving deep underground, killing monsters in secret dungeons that were training grounds for Golden Wing Magic Academy.

 

Master Blue Light was the one who had supervised and coordinated all of Ostin's suffering. He was a war hero in Grecia's last campaign to the north. Cunning and unfathomably powerful, he had never lost a single battle to any enemy. If someone asked Ostin what Master Blue Light looked like in simple terms, he would say he was an angel in human form. Just too handsome for anyone's good.

 

Master Blue Light smiled as he rubbed his thumb against his chin, "My dear student, the academy keeps a close eye on every person. We have seen how often you two meet outside of class, how close you two stand next to each other, the way you look each other in the eyes…"

 

Blue Light's words crawled underneath Ostin's skin like a wriggling parasite.

 

Blue Light continued, "Your final test is to hold a two-way shield while Jude kills the incoming goblin tide with her fire. If your shield fails to hold, the goblins will claw you into shreds. As for Jude…"

 

Blue Light cackled like a deranged murderer. His laugh echoed throughout the entire cavern, and after he calmed down, he said, "The goblins will put her through a level of torture that even I'm not capable of. The goblins will—" Blue Light stopped to laugh again. "They'll ravage her tender fourteen-year-old body until she either dies from giving birth, or she finds a way to kill herself first."

 

Never had Ostin wanted to kill somebody more than now.

 

Master Thousand Eye finally released Jude from his grasp. The girl looked like she was walking the plank on a pirate ship. Ostin could see her lips quivering, and fear written all over her face.

 

He ran over and embraced her.

 

Her red hair and the warmth of her body pressing against his skin, he whispered, "Jude."

 

He pulled back and looked her in the eye. He grabbed her by the shoulders as he said, "Calm down. We can do this, okay? I've been training harder than anybody else. My shield will hold. All you need to worry about is controlling the [Cold Flame] to kill those green fuckers."

 

Tears welled up in her mesmerising eyes as she slowly raised her hand, "Ostin…I…"

 

Ostin's eyes dropped to her hand. He was speechless.

 

They had taken away her sigil.

 

Without the blood sigil, the [Cold Flame] was all but impossible to control.

 

At that moment, Ostin asked himself what Milo would do.

 

An abrupt wave of stillness overcame Ostin. His eyes became steady and shined brighter than before.

 

Master Blue Light raised an eyebrow and elicited a 'hmm'?

 

"Jude, I will protect you. We shall pass this test. We shall live."

 

Jude took in deeper breaths as she regained her bearings. Her body stopped trembling so uncontrollably. Ostin wiped the tears from Jude's face.

 

"Master Blue Light. Give me your channel rune. It’d be suicide if I don’t have one," Ostin said as if he were ordering someone beneath him. He barely knew how to use one, but if he didn’t have something to sustain the shield, even with his enormous massive pool…

 

Ostin didn’t want to underestimate any test that Master Blue Light gave him. 

 

Master Blue Light grinned, "As you wish, young hero!"

 

With a snap of Blue Light's fingers, a purple-blue crystal landed in front of Ostin. He picked it up, the energy repeating the same cycle of humming to life before dulling, over and over again.

 

Master Blue Light's face turned cold as he commented, "If you think that you can successfully use a channel run on your first try, then the Grecia Empire will be glad to be rid of you. I would’ve never expected that the  boy from the start of the year would turn into such a bold and arrogant fool. I look forward to seeing the goblins tear you apart."

 

Master Blue Light turned around and Ostin and Jude watched as he turned translucent, and then a few steps later, completely invisible.

 

Thousand Eye spoke for the first time. Thousand Eye was an old man with a short white beard. He looked like he had seen this type of scene far too many times. For the first time, Jude saw a glint of affection in her master's eyes. "The goblins will arrive in five minutes and until then you will have time to activate the shield and prepare. And Jude…"

 

Jude froze up and replied, "Yes?"

 

"Don't die," Thousand Eye said before abruptly disappearing into thin air.

 

Jude and Ostin were left seemingly alone in this cavern. But both students knew that somewhere nearby, their mentors were observing them closely.

 

It was silent inside the cavern. Jude and Ostin could even hear each other breathing.

 

***

 

"How did you come up with such a ridiculous test?"

 

"I had the realisation that death alone isn't a great enough motivator for some students. You have to go above and beyond to push them."

 

"You might have a point young man, but I am not allowing my student to get ***** by those things. I give all my students proper burials, and you will not deny me that right. Am I clear, Brother Blue Light?"

 

"Of course. Just the illusion that my student's beloved woman will meet such a cruel end is all I need. I thank you for your generosity, Brother Thousand Eye."

 

"Hmph."

 

***

 

Sat on the ground with his legs crossed, Ostin held the Channel Run within his lap as he constructed the two-way shield. It was a spell that he didn't earn via the system.

 

Free magic—the term for magic that was created without the assistance of the system. It was taxing and very difficult, but it allowed any magic class to have far more versatility than what the system offered.

 

Spells that were learned via the system were laughably easy. But free magic was the complete opposite. All of the burden was placed on the caster, and even a tiny mistake could result in them exploding, which would never happen with the abilities offered by the system.

 

His focus concentrated inwards, Ostin carefully constructed the two-way shield, the mana flowing out of his core and weaving into the shape of a dome around him, being large enough for Jude to move around comfortably.

 

The two-way shield was simply two types of shields that communicated to each other. The one on the inside allowed everything that touched it through. But It would then communicate to the second barrier to allow whatever was incoming—through. As for anything that came from the outside, the second barrier would stop it as any other shield would. This two-way shield was simple. But it was not to be underestimated. It had allowed even strategically inferior generals to win with ease. Mages capable of casting a two-way shield were in every single army of the Grecia Empire.

 

Ostin's two-way shield hummed to life, the translucent lights of the blue inner shield and red light outer shield meshing together. Master Blue Light had once forced Ostin to hold a shield for four days without sleep, all while being held up in the air over the academy grounds for everyone to see. At the height he had been back then, he wouldn't have died, but he would've broken enough bones to render him a cripple.

 

Ostin had little to thank Blue Light for except the tremendous growth that he experienced under his hellish training. It had changed him. He was sharper, fiercer, more decisive, and more courageous than he ever thought possible. Sometimes, even he would be surprised by the cold and calculating nature of his thoughts.

 

Ostin kept the shield running effortlessly as he opened his eyes and said to Jude, "The plan is simple. When the goblins come—and I don't know how many there are going to be, but there will be enough to overwhelm and kill us both—I will use the channel rune to keep up with the energy usage of the barrier. While I do that…figure out a way to get your [Cold Flame] to work."

 

Ostin's voice shook towards the end there.

 

How was Jude going to use [Cold Flame] to kill the goblins if she couldn't even control the direction of the fire? He had seen students attempt to control the [Cold Flame] without the help of their sigil. He didn't use [Cold Flame] himself, but even he knew of its unyielding nature and its mysterious origins.

 

The [Cold Flame] was an immortal fire that the Grecia Empire had found from some ancient ruin in a backwater swamp. Details about the location of this ruin and the origin, and nature of the [Cold Flame] were all tightly locked up. Their professors and masters were bound by oath to not speak about anything concerning it.

 

Jude pursed her lips and nodded, "I will."

 

Death was on the minds of both students. In the following hour, they would either leave this cave alive or never come out of it again. Ostin's previous stillness had receded like the tide, and all that was left was his running thoughts.

 

Minutes passed as Jude paced around hopelessly, wracking her mind to figure out how to control the [Cold Flame]. She wished that by a miracle, she would suddenly find the secret behind the [Cold Flame]. But it was like grasping at straws.

 

Jude heard it first. The sound of something skittering against the cave's stone. Then Ostin. The distant skittering grew louder and louder and was then intermixed with what sounded like a conversation between cavemen. A minute later, the goblins scrambled out of the tunnel leading deeper into the cavern.

 

Long red tongues dripping saliva hung from sharp rows of teeth. Black claws scratched against the stone. Round, upturned eyes were framed by revolting green faces. Big, round noses, and pointed ears. Genitalia lay bare, swinging through the air as they crawled.

 

Jude fell to her knees. It was an ocean of indistinguishable green, and Ostin and Jude were about to be drowned in it.

 

There had to be hundreds of them.