Chen observed the odd duo that had appeared out of nowhere with a certain amount of restraint. From the looks of it, the pair had been observing his fight with the Death Scythe Mantises and yet, they weren’t fazed in the slightest.

The young girl looked over Chen’s shoulder and was examining the dead Magic Beasts with great interest. If it were any average commoner, they would be repulsed by the revolting stench and would even cower back in fear.

The same could be said about the older gentleman. He looked insignificant at first blush, but the more Chen inspected the man, the more mysterious the man seemed.

Roan had cast a perfect deception spell on both his body and Yachi’s, so there wasn’t anything suspicious about his exterior. However, the Magic God was no master in altering his body language. Far from it, in fact.

Any ordinary citizen would be at the very least alarmed by the Death Scythe Mantis, and powerful magicians would hold a single strand of caution when looking at a dead Magic Beast’s body. Roan, on the other hand, didn’t spare the dead bugs a single glance. It was as if the Magic Beasts were nothing more than air to him.

‘He’s no random passerby...’ Chen concluded instantly.

The fact that they were able to slip past his senses and his indifference to the situation was enough to convince Chen. That man that stood in front of him… was an experienced Magician.

“Who are you guys?” Chen asked while holding his breath. The grip on his spear tightened, just in case he needed to defend himself once more.

“Hmmm, what should I say? How about a wandering Magician and his apprentice?”

Roan didn’t bother to lie. He’d just conveniently left out the details.

“A wandering Magician? In this region?”

“Ah, I’m really telling the truth!” Roan raised his hands up.

“We were going to Gorentown and just happened to see your struggle against those bugs. As a passing Magician, I’d thought that I would help you out. After all, I couldn’t let a young talent suffer right in front of my eyes. But who would have thought that you would clean them up so quickly?”

“Is that so...”

Chen grimaced and slowly moved out from his stance. Roan’s story made some sense, and he didn’t look like anyone from his past. Not to mention, if Roan wanted to kill him, he would have attacked the moment Chen finished fighting the Death Scythe Mantises.

‘I’ll believe them for now...’

The young teenager spun his spear behind his back and loosened his muscles. That earlier fight had taken a significant amount from him and making a new enemy was suicidal right now. Chen then took two steps closer to Roan and said boldly:

“I’m Chen, a B-ranked Adventurer. I advise that you leave this area immediately.”

“Because of those bugs?”

“Bugs you say...” Chen scratched his cheek, not knowing how to react to Roan’s apathetic tone. “Those bugs are D-Class Magic Beasts called Death Scythe Mantises. One of them is bad enough, but there are at least eight more wandering the woods.”

“Ah, and you’re here to exterminate them?”

“That was the subjugation request,” Chen nodded. “It’s still dangerous. If you have the means, please leave Ganger Road immediately.”

Magicians of Roan’s calibre were able to fly in the sky or summon mounts to carry them around. If he wanted to leave Ganger Road, he should be able to do so within a few hours. Chen knew that powerful mages like Roan hated to be dragged into other people’s business. More so when Roan had an apprentice to look after. Thus, Chen thought that he was doing Roan a service when he gave the suggestion.

Alas, Chen had wildly miscalculated Roan’s objective.

“I refuse.”

“W-what?”

“Why should I leave?”

“Did you not hear me? It’s dangerous! Those Death Scythe Mantises are-...”

“I heard you, there are some bugs in the forest. Big deal. Oh, here’s an idea! Yachi, are you interested in bugs?”

“Master, what kind of woman do you think I am?! I don’t have those kinds of interests!”

“I’m not referring to that, silly. Let’s help this young man hunt those bugs! It’ll be a good experience for you in future as well. You’ve never fought against a Magic Beast before, so it’ll be a perfect teaching moment!”

“Oh, if that’s the case...”

Yachi looked at the carcasses of the Death Scythe Mantises with great interest. During her month-long training, the young girl had only fought with golems and lifeless avatars that Roan had carefully crafted. While good for training, it made Yachi’s training a little stagnant.

Fighting against Magic Beasts would be a breath of fresh air for the young Tempest Sorceress.

“Wait, as I said I’m in the middle of a subjugation request! You can’t just waltz in and...”

“Haha, that’s easily solved! As long as I get permission from the requestors, it’s fine, right? Don’t worry, I won’t split a single dime with you! They’re inside there, I suppose?”

“That’s not the issue...”

Chen just couldn’t get a word in against Roan. Before the young teenager knew it, Roan had already entered Ganger Tavern as if knowing who lived inside.

Chen stood frozen, not knowing what had hit him. All he could do was stare a Yachi for some semblance of normalcy. Yachi noticed Chen’s odd gaze and shrugged her shoulders with a smile.

“Give it up, mister. You can’t go against Master’s words.”

Yachi gave Chen some advice as she followed in Roan’s footsteps, leaving the young man speechless outside. Little did she know that her one sentence would resonate with Chen for the rest of his life.

❖❖❖

“HAHA!!! Wonderful! Sir Chen, isn’t it wonderful? According to Sir Roan, if he joins you, the Death Scythe Mantis will be gone in a matter of days!”

“The Heavens must be blessing us! To send us this many experts! We once again have hope!”

“Victoria! Bring the scotch! We need to celebrate! Celebrate!”

The innkeeper explosively bellowed with laughter, unable to hide his joy. The once quiet Ganger Tavern had turned boisterous with the Roan’s arrival, and the father-daughter pair were the main culprits. And how could they not be?

As B-ranked Adventurer was about to solve their woes, another Master Magician came out of nowhere and offered his services for free! Other than their expenses in the tavern, Roan and Yachi were going to help exterminate the Death Scythe Mantises for no cost which was a dream come true for the financially-crippled tavern owners.

In their minds, the sooner the Magic Beasts were wiped from Ganger Road, the better. Which was a little unlucky for the distraught Chen.

If the requestors were okay with Roan’s participation, who was he to challenge it? Not to mention, it was a win-win scenario for him.

‘Whatever… I’ll let them tag along and figure out what their motives are.’

The resulting lunch turned into a daytime drinking session. Roan humoured the innkeeper by drinking some of his booze, and the latter quickly got as red as a lobster.

Fortunately, the barmaid was wise enough not to partake in the festivities and helped her foolish father back to his room while preparing the best available chambers for their two new guests.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but time flowed by quickly the blue skies bled into the night. Chen sat alone in his room, by the window where his gaze could reach the dense forest directly opposite.

It was eerily quiet as most countrysides were, which gave the man a chance to reflect on the day’s occurrences. Roan’s sudden appearance was out of his predictions, but the fight with the Death Scythe Mantises wasn’t.

Chen raised his spear and gazed into his own reflection: “How laughable… I’ve become weak enough that some D-Class Magic Beasts thought I was easy prey.”

The red-haired teenager took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. As a Magic Warrior, Chen had been trained to ‘look’ inside his Magic Source on his first day of training. In any normal circumstances, a healthy Magic Source would shine as brightly as a star plucked from the skies and was as robust as any.

After all, it was the lifeblood of every Magician.

Chen was well-aware of his current state. It has been over a year since ‘that’ incident. Every passing day, he could feel his body deteriorating, and his Magic Source was in its worst-ever state.

In due time, Chen’s body would be unable to take the stress and time as a Magician would come to an end. Chen was very much aware of that.

But before that happened… Chen wanted to at least live life on his own terms. Freely, as an Adventurer.

“There’s no point dwelling on the past. I should focus on the task at hand.”

Just as Chen was about to plan the battles ahead, two loud knocks broke his train of thought.

“Boy, I’m coming in.”

Roan turned the doorknob to Chen’s door and entered the private chambers with his chest held high. He looked around the room and saw Chen seated comfortably on the window ledge. Moving as if he owned the place, Roan casually sauntered towards the only available seat by the bed and sat directly opposite of Chen with his legs crossed.

The young teenager dropped his jaw at the audacity of this eccentric Magician. In his seventeen years living on this planet, Chen had never met someone who had no filter with his behaviour.

“Sir Roan… What are you doing?”

“Me? Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to scout you!”

“Scout me?”

“Hmmm, well not immediately of course! I will still have to learn more about your past and run some background checks! Which is why I’m here tonight.”

Roan shrugged his shoulders and spoke of matters beyond Chen’s comprehension. Snapping his fingers, Roan created a small dimension portal and pulled out a fresh bottle of wine with two crystal goblets. He placed the priceless items on the coffee table by the bed and uncorked the beverage.

That minor movement was something simple for Roan, but not everyone shared his sentiment. Chen’s eyes widened when the portal was created, and his sense of danger peaked.

Before his fall to a B-ranked Adventurer, Chen had rubbed shoulders with many of the world’s most elite Magicians. As a Magic Warrior who trained in both Spellcasting and Aura Techniques, Chen had seen a wide array of Magicians. People who could create natural disasters with their spells and split mountains with their bare hands.

Yet, even among his aristocratic connections, there wasn’t anyone capable of using a pocket dimension as nonchalantly as Roan did.

In fact, the only people who could possibly possess a pocket dimension were the Grand Masters of the most prestigious Magic Towers. Or…

‘Someone on Heaven's Listing!’

The top hundred Magicians alive. Beings that were capable of fighting an army on their own and changing the topography of Eusora. Only Magicians of that calibre could use pocket dimensions and not think twice about it.

“Come, have a drink with me.” Roan smiled while pouring the wine into the goblets. “The owner’s scotch is not bad, but I have complete faith in my booze. They were brewed by my familiars many moons ago, and fortunately, it is now ready to drink.”

“...”

Chen froze at his spot. It was his room, and it was his subjugation request. But against a being that stood at the top of the world, Chen had no power. Unwillingly, the young teenager took the other vacant chair and sat directly across from Roan.

“Senior… Who are you?”

“Now, now… We can get to my introductions later. Here, take a sip.”

Roan handed the goblet over to Chen and took one big gulp of his treasured wine. Not knowing what to do, Chen robotically did the same.

However, the moment the wine entered his body, Chen felt his inner soul being soothed by a thousand clean feathers. The innate pain that was plaguing his system subsided dramatically, and his Magic Source gained a small, yet distinct power spike.

“This is...”

“Ah, this wine helps rejuvenate the system. Although it isn’t as effective as Holy Water or Healing Wine, it does aid in cleaning out impurities of the system.”

Roan paused as he explained the properties of his self-created wine: “But from the looks of it… I don’t think that it’s strong enough to treat your injuries.”

“You!”

Chen abruptly stood up, spilling much of the remaining wine on the table. His palms were slammed on the coffee table, and his face was rapidly turning red in the process. Chen’s injuries were something of a sore spot to the man.

It was the source of his biggest shame, and it was also… the main weakness that Chen had.

“Don’t be so touchy. Anyone with decent eyes could see the pain that you were in. All I did was alleviate the symptoms for you.”

Roan wasn’t intimidated by Chen’s aggression, though. He continued sipping his wine and even tried tasting for anything that could be improved about it.

“Should I add more mana into the brewing process? No, then it would be too much for a weak Magician to handle. I can’t increase the quality of the ingredients either. Hah… Wine brewing sure is difficult. I wonder how that Uncle did it?”

“Senior! What do you want?!”

“Hah… Don’t be so agitated. You’ll only injure yourself further.” Roan shook his head and gently placed his crystal goblet down.

“Look, I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a savant with words, and neither am I a people person. So, I’ll just cut to the chase. I...”

Roan pointed his finger right at Chen. It was a simple action, a movement that even kids could do. Yet, Chen felt like his entire existence was put on a stand for the whole world to see. Roan’s eyes weren’t ‘looking’ at Chen the Adventurer, and neither was he looking at ‘Chen’ the failure.

What Roan was looking at…

“Chen... Become my disciple!”

“D-Disciple?”

“That’s right! Although I know nothing of your past, I’m impressed by your resilience! Your Magic Circuits are fried to that extent and yet you keep on fighting! Your Magic Source is in a mess, and you are most probably living on borrowed time. Yet, the flame of passion still burns within your eyes! If you aren’t a main character potential, I don’t know who is!”

“M-Main character potential?”

“Haha, if I had to guess your backstory using the cliches, you must’ve been a young genius in the past. Some accident with your Magic caused your Magic Circuits to be fried, and your status as a prodigy had fallen apart! People who had looked at you with reverence now treat you like dirt.”

“Y-You! How did you know?!”

Chen gulped in fear and stared at Roan as if he were an all-knowing God.

“See?! Just like Yachi, you have the potential to become a main character! Don’t worry! This is your redemption arc! A merciful Master appeared out of nowhere and is willing to take you under his wing. Once you’ve become strong under my watch, you’ll return back to your hometown and slap the faces of those who spat at you, the fallen genius! So Chen...”

Roan rubbed his fingers like a creepy old man who was ready to kidnap his prey.

“Tell me your story! Let me become the white dove that sets you free and...”

“GET OUT!!!”