“Elder, why don’t you give up? Your son’s condition is beyond repair. If you spend any more of our Clan’s resources, I’m afraid...”

“Mistress, you should eat something. Young Master Chen wouldn’t want to see you suffer like this.”

“Hua’er, why are you still trying to help that waste? It’s only a matter of time before he dies. There’s no point in spending your time looking for a cure. Just forget about him.”

Whispers of words from the past echoed within Chen’s consciousness.

The owners of those words were people that Chen knew really well. People that had revered over him during his childhood years. Voices that had encouraged him to grow stronger and some might say, they were people that Chen would hold dear to his heart.

However, everything changed after that fateful day. Once Chen had turned into a cripple, those very same people that he treasured and loved… all turned against him.

Servants that served under him from a tender age, fawning over everything that he did. Childhood friends that grew up together with him, learning the same things in school and playing every single day after school. Relatives that used to teach him martial arts and magic spells, powerful seniors that doted on him greatly.

They all decided to throw Chen away once he had lost his usefulness.

Only three people stood by Chen’s side during those trying times. His father, mother and beloved girlfriend that knew him better than anyone.

Even after Chen had fallen from grace, they never lost hope. Even after every physician in the world had diagnosed him with death, they never stopped searching for a cure. Even after everyone in his Clan had written him off and urged them to stop caring for him, they never gave in.

In their minds, Chen was still their loved one. The one that could do no wrong and the person that they would do anything in their power to see happy. In fact, Chen was certain that they were still looking for a cure even after he’d left them long ago.

It made Chen’s heart warm. His fall from the top showed him the ones who were true to him and the ones who were nothing more than fair-weather friends. If possible Chen would have loved to stay with those three for the rest of his life, doing everything in his power to make them feel the same way that he did.

Unfortunately, Chen couldn’t bear that burden.

As much as he hated the ones who treated him like dirt the moment he lost his powers, Chen knew that they were right.

Chen was part of an elite Magician lineage, a clan of warriors who fought with nobility and held their prestige close to their chest. Generation after generation, they would produce geniuses that would storm through the battlefields, reaping the lives of Demons who dared to invade Eusora.

And in that Clan… there was no place for a cripple.

While there were those that would care for him, even if it meant giving up their own lives… Chen wasn’t able to let them take that sacrifice.

Unable to cope with his failures, Chen left his Clan. He left everything behind. His parents that never stopped loving and caring for him. His girlfriend that never stopped looking for a cure. And finally, Chen had abandoned his life… his life as a top elite of Eusora… Chen had given it all up.

“Chen, don’t worry. Even if I have to bankrupt myself, I will definitely find a cure for you!”

“I’m sorry, father...”

“Chen, please stay healthy. It doesn’t matter if you’re unable to fight anymore. I will always be here for you!”

“I’m sorry, mother...”

“Chen, don’t worry about the Clan! If they want to give up on your treatment, you can always move in with me! My parents will understand.”

“I’m sorry, Hua’er...”

The voices of his true beloved resonated within his mind. Up till the day where he disappeared, his father, mother and girlfriend never belittled him. Neither did they treat him like trash. The only thing that they wanted was for Chen to continue living his life happily.

“I’m sorry...”

Chen felt his soul floating on an empty plane. The voices from his memory rung from all four corners as if they were ghost whispers haunting his very consciousness. Chen knew that his body was beyond repair. He knew that his days were numbered. And so… he believed:

“Is this the Netherworld? Have I passed on already?”

Chen was unable to ‘see’ with his eyes, but he could ‘feel’ everything around him. There was a comforting warmth, something that he’d never felt since his fall from grace. Every single day since he’d fried his Magic Circuits, Chen was plagued with endless pain and countless internal injuries. There was nothing that he could do with a crippled body after all.

And yet, at this moment, Chen felt comfortable.

“Is this Heaven? Or is this the Netherworld?”

“This is reality, you stupid.”

A loud slam forced its way onto Chen’s sweating forehead, causing his eyes to jump open. His body jerked, and consciousness slipped back into his control. Light came back to his darkened life and soon, he was presented with a familiar face.

“S-Senior?”

“Yeap, that’s me,” Roan replied, somewhat disinterested in Chen’s confused state. After realising something, Roan turned to the door and bellowed out: “Yachi! He’s awake! Call them here.”

“Understood!” Yachi’s lovely voice echoed out from the other side of the door. Almost instantly, loud footprints could be heard approaching the duo until the door slammed open.

“Master Chen! You’re finally awake!”

“Chen! Thank the heavens that you’re safe!”

The Innkeeper and barmaid stormed into the room with brightened faces. They shot next to Chen’s bed, grabbing his hands while tears trickled down their faces.

“M-Master Mervin? V-Victoria?”

“Yes, that’s us! We’ve heard what you did and how you bravely fought against the Mantis Queen when you didn’t have to! We must have been blessed by the Gods themselves to have such a young hero come to our aide!” The Innkeeper hugged Chen and sang his praises.

“Uuuuyahhhh!!! What a noble adventurer! What did we do to deserve you?” The barmaid clung happily to Chen’s feet and was tempted to kiss it with everything that she had.

“...”

Chen remained silent, unable to form words after watching this entire ordeal. His mind was still waking up, and his comprehension ability was drained down the gutter. All that Chen could do was open and close his mouth periodically.

“Now, now… I know that you’re worried about Chen. But he’d just woke up, so shouldn’t you give him some space?”

“Ah! Senior, you’re right!”

The Innkeeper and the barmaid leapt up, fearing that their actions would cause further harm to Chen. They stood upright by the side of the bed, while Yachi and Roan watched them with warm gazes and stifled laughter.

“Haha, I understand that the two of you are overwhelmed with emotions… So, to celebrate, why don’t you prepare a hearty meal for the young hero to enjoy? He’d just woke up, so he must be starving.”

“Oh my! How could I have not thought of that?!” The Innkeeper slapped himself awake, finally aware of his own folly. “Victoria! Come with me to the kitchen! We’re going to whip out everything that we have for our hero!”

“Right behind you!”

And just like that, the Innkeeper and his daughter disappeared through the corridors, leaving a confused Chen alone with Roan and Yachi. Fortunately, they were the only ones capable of answering all of his questions.

“W-What happened?”

“You fainted, sleeping beauty. We were worried that you wouldn’t wake up. And now that you did, you’d thought that you were in Heaven?”

“I-I’m still alive?”

Chen raised both his hands, and to his utter surprise, they were both injury-free! He looked down at his body and saw that it was largely in the same condition. During the fight with the Mantis Queen, Chen was confident that he’d ruptured a few tendons and caused multiple blisters to his fragile body. Yet, there was no trace of it.

“You have plot armour, of course, you wouldn’t die.”

“P-Plot armour?”

“Yeah, main characters tend to be immune to death. Sometimes, death isn’t even an end to them. Novels these days...”

Roan folded his arms and dropped his smile. Roan was speaking words that Chen didn’t quite understand. Nevertheless, the young man could tell one thing. Roan was the one responsible for saving his life.

Chen adjusted his posture and shuffled his body around. While still in pain, the young man got on both his knees and gave Roan a sincere bow: “Senior… Thank you for treating me!”

“Ah, you realised?”

“I would be a fool not to.”

“True… Well, eventually you’re going to be my disciple, so it doesn’t matter. Yachi, that brat actually caused me more trouble.”

Roan shrugged off Chen’s reverence and gently got the young man back to his backside. He laid Chen back on the bed and said: “You shouldn’t push yourself too much after awakening. It would be bad for your recovery.”

“Recovery...” Chen’s face instantly dropped after hearing those words. Even after all this, Roan was still willing to take Chen in as a disciple. Other than his parents and girlfriend, there wasn’t anyone else that valued Chen quite like Roan.

‘Which is why I can’t let him continue on...’

“Senior… you should know of the state of my body.”

“Uh-huh,” Roan gave an affirming nod. “Speaking of which, what caused your injuries?”

“T-That… No, you’d saved my life. You have the right to know.”

Chen wanted to keep his secret to the grave. There was no further need to burden anyone with his truth. In the end, as with all human beings, he was going to return to dust in a few more months. And that’s why… Chen couldn’t let Roan waste his efforts on a dead man.

“Senior… As you’ve guessed, I was from a Clan of Magicians. A Clan from East Eusora who lived under the rule of the Xia Dynasty.”

“The Xia Dynasty? Master, what’s that?” Yachi, the former country bumpkin, tugged on Roan’s shirt and asked.

“A country in the east that has ties with both the Aura Council and the Magic Halls,” Roan replied lazily. “Ah, that makes sense. That’s why you were able to become a Magic Warrior.”

The Xia Dynasty. It was a standalone country located at the far eastern tip of the Human Continent. Unlike the major superpowers, the Xia Dynasty lacked a central identity. It didn’t have the countless Spellcasters that the Magic Halls had, and neither was it a country specialising in Aura Techniques like the Aura Council.

So, like many of the other smaller countries on Eusora, the Xia Dynasty incorporated a mixture of Spellcasters and Aura Users into their army. In that mixed society, it was easier for a Magic Warrior like Chen to arise.

“That’s right… And as you’ve surmised… I was a relatively good Magic Warrior. If I were to be so bold, I was a genius.”

“...”

Roan and Yachi remained quiet, allowing Chen to continue his backstory.

“I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My father was an Aura King, and my mother was a Magic Meister. They were among the best elites that the Xia Dynasty and our Clan was among the richest in the country. So, it was natural that I would be given countless benefits since my birth.”

“I was a natural at using mana. I could control my Magic Source at four. I could cast my first spell at five. I used Aura for the first time when I was seven. And by the time I was twelve, I was capable of simultaneously casting Intermediate-Class Spells and Aura Magic.”

Chen thought back to the old days where he was revered by everyone in his Clan. Back then, his growth rate was genuinely astonishing. Genius was a word that could be easily thrown around, but Chen’s accomplishments made even the most seasoned Elders of his Clan drop their jaws.

It was Chen’s golden age as a Magician. He would learn the path of the Spellcaster from his mother, and his father would impart the techniques of an Aura User. It was a perfect harmony that made Chen grow into the prodigal son that he was.

“My growth continued exponentially. I was able to learn many spells, aura techniques and martial arts. At fourteen, I ventured out of the Xia Dynasty and took my Adventurer’s licence. I journeyed for two years, raking in experience after experience. That’s how I became a B-ranked Adventurer.”

“Oh ho? Did you get your B-ranked license a year ago? That’s quite impressive.”

Chen was currently seventeen, which was already a young age for a B-ranked Adventurer. However, as it turned out, Chen had gotten his Adventurer rank when he was a mere sixteen-years-old.

“Yes… In hindsight, I should have stopped there.” A bitter smile crept up the young man’s face. “After spending a year of adventuring, I was no longer interested in fighting mere monsters or defending traders. Neither was I excited by the prospect of returning back to my dull life back home. And so, I got cocky...”

The sheets wrapping the red-haired man tightened up. Chen’s body shook, not in fear or anger… but disappointment to his past, naive self.

“I got cocky and… I volunteered to fight the Demon Army on the Frontlines.”

“The Frontlines?”

“Yes… Although there’s a ceasefire, I believed that I could contribute a little to the Great Magic War. To win some prestige for my family back home. But… I soon realised that I was completely outclassed.”

Chen gritted his teeth as he remembered the days he spent at the Frontlines. The Demons that came from the Demonic Continent, the Magicians that protected Eusora… They were different beings altogether.

The Mantis Queen, the B-ranked Magic Beast that Chen had to sacrifice his life to injure… It wouldn’t last ten seconds on that hellish battlefield. And the same thing could be said about a young seventeen-year-old Magic Warrior, who was way in over his head.

“I joined the Frontline Army as a scout and the very first skirmish I fought, my platoon was attacked by a reconnaissance Demon Squadron… and we were wholly unprepared.”

Chen’s eyes shivered in a mixture of fear and helplessness as he recalled that fateful day. The skies were painted black with orange flames licking the background. Tongues of the Wyvern Knights still terrorised Chen till this very day, and the deathly sound of a Demon’s howl paralysed him from the waist down.

“They had Wyverns and Demon Elites… We were simply no match. I watched my platoon commander burn to a crisp, and my fellow comrades speared to death.”

“Second by second, minute by minute… We’d kept losing men. The screams of pain and the cries of fear still resonate in my mind... In the end, I had no other choice but to use my last resort. I overloaded my Magic Circuits and burnt my life essence...”

“...”

At this point, even the Magic God couldn’t help but cringe. Overloading one’s Magic Circuits was a painful ordeal, one that was irreversible. Yes, it could give the user a temporary boost to power, and it could theoretically allow the user to reach a realm beyond their dreams. But… the cost was too high.

“In doing so, I was able to hold back the Demons until reinforcements arrived and for the rest… I believe you can guess, senior...” Chen’s smile was sour.

“My body was crippled from then on. I had burnt my Magic Circuits beyond any repair, and my Magic Source was in a sorry state. My Clan was supportive of my treatment at first, but the costs kept piling up, and they eventually gave up.”

Chen choked as he did his best to hide the emotions welling up in his heart.

“Do you understand now, senior? I’m beyond help. I’m flattered that you’re willing to accept me as a disciple, but I’m just a burden. You’re better off looking for someone better.”

“...”

Roan kept quiet for a moment and closed his eyes with his arms still folded. It was a lot of information that Chen had just unloaded onto him, and it took him some time to digest it all. However, in the end, Roan simply smiled and declared.

“Okay, it’s decided! You’re going to be my second disciple!”

“Senior?! Did you not hear what I’d said? I’m a cripple!”

“Not in my eyes, you aren’t. Also, you said that you’re flattered, so you’re willing to become my disciple, right?” Roan looked to Yachi for affirmation.

The young teenager was confused for a moment, but eventually, her head shook up and down with tremendous vigour. After all, how could Yachi go against something Roan said?

“Wait a minute! Did you not hear me?! I’m a cripple, senior!”

“And who told you that?”

“Tsk, this is going nowhere! My father hired the top physicians, the best healers, even a bishop from the Church! They’d all told me that I was nothing more than a walking corpse! Even if the Magic God himself will be unable to cure me!”

“The Magic God himself? HAHAHA, WHAT A JOKE!!!”

Roan burst out in a fit of laughter and slapped the confused Chen right at the back.

“Stupid little disciple, why don’t you look inside of your body before telling me you’re a cripple?”

“You! Senior, you may have saved my life, but that doesn’t mean you can make a fool out of me! What’s the use of looking into my body when-...”

As Chen was busy spewing words, his brightened up mind unconsciously took a peek into his inner body. The pain that plagued his Magic Circuits… were no longer there. The dimming of his Magic Source… it no longer existed. The constant pulsating of mana through his body… had disappeared entirely.

The more Chen delved into the secrets of his body, the more shocked he became. His Magic Circuits were stitched back together. No, stitched back was an incorrect assessment. Chen’s entire Magic Circuit system had been reborn! The impurities of his body had been cleansed, and mana flowed with ease throughout his veins.

Chen’s Magic Source had gone through a tremendous change as well. It had grown exponentially, so much so that it was incomparable to how it was during Chen’s prime. The mana it supplied was so stable and robust that Chen even doubted that it was his own Magic Source.

“T-T-This! H-H-How?!”

“I fixed you, stupid.” Roan cracked his neck casually. “Honestly, you were right. Your body was beyond repair. That’s why I allowed you to fight the Mantis Queen so that you could completely destroy your past Magic Circuits. That way, I can rebuild you from the ground up.”

“R-Rebuild me?”

“Yeah… It was a lot of tedious work, and I had to use quite a bit of resources. So don’t ruin your body again! I don’t have an infinite amount of time and money.”

At this point, Chen’s brain had short-circuited. He was unable to comprehend the words that came out of Roan’s mouth and could only stare at him with utter shock.

A Magician capable of using a pocket dimension. A Spellcaster that could destroy a Mantis Queen with a single wave of his hand. A miracle worker that cured his crippled body. Roan had proven time and time again that he was someone extraordinary… someone that was beyond human comprehension.

And that could only mean one thing...

“W-Who a-are you?”

“Who am I? Haha, from the looks of it, you’ve already guessed.”

Roan chuckled, bringing his middle finger and thumb together. With a simple snap, he undid the disguises that were cast onto Yachi and himself, revealing their real faces to the young red-haired teen.

Yachi was as eye-catching as ever. No, after training with Roan, her physique had improved tremendously. She was in the pink of health, with a good mixture of muscle and fat complementing her natural curves. Yachi’s complexion was also in impeccable form. She was no longer deathly pale and now possessed rosy cheeks with skin that was as smooth as silk.

But no matter how beautiful Yachi was, Chen’s entire focus was on the man that stood right before him.

Transforming from an unassuming middle-aged man to a suave gentleman in his twenties, Roan revealed his true form with an impish smile. The gorgeous, flowing black hair… the hazel eyes which seemed to peer through anything in existence… and finally… that signature dominating presence that no mortal could stand before.

There was only one person in the world that possessed all of those features.

Chen had seen him many times, not in person, but in pictures and memory crystals. The image of him burning down an army of Demons was legendary in the Alliance. The stories of how he split the ocean to save sailors who had capsized still rung in many people’s ears. And finally… the God-Class magic spells that he’d pioneered… they were so unreal that hardly anyone could believe those feats.

The saviour of mankind, the slayer of Demons and the one who took Magic to the next dimension. There were many nicknames for the man that stood right in front of him. But the world commonly knew him as...

“Roan Erymneus... The Magic God…”