Chapter Thirty-Six: "You Look Familiar"

“…Also, alchemists are still quite popular in some major cities. After all, alchemists are generally well versed in ‘potion-making’ and can concoct miraculous elixirs, which are highly sought after by the nobility. Moreover… among all mages, alchemists are typically the wealthiest group.”

The phrase “the wealthiest” immediately piqued the interest of the bumpkin. Shaya’s face lit up with excitement once more as he glanced at the booklet in his hands. “So, does this mean I can learn alchemy just by following this book?”

“In your dreams.” Ada looked at Shaya with amusement. “That thing is nothing but a compendium of magical ingredients. It records the properties, appearances, and transformations of many magical materials, but there are no recipes inside! For an alchemist, recipes are the most essential and guarded secrets. Moreover, the booklet you’re holding is just a basic theoretical primer on magic, printed by the Royal City’s Church Headquarters. Anyone can buy a copy for a few gold coins at the Church’s Mage Guild. If you think you’re going to strike it rich with that, forget it.”

Shaya’s hopes were dashed at once, and he immediately lost all interest in the booklet, tossing it casually to Wretch. Instead, he picked up the transparent sphere, his eyes filled with hope. “Then what about this? If this is something a mage carried with him, it must be some wondrous magical artifact, right?”

Even Wretch looked at Shaya with a bit of sympathy this time, unable to bring himself to shatter his hopes.

Ada sighed and looked Shaya up and down, making Shaya feel a bit uneasy before finally speaking coldly, “I’m truly starting to wonder how you ever dared to call yourself a demon hunter.”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?” Shaya was visibly annoyed.

“This is a crystal ball…” As soon as Shaya’s eyes brightened at the mention of “crystal,” Ada quickly continued, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. This kind of crystal is the most worthless kind. While it’s technically a magical item, it’s actually one of the cheapest and lowest-grade magical tools. Its name is ‘Appraisal Orb,’ and for any mage or demon hunter, it’s considered basic and essential equipment. Its sole function is to determine the magical grade of a target. After slaying a magical beast, a demon hunter will use the Appraisal Orb on its magic core. By observing the color of the light reflected in the orb, you can determine the quality and value of your loot. Other than that, it’s useless.”

After a brief pause, Ada added, “For a demon hunter, an Appraisal Orb is as basic as a compass is for a sailor. You’ve never even seen such a fundamental item, and yet you call yourself a demon hunter? These are sold everywhere. Normally, you can buy one for a single silver coin; a higher-grade one might cost only three or four.”

Shaya was disappointed at first, but upon hearing it was worth a silver coin, he cheered up and happily tucked it into his clothes—for someone as penniless as he was, a silver coin counted as a windfall.

Ada sneered at Shaya’s miserly antics and turned away in disdain.

Wretch, however, kindly helped tend to Shaya’s burns. Despite being thoroughly scorched, his peculiar constitution meant he’d suffered no serious harm. He’d run so swiftly through the burning field that, though he looked battered, his injuries were only superficial. With time, he’d soon recover.

According to the information Ada provided, if they followed the slope through the woods upward, they’d reach the dragon’s lair at the summit. Now, having found the mage’s charred corpse, both Ada and Shaya deduced from the burn marks that the mage had passed through some time ago. Whether these fellows were dead, alive, all slain by the dragon, or had already killed the dragon and left, was impossible to tell—Ada scoffed at the last possibility. In his words, “If a handful of second-rate mages could slay a dragon, then dragons wouldn’t be the continent’s mightiest creatures.”

But Shaya, ever greedy for fortune, was unwilling to give up. At his insistence, the three pressed on, though Shaya remained wary, prepared to flee at the first sign of danger.

Ada had furnished a valuable piece of intelligence: the dragon’s eyes were blind. No matter how formidable a dragon, if it was sightless, surely escape would be possible.

The mountain was once blanketed in dense forest, but as they climbed for half a day and reached mid-slope, they found the path ahead in utter ruin.

Where there should have been sprawling woods, it looked as if something massive had rolled through. Trees were flattened and splintered, the ground littered with shattered trunks and branches, and even many rocks were driven deep into the earth by some tremendous force.

Shaya immediately grew alert: this must be the dragon’s handiwork!

Yet, halfway up the mountain, there was still no sign of the mages. Could they truly have left?

Gazing up at the peak, the summit was eerily still, sunlight pouring down through the sea of clouds, with not the slightest stir.

As they continued through the forest, the higher they climbed, the heavier Shaya’s heart grew. Years spent roaming the wilds had given him a peculiar sixth sense; whenever danger approached, he would feel it keenly. The higher they went, the stronger his unease became, and more than once he was tempted to stop or even turn back.

But he’d insisted on seeking the dragon—if he turned back now, he’d never live it down. So, gritting his teeth, he pressed forward in silence, unconsciously gripping his fire-fork in one hand.

Wretch trailed closely behind, noticing Shaya’s odd expression and how he kept glaring at Ada’s back. Seeing the fire-fork in Shaya’s hand and the occasional flash of viciousness in his eyes, Wretch shuddered and whispered, “Hey, you’re not planning to—”

Shaya snapped out of his thoughts, giving Wretch a sly grin. “I was just thinking, how does that pretty boy know so much? The language of magic, all this mage business… I remember he’s even familiar with goblin culture—he was sure that Ox fellow was a goblin heartthrob. And that magical formation in the Fire Marsh before, he could recite the approach route by heart. Hmph… Since it was set at the dragon’s lair entrance, it must’ve been a ward placed by the dragon itself. How would he know that? Heh, there’s more to this guy than meets the eye!”

Ada, without turning around, replied coldly, “You know, gossiping behind someone’s back is a bad habit.”

Shaya was entirely unabashed and said loudly, “It’s not like I was trying to hide it from you. Seriously, who exactly are you? If I don’t get to the bottom of this, I’ll never be at ease.”

“Very well.” Ada halted, resting against a nearby tree. Having walked so long, he was a bit winded, sweat beading his brow. He looked at Shaya, and on that exquisitely beautiful face appeared a mysterious smile. “Actually, I am—”

But before Ada could finish his sentence—

Suddenly, the ground beneath them lurched violently! With a thunderous rumble, the entire mountain seemed to tremble, muffled booms like distant thunder rumbling below, and the earth shook so hard they could barely keep their footing, stumbling and swaying.

Wretch tumbled headlong into Shaya’s arms, while Ada clung desperately to a nearby trunk.

Then a roar echoed down from the summit!

It sounded as if it came from beyond the heavens: deep, distant, yet brimming with unspeakable majesty and terror. It was like thunder, but even more heart-stopping. Though far away, it struck directly at their hearts, setting them pounding and flooding them with instinctive fear that made their very scalps tingle.

The three were stunned for a moment. Then Ada’s face changed, his brows knitting tightly. “A dragon! That’s its roar!”

Still holding Wretch, Shaya sat on the ground and cursed, “No kidding! If it’s not the dragon, is it you? Dammit, that thing’s got a set of lungs!”

Looking up, the summit was just a few hundred meters above. Suddenly, a massive blue-gray shadow soared into the sky, circling the peak.

Its vast body seemed sheathed in a faint misty glow, with a pair of skeletal wings that roared like a hurricane when they beat the air. Its elongated neck supported a huge, oval head, jaws gaping wide, spewing blue-gray smoke. Most terrifying of all was its tail, long and trailing, ending in a monstrous, tumor-like mass studded with sharp ridges.

As the dragon circled, its heavy tail swept across the mountaintop, scraping jagged rocks and sending them tumbling in an avalanche.

For the first time in his life, Shaya beheld a living dragon.

“Big! Damn, it’s huge!” Shaya gaped, his head tilted back.

He was still marveling when Ada, seeing the dragon draw a great breath and its belly swell, turned pale and shouted, “Not good! It’s about to breathe fire!”

No sooner had Ada spoken than the dragon, lowering its altitude, opened its colossal jaws—

Boom!

It was as if a tempest had been unleashed, torrents of blue-gray fire pouring forth in a sweeping wave! From summit downward, a swath at least ten meters wide was instantly engulfed. Trees and rocks alike were caught in the maelstrom; branches exploded into splinters, woodchips filled the air, and stones were ripped from the ground and sent rolling in all directions.

The deadly breath was headed straight for Shaya and his companions when, all at once, several muffled shouts rang from the woods ahead. A shining, transparent barrier rose into the air, like a massive pane of glass. The dragon’s breath crashed against it and was repelled, the flames curling back.

Four figures streaked into the air from the forest. Each wore a luxurious leather cloak, though all were now tattered and ragged—splendid garments reduced to beggarly shreds. Arms outstretched, each held a staff taller than themselves, hovering above the ground, and together they chanted a series of rapid, arcane notes at the dragon.

Shaya stared wide-eyed, but before he could take in the spectacle, someone came scrambling frantically down from the woods above, fleeing in terror. The man tripped on a rock and tumbled headlong, nearly crashing into Shaya.

The man looked up, his gaunt face full of panic, and locked eyes with Shaya.

“Huh? You look awfully familiar,” Shaya muttered in surprise.

The gaunt stranger blinked, recognition dawning. At once, both cried out simultaneously.

“Ah! You little brat who stole my robe!”

“Ah! You’re the magician who did tricks!”